Doctor Who Series 13 continued: RTD2, Chib nil

[BritishHobo]

It does all feel a bit thrown together. Very jumpy.

[daf]

The Tied-up hanging Upside-down prisoner sketch #2

[Jack Shaftoe]

I have to watch this as my daughter is a big Who fan and likes watching it with me. How I wish this hadn't started in the Chibs era.

He can't do dialogue, can he? It's not even interestingly terrible, it's just... flat. I remember a podcast he was on a long time ago (where I'm pretty sure he said he wasn't even bothered about Who anymore, he just wrote episodes because his kids were fans). Anyway, he said something he admired about RTD was 'he doesn't show not tell, he shows AND tells!' Not sure that should be your main takeaway from every thing RTD ever wrote, tbh.

EDIT: ironically, we're now getting a load of telling not showing ('my crew were all kidnapped and they're held for ransom'). I mean, it's only a guideline, but stuff like this, you can see why it's a good rule of thumb.

[Kelvin]

That shot of the sea devil jumping onto the ship (near the start, I'm a bit behind) might be the naffest effect since Who returned in 2005.

[Chairman Yang]

tapping out, can't take any more of the dungeon tour

[Kelvin]

EDIT: ironically, we're now getting a load of telling not showing ('my crew were all kidnapped and they're held for ransom'). I mean, it's only a guideline, but stuff like this, you can see why it's a good rule of thumb.

He tells even when he's already shown it. Case in point; when the Sea Devil appears on the ship in a cloud of luminous green smoke, The Doctor looks at her screw-driver and says, "That's not natural mist" seconds before the Sea Devil appears. It's such a redundant line.

[Jack Shaftoe]

It's weird, isn't it? So much of the running time is taken by people saying what they (and we) have just seen, it's such a waste.

[BritishHobo]

Everything about that emotional discussion at the end was written in the flattest, most expository way. It felt like the show saying "here's how we're resolving this situation" rather than it coming naturally from the characters.

[greencalx]

Christ that was turgid shite.

[BritishHobo]

And the trailer!

Spoiler alert

"I haven't heard from the Doctor in four decades."

"It's only three decades for me!"

[close]

And

Spoiler alert

the Master saying "this is the day you die" and then ten seconds later "welcome to the end of your existence".

[close]

Do we need both? In a thirty-second-long trailer?

[Jerzy Bondov]

Who's that talking to

Spoiler alert

Ace

[close]

are we meant to recognise them?

Edit Never mind I watched it another five times and got it. Don't want Chibnall to write that character

[Kelvin]

It's weird, isn't it? So much of the running time is taken by people saying what they (and we) have just seen, it's such a waste.

I keep thinking of the editors and how painful their job must be, trying work out which terrible, redundant lines to cut and which to keep.

[Deanjam]

Sounds like another corker missed. Haven't really watched much Who since the moon was an egg, but will probably give it another go when RTD is back. Which is incredible, since I didn't really care for his often shallow take on the show, but at least it had energy and excitement. And hopefully being older he'll have slightly more to say than "phwooar, I fancy Doctor Who".

[Jack Shaftoe]

Was it just me being biased against Chibs or was that the most any actors have visibly struggled with such shit scripts? They're absolute bloody troopers, darling and they've been given nothing. Apart from John Bishop, who, without wishing to sound bitchy, I think doesn't know any better.

[Kelvin]

Terrible.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Pirates! Sea Devils! Sword fights! A massive fuck off sea monster! Well that all sounds exciting. But it's Chibnall, so it wasn't.

I know this goes without saying, but he really is such a terminally bland and boring writer. An incompetent hack.

[frajer]

Yeah. Went into this with low expectations and it still floored me how boring and badly thought out the entire show feels.

Thought it might at least be fun without substance, but of course it was neither. Classic Chibnall.

[Alberon]

That was thrown-together even by Chibnall's standards. So much went on the CGI there was little left for the stuff on the ships.

The fight scenes were bad and is no one bothered

Spoiler alert

Dan slaughtered all those Sea Devils after the Doctor got stroppy over the main villain getting killed?

[close]

As for the trailer.

Spoiler alert

Just one more episode to go and he threatens screwing up Tegan and Ace. I will not be responsible for my actions if he fucks this up.

[close]

[Catalogue Trousers]

Never mind. Only one more episode and you can gather all your toys back into the pram.

[The Roofdog]

Everything about that emotional discussion at the end was written in the flattest, most expository way. It felt like the show saying "here's how we're resolving this situation" rather than it coming naturally from the characters.

That was it. That was the emotional crescendo of Chibnall's entire run. Unbelievable.

[M-CORP]

Don't really have much else to add. Except this.

Spoiler alert

PEOPLE BEING THROWN OVERBOARD

Character: They're being thrown overboard.

[close]

I love the sensitive nuance of Chibnall's writing.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

As for the trailer.

Spoiler alert

Just one more episode to go and he threatens screwing up Tegan and Ace. I will not be responsible for my actions if he fucks this up.

[close]

Spoiler alert

I don't know how, but he will almost certainly fuck it up. You can absolutely guarantee that he'll attempt to write something poignant along the lines of Sarah Jane's scenes with the Doctor in School Reunion. But he's incapable of writing anything with even the vaguest layer of emotional substance.

[close]

[Alberon]

And there's a rerun

Spoiler alert

of the finale where the Doctor is about to sacrifice herself only for a minor character to run up and kill themselves instead.

[close]

Nice to see that again!

[M-CORP]

Spoiler alert

Also, I feel very sorry for anyone trying to avoid spoilers, given the revelations at the end have made the BBC News website.

[close]

[Malcy]

Episode was ok. Good to have some Sea Devils at last but fuck me that trailer!

[Malcy]

https://twitter.com/tardis_monkey/status/1515771696778776583/photo/1

[Alberon]

Read a couple of reviews online and there is mention of several holes in the episode.

Spoiler alert

One example is the, brief, capture of the Sea Devil in the net during the village attack where there was absolutely no setup for it. Another is how they arrive saying they've been pulled years off course, but are dressed for the time period. Finally how Yaz and the Doctor seem to escape from the Sea Devil's ship without any indication of how they managed it.

[close]

Forget not being able to write Doctor Who, Chibnall can't write television full stop.

[thr0b]

Well, sod you all. I enjoyed it. It was fun and I am sure my daughter will love it.

It had lots of faults, but was still entertaining. Which is about the best I can hope for a Chinballs episode.

Ask me about it in a week's time, and like most of his episodes, I doubt I'll be able to say much. But in his era, simple entertainment is at least better than dreadful revisionism.

[BritishHobo]

This BBC News article states that the next Doctor 'is expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.'

[thr0b]

This BBC News article states that the next Doctor 'is expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.'

Aye. I noticed that; given the special is in Autumn, but the "coming weeks" line definitely suggests the person has been cast, and will be revealed before the broadcast. Which in some ways is a shame - they've kept Tegan and Ace secret since last autumn. They really could already have cast and filmed the regeneration scenes with the new Doctor without us knowing.