6x01 The Impossible Astronaut (Grading/Discussion) (SPOILERS!!)
- Thread starter Neroon
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In regards to the diner discussion.
Indeed, there is a breakfast-focused restaurant on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland (which I can't remember the name) that has a bunch of vintage metalwork on the walls (like bicycles) and the the top of the walls are lined with vintage lunchboxes. I was 13 maybe the last time I was there and I found it charming.
Indeed, there is a breakfast-focused restaurant on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland (which I can't remember the name) that has a bunch of vintage metalwork on the walls (like bicycles) and the the top of the walls are lined with vintage lunchboxes. I was 13 maybe the last time I was there and I found it charming.
Meh, pretty average, actually. Yeah, we had some fun moments, the Doctor's shenanigans in the past at the beginning, River breaking out of prison again, the Secret Service agent constantly being told off, and Mark Sheppard's character is cool. But otherwise, I wasn't too impressed. Maybe this is something that we have to wait until part 2 airs to properly appreciate part 1. I know I wasn't overly impressed with The Empty Child until after I saw The Doctor Dances, but still, I don't know.
Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey is starting to get played out. Yeah, seeing the Doctor die is a shocking moment, or it would be if I hadn't read spoilers, but there is no way we can believe this is going to be permanent. Obviously they'll write around this and cancel it out when the time comes, so aside from shock value, what does this accomplish? Oh and ditto the above question, what did happen to the future Doctor's TARDIS? For that matter, when Amy, Rory and River were having their conversation in the TARDIS deciding not to tell the Doctor about his future death, how could he not hear them?
You know, I've heard quite a bit about the Silence being creepy and scary, possibly the scariest aliens in Doctor Who ever, but I wasn't too impressed with them. They're not scary or creepy, just weird. Really weird, yes, but that's it.
Oh and that woman in the White House's bathroom made a comment about the Silence looking like something from Star Trek. Just how many people were aware of Star Trek in 1969? Yeah, I know someone would have been, but I somehow doubt someone back then would automatically think of Star Trek upon seeing an alien.
Oh well, not the strongest way to start a season, but let's hope it gets better in the weeks ahead. Although, are they going to have Amy's narration about the Doctor just before the credits of every episode? Seems a bit unnecessary, Doctor Who has never needed a narration in the opening credits, and I don't see why we need to start.
I feel I should make a comment about Amy being pregnant, but I really can't think of anything to say about it. So I guess, this is my placeholder. [Insert comment here.]
Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey is starting to get played out. Yeah, seeing the Doctor die is a shocking moment, or it would be if I hadn't read spoilers, but there is no way we can believe this is going to be permanent. Obviously they'll write around this and cancel it out when the time comes, so aside from shock value, what does this accomplish? Oh and ditto the above question, what did happen to the future Doctor's TARDIS? For that matter, when Amy, Rory and River were having their conversation in the TARDIS deciding not to tell the Doctor about his future death, how could he not hear them?
You know, I've heard quite a bit about the Silence being creepy and scary, possibly the scariest aliens in Doctor Who ever, but I wasn't too impressed with them. They're not scary or creepy, just weird. Really weird, yes, but that's it.
Oh and that woman in the White House's bathroom made a comment about the Silence looking like something from Star Trek. Just how many people were aware of Star Trek in 1969? Yeah, I know someone would have been, but I somehow doubt someone back then would automatically think of Star Trek upon seeing an alien.
Oh well, not the strongest way to start a season, but let's hope it gets better in the weeks ahead. Although, are they going to have Amy's narration about the Doctor just before the credits of every episode? Seems a bit unnecessary, Doctor Who has never needed a narration in the opening credits, and I don't see why we need to start.
I feel I should make a comment about Amy being pregnant, but I really can't think of anything to say about it. So I guess, this is my placeholder. [Insert comment here.]
That was rich!
Contextless post is contextless.
That was rich!
Contextless post is contextless.
Sorry, the reaction of Nixon and Sheppard's character to the Doctor's appearance.
Highly enjoyable and I was more shocked that the episode was over so quickly than by the twist at the end. Major props to Mark Sheppard who is awesome as usual. Lots of great one-liners (especially the one from The Doctor ranting about people not paying attention to him being clever).
Also, I love your suggestion that the child is a younger version of River. I pretty much decided at the beginning of the episode that River would be the shooter which felt awfully predicatable. This way seems much better (and I like it a lot better than being Amy and Rory's kid).
That being said, I was a little crept out by the bathroom scene. Hopefully they'll take it up a notch in the next episode.
I thought I recognized him! Completely forgot that he was Mark's father, but in retrospect, it was cool to see him play an older version of his son.
Wow, that's some fascinating insights, and unlike some Christian analogies I've seen in shows and movies (like a certain Doctor Who finale), it didn't feel forced or obvious. I didn't think of it myself but now I see it completely.
Also, I love your suggestion that the child is a younger version of River. I pretty much decided at the beginning of the episode that River would be the shooter which felt awfully predicatable. This way seems much better (and I like it a lot better than being Amy and Rory's kid).
I think the problem is that Moffat and others kept raging about how scary and creepy they were, so we went in expected to be scared and crept out.
That being said, I was a little crept out by the bathroom scene. Hopefully they'll take it up a notch in the next episode.
Ah, yes! The whole visual of the mysterious astronaut pointing seemed familiar. Thank you for the reminder.
As Starkers pointed out, "War Without End" has a similar mysterious astronaut that keeps popping up. Considering how at least three people made the connection, don't you think you're overreacting just a tad?
That didn't bother me because I've seen a lot of rural areas use school buses to transport people.
Actually, something else about this scene bugs me but can easily be corrected in a future episode. The guard says that she's done this on multiple occasions but I'm hoping it's not suppose to be a reference to "Time of the Angels" but rather some future episodes of her appearances.
So, what does everyone think of turning off the TARDIS engine sounds again, and being able to make it invisible?
I could buy the cloaking thing, IF the chameleon circuit was working properly, but the whole point of the chameleon circuit is that it blends in with the surroundings without needing to turn invisible! So that's kind of weird. I think a lot of new whovians don't even know that the TARDIS can turn into anything depending on where it lands, or at least is supposed to be able to. It's like why make the darn thing turn invisible, it already has a unique feature.
I also don't like them being able to turn off the engine sounds, that's like a key integral part of Doctor Who.
I could buy the cloaking thing, IF the chameleon circuit was working properly, but the whole point of the chameleon circuit is that it blends in with the surroundings without needing to turn invisible! So that's kind of weird. I think a lot of new whovians don't even know that the TARDIS can turn into anything depending on where it lands, or at least is supposed to be able to. It's like why make the darn thing turn invisible, it already has a unique feature.
I also don't like them being able to turn off the engine sounds, that's like a key integral part of Doctor Who.
I tend to agree. The impression I get is that Moffat is trying to make his version of nuWho different from RTD's interpretation.
^ It's kinda SJA.
The Doctor said that the Chameleon Circuit works but the TARDIS always picks a Police Box.
Also I was reading the TARDIS Wiki page for The Lodger and in the Events section it says:
Do you think that they were members of The Silence?
Also I know that Mark Shepherd was born in England but it seems that he has lost a bit of his accent. I can still hear hints of it but the "gravel-iness" hides it.
Yeah, invisibility is a bit much. After all the times where the Doctor has parked the TARDIS away from the front lines so as not to attract unwanted attention and he could have just cloaked it? Sorry, I'm not buying it. Besides, I thought with the perception filter, it was as good as invisible?
I don't mind silencing the engines, since it's just a call back to the joke about leaving the brake on which itself continues the joke about the Doctor being a horrible pilot.
The Doctor said something about invisibility being a huge power drain, hence his preference not to use it.
I'm sure it is most of the time. But in the middle of the Oval Office?
Apparently, the new opening credits with Amy's narration is a BBC America thing. I quite like it, actually.
And, after watching Doctor Who Rewind, if we get Mark Sheppard hosting Doctor Who episodes, a la Howard da Silva in the 1970s, I'd be okay with that, too.
The Tardis ability to go invisible was already used in Troughtons story The Invasion way back in 1968 when the visual stabiliser was damaged and the Tardis went invisible on its removal.
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