Amph Doctor Who Discussion (Russell T. Davies returns)

The way I was reading about it, there will be 3 specials in November 2023 (I originally thought it was 2022), and they will all be part of the 60th anniversary celebration. But I guess maybe only the first one could be considered the 60th anniversary special? I don't know.

This confirms it, and it also says they will be the first Doctor Who episodes to be released on Disney+ :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/60th_anniversary_(Doctor_Who)

 

BBC America shows so few actual British shows I'm surprised they haven't just dropped the BBC part of their name by now.

 

Spoiler

Regarding the Dalek giving the Doctor the warning about his kind, am I the only one who thinks it may have been Rusty?

 

Having an amazing time in NY!

 

Great shot of Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins!

 

Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks

All NYC needs now is a Cyberman incursion.

 

Finally caught up. Which means, I binged the 13th season (6 episodes) and the 3 specials of 2022. Which is not really a binge, but I find it hard these days to concentrate on a show and binge-watch it, unless I am with my fiancée and we are watching together. In any case. I really loved everything I watched in this 9-episode stretch. Jodie Whittaker is a fantastic Doctor, and I believe that her tenure was somewhat unfortunate, since it coincided with Chibnall's writing. And I am not as critical with Chibnall's writing as most, but if we compare it to what Davies and Moffat brought to Dr. Who, the drop in quality is glaring, especially in Season 11.

Anyway, this is my review for the content that I watched, which is pretty much all the Doctor Who we received in 2021 and 2022.

Flux Part I : The Halloween Apocalypse
An introduction of the new characters and the emergence of the flux. I thought this was a great beginning to the season, with John Bishop stealing the show as the new companion. I found the personalities and the design of Swarm and Azure flawless, they are perfect villains. Karvanista was an instant classic fellow as well, and I was very satisfied from the first episode, feeling a little strange about it since we generally don't get so many unanswered questions after a Doctor Who episode. However, this is the first time in the revival era that an entire season covers only one story, so I guess it made sense that we didn't get any resolution at all. Not my favorite Season 13 episode, but I don't really have any significant complaints either.

Flux Part II : War Of The Sontarans
Meh, I could go another 20 seasons without seeing the Sontarans. But then again, this also goes for the Daleks and the Cybermen. Those three races have been overused in my opinion, and while I do approve and enjoy the new gimmick (almost) every time we see them (Cult of Skaro, Cyber Masters, etc), I think I am just generally done with those 3 villains in Doctor Who. I am also kinda done with how even though the Doctor has supposedly killed all the Daleks and/or the Cybermen, they somehow return. But onto the Sontarans. The setting of Sevastopol during the Crimean War was cool, Mary Seacole is someone I didn't know prior to the episode and I won't really remember her for a long time, and the best part of the episode was the Atropos Temple and the scenes that had Azure and Swarm.

Flux Part III : Once, Upon Time
Clever pun. And only partially clever episode. I am not a stickler and I can always watch something that takes a lot of artistic freedom, but sometimes it's just too much. The Doctor jumping in front of the "timestorm" in order to "hide" Dan, Yaz and Vinder in their pasts, doesn't make a lot of sense. In fact, it doesn't make any sense at all. I know that Davies and Moffat also gave "wibbly wobbly" explanations some times to the crazy stuff that happened, but they were also able to provide a legitimate and believable reasoning behind this most of the time, and even better, they were able to provide resolution and catharsis at the end of larger storylines, usually at season finales. This whole episode was just messing with my brain for the sake of the trip, but not without its value. The Doctor's quasi-time travel to her unknown past, when she defeated Swarm and Azure on Atropos with the help of Karvanista was very cool, and it provided a solid explanation of why events are unfolding the way they do.

Flux Part IV : Village Of The Angels
I see Weeping Angels, I press like. I don't think I can remember a single episode that has the Angels as the main villain, that is not among the best in its season. This one is no exception. Finally, a lot of cool time travel, even if it is forced by the Angels. We finally begin to understand how a lot of characters and story elements come together, and the usual horror element that accompanies episodes with the Weeping Angels is great. For the first time (?) we see a little more nuance in those villains, even though they were already cool AF as a quantum organism whose function depends on whether it is being observed or not. Probably my favorite in the season along with the next one.

Flux Part V : Survivors Of The Flux
Now this is why we watch Dr. Who. For the reveals of the endgame by the main antagonist. For the moment when the stories all come together. For the high stakes after the protagonists have gone through adventures. In this one, Yaz, Dan and Eustacius Jericho went through 3 years of adventures in the early 20th century, it doesn't get better than that. And the Doctor encountered Awsok, aka Tecteun, her adoptive "mother" who shaped her entire life and then erased all the Doctor's memories before this cycle of regenerations even existed. We finally know what the flux is and how it started, and I am all for it. I actually thought that Chibnall's writing when it comes to the main storyline was much better this time around. In retrospect, I had very few complaints about Season 12, and it was really Season 11 that left me with a sour taste in my mouth. That season is by far the worst revival season. Anyway, back to the episode. Yeah, everything about it was cool, even the small details. Such as the Passenger form for example, and the shocking moment at the end when Azure and Swarm casually kill a Time Lord. Oh, and we had an Ood. The Ood make everything better.

Flux Part VI : The Vanquishers
There were a lot of things that I liked in the Season finale, and a few things that I didn't really care for. The old villains from the beginning of the season ended up being the new villains, after Tecteun (who was the real villain of the season) was disintegrated into nothingness by them. And that's kind of cool, because Tecteun desired and pushed for a spatial victory, when the new universe that would be born would replace the old universe that the Doctor had "corrupted". So Tecteun's fantasy was somewhat of a victory of space over time. And now we see the Ravagers (Azure and Swarm) striving for the opposite, for a victory of time over space. Their intention was to have the universe destroyed over and over again, in an endless loop, while the Doctor keeps dying through agony again and again. Quite evil I would say. I liked how all the characters converged into a climactic finale. The three quantum states of the Doctor was a brilliant idea. Everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I wasn't a huge fan of "Time" being a sentient and conscious entity, but I can live with it. I didn't like that once again the villains included the Daleks, the Cybermen and the Sontarans, though admittedly those last ones haven't been as overused as the first two. Where did the ood go? That was quite odd.

I know that I am in the minority here, but I would hate a retcon of the "Timeless Child" revelations. The Season 12 finale is definitely my favorite story starring the 13th Doctor, and one that I feel gave a very fresh start to the storytelling in "Dr. Who". Since I have been watching Doctor Who, I have always felt that some of the most emotional and resonating stories have been the ones that enhance the lore, and completely reset the chessboard. The revival started with the notion that Gallifrey had been destroyed and the Doctor is now the only survivor of the Great Time War. It then took a few years until it was revealed that Gallifrey was safe and hidden, and this was a great plot twist in my opinion. The Doctors have always travelled the universe to experience great adventures with their companions, but I feel that there should always be a sense of purpose and a quest for the truth about their past. After we found out that Gallifrey has NOT been destroyed, we find out about the War Doctor, and that was also another episode I loved. The introduction of John Hurt's War Doctor is one of my favorite moments in the show.

We actually saw details of the Great Time War, and we saw why Tennant's Doctor used two regenerations instead of one, we then saw how it was possible for the Doctor to keep going after the end of the "one dozen regenerations" cycle, and at the end of the day, we also learned about the Doctor's marriage and his life on Trenzalore. All of that stuff is in some of the best Doctor Who episodes that I have personally watched. And I don't really care for more of the same.... the Daleks/Cybermen/Master threatening to destroy Earth/all life/the universe for the 100th time.....Meh. I would rather watch episodes like "The Timeless Children", which at least progresses the story forward and gives a whole new purpose to the Doctor than have a non-evolving and tedious show.

After I first watched "The Timeless Children", I was dumbfounded and perhaps even a little "angry" with that story. But when it started sinking in me, I realized that I actually started loving every single element in it. The idea that the Doctor is the reason why Time Lords exist, and that the Doctor's genetic material is unique, is brilliant IMO. I don't have a problem at all with the Doctor having had a previous life full of memories that were erased. And I don't care how many incarnations of the Doctor existed before we see him in 1963 in "The Unearthy Child", since it doesn't really change anything to me. It doesn't ruin anything at all when it comes to the stories of the 14 incarnations we have witnessed, they are still there. And the Doctor is still the Doctor. It just adds depth to the Doctor's character and the lore of the show. But anyway, to each their own I guess.

1st Special 2022 : Eve Of The Daleks
A minimalistic New Year's special, that doesn't really progress the story much, and serves as a standalone, like the Christmas specials usually do. I actually really liked this one, even if it used the very classic trope of the time loop. The two introduced characters were very likeable, and Dan having to spend NYE in Manchester made me chuckle. The fact that we had to deal again with Daleks was of course a bummer, and I will repeat this complaint as many times as necessary to make anyone who reads this super long post how annoying it is to see the same thing over and over again. But let's just put it this way. For a Dalek episode, this was pretty great.

2nd Special 2022 : Legend Of The Sea Devils
Meh. Wasted 45 minutes of my life. Crystal Yu was cool as Madam Ching.

3rd Special 2022 : The Power Of The Doctor
Now we're talking. This was a fantastic episode. Maybe I would have liked it a bit more if it had been a little shorter in duration, but I would hardly call that a complaint.

• Bullet Train in Space scene ✔️
• Tegan and Ace ✔️
• The Master as Rasputin and the Boney M song scene ✔️
• The Qurunx ✔️
• The "in limbo" area where the Doctor's consciousness was temporarily stranded ✔️
• The return of Doctors 1, 5, 6, 7, 8 (would have liked to see Eccleston, Smith and Capaldi too)✔️
• Sacha Dhawan's acting as the Master ✔️✔️✔️
• That regeneration scene ✔️

Cannot wait for the specials in November 2023. It's literally more than a year away, but I am looking forward to see what the return of the 10th Doctor's form as the 14th Doctor means, along with Donna Noble, by far my all time favorite companion. I hope they shed a little more light to the mystery of the Timeless Children and how the Doctor's past is connected to what happened to them when Tecteun found the child and used its genetic material to turn the Shobogans into Time Lords. After all, elements of this story had been planted since 1976 and The Brain Of Morbius.

Ok, it's 2 am. I should stop typing.
tl;dr : Jodie rocks, she will be missed as the Doctor. S11 sucked. S12 was better. S13 was pretty good. The Specials were hit and miss. Cannot wait for Tennant.

 

Eve of the Daleks was definitely better than Legend of the Sea Devils, even though the Daleks have been overused.

BTW, my headcanon for Power of the Daleks is...

Spoiler

the Dalek that warns the Doctor is Rusty.

 

Not too much we can do about the Daleks being overused as long as the Terry Nation estate insists on them being used once a season/series.

 

Just read Doctor Who: A Little Help from My Friends

I loved how the 13th Doctor would keep saying spoilers to questions her younger self would ask. And I also liked the reference to Angels Take Manhattan when she's raging at the Angels.

 

Fine, just have a Dalek's photo show up on someone's wall once a season. Just don't keep having them get all but wiped out, then return the next season stronger than ever. And ditch the whole "Daleks assimilating people" nonsense; they're Daleks, not the Borg or the Puppet Masters. I'm surprised Heinlein's estate hasn't sued the show by now.

 

The Doctor is more forgiving of the Time Lords than I would have been in his situation. Lets see:

1. Goth conspired with the Master to assassinate the President and then acted as a co-conspirator to destroy the planet (whether he knew that was the Master's intention or no).
2. Borusa decided to shoot first and investigate later when Omega tried using the Doctor (Arc of Infinity).
3. Borusa seriously endangered the Doctor and his companions during the Five Doctors.
4. Rassilon's insane plan to destroy the universe.
5. The Time Lords' conspiring with Me/Ashildr to capture the Doctor and endanger innocent life (the fact they didn't actually intend for Clara to die is irrelevant).

We've seen how angry the Doctor has been when someone broke his rules/betrayed his trust even once (Rose in Father's Day; Adam in The Long Game; Clara in Dark Water). Just imagine his fury at them for stabbing him in the back so many times, and yet still willing to forgive them.

 

The Doctor is odd that way. He'll disagree with Harriet Jones actions in one instance, and move to utterly destroy her career and massively change history in response. But he constantly prevents the Master or the Daleks from getting the obliteration they both fully deserve. It like how Batman goes out of his way to protect the Joker, who responds by killing more people.

 

Easy answer - British PMs are more dangerous than the Daleks and the Master combined.

 

Maybe the Doctor has been responsible for the last few PMs falls?

 

No. No. Hell, no.

 

Each incarnation of the Doctor is different too though. One of my favorite elements in Doctor Who is how every journey through every incarnation, makes the Doctor evolve and grow, and obviously be affected by everything that's happening.

The 9th Doctor is somber and sad, with moments of rage, in the aftermath of the Great Time War and the destruction of Gallifrey. The 10th Doctor is simply the oncoming storm, who will just go nuts when pushed. The 11th and 12th Doctors are far less angry and enraged, but still have some of that in them. Discovering that Gallifrey is still there helps them mellow down too. And then the 13th Doctor is on purpose more empathetic, less angry, less arrogant, more forgiving. I don't think there's anything odd about this. It truly is a wonderful show. Even with all its misgivings. I hope that the 14th Doctor reverting back to Tennant actually means something about which personality is necessary to move forward, even if it is only for the 3 specials. The Doctor is still dealing with the revelation that they are the Timeless Child.

 

The Slitheen posing as the acting PM...check.
Harriet Jones...check.
Harold Saxon=The Master...check

Oh, you mean in real life?

 

They could just have a cameo & then disappear, would that not meet the terms of the estate?

Do they have to have whole episodes?

 

S6 was the lone season that had a brief cameo of one (The Wedding of River Song).

 

I have still never seen anything official to back up the "once per season" claim. I'm beginning to think it's an urban legend.

 

Question about Me/Ashildr and Jack Harkness: they're both immortal, but why is Jack seemingly able to remember a lot more things than Me? Was it how they both became immortal or maybe Jack isn't completely human?