#rtd era who is SO good tho

[tsnbrainrot]

now that the three specials are over, i got a bit nostalgic and watched some eps from season 4, but then i just decided to do a whole rewatch of classic rtd.

i just finished the girl in the fireplace, and i know its been said before but wowzers it really is modfat's prototype for the doctor/amy/river era, huh.

i havent watched it since the first time which would have been in 2010, and even then i remember how struck i was by how out of character the doctor felt, and how out of place the episode feels tonally. like when the doctor realized he was stuck in france, its like he completely forgot rose and mickey were trapped on an empty space ship, didnt even spare a thought for them. and they felt like two kids he was babysitting the whole time rather than actual companions.

it made me realize that part of what makes blink and family of blood so good was that the actual doctor was barely present so he didnt have a chance to mischaracterize him lol

oh boy oh boy do i feel all of that anon !!!!!!!!!!

you're right: it's been said to DEATH and by more eloquent people than me, but looking back gitf truly was a giant red flag re: some unbearable m*ffatism (as was the library two parter lbr). which is kind of funny because, despite being a HUGE tenrose girlie, 15/16 yo me looooooved that episode back when i first watched s2. but i feel like with every single rewatch since that first one i get more and more and more annoyed by it. m*ffat hated rose and it really shows etc etc. there are still some elements of it i really enjoy (the monsters kinda fuck and the concept of them trying to fix the ship with human parts is great, as are the whole time window thing. i love when eps blend historical & futuristic. also the soundtrack SLAPS). and i do think as a tenrose supremacist there's a lot of ways to interpret it that REALLY works for their relationship: it's right after the sarah jane ep and the doctor being truly confronted with rose's mortality/having to potentially leave her/lose her like he lost sarah for maybe the first time. (at least the first time as ten??) so him bringing mickey on board and then flirting with someone else to put distance between them/hide from his feelings is something i can work with. and it also works as a condensed echo/parallel of what tenrose's romance MEANS for the doctor; a blink of an eye and she'll be dead. but i dont think that was intentional on m*ffat's part. i'm just doing the heavy lifting.

overall, there's just a bunch of moments where you're kind of going: wtf the doctor wouldn't say/do that ????? even if he wasnt in love with rose (which he IS), he'd CARE that he left her alone. i can buy him leaving to save all those french people cos he wouldn't let innocents suffer.... but he'd be UPSET he lost ROSE and THE TARDIS??? it's bullshit. but then, i hate the way m*ffat writes ten in general (dont get me started on the 50th). and tbh i STILL don't understand why madame de pompadour even ends up falling for the doctor in the first place? it's completely shallow and superficial, like most of m*ffat's romances. it's like he's always trying to write a love at first sight/fairy tale story but he doesn't give it much substance so you're left with something completely hollow. it's emotionally empty.

anyways, he was much better at writing standalone eps than showrunning (imo), but even they haven't aged as well as some others rip.

#rtd era who is SO good tho #i also did a rewatch this year (to prep for the 60th) and !!! #i love it sm #i keep trying to talk myself out of doing another one kfngdjkgd #doctor who

[gayleviticus]

new who episodes which I think get worse (not bad- many of these are still good, just less impactful) on rewatch:

Family of Blood - the shock of the Doctor as a human is something that really hit in the RTD era with no master, no time lords, no gallifrey, doctor at his mopiest, but I think it's seriously diminished now and the episode isn't that good with the shock value gone. plus the Martha race dynamics get worse and worse

Vincent and the Doctor - It's a decent episode, but I think it really hits when you don't expect the ending, and when it's built up in your mind to be the greatest episode ever you can't help but notice the bulk of it is a fairly standard monster romp with an emotional ending.

Zygon Invasion - Nothing meaningful happens in the first part and the political allegory is a bit all over the place.

Oxygen - At the time it was a cool atmospheric episode with anti capitalism, but the ending involving permanent consequences for the doctor was genuinely quite cool and unexpected. But I don't think a rewatch knowing where the Doctors blindness is going can really replicate that same feeling of 'wait wtf'. Honestly this is true of most of s10, where the speculation was more interesting than the actual arc (tho the finale is toptier)

Day of the Doctor - I still think it's quite good. but you can't replicate the sheer thrill of moffat in 2013 being willing to completely upturn the status quo after the rtd era dancing around it for years, and on closer examination the plot to save Gallifrey isn't that clever (but it's emotionally resonant).

Journeys End - Far too many characters and when you're watching carefully you notice half of them don't do anything and there's too many asspulls.

Doomsday - Rose and the Doctors separation is a random stroke of bad luck, not even an inevitable tragedy. It still hits emotionally, but it's kinda relying on throwing so many different elements at you you don't notice in the chaos rather than a proper tragic fate.

new who episodes i think get better on a rewatch

Honestly most Moffat arcs when you identify what the thematic/character point is and focus on that rather than the plot mechanics. Particularly s9 where there are so many allusions and ideas weaved in throughout.

Time of the Doctor - without the weight of tying up all the complex timeywimey loose ends, if you watch it firmly as a story about the doctor and Clara's relationship it works well imo.

Hell Bent - again, without the weight of being the epic return of gallifrey and read as about the doctor and Clara's relationship (and a response to donnas mind wipe and an exploration of the role of companion generally) it's great. AND it also pre-emptively skewers the kind of lorebomb nonsense of the Timeless Children 5 years before it even aired.

there are certainly more in both categories but they don't come to mind at the moment

#doctor who #new who #nuwho

[death-by-sc0tland]

I am really curious about your contradicting opinions about dw showrunners. If you dont mind sharing 😊

helloo sorry for the really late reply but yeah!

so my fav thing about rtd is how he writes the characters and their relationships, they just feel so organic and realistic. like the companions are really the main characters in his era and he makes sure we get to know them and their life even outside of the doctor. however i will never forgive him for the treatment martha got and other poc characters in general (i hope this gets better in this new era). also in this second era so far, even tho he includes a lot of rep, i don’t love how some of it has been handled so far? like for example even tho the star beast was focusing on rose’s (and the doctor’s) trans identity, it was really giving “cis person writing trans characters” and idk it was kinda weird (idk if there were trans ppl in the writer’s room but wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t). like yes i’m glad trans people got so much focus there but you know it’s not exempt from criticism!

then moffat’s era has this really magical feel to me and i can’t deny he writes a lot of really good stories, also the 12th doctor is my favourite so yeah. but obviously there’s the whole issue of how he writes women thinking that feminism means when women sexy, shoot gun and slap men. also his companions are not as well rounded as rtd’s imo and their life kinda revolves around the doctor (maybe except bill). then this was an issue mainly in 11’s run, where the doctor was treated like the most important being in the universe, which i personally don’t like, but thankfully that got better with 12. he also introduced all these big ass arcs like the silence or the hybrid but i don’t think he was able to satisfyingly tie them up.

chibnall was def taking a lot of risks with the show and i liked that he was doing something different. the 13th doctor is very dear to me and i will always be number 1 timeless child defender. also sacha dhawan was by FAR my favourite part of his era he absolutely ate and his master is my fav doctor who character now!! but otherwise i can’t deny that his era was kinda.. meh? like he had a lot of interesting concepts but i don’t think he really delivered on most of them. the companions were okay but didn’t really stand out to me too much compared to past companions. like honestly i didn’t feel like yaz really got to shine until like flux, which is wayy to late for a companion that was on the show for that long.

so yeahh that’s all i can think of rn! dw is my fav show ever so there’s something i love in each era but yeah still a lot of other stuff i don’t love so much. obv this are just my opinions and if you disagree that’s fine!!

#asks #i’m not even gonna tag this cause i don’t need random ppl being angry at me for having opinions

[mulderscully]

Everyone be like ruby sunday is so dead but I literally can't think rtd can kill a companion. I might be used on his first era but idk if he changes that but I love companions staying alive 🤷‍♀️. How do you find the new season based on the trailer?

sorry this is so late! i think it looks really good honestly! i think ncuti and millie are gonna crush it and the episodes seem so fun and interesting.

part of me think it's laughable to actually think rtd will kill ruby off bc he was always really adamant that killing a companion is out of the question during his original run, he never actually did it lol - but he also was firmly against retconning donna losing her memory in his book so if the 60th has taught me anything it's that idk what rtd will do now 😩

i feel like she'll probably just be written off in a kind way? like if you think about it his original run was all about the companions being ripped away from the doctor (martha aside) but he seems to have softened a lot in his time away so i can see ruby deciding to leave on good terms to be with her family.

we'll see! i'm excited tho and i wonder who is cast or gonna be cast for the next companion too 💖

#reply #userevam

[andromediae]

Almost done binging the Chibnall era of Doctor Who and honestly? It's the first time I've felt safe watching Doctor Who since the RTD era... Only even more so. I know 2 out of 3 new characters will always be either a woman or a POC and they will all have meaningful arcs and most will survive the trials they are put thru. I know it will be kind to the stories and people in its care. I know it will critique colonialism and institutional violence so often that the critique never feels like a "special episode." I know it will draw extensively from the well of classic (pre-reboot) doctor who in so many subtle and clever ways. I know that the toxic masculinity pervading previous series (tho not I think from the actors themselves) will be muzzled and harnessed for the good of the story. I know that the cringe will be rare and the crying will be earned. I know the production design will be thoughtful and creative and transcend the commercial. I know I'll get some proper sci fi concepts given time to unfold. I know I'll actually be able to follow the dialogue. I know the show will always prioritize relationships and conversations over plot twists. And ultimately there's romantic Thasmin sprinkled thru and friendship Thasmin everywhere. The companions are lovely and non-toxic. And there's a reason she calls the og trio her fam and consistently refers to the flat power structure of the group. That's what it feels like. They even built the TARDIS with multiple steps and mini levels so that anyone can be shot above or below anyone else. There's very little doctor who "worship" here. They swapped it for a team ideal (that the doctor is constantly struggling to achieve despite dealing with ancient origin trauma for several seasons). Her journey is to trust her companions with the big stuff, even if it is beyond their understanding. It's about mutualism and teamwork and letting every individual part of the team get a chance to get messy and make mistakes and save the world. And the stories are consistently better for it.

#big finish has been my go-to doctor who material for years #and obviously i enjoy 70s and 80s doctor who #tho once again I've experienced it more thru big finish #chibnall era #one if my favorite RTD arcs is how Martha is positioned as worthy of saving the world on her own. Donna too #but it feels more meaningful with Martha because of how shitty the doctor treats her post his loss of Rose #this whole show is like that but you almost don't norice it because it happens SO OFTEN.

[rawwkfingers]

Logopolis

One thing I've really come to enjoy from watching Classic is the way its allowed me to recontextualize events in New. This serial singlehandedly made me more on board with both the Flux and the bigeneration and it honestly baffles me that RTD didnt put that connection into The Giggle, even in passing, to help pave the way for his idea

I know WHY he didnt, because he enjoys his happy headcanon that every Doctor got a happy ending. But since thats not in the show and thus not canon (yet) I'm choosing to believe that the bigeneration was a result of time almost eroding in the Flux, akin to the Watcher's presence due to entropy here

To be fair, I'm putting a lot of headcanon of my own here since the Watcher is just not explained. I dont even know if I'd have been able to draw that conclusion if I didnt have the bigeneration as a reference point. I do think this was the writers intentions with the Watcher, just poorly explained like a lot of the science of this serial was

In general, the writing was a little all over the place this serial. Tegan is simultaneously really well written, she has an immediate energy in every scene, while also feeling slapped together. Her total non-reaction to being swept off to a new planet beyond "I'm gonna be late for work" gave me whiplash but her reaction to her aunts death was great (tho that has more to do with Fielding's acting than the writing)

The Logopolis stuff was also poorly explained until we were given a crumb of "they keep the universe together" and the Doctor's decision to fix the chameleon circuit feels like it came out of nowhere

This was not perfect

However, I did like it a lot, mainly because of the various interactions with the Master. His teamup with the Doctor was great, with the Doctor's awareness this is how he dies palpable

And then the juxtaposition of them working together with Nyssa's realization her entire planet is destroyed, because of the Master (who is wearing her father's face!!!) Again, with the context of New Who, it really brings to question just how complicit the Doctor is in all the various war crimes the Master has committed

In a way, this all is a perfect farewell for the Fourth Doctor. His era had some of the strongest writing in the entire series (Ark, Genesis, Pyramids, City) while also some of the worst (Talons, Leisure Hive, Deadly Assassin.) Having a story with confusing lore but strong character work is very fitting

Baker really was great, but there was something about him that always prevented me from LOVING him the way I do Pertwee. Part of that is that I'm not a huge fan of Baker as a person, but I think the other part of that was the way the show moved away from the explicit political stories that I loved so much. I'm sure the worldbuilding stuff that the era was so focused on was fascinating for contemporary viewers, but as a newer fan I either already knew it or it'd been retconned and wasnt enjoyable

His energy was contagious though and I loved the way he brought a levity and joy to the show while also taking the serious scenes with complete seriousness. I remember reading that he agonized over making sure to do Genesis justice because it was such a strong script

His last season started off weak, but ended strong

1. The Keeper of Traken. Just a really, really strong serial on top of introducing Nyssa, who I love and would die for

2. Full Circle. Ever since his introduction where I compared Adric to Atreyu, I've loved the character so of course his first story is this high

3. State of Decay. As much as I love this serial for helping shift the way I view Classic as a whole, its actual plot is fairly standard which prevents it from being higher

4. Logopolis. All the character work is great, all the technobabble isnt

5. Warriors' Gate. I feel like Romana deserved better than the departure she for

6. Meglos. I just find it a little stale and boring, nothing bad but nothing good

7. The Leisure Hive. It was a fun concept but the absolutely horrific editing makes it unwatchable

The companions of this era are all amazing so it'll be hard ranking them but

1. Sarah Jane Smith. There was never going to be any other choice here ofc, she's the face of Classic Who companions for a reason. She steals every scene she's in I love her

2. K9. One of the rare instances where the silly mascot character is truly incredible. Every scene he was in was fantastic and I want one of my own

3. Romana II. Cute and charming snd immensely lovable. Every time she was on screen I wanted more of her

4. Romana I. I loved Mary Tamm's portrayal, she always gave the Doctor as much sass as he gave her and the way she always carried herself as aloof from it all was amazing. But the chemistry of Ward and Baker is unmatched

5. Leela. It pains me SO much putting her this low but she was always the type of character who I loved in spite of her writing rather than because of it. She never had any of the truly GREAT stories the others did

6. Harry. He's the only companion of this era I actively disliked I'm sorry

#rawwk on #classic who watch #logopolis

[minimoefoe]

doctor who rewatch thoughts (tenth doctor)

for each episode there is:

for each episode there's two things I like (✅️) and one thing I dislike (❌️) (sometimes more/less) and general thoughts overall along with a rating out of five stars

there's a quick list of ep ratings, average series ratings and an rtd round-up at the bottom of the post

🎅 the christmas invasion

✅️ the scene on the balcony where ten starts struggling and jackie is listing off a bunch of things she thinks he might need is soo good, something about 'little ham sandwich' low-key kills me idk ✅️ when everything is sorted and they're all sitting down for xmas dinner and rose and ten smile at each other ??? ❌️ I don't like harriet jones that much sorry

I always like this ep more than I think I do but it's not my faaave. having the ep be minus the doctor for like half of it was certainly a choice but they pulled it off

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

series two

😺 2.01 new earth

✅️ kinda obsessed with the way both dt, billie and the other guy play cassandra ✅️ cassandra's death kinda gets me.. one of the most emotional deaths of the whole era I fear

it's a great ep icl, rose and ten are a lil cringe right at the beginning, and ten's angry moments are also a bit meh but overall it's just a lot of fun

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🐺 2.02 tooth and claw

✅️ ten and rose are great in this ep, I just love their vibe and how happy they are idk and I love that it backfires at the end and makes queen victoria banish them or whatever lmao ✅ the shot of the doctor and the wolf between the door/wall is very cool ❌ something about queen victoria is mildly annoying sometimes and a couple of moments make me cringe but idk it’s not enough to ruin the ep, for the most part she’s fine

I was not expecting to like this ep as much as I did. rose and ten are great, the set up for torchwood is cool, I like the werewolf, idk it’s a fun ep

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

👩‍🏫 2.03 school reunion

✅️ rose and sarah jane's jealousy is a lil cringe early in the ep but I love when they start tryna one up each other and then make up and start laughing about/at the doctor ❌️ I don't really care about the villains of this ep like at all

it's cool having sarah jane meet ten, and there's some other good stuff in there but overall I don't think I'm obsessed with this ep quite like many others are and there's some moments in there at annoy me a bit

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🕰 2.04 the girl in the fireplace

✅️ the droids are very cool, they've haunted me for most of my life at this point ❌️ I just don't fully believe in ten and reinette being in love which kinda takes away from the emotion of it all

probs the ep I have the biggest love-hate relationship with. some cool stuff in there for sure but also a mix of stuff that doesn't work for me fully/at all

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🤖 2.05 rise of the cybermen

✅️ some fun ten and rose moments, mainly at the party ❌️ idgaf about lumic and the way he talks is annoying

this is never an episode I look forward to in a rewatch or ever just fancy watching on its own. I always find I don't dislike it as much I expect to, there's not really anything I hate, but also not much I love which is why I don't rate it that highly

⭐️⭐️⭐️

🤖 2.06 the age of steel

✅️ I like that mickey decides to stay like good for him fr

overall I don't care

⭐️⭐️💫

📺 2.07 the idiot's lantern

✅️ something about the wire really creeps me out, tho her voice goes straight through me in a way that is not so fun ❌️ I understand rose telling tommy to go after his dad - 'my dad is gone so I think everyone should try and make it work with theirs' - but I don't think the ep shoulda ended on the implication that she was right to tell him go do that idk

overall kinda underrated I feel, defo not a fave ep of mine but idk I was into it

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

☄️ 2.08 the impossible planet

✅️ some solid tenrose moments, they're probably what's best about this two parter as a whole imo ✅️ I love how passionate rose is about ood rights

overrated by the fandom generally imo but it is a good ep, all the characters are pretty likeable

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

👿 2.09 the satan pit

✅️ rose acting doctor-y has low-key always made me cringe but I liked seeing it this time round so that's cool ✅️ ten and ida were a good duo ❌️ the 'i believe in her' moment is a bit cringe sorry

much like part one, a good ep but is defo overrated by the fandom imo

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📰 2.10 love & monsters

✅️ the characters are likable I guess, seeing their group form is cute ❌️ 'we even have a bit of a love life' is criminal

overall even tho I like the characters in it well enough, I really don't care about this ep. I'm in this show for the doctor and companions and this is lacking in both

⭐️⭐️

✏️ 2.11 fear her

✅️ some cool tenrose moments ❌️ I find chloe pretty annoying

idk what it is, I just have never found this ep that interesting and finding chloe annoying definitely doesn't help

⭐️⭐️💫

👻 2.12 army of ghosts

✅️ I like the scene where jackie points out how much like the doctor has become, feels important idk ✅️ cool cliffhanger ❌️ I don't love how ten treats jackie. jokingly being mean to your friends is cool, but the shit he was saying didn't feel like that it just felt mean and weird

don't have much to say about it, it's a good ep

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

👩🏼 2.13 doomsday

✅️ jackie and pete uniting is cute and I'm v happy for them ✅️ the wall and beach scenes get me every time icl

the whole world is ending-ness that almost all rtd era finales have isn't my faave like it's just a lot generic battle bs that doesn't really interest me idk but there's some cool stuff in there too so

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

👰‍♀ the runaway bride

✅️ ten and donna's dynamic is 10/10 straight away it's crazy ✅️ the moments where ten mentions/thinks about rose are done really well. if only that continued into s3..

I feel like I dont have too much to say about this ep, I just like it a lot, it's fun but also manages ten's sadness well and donna is great

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

series three

🌚 3.01 smith and jones

✅️ I liked how ten seemed to instantly like martha bc she showed how competent she was idk

a good start to the series imo, not an ep I'm absolutely obsessed with but I enjoyed it more than I was expecting to for sure, ten and martha were a good duo

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🧙‍♀️ 3.02 the shakespeare code

✅️ has some nice/funny moments between martha and ten (and shakespeare) idk ✅️ liz showing up at the end ❌️ 'just walk about like you own the place' is truly baffling advice

never been an ep I love, but it's not massively criminal spare for a couple of questionable moments. and some stuff obviously aging badly

⭐️⭐️💫

🚃 3.03 gridlock

✅️ martha once again being a legend despite being literally kidnapped. also like when she forces ten to talk at the end ✅️ face of boe rip king ❌️ ten's speech at the end is meant to be really emotional but mostly just makes me cringe

a decent ep, not much to scream about but also not much to complain about either

⭐️⭐️⭐️

🗽 3.04 daleks in manhattan

✅️ andrew garfield ❌️ i like tallulah but her voice goes right through me

far less painful than I was anticipating, but not exactly a fave of mine. similar to gridlock in that there's not much to hate but also not much to be obsessed with. also am not sure how I feel about the dalek/human hybrid situation like is it cool or is it ridiculous idk

⭐️⭐️⭐️

🧬 3.05 evolution of the daleks

✅️ tallulah and laszlo are the greatest love story of our generation

I watched last night and don't remember my thoughts so uh it was fine idk, better than expected but not the best

⭐️⭐️⭐️

👨🏼 3.06 the lazarus experiment

✅️ the final ten-ish minutes go so hard, the doctor circling lazarus, the running, the piano, i am a fan ✅️ the scene at the end where martha calls out ten's 'just one trip' bs, good for her ❌️ it's not all her fault but martha's mum is annoying

for a while I didn't give a fuck about this ep but it's grown on me the last couple rewatched, cool villain even if gatiss isn't my fave dw actor, martha and ten are a great duo and tish is nice to have around too

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🥵 3.07 42

✅️ martha saving the doctor's ass

nothing to really hate but also not much to scream over, it's all decent idk

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

👨🏻‍🏫 3.08 human nature

✅️ I like john smith, not necessarily as a person idk, but like as a character he's interesting to watch. his dreams and the 'he seems not quite here' or whatever thing is cool ✅️ martha is really doing the most work for the doctor he better be grateful ❌️ I get that it's important for the plot kinda but that kid stealing the watch is so annoying to me I hate stupid kids

overall a banger. the family of blood and their scarecrows remain mildly creepy even after all these years

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎈 3.09 the family of blood

✅️ john's dilemma about who is and then of he should open the watch is cool ✅️ I like the quote about how if the doctor didn't show up then no one would have died. bc most of the time it's the other way round and if he didn't show up more ppl would die

a classic for a reason I fear

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🔑 3.10 blink

✅️ the scene where the grandson shows up and sally starts reading the letter and looking through the pictures is v cool ✅️ just like.. the spooky vibes ❌️ the end and cut to one year later felt a little bit abrupt idk

have always thought this ep is amazing but generally overhyped by the fandom and I don't necessarily not think that now but I was far more into it than I was expecting to be. I liked sally, I'm a slag for the weeping angels. it's doctor-lite actually done well

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⏱️ 3.11 utopia

✅️ the entire last ten minutes or so make me insane. I've watched this ep so many times and I'm still so hyped for it all

literally CINEMA

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🥁 3.12 the sound of drums

✅️ I love the scene where they're hiding out, eating chips and chatting ✅️ the toclafane

I dont know what to say, I just love it a lot. ten martha and jack are a fun trio, the master is great, it's all very cool

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🚶🏾‍♀️ 3.13 last of the time lords

✅️ lucy shooting the master (good for her) and then him refusing to regen is cool ✅️ face of boe reveal is kinda iconic ✅️ martha's speech to ten before she leaves is 10/10 she needed to do that fr ❌️ floaty god doctor is a lil silly innit

not as good as the first part i don't think but it's still solid and I have to stan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

⛴️ voyage of the damned

✅️ all the main gang that get trapped, other than that twatty guy, are all decent enough characters ✅️ angel things are cool looking ✅️ wilf ❌️ goes on for far too long

nothing horrific I just have never given much of a fuck about this episode idk, it's all right

⭐️⭐️💫

series four

💊 4.01 partners in crime

✅️ the window scene, obviously a classic ✅️ wilf cheering when he sees the tardis in the sky gets me every time

kinda an iconic ep, the adipose are very cute, donna is far less annoying than she was in her first ep, overall I have to stan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🌋 4.02 the fires of pompeii

✅️ donna having a go at ten when he tells her to shut up ✅️ when ten realises he's the one who causes the eruption ✅ this whole scene, their faces !!

❌ something about lucius low-key annoyed me idk

liked it way more than I was expecting to ngl, solid all the way through

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🧠 4.03 planet of the ood

✅ ten and donna iconic duo ✅ the music is great, love the ood song ✅ the ood are so fuckin cute I’m obsessed with them

I’ve always really liked this ep, potentially an underrated banger idk what the general consensus on it is

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🥔 4.04 the sontaran stratagem

✅️ martha warning donna about travelling with the doctor ✅️ wilf!! ❌️ I know it's the point but that american kid is so fuckin annoying

better than I was expecting, a lot of pretty good moments that somewhat make up for the annoying kid and the fact idrc about the sontarans

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🌫 4.05 the poison sky

✅️ donna and ten on the phone ✅️ wilf and donna at the end. I love how much he supports her, defo a contrast to her cunt of a mother

in a shocking turn of events I actually don't mind the s4 sontaran two parter...

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

👨‍👧4.06 the doctor's daughter

✅️ donna instantly accepting jenny, making fun of ten and tryna get him to accept her too ✅️ martha and her hath friend ❌️ I agree with and understand the doctor's 'guns are bad, violence is bad and also I don't trust jenny' thing but I wish he would shut up for five seconds about it, it's just a bit much idk ❌️ idk if I've imagined it bc I obviously know david and georgia are together irl but ten and jenny's vibe makes me mildly uncomfortable sometimes

overall pretty good idk

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🐝 4.07 the unicorn and the wasp

✅️ the scene where the doctor is poisoned, a classic

the murder mystery vibe isn't my absolute fave but there's enough good stuff in there to make it a fairly decent ep

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

📖 4.08 silence in the library

✅️ most of the stuff with ten and river, her realising he doesn't know her, him being curious about stuff ❌️ idgaf about that little kid

good stuff

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💀 4.09 forest of the dead

✅️ ten and river idk

I have literally nothing to say but it was good. probs like it a bit more than part one idk

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💎 4.10 midnight

✅️ the guy saying he saw something and it was running towards them is low-key spooky as fuck ✅️ ten's face when he was stuck copying ❌️ I know it's literally the entire point so this I guess isn't fully a negative thing but most of the ppl are SO annoying and stupid to the point where it's almost unenjoyable at times bc they just piss me off

a banger

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🪲 4.11 turn left

✅️ seeing the consequences of the doctor not being around is very cool ✅️ donna ❌️ rose is annoying and her acting doctor-y has always made me cringe ❌️ the beetle noise makes me SO uncomfortable

never an ep I've been that obsessed with, unlike most other ppl, but I like it more than I used to

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌎 4.12 the stolen earth

✅️ ten and rose running to each other makes me feel a lil insane ❌️ I get it but rose is mildly annoying with her whole annoyance at not being on the call thing

fun times idk what to say

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻 4.13 journey's end

✅️ tentoo and donna in the tardis ✅️ when everyone is piloting the tardis, the music ✅️ I really like rose's and donna's endings

the last 15ish minutes go hard, the rest is a mix of good/great stuff and a bit of waffle idc about

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🧑 the next doctor

✅️ ten and jackson lake had some interesting moments together

I really don't have anything negative to say, it just goes on forever and idgaf

⭐️⭐️

🪰 planet of the dead

✅️ christina and ten have some good moments ❌️ the way christina talks is mildly annoying, I'd forgive ppl for thinking moffat wrote her

never an ep I've been massively fond of, has some good moments but generally nothing to scream about. I can never decide if I like christina or not

⭐️⭐️💫

💦 the waters of mars

✅️ the doctor standing there watching everyone running around doing stuff ✅️ the flood are scary looking ✅️ the last five-ish minutes

it's a good ep

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌵 the end of time pt1

✅️ I think ten's thoughts on regeneration are really dramatic and also wrong but him in the cafe with wilf chatting and being sad as fuck does get me every time ✅️ ten and the master in the wasteland is one of my fave rtd era scenes I think ❌️ can't say I fully understand why that woman shows up for wilf all the time like idk and tbh idc either

bit of a slow start but otherwise I like it a lot

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

👬🏼 the end of time pt2

✅️ 'wonder what I'd be without you' makes me actually insane ✅️ ten and wilf's chat on the ship ✅️ ten's tour of past companions ❌️ this isn't necessarily a negative, but do I care that the time lords are back or whatever? not really

I love everything with ten and the master, wilf is an icon, a regen always gets me fucked up. I'm no time lord stan but there were aspects of them returning that I found interesting. overall I have to stan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

series two episode ratings:

new earth - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ tooth and claw - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 school reunion - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the girl in the fireplace - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 rise of the cybermen - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ the age of steel - ⭐️⭐️💫 the idiot's lantern - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the impossible planet - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the satan pit - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ love and monsters - ⭐️⭐️ fear her - ⭐️⭐️💫 army of ghosts - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ doomsday - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the runaway bride - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

series two average rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 | 3.5357142857

series three episode ratings:

smith and jones - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the shakespeare code - ⭐️⭐️💫 gridlock - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ daleks in manhattan - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ evolution of the daleks - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ the lazarus experiment - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 42 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 human nature - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the family of blood - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 blink - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ utopia - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the sound of drums - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ last of the time lords - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 voyage of the damned - ⭐️⭐️💫

series three average rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 3.8214285714

series four episode ratings:

partners in crime - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the fires of pompeii - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ planet of the old - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the sontaran stratagem - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the poison sky - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the doctor's daughter - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the unicorn and the wasp - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 silence in the library - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ forest of the dead - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ midnight - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ turn left - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the stolen earth - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ journey's end - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the next doctor - ⭐️⭐️ planet of the dead - ⭐️⭐️💫 the waters of the mars - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the end of time pt1 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 the end of time pt2 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

series four average rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 3.94444444444

rtd era round up:

series and era averages:

s1 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 4.07142857143* s2 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 | 3.5357142857 s3 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 3.8214285714 s4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 3.94444444444

nine's era - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 4.11538461538* ten's era - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 | 3.77659574468 rtd's era - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 3.85

*s1 and nine's era have different averages bc I include the xmas invasion with series one

#doctor who #nataliechats #basically my twitter thread copied over #just in case that app dies

[mediawhorefics]

thoughts on doctor who!! echoes of previous companions always gets me good, like billie piper as The Moment

oh i have SO much to say about doctor who rip here's an incoherent rant/list of opinions !!

i'm an rtd-era supremacist so i'm DYING with excitement over his return!!! also this 14 news ??? HELLO?????????? SO SO SO EXCITED!!!!

my first doctor was 10 and he has remained my fav through and through. tho ofc i love them all in different ways. (fun fact my beta is the one who introduced me to dw back in the day)

my top three companions are donna (MY GIRL !!!!)/rose/the ponds

yes, i am in love with karen gillan and would like a spare hand in marriage ma'am

my greatest dw heartbreak is the fact that peter capaldi is one of my favourite actors and was probably the greatest ambassador for the show and i absolutely LOATHE the writing for his era.

steven moffat IS my nemesis and i hate what he did with the show. this man should have never been a showrunner. he's good with limits and boundaries and standalone.

full offence, i hate clara with a burning passion, no shade to the actress she's very talented, but everything about that character rubs me the wrong way. from the ~born to save the doctor bullshit to the has no life outside the doctor until moffat randomly decided to half-ass giving her a career to the badly written attempts at her having feelings for 11... truly, i despite this storyline so fucking much. again ship what you like but i don't get doctor/clara AT ALL. it makes me angry just thinking about it now. and she was there for SO long UGH.

my favourite series are s4 & s5 (yes i hate moffat i love s5, its complicated). also s2 because ROMANCE!!!!!

i hate moffat writing women for obvs reasons but i do love river song. highkey as much as i love matt & alex together NOTHING beats 12/river because peter capaldi said i'm playing a whole time lord in LOVE in that one episode they had together and my fucking HEART y'all. i know i have an unhealthy crush on peter capaldi but his face when he looks at her <333 it's almost as good as ten & rose's in love and utterly devoted to each other faces.

doctor/river still don't hold a candle to 10/rose obvs that shit was it. she was IT. rip to 16 yo me watching doomsday for the first time that shit fundamentally changed me as a person. where's that deancas/tenrose comparison post ?? cut me open and that's what you'll see.

i miss rtd era side characters SO much they were SO lived in and memorable and REAL and they made the show. we lost soooo much of doctor who's heart when he left.

its cringe but i ADORE torchwood despite all of its flaws. ianto jones was one of the very first bi-adjacent characters i ever connected with and he is SO dear to me. rip to my boy it's disgusting what rtd & co did to him :((( baby's first bury your gays, i was 17 and i still haven't recovered. thank god for big finish and all the quality torchwood content they produce.

speaking of big finish... if you're a who fan who hasn't tried to expended universe, i cannot recommend the 8th doctor audios enough. he is FANTASTIC and actually one of my favourite doctors. paul mcgann is INCREDIBLE in the role and it's criminal we only have the movie and that tiny one-shot for the 50th anniversary.

@ RTD JUSTICE FOR EIGHT IN THE 60TH SPECIAL

10/donna are the best tardis team end of. that tennant/tate chemistry??? CHEF'S KISS. @ rtd fix her. @ rtd bring her back. i am no longer asking !!!!

christopher eccleston is CRIMINALLY underrated. 9 deserves SO much love. i adore him. thanks @ big finish for bringing him back to me.

matt smith was the best at playing ancient. i still don't know how he did that thing with his eyes where he looked 1000 yo but wow.

cybermen are incredibly boring and i really dislike most of their eps. i'll take 50 dalek stories over cybermen ones idc.

we never should have seen the weeping angels after blink. they've lost more and more of their appeal the more their mythology has been expended on.

i still don't understand the whole silence cult vs silence species thing and at this point, i'm too afraid to ask.

some of us witnessing the andrew garfield renaissance remember frank and his 1930s fruitiness from 2007 is all i'm gonna say.

#about me #doctor who

[noblechaton]

honestly I'd been thinking about the 50th and the retcon within for so long especially more so during this rewatch

on one hand I understand that Moffat (and surely others) probably weren't huge on the idea of the Doctor effectively killing his own planet but it was never framed as if he'd done it out of violence or anger so much as just like. a desperate final act to preserve what was left of the universe. a necessity for the greater good

which is why on the other I think it's a shame they retconned it at least as they did bc it means that conflict that lingered and loomed over the show since the revival started was basically useless. the Time Lords lived, the Daleks lived, and the Doctor who carried so much guilt and darkness Erm Actually didn't really have any of that he just forgot

like I see it both ways - not wanting your favorite hero to have actually committed an atrocity is perfectly understandable, but doing so as they do in the 50th feels really weak and honestly doesn't even really lead anywhere until series 9 and only briefly then, and then never again since Gallifrey just blows up again a few years later

and sure one can say he did some stuff during the war itself but. they never talk about that stuff. there's vague allusions and references that exist for the audience to sorta fill in on their own and he's surely got trauma from things he'd seen but the Time War's biggest impact on him and the show is just. null and void now. cheapens things a bit

don't really know what the alternative could have been beyond leaving it alone tho. maybe the Doctor seals his fate at Trenzalore but changing such a massive event, only for the Time Lords to later pay him back in TOTD with the new regen set? like frame this as him actually altering history with his past selves, rather than being what happened all along? which it kind of sort of is in the 50th for all of like two lines but then feels very much as if it was what was meant to have happened all along

ultimately I think my issue with the retcon is that it's just too....lame? it softens things and while the writing of RTD's first era is strong enough that even knowing what comes in the 50th doesn't really detract or deter it still feels kinda. shameless? going into detail on a moment we didn't truly need to see, just to undo what's arguably the best decision made in the revival, for almost no real payoff. which is kinda the issue with Moffat's run - at least with 11 - as a whole. a lot of built up and intensity for some ultimately meager payoff that doesn't feel very thought out

it also kinda begs the question as to why they made the War Doctor at all since like. 8 would have been perfect in the role War is in within the 50th. really love John Hurt tho so this bothers me infinitely less

#noble (not donna) #ive been thinking about this for so long lmao

[nvzblgrrl]

7 9 10 13 19 transformers AND doctor who

7) what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them? Transformers - Starscream. Like, yes, he can be kind of annoying in canon sometimes but it all levels out with the amount of times he gets shot down for it, but the fandom? It has been years since I've seen Starscream described as 'Scrimscrim' and just thinking that name makes me homicidal. Doctor Who - oh, this is hard, but I'm going to say Rose Tyler. Like, she's fine as a companion - flawed, obviously, but that's the interesting part and I don't blacklist her name because of that. I blacklist her name and block people because they're incapable of letting her exist as a flawed character - she is the most prototypically stereotypically straight girl I have seen on Doctor Who, yet people are trying to sell her as a 'bi queen'? She tried to get the Doctor to let a potato roll dick weasel on the TARDIS based on like, the worst first impression ever because apparently this

is hot enough to overlook utterly rancid vibes. If that ain't straight people magic at work, I don't know what is.

9) worst part of canon Transformers - actually a difficult question, since I tend to cleave close to what I like (Beast Era) and don't wander to far from it, but... I think the Marvel comics run of Transformers comics. Like some of the stuff is just fucking miserable to look at and perceive, stop it. The only good bit is that Spider-Man gets to meet and befriend a Transformer and then ends the story thinking his new bud is dead. Doctor Who - Torchwood. No hesitation. I hate all the characters, especially the Time Agents, because half of the 'jokes' from that corner seem to be rooted in biphobia, to the point where I ran into a line from one of them where 'bestiality' was apparently something omnisexuals could and would line up to, apropos of nothing I personally did.

10) worst part of fanon

Transformers - Scrimscrim. I rest my case. Doctor Who - DoctorRose unpwobwomatic twu wuv. It is inescapable, people won't leave it alone OR tag for it half the time, and I would like to just exist without someone trying to shove Perfect Holy Rose Tyler down my throat. I hate it extra much when it leaches out from 'Canon' DoctorRose to fuck with every other era or other 'competing' female companions get shit on or railroaded into being mindless supporters. Like either Stop It or learn to Tag Your Shit Right.

11) worst blorboficiation Transformers - Tailgate. IDW1 fans have just. Made a guy that's inescapable and annoying even tho his default 'true' self is a character I'm neutral to. Like fuck off with that ukefication, nobody wants that. Doctor Who - the Doctor. Literally, the Doctor is so interesting when you take them - any of them! - as a hot mess who means well but overcorrects from the 'previous' model's flaws to make new ones. Like 9 and 10 are fun because they're joint studies in PTSD - the guy who knows he has it and shares it in Shit Ways but at least does and the guy who shoves it down and denies even as he's hemorraging all over the table and making everyone else suffer because he's too desperate for one (bad) familiarity to stay in his life. And then people go with the 'sainted god Doctor thing' that popped up every so often in the later RTD 1.0 era and it's like 'why. why you like this, this is boring.' Also 8 ends up with a worse version of this where it literally hamstrung his potential in stories from day one because reducing him down to amnesia, romance, and whump was just easier I guess.

12) you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...

Transformers - uh, I guess Transformers Cybertron, mostly of who I was at the time; a kid who didn't follow stories well but liked how some characters looked. My taste with Override at least held up but Beast Wars was infinitely more engaging, both when I was a kid + rewatching as an adult. Doctor Who - a lot of Eighth Doctor stuff, I'll be honest. Like I said, there's a tendency to being reductive and making 8 a passive participant in his own life (which would at least be interesting if it was explored as the Doctor doing that on purpose) and some poor fan behavior regarding the War Doctor just makes it... very difficult to engage with that corner. And yet here I am, liking 8 a lot despite all that.

[codenamesailordarillium]

so guess who ended up rewatching (well skipped around a bit) the dw s3 finale after looking at & reblogging that gifset just to pay proper attention to fetus daddy satan mr ellis and ended up with unexpected missy feels bc of the final confrontation between sandshoes & simmy?

like literally tho .. every note of missy’s eventual redemption had the roots set up here. i don’t particularly like simm!master (only really in the context of his perverse crush on missy bc that’s what it takes). but despite the whole deal with the doctor declaring he’ll take responsibility for him & him petulantly refusing to be locked up & babysat, therefore choosing death .. is exactly what happens anyway with basil & missy. 

10 says maybe it’s time for him to actually stay in one place & be there/care for someone. simm!master throws a wrench in that idea immediately & then the rest of 10′s era & spilling on into 11′s are defined by his running away from things, but then later on, that’s precisely what 12 is able to do (some a lot of which i will attribute to darillium bc this is me okay). 

missy is imprisoned in the vault, forced to finally contend with her myriad, infinite crimes with nothing else to do. it’s not hard to guess that that’s exactly what simm!master was terrified of, yet missy is the one who has to confront themselves within that mental headspace. she’s the one who has to be brave about it and finally face the drums music. and it’s awful & difficult but she actually does it & 12 notes her progress. it’s a good thing, everything about it leading up to her eventual sacrifice. it really strikes a chord with me that moff took that sliver of a story arc suggestion rtd came up with and actually made it plausible & meaningful & important for both the characters & the viewers

that’s what particularly makes it sting big time once we bump into dhawan!master. i’ll admit that whole business is why i’ve once again stagnated in my watching of 13′s era. but i don’t feel like it’s wrong to point out the really really shitty implications taking the master, having them actually reflect on the trauma they’ve both inflicted & endured and then redeem themselves as a woman only to immediately have them revert to their old ways as soon as they’ve been regenerated back into a man. regardless of the intent, it’s a bad look. 

on the one hand you have 13 figuring out her new identity & something of an attempt to be nuanced about the realities of her being seen as a hero/authority figure on her adventures when for the longest time it was just assumed because to all appearances, they were a man. but it’s immediately fumbled when juxtaposed against an implication that redemption, actually attempting to repent for one’s past immensely harmful actions is relegated to the lady version of the master, only to be completely undone once they’re a man again.

the fact of the matter of dw is that even tho modern fandom has very extensive & nuanced headcanons about time lords & their society’s relationship to gender, much of what is presented to wider audiences in the show proper is still going to heavily draw on most ppl’s perceptions & understanding of gender, specifically within the bounds of gender binary. and the concept of the master as they were initially conceived in the 1970s was steeped in concepts of toxic masculinity. the master denigrates the hell outta women up until the point they finally become one.

i have no beef with sacha dhawan himself, he’s literally an actor who was hired to do an iconic role in a popular tv show. that’s his job, that’s a pretty amazing opportunity, he’s doing what he’s supposed to. i take issue with the casting of a man, even if he is an actor of color (bc hey actresses of color exist), but ultimately even if that couldn’t be avoided, i could’ve done with at least keeping consistency with the characterization.

cause dhawan!master’s immediate return to that unflinching earlier characterization is also a return to that toxic masculinity. if he’d have been given a direction as a version of the master who’s post-redemption & trying to figure out how to exist in the new state of mind they’d obtained, it really could’ve been interesting for me. but none of that matters, all that time spent on missy’s redemption might as well have not even happened. the master’s a man again, meaning he’s got to be an unrepentant aggressor who causes meaningless suffering like destroying gallifrey again, because nothing. fucking. matters.

it’s bleak and rather hopeless, because dw is supposed to be about hope. and chibs, whether he wanted to or not, created a narrative where it doesn’t matter if you try to do good & improve yourself, you’re always destined to be despicable & you will never change because evil is simply just In Your Nature(TM). also regretting your past actions & feeling guilt for it are icky silly girl feelings or something.

i don’t begrudge anyone who enjoys dhawan’s performance, it’s clear he’s just having fun with it and i understand why that’s appealing to others. but these are my frustrations that i’m always gonna have with the direction the character arc was taken in and i don’t know that there’s anything that will make it any different. 

#brotp: i'll scratch his eye out #long & rambly but really needed to get this off my chest for a long time #zima watches dw

[worfianism]

Doctor Who Power of the Doctor thoughts before I forget (SPOILERS)

- OMG okay so finally a Doctor who episode this era that I actually really liked. There's others but they've usually been ruined in hindsight. This one wasn't perfect but it was pretty good and it wasn't ruined and the Doctor and the companions finally felt more 3d than they had in previous episodes.

- Dan leaving first 10 mins of the episode was so odd tho

- Daleks, Cybermen AND the master??? This is ambitious

- TEAGAN AND ACE!!! I'm not even a classic whovian, I havent watched the show pre 2005 but I was still like AHHHH OMG THEM!!

- Always good to see Kate again as well

- The Rasputin scene was genuinely so funny. I love Sacha Dawan as the master anyway and this was just the cherry on top

- was the episode rushed??? Yes but I do think the actual implication of character depth was so much better than what we've had for so long that I actually left that episode feeling satisfied but like this would have been perfect for Yaz and the doctor to have a couple of arguments I.e. the doctor rushing and not letting people into her plan and also about the Doctor leaving people behind

- A bit odd that Graham showed up with no explanation but okay

- Omg the doctor AI taking the form of Teagan and Ace's doctors and having a chat and giving them closure was so good. Like when AI!5 called Teagan Braveheart and Ace and AI!6 patched things up between them made me get a bit emotional

- doctors bickering in the consciousness was funny and in character

- I liked seeing Vinder and Jo Martin's Doctor back!

- the forced regeneration plot was so-so but it did the job so I liked it

- I was hoping for a more heroic end I guess instead of the master just blasting the doctor at the end but the regeneration actually pulled on my heartstrings so much. Which is a feat because I never really connected to 13 or the companions (mainly to do with a lack of character depth and conflict and actual interpersonal relationship building) but seeing Yaz in tears but trying to hold it together and the Doctor being angry and upset first but then calming down for yaz and them just spending their last moments together watching Earth eating ice cream was so *chef's kiss*

- The support group scene actually made me so emotional, when Jo Grant popped up on my screen, my eyes were defo pricking, and it just made me think of how much I missed Sarah Jane as well

- the Doctor regenerating into 10. I'm excited to see David again, he was my fav, he will always be my fav, MY Doctor but I hope he doesn't stay for too long. Doctor who NEEDS newness, it's intrinsic to the show, it would not make sense at all to go back to the old just because it was popular. So I hope there's a cracking 60th with David and Catherine (DONNA MY BELOVED!!!) and then new season! New Doctor! RTD back!

#doctor who #doctor who spoilers #v makes a post #v clears out her drafts #v watches x

[daringdarlingdt]

Opinions after finishing the episode:

Couldn’t the doctor have offered to drop him wherever his girlfriend is using the telepathic mainframe thing on the TARDIS? It’s been done before.

Also why did they have to slightly redesign the angels??? Entirely unnecessary imo.

The whole thing with this weeping Angel makes absolutely no sense tho. Why is she stalking Yaz? Why does she want the tardis? They’ve never had much agency or planning before they just wanna show up, send people back in time, and feed on their time vortex energy or whatever. But suddenly she’s taken control of the tardis? Is there an actual plan among the angels? It’s completely outside normal weeping Angel behaviour and changing around the nature of the villains at this point in the series is just accepting defeat (in the case of the weeping angels at least, anyways) and realizing that they’ll never have as much impact as they did at the beginning.

I mean the same is true of the Daleks and the cybermen too in that when there’s obviously a big twist villain coming up you know already that it’ll either be a dalek or a cyberman. But that’s part of their charm. Whereas the weeping angels were genuinely so good and interesting as enigmatic space creatures in Blink and then every time they come back they’re less scary and now they just don’t make sense.

I’m honestly really pissed at this season. I was always really impressed with dr who’s ability to have an episodic structure while leaving hints of an overarching plot to be picked up in the last few episodes as well as character arcs which span entire seasons but now they’re focusing so hard on this serial plot that the characters are getting no development—except for the doctor’s rush-job identity crisis—and the plot itself isn’t even that good. Maybe I’m being overly critical but I genuinely thought, aside from the occasional cheesiness and stupidity that the first… let’s say 6? seasons of Doctor who were genuinely good. and then it kind of went downhill from there, but this season is completely different from the rest of the series (mostly on purpose; it’s a lil miniseries it knows it’s changing the format) and it completely loses the spirit of the show.

What made it so endearing at the beginning and even throughout the later seasons was the earnest love of life and silly little sci fi plots that the original show-runners obviously had. It was a case study of human nature from the outside perspective of a traumatized but hopeful alien who just goes around saving the world and giving speeches about how impressive and thoughtful and worthwhile the human race is for doing their mundane little life things while caring so much about each other and trying so hard to be more and expand and explore and learn. And the best part were the enchanting and aspirational friendships formed between the Doctor and their companion—their one companion—complete with banter and laughter and heart-to-hearts and support and growth and so so much love. The whole show, especially in the RTD era, was just so obviously a labour of love that you were more than happy to experience the campy costumes and special effects and over-zealous musical scores and the ridiculous plot lines because there was good witty dialogue and fantastic on-screen chemistry and it didn’t take itself too seriously so you felt like the creators and actors were in on the joke that the fantastic composing of the background music was often a bit over-the-top and that a flat piece of skin with a face going “moisturize me, moisturize me” and ordering Britney Spears’ Toxic be played as the earth explodes being the twist villain in the second episode is ridiculous. But don’t get me wrong there are some genuinely just really really good moments and entire episodes. Like Blink. Or Human Nature/Family of Blood (again: case study in human nature. Whole show until about 12). Or Midnight. Or the “are you my mummy?” one, which first introduced Captain Jack Harkness. Everything with River Song ever. The concept for Sleep No More was smart although the sandmen villains were underwhelming. But Hell Bent and Heaven Sent were excellent. I can’t think of any extraordinary Matt Smith episodes right now but I miss eleven as the doctor because he was so fun.

And this season (honestly all of thirteen’s seasons, in my opinion) have lacked... all of that? The doctor is still an interesting character and she's got some of that eccentricity, social awkwardness and general enthusiasm that are the hallmarks of the doctor character. But I think she isn't really as distinctive as the other incarnations, isn't as endearing and likeable a character, and she's honestly just not as central to the plot somehow? I love Jodie Whittaker as an actress and I think she's trying her hardest with this, and I don't think there's anything wrong with the doctor being a woman in theory I just think that possibly, Chris Chibnall doesn't know how to write women being... weird? I don't even want to say that he can't write women because he was also writer and showrunner on Broadchurch and I think that the women on that show (although now that I think about i there really are only two women main characters: Ellie and Beth) are written really well. But that's a drama and they're normal women exhibiting trauma responses as any human being would. The doctor is an entirely different kind of character. A friend of mine also suggested that maybe Chris Chibnall just can't write sci fi. Maybe it's a combination of the two. The doctor isn't alien enough and the show takes itself entirely too seriously, while focusing on the stakes and the drama while repeating a bunch of techno/space/time babble over and over again.

I also just never got particularly attached to any of the companions. I think Yaz is a great character and she's cool and well-written. But I never really cared for Graham (why did there *need* to be a cishet white man in the tardis??) or Ryan for that matter. With so many of them there isn't enough time to get to know each character and the doctor's relationship with them is also rushed and so it feels a bit forced and so when Ryan and Graham left it was just kinda like "yeah okay, maybe now the doctor and yaz's relationship can be developed a bit further beyond yaz being obsessed with the doctor" but instead it's plot-focused and there's yet another cishet oldish white guy!!!!! I don't have anything against Dan I'm just confused about why there suddenly has to be more than one companion.

Actually, yes let's go on this tangent shall we? The only reason more than one companion worked in the early seasons was because there was always one main, real companion, and then some that didn't have as close a bond with the doctor or weren't always present. In season 1 and two you had Rose as the obvious main subject of the doctor's affections, but rotating around Rose and the doctor were Captain Jack (only showed up in season 1, ep 9 and dies (temporarily) at the end of the season), Mickey (only in the tardis for some of season 2) and Jackie (only in the tardis once? at the end of season 2? I think?). In season 3 it's really just Martha, although Jack comes back once. Same with season 4 with Donna (my beloved) Then in season 5 when Matt Smith becomes the doctor you have The Ponds. But first you just have Amy. She is obviously the one with the bond with the doctor and Rory is also there. There's also River Song in these seasons but she comes and goes throughout so despite her very important relationship with the doctor she's still not exactly a companion in the same way (plus she's not human). Then there's just Clara for three seasons. Then there's Bill and Nardole and Missy a little bit but Bill is once again the obvious main companion so it works. Nardole also isn't human and is just around to help out and comic relief, not strong emotional bonds. Missy also isn't a consistent member of the gang and also isn't human so she also doesn't really count. But then when Jodie becomes the doctor she immediately has three companions: yaz, graham and ryan. Yaz is obviously supposed to sort of be the main companion, but the other two are equally important and are given nearly the same emotional weight until they leave at the end of season 12. It just doesn't work the same way, honestly.

There end up being a lot of switching between plots because the companions are split up doing different things and then they need to debrief when they meet up again so the same information that didn't really make sense the first time is repeated multiple times. It does allow for slightly more complex plots, but the writers usually used the number of companions by assigning each one a person or alien where- or whenever they end up to comfort and relate to in their moment of crisis.

This has ended up being waay more of a rant than I anticipated but I think I'm almost done now. The last point I wanted to make, probably my weakest one honestly (that is bad argumentative writing but it's 3:30am and this is a tumblr rant so what can you do) is that these seasons also did a lot less travelling to other planets than previous seasons. It was mostly time travel on earth. And they used it as a way to really push women of colour historical figures, among others, to the fore which is admirable and worthwhile, but it also took away from the 'space' part of Time And Relative Dimension In Space. They regularly didn't even travel in time!!! It wasn't particularly interesting and the companions just suddenly knew how to live the high-action alien-fighting life with no evidence of them learning that. The fact that every season this regeneration was leading up to this one and had overarching plot lines of their own with the master and the cyberium and the introduction of Ruth and the story of the timeless child early on and then the Master returning (most of this was season 12 but I recall there being hints in season 11) didn't help either.

Lastly, just to sum up what I've been saying during the live-blogs of watching these past three episodes: this season has been... interesting so far. They're introducing new characters, throwing us into the plot with very little explanation and expecting us to remember the set up from the end of the previous season, while keeping their main character— and, by extension, us—confused and in the dark, so we have very little understanding of what's actually happening (although this episode enlightened us a lot more, so that was good) and it's all very chaotic. Plus I can't get over that they obviously spent all their budget on animating the flux and then the makeup to make Swarm and his friend look like sugar skulls, leaving the little particles that are killing people to look like a 2005 animation, and that one character literally just has a dog head. That's the most RTD-era-esque use of budget ever but it's so much worse, and I think it's so funny and so stupid. But honestly what is this plot right now? "The Flux" some mysterious force is just ripping through the universe destroying everything, while the evil shiny people are trying to unravel and "unleash" time itself which is apparently a living thing, by destroying "the temple of adipose" and the creatures(???) keeping time confined (???) called the mowry(???). (obviously I have no idea what's going on with that part of the story). AND the doctor is grappling with the fact that before her last 12 regenerations she was someone completely different— a child of myth, the first of her entire species, apparently, The Timeless Child. SO at some point in her past she was Ruth and worked for this interstellar/time travel organization (this is starting to sound like tua) but she didn't want to work for them and they were the one who wiped her memory? PLUS Dan has a little romance going on, Yaz is still trying to get closer to the doctor, while being stalked by a weeping angel, and this guy they picked up (whose name I still can't remember) is now looking for the mother of his unborn child who's travelling through the universe and trying not to be killed by the Sontarans, Daleks and Cybermen.

Does that not just seem like too much to you?

#I am so sorry I really did not mean for it to be anywhere near this long #like i actually should have gone to bed hours ago but I just couldn't stop writing this #I thought I'd stop after the rant about what made the older seasons so good and just spilling over with love for them #and i probably should have stopped there because I think I got bitter after that and the writing got even worse I didn't mean to go back #into hating on thirteen it just happened and I wanted to get out all of my thoughts #I am actually pretty proud though of my analysis so I hope you read through all of it or at least halfway through and that you liked it #feel free to disagree or agree or just start a conversation in a reblog or comment or make your own post and tag me cuz this one is LONG #doctor who #doctor who: flux #thirteenth doctor #ninth doctor #tenth doctor #eleventh doctor #twelfth doctor #rose tyler #captain jack harkness #martha jones #donna noble #amy pond #river song #clara oswald #bill potts #yazmin khan #dw #nia watches dr who #long post #jodie whittaker #chris chibnall #matt smith #peter capaldi

[isagrimorie]

Spyfall 2

Commentators: Jodie Whittaker, Sylvie Briggs (Ada Lovelace), Chris Chibnall

Much like the Doctor doesn't like being alone, Jodie also isn't keen on doing scenes alone.

Chibnall actually did consult with his brother in law, who is very knowledgeable in aviation, about landing planes without a cockpit. And it is possible to do so remotely, people will be surprised how a lot of modern planes are actually flown by a computer. I'm not surprised, my dad's a pilot and he told me a lot of modern aircraft are actually flown more by the computers than the pilots. It's a two edged sword tho because then the pilot becomes too over reliant on the autopilot, and that's when accidents happen.

The scene with Ada and Thirteen meeting in the Kasaavin dimension was actually Sylvie's (Ada Lovelace) final day. Her first day was waking up in 'Paris' with Thirteen.

Interesting comment about how the Doctor's rhythm and speech changed dictated by the period of time she's in. It's modern but enough to sound period.

The hall the Doctor and Ada are in is a school, the dining hall.

The Master and his Top Hat! Jodie and Sylvie are both admiring how Sacha commanded the room and how genuinely terrifying he was. 'He (Sacha) rehearses in a way physically you kinda know what he's gonna do but emotionally its different.'

Jodie: "We're the same height, well you can see it 'cause we are but what is really ace is bein' able to eyeball somebody, because very often when you have a standoff with someone there's usually one's looking up, one's looking down or whatever but to be absolutely--"

Sylvie: "Because that changes the power dynamic."

Jodie: "Yeah."

Chibnall: "I never clocked that."

[snip]

Chibnall: "But I wonder if that's what makes it feels so much like your Master, your antagonist, your nemesis. It's like... that's interesting about the eyeline."

Jodie: "Cause in the scene obviously with Lenny outside like this (does something we can't see) and I like doing that thing of scrunching up and kind of, y'know, I suppose the.. doing that thing that kids do headstrong where the body leans forward. But with this two its (growls)."

Chibnall was uncertain about writing the kneel scene, Jodie agrees and didn't like it, Sylvie mentions that it feels epic to her. Chibnall:"There's something about your perfromances that makes it feel epic. But it's just that two-hander."

In the kneel scene, when they were filming, to keep the secret of the Master's identity, Jodie called Sacha 'Myka' instead of Master.

Jodie: "I like my bowtie." Chibnall: "Are you angling for the return of the bowtie?"

Jodie: "Every set, I try to knick something." LOL.

I love how Jodie compliments Sylvie, and I agree she fits the era very well. And an instance where costume (corset especially), and the hair all tied back helps get into character.

Ada really had episodes of paralysis, and one of the jumping off points for Chibnall's story.

Sylvie and Jodie comment on how lovely it was to have scenes with three women and not about 'Hey three women! Let's talk about being women! It's (their gender) is absolutely irrelevant to it but it is really lovely to have just three women. The kind of craziness Doctor Who brings with Ada in period clothes, the Doctor in a tux, and Noor in her period appropriate clothes.

They go on to discuss the Master's SS uniform and how it makes them (Sacha included) shudder because of what the uniform represented. And it's more of a reflection of the Master because he just treats wearing the SS uniform as a dress up without accounting for the implications and history of it. An alien tourist playing dress-up. [ED: I think the optics of this is still problematic I think it's something we need to acknowledge..]

There really was a point where Jodie and Sylvie were under the floor boards with people walking above them, and they held each other's hands because that experience was awful. On page it was very cool, but in execution. (Ed: I love that scene the whole way where there's a tense standoff between Noor and the soldiers, and the Master. And the steeliness of Noor just staring them down even with the soldier strafing the floor.) Chibnall wants several films with Noor Inayat Khan.

OMG. There was a point in the shoot where the Doctor was supposed to speak in perfect French, and Jodie joked that she already didn't speak English very well, and so she practiced speaking her line just to get the accent perfect... only for it to be cut for time. I WANT DELETED SCENES NOW.

Scanning through the Spyfall 2 script there's no mention of the scene where the Doctor speaks in French which really just confirms my suspicion that the scripts are not the shooting scripts, or at least the copies the actors use.

So, Chibnall gave the production several possible locations hoping to bring the budget to manageable scale and then he started writing and he got to the scene where the Doctor and Master spoke and the Master asked where they'd meet and then the Doctor answered; "Where d'you think?"

And Chibnall goes: "Oh they've got to meet in the Eiffel Tower. Production is going to kill me!"

Also, by this it confirms to me that Chibnall, like all of the showrunners is a Doctor/Master shipper, which I should've known already because Jack and Captain John were very much Doctor/Master lite.

Jodie loves doing duologues and is hoping for more two handers in the future, and Chibnall is taking note of that. Two handers where the other person has more of the dialogue... LOL. I guess Jodie really loved The Timeless Children.

[ED: Ada and Noor were such good companions. I want a historical companion for Thirteen next please. Thirteen, Yaz, and a historical Companion!]

Sylvie is so fascinated with the Doctor and Master's relationship, about how complicated it is.

One of the advises RTD gave Chibnall is that 'you can save anything in a line.' LOL. Apparently some of the Master's trauma across 77 years involved tailoring.

Jodie comments on how exciting it is being involved in the costuming, between herself and Sacha, they get to build their Doctors and Master's look and shape them. Also Jodie really loves cropped pants.

Jodie and Sylvie love the power walk, the big iconic, backlit smoke walk. The Big Exposition speech.

The scene where the Master arrives in Kasaavin dimension, same day filming for Jodie, and Sylvie too.

Jodie loves all the engineering and carpentry work, and any practical work.

They did do a shoot where they moved forward to a scene where Noor died, but in the edit found a better ending in the one that was broadcasted, and IMO, that was the right choice. Chibnall wants it more that Doctor Who will inspire people to read up more on Noor Inayat Khan and same Ada.

Chibnall didn't want to rob Ada of her agency, that the Doctor helped her discover computers or suggest that she didn't come up with it, everything Ada did she came up with herself.

The scene where Thirteen is alone and contemplating what happened to Gallifrey, Jodie comments how this was one of the few times where she's just very still.

Chibnall: "This is second series Thirteen, the place you take a character once you've done the first act, done in the beginning of your Doctor's second act."

Jodie and Sacha made sure that they're there in person for the scene in the TARDIS because having a stand-in would change the energy and performance of the scene.

Chibnall: "That performance from Sacha, the layer he brings to the Master there, of emotional truth and pain is so fantastic. It's a gift for a writer, and opens up the Master as well. And opens up your Doctor, I think, the trauma's so personal."

Hang on. Chibnall: "Is that the first appearance of the jumper? [ snip] They've come in this second series, its the first jumper. Little tiny changes you and Ray figure out." Are they implying there were more Doctor wearing only her long sleeve jumper we didn't get to see???

Chibnall: "And you got your Doctor theme but also it's the first time you [speaking to Jodie], it's interesting, I deliberately kept them back in the first series so that when you say them here, it's like you're saying 'Gallifrey', 'Kasterborous', 'Master for the first time."

Jodie: But its good that it ends with a: [using the same steely, angry voice]: 'Questions?' Like: 'Back to business, c'mon.'

Chibnall: (watching Thirteen's face subtly change when Yaz asked if they can visit, and it changes from a broken void to a forced smile). "Ohhhh. Why won't you tell them?" (LOL a writer asking his character.)

#doctor who #liveblogging commentary #dw series 12 #thirteenth doctor #the master #ada lovelace #jodie whittaker #chris chibnall #dhawan!master #best enemies

[vrc7]

Spyfall part 2 thoughts

SPOILERS!! also this ended up a lot longer than I expected.

so much of this episode were callbacks to past doctor who!! basically fanservice but I was an absolute sucker for it

the first scene on the plane was so good, from that alone I could already tell this episode would be amazing. The way it transitioned from 13 in the strange dimension to the plane scene, and how 13 talking to herself worked with the action...

the doctor saving them from crashing was the main reason why I knew it would be good bc I knew it would eventually explain how she saved them and I love when stuff like that happens

the blink reference had me screaming, I know it’s basic but that was so cool

I was very glad we got to see 13 in a suit for another entire episode. gay rights

the “chase through time” was so cool, it was amazing and worked perfectly in the story, and I feel like if they elaborated on that it would make a stunning story

l loved Eda so much. The fact that the doctor didn’t kiss her at the end is homophobic

The WWII scene at the beginning rly reminded me of the empty child/the doctor Dances and I was hoping they’d make a reference

I was sad she had to erase their memories but I understand why

I also loved the contrast between the historical scenes and the fam in modern day

A lot of the things 13 did this episode reminded me a lot of 11. like talking to herself in the weird dimension and the apparating man scene

also when she addressed the light beings after coming to save the day she said “listen you lot” which reminded me of the pandorica speech and then she said something like “this planet is protected” which reminded of 11’s speech at the end of the eleventh hour

I also loved seeing her in a more serious mood

When the doc stole the masters tardis that was so good, especially when he was like “that was the worst 77 years of my life”

It’s so satisfying to see the master get outsmarted when he thinks he’s in control

the light beings across time is not what I expected, I wanted it to be parallel earths bc of part one and when the master said everything you know is a lie I thought it was about the nature of reality being a lie but I guess not. that would’ve been cool though

The fam were great

I love graham even more now if that’s possible, in part one I was hoping they’d use the laser shoes that was so good!! “dance graham dance!!” iconic.

I liked seeing those 3 interact without the doc around. It probably happened in s11 i don’t remember anything, but it was cool seeing them talk without her

The tech plot was especially scary bc like. That’s something that could feasibly happen right now except without the aliens

The idea of humans as a hard drive is interesting and very creepy, especially the vor guy using his own mom??

also the vor guy reminds me of an rtd era villain for some reason plus the evil tech concept reminded the of the WiFi episode from series 7

ok so one of the main reason I love the master is their Drama and this guy. did not disappoint

his enterance into the room in 1834 and. the fucking tissue compression eliminator (shrink ray)!!!!!! that made me so happy in part one I’m so glad they brought it back. anyway. exquisite

like many have said he really reminds me of simm

he’s so emotional, like his sadness, his anguish, his anger and rage, he’s like batshit crazy and I love it. Sacha Dhawan Has The Range.

he’s also good at dramatically screaming which is a huge plus. the “DOCTAHHH!!!!” at the end.

Every time the master and doctor interacted in this ep it was like. wow I am thoschei trash, like those two know each other so well!! best enemies 4ever y’all

also all of those scenes reminded be how fucking bi i am like holy shit those two are unstoppable

The frigging contact scene. pure artistry. have they done that since classic who? I thought ten and simm might have but I don’t remember

anyway “old school, you’re not the only one who can do classic”, loved that line (referring to the tissue compression eliminator I assume)

also THE DRUMS!! that scene was amazing, I especially loved how the music synced up with the beeping and the beeps became the beat, and how the drums doubled the beeping... pure fucking artistry

When the doctor shows up to save the day the look on the masters face is priceless

Also “Oh.” “That’s your name don’t wear it out!” that was one of the best moments in the ep holy shit!!!

I think the master is genuinely sad and angry at both himself for bombing gallifrey and the time lords for their supposed lies. I’m excited to find out

I’m asssuming he burned all of gallifrey and not just the capital bc they only showed the capital, too bad though I hoped we’d see some of the doc talking to gallifreyans again

And of course I like that the fam is finally getting to know her past, what she said at the end was very reminiscent of the many “I am the doctor” speeches.

still don’t know wtf a “timeless child” is tho

#doctor who #im making another post about the missy issue #the master #jodie whittaker #dhawan!master #thoschei #dw #13th doctor #spyfall #that ep blew my mind

[botheredbuck]

As I’m so excited that you’re a Doctor Who fan like myself (although I’m more a fan and whovian of the RTD era)....your top 5 Doctor Who characters!!!😍🙊

ahh thats actually a good question i dont talk about doctor who all that often haha! i haven’t been so into it in recent series for various reasons, but i definitely get that feeling of nostaliga whenever i watch old episodes. anyways! top five favs-

1. The eleventh doctor (Matt Smith is adorable, and he became the doctor just as i started watching it so he will always hold a special place in my heart)

2. Amy pond (my all time fav companion!! not entirely sure why i loved her with such a passion but i do adore her)

3. River Song (just such a badass with great hair tbh)

4. Rory Williams (adorable and nerdy and i luv him)

5. (not techically a character but) the daleks were always my favourite villains bc theyre just such an all time classic!!

this was actually so fun tho, ive not watched it in a while and im very tempted to go and rewatch some old matt smith episodes now haha!! x

#doctor who #ask games #answered asks