Dr. Who

[Fraeg]

I'm betting

[palmer_eldritch]

I really enjoyed the latest one. A great performance from the actror playing van Gogh, a moving story and Bill Nighy. The monster wasn't very interesting really, and seemed very much like something put into the story simply to make the Doctor go back to see van Gogh (which it obviously was, but it shouldn't feel that way). But it didn't really matter. Overall it was quite something for a children's adventure serial.

[Triforcer]

Best episode of the season.  The Van Gogh actor was fantastic. 

[Fraeg]

homerun

as mentioned the monster felt like an afterthought.. hell I would have been happy with no monster and just more of Vincent.   I would put this episode right up there with the very best of nu who.

And yet again I find myself impressed with Matt Smith, I really hope he sticks around for a few seasons.

[HaemishM]

Saw tonight's epsiode, "Amy's Choice." The one with the Dream Lord.

I think part of my problem with the season is I like both the new Doctor and Amy Pond but the stories aren't just badly written. It's as if they are written with the intent to not only be non-Doctor stories (they really are all about Amy as opposed to how the Doctor solves problems), but they seem to actively want to point out how ridiculous the concept of the Doctor is. It's almost as if the writers don't really like the Doctor, or are more interested in deconstructing the Doctor than making a good story about the Doctor.

[Khaldun]

I actually liked "Amy's Choice". I agree the plotting of episodes is not always great, though I think the dialogue has often been sharp and engaging. But this one was interesting, there was some chewy stuff going on in the background, and the geek in me is rolling the episode around in my head with some interest in the Dream Lord (really well played) and his implications.

[Evildrider]

Best episode of the season.  The Van Gogh actor was fantastic. 

It's Tony Curran... He was Marcus in the second Underworld movie.

[Mattemeo]

I would never consider myself a fan of Van Gogh - pretty much my least favourite painter of my least favourite school of painting, but between Curtis' writing and the phenomenal portrayal of the man himself by Tony Curran; I don't think Dr Who has ever hit me so emotionally hard, at least not since The Girl in the Fireplace. The monster was basically a silly bit of juxtaposition to bring the Doctor and Amy to that point in time, but as throwaway as it was (its death certainly lacking the pathos inspired by Van Gogh's trip to discover the appreciation he never felt in his own lifetime) it was at least fun, in an omg invisible mutant chicken way. I liked the little quips about Impressionism lacking any kind of useful accuracy tempered with the really rather beautiful digital melding of the night sky into a living version of Van Gogh's Starry Night. Also, Fuck Yeah Bill Nighy.

[Bunk]

It was exactly what a "filler" episode should be - completely entertaining. I really enjoyed the portrayal of Van Gogh, almost as much as I disliked Churchil in his episode.

[Ironwood]

Better filler episode than any of the arc ones.

Bow Ties are Cool.

[NowhereMan]

Yeah so far I've been enjoying the later episodes more than the early ones and am getting over my initial disappointment. This one was really good and didn't really need any big stuff going on. Importantly it was an episode about time travel not just being attacked by monsters, those episodes work well but unless they do a really good job on the monsters they're not usually my favourites.

[Surlyboi]

Bow ties ar NOT fucking cool.

[Signe]

I think all ties are not very cool.  Bow ties are just not cool in a more frou frou way.

[Ironwood]

That was good.

Can't fault that.

Pandorica looks interesting at least.

[Simond]

Any episode which has James Corden headbutted repeatedly can't be all bad.  

E: Nice preview, too, if a smidge too heavy-handed. Have a slightly less blatant trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi9CBxPj_-U

[Mattemeo]

Waaaay too RTDish in my opinion, but at least there wasn't any gay subtext shoehorned in for no discernable reason. Best remembered for some very witty lines and gloriously erratic behaviour from the Doctor and of course, a nice bit of physical violence visited upon the fat head of James Cordon. As a change of pace from the old routine, it was welcome, but the next episode looks much more like it.

[Slyfeind]

We're only up to the drilling episode in the States, so...do they ever get rid of Roy??? Ugh. I see no need for him to be there and he's actually making Amy Pond look unattractive.

[Simond]

We're only up to the drilling episode in the States, so...do they ever get rid of Roy??? Ugh. I see no need for him to be there and he's actually making Amy Pond look unattractive.

Hahaha.
Ahahahahahaha.
Ha.

Just keep watching.

[Raguel]

BBCA re aired "Smith and Jones" and I was struck by how similar it was to the new Doctor's first ep. It also made me wonder how the Doctor could be killed by radiation but whatever.

"Did you just 'shush' me?" I thought redheads were supposed to be a timid lot.   

[Slyfeind]

We're only up to the drilling episode in the States, so...do they ever get rid of Roy??? Ugh. I see no need for him to be there and he's actually making Amy Pond look unattractive.

Hahaha.
Ahahahahahaha.
Ha.

Just keep watching.

Oh goodie.

[NowhereMan]

The last episode was good, non-monster, filler. I enjoyed it even if it didn't really go anywhere.

So what are the odds on the Pandoracle containing ?

[Fraeg]

decent, nothing special but it was a decent one episode middle of the road bit.    It would have worked to have had that episode earlier, replaced a crappy episode, and added a better one for episode 11.

regardless, I can't believe we are nearly at the end.   

One thing I will say about this season, is that Matt Smith has acting chops in spades.

[Triforcer]

Yeah, I've come around on Matt Smith.  At this point I can't say one doctor (out of the three new ones) is "better"- they all show very different aspects of his personality.  I still have a soft spot for Eccleston, though- its a shame the other two always overshadow him. 

[Fraeg]

Yeah, I've come around on Matt Smith.  At this point I can't say one doctor (out of the three new ones) is "better"- they all show very different aspects of his personality.  I still have a soft spot for Eccleston, though- its a shame the other two always overshadow him.  

He didn't want to get pigeonholed and I guess he has had an ok career post Who, but man I wish he had stuck around.

The last episode was good, non-monster, filler. I enjoyed it even if it didn't really go anywhere.

So what are the odds on the Pandoracle containing ?

I bow to your superior Who-Fu, I had to Wiki

[Mattemeo]

Yeah, I've come around on Matt Smith.  At this point I can't say one doctor (out of the three new ones) is "better"- they all show very different aspects of his personality.  I still have a soft spot for Eccleston, though- its a shame the other two always overshadow him.  

He didn't want to get pigeonholed and I guess he has had an ok career post Who, but man I wish he had stuck around.

Funnily enough, this article is on the BBC frontpage right now...

[Ironwood]

"I didn't enjoy the environment and the culture that we, the cast and crew, had to work in.

"I thought if I stay in this job, I'm going to have to blind myself to certain things that I thought were wrong."

Um.  Could you be any more vague ?

I'm seriously intrigued as to what the hell he means.

[Reg]

Maybe the flamboyant gay stuff got to him?

[NowhereMan]

Only thing I can really get from that is perhaps rather than being worried about being typecast he felt that the show and what they were too doing was too bound by continuity and making more Dr. Who rather than doing what they wanted to do? Or maybe there was a lot of artistic 'guidance' getting sent down from higher up on what should be happening in the show and what they could and couldn't do? I'd imagine the beeb being more hands on with a potentially very valuable again IP.

[Reg]

I don't think so. If it were something like that why wouldn't he just say so? Instead he used the kind of weasel words you use when you want to say something you know wouldn't go over well.

I'm just guessing of course.

[Khaldun]

I'm thinking he's talking about RTD.

[Ironwood]

This was my thought.

[Surlyboi]

Thirded.

[Slyfeind]

Or maybe they had really bad food for lunch.

[Simond]

That was the best "part one of a series finale" since, oh, Bad Wolf.
Admittedly, that's probably damning with faint praise but still.

E: Seriously though, that's got to be one of the bleakest cliffhangers since Empire Strikes Back. Every time it seemed that things were looking up - It Got Worse.

[Engels]

Where are people watching this in the states, other than torrents? I thought I had read that this is available?