7x06 The Bells of St John - review/ discussion

[Starkers]

This was the ep that cemented Matt Smith as my favourite Doctor since McCoy. Eccleston and Tennant were intentionally less eccentric, less alien and more accessible for The Saturda

I thought about this too while watching this episode. I thought back to Tom Baker saying he would do things that were decidedly un-human since the character is an alien. Smith made me think that with little things he does, tasting the leaf, reacting with disgust at the idea of snogging someone everyone alive would snog, and various other little "alien" actions.

All of that would've been fine and worked better if it were the 3rd Doctor. But the 3rd wasn't befuddled by any of this stuff when he started living on Earth. He wasn't confused about human's, jobs, money, women or courting women. Why should he be? He'd already had at least one child of his own.

So watching 11 mentally revert to someone who act's like they've just arrived on Earth is somewhat annoying at times. Thankfully Smith has the talent to make it bearable, if not funny. However, after interacting with humans for roughly 600 years, and given that 3 wasn't as confused, then the older 11 shouldn't be stumped by a single thing in the area of "humans".

But he's centuries older and has regenerated 8 times since he was three, given regeneration seems to rewire his brain at least a little I'm surprised he isn't more scatterbrained/forgetful than he is. I don't recall everything I've done in my 42 years and I've spent it on the same planet in the same era!

 

[Saga]

I've just taken to skipping Bones posts entirely. Every week they're pretty much the same tired snark.

word.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I've just taken to skipping Bones posts entirely. Every week they're pretty much the same tired snark.

Does he still post? I thought he had left. Oh well.

The episode: it was nice. Very Black Mirror, wasn't it? When does Charlie Brooker write an episode, by the way?

 

[Konata Izumi]

^If that's the case, then I believe they spent lots of money for something that looked and felt like what RTD did for much less. As a producer of "The Bells of St. John", I would find that pretty embarrassing. It's the definition of waste.

When did you last see an RTD episode, and does your display affect the quality? They were almost always shot very plainly and roughly.

Russell T. Davies would open a series with gawdy, tacky cack like New Earth. A story which (Forgetting the toilet paper of a script!), is horrible for wasting a ton of money on a landscape shot of a futuristic city for no reason other than trailer time. The Doctor stares at it and then says "But actually, I'd rather go somewhere else!", before the action of the episode takes place entirely in a garish white hospital.

It sets the mood. Of future city. And is followed upon quite sufficiently with cat people.

I have to laugh at some fans calling the show childish compared to RTD's day.
So farting aliens are mature?

Yes, despite the show generally being less mature back then...

 

[DalekJim]

I really like the episode but heckling Ghost Bones for not liking it is kinda unreasonable. That's how the mindless JJ Abrams fanboys in the other section act, I thought we were more tolerant of minority opinions in here?

I think people should be entitled to like or dislike it as much as they want.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I really like the episode but heckling Ghost Bones for not liking it is kinda unreasonable. That's how JJ Abrams fanboys in the other section act, I thought we were more tolerant of minority opinions in here?

I think everyone is very tolerant of GhostBones' opinions. It's his attitude that people find grating. I guess that's something we could all learn from.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Also if any Doctor was close to Jar Jar, it was the 2nd.

Didn't Smith say at some point that he's based his performance on the 2nd?

I know Moffat has said that The Tomb of the Cybermen was the first episode Matt Smith saw.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I know Moffat has said that The Tomb of the Cybermen was the first episode Matt Smith saw.

I think it's fair to say that every Doctor can be seen as an amalgamation of traits portrayed by either One, Two or Three, and that Two is the most influential of them all.

 

[Shazam!]

He's alien in the way Jar Jar Binks was alien.

I'm not a Star Wars guy, so I'll assume that's why I'm not making the connection

Jar Jar is a goofy, cartoonish alien who usually gets into wacky situations and succeeds despite nearly getting himself killed in the process purely by accident.

You've not done the argument any favours there....

 

[Mr Awe]

Outstanding! Not quite the very top mark but up there. The chemistry between the 2 is great! The idea of the story was interesting. There wasn't quite enough meat to the story, but solid ideas. Looking forward to continued adventures with Clara!

Mr Awe

 

[Haggis and tatties]

Also if any Doctor was close to Jar Jar, it was the 2nd.

Didn't Smith say at some point that he's based his performance on the 2nd?

I know Moffat has said that The Tomb of the Cybermen was the first episode Matt Smith saw.

And what a serial to start with, totally cracking story from start to finish.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I really like the episode but heckling Ghost Bones for not liking it is kinda unreasonable. That's how JJ Abrams fanboys in the other section act, I thought we were more tolerant of minority opinions in here?

I think everyone is very tolerant of GhostBones' opinions. It's his attitude that people find grating. I guess that's something we could all learn from.

I really think GhostBones misses The & Sci to argue with.

Some legendary 3 ways those.

 

[Samurai8472]

Anyone getting a little annoyed at some of the episode titles that have little to do with the plot?

Such as "Let's Kill Hitler"

What next. "The Doctor steps into the TARDIS"

 

[RoJoHen]

I just wish that GhostBones would post about things he likes from time to time. He keeps calling himself a fan, but based on his posts, I would absolutely never use that word to describe him.

Anyway...totally random and unrelated to question, but to those watching BBCAmerica, does anyone know the song that was playing during the preview for Copper?

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Anyway...totally random and unrelated to question, but to those watching BBCAmerica, does anyone know the song that was playing during the preview for Copper?

"Hard Times Come Again No More," by Iron and Wine. Rolling Stone has an article.

 

[RoJoHen]

Neat! Thanks.

 

[DalekJim]

I wrote a full review for my blog which can be found here

 

[RAMA]

Deadly wifi? Din't see much purpose to the episode.

Then you haven't paid much attention to Moffatt's style of storytelling. At least as far as Doctor Who is concerned. (Hint: The first episode tells you just about everything you need to know in retrospect.)

Well Im prepared to believe there will be links to other stories, but as a standalone, the episode was merely ok.

RAMA

 

[Ghost Bones]

Are you aware that you don't have to watch the show?

Yes, someone or other always mentions it whenever I post. I have addressed the question numerous times, and I'm not sure you're really interested in the answer.

Also if any Doctor was close to Jar Jar, it was the 2nd. It's an incredibly poor analogy, but that's as close as possible to him. Close in the sense that Earth is close to the Sun.

I strongly disagree. I don't think there's a more similar character to Matt Smith's "Doctor" in all of fiction than Jar Jar Binks.

You keep saying it, doesn't make it any more cleaver or even accurate. Nice try though.

I'm prepared to accept my opinion isn't objective fact. You ought to do the same.

 

[ThankQ]

Anyway...totally random and unrelated to question, but to those watching BBCAmerica, does anyone know the song that was playing during the preview for Copper?

"Hard Times Come Again No More," by Iron and Wine. Rolling Stone has an article.

There's also a great version of this on Bob Dylan's 1992 album Good As I Been to You. Most people will enjoy the Iron and Wine version much more, but I think that older Dylan's croak lends itself to a song like this.