Doctor Who

[Salamander]

Feels like Chibnall is really shaking things up.  The format change is almost certainly down to budget cuts, but concentrating their resources on fewer episodes might make it easier to turn each of them into events, stories that really matter without having shades of pointlessness.  Should be interesting to see just how different this interpretation of the series is going to be; it could really go either way.

[Celestia]

Travelling with a team, eh? That's an intriguing idea.

I'm a bit sad about a few less episodes, but it could mean a more tightly plotted season...but then again I always assumed the same of the 13 episode format and that uh, didn't always work out.

[AlphaRuby]

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2017-11-09/jodie-whittakers-new-doctor-who-costume-and-tardis-have-been-revealed/

The outfit for the new Doctor and her new Tardis exterior have been revealed.

[Salamander]

...May take a bit of getting used to.  It doesn't quite come together, for me; almost as if there's a piece missing.  Appears to be somewhat referential of previous Doctors' outfits, but in a creative rather than purely derivative way, which is good.

[The Tenth Doctor]

After thinking about it, I rather like all of it. Except one part. The teeny bit of leg showing between her boots and trousers (that is trousers right?). No idea why but it just kinda bugs me. Also the part that holds the phone on the Tardis changing from white to black may take getting used to.

[PickleBrows]

I'm really happy that they've given her a long jacket like in the reveal trailer, it definitely suits her. The rest of the outfit is definitely the most casual outfit a Doctor's had (9's black and leather balanced out how everyday his outfit actually was) but I'm happy enough with it. I don't have the initial concern I had with 12 where his costume was potentially too plain (it turned out to work fine) so that's a plus too.

The police sign being black again after all this time is definitely gonna take some getting used to, I personally always preferred the white that's just personal taste. I LOVE that we're back to the classic/RTD sort of TARDIS where it's actually weathered a bit though! The Moffat Tardis exteriors always looked too clean to me and looked less like the old wooden box it actually was.

[Big Panda]

I think I've just stumbled upon photos of Whittaker filming her first episode.

[The Tenth Doctor]

Still in Capaldi's costume for the start huh? Yeesh, that'll be baggy on her.

[Big Panda]

You had me at "oh brellen'"

[ZERO_ninja]

So hey, with the 13th Doctor now showing up on screen I can stop avoiding everything Who online as to not be spoiled about the identity.

Feels kinda weird to be back to looking at DW threads after so long. Enjoyed Christmas, cautiously looking forward to s11 but with concerns.

[TheOcelot]

You might find this interesting:

 

[Big Panda]

There was one thing about TUaT I was disappointed with.

Way back when I first saw the rumour that a Twelve/One episode was going to be a thing, one of the details I remember seeing was that the episode would address how Twelve came to be a part of the Day of the Doctor climax (specifically the revelation that Twelve was in fact on the verge of regeneration during that fleeting cameo). I was sad that that was never actually a thing.

I still wish they'd release a novel detailing how the rest of the Doctors were brought into the frey in DotD.

[Celestia]

On 1/6/2018 at 5:56 PM, Ernest-Panda said:

There was one thing about TUaT I was disappointed with.

Way back when I first saw the rumour that a Twelve/One episode was going to be a thing, one of the details I remember seeing was that the episode would address how Twelve came to be a part of the Day of the Doctor climax (specifically the revelation that Twelve was in fact on the verge of regeneration during that fleeting cameo). I was sad that that was never actually a thing.

I still wish they'd release a novel detailing how the rest of the Doctors were brought into the frey in DotD.

Might be something that was cut--actually, I'm curious if those rumours included other details that turned out to be accurate.

 

Honestly TUaT was all over the place for me but I did like the twist (of sorts) at the end, both that there wasn't an evil plan (tho' it did make some scenes from earlier not make nearly as much sense) and the Christmas truce. Other than that it was kinda messy. Like...for example, I love Rusty and all but I almost wish his return had been the focus? Like, it would've been interesting to use this as an opportunity to explore how much Twelve has changed since the beginning of Series 8 or something. I dunno.

The regeneration scene was fantastic though. Loved the references in it, particularly the bit about the Doctor's name.

...The poor TARDIS tho'. Can't catch a break when regenerating at the end of a showrunner's tenure, eh?

[Salamander]

I don't have much to say about TUAT, but I also appreciated that there was no evil plan - along with the poignant, nostalgic theme of memory that ran throughout the episode and influenced the unexpected execution of the companion returns.  It was a subtler and more understated way of signing off that contrasts well, I think, with The End Of Time...  Even if everyone guessed the twist about the captain's identity to such an extent that the pre-release cast list had to lie about his surname (Averlady, indeed).

3 hours ago, Celestia said:

...The poor TARDIS tho'. Can't catch a break when regenerating at the end of a showrunner's tenure, eh?

You'd think there would be a less violent way of "regenerating" the interior, but it's a sound way of making a new Doctor's first episode a little more high-stakes, by separating them from the TARDIS for a little while and holding back on the reveal of a new interior set.  In this case it's ended up becoming rather tiresome, however, because a subset of fans have decided (obviously projecting their own feelings on the matter) that the TARDIS has thrown the Doctor out owing to not liking her new form; this despite the ending of TUAT being essentially a carbon copy of the beginning of The Eleventh Hour, right down to the TARDIS flying over a city at an angle while being on fire with the doors wide open and the Doctor hanging on by their fingertips.

[Celestia]

15 minutes ago, FFWF said:

You'd think there would be a less violent way of "regenerating" the interior, but it's a sound way of making a new Doctor's first episode a little more high-stakes, by separating them from the TARDIS for a little while and holding back on the reveal of a new interior set.  In this case it's ended up becoming rather tiresome, however, because a subset of fans have decided (obviously projecting their own feelings on the matter) that the TARDIS has thrown the Doctor out owing to not liking her new form; this despite the ending of TUAT being essentially a carbon copy of the beginning of The Eleventh Hour, right down to the TARDIS flying over a city at an angle while being on fire with the doors wide open and the Doctor hanging on by their fingertips.

Wooow. Surprised I haven't seen that particular take yet.

I'll admit it's possible there's an explanation other than regeneration energy messing up the console again--unlikely because the console is clearly damaged (sparks, etc.) during the regeneration, even if it's not as noticeable since there's not as much fire afterwards--but it's def not gonna be "the TARDIS randomly doesn't 'approve' of this particular incarnation so she...self-destructs??"

Side note that's kinda related and I noticed it when checking the scene just now: blink and you'll miss it, but when the Doctor is moving that one screen to look at her reflection, the display flickers a few times. There's also the error message that shows up soon after (after pressing a button), but I noticed that on my first viewing lol.

[ZERO_ninja]

On the point of the TARDIS explosion. We know the TARDIS is a part of the regeneration process and it seems to be as impacted by the Doctor's regeneration as he is. I think it's less "they keep reusing the same cliffhanger" and more maintaining internal consistency about it throwing the TARDIS for a loop too. But I do agree with the point that in execution this one was a bit too familiar and didn't help when there's literally nothing to take from it as a first scene.

On 1/7/2018 at 12:56 AM, Ernest-Panda said:

I remember seeing was that the episode would address how Twelve came to be a part of the Day of the Doctor climax (specifically the revelation that Twelve was in fact on the verge of regeneration during that fleeting cameo). I was sad that that was never actually a thing.

That was a rumour for just about every single episode of Capaldi's run and honestly I don't really understand why people are so obsessed with seeing it. Yeah I'm sure you could make more of it than we saw on screen, but I don't think there was anything more that needed to be made of it.

[TheOcelot]

Next video of this interview with Steven Moffat:

 

[PickleBrows]

On 1/9/2018 at 9:52 AM, FFWF said:

In this case it's ended up becoming rather tiresome, however, because a subset of fans have decided (obviously projecting their own feelings on the matter) that the TARDIS has thrown the Doctor out owing to not liking her new form.

See I'm completely on board with Jodie, very excited actually, but even on the first watch I did think it looked as if the TARDIS was throwing her out. Unlike End of Time where it starts plummeting towards Earth and spinning and exploding like mad, the TARDIS doesn't show any issues until she tries to use the console. The TARDIS rotates to face downwards in a very deliberate manner, opens the doors just as she's gets in front of them. The damning thing for me is the exterior shot in the middle of all this where the TARDIS clearly starts pushing back and forth in the same way one would to unstick something from the bottom of a cup.

I don't think it's necessarily the case that it's because the Doctor's a woman now but it definitely seems to me that it wanted/needed her out for one reason or another and the sudden gender swap could be enough to throw the TARDIS off and be genuinely confused in the moment about who she is.

 

 

[Salamander]

I think there exists the possibility of a case where the Doctor was indeed thrown out, but the TARDIS console room was in the process of violently exploding in a manner which looked distinctly unwise to be exposed to.  Canonising the disagreements over the Doctor's gender isn't really a route I want the show to go down.  Well, if they don't ignore it they probably will address it head-on, though.

[Salamander]

The logo for the new series has been revealed!

Also the following promotional poster:

My thoughts:

Spoiler

It's weird to me that a new logo is something to make a big song and dance about, but some people seem to have been looking forward to it for quite a time, so fair enough.

I like the new logo.  Modern, but with an elaborate sci-fi edge; bold colour scheme.  Less sure about the Who-only variant they're using for their social media icons, but I can appreciate that they needed something tailored to the format.

I appreciate the impression of mystery and wonder the poster gives off, but to me it's too obvious that that coat is being blown out not by the wind but by some kind of wire support...

The start date is confirmed for October, I believe.

[Celestia]

I was surprised to see a new logo honestly. I kinda liked the shameless goofiness of the one we got in 2010, though admittedly it was only really fitting for Series 5 before things started taking a darker turn. EDIT: Oh hey, I hadn't actually noticed they changed logos in Moffat's later seasons. Guess that shows how much I've been paying attention to this show the last few years. D:

But yeah, the new one's nice, not much to say really. Tho' I'm curious if that video is an early look at what the opening will be like...

[Big Panda]

We got a new logo when Moffat took over from RTD, so I saw this coming from a mile off.

[Big Panda]

Remember Class?

It’s being continued via audio.

And Sophie Aldred is appearing as Ace!

[Celestia]

Oh yeah, maybe I should get around to watching Class. I heard pretty good things about it.

[Big Panda]

Ehhh...

It went downhill fast... (imo)