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ladyofleithianI've mostly been busy and all. College courses have been pretty tasking and I've been trying to keep up. That and I've been working on my stories. But I managed to get around to completing Season Eight ever since last year when I caught the Season Eight premiere, "Deep Breath". I watched "Into The Dalek" and "Robot Hood".
How were they? Well, I have mixed emotions.
I confess, one thing that's kind of turned me off a bit on those episodes is the personality of the Twelfth Doctor. Don't get me wrong; Peter Capaldi is a great actor, and Twelve has his moments, but there are times when he seems rather cold and removed. I guess it may be a bit of a throwback to William Hartnell's Doctor, who was rather brusque, and Christopher Eccleston's Doctor, who was a tortured soul, but even they had their softer moments (Eccleston especially). I know some of the comments about Clara in "Into The Dalek" (e.g. her being old. I mean, come on; maybe she's not like, twenty or so, but she's not old. Also, pot, kettle, just saying. XD *) as well as saying that Journey Blue shouldn't have been a soldier. I mean, the Doctor was also a soldier in the Time War. (Yes, technically the Time War didn't result in blowing up Gallifrey since "Day of the Doctor", but even so, a nod to the events would have been nice. One thing I really liked about the way the Time War was handled in the RTD era was how it was really emphasized how it weighed on the Doctor, as it would for anyone who had to do something like that) And a lot of what Journey was doing was perfectly understandable, considering her position. A lot of what the Galactic Resistance was doing was perfectly understandable. They did what they could, considering the circumstances.
Then there was the matter of the whole Robin Hood thing. I dunno; through a lot of the trip, it seemed like he was competing with Robin Hood. And generally acting sort of uptight. Not to mention when he revealed to Robin Hood that he was really an imposter, he seemed sort of gleeful about it. Sort of like he was rubbing it in. He did turn around at the end, by acknowledging Robin Hood as a kind of equal, and reuniting him with Marian (that was a genuinely touching moment). And in "Into The Dalek", the scene where he was showing the Dalek (or trying to show him) that there is life outside hatred, was a genuinely powerful, moving scene. So there is that. And who knows -- I might warm up to him a little more as I go through the season. Twelve was advertised as a darker Doctor, after all -- so this may be overall part of his arc.
As for the good things about the episodes? Well, for "Into The Dalek", the very idea was intriguing, not just the idea of a "good" Dalek (which was explored previously in "Dalek", "Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks", "Journey's End" and -- sort of -- "Asylum of the Daleks", even though it was technically a copy of Clara that ended up inside a Dalek) but going inside the Dalek, where you actually get to see inside the Dalek's biology. It was one of those things that I found very interesting, and the fact that they had to find a way to repair the Dalek (yeah, I'm aware that on the surface, it sounds like a terrible idea. It...makes more sense in the context of the episode) and later, get it to stop killing people, was also an interesting idea. (And the New Series wasn't the only one to come up with this idea. Back in the Second Doctor's era, they had "The Evil of the Daleks", I heard. Even before "Dalek", they had a story toying with the idea of "are the Daleks all simply Chaotic Evil? Can there be exceptions?" Very science fiction-y, come to think of it, considering that one part of science fiction is examining different ideas. Sort of one of those places where the "science" comes in) The part where the Dalek actually sees into the Doctor's soul and his memories was, again, a very powerful scene. And "Rusty" the Dalek was a very good character. The design of the interior of the Dalek was also very interesting, though from what the Doctor said in "Doomsday", I did picture it kind of like a Vader-esque prison. Sort of sealed away from the outside world, unable to really feel anything. Still, it makes sense they'd have antibodies to fight off interior threats, etc.
I also liked Clara's faith in the idea that the Dalek could possibly be saved. And I like that she turns out to be right, even if the Dalek (much to the Doctor's chagrin) ends up turning on the other Daleks. It's not as if there was much of a choice, though.
I also liked Danny Pink. He was pretty cool, from what I saw of him, and I am intrigued to know more about him as a character, and his suggested past. Considering that it's referenced that he was apparently a soldier, I'm also wondering how the Doctor's going to react to this.
As for "Robot Hood" -- well, I think the premise is intriguing. I like how it ties back in to "Deep Breath" with the matter of the Promised Land, the acting was genuinely good in this (I haven't found a single bad actor in Doctor Who, really), Robin Hood was genuinely likable here (the actor who played him did a great job playing him as the sort of romantic hero of the tale. ** I also really liked Clara in this -- in this and "Into the Dalek", she was clever, she was brave, she was funny...I already liked her quite a bit as a companion, but I'm liking her more and more by the episodes. The guy who played the Sheriff was very good as well. I liked how Robin Hood ended up living up to his legend anyway, even though he was still a copy, by coming to the Doctor's aid. I liked the humor at the beginning of the episode as well, with the Doctor and Robin's first interaction. And I liked Robin reuniting with Marian at the end, as I said, and how he, Clara and the Doctor used the golden arrow prize in order to save the day in the end.
So yeah, they were decent episodes. The Doctor's going to take me a while to get used to, but nonetheless, they were pretty decent.
* And to be fair, I guess that might have been intentional, especially from Clara's reactions. Sort of like Ten saying rude things without realizing it.
** And I agree with Clara; Robin Hood is awesome.
So overall? I recommend them. Not as much as other episodes, but I still recommend them.
How were they? Well, I have mixed emotions.
I confess, one thing that's kind of turned me off a bit on those episodes is the personality of the Twelfth Doctor. Don't get me wrong; Peter Capaldi is a great actor, and Twelve has his moments, but there are times when he seems rather cold and removed. I guess it may be a bit of a throwback to William Hartnell's Doctor, who was rather brusque, and Christopher Eccleston's Doctor, who was a tortured soul, but even they had their softer moments (Eccleston especially). I know some of the comments about Clara in "Into The Dalek" (e.g. her being old. I mean, come on; maybe she's not like, twenty or so, but she's not old. Also, pot, kettle, just saying. XD *) as well as saying that Journey Blue shouldn't have been a soldier. I mean, the Doctor was also a soldier in the Time War. (Yes, technically the Time War didn't result in blowing up Gallifrey since "Day of the Doctor", but even so, a nod to the events would have been nice. One thing I really liked about the way the Time War was handled in the RTD era was how it was really emphasized how it weighed on the Doctor, as it would for anyone who had to do something like that) And a lot of what Journey was doing was perfectly understandable, considering her position. A lot of what the Galactic Resistance was doing was perfectly understandable. They did what they could, considering the circumstances.
Then there was the matter of the whole Robin Hood thing. I dunno; through a lot of the trip, it seemed like he was competing with Robin Hood. And generally acting sort of uptight. Not to mention when he revealed to Robin Hood that he was really an imposter, he seemed sort of gleeful about it. Sort of like he was rubbing it in. He did turn around at the end, by acknowledging Robin Hood as a kind of equal, and reuniting him with Marian (that was a genuinely touching moment). And in "Into The Dalek", the scene where he was showing the Dalek (or trying to show him) that there is life outside hatred, was a genuinely powerful, moving scene. So there is that. And who knows -- I might warm up to him a little more as I go through the season. Twelve was advertised as a darker Doctor, after all -- so this may be overall part of his arc.
As for the good things about the episodes? Well, for "Into The Dalek", the very idea was intriguing, not just the idea of a "good" Dalek (which was explored previously in "Dalek", "Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks", "Journey's End" and -- sort of -- "Asylum of the Daleks", even though it was technically a copy of Clara that ended up inside a Dalek) but going inside the Dalek, where you actually get to see inside the Dalek's biology. It was one of those things that I found very interesting, and the fact that they had to find a way to repair the Dalek (yeah, I'm aware that on the surface, it sounds like a terrible idea. It...makes more sense in the context of the episode) and later, get it to stop killing people, was also an interesting idea. (And the New Series wasn't the only one to come up with this idea. Back in the Second Doctor's era, they had "The Evil of the Daleks", I heard. Even before "Dalek", they had a story toying with the idea of "are the Daleks all simply Chaotic Evil? Can there be exceptions?" Very science fiction-y, come to think of it, considering that one part of science fiction is examining different ideas. Sort of one of those places where the "science" comes in) The part where the Dalek actually sees into the Doctor's soul and his memories was, again, a very powerful scene. And "Rusty" the Dalek was a very good character. The design of the interior of the Dalek was also very interesting, though from what the Doctor said in "Doomsday", I did picture it kind of like a Vader-esque prison. Sort of sealed away from the outside world, unable to really feel anything. Still, it makes sense they'd have antibodies to fight off interior threats, etc.
I also liked Clara's faith in the idea that the Dalek could possibly be saved. And I like that she turns out to be right, even if the Dalek (much to the Doctor's chagrin) ends up turning on the other Daleks. It's not as if there was much of a choice, though.
I also liked Danny Pink. He was pretty cool, from what I saw of him, and I am intrigued to know more about him as a character, and his suggested past. Considering that it's referenced that he was apparently a soldier, I'm also wondering how the Doctor's going to react to this.
As for "Robot Hood" -- well, I think the premise is intriguing. I like how it ties back in to "Deep Breath" with the matter of the Promised Land, the acting was genuinely good in this (I haven't found a single bad actor in Doctor Who, really), Robin Hood was genuinely likable here (the actor who played him did a great job playing him as the sort of romantic hero of the tale. ** I also really liked Clara in this -- in this and "Into the Dalek", she was clever, she was brave, she was funny...I already liked her quite a bit as a companion, but I'm liking her more and more by the episodes. The guy who played the Sheriff was very good as well. I liked how Robin Hood ended up living up to his legend anyway, even though he was still a copy, by coming to the Doctor's aid. I liked the humor at the beginning of the episode as well, with the Doctor and Robin's first interaction. And I liked Robin reuniting with Marian at the end, as I said, and how he, Clara and the Doctor used the golden arrow prize in order to save the day in the end.
So yeah, they were decent episodes. The Doctor's going to take me a while to get used to, but nonetheless, they were pretty decent.
* And to be fair, I guess that might have been intentional, especially from Clara's reactions. Sort of like Ten saying rude things without realizing it.
** And I agree with Clara; Robin Hood is awesome.
So overall? I recommend them. Not as much as other episodes, but I still recommend them.
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Date: 2015-02-12 02:53 pm (UTC)Ah, gotcha. :) And I'm pretty good with that. It definitely is a very interesting and different way in terms of how they're taking the Doctor. I admit, I haven't really watched much of Capaldi's stuff outside of Torchwood and "Fires of Pompeii". I should really get to it.
Sort of, yeah. Oh, definitely. *Nods* Being stuck on a planet for a few thousand or so years, and basically single-handedly fighting a war most of the time you're there? That would be absolute Hell D=! I personally attributed this current incarnation's grumpiness, meanness, and all-around unpleasantness toward others (unless he liked and/or trusted them) to what the previous one experienced while on Trenzalore. I think basically, he (has)had a massive case of PTSD, and his behavior (is)was his way of covering that up and/or coping with it.
That makes a lot of sense. Poor Doctor. :(
And thanks! I'm actually coming up on "Listen"; I know the preview for it at the end of "Robot of Sherwood" was really intriguing, and creepy. I can't wait to see it! And I heard that "Dark Water/Death in Heaven" is really good.
And yes, the actor who played Robin did great. As did Ben Miller. I mean, he just made a fantastic villain as the Sheriff. (The fact he was obviously having a lot of fun with that role definitely helped. I think both he and the actor who played Robin were definitely having a lot of fun. :)
And that makes a lot of sense. But yeah, I can see why they would have cut that out after the first ISIS beheading video was released. It was a good decision on their part.
I agree. There was definitely something about Danny's first appearance in "Into the Dalek" where I just really felt for him. I definitely can't wait to see more of him as a character.
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Date: 2015-02-13 08:17 am (UTC)It is, in terms of the current iteration of the series, or New Who, as I and others call it. *Nods* From what I've read on this forum called Gallifrey Base, it sounds as if the same thing was done with the original Doctor.
I thought so, too 8]. And yes, I know :(. *Nods*
You should, he's a very good actor :]. His acting style is very subtle, but really, really good (That's something to keep in mind, too, should you, by chance, find yourself disliking his portrayal of the Doctor, or beginning to feel like the entirety of Twelve's characterization and personality is grumpiness, meanness, and coldness. That's what's made him problematic for some in the fandom, I think— they're not used to a more subtle, somewhat restrained portrayal of the character.). That scene toward the end of "Deep Breath", when he literally pleads with Clara, "Just see me." is an excellent example of what I mean. Pay close attention to the expression on his face & the look in his eyes, and you'll see that he appears angry & profoundly hurt, all at the same time. A great moment there, I thought.
You're welcome 8)! Cool =]! As long as you don't mind a story that's purely a character piece (as, IMO, "Deep Breath" was), e.g. one with a very thin, simple plot, you'll like it 8]. It is (well, I thought it was, at least) 8]. *Nods* Characterization-wise and arc-wise (Yes, there is a bit of an arc in the season, besides Twelve finally figuring out who he is as a person.), it's very well-written. There's a big surprise in store, too (though by the time you get to watching those two episodes, you might have figured it out already) ;).
I thought so, too. *Nods* I got a very Master-y vibe from his portrayal of the Sheriff, actually.
I cried foul on them doing that at first, as it occurred in a completely different context from the ISIS video, but eventually, I wound up understanding their reasoning. What did bug me, though, was a later announcement that that scene wouldn't be added back in on the DVD release. I just couldn't figure out their reasoning behind doing that. Even making it an extra would have been fine with me. What's done is done, though. Nothing to do about it now :]. *Shrugs*
You'll definitely like Danny a lot by the time you get around to watching "Dark Water"/"Death In Heaven" 8]. *Nods*