Doctor Who - Series 10 (Part 2)

[Mister Six]

I think the implication was that The Doctor went back to take some pictures of Bill's mum after Bill had told him that she didn't have many pictures of her, hence the box of pictures that were suddenly unearthed in her house.

Also why the TARDIS had moved to be on top of the rug.

[greencalx]

Immensely relieved that Bill was misportrayed in the trailer.

As for the rest of the episode, seemed like all the others to me.

[kidsick5000]

Moffat used to recycle his own writing - now he's recycling other people's. The chips/lectures stuff was straight out of the start of Rose, and the 'villain' was basically a reworking of the timeship from The Lodger.

I felt it was different enough. Not as obviously the same as something like Star Trek which seemed to thrive on only a few basic storylines - Oh dear, we're stuck on a planet, and, oh dear, something has taken over the ship[nb]always to be said in an Alan Bennet voice[/nb].

My favourite line was when Bill heard someone in the flat. "You'd better... make yourself decent."
Made me laugh anyway

[Serge]

With a bit of time to think about it, it does strike me that Moffat was using his old 'take something everyday (statues/shadows/puddles) and make it scary for the kids' routine again. And the ending was basically yet another 'love conquers everything' one. But it's a measure of how good it was that none of that struck me at the time.

I didn't mention how good Capaldi was in my previous posts, so I'll rectify that now. And Matt Lucas is great as Nardole - I like the fact that he could be the star of his own show if he wanted, but he's happy enough to take a back seat and play a character who makes sarcastic interjections every now and then.

Further to my speculations yesterday (and containing spoilers regarding the trailer & other things for those who want to avoid them):

Spoiler alert

What if The Doctor regenerates at the end of episode twelve, but gets stuck as an evil version of himself that could be called, oh, I don't know, The Valeyard? Then Capaldi could still be in the Christmas special fighting a future version of himself to force him to complete the regeneration and become The Doctor again? We know that Moffat likes his timey wimey stuff and tying up loose ends. I admit that this is hugely unlikely again, but just a thought. Even if not The Valeyard, a bad Doctor is still possible.

[close]

[Replies From View]

And Matt Lucas is great as Nardole - I like the fact that he could be the star of his own show if he wanted, but he's happy enough to take a back seat and play a character who makes sarcastic interjections every now and then.

I'm enjoying Nardole too.  I'm not seeing him as a background character though.  He's bound to be more pivotal/central to future episodes in the series.

[Talulah, really!]

Further to my speculations yesterday (and containing spoilers regarding the trailer & other things for those who want to avoid them):

Spoiler alert

What if The Doctor regenerates at the end of episode twelve, but gets stuck as an evil version of himself that could be called, oh, I don't know, The Valeyard? Then Capaldi could still be in the Christmas special fighting a future version of himself to force him to complete the regeneration and become The Doctor again? We know that Moffat likes his timey wimey stuff and tying up loose ends. I admit that this is hugely unlikely again, but just a thought. Even if not The Valeyard, a bad Doctor is still possible.

[close]

What if

Spoiler alert

The Doctor and Missy are involved in some cataclysmic fight with the cybermen and Missy 'dies' and The Doctor believes it is his fault and as he is forced to regenerate takes on a new face 'to remind me, to hold me to the mark' and turns into John Simm who plays the Doctor for a one off Christmas special.

[close]

Again not likely but it would be fun plus

Spoiler alert

It would give Moffat the chance to create a brand new one off Doctor as a bonkers gamechanger to go out on.

[close]

. (All speculation not actual spoiler).

[Kelvin]

One significant advantage the episode had was that Capladi's Doctor was characterised as an eccentric professor and teacher to Bill, rather than her equal or friend. If they extend that throughout the coming series, it might finally help give this Doctor a more defined and distinctive personality. After all, they now have an older actor who can convincing play that role, so lean into it.   

[Cerys]

I loved that.  Chalk me up as another one who was relieved that Bill was misrepresented in the trailers.

Regarding recycling of bits and pieces -

Spoiler alert

I have a sudden suspicion that this is going to be a big part of the season's arc

[close]

.

[Serge]

What if

Spoiler alert

The Doctor and Missy are involved in some cataclysmic fight with the cybermen and Missy 'dies' and The Doctor believes it is his fault and as he is forced to regenerate takes on a new face 'to remind me, to hold me to the mark' and turns into John Simm who plays the Doctor for a one off Christmas special.

[close]

Again not likely but it would be fun plus

Spoiler alert

It would give Moffat the chance to create a brand new one off Doctor as a bonkers gamechanger to go out on.

[close]

. (All speculation not actual Spoiler).

Actually, I had thought something along those lines -

Spoiler alert

we're all assuming that Simm is playing The Master, but has that actually been said by anyone who works on the series?

[close]

But yeah, that might be

Spoiler alert

a bit head-spinning for Christmas.

[close]

[Robot DeNiro]

It's amazing how much better even the most basic of Doctor Who episodes is when you actually like the companion, rather than wishing she'd get exterminated as quickly as possible.

[Mister Six]

It's being reportedly by The Sun and The Mirror that the new Doctor is

Spoiler alert

Kris Marshall.

[close]

Which would be

Spoiler alert

unsurprising, given that the betting was called off for him a while back, but also massively disappointing - I really was hoping for a non-white/male Doctor, but even if I wasn't I wouldn't have picked him.

[close]

[biggytitbo]

If he is the Doctor then i reckon it's a short term novelty Doctor, not the one that'll be in Chinball's S11.

[kittens]

really hope it's not

Spoiler alert

kris marshall

[close]

. dude can't even spell his own name right

[daf]

Spoiler alert

and turns into John Simm Joan Sims who plays the Doctor for a one off Christmas special.

[close]

[Talulah, really!]

Was there any significance to the Rembrandt self-portrait on his study wall?

What if it's not a self-portrait, what if its a portrait of one of the Morbius Doctors in front of the Tardis roundells?



_{Probably a set-dressing joke.}

[Phil_A]

I'm not buying the Marshall rumour until it's been officially confirmed. Remember when the odds were absolutely in favour of Domhnall Gleeson getting the part?

[BritishHobo]

If the

Spoiler alert

coming in at episode 12

[close]

thing is true, which I've had announced on Twitter, then fuck me, why can they never keep this shit under wraps? That would be a fun surprise for once but nooooo.

[Gulftastic]

Capaldi was excellent. He seemed much more believable as The Doctor. Is it the writing, the loss of the tremendous drag factor that was Clara, or a bit of both.

Bill was good too.

[MuteBanana]

Soon as he quit Death In Paradise for "family reasons" you knew something was up. He's a working an actor and a couple of months away filming is an issue? Pull the other one.

[Serge]

What if it's not a self-portrait, what if its a portrait of one of the Morbius Doctors in front of the Tardis roundells?

Heh, well I am one of the few people who believes that the Morbius Doctors are actually previous regenerations.

RE:

Spoiler alert

Kris Marshall

[close]

as the new Doctor: I hope not, but if it is true, I'll give him a chance. I'd rather they went for a more unknown quantity, though.

I know for a fact that Daniel Rigby had an audition for Doctor Twelve, despite Moffat's claim that Capaldi was the only one in the frame.

[kidsick5000]

If the

Spoiler alert

coming in at episode 12

[close]

thing is true, which I've had announced on Twitter, then fuck me, why can they never keep this shit under wraps? That would be a fun surprise for once but nooooo.

Because some journalists are spoilsports (and I say this as one who interviewed Steven Moffat last week[nb]Clank! v short interview. Nice chap [/nb]) who don't see the value in letting surprises happen.
Letting yourself in on a spoiler is one thing. Headline broadcasting it is filth.

[Black Ship]

The Kris Marshall thing might be bollocks, despite it being reported. Iirc, the Daily Maul[nb]that was a typo but I just kept it[/nb] reported that Bill Nighy had landed the role and a few days later Eccleston got confirmed

Re. The regeneration. Anyone else think it might be a

Spoiler alert

Romana "destiny of the daleks" situation?

[close]

[Alternative Carpark]

Soon as he quit Death In Paradise for "family reasons" you knew something was up. He's a working an actor and a couple of months away filming is an issue? Pull the other one.

While I don't know whether or not there's anything in this news story, I don't think that it could have been anything to do with his leaving that series.  The most recent series of Death In Paradise, where he left half way through, was shown in Jan/Feb this year, so would have been recorded last year, probably around Spring/Summer, maybe Autumn.  It would have taken longer than two months to record a series of it - eight hour-long episodes would involve filming for at least twice as long as that.

Any new Doctor at this stage wouldn't be required to record anything for DW until Autumn this year and even that would only be one day's recording, to get the regeneration scene done.  They wouldn't have to start recording a series, hence working on it regularly, until well into 2018.  So what would have been the point of leaving DIP around half way through 2016?  There'd have been room for at least another series' worth of episodes since, perhaps even a full series that could have been recorded this year.

As I understand it, the issue with his family was that whereas they'd previously joined him at Guadeloupe for however many months filming there, that was no longer possible from last year as his children were starting to reach school age, and as he didn't want to be separated from them for months, he left the programme.

[Curate's Egg]

I think that the new doctor is going to be

Spoiler alert

John Simm. And the new Master is going to be Peter Capaldi.

[close]

Well, I don't really, but it would be interesting. The latter more than the former.

[notjosh]

So what was with the very deliberate foregrounding of the River Song photo in several shots of Bill?

[Catalogue Trousers]

Just a reminder of his past. I think it's highly unlikely that we'll get more River Song. But, if we do, then we'd better get Susan as well, who's far more interesting.

[Mango Chimes]

In Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Plastic Aliens, he's got a little gallery of dead-friends-who-were-in-previous-episodes arranged on his desk in his office. The office he has as a faculty member at a university. Bizarre thing to reference, but there it is.

Bill good; essentially what Martha looked like she was going to be before she got bogged down being lovesick. So she's a lesbian to stop that happening. Fair enough.

Knowing Moffat to be a bit of a sex person, and someone who writes by thinking of a pun and then working backwards, I am suspicious that the first love interest of our lesbian companion is a girl who gets wet.

[phantom_power]

That is the most I have enjoyed an episode of Doctor Who in ages. I really like the new companion, in both her portrayal and personality/backstory. Capaldi seemed a lot more comfortable as well, and I like that it was a bit more back to basics. The Doctor didn't come into some situation, act fantastic, have some people be in awe of him and then save the day.

Throwing us into the slightly unusual situation was good as well, adding to the general interest and air of mystery. Hopefully they will explore the reasons for this more in the rest of the series

[Small Man Big Horse]

Just a reminder of his past. I think it's highly unlikely that we'll get more River Song. But, if we do, then we'd better get Susan as well, who's far more interesting.

Maybe it's Susan in the vault. He could have encountered her on some random adventure with Nardole, something went horribly wrong, and now he's keeping her locked up down there for some mysterious reason.

[Replies From View]

Maybe it's Susan in the vault. He could have encountered her on some random adventure with Nardole, something went horribly wrong, and now he's keeping her locked up down there for some mysterious reason.

Maybe she's due to die, and Doctor has time-locked her in the vault so she can't complete her death.

Except not Susan, but Clara.


That would be annoying, eh!