I enjoyed the episode...I thought it had a lot of charm in it. What was the device that the Doctor used to view the monster though? He referenced where he got it from but is it a Classic DW device or something new? I loved seeing the First and Second Doctor's as well again and it does seem like Moffat loves referencing them. I think he's professed his enjoyment of Classic Who several times in interviews and statements (indeed I think his audio commentaries have stated he loves old Who). Is next week's episode the one that will feature the build a tardis console winner or whatever that contest was?
If a twitgadget like that had appeared in old Who, the effort would have been made to make it look advanced, even if the budget may not have been able to match that. Now that we have a show with adequate funding, we instead get some hose, handlebars, and a wingmirror. It's as if they're scared that if it looked too sci-fi, people would switch off. As with the absurdity of the ghost thingy and 3D specs in Army of Ghosts/Doomsday.
This can hardly be a new complaint. The new show's been full of twitgadgetary since Ecclestone took over, none moreso than in the TARDIS itself.
Knowing some of the folks I know -- I can't imagine how many dissertations would have been done on it.
It may be a sign of the times. Back in the 60's and 70's they were trying to imagine a modern age that has been realized in many ways at least visually. Flat screen monitors, smartphones, iPads, laptops and so forth all look slick and streamlined as can be these days so more of the same wouldn't be so interesting and memorable. In addition to being fun and more whimsical I think additionally they are trying to give a DIY garage/street vibe to the Doctor's stuff to match the rogue nature of the character.
^I agree, and I like it. It's a bit steampunk, whimsical, and, if we're going to risk ascribing logic to Doctor Who, it makes some kind of sense; he can't exactly get original parts for repairs anymore, and a millennia of scrounging and his own personal additions would result in what we see today.
I have no problem with advanced technology in the series appearing "old" or juryrigged...it reminds me of "Dune". Not everything has to look "Star Trek".
I had the impression from the episode that Vincent's perceptions were seriously off-kilter. Perhaps not as extreme as being synaesthetic, but he certainly had natural psychedelia. (The whole ranting about color to the Doctor, for instance.) His brain didn't know what not to see.
Brilliant. One of the very best. However, there is one thing that has been perplexing me ever since. I really need to watch it again, and perhaps I misinterpreted the scene, but what was Van Gogh doing outside the church with Amy with his pants off? Seems like a very odd and inappropriate time for a bit of quick hand relief to me.. Oh and everyone is knockin' the Jabberwock. Stop knockin' the Jabberwock! He was great!
I should add that I really enjoyed The Doctor and Amy's interaction again in this episode. I think Matt and Karen have great chemistry together and it's easy to see that the Doctor is becoming fond of Amy. It is starting to remind me of the Tenth Doctor's relationship with Donna. If it weren't for the sexual tension between Amy and the Doctor I could see them easily developing into close friends.
The Doctor's always got the best gadgets -His "ghost" catcher device with cones in "Army of Ghosts" -His whirly Adipose detector -His gate detector in "Planet of the Dead" -The device from "Blink" that goes ding when there's stuff
When old Doctor Who tried to make things look advanced, we got a very obvious 1980s BBC Micro on the TARDIS console that was outdated by the time I was born. This is better and more fun.
Hang about, I thought you liked retro? You kept going on about the 8th Doctor's console all the time and how good it was, that was just as old fashioned, the only difference was that it was a very contrived fake old fashioned whereas now we have more of a thrown togeather look.
Hmm, I dunno. The Doctor running with the Olympic torch was pretty cringe worthy for me. At least the ghost catcher device was relevant to the plot.
Indeed it is. The Doctor isn't exactly the type to made a high tech gadget thats all pretty and glossed. He's more the Doc Brown type, making something in his garage, putting bits and pieces on without a second thought.