Doctor Who v. Patrick Troughton

[Kotowboy]

We knew The Doctor wouldn't kill Davros, but I can't believe I didn't think of killing the hands! That was a nice ending.

Oh, really ? As soon as as I saw the preview for today's episode I assumed that's what was going to happen.

Some nice acting from whoever plays Davros in this episode.

[BlackInk]

Very cool episode. I'd say these two episodes were better than anything series 8 had to offer.

I like Missy's weirdness, but it did get a bit much at times here though.

And since series 8 was more episodic, I'd also like to see an a bit more serialised season this year. I tend to like those the most. But they seem to be setting something up at least with the confession, so it all looks good.

[masterthes]

I think the Doctor was playing his theme music on the guitar.

Anyway, great season premiere. One of the better Dalek centered stories of new Who (the two stories of series 1 are still my favorite)

[Kotowboy]

Very cool episode. I'd say these two episodes were better than anything series 8 had to offer.

I like Missy's weirdness, but it did get a bit much at times here though.

And since series 8 was more episodic, I'd also like to see an a bit more serialised season this year. I tend to like those the most. But they seem to be setting something up at least with the confession, so it all looks good.

Each to their own. I vastly prefer a different story every week. I cannot bear having to wait a week for a conclusion. I hate it.

[abydos]

Hopefully they are done with this for a while and we can get some actual fun DW episodes and stories now. 8 seasons of fan service is enough, time to bury the Daleks for a few years.

[BlackInk]

Each to their own. I vastly prefer a different story every week. I cannot bear having to wait a week for a conclusion. I hate it.

A week is nothing. I'll gladly wait a week between the two-part stories.

Hopefully they are done with this for a while and we can get some actual fun DW episodes and stories now. 8 seasons of fan service is enough, time to bury the Daleks for a few years.

Don't they have to include the Daleks at least once a season? I think I heard that somewhere, or did I dream that?

[Kotowboy]

I see they're still doing the whole " either the Doctor or Clara or both have to be in a life or death predicament in every episode " shtick.

[abydos]

Each to their own. I vastly prefer a different story every week. I cannot bear having to wait a week for a conclusion. I hate it.

A week is nothing. I'll gladly wait a week between the two-part stories.

Hopefully they are done with this for a while and we can get some actual fun DW episodes and stories now. 8 seasons of fan service is enough, time to bury the Daleks for a few years.

Don't they have to include the Daleks at least once a season? I think I heard that somewhere, or did I dream that?

I have no idea, but I've never liked Daleks or Cyberman, although they've had decent episodes with them in the past. I'll have to rewatch the first 5 seasons again, I was just glued to the screen when I was exposed to DW for the first time a few years ago and something from then is missing for me - would be interesting to see if I feel like that because it was my first time or was there actually something special about those seasons that is lacking now.

I feel like we haven't gone exploring much recently. The Doctor feels too much in control.

[BlackInk]

I personally feel that the show has gotten better since those early years. Eccleston and Tennant had some great episodes, but I feel that Smith's run was more consistantly good. Capaldi is great as the Doctor, but I'm not a huge fan of series 8, so hoping that 9 will be able to improve his run and keep that consistant "goodness" up.

[Onno]

I agree, apart from your comments about series 8. I loved series 8. But yes, Eccleston was decent and had a few great episodes, Tennant was also really great but had a few weaker episodes and Smith was my favourite Doctor probably.

[BlobVanDam]

I'm trying to get back to watching the original series. I was stuck on The Web Planet for about 6 months, just couldn't build up the motivation to watch it, but I've finally done it! I deserve a medal or something for getting through that crud. I couldn't even tell what was supposed to be happening half the time with the dudes in bug suits flailing around, awful camera work, and shit smeared on the lens to cover up the badness.

I've skipped over The Crusade because two episodes are missing and have no animated versions (I'm a lightweight), so onto The Space Museum. I just finished the first episode of that, which I quite enjoyed.

[Scorpion]

I find that the best Hartnell episodes come later in his time as Doctor. The Space Museum is pretty good, but my favourites are The Time Meddler and The War Machines.

In Modern-Who news, this weeks episode was great! I probably liked it a little more than The Magician's Apprentice, which is a rarity for two parters imo. The chat between the Doctor and Davros was the highlight, but Clara and Missy were a great double act.

Not sure how I feel about a prophecy concerning a Dalek/Time Lord hybrid, but eh.

Looking forward to next week's, it looks interesting and Toby Whithouse's episodes are generally really good.

[BlobVanDam]

I find that the best Hartnell episodes come later in his time as Doctor. The Space Museum is pretty good, but my favourites are The Time Meddler and The War Machines.

I just finished The Space Museum, and it was pretty good. I did feel it didn't quite live up to the craziness of the first episode, and the helping a race take their planet back from the invading aliens felt too similar this close to The Web Planet. This was much better though.

Looking forward to next week's, it looks interesting and Toby Whithouse's episodes are generally really good.

I just looked through the episodes he's written, and I'd say all of them are decent. None I'd call bad, but none I'd call great.
Looking at writers for this season, we have an episode by Jamie Mathieson, who wrote two great episodes last season, so that's good. Peter Harness is writing one, and he wrote one of the duds from last season, but I won't pass judgement based on one episode alone. Mark Gatiss has written one, with all of his episodes ranging from passable at best to complete shit at worst. There are also a couple of new names in the mix.

Given that it's all seemingly double episodes this season, it's a different dynamic, and I'm not in the habit of pre-judging episodes based on writers anyway.

[BlackInk]

Dalek/Time Lord hybrid sounds interesting, but not nearly interesting enough to be the big seasonal story.

[Kotowboy]

Maybe Mark Gatiss only brings his A game when writing for Sherlock .

[BlobVanDam]

They're completely different shows, so it's possible that he's much more suited to one genre than the other.

[Kotowboy]

Corey Taylor from Slipknot is the voice of " The Fisher King " in the next episode along with Peter "Darth Maul" Serafinowicz !

[BlobVanDam]

I just finished The Chase, continuing the run of great Dalek stories. Episode 4 (Journey into Terror) was a weak episode, being silly filler that made little sense, but the rest was a really good adventure. I figured the whole thing would be on that first planet, so it was a surprise once they escaped and visited several other planets too. Like the other Dalek stories, it had relatively big production values for the show, with the editing for the Dalek/Mechonoids battle being especially ambitious for the show at the time.

[BlobVanDam]

So I've watched a few more stories.
I saw The Time Meddler, which was an interesting one for having another (as of yet still unnamed race) Timelord with his own TARDIS. Nice idea, and decent execution, although a bit slow, and the obvious absence of Hartnell in one episode didn't help.
While I've tried checking out the audio-only episodes without proper video, I just couldn't sit through it, which unfortunately means a lot of skipping, which will be even more sad once I get to the second Doctor. It's also bad timing with companions seemingly coming and going every time I watch one. What the hell is a Dodo?

So I skipped right to The Ark after that, which I enjoyed. I knew the Monoids were going to turn as soon as I first saw them, although it played out differently and better than I expected, and the statue reveal was coo. Reminded me a bit of Planet of the Apes. I liked the idea of following up on this generational spaceship at a later time. Classic scifi. Also a great use of scale models and forced perspective. Very crafty effects.

[Chino]

I watched my first ever episode of Dr. Who last night (S01E01 of 2006 reboot). What an awesome show.

[BlobVanDam]

Boy, if you thought that episode was good, you're gonna love it all.

[wasteland]

If you can get past the first two seasons, which include a more than a few exceptionally high highs but some quite embarrassing lows as well, then you are definitely in for a big treat in a few days/weeks/month (depending on how long it will take you to go fully binge-mode) 

[BlackInk]

You may be the first one I know of who actually liked the first episode. I didn't, I sat through it and continued for a girl. And other people I've since introduced to the show have all been like "will it always be so... weird..." after the first episode.

[BlobVanDam]

The first episode is pretty bad, and downright cheesy. I'd already watched and liked later episodes, otherwise that first episode wouldn't have compelled me to keep watching had I tried it at the very start.

[ozzy554]

While I've tried checking out the audio-only episodes without proper video, I just couldn't sit through it, which unfortunately means a lot of skipping, which will be even more sad once I get to the second Doctor.

It really is a shame that most of the second doctor episodes are missing because he is my favorite. I actually watched all of the reconstructions and I will say that some of them are very hard to sit through. I do however recommend at least trying to watch the recons of both of troughtons dalek storys along with Fury from the deep.

[abydos]

So there's some spin off being in the works in some school Is this the school from last season? Sounds pretty bad.

[BlobVanDam]

So there's some spin off being in the works in some school Is this the school from last season? Sounds pretty bad.

When I first saw it, I thought it just a book or something. Sounds terrible. It does sound more like they're trying to start a new kids' show and mooch some brand recognition. I doubt it will have much to do with Doctor Who at all beyond perhaps a first episode. Maybe it will have that school girl that was in Kill The Moon? Blah.

It really is a shame that most of the second doctor episodes are missing because he is my favorite. I actually watched all of the reconstructions and I will say that some of them are very hard to sit through. I do however recommend at least trying to watch the recons of both of troughtons dalek storys along with Fury from the deep.

I'll try. I already skipped The Daleks' Master Plan, and I hate skipping Dalek stories! If I don't get to them now, I'll probably come back to them later once I'm done with all of the surviving episodes. What are the odds they'll ever recover these episodes?

[ariich]

Yeah they've had kids spin-offs before, like the Sarah Jane Adventures. Never did get round to watching that.

[BlobVanDam]

I have no interest in ever watching that one either, but the minor crossover they had was just fine luckily. I'll probably check out Torchwood at some point, but that kinda goes the opposite direction.

And perhaps with an outlet for the more kiddy stuff, we won't have to suffer through anything like In The Forest Of The Night again for a while.

[ozzy554]

I'll try. I already skipped The Daleks' Master Plan, and I hate skipping Dalek stories! If I don't get to them now, I'll probably come back to them later once I'm done with all of the surviving episodes. What are the odds they'll ever recover these episodes?

Well there always is a chance. The christmas episode that was part of dalek master plan however is 100% gone forever. That one was not sent anywhere else to air and was likely wiped not too long after it aired in the UK. Its not a huge loss because it really had nothing to do with the story. All the other episodes there is a chance that they are in a werehouse in africa or something or somehow in the hands of a private collector.

[Kotowboy]

Corey Taylor from Slipknot is the voice of " The Fisher King " in the next episode along with Peter "Darth Maul" Serafinowicz !

Reposting this ahead of tonight's episode. Gonna be listening out for both.

[Kotowboy]

Ughhh. Two part episode. Bollocks.

[BlobVanDam]

Ughhh. Two part episode. Bollocks.

The whole season is two part episodes. Nothing wrong with that.



I wasn't too excited going into this episode, but so far it's actually quite good, although somewhat predictable. As soon as I saw the deaf character, I knew they were going to lip read the ghosts, I knew that in the church they'd find the stasis pod, that the body at the end would be The Doctor. It was mostly a sign that the script was well written to play out the story though. Having the double episode means the pacing wasn't rushed either; my only concern was that it would be boring drawn out to two episodes, but the second part looks like it's going to be very different overall, with a change of scenery (and I love the timey-wimey stuff).

My only real nitpick is that if they've been there for three weeks knowing that the ghosts disappear during day mode, why didn't they keep it in day mode, or at least use process of elimination to see what about day mode keeps them away? It didn't seem to be a problem to override it to day mode even after the ghosts had messed with it.

Oh, and the sonic sunglasses are lame as shit.

[Heretic]

I love the sonic glasses, it totally fits Capaldi's character this season.

Anyway, great episode. Every episode this season has either been an 8, a 9, or a 10 thus far. Fantastic stuff from the DW team.

[BlobVanDam]

I agree, nothing less than an 8 for me yet. At this point last season, we had Robot of Sherwood.