Doctor Who
Doctor Who - Series ten on Target
I have to say that series ten is one of my favourite series of Nu-Who. In fact, it's a close second only to series four.
The first episode takes the show back to square one again - something a series that has run as long as Doctor Who has to do occasionally. I love this aspect and the wittily titled The Pilot is a strong opener for Peter Capaldi's final series. In some respects, this freshness offsets the build up to his departure with Pearl Mackie's Bill offering new takes on old companion tropes through the entire run.
Favourite episodes are many but I would pick out the aforementioned The Pilot, together with The Eaters of Light (A straightforward self-contained historical mystery with some great character moments) and World Enough and Time (a story that mixes humour and tragedy in exactly the same way that the adventures in series eight didn't.)
My primary issue with the series though comes with the trilogy of episodes concerning the Monks. It starts off with the imaginative Extremis and promptly goes hill as the Monks' plot is revealed and implemented. The first two stories come across as dual scene-setting prologues setting the scene for a bigger adventure. But this final part deals with the crisis too quickly and desperately needed a second episode to flesh out life under the Monks' control before resolving the situation.
On a personal note, I had a heart attack on the Saturday that Oxygen was broadcast. Ironic that - being stuck in casualty on real oxygen whilst the episode went out.
Ho hum. Life is a beautiful irony.
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Eighth And Eleventh Doctor & Two Rose Tylers In New Doctor Who Comic
Doctor Who: Empire of the Wolf by Jody Houser and Roberta Ingranata is a graphic novel from the regular Titan Comics creative team to be published on the
Doctor Who - Series nine on Target
I have serious issues with series eight. There were some bold ideas, yes. Two-part stories, plenty of Daleks, top drawer guest actors... But as a whole, it felt too dark - particularly for a Saturday night. The storylines were grim and were of the kind that no doubt alienated the popular audience - particularly since it was screened at irregular later times with episodes occasionally ending after the watershed. It was also at this point
I also felt there were issues with Clara's character. She's saved all of the Doctor's incarnations for his anniversary and loved and lost her man so her story had virtually been told by the time we saw her "die" in Last Christmas. But since that was a dream, we ended up with her for another year when it would've done the series a world of good by starting off with a new companion for series eight.
Her eventual death, resurrection and departure was protracted and maudlin doing neither the actress or the audience any favours. One minute she died, the next she's back. And then she's dead again. And she's back... but the Doctor doesn't know that. Good job too as he'd be bloody livid at what it could potentially do to the fabric of time!
Favourites in this series is Heaven Sent - a tour-de-force from both Peter Capaldi (in a solo performance) and Steven Moffat (for a tale of self-discovery and revelation worthy of 'The Twilight Zone'). Such a pity it was connected to the convoluted mess that was Hell Bent.
Ah, well. We're back to square one for the next series...
If you've enjoyed viewing this page of artistic delight, then you can show your learned appreciation by purchasing for me of a coffee via my Ko-fi account here. Thanking you.
Doctor Who - Series eight on Target
I did these some time ago. As I think I may have said before, I ended up doing all these new retro Target covers in reverse, beginning with Peter Capaldi's final series (which I adore and that's probably the reason why I started there.).
Not a lot to say about series eight that hasn't been said already. Capaldi hits the floor running with his portrayal. There's a good repartee with Clara despite her story having reached a climax with The Name of the Doctor. It has a reasonably subtle story arc to it that doesn't get in the way of the standalone nature of the individual episodes.
My favourites here are 'Listen' (a great meditation on fear and its sources within the subconscious mind) and 'Flatline' (Great variation on an old SF idea with some mind-blowing visuals). The worst is undoubtedly 'In the Forest of the Night' which, whilst elegant to look at, feels patronising in its storytelling - like a kids' TV show that needs to emphasise its subtext via the characters' posturing and lengthy bouts of exposition.
And Doctor Who is never like that... it?
If you've enjoyed viewing this page of artistic delight, then you can show your learned appreciation by purchasing for me of a coffee via my Ko-fi account here. Thanking you again.
Doctor Who: Steven Moffat Accidentally Confirms a Series 13 Big Bad?
In the caption to an Instagram post since edited, it appears Steven Moffat has confirmed the return of a Doctor Who big bad for Series 13.
Doctor Who: Michaela Coel Won't Be the Next Doctor, But Just Imagine
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BCTV Daily Dispatch 30 July 2021: Doctor Who Gets the TARDIS Key Now?
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The Fourteenth Doctor and More Changes Coming for Doctor Who
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Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker, Chris Chibnall Leaving with 2022 Specials
On Thursday, the BBC confirmed Jodie Whittaker & Chris Chibnall are leaving Doctor Who after a series of 2022 specials- here are the details.
Doctor Who: The Roleplaying Game Second Edition Has Been Released
Cubicle 7 Games revealed that they have released the Second Edition of Doctor Who: The Roleplaying Game, available for pre-order.