The new Doctor Who v.5 (spoilers in abundance also for season 7)

[RikuStark]

So I found myself a little surprised that I ended up liking this episode more than the 2nd one.

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I pretty much agree with everything ignisia has said, but I do see The Doctor's darkside coming out to be more plausible. I think Amy had a point in saying that he's been alone too long (this is the Amy I like seeing), I don't think it'll be a passing thing because I can see the Pond's departure opening up a larger, darker, side to the Doctor (because their departure probably won't be pleasant).

I think my only problem with this episode is, like the last one, that it could have been a two parter. I feel like they cram a lot into one episode, despite that, this is tied with the first episode in being my favorite of the series.

THE LIGHTS. That is all.

We're running out of Pond episodes. Then we'll have to wait until Christmas for a new episode...

[GodricHollow]

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Regarding the teleport, it looked like a short range deal - i doubt he could make it from the border to the jail in one jump, and if he's seen over the boundary line, then the residents would open fire, he'd fire back in self defence, and we're back to innocents getting hurt.

I myself only have one major quibble - what in Hades was that rubbish voiceover at the end for?! We saw the girl for all of 2 shots! Would've been fine without that garbage.

[Lord Godric]

I enjoyed this episode more than last week's as well.

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I actually do find this new rage of the Doctor's believable and a few calming words from a companion usually is what brings him back (The Runaway Bride episode comes to mind) but I do not believe his rage is entirely gone. These days he seems to be companion-free more often than he is with a companion and it will have its toll.

It makes me sad how sad the Doctor is everytime the Ponds mention they want to go home for a little while. And the preview for next week where Rory says they have to choose looks to make things even more sad.

As others have said the cyborg villain this week was much better than the obviously evil villain from last week and the moral questions raised were very strong and on target with the Doctor's own moral confusion.

As for the voice over, I liked it and think it was mainly done to make us think the woman was talking about the Doctor and not the cyborg. So it was a nice little play on expectations.

ETA: Ten Teasers for next week's 'The Power of Three'

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» Familiar RTD tropes are employed.
» The Silence make an appearance.
» Flickr, YouTube and Twitter get mentioned.
» Nintendo, Apple and Ugg boots will be pleased.
» For this wondering if Christmas would be mentioned four episodes in a row, you won't be disappointed.
» The cast of a television show referenced in Series 6 Part 2 appear.
» A classic monster is mentioned (and technically seen).
» A talent the Doctor showed off in The Lodger makes a return.
» Things can only get better.
» Adric. Poor Adric.


http://www.cultbox.co.uk/spoilers/te...of-three-hints

ETA2:

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As mentioned above the lights were hard to miss in this episode, and looking back in the first two they are obviously flickering around Rory and Amy. Most likely a small little prelude to the Angels. Also, as mentioned in the ten teasers Christmas has been mentioned in all three episode so far and apparently will be next week too. Just getting us excited for the Christmas special and the new companion?

[Wimsey]

Well, I thought that was the weakest episode in a while. The plot-line seemed a bit herky-jerk, and although I appreciated the story that they were trying to tell, well, it just was not well-executed.

I was wondering if we'd meet another Oswald or something, but unless I missed her/him, it seems that we didn't.

Next week's story looks like it might get back to some arcs. Let's hope so!

[Kevin]

The first 5 episodes story arc is all about the Pond's exit and setting up Jenna's character's return in the christmas special.

More teasers -

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Zygons
"A myth to keep the young of Gallifrey in their place."
The Silence make an appearance
UNIT HQ = Tower of London probably.

Jemma Redgrave possible big spoiler about her character -

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The character is probably the Daughter of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. If true it'll be a nice touch.

[Wimsey]

Originally Posted by Kevin

The first 5 episodes story arc is all about the Pond's exit and setting up Jenna's character's return in the christmas special.

I don't think we'll be seeing that exact character again.

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The new companion is named Clara, not Oswin!

Think Anne and Dodo Chaplet....

And if there is a relationship to that older character, then I'm betting that it will be granddaughter, not daughter!

But as for the Ponds leaving, yes, that will be happening: but to call it an arc is to greatly exaggerate how prominent it has been in the narratives so far. Next week promises to be a bit different, obviously: the commercials make it pretty plain that it's an actual issue for the characters, not just the show.

[SusanBones]

This isn't the first time the Doctor had to make the decision whether or not he was going to send an alien back to their home world knowing that death or some other unpleasant punishment awaited them. He was planning to send the Slitheen back to her home planet in Boomtown. She kept trying to play on his sympathies to get him to relent. Finally, the Tardis reduced her to an egg so she could start her life over.

[Lord Godric]

Found this on Hypable from the writer of next week's episode.

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It’s Doctor Who from Amy and Rory’s point of view. We’re in the last days of the Ponds as everybody keeps saying, and it was really a chance to see where they’ve got to in their lives since “The Eleventh Hour”, and to see what it’s like to be them. And I think what’s interesting is that the companion/Doctor relationship in this series is very different to any we’ve seen before because really, they’re part-time travellers.

They’re living at home, and the Doctor pops in and goes, ‘Shall we go somewhere?’, and they’re off. That’s very new, because they’re not permanently with him, and I wanted to see what that would mean.

http://www.hypable.com/2012/09/17/do...uff-for-later/

Personally, I think that sounds great, because the dynamic the Doctor has with Amy and Rory is so different from other companions.

Regarding Jemma Redgrave

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Hypable posted a side-by-side image and it certainly looks convincing. I remember Matt Smith saying UNIT's return was "one for the fans."

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Wimsey

I don't think we'll be seeing that exact character again.

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The new companion is named Clara, not Oswin!

Think Anne and Dodo Chaplet....

Perhaps not or we might see

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Clara dead, Nanogene Oswin takes over, fixes things etc

Moffat has something up his sleeve for Clara/Oswin.

But as for the Ponds leaving, yes, that will be happening: but to call it an arc is to greatly exaggerate how prominent it has been in the narratives so far. Next week promises to be a bit different, obviously: the commercials make it pretty plain that it's an actual issue for the characters, not just the show.

Flickering lights ?

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Might be a sign that the Weeping Angels are close by or the Doctor is slowly turning into a Dalek (don't believe that bit of speculation)

It's a small story arc in the first 5 episodes, the Ponds deciding to leave the Doctor behind and lead a normal life

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Though the choice will most likely be taken out of their hands by the Weeping Angels.

All the Christmas hints ? Probably leading to how Jenna's character pops into the Doctor's life.

Oh and there might be a small teaser of the Christmas special at the end of episode 5.

[Wimsey]

Now, this would be frickin' cool! It seems like Mr. Smith intends to stick around for at least one more year after this. I had been thinking that perhaps he'd phase out on the 50th anniversary show.

Originally Posted by Kevin

Perhaps not or we might see

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Clara dead, Nanogene Oswin takes over, fixes things etc

Maybe, but I'm not sure I see any "why" or "how" to it! I mean, the nanos should do something else....

Originally Posted by Kevin

Moffat has something up his sleeve for Clara/Oswin.

I was hoping so, but I'm becoming less certain. I was expecting something like Bad Wolf or Saxon: i.e., something that kept appearing in different episodes leading to the climax. In particular, I suspected that it would be something involving an infamous individual who shares their surnames and who made his mark at the same time that Doctor Who debuted!

Now, I'm not too sure. Instead, I'm thinking that it might just turn out to be a cosmic coincidence that they never really address.

[ginger1]

Well, tonight's episode was marginally better, but it jumped around from being good to just awful. This series just hasn't grabbed me like the last one. Is it just me, or are they trying to be too clever?

[SusanBones]

I really liked tonight's episode. I can't believe that next week is the fall season finale. I am so scared about what might happen to Rory and Amy.

[RikuStark]

Originally Posted by SusanBones

I really liked tonight's episode. I can't believe that next week is the fall season finale. I am so scared about what might happen to Rory and Amy.

I know. I really don't want anything bad to happen to them, but it almost seems like something bad has to happen to them for them to just stop traveling with the Doctor.

Great new episode.

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The ending with Rory's dad telling them to go with the Doctor....I almost wish they didn't go, so we can leave it with a happy ending.

I am excited to see River again!

[ccollinsmith]

Originally Posted by SusanBones

I really liked tonight's episode. I can't believe that next week is the fall season finale. I am so scared about what might happen to Rory and Amy.

Me too. But I'm figuring that the "foreshadowing" in tonight's episode is probably misdirection.

Would fans really forgive an Adric-like ending for the Ponds? Would Moffat really be so cheesy as to give them a horrific end after having Brian explicitly express his fears of that sort of outcome?

I am a bit bummed that their send-off involves the weeping angels (super-duper predictable. yawn). And (I know I'm alone in this, but...) I find weeping angels about as frightening as I find cottage cheese. They put me to sleep.

But it will be great to see River.

ETA:

One thing I really loved about tonight's episode...

UNIT and the daughter of the Brigadier. No way Moffat introduces a Lethbridge-Stewart without making her recurring. So... more of UNIT soon, I imagine.

[ignisia]

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I thought the concept behind this week's ep was kind of cool. I think people generally do enjoy puzzles and mysteries, so it was interesting that the cubes used that tendency to their advantage.

Wasn't quite sure what was going on with this week's villain. Am I supposed to know about the Shakri? (sp?) And the hologram's voice was kind of hard to understand, but that may be because my dialect is entirely different. Plus, I'm wondering why they consider humanity a plague...I figure they're time traveling, since they're so sure humanity will colonize space, so will humans do something unpleasant to them in the future? Why consider them a plague unless they were the cause of something bad in the future? Do they do this to everyone who tries to colonize other planets?
Of course, he might have answered some of this in one of the lines I was straining to understand over the weird effects layered over his voice.

As for the preview for next week's ep...

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OMG RIVER *squee*

[sjcuk13]

I have been a Dr. Who fan since it came back onto our screen but I cannot for the life of me remember a

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Brigader Lethbridge-Stewert

.
Can some one please point me in the correct direction for this?

As for this episode:

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It seamed to drag and unless something major was hidden in the episode (so deeply no one has seen it) I dont think I will be rewatching it. it was slow there seamed to be no point in the cubes waiting so long to "attack" there was no real answer given before the Dr. managed to bring every one back again.

[GodricHollow]

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The Brig was a Classic Who character, pretty much doing what his daughter does. He was also in a SJA story (series 1 finale I think, or the 2nd). I believe I sum him up with one of his lines: "Jenkins, that Cyberman there, five rounds rapid!"

Regarding the lights theroy I brought up - the Shakri drained the power for their heart attack (sorry, awful pun). Doesn't really explain the Western ep, or at least the bulk of it in the 1800s, but what if the dodgy lights were actually power fluctuations from them testing the water a tad? I don't know about you, but if I were going to pull the plug on a planet, I'd make sure I had the right adaptor to do it first!

Shakri are definitely something to do with the Question though. There's just too many leftovers for me (and besides, we all know that Mofatt loves his nightmares). Plus, as was pointed out several times in the episode, you want to kill a person, attack the heart. Who, or specifically what species, does the Doctor hold most dear? Exactly.

Also, just thought - did anyone else think the Shakri looked like the Sycorax?

[kittling]

Originally Posted by sjcuk13

I have been a Dr. Who fan since it came back onto our screen but I cannot for the life of me remember a

Spoiler: show

Brigader Lethbridge-Stewert

.
Can some one please point me in the correct direction for this?

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As Godric says he's a Character from the classic Dr Who but he was also mentioned in a relitivly recent episode of the current Dr Who. In The Wedding of Riversong the Dr calls him up to go out for a drink and is told that he passed away but had spoken often about the Dr & I think he also kept a glass of brandy waiting for him just in case but that might be my imagination. He was a well loved major character in the old days if you look on wikipeadia you'll get a quick primer on him - oh yes isn't he is also one of the founders of UNIT . I have to say glad to see his daughter, You can't have UNIT without the Brigadier!

I have to say I love the little referances to the classic series that crop up, generally I think they're well done, enough to make oldies squee but not (normally) leaving those new to Dr Who feeling like they missed somethng important.

As for this series I feel a little hohum about it - its not terrible but its not gripping me either but I have to agree with Iggi

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Riversong's coming back!! squee

[ccollinsmith]

Originally Posted by sjcuk13

I have been a Dr. Who fan since it came back onto our screen but I cannot for the life of me remember a

Spoiler: show

Brigader Lethbridge-Stewert

.
Can some one please point me in the correct direction for this?

As GodricHollow points out...

Classic Who character.

More specifically, he's a major character during the run of the 3rd Doctor, when the Time Lords took the "keys" to the TARDIS and grounded the Doctor on Earth. During that period, the Doctor worked with UNIT.

I find the 3rd Doctor episodes I've seen quite fun. The first episodes of the Master occur during the 3rd Doctor's run.

(There is a character called the Master in a 2nd Doctor episode, but he's not a renegade Time Lord, so different character).

BTW, the Brigadier was mentioned in last year's finale. The Doctor tries to phone him and learns that he has died.

[Wimsey]

Originally Posted by sjcuk13

I have been a Dr. Who fan since it came back onto our screen but I cannot for the life of me remember Brigader Lethbridge-Stewert

OK, the Brigadier is NOT for a "spoiler" section. Instead, he's in the "history of the show that we are assuming that you remember." Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (a.k.a., The Brigadier or just The Brig) is in nearly every Pertwee (Doctor #3) story, a couple of Troughton's (Doctor #2) stories and a couple of Baker's (Doctor #4) stories. He had one story with Davison (Doctor #5) and McCoy (Doctor #7), and he met Hartnell's Doctor (#1) in the Three Doctors. Unfortunately, Nicholas Courtney (who played the Brig) died before they brought him back for this series, although he did return for one of the Sarah Jane adventures. (Unfortunately Tennant was unavailabe: the original script had the Doctor in it, too.) For fans of, say, J.K. Rowling's age, the Brigadier and UNIT were as integral to the show as was the Master.

The Brigadier has been mentioned by Doctor's 9-11: he's usually stuck in Peru, where he's retired. However, it was the Brigadier who the Doctor was trying to call in "The River of Wedding Song" only to learn that his old friend was dead: this was a deliberate tribute to the character and the actor who died in early 2011. (My wife never watched the old series and she didn't get why that scene was supposed to be poignant; I, on the other hand, was almost snuffling!)


Here is the brief history of the Brigadier: again, it's assumed that you know this stuff.(Alternatively, you could spend 3 weeks watching all of the old Doctors on Netflix!)

1. Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart was an intelligent capable young officer in the British army who encountered the 2nd Doctor during an attempted invasion of earth using robot Yeti;
2. He recognized that alien invasions would be a problem, so he helped found UNIT (which has appeared off and on in the new series); UNIT was first debuted in the Invasion of the Cybermen with the 2nd Doctor;
3. After the Time Lords captured the Doctor and exiled him to Earth without memory of how to operate the TARDIS (and also causing him to regenerate to Doctor #3), the Brig found him and got him to work for UNIT; as the Master also was trapped on Earth at this time, this proved fortuitous.
4. The Brigadier accompanied the Doctor on the TARDIS to defeat Omega (with the help of Doctor's #1 and #2) in The Three Doctor's, which is how the Doctor was given his memory back and his freedom: UNIT (and the Brig) stopped being every-day characters then, but were in most of them. Sadly, the Brig's character sort of degenerated over this time period to be more of a "by the book" military guy, although sometimes this was corrected.
5. After Pertwee left for Baker, UNIT and the Brigadier got phased out: they found that people enjoyed the space stories, the Master no longer was a major character owing to the death of Roger Delgado, and Tom Baker was able to appeal to younger women without young soldiers such as Mike Yates were expected to do.
6. The Brigadier encountered Davison's Doctor after he'd retired and was teaching. That story originally was written with an older companion (Ian Chesterton!) in mind, but that actor was unavailable; this episode also irked Whovians because it messed up the timeline of the 1970's show (which was largely set a few years in the future) and it seemed "out-of-character" for the Brigadier to be teaching at a boys school.
6a. The Brig remet the 2nd Doctor during a UNIT reunion festival, only to get "scooped" up to Gallifrey, where he re-encountered the 1st, 3rd and 5th Doctors as well; however, it's not clear that The Five Doctor's is part of the canon anymore, given that Sarah Jane (who was scooped up with the 3rd Doctor) seems to not remember any "classic" Doctors after the 4th.
7. The Brig rejoined UNIT in an advisory capacity, being called out of retirement for one "farewell" episode with McCoy in the "classic" show's last season.
8. The Brig's final appearance was, alas, in the Sarah Jane Adventure "Enemy of the Bane." That meant that Courtney played the character over a span of 40 years!
9. The Brig has been shown in some flashbacks and mentioned many times (in semi-retirement in Peru), and he was given as verbal farewell in "Wedding": it was learning that the Brigadier was dead that the Doctor decides to stop running. (That was brilliant, by the way, although I do realize that it might have seemed arbitrary to viewers who had no idea who the Brigadier was.)

One episode that fills in a little of the dynamics of this time is the Sarah Jane Adventure "Death of the Doctor." Katy Manning, who played UNIT member Jo Grant (the 3rd Doctor's companion for 3 seasons) returns, and Matt Smith guest stars as the Doctor. It's interesting because, basically, Matt Smith and 60 something Kate Manning are, for all intents and purposes, The Doctor and Jo Grant. There are numerous flashbacks showing the Brigadier, the Master and the first 4 Doctors. (Sarah Jane herself worked with UNIT for a bit, although they were estranged it seems in the end.)


As for last night's story.....

It was OK. In a lot of ways, it was an extended "prequel" I think, with a bit of foreshadowing of what is to come. It was a sort of "Rosenstern and Guildencrantz are Dead" story in that the plot focused on the "behind the scenes" stuff, and was more to develop Amy and Rory as normal people instead of as Companions. UNIT's return was (as always) welcome, although I wish that they'd been a bit more forceful in their presence. (And where was Bessie?!?!?!)

My guess is that this coupled with Angels will make a good 2-parter: I'm betting that there will be a lot of added poignancy to some moments in this tale. However, we've not gotten there yet. Still, I will very much miss the Ponds: they've had companions who should have been couples (Ian & Barbara, Ben & Polly, Jamie & Victoria), but never companions who actually were couples. That created a very different dynamic.

I am hoping (and have been for, like, 30 years) that UNIT will become a more common presence in the show. I'm also glad that they "legitimized" Kate Stewart. If I remember, she was originally devised for the book series, which is in sort of a gray area between fan-fiction and canon.