5x013 The Big Bang (Grading/Discussion) SPOILERS!!

[Yminale]

Guys I have a spoiler pic for Omega

Quake in fear Doctor

 

[Sparky]

Ugh.

It wasn't really bad, and it had a lot of nice moments (especially the museum presentation on the mysterious Centurion, "Fezzes are cool" and "...something borrowed, something blue"), but – to quote the Prisoner Zero version of Amy from The Eleventh Hour – "what a disappointment you've been." The tone was all over the place, half the solutions to the problems didn't even make any sense, and the cliffhanger from last week was resolved in 30 seconds in the least dramatic way possible. And to top it off, they managed to take the Doctor crossing his own time stream to deliver a message to Amy in the past while he's being wiped from existence and underplay it. Some of that is the result of heightened expectations, I admit, but frankly, the Doctor's time reversal back to "Flesh and Stone" was far less interesting than what I'd imagined the answer could be.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, the finale suffered from the worst flaws of the RTD finales but without any of the grand, emotional operatic scope that made those often irrational stories work. Boo.

How did the solutions not make sense? How was the story irrational? How was this not grand and emotional? I'm glad it was underplayed. The change from the overly bombastic and in your face finales with 10 billion Daleks or Toclafane or every companion towing the Earth or everyone as the Master is a very nice change of pace.

Maybe we just have different expectations but I though this finale was well written and brilliantly acted and executed.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Ahhhh, The End (and whatta end! )


That was pretty damn awesome. I really like that they went for mindbending. Instead of infinite armies we got a broken down Dalek as the main physical threat.

I thought the escape paradox was a bit weird, I couldn't really figure out what initiated that loop. I found that quickly put aside though. At first, it rubbed me the wrong way that the Pandorica could be opened with the Sonic but then I came to think that was brilliant in a sort of telling satiric way. How do you get into the impentetrable Pandorica? Have Rory point the sonic at it of course.

I personally thought that was quite a Matt Smith tour de force, he was really good, and I find it hard to believe anyone could fault his performance.

Who'da thought he really is Amy's imaginary friend? I am so glad I went into internet silence for the last week to avoid being spoiled, a little easier in the US than in the UK perhaps. Yeah, we have a lot of *magic* happening (did he ever have telepathy like that before?) but it worked for me here, I was really interested in seeing each new scene unfold. I figured it was going to be an interesting ride when I saw that first onscreen caption.

So did the Doctor regenerate after dying on the steps?

 

[Australis]

Rory, the Boy Who Waited. Wow.

 

[Sparky]

So did the Doctor regenerate after dying on the steps?

He never died on the steps. He was just playing dead so that the Dalek would continue to follow the Doctor, Amy and Rory. it was a bit of a paradox and wibbly wobbley timey wimey in the same vein as Rory rescuing him from the Pandorica and back in the 10th Doctor Children in Need special where he encounters the 5th Doctor and only knew what to do because he had watched himself do it.

 

[David cgc]

My favorite little clever bit was why the Doctor only talked to Amy in "Flesh and Stone." She could only hear flashing-back Doctor, so the only time she'd pay attention to him is when she had her eyes closed.

 

[Sheep]

That two-parter was FUCKING GENIUS. The Moff has pretty much cemented his role as my favorite TV writer of all time.

I liked Rory from the start (which seems to run against popular opinion here), but never in a million years would I have guessed he'd become one of my favorite characters in all of nuWho. Arthur Darvill plays the everyman character off of Matt Smith's goofy Doctor perfectly. Glad to side they're keeping him on.

Also very much looking forward to seeing what the Moff has in store for us with River Song's story next year.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

So did the Doctor regenerate after dying on the steps?

He never died on the steps. He was just playing dead so that the Dalek would continue to follow the Doctor, Amy and Rory. it was a bit of a paradox and wibbly wobbley timey wimey in the same vein as Rory rescuing him from the Pandorica and back in the 10th Doctor Children in Need special where he encounters the 5th Doctor and only knew what to do because he had watched himself do it.

I always have to watch these episodes twice...

 

[Gepard]

Besides have you ever watched any of those classic Doctor Who episodes. The Doctor usually gets out of his predicament in the first 5 minutes and on to rest of the plot.

I've watched about 15 minutes of classic Who, and feel no desire to see more. So I don't really care what the old series used to do, because I've no desire to see the new one emulate it.

 

[Sparky]

So did the Doctor regenerate after dying on the steps?

He never died on the steps. He was just playing dead so that the Dalek would continue to follow the Doctor, Amy and Rory. it was a bit of a paradox and wibbly wobbley timey wimey in the same vein as Rory rescuing him from the Pandorica and back in the 10th Doctor Children in Need special where he encounters the 5th Doctor and only knew what to do because he had watched himself do it.

I always have to watch these episodes twice...

No worries. I've watched it 4 times already.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

^^ So did you like it?

 

[Sparky]

Besides have you ever watched any of those classic Doctor Who episodes. The Doctor usually gets out of his predicament in the first 5 minutes and on to rest of the plot.

I've watched about 15 minutes of classic Who, and feel no desire to see more. So I don't really care what the old series used to do, because I've no desire to see the new one emulate it.

That's too bad because classic Who has some really great stories to tell. Yes you have to get past the production values and storytelling of the eras but there are a LOT of worthy stories told.

 

[Slugboy]

How do you get into the impentetrable Pandorica? Have Rory point the sonic at it of course.

The Doctor notes in "The Pandorica Opens" that as a prison box, its purpose is to keep whatever is inside from getting out, not to prevent people on the outside from getting in. When someone asks if he can open it, he says something like "Easily, but I'd like to know what's inside before I do"

perhaps. Yeah, we have a lot of *magic* happening (did he ever have telepathy like that before?) but it worked for me here,

We've seen the Doctor use telepathy on several occasions in the new series of Doctor Who. For example, he uses it to probe Madame de Pompadour's mind in "The Girl in the Fireplace" and to wipe Donna's mind in "Journey's End". In both cases he presses his hands against the other person's face. In "The Lodger", he uses a head-butting version.

If you go further back, it's been established on several occasions that Time Lords in general are a telepathic species. The earliest instance I can think of is the First Doctor's granddaughter Susan using telepathy to communicate with the Sensorites in the episode "The Sensorites", which aired in 1964.

 

[Sparky]

^^ So did you like it?

It's the only time in my life I have watched a show that many times in one day, but I'll get back to you after the 10th viewing

 

[Klingon Empire]

I was crying! I thought The Doctor died! And he just...came back.

Simply wonderful!

 

[Sparky]

How do you get into the impentetrable Pandorica? Have Rory point the sonic at it of course.

The Doctor notes in "The Pandorica Opens" that as a prison box, its purpose is to keep whatever is inside from getting out, not to prevent people on the outside from getting in. When someone asks if he can open it, he says something like "Easily, but I'd like to know what's inside before I do"

perhaps. Yeah, we have a lot of *magic* happening (did he ever have telepathy like that before?) but it worked for me here,

We've seen the Doctor use telepathy on several occasions in the new series of Doctor Who. For example, he uses it to probe Madame de Pompadour's mind in "The Girl in the Fireplace" and to wipe Donna's mind in "Journey's End". In both cases he presses his hands against the other person's face. In "The Lodger", he uses a head-butting version.

If you go further back, it's been established on several occasions that Time Lords in general are a telepathic species. The earliest instance I can think of is the First Doctor's granddaughter Susan using telepathy to communicate with the Sensorites in the episode "The Sensorites", which aired in 1964.

This.

There is also evidence that the Doctor has a telepathic link to the TARDIS and/or has extra senses and abilities that humans don't. We know that he can "link" to his other selves like in the 5 Doctors. He can also "sense" space and time. he also seems to just know things that are beyond our ability to notice.

 

[GabeHimself]

Didn't care for it and most of my friends didn't either. The message boards seem to be filled with praise for it, but I'm befuddled as to why.

There's a lot of emotion missing on my part and I think the story messed with narrative structure just for the sake of messing with it. (Brilliant! Amazing!)

This entire season has been lackluster and boring with nothing at stake in the episodic standalones. (Best Season Ever!)

Nothing makes sense. And wheras I would usually forgive RTD because he gave me a dramatic core and entertained me, I was pretty ungripped through the entire season.

The Eleventh Hour was one of the best episodes of Doctor Who ever. Every successive episode failed to live up to it.

 

[Samurai8472]

The doctor really should have regenerated when that dalek shot him like that previous time a dalek shot him in "Journey's End"

 

[The]

Didn't care for it and most of my friends didn't either. The message boards seem to be filled with praise for it, but I'm befuddled as to why.

There's a lot of emotion missing on my part and I think the story messed with narrative structure just for the sake of messing with it. (Brilliant! Amazing!)

This entire season has been lackluster and boring with nothing at stake in the episodic standalones. (Best Season Ever!)

Nothing makes sense. And wheras I would usually forgive RTD because he gave me a dramatic core and entertained me, I was pretty ungripped through the entire season.

The Eleventh Hour was one of the best episodes of Doctor Who ever. Every successive episode failed to live up to it.

So, I guess you'll be sitting out next season?

 

[The]

The doctor really should have regenerated when that dalek shot him like that previous time a dalek shot him in "Journey's End"

Nah, it was barely half-power. Just toasted him up a bit.