Doctor Who

Caporegime
Joined
30 Jul 2013
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28,886
Because this time it's a black woman. As you said, it's hardily a new thing in Doctor Who. Hell it's pretty much the staple of any time travel show.

When it was Churchill? No problem. Queen Elizabeth? No issue. Shakespeare? Nary an eyelid battered. Van Gogh? Fantastic episode, no-one has fault with that one. Dickens? Fine. Nixon, Queen Victoria, Madame De Pompadour? Nope, no issue with any of them.

Now oddly enough, people who never said a word about those are coming out of the woodwork and think the BBC are the ones showing an agenda.

Well said

No surprise it was Malevolence who had a problem with it....
 

fez

fez

Caporegime
Joined
22 Aug 2008
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25,091
Location
Tunbridge Wells
I don’t know, it felt like a history lesson that they shoehorned a vague plot into to make it Dr Who. Thought it was a bit **** to be honest. Far too much historical hand wringing and very little else.

Loved the Van Gogh episode but some of the other historical character episodes have been weak as well.
 
Associate
Joined
2 Sep 2013
Posts
1,887
Not impressed with the recent episodes unfortunately.

In every episode so far, Jodie has so far been "one of the gang" and not "The Doctor" + Gang. I feel she still hasn't stood out as "The Doctor" yet. She just "is" so far. I don't know whether it's the writers, music, directors, too large a cast, or actors fault for that. But until she gets that moment, that really centers of her being "The Doctor", I don't think I'll be thinking of her as The Doctor; and hence the show could be anything else using the name Doctor Who. Nine, much like One, can be exempt from this as they brought the roles from nothing prior (One more so than Nine, but same lines). But Ten, Eleven and Twelve all had varying moments that really showed that THEY were the titucular Doctor and the lead of the show, normally early on in their appearances to at least let the viewers feel some part of "The Doctor" is what you see before you. Thirteen currently is, again, just one of the gang. She needs an episode, soon I hope, where she really is put forward as the star of the show.

As for the most recent episode, Rosa, I feel it was rather forced, and didn't feel it was done as well as it could have been.

The forced realisation that they have become part of history and had to play their roles however unsavoury was done much better in Fires of Pompeii, when Donna and The Doctor knowing they had no way out had to stay the course and let Vesuvius erupt and kill many people. Here Graham didn't want to be a part of how history unfolds that gets Rosa arrested, but it lacked any real... impact.

There have been many series that dealt with something like this much better. I personally liked the one in Quantum Leap. It showed how it was before (Non-Whites not allowed to sit at the counter for lunch without repurcusions) and how it is heading towards at the end (Non Whites was invited to sit at the counter and grudgingly allowed to). Here it was: How it was before. We changed something. Lets look at how Rosa changed more than the world, so let's look at... A CGI Asteroid named after them!

I feel if the BBC had stuck the course and showed the impact of the historical event, rather than just talk about it, it would have been a much stronger story. Yes, even thought they ackowledged it when Yas and Ryan were talking about how there's still plenty of Racism about in their times, the real change that could have been shown to emphasise the change, was not included. Even voice overs from Yas and Ryan over their experienced issues, And was just glossed over instead in what might as well be a few throw-away lines.

Will continue watching, but needs to improve I feel. Music especially, I hardly notice any music in the last three episodes.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
3,686
Location
Sussex
The TARDIS has always been unreliable and fickle. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. That’s classic Who again. No problem with that.

Indeed, the Tardis has always had a bit of an agenda and has on many occasions taken "her" where she needs to be rather than the doctor whats to be.

Liked the episode. I was thinking, oh no a history one but it actually did it really well and like the others the subject shocked my children who couldn't believe the attitude. I feel the bad guy might come back..
 
Associate
Joined
15 Feb 2007
Posts
127
Location
Isle of Man
Was weak for Dr who. Just a Sunday eve history drama.

The "bad guy" was useless and no indication who he was and why he was there.

could have just tied him up in order to stop him messing with bus schedules etc.

Again screwdriver used so much and for so many different things.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
17 Aug 2007
Posts
29,048
I knew the sonic screwdrivery would wind people up lol

Not bad at all, echo cheesyboys thoughts

Well the final tally was 9 times, its just a bit OTT, literally every few minutes the screwdriver is pulled out, which seems to do just about everything possible. You end up thinking, well what exactly does the Dr do that is key, seems like anyone who had the screwdriver could do everything just as well as the Dr. Its not so much the Dr who gets through the situations, its the screwdriver.
 
Soldato
Joined
7 Dec 2012
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17,504
Location
Gloucestershire
I'm pleased I never got into this when it came back. Sylvester McCoy was my last doctor.

I can see this going the same way as Star Wars.
I'd only watched one episode since McCoy's era before this series. I'm only watching as I figured it would be a good thing to watch with my 8-year-old. It's really rather good as family entertainment, certainly don't regret getting into it.

I doubt I'd watch it without having a child to watch with, though. It's a kids' show really.
 
Soldato
Joined
23 Dec 2002
Posts
2,843
Location
Shiny Shanghai
Hmmmm.... actually not a bad episode. Was handled pretty well.
Sure the bad guy was crap and they could have really done without that god awful music choice when the bus situation was resolving at the end, but I guess I was pleasantly surprised.

Will still echo what I have said before.
JW is not showing up as the doctor, she's too soft, too empathetic, too kind, too chummy and I think it's leading her to just melt and blend into the scene with the rest of the gang.
3 episodes in and she has no screen presence/oomph !!
She's still not The Doctor. :(
 
Man of Honour
Joined
17 Aug 2007
Posts
29,048
Hmmmm.... actually not a bad episode. Was handled pretty well.
Sure the bad guy was crap and they could have really done without that god awful music choice when the bus situation was resolving at the end, but I guess I was pleasantly surprised.

Will still echo what I have said before.
JW is not showing up as the doctor, she's too soft, too empathetic, too kind, too chummy and I think it's leading her to just melt and blend into the scene with the rest of the gang.
3 episodes in and she has no screen presence/oomph !!
She's still not The Doctor. :(

I'd agree....she is less troubled centuries old timelord, laden with the dark things seen and tragedies of history, and more Mary Poppins.
 
Soldato
Joined
5 Aug 2004
Posts
2,691
I enjoyed the episode.

It did seem like a history lesson more than a 'Who' episode, for example not knowing that blokes motives, but he'll probably appear in a later episode. I knew 'back in the day' there was a black woman who didn't give up her seat for a white person, and that's all I knew so the show was informative for me and I appreciate the balls on the BBC for some of the language used and other descriptions.
 
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