• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Spoilers The Power of the Doctor grade and discussion thread

How do you rate The Power of the Doctor?

  • Total voters
    68
So, Jodie Whittaker's last story tonight, in the Centenary special, Power Of The Doctor. I'm surprised I have't seen leaks from the press premiere abound, other than that apparently they didn't show the regeneration outcome, just a caption,

My predictions: It'll be more an anniversary show than a 13th Doctor wrap-up, and the eponymous power of the Doctor will be the Timeless Child's magical infinite regenerations nature, and will be sacrificed to save the day, leaving the Doctor with a regular or mystery number of remaining regenerations, and never be mentioned again. (Because it by definition means there's never a possible threat to the Doctor's life so long as it's still there.)
 
Interesting to note:
* 14(ish) is wearing a waistcoat not a jacket
* 14 makes an appearance in the mindscape wondering why he's not the regeneration?
 
I'm glad I followed spoilers so I can avoid the sad trainwreck this show just became until I inevitably can't any longer and have to finally subject myself to it or else stop watching entirely.
 
Something i forgot to add: Jodie and Ncuti deserve better than to be casualties of pandering fanwank
(Tennant's return).
 
It was so so so poorly written (no surprises) and pulled about six million bits from other stories (no surprises) but looked great (until the bloom in the Tardis at the end made me think the Tv was broken) and the actors really really did their best (seeing sylv and Peter again was astonishingly touching — shame they didn’t use Mel earlier for Six, or at least use him with Kate and imply he was her ‘first’ Doctor.)

Ultimately though — hope the early adopters who put money on Tennant enjoy their winnings, but that was a mess of a script and story, and utterly utterly impenetrable to anyone but people who have been watching the show. And even then…

I won’t go into detail at this stage, but three stand out negatives:

The Master is more or responsible for the deaths of the Tsar and his family. How tasteless.

Dan? Ten minutes and you’re done mate, no room at the inn.

Why? Why was anyone doing anything they did? Why cyberconvert in 1916? Why are the Daleks digging a hole? Why? On so many things, just why.

I did like the lift from Paul Cornell, with the Doctors past incarnations inside the Doctors mind — but, all the bits I liked are so heavily biased because they remind me of other, better things. And poor Jodie — hee Doctor doesn’t even get to really be responsible for saving the day in her last story. Par for the course. And sorry Thasmin fans — that princess carry and ice cream is all you’re getting.
 
DigificWriter said:
Something i forgot to add: Jodie and Ncuti deserve better than to be casualties of pandering fanwank
(Tennant's return).
Click to expand...

I would agree, but suspect it’s an emergency tourniquet to get the viewers back. Shades of the Dark Dimension, and executive requests.
 
JoeZhang said:
Interesting to note:
* 14(ish) is wearing a waistcoat not a jacket
* 14 makes an appearance in the mindscape wondering why he's not the regeneration?
Click to expand...

Interesting RTD quote:

“The path to Ncuti's Fifteenth Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger and fun! And how is it connected to the return of the wonderful Donna Noble? How, what, why? We're giving you a year to speculate, and then all hell lets loose!"
 
Samurai8472 said:
The being on the cyber planet turned out to be a waste. THAT could have been the timeless child. The Master could have shot the doctor instead of the doctor being hit by a stray beam from that creature
Click to expand...
It wasn't stray- he did it with a remote control. Why it obeyed or how and why he didn't control it further I've no idea. Chibnall scripting...
 
Power Of The Doctor- Well, that was a fun and exciting anniversary crowd-pleaser, withut a single original bone in its boday. Pretty much every concept and plot point was lifted from a previous episode, book, comic, or audio Dalek Invasion Of Earth, Countdown comics, The Dominators, The Sound Of Drums, Journey's End (I'd be willing to bet good money that Vinder's role was written for Captain Jack, and switched up cos of Barrowman issues)... even Jodie's pre-regen speech was 40% quoted from Tomb Of The Cybermen...

Cool to see Classic Doctors and companions- I wish they'd made more of Ian fucking Chesterton actually showing up! Of course modern fans won't recognise all the familiar stuff, so they'll hopefully enjoy it as a crowd-pleasing spectacle, and I'm going to give the sheer weight of nicked stuff a pass for being an anniversary thing.

Dhawan was good fun as the Master this time, and I'd love to see him as the Doctor - I wish the makers would do something different with the Master than the barking Joker-clone persona, though. Sophie slips right back into it so well...

Disappointed not to see Ncuti there, and how the fuck did the whole fucking outfit regenerate?
Now, the US GP recording, before it finishes...
 
That was terrible!

And wonderful.

And terrible.

But also wonderful.

A joyous mess?

The good: Tegan! Janet was brilliant, none of Tegan's rough edges have been rubbed off by time.

Ace. Ditto for Sophie, even though Tegan's return meant more to me it was still wonderful to see her.

Davison/Fielding and McCoy/Aldred was also just wonderful. Plus McGann and Colin Baker. Just lovely to see them all.

Jo Martin! God I hope that isn't the last time we see her!

Ian! I never thought we'd see the day (also Jo and Bonnie! Fab!)

Yaz. Actually not bad, probably had more direct impact on the story than the Doctor.

Graham. I've no idea how he wound up fighting Daleks but damn the man has presence!

The bad: Jodie. All this time and Chibnall is still doing the same things, cutting her legs out from under her, denying her agency. He hates her so much he has Dhawan playing the Doctor (after doing that thing where Whittaker is tied up and he explains everything again!)

The plot. All over the bloody place, seriously it was a mess. Daleks, Cybermen, the Master. Surprised there wasn't a kitchen sink!

Dan. WTF?

And then we got the regeneration. I half expected a surprise but no, and I think we all knew what Tennant's first words would be :lol:

Three thoughts on the regeneration(s).

1. The degeneration maybe makes more sense now as a holdover from the Master's shenanigans and the Yaz induced degeneration?

2. Clothes regenerate now? What the fuck?

3. Tennant isn't Fourteen he's Fifteen. Surely Dhawan is fourteen :p
 
I went to see Bonnie in her 50 years in show business cabaret show on Friday so great to see her here as well. Oh and she can still high kick and do the splits!

The Peter/Janet scene brought tears to my eyes, loved it. Tegan stole every scene she was in for me.

Now we need a former companions spin off series! Tegan, Ace, Mel & Jo please!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top