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The Doctor Who Thread.....


Greg1138

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Yeah, that was a really good episode - I'm loving the background for the companions in this series, and it tied in beautifully with Remembrance Sunday.

 

Akinola's score continues to impress. This is one of several episodes that I hope are well represented on an eventual release.

 

It does kind of feel like the Doctor has still to have her 'milestone' moment. The focus has been so much on the companions that it feels almost like she's the more minor character. Although part of that might be a character who has lost the arrogance and self-importance of previous Doctors and is the more inquisitive type. Huge contrast from Tennant's character.

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Now that was a strong story! Just when I was wondering if three companions might just be too much to come up with a single episode story that gives everyone something to do and still has time to tell an absorbing story. Although, in retrospect, the Alien assassin red herring seems rather pointless. Cool creature design though!

 

The music continues to work fine in the show. But unlike Gold, there's nothing yet that makes me want to listen to it on its own. And perhaps one of the reasons why the new series has a harder time of involving me emotionally than earlier ones is because Gold had the skill (and possible the mandate) to go all out with the music, and make it work. Stuff like the Long Song could emotionally carry its whole episode. It doesn't seem like Chibnall wants Akinola's music to have such a strong influence.

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I think this episode was a bit more involved for the Doctor and her companions, definitely one of the stronger episodes of the season. As has been mentioned, Akinola's score has it's fair moments to shine, a bit more symphonic this time, yet I feel as if we haven't had nearly as many themes that Gold would've introduced, perhaps because we haven't had any large series-arc villains. 

 

Speaking of the villains, I felt they stuck out like sore thumbs, and not nearly enough people from 1947 were outraged by the Doctor or the alien shenanigans, passing it off as demons. In series past, when the Doctor interacts with cultures from the past, they question him and aren't entirely convinced but by the end of the episodes they come around to him, or learn of his true nature ala Vincent and the Doctor, The Fires of Pompeii, The Girl in the Fireplace. Here in Demons of the Punjab, no one questions anything more than they have to. 

Looking forward to next time, although it'll be another corporate espionage scenario...

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I think they do need to be careful not to view themselves as too important in tackling current issues.

 

One episode of Who can introduce kids to the Rosa Parks story in a thrilling way but it's not going to persuade millions of people to stop shopping at Amazon..

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Oh wow, that was a stunning episode. The score was absolutely beautiful. Similar to Rosa, though personally I prefer the Indian-influenced sounds of this more than the Americana of the former.

 

It’s a shame that the non-historic/more straightforward stories seem to have more straightforward music. I can barely think of the score for the last two episodes.

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43 minutes ago, Sweeping Strings said:

Granted the Beeb aren't QUITE at the same level as Amazon, but it's essentially one wealthy corporation making fun of another one. 

I always love it when the good Doctor goes up against big business: Global Chemicals, Ood Operations, Cybus Industries, I.M.C.

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2 hours ago, Docteur Qui said:

Oh wow, that was a stunning episode. The score was absolutely beautiful. Similar to Rosa, though personally I prefer the Indian-influenced sounds of this more than the Americana of the former.

 

It’s a shame that the non-historic/more straightforward stories seem to have more straightforward music. I can barely think of the score for the last two episodes.

 

I don't remember any of the music from episodes 4 or 5, but the rest did at least have some character. I loved the scores for Rosa and Demons.

 

Given that Akinola is an unknown I doubt he's going to get anything as comprehensive as Gold's more recent releases - likely a single CD.

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I finally gave in and got 5.1 rips of Rosa and Punjab to extract a suite of music from each.

 

Some of it actually kind of sounds like what Gold might've come up with, but I get the impression that Akinola uses synths more as a gap filler, rather than orchestra which Gold uses, and that as a result, his orchestral material stands out a bit more.

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I've just read the Whittaker "surprised a fan".

 

6 hours ago, Sweeping Strings said:

Apparently tonight's Children In Need bit was just a clip from the next episode, instead of a mini-ep like previous years. Pfft. 

Oh, for the heady days of TIMECRASH.

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On 11/15/2018 at 10:11 PM, Arpy said:

The Indian-influenced take on the Doctor Who theme was lovely. Unfortunately in Australia, the host of the talk show cut over the end titles! Bastard!

 

Watch it on ABC iView, the end credits are clean on that!

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Yeah, I watch everything on catch-up (except news) and there's never an announcer.

 

I wonder if it's a Chibnall thing when tackling sensitive stories to not use the DW theme and continue the score. I don't think they've ever done it before.

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On 11/17/2018 at 6:47 AM, Richard said:

I've just read the Whittaker "surprised a fan".

 

Oh, for the heady days of TIMECRASH.


Yeah ... am not one for 'the BBC is trying to wreck Doctor Who' conspiracy theories but between this, the move to Sunday evening and the festive special being on New Year's Day as opposed to Christmas Day one does wonder sometimes.

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I'm sure there was a suggestion that Sunday evenings were better because they could be confident about the time slot. Stuff moves around all the time on Saturdays what with live shows.

 

Although I would be surprised if that were that important nowadays with so many watching things on catch-up.

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12 hours ago, Sweeping Strings said:


Yeah ... am not one for 'the BBC is trying to wreck Doctor Who' conspiracy theories but between this, the move to Sunday evening and the festive special being on New Year's Day as opposed to Christmas Day one does wonder sometimes.

 

Sunday is a much bigger tv day than Saturday, and as mentioned the unreliability of scheduling definitely hurt ratings the last few years.

 

As for the Christmas special, the idea has been worn out and ratings haven't been great, so why not move it to New Years and try something different.  Who fans are so resistant to change sometimes its quite frustrating.

 

As for the Children in Need "clip", hasn't it been that way for a while?  If anything, Timecrash was the exception rather than a rule.

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18 hours ago, Sweeping Strings said:


Yeah ... am not one for 'the BBC is trying to wreck Doctor Who' conspiracy theories but between this, the move to Sunday evening and the festive special being on New Year's Day as opposed to Christmas Day one does wonder sometimes.

Sometimes, new seasons have begun on New Years' Day (DAY OF THE DALEKS). The last NYD special was brilliant.

 

 

5 hours ago, Wycket said:

As for the Children in Need "clip", hasn't it been that way for a while?  If anything, Timecrash was the exception rather than a rule.

 

Wasn't there a CIN "extra" bit, in the TARDIS, in 2005?

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There was. There have been a few little bits here and there (mostly just extended sequences) but for the last few years especially its usually just been a clip from the upcoming Christmas episode. Timecrash was definitely an exception, as it was a specially produced story that went above and beyond. 

 

It was more in response to those fans that keep crying doom and gloom because of how things are going and "changing" that elicited the response than anything else.

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10 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

Just finished Kerblam.

 

Easily the worst of the series so far. Some story about a revolt over technology stealing jobs. Meh.

I thought it was a return to the Who that felt familiar, moreso than any other episode this season that you could point to and say 'that's Doctor Who!

 

Bit of a silly resolution, essentially more deaths, but the majority of the episode was fine.

 

I don't know if anyone else might've noticed it, or I'm making some fuzzy connections, but after they teleport to safety at the end, I swear I heard a variation of The Doctor's Theme from S1-4...

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9 hours ago, Horner's Dynamic Range said:

Anyone else remember when Doctor Who was good?

 

Have you missed the last few episodes?

 

This week could have been straight out of Tennant's era.  I quite enjoyed it, and when the big reveal happened I also jumped with joy connecting something Doctor Who is made fun of so much was turned into an actual threat.  I feel like ever since the Arachnids in the U.K. episode the show has been on a big upswing.  The show feels fresh and rejuvenated and telling a lot of varied stories not seen in the show in quite a while. 

 

Despite being a fan of Capaldi, I was bored and have little interest in returning to his era of the show, yet I can see myself doing a rewatch of Whittaker's season sooner than later.  

 

What exactly are the problems people are having with the show? 

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Well ... 

I thought the third episode was kinda preachy and the 'bad guy' was barely a threat, in the fourth episode I felt the ending was rushed and I still don't understand the assertion that trapping the spiders and letting them starve/suffocate was a more humane death than something quicker or the decision to have Chris Noth simply walk away unpunished, and in the fifth episode I wanted the alien to be big and scary and not some damn Disney thing.

Tosin Cole's line delivery is very wooden at times, and Ryan's dyspraxia seems to have been mostly forgotten about.

The new composer's work sometimes doesn't fit too well with what's unfolding onscreen. Never felt that with Murray Gold.   

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On 11/7/2018 at 3:30 AM, Richard said:

I'm sure that you know this, @pixie_twinkle, but...John Dearth was also the voice of B.O.S.S.

I did know that. He's equally unhinged as B.O.S.S. Classic who has so many wonderful over-the-top villains played completely straight (not played for laughs, but sometimes getting unintentional ones.) My absolute favourite is Harrison Chase in Seeds of Doom, which is also my all-time favourite Who story.

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Apart from an ending that was perhaps a little rushed (albeit nowhere near as much as the spiders episode) I thought 'The Witchfinders' last night was excellent ... pacy, creepy and funny. Fantastic guest turn from Alan Cumming as James I.  

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That... was a bizarre and completely nonsensical episode. I'd like to have seen something examining the period of witch trials with a simpler human story, rather than some sci-fi rubbish mixed in.

 

Alan Cumming was having a lot of fun though.

 

Musically, I noticed a motif during the Doctor's explanatory section that also appears in Rosa. I guess that's her theme or something representing her mind at work.

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55 minutes ago, Richard Penna said:

That... was a bizarre and completely nonsensical episode. I'd like to have seen something examining the period of witch trials with a simpler human story, rather than some sci-fi rubbish mixed in.

 

Alan Cumming was having a lot of fun though.

 

Musically, I noticed a motif during the Doctor's explanatory section that also appears in Rosa. I guess that's her theme or something representing her mind at work.


I think you have to go back to the '63 - '89 run for 'pure historicals'.

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