Official Doctor Who Thread

Started by Ushgarak181 pages

Yes, though there was a slight thematic break from End of Time as the idea that the Time Lords were all evil wasn't there (despite being pushed in Night of the Doctor).

Originally posted by Morridini
Ah, you obviously hasn't seen the minisode entitled "Night of the Doctor"! It's six minutes long and aired last week just a few days before Day of the Doctor. It explains your question explicitly.

Your girlfriend is right,

Spoiler:
the Doctor has not changed his own timeline, he now simply knows what really happened. This is reaffirmed when Hurt states that he will not remember these last events, so when he regenerates into Eccleston he remembers taking the moment, and that Gallifray is gone. So his post-war trauma that Eccleston went through will still happen.

Ahhhh right okay cool

Originally posted by Ushgarak
Yes, though there was a slight thematic break from End of Time as the idea that the Time Lords were all evil wasn't there (despite being pushed in Night of the Doctor).

Now I'm not at all familiar with Classic Who, so I'm just curious as to the distinction between the guys with Rassilon (I don't remember how that is spelled, so let's instead go with James Timebond) and the ones who were communicating with the Doctor(s) in this episode. Are those different branches of the Galifrayan government?

Also there was a throwaway line the first time we see those timelords that refers to the evil plan by James Timebond being unsuccesful.

Really, Time Lord society/continuity is made up as the writers go along, so I think Moffat is adding here that there is a special war command for the Time Lords that was distinct from the political command of the High Council- which he had to do because we saw what the High Council were doing in End of Time, about to destroy creation with the 'final sanction'.

However, continuity-wise, those End of Time scenes happen after that 'their plans have failed' scene in what we just saw, because in End of Time they mention the Doctor having vanished with the Moment, which they were only just discovering in DOTD.

So this means 'End of Time' happens in-between the Fall of Arcadia scenes and the Docs turning up at the end of DOTD. SO Rassilon is still all ready to go- the only thing stopping him was that the Doctor was going to kill them all with the Moment first.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
Really, Time Lord society/continuity is made up as the writers go along, so I think Moffat is adding here that there is a special war command for the Time Lords that was distinct from the political command of the High Council- which he had to do because we saw what the High Council were doing in End of Time, about to destroy creation with the 'final sanction'.

However, continuity-wise, those End of Time scenes happen after that 'their plans have failed' scene in what we just saw, because in End of Time they mention the Doctor having vanished with the Moment, which they were only just discovering in DOTD.

So this means 'End of Time' happens in-between the Fall of Arcadia scenes and the Docs turning up at the end of DOTD. SO Rassilon is still all ready to go- the only thing stopping him was that the Doctor was going to kill them all with the Moment first.

This might be trying to timeline it a bit too specifically. As we know, these things are all quite fluid depending on what's needed for the story.

But perhaps the various rogue factions on Gallifrey will provide fodder for future story arcs and villains.

I don;t think it's too precise! The entire point of End of Time is that it's the story of what the Time Lords tried when they knew what the Doctor was about to do with The Moment. It's the entire basis of where Moffat got the plotline from. So everything they tried there was after the Doctor took The Moment

Ok I think I remember they stating that the High Councils plan failed the FIRST time we saw these other dudes, but maybe I am misremembering and it was actually something that was said before the thirteen Doctors came to save the day at the end?

Anyone remember the episode better than me?

No you're right, it was the first time. The exchange is that one person says that the High Council have their own plans, and the lead guy responds that their plans have failed- but I think he was just means as in "Look at the current situation, clearly their plans are no good" as opposed to specifically talking about their "Destroy the universe" plan, which he perhaps did not know about.

Will go to the theatre and see it again this Sunday, will post some updated thouhts then I guess.

So happy they are doing additional screenings in Norway, I've been in Paris for the last three months and NOT ONE theatre here decided to show it, had to settle for crappy VPN+BBC iplayer the last time.

I got to see it in 3D on Monday, after cramming Season 7 into a couple days of vegging and watching. I like Clara so far, it's nice to have a change of dynamic after two-and-a-half seasons.

To me the Ponds overstood their welcome by half a season, giving Clara just one half of a season for her first going (or, one half+1 thanks to Dalek Asylum) was a let down (I really like her, potential to becoming my favorite down the line, after Donna).

Originally posted by Morridini
To me the Ponds overstayed their welcome by half a season

Fixt 😉

If you like the Doctor and like old 80's music this video is for you

http://www.dorkly.com/embed/57389/doctor-who-take-on-me

Doctor who/Sherlock crossover, yes it's real

YouTube video

Faked, I'm afraid, but faked well.

Have people seen the trailer for the Christmas episode?

Yeah I found out earlier 🙁

I have yes, looked good, a dalek saying 'The doctor is regenerating!' got me excited

That was pretty good, a really nice send-off at the end until they

Spoiler:
shoe-horned in ginger *****

The Christmas special never quite found its stride imo, but it really tied up the loose plot strands in the Matt Smith years. In a few throwaway lines with the head lady of the Church (who was wonderful, btw), the finales of Seasons 5-7 are all explained in greater detail. River, unfortunately, could very well be done. Any writer can bring back almost anyone at some point, but there's no narrative need to do so with her anymore.

The music that played during the regeneration buildup in the TARDIS was a variation on the song from Rings of Akhaten. Doubt there's a significance, but I thought it was interesting. A panned episode, by and large, but his soliloquy near the end of it was among his best, taken alone. I thought of that speech as the music played.

They're getting too self-aware about Doctor send-offs, though. As much as the Tennant send-off went on for ages, this one felt more forced. Give 'em a snappy line and a wink or something...this rinky-dink philosophy about change and visions of past companions is all a bit melodramatic. By comparison, Paul McGann's final lines in his mini-episode were exponentially more dignified. Same with forcing "Christmas" into every Christmas episode. Aren't we past that by now?

I suppose Day of the Doctor was an impossible act to follow. Seeing the Christmas episode just makes me want to go back and watch the 50th again.

Yes, as with The End of Time, as a story it had good bits but was not actually a good story overall. One day, someone will write a decent regeneration story again. The last one of any note was Logopolis, which was in 1981! The Caves of Androzani was a story with a regeneration in that was excellent, but it wasn't actually a regeneration story as such. Of course, you could argue that Night of the Doctor counts...

I also appreciated Moffat trying to tie up loose ends, though still nothing will explain why River was in the space suit hiding in a lake, or why a specifically created assassin was needed at all.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
Yes, as with The End of Time, as a story it had good bits but was not actually a good story overall. One day, someone will write a decent regeneration story again. The last one of any note was Logopolis, which was in 1981! The Caves of Androzani was a story with a regeneration in that was excellent, but it wasn't actually a regeneration story as such. Of course, you could argue that Night of the Doctor *****...

I also appreciated Moffat trying to tie up loose ends, though still nothing will explain why River was in the space suit hiding in a lake, or why a specifically created assassin was needed at all.

Minor details in the scheme of things, at least imo. The need for a specific assassin isn't without reasonable justification, given some of the outlandish explanations we're routinely asked to stomach. I also liked seeing what was in the "11 room." I had assumed it was the Time War Doctor.

I appreciated End of Time a lot more, but I'm also a sucker for the massive scope of certain stories. The end of Season 4, for example, was almost explicit fan service, but the grandiose delivery smoothed over any flaws for me. I wouldn't argue that it was a technically brilliant story though, nor the End of Time.

And while I loved the banter between Smith and the church lady, did we really need everyone naked? I cringed when he appeared in his birthday suit in the TARDIS.