The Doctor Who Thread.....

[Charlie Brigden 7]

Mediawatch UK are a joke. Their leader, John Beyer, is a ridiculous simpleton.

[pixie_twinkle 48]

This week's was pretty lame IMO. The plot didn't really seem to have any focus and the stakes seemed very low.

Plus, the dodgy sfx were back.

Oh dear. I won't get to see it for another two weeks. Time of Angels for me tonight! Hopefully the weeping angels will redeem the show after the dire Dalek story.

[Richard Penna 3,686]

I take it you watch it on US TV, not the net then?

[John Crichton 4]

I have to disagree with Rich, I thought it was a decent romp. The final conflict and resolution weren't that great, that'd be my only real beef. The villains were good, I thought the Doctor/Rory/Amy triangle was very well done, and there were a lot of damn good one-liners. I about died when the Doctor came out of the cake! The creature effects may have been a bit weak again (definitely The Mill's Achilles heel), but the location filming raised the production to a whole new level visually. Great choice.

And next week does indeed look very interesting. I have a feeling that a lot of the season arc is going to get laid out.

[pixie_twinkle 48]

I take it you watch it on US TV, not the net then?

I wait for the TV broadcast so we can watch it on our 52" screen! It's tough, but ultimately rewarding. My stepson on the other hand doesn't care about viewing quality. He watched Iron Man 2 on his computer 3 days ago, before it even hit the cinemas in the States. I don't know how he got it and I don't want to know. All I know is I'd rather see it on the big screen for the first time.

[pixie_twinkle 48]

Ok, during the amazing Time of Angels episode on US TV last night I got increasingly frustrated by the completely inappropriate ad breaks that US TV insists on popping in every 5-7 minutes of the episode. I finally caved in and started "finding" the episodes from elsewhere. Luckily I can still play them on our big TV! My wide and I just watched Flesh and Stone (AMAZING!!!!) and we're just about to watch Vampires in Venice. The season has just taken a massive upswing!

[John Crichton 4]

You can get it all in MUCH better quality than just a year or two ago. It's doubly good since YouTube has been policed much more heavily this year.

[pixie_twinkle 48]

My wide and I just watched Flesh and Stone

Wow, what an unfortunate mistype! I hope she never visits this thread...

[John Crichton 4]

Solid ep tonight, though probably not quite as good as it could have been. It was more standalone that I expected, and I love the investigation of the darker side of the Doctor's nature, everything the "Dream Lord" said was true.

I also like that there's been so much focus on the Doctor/Amy/Rory character relationships. I thought that Rory was going to be gone after this ep, it's good to see that he'll be sticking around some more, I've gotten to really like him. Maybe the Moff is making up for RTD's mistake of having the wonderful Mickey become a full companion too late and for too short a time. I liked what Murray Gold did this week too, very creepy and a departure from his usual sound.

Next week- Silurians! And the whole drilling thing has me thinking of Inferno too, we'll see if there's a reference.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

Really, really liked this episode. Definitely the best standalone since "The Beast Below". It furthered all three of the centric characters and in particular gave an unsettling perspective of the Doctor. We all know there's darkness inside him, but we finally got to see just how much he hates himself. That spoke volumes and didn't feel like another retread of his usual guilt trip. I'm actually surprised at the quality of writing and direction on this one as I'd heard it was supposedly the worst of the current season. For me, that dubious honor lies with "Victory of the Daleks" (which I actually still enjoyed a fair bit) followed by last week's "Vampires" (likewise).

Interested to see where the next two-parter goes, and how it will advance the season arc. Can't believe we're already halfway through this wonderful new season. I have yet to be truly disappointed, and honestly am not expecting to be. I have no idea what to expect, but if the previous seven episodes are any indication then it's going to be a lot of fun.

[John Crichton 4]

Vampires was the "worst" so far to me, but they've all been very enjoyable one way or another.

I saw a rumor (or should I say rumour, it is a British show ) that Karen Gillian will be back for Series 6. I really hope that true, she's made of awesome and there's been a bit too much of a companion revolving door lately.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

Absolutely, I'd prefer to see the companions develop slowly and solidly over the course of a few years rather than jamming a whole lifetime in just 13 episode, like Donna. Not that I didn't love her - she's my favourite companion since the show came back - but it was all over too soon and with too much intensity!

[Richard Penna 3,686]

Loved yesterday's episode. A vast improvement over the vampire episode (might rewatch that when it has my full attention, but it didn't seem as interesting or clever) and cemented Amy's relationship.

In fact the only downer was that as soon as

Rory was dust-ified

, I knew exactly what Amy was thinking and the decision she'd made - a little predictable. Final twist was clever though, and a rather logical deduction by the doc.

I think Gillan will be back for the next series. I heard her on the radio yesterday, and once you got past the 'fluff' everyone puts on for the radio, I heard someone genuinely thrilled to be part of DH.

[pixie_twinkle 48]

Really enjoyed Amy's Choice. The Dream Lord was a wonderful character, hints of The Valeyard (for those older Who fans out there)? This season has become very entertaining. It was a little slow to really hit it's stride, but it's striding along quite confidently now. The only episode I have found anything less than excellent was the bloody awful Victory of the Daleks.

So what do you all think of Matt Smith? I think he's incredible. His portrayal is already solid and distinctive. Christopher Eccleston felt like the Doctor from his first appearance. David Tennant took a lot longer to register as the Doctor with me. Most of his first season, to be honest (although by the end of his tenure he had become one of the best!). Matt Smith is incredible. He's well on his way to becoming one of my top 3. My Dad (who started watching Doctor Who on November 23rd 1963) thinks that Matt Smith might be the best ever, (possibly after Tom Baker).

[John Crichton 4]

...hints of The Valeyard (for those older Who fans out there)?

Yup, that crossed my mind too.

So what do you all think of Matt Smith? I think he's incredible. His portrayal is already solid and distinctive. Christopher Eccleston felt like the Doctor from his first appearance. David Tennant took a lot longer to register as the Doctor with me. Most of his first season, to be honest (although by the end of his tenure he had become one of the best!). Matt Smith is incredible. He's well on his way to becoming one of my top 3. My Dad (who started watching Doctor Who on November 23rd 1963) thinks that Matt Smith might be the best ever, (possibly after Tom Baker).

I agree completely about Eccleston and Tennant. It took a while for Tennant to really get his performance down, you can see a huge difference starting about the last filmed eps of series 2, The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit, and especially The Runaway Bride and series 3.

Smith is definitely more on the Eccleston side for me, he had me from the start. If he's this good now it's scary to think about how good he'll be. And to think we were all asking ourselves January before last: "Who is this kid? I really hope The Moff knows what he's doing!"

[pixie_twinkle 48]

And to think we were all asking ourselves January before last: "Who is this kid? I really hope The Moff knows what he's doing!"

I remember! My wife and I were visiting my parents in England for Christmas so we were all glued to the telly during the Dr Who Confidential when Matt Smith was officially announced. I remember being completely nonplussed. The biggest rumour at the time was that Chiwetel Ejiofor was going to get the role and be the first black Doctor. I was really excited about that as I think he would be perfect for the role. I was so disappointed when Matt Smith with his floppy boy-band hair announced it was going to be him. But as usual, the powers that be at Dr Who Central knew what they were doing. So far the new series (2005 onwards) has yet to make a major blunder.

[Wojo 2,453]

Looks like the Doctor Who crew has one less type of creepy alien to use on their show.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

They look like Pokémon. They're really going to be Olympic mascots?

[John Crichton 4]

Worst aliens since the Absorbaloff.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

I take it you watch it on US TV, not the net then?

I wait for the TV broadcast so we can watch it on our 52" screen! It's tough, but ultimately rewarding. My stepson on the other hand doesn't care about viewing quality. He watched Iron Man 2 on his computer 3 days ago, before it even hit the cinemas in the States. I don't know how he got it and I don't want to know. All I know is I'd rather see it on the big screen for the first time.

Iron Man 2 opened in almost the rest of the world a week before US and Canada

[pixie_twinkle 48]

Looks like the Doctor Who crew has one less type of creepy alien to use on their show.

They already used it!

[John Crichton 4]

Ha! Can't believe I didn't think of that.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,520]

Looks like the Doctor Who crew has one less type of creepy alien to use on their show.

They already used it!

Right on, Pixie!!!! Alpha Centauri is one of the greatest creations EVER for Doctor Who!!!

[pixie_twinkle 48]

And the most irritating voice!

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

That was a good episode. Not much to say, but I'm looking forward to next week's - it looks like it's going to be an exciting one!

[John Crichton 4]

Yes, that was very solid. Though I concur with pretty much all the reviews, it was mostly just set-up for next week, but really good set-up. Nice to hear the Silurian/Eocene debate pop up, and now a third name- homo reptilia.

[davros72 1]

Wasn't blown away. Distinctly average. Still not convinced about the redesign of the Silurians, good thing they had that "different branch of the species" line or it'd be even tougher to convince me. None of the guest characters did a thing for me. And there was way too little of Amy in the episode. The only bit that I really enjoyed more than just average-ly was the part where "future" Amy and Rory are waving at them from across the way. If indeed it really was their future selves.

Oh, and I did also like how Matt Smith performed the little bit about being the last of a race and how it sits in the heart. Very well done.

Hopefully next week is better. But not holding out much hope, never been too impressed with Chibnall scripts.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,520]

Wasn't blown away. Distinctly average. Still not convinced about the redesign of the Silurians, good thing they had that "different branch of the species" line or it'd be even tougher to convince me. None of the guest characters did a thing for me. And there was way too little of Amy in the episode. The only bit that I really enjoyed more than just average-ly was the part where "future" Amy and Rory are waving at them from across the way. If indeed it really was their future selves.

Oh, and I did also like how Matt Smith performed the little bit about being the last of a race and how it sits in the heart. Very well done.

Hopefully next week is better. But not holding out much hope, never been too impressed with Chibnall scripts.

"Not convinced about...The Silurians"? As well you should be: THEY. ARE. COMPLETE. SHITE!!!! If ever a "redisigned" enemy was wasted, it is what we saw last Saturday. Did anyone else get the feeling that we were watching 3 stories in one- "The Daemons" (force field), "The Green Death" (Robert Pugh getting sprayed with gunk), and "Planet Of The Daleks" (loads, and loads of Silurians waiting to be revived)?

WHAT HAS STEVE MOFFATT DONE?!

[pixie_twinkle 48]

I must admit I found it to be a fairly average episode. I'm still waiting for a masterpiece this season. Good as the Weeping Angels episodes were, they weren't as original or brilliant as Blink. Matt Smith's performance is probably the best thing about this season so far.

Season 1: Empty Child/Doctor Dances, Unquiet Dead

Season 2: Girl in the Fireplace, Impossible Planet/Satan Pit

Season 3: Human Nature/Family of Blood, Blink

Season 4: Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead, Midnight, Turn Left

So far season 5 hasn't had anything to match any of the season highlights listed above IMO.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

I don't want to get my hopes up... but I get the feeling that the last two (if not three) episodes of the season will blow us away. The dense plotting Moffat has already done - both what we have gathered and what we might not have picked up - suggests it will pull out a lot of stops. That's just where I feel it's heading towards.

[John Crichton 4]

Did anyone else get the feeling that we were watching 3 stories in one- "The Daemons" (force field), "The Green Death" (Robert Pugh getting sprayed with gunk), and "Planet Of The Daleks" (loads, and loads of Silurians waiting to be revived)?

WHAT HAS STEVE MOFFATT DONE?!

I got The Green Death just from start, seeing an industrial complex in a Welsh Village (side thought- anyone else have that story on DVD and watched Mark Gatiss' parody news report on it? Bloody brilliant). As well as Inferno, ever since I heard deep drilling was involved, and Frontios, the whole "the ground eats people" thing.

But I don't see this as necessarily a bad thing. It's just like whenever a new Williams score came out in the 2000s and you'd start recognizing passages that sound like other scores- there's so much out there that there's bound to be some superficial crossover.

[pixie_twinkle 48]

I have nothing against superficial crossover. Season 13 of the original series (the absolute highlight IMO) has horror crossovers and homages in just about every episode!

[John Crichton 4]

Well the first 40 or so minutes of Cold Blood are a very enjoyable romp with more than a little of a classic Who feel, but nothing that makes you think you're watching an all time classic or even a series best. But the last 5+ minutes just pushed it past that line and then some, as the season arc again takes over. I have to say I saw one of the big twists coming (thanks in part to Den of Geek teasing a shock ending), but it ended up unfolding in a way that I didn't expect. And then the revelation in the last shot, what a great tease!

[Richard Penna 3,686]

I liked this two parter - it made sense storywise, performances were superb and they showed they're seemingly not afraid to kill off whoever they want.

Music made almost no impression at all, but you can't have everything. I'm optimistic for the end of this season.

[John Crichton 4]

Music made almost no impression at all, but you can't have everything.

Unfortunately the only impression it made on me was asking why Gold was using the danger motif so much.

[pixie_twinkle 48]

This episode was terrific! So nice to see (or rather "hear") Stephen Moore. You don't get to see him in many programs these days, and he always manages to give a sympathetic performance. Even as Marvin!

The ending blew me away. Amazing pacing, and heartbreakingly well judged by the actors and director. This episode really raised the bar on Season 5. Next week's teaser looks very promising too.

[davros72 1]

MUCH better than last week, thank goodness! Still don't care for the new design, but whatever. Stephen Moore, the Paranoid Android, hooray! The feel of the underground city was really well done, even though the Temple of Peace could have been disguised a bit better (kept expecting Cassandra or the Face of Boe to be sitting around nearby...). The last 5 minutes... kinda saw part of it coming but it still works really, really well. And the very last part... D'oh!

[LongTallJodie 59]

The first episode of the adventure game came out today for users in the UK. Haven't played it yet, but nerd that I am, I HAVE looked at the sound files - they're all unencrypted OGGs, which means they're easily playable without any hassle. VERY nice. They're at a rather low bit-rate, but I'll take what I can get.

The material is mostly just short snippets that aren't very listenable, but there's a few gems buried in there. Most of it sounds like music that's as-of-yet unreleased from Series 5, though some older music pops up here and there (mostly just bits of "The Dark and Endless Dalek Night.") Oddly, the bits of old Dalek music almost all have clean endings, which is kind of neat. Either that track was on the Series 4 OST was assembled from lots of bits and pieces, or the game editors are clever mixers. Probably just the latter.

EDIT: Okay, "Cutscene_20_Music" is a particular highlight. It really puts the Eleventh Doctor's relatively simple new theme through its paces. "Cutscene_21_04_Music" is the unadulterated main theme, complete with the middle eight, though I believe it can be found in much higher quality elsewhere on the net.

EDIT AGAIN: The Dalek music is definitely taken from recording session reels, not just from the Series 4 OST. "Ident sylvia blows it 14.5" has part of the "Endless Dalek Night" withOUT the choral overdubs. Not much, but interesting nonetheless.

[davros72 1]

Can I ask what folder you found the music files in? I'm digging around and not finding anything with the titles you're referring to.

Game so far is kinda fun, lightweight but OK.

[LongTallJodie 59]

Can I ask what folder you found the music files in? I'm digging around and not finding anything with the titles you're referring to.

Data > Episode_2 > Audio > Music.

[John Crichton 4]

I was able to download the install file, but I can't open it without an online check to verify I'm in the UK. Anyone know a way around that?

[LongTallJodie 59]

Dunno. The copy I ended up with installed without a hitch. Were you connected to the internet at the time?

EDIT: Also, "Cutscene_01_Music" is rather pretty. Given its "fairy tale" sound, I'm assuming it's Amy's Theme, but that'd be news to me, since I hadn't actually noticed Amy even HAVING a theme before. Maybe I just don't pay enough attention to the music during the show itself.

[davros72 1]

Ah, there they are, thanks!

Weird that there's a folder named "Episode 02" and nothing called "Episode 01". At least that I can see. Oh, well.

[davros72 1]

"Vincent and the Doctor"...

Very good episode, let down somewhat by the simplistic (and lame, IMHO) "hunt the monster" plot. It was such a very slight, minor part of the episode, which I understand in a way, but seemed like it could have been developed into something more substantial than what we got. The stuff with Vincent was wonderful, Tony Curran was excellent, as was Bill Nighy. Everyone's performance was really good, come to think of it, especially Matt and Karen. Also another fun treat to see Hartnell and Troughton again. Good first effort from new writer Richard Curtis.

Confidential was also really good this week, lately it's been mostly dull, with rare highlights, such as Beth Willis getting wet, the bus tour, etc.

Next week's trailer really didn't inspire confidence, sadly...

[John Crichton 4]

This week's ep felt a bit strange to me, but that might have been my fault (been working nights and snuck in my viewing during downtime at work, naughty boy). The monster stuff I'm not so sure about either, but the ep's emotional core was definitely sound. I was wondering how many laws of time the Doctor was bending or breaking at the end.

I was surprised next week's trailer had such a serious tone, the ep has long been billed as a Gareth Roberts comedy interlude before the big finale.

[LongTallJodie 59]

I LOVED "Vincent." Just a wonderful character piece. The dodgy monster was really just a minor plot device to get the characters interacting.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,520]

I LOVED "Vincent." Just a wonderful character piece. The dodgy monster was really just a minor plot device to get the characters interacting.

Agreed. Tony Curran was magnificent, and it was nice to see Bill Nighy shoe-horned into another Richard Curtis role that he was not siuted for

What did it for me was the fact that the episode gave poeple a sympathetic introduction the subject of mental illness. Well done to all involved!

[pixie_twinkle 48]

Best episode of the season so far. The monster didn't bother me nearly as much as it seems to have bothered other people here, especially as the invisible monster Vincent is battling is clearly a metaphor. The acting was superb all round, and the ending at the Musee d'Orsay was a tear-jerker. A few more of this quality would have made this the best season yet.

A few posts back I said I was still waiting for a masterpiece this season. Now I can relax. Vincent and the Doctor was it.

[John Crichton 4]

I'm definitely going to have to revisit this ep under better conditions.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,520]

Best episode of the season so far. The monster didn't bother me nearly as much as it seems to have bothered other people here, especially as the invisible monster Vincent is battling is clearly a metaphor. The acting was superb all round, and the ending at the Musee d'Orsay was a tear-jerker. A few more of this quality would have made this the best season yet.

A few posts back I said I was still waiting for a masterpiece this season. Now I can relax. Vincent and the Doctor was it.

I take what you say about it being "a masterpiece", Pixie, but why did we have to wait until ep.11?!

The last series kicked its "masterpiece" episodes with "Fires Of Pompeii", wich was ep.2.

Let's face it, guys, this series is one hell of a let down, with most of the stories rising only to the "as-good-as-Martha-stories" category.

The less said about Amy's crack, the better...