Moffat's a hack writer. I wouldn't expect anything less.
Spoilers The Doctor Falls (Grade & Discussion Thread)
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Moffat's a hack writer. I wouldn't expect anything less.
I'm really glad Moffat is bowing out at Christmas; his writing style is so horrible to sit through. Sonic screwdrivers are not weapons, and yet here the Doctor is running round blowing stuff up. Including wood. It's long been established there isn't a setting for wood!
The Master shooting himself is one of the dumbest things I've seen in 54 years of Who. Temporally speaking it makes no sense. Missy should KNOW she's going to get shot, so how does it even happen???
The introduction of the nuCybermen with Mondasian Cybermen was poor; I would've hoped they'd keep the entire episode filled with Mondasian Cybes. The new ones just aren't scary,
And having the 14th Doctor meet the 1st is great but having him played by David Bradley stretches credibility; casting him as William Hartnell playing the First Doctor in a tv movie THEN casting him as the First Doctor in an in-unverse character makes me wonder if Moffat's gonna pull a Truman Show finale on us!
Bill gets a similar departure to Clara. Pity she wasn't just killed off like Adric.
Not the best episode.
The Master shooting himself is one of the dumbest things I've seen in 54 years of Who. Temporally speaking it makes no sense. Missy should KNOW she's going to get shot, so how does it even happen???
The introduction of the nuCybermen with Mondasian Cybermen was poor; I would've hoped they'd keep the entire episode filled with Mondasian Cybes. The new ones just aren't scary,
And having the 14th Doctor meet the 1st is great but having him played by David Bradley stretches credibility; casting him as William Hartnell playing the First Doctor in a tv movie THEN casting him as the First Doctor in an in-unverse character makes me wonder if Moffat's gonna pull a Truman Show finale on us!
Bill gets a similar departure to Clara. Pity she wasn't just killed off like Adric.
Not the best episode.
He was just activating traps set by Nardole.
Time was out of sync, as happens with the Doctor. They can't remember stuff. And besides, she may have something hidden in her sonic brolly.
It's still leaps and bounds ahead of the previous finale.
That shot of Bill as a Cyberman standing in anguish over the Doctor's body was iconic.
There's a TARDIS on the loose somewhere - back in "Death in Heaven" the Doctor guessed that Missy probably had a TARDIS, and now we have confirmation, but where exactly she left it prior to her stint in the Vault is an open question... the Doctor COULD have had the Time Lords collect it, but he's not on good terms with them since that stunt with Clara. And, if he had, you'd think he might have asked how Simm!Master got away from Gallifrey in the first place.
Did that "tear" of nanobots Bill cried onto the Doctor's head stimulate a regeneration that otherwise wouldn't have worked? We saw previously in The Impossible Astronaut that, if killed whilst already regenerating, a Time Lord is dead permanently (although that COULD be a fib by Eleven since he was planning the whole act with the replicant time-travelling justice bot. So being shot twice by that Cyberman at the end might have finished him off if Bill hadn't intervened. And with that whole "the universe will need you too much for you not to come back" speech, might she have unintentionally restored Missy too? After all, the Doctor without the Master scarcely bears thinking about...
There's a TARDIS on the loose somewhere - back in "Death in Heaven" the Doctor guessed that Missy probably had a TARDIS, and now we have confirmation, but where exactly she left it prior to her stint in the Vault is an open question... the Doctor COULD have had the Time Lords collect it, but he's not on good terms with them since that stunt with Clara. And, if he had, you'd think he might have asked how Simm!Master got away from Gallifrey in the first place.
Did that "tear" of nanobots Bill cried onto the Doctor's head stimulate a regeneration that otherwise wouldn't have worked? We saw previously in The Impossible Astronaut that, if killed whilst already regenerating, a Time Lord is dead permanently (although that COULD be a fib by Eleven since he was planning the whole act with the replicant time-travelling justice bot. So being shot twice by that Cyberman at the end might have finished him off if Bill hadn't intervened. And with that whole "the universe will need you too much for you not to come back" speech, might she have unintentionally restored Missy too? After all, the Doctor without the Master scarcely bears thinking about...
It is iconic and they stole it from Crisis on Infinite Earths.
(Who probably stole it from an old movie that I have forgtten about.)
(Who probably stole it from an old movie that I have forgtten about.)
Well, why cast someone else while you have the perfect actor already there and waiting? Plus, technically Bradley has already played The Doctor while re-enacting Hartnell's filming of certain scenes. I mean the only difference between that and playing the Doctor on the show is the presence of the 4th wall in shot.
Average for me. Hit the right emotional beats, but doesn't stand up under scrutiny. Pretty much like all nu-Who. Liked Nardole for once, Bill's arc was good (although as mentioned, it was a rehash of the last companion departure. Total waste of Master and Missy.
How far into the future is this episode supposed to be set?
It could be in the dim and distant past, they don't specify which it is.
For the umpteenth time I feel as though I watched a different episode to almost everyone else. To me it was a by-the-numbers thing where everything was tidied away in order to leave a blank canvas for the new show runner. Bill's arc went full circle (that doesn't sound right, but anyway), which was better than having her die or be a Cyberman forever. Bill - and Mackie's portrayal of her - was pretty much the only thing I liked over the whole of this season. I'd like to believe we'll never see the Master or Missy or any further variant thereof ever again, but as there's no way that's going to happen I'll just enjoy the fact they're gone for the time being (no pun intended). Nardole does nothing for me but being locked in eternal battle with Cybermen isn't much of a fate - even he isn't that bad. He was actually almost interesting in this episode.
As for Capaldi and the ending...hmm. I don't mind Capaldi's Doctor but his interpretation never really grabbed me. Any reminder of Tennant!Doctor is highly unwelcome for me, so the "I don't want to!" whinge was something I really could have done without (even though it wasn't the same whinge, thankfully). I will admit to being intrigued with where they might go with the "first" Doctor; I'll have to try to remember to watch the Christmas special.
Overall, the season was just there for me. Not awful, but not anything special, either. No matter.
, but I'll go along with both these points. The new Cybermen simply aren't creepy in any way, shape or form. The 70s Cybermen weren't especially creepy either, but they were still far better than the new models. As for the stupid lockstep stomping... 
Just ridiculous, and extending it to the classic Cybermen was anachronistic, pathetic and unnecessary. IMO, anyway.
As for Capaldi and the ending...hmm. I don't mind Capaldi's Doctor but his interpretation never really grabbed me. Any reminder of Tennant!Doctor is highly unwelcome for me, so the "I don't want to!" whinge was something I really could have done without (even though it wasn't the same whinge, thankfully). I will admit to being intrigued with where they might go with the "first" Doctor; I'll have to try to remember to watch the Christmas special.
Overall, the season was just there for me. Not awful, but not anything special, either. No matter.
Agreeing with you is always weird and creepy
, but I'll go along with both these points. The new Cybermen simply aren't creepy in any way, shape or form. The 70s Cybermen weren't especially creepy either, but they were still far better than the new models. As for the stupid lockstep stomping... Just ridiculous, and extending it to the classic Cybermen was anachronistic, pathetic and unnecessary. IMO, anyway.
She was referring to herself, I thought that was clear. The whole reason she had the Tardis doodad in her pocket was because a memory crept through, and it was of Missy threatening the Master in this moment and reminding him to always carry a spare doodad. Hence why he said "you have me to thank for that."
That is also why I think Missy will have some way out of Saxon shooting her - because she had already demonstrated that she was starting to remember bits and pieces and so could have planned ahead.
Undoubtedly. The laughing could have been at just the ridiculousness of the situation, or it could have been because Missy had already planned ahead for this and had an escape in mind.
It could be that, but hasn't he also said to someone somewhere that he has thinks the Doctor should always be a man? But then I suppose it's not his decision anymore, it's Chibnall's. So it could be setting us up for a female Doctor, it could just be him saying "I know what you're all talking about, and I'm going to acknowledge it in this way without actually planning on following through."
On the subject of a female Doctor, I wouldn't object to it. But there was one case made by a famous feminist that convinces me it shouldn't happen - and it is that the television industry ought not to get rid of one of the only male role models children have who does not solve his problems with guns, but rather with his mind. It's a good thing for people to see a man using his brains instead of just shooting everything, and replacing that character with a woman would lose that.
Presumably just availability of costumes. They have Cybus models in storage, they have "Nightmare" models because they're the current ones, and they made Mondasian models specifically for this story. But there are just no 80s models available to be reused, and it probably wasn't worth the time and money to make them anew just to be battle fodder.
All of this was addressed in the episode if you pay attention. The sonic was setting off traps that Nardole had already laid, not shooting people itself. (Although that does call into question the Doctor's ethics - being a weapon itself and being used to set off pre-laid weapons is a distinction without a difference.) The Master couldn't remember everything that happened when he met herself, as has been long established when different versions of the same Time Lord meet. (Unless, as I theorised above, Missy did actually remember anyway.) The Cybermen had advanced in the greater time-scale they had and because this is what Cybermen do in any situation - they evolve and upgrade. Plus they already had the outfits so they may as well use them. Nothing here is actually inconsistent or unexplained.
And as for killing off Bill - do you really think Moffat would kill off the first openly gay full-time companion? Exactly how do you think that would go down with the public?
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We need to stop agreeing with each other (in case you missed it, I agreed with part of your review last week). It's just...weird.Agreeing with you is always weird and creepy
Who?
For the umpteenth time I feel as though I watched a different episode to almost everyone else. To me it was a by-the-numbers thing where everything was tidied away in order to leave a blank canvas for the new show runner. Bill's arc went full circle (that doesn't sound right, but anyway), which was better than having her die or be a Cyberman forever. Bill - and Mackie's portrayal of her - was pretty much the only thing I liked over the whole of this season. I'd like to believe we'll never see the Master or Missy or any further variant thereof ever again, but as there's no way that's going to happen I'll just enjoy the fact they're gone for the time being (no pun intended). Nardole does nothing for me but being locked in eternal battle with Cybermen isn't much of a fate - even he isn't that bad. He was actually almost interesting in this episode.
As for Capaldi and the ending...hmm. I don't mind Capaldi's Doctor but his interpretation never really grabbed me. Any reminder of Tennant!Doctor is highly unwelcome for me, so the "I don't want to!" whinge was something I really could have done without (even though it wasn't the same whinge, thankfully). I will admit to being intrigued with where they might go with the "first" Doctor; I'll have to try to remember to watch the Christmas special.
Overall, the season was just there for me. Not awful, but not anything special, either. No matter.
Agreeing with you is always weird and creepy
The necessities of the wardrobe and prop department.
They could only spend x pounds to build Y Mondasian Cybermen, when they still have Z renovated Cybus Cyberman gathering dust in a warehouse.
So they can have a small battle at the end with the few Mondasian Cybermen, or a large battle with every thing they had on hand.
Humans come from Earth.
Unless these colonist were humans from Atlantis, the story had to be from the future.
Hmmm.
How was the Doctor's TARDIS translating for Bill in real time?
I don't think it was.
The Master's TARDIS had to be keeping the language orderly.
That's a fair point and I fear you might be right in that interpretation. Still, I like to think Moffat is setting up the possibility of a female Doctor at some point. He's been slowly building up to that notion since he took over, from The Corsair to the Time Lord High President (possibly Rassilon) to Missy. Hell, he even did way back in "The Curse of the Fatal Death" by casing Joanna Linley, who was even rumored for consideration during Jonathan Nathan-Turner's run.
Yes, but that ship did not come from Earth.
But the ship came for Earthlings, whereever it happened to have been built.
%96 of the crewmen were Earthlings who might have not been born on Earth, because man has spread out in the future... But if this story was set in the past, then Earthlings are only on Earth, unless Aliens are at work.
%96 of the crewmen were Earthlings who might have not been born on Earth, because man has spread out in the future... But if this story was set in the past, then Earthlings are only on Earth, unless Aliens are at work.
Further thoughts on this: Back when it was announced that Bill would be gay, Moffat said that her romantic life would have no special effect on the storyline. In the end, Bill's romantic life effectively saved her life. If she hadn't flirted with that girl back in the first episode, she would have spent the rest of her life as a Cyberman. "Never underestimate the power of a crush", the Doctor said. He was right. (*)
Note also that the Doctor said the Master was his first crush - will that be relevant in the same way?
(* Of course, I'm not saying that Bill being gay is what saved her life - the same storyline could have been applied to any heterosexual character. But her romantic life was relevant to the storyline.)
Famous may be overstating the matter. Possibly just some columnist on HuffPo - can't really remember. It was the argument that I remembered rather than the arguer.
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But at no point did they call the Humans, Earthlings and the ship did not come Earth, it came from Mondas.
So you can't remember the name of this person then.
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