Doctor Who - Series 12, Chibnall's Revenge

[Norton Canes]

Anyway, this Maxine Alderton - does she write under other aliases? It seems crazy that someone with such talent and imagination should be shackled to Emmerdale for so long, where they've only been able to properly exercise their creative genius on one episode. 

[Thomas]

Anyway, this Maxine Alderton - does she write under other aliases? It seems crazy that someone with such talent and imagination should be shackled to Emmerdale for so long, where they've only been able to properly exercise their creative genius on one episode. 

She sometimes goes by 'Steven Moffat' and 'Russell T Davies'.

I see an image has leaked of the season 13 TARDIS redesign

I seem to recall a rumour before Series 11 that the TARDIS would be getting a pet cat. I liked that idea. Not integral to the plot or anything, just a ship's cat slinking along the console every few scenes. Litter tray emptied into a black hole. Kills a Dalek in the series finale by spraying its eyestalk. Emotional shark-jump episode where it turns out to be a young Brannigan from Gridlock.

[Replies From View]

I don't care what kind of domesticated beast they store in the TARDIS as long as it's a gay one.

[Alberon]

Not a bad design but look at how many companions we'll have next series!

[Bad Ambassador]

She sometimes goes by 'Steven Moffat' and 'Russell T Davies'.

I seem to recall a rumour before Series 11 that the TARDIS would be getting a pet cat. I liked that idea. Not integral to the plot or anything, just a ship's cat slinking along the console every few scenes. Litter tray emptied into a black hole. Kills a Dalek in the series finale by spraying its eyestalk. Emotional shark-jump episode where it turns out to be a young Brannigan from Gridlock.

There's a good reason why you don't see many pet cats on TV.

[Thomas]

There's a good reason why you don't see many pet cats on TV.

They only have to film it for an hour against a green screen and then paste it into TARDIS scenes. If it dies and they have to get a new one, just say it's a Gallifreyan cat and it regenerated.

My cat is very clever. They can borrow him as long as I write every episode he appears in.

On the subject of TV cats, I don't watch Coronation Street but I hate the clearly dubbed-in generic meow of the cat in the title sequence. None of that with the Who Cat (that's his name), please. If you're going to dub a meow over a cat, at least do so at an apt, realistic moment, and make the effort to CGI its mouth movements accordingly in 4K.

[Bad Ambassador]

My cat is very clever. They can borrow him as long as I write every episode he appears in.

You're lucky. My cat's a fucking moron. He's a lovely friendly moron, but that doesn't stop him from falling off a chair every time he tries to get comfy.

The TARDIS has, of course, already had a cat in Wolsey, who was in the New Adventures.

[weekender]

This probably belongs in another thread (maybe one called "Why are my fingers bleeding"), but the first fifteen minutes of Castrovalva are fucking shit, aren't they?

Honestly, the Master's just turned up in a column.

[weekender]

Tegan = Graham.

Everyone else can fuck off.

Thus endeth the review of Castrovalva.

[Malcy]

Don't know what I thought of that really. Why didn't they just escape on the Cyber Shuttle after it landed?Or with a massive ship that size just find another one and get away?

No idea what's going on with the Garda. Timelord maybe?

[Kelvin]

Dialogue still wasn't up to much, but I can't lie, I actually really enjoyed that for what it was; a big, dumb action romp with some entertaining set-pieces, a good villain and a bunch of decent mysteries. Very impressive visually as well.

[Chairman Yang]

It's pretty sad that an episode that was mostly Cybermen stomping around was the most watchable one yet.

I liked the Irish interludes, it's a lot easier to be invested when the main 4 cast aren't on screen. I'm dreading the reveal that Brendan is The Timeless Child or something.

Edit: I knew it was coming a mile off but I did roll my eyes a full 360 when it was

Spoiler alert

Gallifrey

[close]

again.

[olliebean]

Don't know what I thought of that really. Why didn't they just escape on the Cyber Shuttle after it landed?Or with a massive ship that size just find another one and get away?

No idea what's going on with the Garda. Timelord maybe?

Timeless Child, I'm assuming.

[Chairman Yang]

Oh do you reckon this is heading in a direction like that one story... what is it? 'The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas'

[notjosh]

I was a bit confused by the Garda storyline. What I saw was...

Spoiler alert

A baby was found on the road by a fella. Baby grows up, gets a job in the police, is unbreakable, and retires at a ripe old age. At this point he has his mind-wiped by the fella who has somehow stayed the same age, for unknown reasons.

[close]

Is that right, and it's basically still a mystery? Or did I get two characters confused or something?

[Thomas]

I haven't looked at any posts since the ep went out, but I'd just like to ask: was there a pre-titles sequence this week?

Only my viewing source - which is definitely iPlayer I promise - only begins from the title card. Am I missing any Cybermen jump-scares or redshirt deaths?

[Alberon]

Enjoyable episode as far as it goes. It's no criticism to say it just sets up the finale, most penultimate episodes do.

Liked the design of the episode from the wonky funhouse ride the humans escaped in to the new Warrior Class Cybermen who look the best that monster has since the series came back.

But it all depends on next week's episode, of course, but I'm just getting the slightest hope that Chibnall won't completely fuck it up. Just have to stamp on that hope for a week.

[Chairman Yang]

I haven't looked at any posts since the ep went out, but I'd just like to ask: was there a pre-titles sequence this week?

There's a wee bit where CyberDave monologues about the Cyber War and how he's going to bring all the Cybermen back. It's just a bit of scene-setting is all

[Alberon]

I was a bit confused by the Garda storyline. What I saw was...

Spoiler alert

A baby was found on the road by a fella. Baby grows up, gets a job in the police, is unbreakable, and retires at a ripe old age. At this point he has his mind-wiped by the fella who has somehow stayed the same age, for unknown reasons.

[close]

Is that right, and it's basically still a mystery? Or did I get two characters confused or something?

Spoiler alert

Two fellas - his adoptive dad and the policeman who they reported the baby find to

[close]

, but yeah basically.

[Thomas]

There's a wee bit where CyberDave monologues about the Cyber War and how he's going to bring all the Cybermen back. It's just a bit of scene-setting is all

Thanks Yangy.

[olliebean]

I haven't looked at any posts since the ep went out, but I'd just like to ask: was there a pre-titles sequence this week?

Only my viewing source - which is definitely iPlayer I promise - only begins from the title card. Am I missing any Cybermen jump-scares or redshirt deaths?

About half a minute of cyber-debris in space with a portentous voice-over from Ashad. I don't think you missed anything important to the story.

[canted_angle_again]

I genuinely felt like that episode broke the fourth wall in the sense that I felt as though I was stuck in a weird time bubble because it felt about 2 hours long. So boring.

[notjosh]

I genuinely felt like that episode broke the fourth wall

It did

Now that's what I call an internal conflict, eh viewers?

[Catalogue Trousers]

Thanks Yangy.

Thangy.

[VelourSpirit]

Nothing happened. Why did they not start at Ian McElhinney so they could just move onto something interesting, instead of spending most of the episode going from A to B with literally nothing else driving things? There are meant to be plot beats and things. Cybermen having a war isn't interesting in itself.

[Thomas]

Tin dialogue, but I'm intrigued. Genuine sense of peril for Graham and Yaz, even if they were just pacing back and forth in grungy rooms for half-an-hour.

Those Cyberdrones at the beginning weren't up to much. There were loads of them. If they'd just hovered, and took their time shooting the remaining humans rather than zipping around blowing up equipment, they'd be finished in seconds. Instead, they just flew off as though a Cyberbreaktime whistle had sounded. Could've at least stuck in a cursory wave of the sonic screwdriver.

Feels like Chibnall has been rewatching Series 3. Spyfall was full of Sound of Drums moments (the companions being declared 'most wanted' was almost shot-for-shot), and this 'boundary' thing - a mysterious promised escape for the last humans, unsubstantiated and somewhere out in space - is pure Utopia.

Perhaps Brendan - who came back to life in exactly the manner of Captain Jack - is the subject of an experiment by early Time Lords. Manufacturing immortality. There might be many such experiments throughout history (hence The Timeless Children). Tying Gallifrey's history to Earth's? Explaining why Time Lords are identical to humans? Even explaining the Doctor's long-time sentimental connection to Earth? Hope not. It all feels likely.

Back in Series 6, Vastra said to the Doctor, 'your people became what they were through exposure to the Time Vortex', explaining River Song's abilities. Perhaps Chibnall is giving us an origin story. Humans evolving themselves into Time Lords.

[Alberon]

No mention of Doctor Ruth, but she does have to be popping up next week, doesn't she?

[Thomas]

No mention of Doctor Ruth, but she does have to be popping up next week, doesn't she?

Be weird if she didn't, with the next series possibly so far away.

If she's between Troughton and Pertwee (oi), and she has been forced into doing nasty missions for the early Time Lords, it might dovetail into my theory above. Experimenting on humans to produce regeneration. The gard and the adoptive dad in this episode might be Time Lords doing the same missions.

[pigamus]

I genuinely felt like that episode broke the fourth wall in the sense that I felt as though I was stuck in a weird time bubble because it felt about 2 hours long. So boring.

I enjoyed it up until the Doctor's confrontation with the Cyberman at about thirty minutes in. After that it there was a fair bit of boring wandering about and it fell a bit flat.

[Johnny Yesno]

It did

Now that's what I call an internal conflict, eh viewers?

This week's and last week's failed attempts to reason with cyberboss were well executed and darkly funny bits of misdirection. I wish all the writing was up to that standard.

I also liked the incidental music this week, particularly the heavy industrial music during the warrior class cyberman wake-up scene and the droney stuff near the end of Brendon's retirement scene.

Questions, though:
What was cyberboss doing angle grinding the warrior class cybermen?
Why couldn't they go back to the Tardis when things got a bit shooty at the beginning?