8X01 "Deep Breath" Grading/Discussion)(SPOILERS!)

[Cutter John]

Well wasn't it mention in some interview or other that they were intentionally making him off-putting at first, and that we'd warm to him eventually?

Watched it again Monday night at the theater and one thing I noticed is that most of the music score (at least the bits I noticed) sounded electronic. I wonder if the smaller budget this year means they won't be using the BBC Orchestra?

 

[Starkers]

I found myself warming to him despite his surly nature, go figure

 

[Mr Awe]

I rewatched it and enjoyed it even more the 2nd time. I noticed that he really wasn't that surly. He's got moments of that mixed in but he's actually fairly caring and vulnerable throughout the episode. Despite the talk about a darker more crotchety Doctor, he's really not that much more. He's definitely a bit more in that direction, but it's only at certain points.

Maybe it becomes more noticeable as the season goes on? I'm not sure. But, Capaldi was absolutely fantastic in it!

Mr Awe

 

[intrinsical]

He does get darker in the next episode, mostly because of the episode's theme. Beyond that he is more of the grouchy uncle type.

 

[Count Zero]

I liked him immediately. Then again, my favourite post-regeneration scenes/stories both have the Doctor being quite crazy, i.e. Tennant's rather furious entrance onboard the alien ship and even more so Tom Baker in Robot. Compared to the latter, Capaldi's weirdness was rather subdued.

 

[Ithekro]

I am wondering if they are going for a Fourth Doctor styled with Sarah Jane Smith for the 12th and Clara? At least in terms how how the Doctor treats Clara verse how he treated Sarah. He tended towards rude and had a habit if taking credit dor things even if she thought of them. Sarah getting more and more inclined to leave as time when on.

Thought I've seen less of Sarah's adventures with the Third Doctor. I just know that the Fourth tended to be more alien, rude, and had a very large ego. And ego only surpassed by the Sixth Doctor in terms of how full of himself he was.

 

[davejames]

I rewatched it and enjoyed it even more the 2nd time. I noticed that he really wasn't that surly. He's got moments of that mixed in but he's actually fairly caring and vulnerable throughout the episode. Despite the talk about a darker more crotchety Doctor, he's really not that much more. He's definitely a bit more in that direction, but it's only at certain points.

Maybe it becomes more noticeable as the season goes on? I'm not sure. But, Capaldi was absolutely fantastic in it!

Mr Awe

I think he definitely feels a bit darker than the last three Doctors, but he's still not nearly as cold or abrasive as Hartnell, Pertwee, or C Baker could be at times.

And he does seem to have a bit of that distant, distracted air that T Baker had as well.

 

[Squiggy]

I want it to be better. I want to enjoy this show again for the eighth season. It just isn't there. The Doctor has died and another lesser man has gone swanning off with his name and his memories. Maybe he (or she) will be back again.

I wouldn't discount the series because of what is essentially, the pilot episode for the lead character.

I didn't like Tenant's first episode (nor Smith's first 25 or so), and Eccelston's doctor wasn't going up against a regeneration.

In other words, the first episodes usually suck. There's only room to go up.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

It's the first episode, so I'm going to wait and see what Calpaldi brings to the role. However, like many have said, I would have preferred the dino not be in the story...or at least, be a small part of the story. Too, the running time at nearly 80 minutes was a bit long; it could have been tightened.

I was also iffy about the usual 'Doctor regenerates and is disoriented' bit. I think the only time we saw a Doctor get into the action without regeneration fluff was my favorite, Tom Baker, and maybe Patrick Troughton.

It seemed like Doctor Who in the States got more popular in the Matt Smith Era (You now have pre and post shows with Chris Hardwick for one) so maybe this was to make the US fans happy and I appreciated it.

I was under the impression that it was popular in the US when Tom Baker was the Doctor, unless you're referring to the continuation. In that case, I was under the impression that anyone with access to the internet or BBC America was watching Doctor Who when Eccleston took on the role.

First of all, the Eccleston and some of Tennant's era were on Sci Fi. Secondly, I don't remember them getting as much publicity as Matt Smith did. Yeah people have been watching, but it seems like the show grew in popularity at the later stages of Smith's run, at least from a media and promotion standpoint.

You're right, it was also on Sci-Fi Channel, since I vaguely recall the "Doctor Who Confidential" that used to follow the weeks episode. (For me, this was around 7 years ago!)

I was always under the impression that it was Tennant that was getting the publicity (albeit, for all the wrong reasons) for things such as the Rose/Doctor romance, and some thinking Tennant was the 'end all, be all' of Doctors when some of those making that proclamation didn't really see DW before Tennant. Not too mention, the material and actor didn't do it for me.

If Matt Smith had indeed more publicity, I'm all for it. He was an mature man in a very young man's body. He knew when to joke and when to be serious. And, I believed in his version of the character.

 

[PorthosShadow]

I don't get the "cold shoulder" vibe from The 12th Doctor but rather it's more distance. When Chris Hardwick talked to Peter Capaldi and asked him about his costume, he said it's intended to tell people to keep their distance. I think that combined with other moments in the episode tells me that he is genuinely afraid of something that the audience isn't privy too, yet.

I also don't think The 11th Doctor would have made a call like that if there wasn't something he feared would happen post regeneration.

 

[The Wormhole]

There is an urgent theme near the end which could very well be the new Doctor theme.
if true it will be less iconic than "I am the Doctor". guess with upcoming episodes we will see if it repeats with different variations.

Through various parts of the episode I heard what I believe is meant to be the Twelfth Doctor's theme. To be honest, it's kind of meh. It's like they're trying to mesh All the Strange, Strange Creatures with I am the Doctor while also making sure the end product doesn't really sound anything like those two tunes. I don't dislike it, but compared to those two it really comes up short.

And while I get giving each Doctor his own theme, sort of his own musical identity, I really wish they had another theme that stayed with each incarnation, to represent the Doctor himself as one person. RTD kind of did this, we had Strange Creatures and The Doctor Forever as the tunes to represent the Tenth Doctor, while The Doctor's Theme (more commonly referred to among fans as the "Flavia theme") represented the Doctor in general. It would have been nice had they kept that, but for some reason they didn't. Even though it is considered to be the Eleventh Doctor's theme, I am the Doctor could also work to represent the Doctor as a whole, since Day of the Doctor used it for the sequence when all the Doctors are pitching in to save Gallifrey and for the group shot on the cloud at the end.

 

[Mr Awe]

I rewatched it and enjoyed it even more the 2nd time. I noticed that he really wasn't that surly. He's got moments of that mixed in but he's actually fairly caring and vulnerable throughout the episode. Despite the talk about a darker more crotchety Doctor, he's really not that much more. He's definitely a bit more in that direction, but it's only at certain points.

Maybe it becomes more noticeable as the season goes on? I'm not sure. But, Capaldi was absolutely fantastic in it!

Mr Awe

I think he definitely feels a bit darker than the last three Doctors, but he's still not nearly as cold or abrasive as Hartnell, Pertwee, or C Baker could be at times.

And he does seem to have a bit of that distant, distracted air that T Baker had as well.

I think I agree with all of that. He's a bit more distant for sure. He is a bit darker, but only at points, not consistently all the time. He's also only distant at points as well.

Some examples, he without a doubt had Clara's back. And, he was very passionate about protecting the human beings that he loves. That scene talking about being amongst the buildings where everything was large was great, and the opposite of being detached/distant.

It's a bit more back in that direction but not swinging way far out that way, and not all the time.

Mr Awe

 

[The Doctor]

I want it to be better. I want to enjoy this show again for the eighth season. It just isn't there. The Doctor has died and another lesser man has gone swanning off with his name and his memories. Maybe he (or she) will be back again.

I wouldn't discount the series because of what is essentially, the pilot episode for the lead character.

I didn't like Tenant's first episode (nor Smith's first 25 or so), and Eccelston's doctor wasn't going up against a regeneration.

In other words, the first episodes usually suck. There's only room to go up.

I'd disagree on Smith. 'The Eleventh Hour' was a fantastic episode period, regeneration or no.

I've seen the first four episodes via alternate means and I will say that the third, in particular, was an excellent showcase for Capaldi. He seemed far more dialled in.

 

[Velocity]

I rewatched it and enjoyed it even more the 2nd time. I noticed that he really wasn't that surly. He's got moments of that mixed in but he's actually fairly caring and vulnerable throughout the episode. Despite the talk about a darker more crotchety Doctor, he's really not that much more. He's definitely a bit more in that direction, but it's only at certain points.

Maybe it becomes more noticeable as the season goes on? I'm not sure. But, Capaldi was absolutely fantastic in it!

Mr Awe

I agree. When I watched it the second time, I was able to understand more about what was going on. I was able to catch more asides that I missed originally because of the loud music. I think Capaldi is going to be a great Doctor. He conveyed being hurt and frustrated that Clara couldn't see that he was the same friend despite his appearance with just the right note. Really didn't like the nightshirt, but love his new garb. The black suits him.

 

[RoJoHen]

I'm a week behind, so I just managed to watch this episode, but I have to say that I absolutely loved it. My only real complaint is that I was expecting the dinosaur to be more important. Nope, crazy clock robot sets it on fire.

One thing that I both like and dislike about the Doctor is his memory. "The Girl in the Fireplace" is a heartbreaking story. And here, while the Doctor has a vague sense of familiarity with everything going on, he doesn't remember Reinette. It makes sense given how old he is that he wouldn't remember one random girl from a thousand years ago, but from an audience perspective, it seems kind of cold.

I think Clara was my favorite thing about this episode, which is strange, because I've been pretty ambivalent towards her so far. The Companion exists in this show as a way for us to relate. We're not the Doctor; we are the Companions traveling with him.

Rose saw the Doctor change, and she hated it at first. Tennant slept his whole episode away, and Rose felt abandoned. However, once she finally saw him in action, she grew to accept that he was still the same old Doctor.

Clara sees Capaldi in action right from the start, and she doesn't like it. He's old. He sounds different. He acts different. He barely recognizes her. And she is understandably freaking out. I absolutely loved the scene with her and Vastra where she loses her temper.

Now...who is Missy? The way that Moffat writes his show, I naturally assume that all mysterious women are River Song Tasha Lem was almost definitely originally conceived as River (whether Moffat says so or not).

Is Missy the girl in the shop (I always wanted this to be Rose)? Is Missy a new version of River? Is Missy a female version of The Master (The Promised Land sounds an awful lot like Utopia to me)? OR...is Missy just a brand new character with no connection to any old ones? That would be weird.

My prediction for the final episode of the season: Missy has collected all the bad guys that the Doctor has faced throughout the season, starting with Robot Man, and then there is some big ultimate battle where the Doctor faces them again. The Pandorica...the Wedding of River Song...the Time of the Doctor...Moffat loves bringing all the bad guys back in the same place!

 

[The Wormhole]

One thing that I both like and dislike about the Doctor is his memory. "The Girl in the Fireplace" is a heartbreaking story. And here, while the Doctor has a vague sense of familiarity with everything going on, he doesn't remember Reinette. It makes sense given how old he is that he wouldn't remember one random girl from a thousand years ago, but from an audience perspective, it seems kind of cold.

The way I interpreted that scene is that he just doesn't recognise the timeship named SS Madame de Pompadour. Which he shouldn't, since he never did learn the ship in Girl in the Fireplace was named that.

 

[DWF]

Wrong thread.

 

[Jax]

Final figures are out...

Final figures for the UK transmission of "Deep Breath" give the episode a consolidated rating of 9.17 million viewers.

The final rating makes Doctor Who the second highest rated programme for the week on British television, behind The Great British Bake Off which had 9.28 million

The cinema screening of Deep Breath took £522,908 at the UK box office last weekend, making it the 8th highest-grossing feature of the weekend in the UK, despite only having one showing

 

[Haggis and tatties]

Just saw this today, fantastic stuff all round.

 

[Mitty]

little bump... not sure if this was posted previously, but I just discovered that the Tramp in the alley was played by Brian Miller, the late Elisabeth Sladen's Husband. Now I have to watch that scene again, and probably cry in the process. It was already my favourite scene in the episode and this just makes it ten times better.