8X03 "Robot of Sherwood" Grading/Discussion)(SPOILERS!)

[Mr. Adventure]

Found this yesterday, with the discussion seems a good time to post:

[YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biIN2uO6Zus[/YT]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biIN2uO6Zus

We have golden arrows, jumping/falling into the water from a bridge, an arrow hitting the TARDIS, some Robin Hood type costumed characters, a fez and some really physical running from the Doctor and Ace (oh and robots, er, Cybermen too).

 

[Captaindemotion]

So, third week in a row we get a Game of Thrones actor being offed. Ser Dontos, then Dolours Edd and now Mace Tyrell. It's almost a theme now!

You don't suppose Moffat is expressing bitterness over losing Hugos to Game of Thrones?

Who knows?

I originally watched this last night after having friends round for dinner and quite a few drinks. Had been up from early on and was tired and dozing off in a few places. I was distinctly underwhelmed, the first of the new season I didn't enjoy. Watched it again tonight and enjoyed it a lot more. Fluff to be sure, and greatly enlivened by Capaldi, but enjoyable fluff.

I was surprised not to see a Missy appearance, given the Promised Land theme resurfacing.

I'd love to see Ben Miller playing a new Master. Shame they didn't have the Doctor make some reference to him resembling someone he knew.

 

[davejames]

And the 12th Doctor is not doing it for me so far; even Tom Baker, at his most weird, distant and alien was capable of occasional flashes of charm and humour. This new guy's just a scowling dick.

I don't know, it seems to me like he's gotten in an awful lot of funny and clever jokes in every episode so far. He may deliver them in a more biting, Gregory House-like way than the previous few Doctors, but it still gets the job done I think.

I don't really need every Doctor to be warm and friendly or breaking into a giant smile every 5 minutes. It's kind of nice having something a bit different from that for a change.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I find it rather worrying that for the third episode in a row, the writers are riffing on old stories - first we get a retread of The Girl In The Fireplace, and then The Invisible Enemy, and this week it was The Time Warrior. Robot medieval soldier? Check. Spaceship inside a castle? Check. Castle blown up by spaceship trying to take off? Check check check.

It was nothing like the Time Warrior. It was just as much like The Visitation as The Time Warrior. I don't particularly think Deep Breath was like Girl in the Fireplace except for using the same bad guys. Girl in the Fireplace was a love story with the robots as a backdrop. They were solved by the Doctor pretending to be drunk and having a horse jump through a mirror. This time it was tense and claustrophobic and solved by holding your breath and ambiguous murder/suicide. Very little in common overall.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Fluff to be sure, and greatly enlivened by Capaldi, but enjoyable fluff.

I enjoyed Capaldi enough that I think it's helping blind me to the episode's shortcomings.

I'd love to see Ben Miller playing a new Master. Shame they didn't have the Doctor make some reference to him resembling someone he knew.

Of course, appearing in Doctor Who does not seem to be an issue with showing up later in a different role.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ Apparently not!

 

[bigdaddy]

And the 12th Doctor is not doing it for me so far; even Tom Baker, at his most weird, distant and alien was capable of occasional flashes of charm and humour. This new guy's just a scowling dick.

I don't know, it seems to me like he's gotten in an awful lot of funny and clever jokes in every episode so far. He may deliver them in a more biting, Gregory House-like way than the previous few Doctors, but it still gets the job done I think.

I don't really need every Doctor to be warm and friendly or breaking into a giant smile every 5 minutes. It's kind of nice having something a bit different from that for a change.

The little one liners from the new Doctor is what is making this work so well. The premiere episode was really lacking and overly drawn out, but it was still fun because of the one liners.

 

[sttngfan1701d]

The first episode so far of the new series that I enjoyed. I liked Capaldi more too, though I think he still needs to cheer up a bit.

 

[davejames]

Much as I do like Clara, it's starting to feel more and more like her and this Doctor just aren't a very good match for some reason. They seem to be operating on two completely different wavelengths, and I just can't help but feel that he needs someone a bit... different by his side.

I can't say exactly what type of Companion he does need (maybe a Tegan or Donna type? Or even someone like Leela?), but it feels like a change of some sort does need to be made there.

 

[DWF]

Much as I do like Clara, it's starting to feel more and more like her and this Doctor just aren't a very good match for some reason. They seem to be operating on two completely different wavelengths, and I just can't help but feel that he needs someone a bit... different by his side.

I can't say exactly what type of Companion he does need (maybe a Tegan or Donna type? Or even someone like Leela?), but it feels like a change of some sort does need to be made there.

Strange some fans are comparing them to Tom Baker and Liz Sladen in terms of chemistry. But really I don't think Moffat understands what a companion is, being able to drop her off and pick her up for each adventure is wrong IMO. And really if she doesn't like him all that much why continue to go with him?

 

[Sindatur]

Much as I do like Clara, it's starting to feel more and more like her and this Doctor just aren't a very good match for some reason. They seem to be operating on two completely different wavelengths, and I just can't help but feel that he needs someone a bit... different by his side.

I can't say exactly what type of Companion he does need (maybe a Tegan or Donna type? Or even someone like Leela?), but it feels like a change of some sort does need to be made there.

Huh, all along, I've felt the current Doctor/Companion relationship is like a Later McCoy traveling with Tegan

 

[Relayer1]

Steady improvement from episode to episode but still not very good. Bad stories, surprisingly less than stellar Doctor...

I'm firmly in the pro Moffat camp and thought Capaldi a superb choice, but uncertain about both now...

 

[DWF]

Much as I do like Clara, it's starting to feel more and more like her and this Doctor just aren't a very good match for some reason. They seem to be operating on two completely different wavelengths, and I just can't help but feel that he needs someone a bit... different by his side.

I can't say exactly what type of Companion he does need (maybe a Tegan or Donna type? Or even someone like Leela?), but it feels like a change of some sort does need to be made there.

Huh, all along, I've felt the current Doctor/Companion relationship is like a Later McCoy traveling with Tegan

I can't see Tegan putting up the seventh Doctor for very long, although Ace and Capaldi's Doctor would be an interesting pairing.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

And the 12th Doctor is not doing it for me so far; even Tom Baker, at his most weird, distant and alien was capable of occasional flashes of charm and humour. This new guy's just a scowling dick.

I don't know, it seems to me like he's gotten in an awful lot of funny and clever jokes in every episode so far. He may deliver them in a more biting, Gregory House-like way than the previous few Doctors, but it still gets the job done I think.

I don't really need every Doctor to be warm and friendly or breaking into a giant smile every 5 minutes. It's kind of nice having something a bit different from that for a change.

The little one liners from the new Doctor is what is making this work so well. The premiere episode was really lacking and overly drawn out, but it was still fun because of the one liners.

The one-liners are humorous and I've liked these 3 episodes, but sooner or later they'll have to figure out how to write a really great episode that doesn't need those one-liners for it to be great.

So, no worse than anything in the Moffat era.

 

[Charlie Kelly]

I really liked this episode, very funny and a lot of fun.

Also I noticed in the leaked version some of the stock music they used was from the Robin Hood TV series from a few years back. Almost disappointed they didn't leave it in!

 

[The Wormhole]

I was surprised not to see a Missy appearance, given the Promised Land theme resurfacing.

Not every episode connects to the arc. Bad Wolf wasn't in every season 1 episode, not every season 2 episode had a Torchwood reference. The cracks weren't in every season 5 episode and in the first half of season 6 Madame Kovarian was absent from The Doctor's Wife.

I have a theory that Missy is only going to be in episodes Moffat wrote or at least co-wrote, and that the reason he is listed as a co-writer on a few episodes is because he's inserting Missy scenes into what is otherwise someone else's script.

 

[Jax]

5.2 million viewers watched Doctor Who: Robot of Sherwood, a share of 25.4% of the total TV audience, according to unofficial overnight figures.

The rating, the same overnight figure as last week, once more puts Doctor Who as the second rated programme of the day. ITV was top with The X Factor, which had 8.7 million watching, a drop of half a million from the previous week

The final figure should be around 7 million + again like last week. I was expecting a bigger drop off so happy its holding strong.

 

[Samurai8472]

Holy crap does Jenna look smoking hot in this

Breathtakingly pretty

Curse you Robb Stark!

 

[Lance]

Much as I do like Clara, it's starting to feel more and more like her and this Doctor just aren't a very good match for some reason. They seem to be operating on two completely different wavelengths, and I just can't help but feel that he needs someone a bit... different by his side.

It feels like a modernized Sixth Doctor and Peri to me. There's something broadly spiky about their relationship. Which is a risky strategy to take, given that many fans reacted negatively to Six and Peri at the time, feeling it lacked the warmth we expected from a Doctor Who partnership.

 

[Shanndee]

And the 12th Doctor is not doing it for me so far; even Tom Baker, at his most weird, distant and alien was capable of occasional flashes of charm and humour. This new guy's just a scowling dick.

I don't know, it seems to me like he's gotten in an awful lot of funny and clever jokes in every episode so far. He may deliver them in a more biting, Gregory House-like way than the previous few Doctors, but it still gets the job done I think.

I don't really need every Doctor to be warm and friendly or breaking into a giant smile every 5 minutes. It's kind of nice having something a bit different from that for a change.

The little one liners from the new Doctor is what is making this work so well. The premiere episode was really lacking and overly drawn out, but it was still fun because of the one liners.

Which just goes to show how the definitions of charm and humour vary amongst individuals. I find this Doctor very funny and very compelling. I have become a "regular" viewer again instead the "if I feel like it" viewer that I was with Tennant and the "if I remember its on" viewer I was with Smith.

Yes, the stories are overly familiar, and the writing can definitely improve, but this Doctor's dry humour and sarcastic charm will keep me coming back!