Also, I only just found out the great Linus Roache is going to be in this episode, too!
Spoilers Lux grade and discussion thread
- Thread starter The Nth Doctor
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Also, I only just found out the great Linus Roache is going to be in this episode, too!
I just realized, it's Easter Weekend and we've got new Doctor Who. Granted, it's not a premiere or special, but meh, new Doctor Who is always a nice Easter gift.
After watching the episode I am now convinced that all leaks and rumors about Doctor Who ending are the ultimate 4th wall break and deliberate!
I wonder what Nicholas Briggs thought about the mid-credits scene.
Radical improvement. Still crunchy in places. It sadly highlights and tries to paper over why you don’t put the Doctor in recent history. It breaks, ironically, the suspension of disbelief. Put the Doctor in segregationist US, the character is honourbound to bring down the government. And whilst there’s plenty that was no doubt educational to a lot of people in this episode, and it’s kind of pleasing to see that, on the other hand it has the unfortunate side effect of turning what was basically a riff on the Master stealing the Doctors regeneration energy (see the the TV Movie, or Power of the Doctor… or for a sideways spin on it, Mawdryn Undead) into possibly putting some viewers in mind of a lynching scene.
Ncuti performance is better once he stops being wacky, but the wacky bits kind of let it down. He’s no Smith. Nor a Capaldi, if you like your wacky dry. Or Tom, if you prefer someone with a more authentic Fred.
Like Let’s Kill Hitler it tries to lampshade why we no longer see the Doctor in our real and terrible history, but I think it’s not quite as successful at that, and has a similar failing in that it’s using tragedy as window dressing. (See also Spymaster Part Two or whatever that was called. Only that made far worse mistakes.)
Loads of it worked really well, and I am suspicious that RTD has got Moffat helping him with his homework. He borderline signed this one with the ‘Blink’ discussion. And remarkably, it’s slightly concerning that if this was all filmed prior to last season airing, RTD knew stuff like the Goblins were a bit shite.
It all does raise the interesting possibility that this Doctor is actually a construct of the Toymaker as well. Which would be a way out the mess, but also be a bit shit to do to your first Black British actor in the role. Mind you, there’s already elements they just plain shouldn’t have done in that regard anyway.
Top marks for the team doing the production though — independence matches. And I suspect some fans of certain ages and persuasions will quite enjoy Belinda pulling the frame down over and over in *that* dress. Surprising to see in modern who. I am also glad someone made the decision to have the cartoon be Hanna Barbera, because that works. Though I worry for the effect of the Meta scenes on certain Mental Health conditions, though that may be me being over concerned.
So yeah, maybe if Ncuti (who apparently and according to rumour actually wanted a more grounded Doctor and Costume, and if true, I wish he had stuck to his guns) can bring his performance more in line with the middle of this episode (and maybe get to be the one who actually saves the day at some point) things might look up. Before the red flag of impending cancellation becomes a sword of Damocles.
Still. It’s an improvement. And a nice riff on themes played with in Greatest Show in the Galaxy. And a dash of The Mind Robber.
Ncuti performance is better once he stops being wacky, but the wacky bits kind of let it down. He’s no Smith. Nor a Capaldi, if you like your wacky dry. Or Tom, if you prefer someone with a more authentic Fred.
Like Let’s Kill Hitler it tries to lampshade why we no longer see the Doctor in our real and terrible history, but I think it’s not quite as successful at that, and has a similar failing in that it’s using tragedy as window dressing. (See also Spymaster Part Two or whatever that was called. Only that made far worse mistakes.)
Loads of it worked really well, and I am suspicious that RTD has got Moffat helping him with his homework. He borderline signed this one with the ‘Blink’ discussion. And remarkably, it’s slightly concerning that if this was all filmed prior to last season airing, RTD knew stuff like the Goblins were a bit shite.
It all does raise the interesting possibility that this Doctor is actually a construct of the Toymaker as well. Which would be a way out the mess, but also be a bit shit to do to your first Black British actor in the role. Mind you, there’s already elements they just plain shouldn’t have done in that regard anyway.
Top marks for the team doing the production though — independence matches. And I suspect some fans of certain ages and persuasions will quite enjoy Belinda pulling the frame down over and over in *that* dress. Surprising to see in modern who. I am also glad someone made the decision to have the cartoon be Hanna Barbera, because that works. Though I worry for the effect of the Meta scenes on certain Mental Health conditions, though that may be me being over concerned.
So yeah, maybe if Ncuti (who apparently and according to rumour actually wanted a more grounded Doctor and Costume, and if true, I wish he had stuck to his guns) can bring his performance more in line with the middle of this episode (and maybe get to be the one who actually saves the day at some point) things might look up. Before the red flag of impending cancellation becomes a sword of Damocles.
Still. It’s an improvement. And a nice riff on themes played with in Greatest Show in the Galaxy. And a dash of The Mind Robber.
Not quite what I expected, but I still really enjoyed.
The meta scene with the fans was a highlight, and Alan Cumming was great as Lux/Mr. Ring-a-Ding, with him constantly going back and forth between goofy cartoon character and creepy evil god. Him being another member of the Gods of Chaos was an unexpected surprise, it looks they're pretty solidly a recurring element of the show now.
I was pretty happy with how they handled the realities of having a black guy and and Indian woman in 1950s US, they acknowledged it enough that it felt realisitic, but didn't let it distract to much from the focus of the episode.
Damn, the realistic Mr. Ring-A-Ding was seriously terrifying.
The meta scene with the fans was a highlight, and Alan Cumming was great as Lux/Mr. Ring-a-Ding, with him constantly going back and forth between goofy cartoon character and creepy evil god. Him being another member of the Gods of Chaos was an unexpected surprise, it looks they're pretty solidly a recurring element of the show now.
I was pretty happy with how they handled the realities of having a black guy and and Indian woman in 1950s US, they acknowledged it enough that it felt realisitic, but didn't let it distract to much from the focus of the episode.
Damn, the realistic Mr. Ring-A-Ding was seriously terrifying.
Might be time to rewatch the Torchwood episode "From Out of the Rain."
On paper, "Lux" is as silly as a lot of the last season, but for me, at least, it worked a lot better. It wasn't played relentlessly over the top.
On paper, "Lux" is as silly as a lot of the last season, but for me, at least, it worked a lot better. It wasn't played relentlessly over the top.
Kept expecting this guy to show up...
Anyway that was great, went in directions I was not expecting and as others have said I'm glad both the Doctor and Belinda's ethnicity in 1950s America was addressed without it becoming the focus of the story.
So we're all fictional characters then?
Anyway that was great, went in directions I was not expecting and as others have said I'm glad both the Doctor and Belinda's ethnicity in 1950s America was addressed without it becoming the focus of the story.
So we're all fictional characters then?
Holy Sweet Damn! Now that was an episode! Really fun, really meta. The bit with the fans was a definite highlight. I'm sure someone's going to waltz in and complain about it being unoriginal and derivative the "drowning by sunlight" thing is basically just like the werewolf drowning by moonlight in Tooth and Claw, leaving the show and entering the real world was taken straight out of She-Hulk. And maybe that's even true. But I don't care, I loved this episode!
That's reaching. Anyone who pays any attention to Doctor Who fandom since 2007 know Blink is a really popular episode, it usually tops fan favorite lists for the modern era, especially among fans who began watching with Eccleston or Tennant. RTD acknowledging Blink's popularity is not proof Moffat is "helping him with his homework" or whatever. Indeed, considering the fans seen in this episode are hard on another Moffat episode (Boom from last season) and that we have Belinda being dismissive of Blink's premise, which I don't think either would have happened had Moffat had a hand in that scene. Well, okay, Moffat isn't above a self-deprecating jab, but I still don't think he had anything to do with that scene.
Yeah, I thought about Sapphire and Steel, by way of PJ Hammond's Torchwood episode. I hadn't seen "From Out of the Rain" in ages so I watched it just now. Very different story, even more purely weird fantasy than "Lux," with the bad guys being a mysterious travelling carnival with strange powers who were caught on film decades ago and are able to step out of the film when it's played. More appropriate for a Sapphire and Steel spinoff than a Doctor Who spinoff, really.
Splendid fun! Although I'm a bit disappointed (but unsurprised) we didn't get more of the animated versions of The Doctor and Belinda, I particularly loved their side adventure within cellulose. I enjoyed how the further they traveled, the less sure they were of actually escaping. That uncertainly pushed right down to breaking the fourth wall, leading to a much better take on Whovians than "Love and Monsters," even if it wasn't the most flattering take on them.
But above all else, I loved the battle of wits between The Doctor and the newest entrant of the Pantheon of Discord, Lux Imperator, who was the right balance of playful manic energy and just below-the-surface sinister cunning imbued by the great and amazing Alan Cumming. I especial loved the cleanness of Lux's animated nature and how the less-is-more approach made him scarier in most of his scenes. In fact, I found him far more threatening in his two-dimensional form than his more "realistic" three-dimensional form glimpsed during the third act.
Even though it was unnecessary to have that quick clip show of the past members of the Pantheon, I'm still glad they got name checks to remind of us of the stakes The Doctor's ongoing war with the Pantheon over the very nature of reality. Although I'm quite weary of overescalation of "the end of everything" climaxes from Davies (and Moffat and Chibnall...), something about the Pantheon fascinates me and I hope that Davies is able to stick the landing. We got some tickling of it from the Tennant specials, particular in "Wild Blue Yonder," so I'm curious to see how Davies plans to lay it all out.
Belinda remains an absolute delight and I'm thoroughly enjoying how she quietly scrutinizes The Doctor and his livelihood as part of regular conversation. I hope this continues throughout her travels with The Doctor and isn't softened into someone who is swept up by The Doctor's grandeur. My favorite companions have always been those who kept The Doctor grounded and humble, whether or not he wants it. Far better than the swooning companion.
At this point, Mrs. Flood is just mocking The Doctor. And us. More of this, please.
But above all else, I loved the battle of wits between The Doctor and the newest entrant of the Pantheon of Discord, Lux Imperator, who was the right balance of playful manic energy and just below-the-surface sinister cunning imbued by the great and amazing Alan Cumming. I especial loved the cleanness of Lux's animated nature and how the less-is-more approach made him scarier in most of his scenes. In fact, I found him far more threatening in his two-dimensional form than his more "realistic" three-dimensional form glimpsed during the third act.
Even though it was unnecessary to have that quick clip show of the past members of the Pantheon, I'm still glad they got name checks to remind of us of the stakes The Doctor's ongoing war with the Pantheon over the very nature of reality. Although I'm quite weary of overescalation of "the end of everything" climaxes from Davies (and Moffat and Chibnall...), something about the Pantheon fascinates me and I hope that Davies is able to stick the landing. We got some tickling of it from the Tennant specials, particular in "Wild Blue Yonder," so I'm curious to see how Davies plans to lay it all out.
Belinda remains an absolute delight and I'm thoroughly enjoying how she quietly scrutinizes The Doctor and his livelihood as part of regular conversation. I hope this continues throughout her travels with The Doctor and isn't softened into someone who is swept up by The Doctor's grandeur. My favorite companions have always been those who kept The Doctor grounded and humble, whether or not he wants it. Far better than the swooning companion.
At this point, Mrs. Flood is just mocking The Doctor. And us. More of this, please.
Uh-huh. You say that whenever anyone calls you out on your excessive hyperbole in such a direct and thorough manner.
No, I say it when someone doesn’t get an obvious joke. Sometimes, not even just my own jokes.
I gave it a seven anyway. The good, but could do better, mark.
