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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Amph Doctor Who Discussion (Russell T. Davies returns)

Discussion in 'Community' started by Darth Guy, Jan 3, 2013.

  1. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 27, 2005
    Considering there's been a few references to past companions (vague, but there, including a reference to Tegan in S7.B's The Crimson Horror), and he took a side trip to the Sarah Jane Adventures in between S5 and S6; no, I don't think the memories of past Companions nor the Companions themselves have been wiped off the face of the planet.
     
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  2. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Hey, in defense of your statement, the episodes being cited are not merely "bad." :p
     
  3. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    Hmm. I did see a clip of where 11 meets Sarah Jane and whoever else was there with her in SJA. Just wondering because it felt like that gave it a chance to get rid of everyone from before/reboot. Wish Jack could have been there so there could be a definitive answer. At least the Doctor remembers
     
  4. halibut

    halibut Ex-Mod star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 27, 2000
  5. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 27, 2005
    Yeah, no. Nothing on Doctor Who could ever be as bad as Twilight IMO. Not even A Town Called Mercy or even The Long Game.
     
  6. DarthTunick

    DarthTunick SFTC VII + Deadpool BOFF star 10 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Nov 26, 2000
    I can't wait until I reach A Town Called Mercy... so infamous it appears to be.
     
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  7. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    Knowing me I'll probably like it quite a bit.
     
  8. Chewgumma

    Chewgumma Chosen One star 7

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    Apr 14, 2009
    I've said it before and I'll say it again, A Town Called Mercy isn't a bad episode. I believe it's quite a good episode. It studies the violent side of the Nu-Who Doctor, a theme continued directly from the end of Dinosaurs on a Spaceship and is an element of his character that is integral to the second half of the season and the 50th Anniversary special.
     
  9. V-2

    V-2 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2012
    I don't understand why people hate it so much. It's probably the best DW western ever. Infinitely preferably to The Gunfighters.
     
  10. darthcaedus1138

    darthcaedus1138 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 13, 2007
    It didn't have an awesome song like the Gunfighters though.
     
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  11. Rew

    Rew Chosen One star 5

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    Dec 22, 2008
    In fairness, I only know of one person who really hates 'A Town Called Mercy' and that's Halibut--it gets so much attention because of the vehemence of his hatred for it and how everyone else here likes to rub it in his face. :p
     
  12. halibut

    halibut Ex-Mod star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 27, 2000
    You really are the yin to my yang aren't you :p
     
  13. Rew

    Rew Chosen One star 5

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    Dec 22, 2008
    I can't wait until TryWhistlingThis gets to this:

    [​IMG]
     
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  14. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 27, 2005
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  15. DebonaireNerd

    DebonaireNerd Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2012
    Nothing is showing in the spoiler tag :S Might be my browser, i'll check later.
     
  16. DebonaireNerd

    DebonaireNerd Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2012
    3.05: Daleks in Manhattan [Part 1]

    "In side that shell is a creature born to hate. Whose only thought is to destroy everything and everyone that isn't a Dalek too. It' won't stop until it's killed every human being alive."

    Daleks in Manhattan sees the show make the Daleks look like complete and utter dickheads of the daleks - literally (just see the cliffhanger).

    Despite how authentic and well shot the episode is, the most jarring distraction to really take you out of the settings are the accents which sound strained and forced. In fact, it's the characters in this episode that really let it down. Tallulah is probably one of the more annoying characters. She's too sweet and submissive while Laszlo is a good character but isn't quite fleshed out enough to hold an interest in him. Mr Diagoras is just a card board cut-out American business man whith little substance or motive to him. There's no detail as to how he became involved with the Daleks or what really made him swear loyalty to them, so it's not a character I take too seriously or have any compassion for when he meets his fate at the end of the episode.

    Yet again, we revisit the same old theme of Martha's crush being unmet. We see tired, lifeless dialogue between her and Tallulah where they talk about their men only for Martha to one again sigh with disappointment. The theme already at this stage is tired because we know that the Doctor is just being the Doctor and the companion feels neglected. This is a theme that was explored in great detail in School Reunion or even The Girl In the Fireplace because they both explained to us why the Doctor cannot form intimate relationships with his companions and the futility of the companion herself forming a crush on him. So when we hear vapid, fan-fiction inspired dialogue coming out of Martha, you're left beating your head against a brick wall because we already know this. We know why he can't fall in love with her, we know she feels neglected. Therefore, this is a subplot that needs not be explored, especially since it was already explored between Rose and two Doctors.

    This is is why Series 3 should have had Catherine Tate because it would have formed the necessary watershed to distance itself from Rose Tyler. But, in continuing this romantic theme, it wrongly educates the audience what the varied chemistry between a Timelord and human is about. Of course, I say this with absolutely no offence to Freema's performance as she does tackle the material well and despite my dislike for the romantic subplot, she does play it very well. Apart from that, I really like her character because as a university student, it's someone I can relate to.

    Perhaps one of my favourite Tenth Doctor moments has to be between him and Tallulah in the sewers where he sees the Dalek for the first time. Tallulah reacts with incredulity and ignorance, I love that dark, disdainful stare he gives her as if to say, "shut it, moron". Series 3 is where David Tennant as the Doctor soars. I've said it before, but he has a far better control over his emotional portrayal of the Doctor than in series 2 and it only gets stronger. But, we do have a stronger calibre of writing in Series 3 as compared to Series 2.

    At the time this was the worst of the Dalek stories of the revived series. But, it has to be said that the show at least returned to the idea of the Daleks being intimidating and imposing in the smallest of their numbers. Thankfully urge to have millions of Daleks swarming across the screen has been avoidedby instead focusing on the Cult of Skaro. One thing that has grown on me in this episode are the presence of the pigmen. At first they were as detestable as they appeared but that's the whole point and the genius of why the slavery works. First of all not only have their bodies been condemned and humiliated, but if they dared to show their faces in the street they would either be institutionalised or shot. If they want to stay underground, they're at the mercy of the Daleks. So this element of the plot does actually work in addition to the fact that it is part of the Daleks experimentation with human hybrids. So while the setup is good, the execution isn't quite there. Let's see if there is a pay off.

    Stay tuned!

    [​IMG]

    3 out of 5
     
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  17. Mar17swgirl

    Mar17swgirl Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Dec 26, 2000
    **** you. [face_plain]
     
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  18. DebonaireNerd

    DebonaireNerd Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2012
    Actually I don't remember this one...I know it's a recent one from the Smith era. That's what happens when you split seasons, memories fade.
     
  19. DebonaireNerd

    DebonaireNerd Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2012
    3.06: Evoution Of The Daleks [Part 2]

    "Daleks are bad enough at any time but right now they're vulnerable. That makes them more dangerous than ever."

    Despite a setup that had some promise, Evolution of the Daleks lets it all down. Generally this seems to be a combination of too many plot holes or too many deaths. As far as the plot holes go, the solutions that the Doctor concocts are overs implied. The sonic screwdriver against the radio, and hugging the spire during the lightning storm are examples. But his ethics are also extremely questionable. Although he explains the importance of allowing the Daleks to evolve into higher beings, he seems quite accepting (and perhaps excepting) of the thousands of humans that have been sacrificed. Where did all these people come from? How were they kept underground without notice? For someone who himself has seen the massacring of his own people, his support to the Dalek stratagem in this case is odd.

    I also, for the first time, noticed just how many people get killed in this episode - HEAPS, none of which are handled well. First of all there is Solomon's death in the early stages of this instalment, where we have to endure a speech that seems to be a cocktail of Martin Luther King, President Obama and President Whitmore from Independence Day. But the speech does nothing to give the character any uplifting or inspirational quality which is why his death seems to lack affection. Not to mention that once he dies - that's it. There's absolutely no mention or tribute to him nor do we see anyone climb through the ranks to take the reins of Hooverville. The spectacle has clearly done the story telling where the gimmick of flying Daleks has taken precedence which is why none of the other deaths have any resonance. This is a problem that has been carried over from the Series 2 finale because it's quite clear that the two Daleks COULD overtake the world unopposed. So why don't they? They'd have access to infinite military and scientific resources. So, their scheme falls flat because the world is theirs for the taking. This is why I believe the Daleks should have a limited flying capacity to address the fact that although The Daleks have this ability, there is a cost or a pitfall to it. At no point is this established in the story.

    Evolution of the Daleks further treads water with (I **** you not) ANOTHER scene between Martha and Tallulah discussing Laszlo and the Doctor. What makes it worse is that the subject matter and emotion is precisely the same which needlessly pads out the episode. Perhaps the time used for these moments could have been spent addressing the many plot flaws of this episode. I do like the fact that they were able to save Lazslo although the resolution to his ongoing lifestyle is troubling. This is a terrific point to end the episode on because it sums on precisely everything that is wrong with it; it's incomplete. The episode does a good enough job of establishing a worthy premise and some interesting characters at first. But once it's at this point, it just comes to a standstill which is really disappointing because at first it looked as though Doctor Who was moving back to the idea of the Daleks being a supreme force even in the smallest of numbers rather than the billions upon billions in previous episodes.

    2.5 out of 5
     
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  20. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 27, 2005
    Yeah, while the episodes (IMO) have some redeeming qualities, the Dalek episodes in S3 were definitely my least favorites of that particular series. Fortunately the next episode is much better (Even laying aside some of the at times bad CGI in it)
     
  21. Random Comments

    Random Comments Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2012
    Well, I don't like the term 'hate,' but I strongly dislike that particular episode as well. But then, only Brian saves the previous episode for me.
     
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  22. DebonaireNerd

    DebonaireNerd Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2012

    I take it you mean the Series 4 finale? Yeah, it's amazing. It's a shame that they didn't use that as Tennant's final episode, it would have been a hell of a way of going out.
     
  23. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 27, 2005
    I actually meant The Lazarus Experiement, but yeah TSE/JE are indeed amazing (Donna's fate aside...). I'm still convinced RTD crafted TSE/JE to indeed be Tennant's finale before He and RTD committed to those final specials.
     
  24. DebonaireNerd

    DebonaireNerd Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2012
    What would have made that such an effective finale for Tennant is that it's all of his companions by his side plus the simplicity of the unexpected death. Imagine after having defeated the Daleks that there was one lone Dalek that they forgot about, only for Ten to be shot in the back. The only thing is though he would regenerate into Matt Smith which could complicate the episode after since he'd essentially be nurse maided for the entirety of his first episode.
     
  25. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 27, 2005
    Well considerng Moffat was taking over at S5 and had Eleven hitting the ground running, even getting hit in the head with a cricket bat by Amy in his first episode.

    Edit: Free BFA adventure on Stormcloud.
     
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