Doctor Who

[edcq]

Has anyone met any cast members? I met Arthur Darvill last night and all I can say is that he's a lovely man with perfect hair. Rory <3

Edited May 15, 2013 by edcq1987

[Skummy]

I'm really unsure about that episode. You could tell there was a lot of stuff that got cut out that Gaiman wanted - apparently he had a whole bit on why the Doctor always had a "no kids" rule for the TARDIS, and just generally involved the children more with the plot. It would have made it insufferable, as they were awful, but at least would have fleshed it out a bit. It just seemed to trundle to a halt, rather than any kind of dramatic conclusion. Which is a shame, as there was some fun stuff in there, cheesy as it was.

Next week looks bonkers, but amazing. I'm actually quite looking forward to that one.

I agree that we could have done with more two-parters; this series there's been a lot of set-up only to be blown off with a cop-out ending in the last five minutes. I know we'll never go back to the old days of a story being told slowly across five or six episodes (more's the pity), and that modern-day two-parters (I blame RTD for this, but Moffat can be just as bad) tend to have a fantastic first episode and then botch it all in the second, but some really could have done with more time.

I'm just concerned by what happens after Clara's mystery is solved. I've no real problems with her sticking around as just a regular companion, with no overall story arc, but I guess it all depends on what the reveal is.

[Benji]

Is she confirmed for the 50th?

[Skummy]

Maybe I was being exceptionally slow, but watching the last episode, I couldn't understand why the Cyber-Doctor was speaking with a Northern accent at first. It's only after seeing Gaiman discuss it on Tumblr that I realised he was "doing" Christopher Ecclestone's voice, as he went through the Doctor's memories.

[Vamp]

Really? I just thought it was kooky. Yeah, that didn't really come out so well.

[Benji]

If true, that may be the worst impersonation I've ever seen.

[Skummy]

Yeah, it was pretty atrocious - a proper 1970s comedy "Yorkshire" accent.

I'm pretty sure that it was meant to be Ecclestone, though, as it was around the same time the Doctor said "allons-y!", which Gaiman explained;

They weren’t in the original draft, so I think they were both Steven Moffat’s suggestion after the read through, to make it clear to anyone watching that the Cyber Planner was inside the head, using whatever he could find to communicate with, and that he was “doing” the two previous doctors.

[Benji]

My dad just basically summed up the problem with the Sonic Screwdriver with the perfect alternative name - "Magic Wand".

[Ant]

That was fucking awesome.

[Rainiac]

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you do a proper Dr Who finale. Just brilliant. I literally yelled "Holy shit!" at the end when...

John Hurt showed up

Roll on the 50th anniversary!

[Benji]

Holy fuck, that was awesome.

So now does that mean that...

The 11th Doctor is the 12th Doctor (and potentially the one that eventually becomes The Valeyard, since it was mentioned in this episode and is confirmed as in continuity), and that John Hurt is now playing the 1st Doctor chronologically speaking?

Also, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Em8lmmTNkA.

[Ant]

Yeah i think Hurt is playing the version of the Doctor that destroyed all the Time Lords. I didn't understand the Valeyard reference though. Will need to read up on that

[Benji]

I'm not sure if he's playing the first Doctor (IE: the one that did something that caused him to run in the first place) or the one that committed the Time War atrocities.

[Hobo]

That was ok. I didn't think it was awesome because it was less about The Doctor and more about Clara and I'm just not invested enough in her yet.

I did love the archival footage use and the whole thing with Richard E Grant (I loved the design on those monsters).

But I feel they could've built that a little more trough the series as well as the whole Clara thing.

[Ant]

Is it 23rd November yet?

[GhostMachine]

I haven't watched the episode yet - won't get to see it until tonight - but I heard rumors about who John Hurt was going to be playing, and my response was `OH, HELL YEAH!'

Now, i will say this, after having gone ahead and read the spoilers here:

Hurt playing a Doctor we haven't seen yet but that's already existed - rather than a post-Smith incarnation - would be a cop out and require some retconning, as the #s of Tennant and Smith have been well established. I do like the idea of Hurt playing the First Doctor, though. He'd be a good choice.

Heard they pulled a massive copout with the Doctor's name. if that copout is that they didn't reveal it at all, or they went with it being a really long name like Romana's that starts with "Who" as fans have speculated - but didn't reveal the rest of it - that would be fine with me. And anyone reading this, please do not respond by telling what the copout was. I want to see for myself.

One question, though: Did the episode get us anywhere closer to finding out what the deal with Clara is?

Edited May 18, 2013 by GhostMachine

[E-C-Bub]

So... Clara...

Was dressed as all the companions during her trip through the doctors timeline... So... was is she ALL the companions? Is she also River Song? Is that why they're still connected? I'm so confused.

[MGW]

Apoarently Hurt is the 9th Doctor, and the numbering from him on has changed ie Ecclestone is 10, Tennant 11 and Smith 12

[Rainiac]

Regarding John Hurt/Doctor X, as some people are calling the character, my guess is he comes between the 8th & 9th Doctors, as others have speculated both in this thread and elsewhere. However, what he did (ending the Time War?) was so terrible the Doctor doesn't regard that incarnation of him as truly being the Doctor, so the numbers don't technically change but Hurt is the 9th incarnation and everyone else moves up one (Eccleston is the 10th incarnation and so forth). The final lines of the episode "what I did, I did without choice. In the name of peace and sanity" "But not in the name of the Doctor" lends credence to the idea that he was 'rejected' as being the Doctor by his future selves

[Vamp]

Benji speaks the truth. I feel people who are calling this a great episode just got excited by the two highlights. It felt like very little was happening in the middle. Or at least nothing I gave a damn about. There's something off with this half othe series. There's been great ideas but under developed plots and strange pacing and things.

Also I know Moffat likes to have fun but the Jenny dying bit and the not bothering to really do anything with the Doctor's name build up (not that I was expecting it to be revealed because that would have been silly, but they didn't even have a clever workaround, they just decided 'bugger that nonsense' and dropped it, much like they've doen with loads of things over the past few years) really grated. Just pointless. Still the start and end were very awesome. But that's all it was. And they rather wasted the great design of the Whispermen.