7X11 The Crimson Horror(Grading/Discussion)(SPOILERS
- Thread starter Samurai8472
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The other slight downside to this episode is that it does show the limitations of the notion of a Vastra/Jenny/Strax show, because you really only have one of the three who can really travel openly (although people just assume Strax is some foreigner obviously)
Oh, there are a number of ways to deal with that. Vastra in a veil would get her out into the action. Or you develop a larger supporting cast -- the "Paternoster Row Irregulars," maybe.
For that matter, who would run the series? Moffat doesn't have the time, I'm not even sure that Gatiss has the time.
From a fannish perspective, I can think of a half-dozen things that could be done with the concept. For instance, is the Torchwood of the era aware of Madame Vastra's activities? Does the Captain Jack of that era ever cross paths with the Paternoster Gang? (If you want to get really fannish, there's an amnesiac eighth Doctor living in that era, too.)
The problem is, once I get through the fannish ideas, what I'm left with is Sherlock Holmes or Sexton Blake but with different characters, and my interest in the idea flags somewhat. That's down to the characters themselves; I like them, but I like them as supporting characters, though I will say that Justin Richards did good work in making them stand alone in The Devil in the Smoke.
Beyond that, I think the BBC would have hard questions for Madame Vastra Investigates. How does this enhance the Doctor Who brand? How does this fit with the rest of the BBC? How does this appeal to the mainstream audience? For that matter, who is this series' audience?
Ironically, for a period piece, I think it could be done fairly economically. For one thing, it could be filmed in Dublin on Ripper Street's sets; the backlot exists, so why not use it? For another thing, Madame Vastra Investigates would be of more interest to BBC America than the BBC itself; it's something niche that they could pitch at their "Supernatural Saturday" audience, so they might be willing to go in on a coproduction deal. (Though, honestly, they would much rather go in as coproducers on the mothership.)
To sum it up, I'm not opposed to a Madame Vastra Investigates spin-off. It's not my first choice for the next Doctor Who spin-off, but no one in their right mind is going to make an Abslom Daak series. But I think there are a lot of hurdles that need to be jumped before it happens. And it probably won't.
Can someone explain the Tom Tom / Thomas Thomas reference to me...?
It's a SatNav joke that seems to have wandered in from a bad sketch comedy show.
If the series was being run by someone who was't asleep at the wheel it would have been cut after the first draft.
Can someone explain the Tom Tom / Thomas Thomas reference to me...?
Tom Tom is a GPS navigator that gives turn by turn instructions and Tom is a shortening of Thomas.
Kmew there was a joke in there when watching the episode but didn't get it at the time.
Since i'm not prone to making such comments frequently I thought I could get away with that.
The last two weeks I liked this series and then today I feel it's gone backwards to something a bit kiddish (more than usual) or either it reminds me of similar episodes. I didn't feel there was anything new here. Love the character and the cast. Felt they could have done more. I didn't like it, didn't hate it. I'd rather hate it with good reason than just be "meh" but it seemed bland to me and so that's all I feel to it.
I recall the outfit first appearing in 'The Snowmen', so it wouldn't have been created specially as a tribute to Mrs. Peel (Unless Dame Diana had already been cast for this back then). But on the other hand, I can easily imagine Moffat in a production meeting pushing the virtues of black leather. He is a cult TV fan, after all, and I'm sure he'd like a Mrs. Peel type in his show.
And after the implied oral sex reference in 'A Good Man Goes To War', here we have the Doctor see a gorgeous young woman strip off her maid's outfit to reveal the leather underneath, and his sonic screwdriver goes vertical. Hmmmm....
And was it just me, or was some of the music (near the start, before it got---once again---too loud and bombastic) deliberately reminiscent of Sherlock?
G1 Galvatron toy on the kitchen counter, in 2013? E-bay that sucker.
Was it really? I saw it and thought it was Galvatron but didn't get a good look. Nice.
Are you talking about morons on the show?
He seems to be implying that the current run of episodes consists of stories so staggering in the intellectual capacity required to understand them that it's driven two million viewers away.
It's either that or people are no longer interested in buying what Moffat is selling.
Take your pick.
Well, I was amused, at any rate.
Or people are just not as interested in watching Doctor Who since it's been on for quite awhile now.
Loved the episode! A fun, highly enjoyable outing. Seeing Diana Rigg again was a real treat, too.
I couldn't have been the only one that was thinking Mr. Sweet was going to turn out to be the Great Intelligence again? I'm glad it wasn't, still I was expecting it.
Yeppers.
G1 Galvatron toy on the kitchen counter, in 2013? E-bay that sucker.
Was it really? I saw it and thought it was Galvatron but didn't get a good look. Nice.
Yeppers.
Very nice show, though I thought the last ten minutes were a little bit too frantic and haphazard, as if Gatiss hadn't had enough time to plug all the holes properly. Still, outstanding performance from Diane Diana.
I hope the new kids stick around.
I hope the new kids stick around.
Simplistic shit is always closer than we'd like.If you want simplistic shit then Star Trek Into Darkness is just round the corner y'know?
Because? What was wrong with that joke?
I liked it
And it it's nice that Clara doesn't know that there is something weird about her, I like the fact she's just an ordinary person, so to speak, and found it odd there was a Victorian picture of her, I like where this is going
Not a terrible episode, pretty much run of the mill, and what we'd expect for typical Doctor Who episode
Someone above was right, this season is a lot of ups and downs, very inconsistent
Next week looks good, I like it when they have several companions
And it it's nice that Clara doesn't know that there is something weird about her, I like the fact she's just an ordinary person, so to speak, and found it odd there was a Victorian picture of her, I like where this is going
Not a terrible episode, pretty much run of the mill, and what we'd expect for typical Doctor Who episode
Someone above was right, this season is a lot of ups and downs, very inconsistent
Next week looks good, I like it when they have several companions
Actually, I've found the episodes this half of the season to be much better paced when it comes to a solution that the last half (particularly The Power of Three).
Because it takes you out of the interal "reality" of the series and into a scene that would be more suited to an episode of 'League Of Gentlemen'.
As DW fans we're used to handwaving all sorts of dodgy science and plot points in order to have the episodes make some kind of sense. But there's no internally logical way of explaining why a 19th Century urchin is talking like a 21st Century SatNav. It's a comedy sketch joke, though thankfully less offensive than the Sonic Screwdriver getting an erection was. (At least a blow-job dispensing Paving Slab made some sense.)
While I loved the twist regarding the "monster", and got a huge kick out of the old-timey flashback with the Doctor and Clara, I have to admit the rest of the episode just... didn't really do much for me (at least on a first viewing).
The story just felt overly-familiar-- it's yet another community where "all is not as it seems", where there's yet another mad, alien-controlled leader, and where once again people are mysteriously disappearing and/or being experimented on.
And while the Vastra/Jenny/Strax combo was fun to see once, I'm not sure they're really interesting enough to keep revisiting. There's only so many times you can keep hitting the same notes with those characters.
The story just felt overly-familiar-- it's yet another community where "all is not as it seems", where there's yet another mad, alien-controlled leader, and where once again people are mysteriously disappearing and/or being experimented on.
And while the Vastra/Jenny/Strax combo was fun to see once, I'm not sure they're really interesting enough to keep revisiting. There's only so many times you can keep hitting the same notes with those characters.
Meh. It's another one of those "just sort of there" crap episodes.
An uninteresting story (I fell asleep trying to watch it... twice), unfunny moments (fainting guy, Thomas Thomas, just about anything with Strax) shoehorned in, and over zealous Gold music that doesn't fit.
An uninteresting story (I fell asleep trying to watch it... twice), unfunny moments (fainting guy, Thomas Thomas, just about anything with Strax) shoehorned in, and over zealous Gold music that doesn't fit.
Speaking personally I can't warm to Clara at all. This means I don't actually bother if I miss an episode and that's me being a huge fan of Matt Smith's Doctor.
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