Dr Who

The trouble is the people making the show now. Those in charge no longer particularly like the classic show as it was; they see it as outdated and 'problematic'. Where RTD and even early Moffat built on the past, increasingly the show as is wants to tear down and reform it. They can not see past the issues they are projecting on to it. They see themselves as above its childish elements and educated beyond them; they feel superior in their enlightened attitudes to what was represented on the screen in previous eras and so wish to rewrite everything that they find troublesome in the show's legacy. They see NuWho as primarily as a vehicle for social engineering. They have righteousness on their side you see and can not be wrong in wanting their vision for the world up there writ large on the screen, blunt fashion, each and every week.

Only the vast majority of viewers and fans have zero interest in all this; they would much prefer fun adventures with exiciting wonderfilled plots and thought provoking ideas (that can include social commentary for sure but that should be there occasionally and done very much with a light touch). They want seriously threatening antagonists and sparring, punchy dialogue. They wish to be captivated by a mysterious alien in a box. A bloke that looks like us but decidedly isn't one of us. They want that seemingly dirty phrase, fantasy entertainment.

Instead they get told they are really bad people each episode for not helping enough in correcting the woes of the real world! They get dribbles of lame comic relief and wet lettuce baddies with daddy issues.

IMO, many viewers have turned off as a result. And I very much doubt they will come back until they can see things have changed. One seasonal special with the (over used) Daleks (that's sat on the self for over 12 months) is not going to do much either way for the longterm prospects of Doctor Who. Its problems are way more significant than one episode can alter.

(01-01-2021 11:22 )lovebabes56 Wrote:  Hope it is as good as the trailer made it out to be though I am certain many of us probably may not be as thrilled as others

I too thought the trailers looked promising but sadly the episode didn't live up to it. Maybe Chibnall was going all out to win back the fans with the old hits in Captain Jack and the Daleks but in the end it all felt just meh to me, seen it all before.

The most disappointing aspect was what I thought would be the most interesting, the Doctor's imprisonment. It went nowhere and resolved too easily.

The revealing conversation between Yaz and Jack was rather touching. And I have to admit I enjoyed the returning Chris Noth. Camp villainy maybe but at least he was charismatic. More so than Donald Trump, who's he clearly modelled on.

Really didn't want to have to come back on here and say tonight proved my point but never has Who been written 'down to' so much as this one. Patronising dialogue, spoon feeding information to a target audience of what... tweenies at best. Even 60s Who wasn't this unsubtle was it? Are there any families left that still watch this together? I find it difficult to not shift in my seat to and I'm a fucking diehard.

The plot at least hung together cohesively enough for once and was certainly action packed but things are looking a bit cheap at times. (Downing St. does not have endless brickwork.) The acting was surprisingly poor too (something that had been improving at the end of last season), with Noth hamming it up because there was so much wood around him. Although Barryman is always lively and watchable. The regulars seemed tired and listless in comparison to these two.

At least they continue to try to give Yaz a character.

Oh and if Whittaker's doctor is all that, why do they keep casting grey haired old blokes to do all the emoting for her? Consider how much she was sidelined here in favour of other characters the writers seem far more interested in. (The prison sequence seemed to be only there to split up the filming schedules. As Kerr points out it was a nothing after supplying the season cliffhanger. Jack's weird departure over the phone seemed likewise logistical.)

Finally, I hope Bishop proves himself like Bradley Walsh did because right now its looking like strangely parochial stunt casting of the sort 80's Who was once scorned for (more than likely by Chibs himself).

Watched it this evening, which is maybe quicker than usual for me. It was OK at times.

It’s being reported that Jodie Whittaker will be leaving after the new series.

Yeah. 3 series, seems about right.

3 too many.

I like her in the role, it's just a shame the writing and ideas have been a let down...again.

She's a good actress, I've watched literally at least 2 films she's done and she's fine in them... here, the scripts and the characterisations have been a bit unhelpful for her (and everyone else).

As always, Drinker gets it pretty much spot on: