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It was great getting to see Mcgann in the role again, but at the same time it was also very disheartening to see this is how his incarnation ended.
It was also very saddening to see Cass reject him out of hand once she found out he was a timelord. This was a huge turnaround from what we're used to seeing when the doctor waltzes in to save they day. I thought Mcgann conveyed the hurt and disappointment beautifully.
The Doctor's anguish, anger and coldness directed at himself during his 9th, 10th and 11th incarnations is starting to make a lot more sense now, and I can wait to see how "the day of the doctor" further colors in the picture.
As a TerriO pointed out on Facebook, Steven Moffat has now written (or currently writing) for seven different incarnations of The Doctor, which I'm pretty sure is more than any other writer. Terrance Dicks and Robert Holmes are the closest with six and five incarnations, respectively, but I can't think of anyone else who might rival them.
If we're counting any performed media, Paul Cornell has also written for six: Davison (Circular Time), C. Baker ("The 100 Days of the Doctor"), McCoy (The Shadow of the Scourge), McGann (Season of Fear), Eccleston ("Father's Day"), and Tennant ("Human Nature"). Anyone who's written for all the Big Finish Doctors (like Nicholas Briggs, Alan Barnes, or Jonathan Morris) hits five just from that.
ETA: Dicks gets up to six if you count The Ultimate Adventure for C. Baker.
Oh, this was so much more than ticking off a box. "Bring me knitting" alone elevates it above that.
I'm so glad they finally gave McGann a second screen appearance, but it's a shame it was only for six minutes. I hope this creates enough audience interest to generate some kind of return appearance, maybe a TV movie, or at least a "Two Doctors"-style crossover with Capaldi.
Doctor Who doesn't have a "canon" in the sense that Star Trek does, which implies set rules on what is and isn't considered binding on future stories. Stuff from the tie-ins (and from the classic series for that matter) has always been referenced or ignored in the new series as benefits whatever's happening at the moment.
Well, I should point out that the same goes for any canon and its tie-ins. The original work is free to employ or ignore anything from its tie-ins as it sees fit. Star Trek canon took the first names of Sulu, Uhura, and George & Winona Kirk from the novels, and the Voyager episode "Day of Honor" was based on an idea conceived for the novels. Star Wars canon borrowed the planet Coruscant and a number of characters and species from the novels and comics, but The Clone Wars contradicted the novels' portrayal of Mandalore and the new movies are bound to contradict far more. And many comic book series have incorporated characters and ideas from radio, film, and TV tie-ins set in incompatible realities, from Jimmy Olsen to Harley Quinn to Agent Coulson. So picking and choosing from the tie-ins is far from unique to Doctor Who.
No, I think he would've actually died without their help. They restarted him enough to allow his regeneration process to engage, and then they were able to direct the results.
The "at least I'm not a dalek" line was kind of a too-obvious setup for the "what's the difference?" wham response.
Well, since it's in the context of the Time War between the Time Lords and the Daleks, it's understandable that he'd respond that way: "You may not like the Time Lord side in the war, but the other side is even worse."
As a TerriO pointed out on Facebook, Steven Moffat has now written (or currently writing) for seven different incarnations of The Doctor, which I'm pretty sure is more than any other writer. Terrance Dicks and Robert Holmes are the closest with six and five incarnations, respectively, but I can't think of anyone else who might rival them.
Moffat has written for Five, Eight, Hurt, Nine, Ten, Eleven, and Twelve. If you count "Continuity Errors" he also gets Seven. That would be seven, possibly eight. (If you count the Forrest Gump sequence in "The Name of the Doctor," which I personally wouldn't, then he gets the rest.)
If you count tie-ins, Tony Lee and the Tipton brothers have written for all eleven numbered Doctors; the former through The Forgotten and his eleventh Doctor comics, the latter pair through Prisoners of Time.
If you count The Eight Doctors and his Quick Reads books, Dicks gets up to nine.
Holmes is at six if you count the unmade "The Six Doctors."
Any other year I might have squeed or might have cringed, but this year I just really too broken to really...*feel* anything about a TV show. Or much of anything else, really.
Any other year I might have squeed or might have cringed, but this year I just really too broken to really...*feel* anything about a TV show. Or much of anything else, really.
Yes, I'm counting Capaldi with the impending Christmas Special.
In all of the excitement about Paul McGann, I forgot to mention how cool it was to see "young" John Hurt as The War Doctor. Usually digital face-mapping doesn't work for me, even with obvious distortions, but I like how Hurt looked here.
I guess, after viewing it a couple more times, my only quibble is the fact that after an impact like that, there should certainly be some dismemberment and at the very least, horrible burns.
Yes, I'm counting Capaldi with the impending Christmas Special.
In all of the excitement about Paul McGann, I forgot to mention how cool it was to see "young" John Hurt as The War Doctor. Usually digital face-mapping doesn't work for me, even with obvious distortions, but I like how Hurt looked here.
In all of the excitement about Paul McGann, I forgot to mention how cool it was to see "young" John Hurt as The War Doctor. Usually digital face-mapping doesn't work for me, even with obvious distortions, but I like how Hurt looked here.
Since it was just a reflection and his mouth didn't move, I assume they just used a shot of the young Hurt from some old movie or TV show, superimposed on top of what McGann was wearing and processed to look like a reflection.
In all of the excitement about Paul McGann, I forgot to mention how cool it was to see "young" John Hurt as The War Doctor. Usually digital face-mapping doesn't work for me, even with obvious distortions, but I like how Hurt looked here.
Since it was just a reflection and his mouth didn't move, I assume they just used a shot of the young Hurt from some old movie or TV show, superimposed on top of what McGann was wearing and processed to look like a reflection.
That was amazing. A complete fangasm minisode that fits perfectly into the leadup to the fiftieth. McGann gets six minutes of pure delight that reminds us he was - IS - an awesome Doctor. It was rushed, but even in the four last minutes he was able to stay true to his 1996 edition and bring us a look at th last page of one of the longest chapters in the Doctor's life story.
And, his regeneration into a warrior was a choice - as all his good ones are. Called it.
Secondary reaction: Glad the wanted McGann back, and I'm glad he was available to do it.
Tertiary reaction: I'd rather have had an entire episode (special) in which to get to know his Doctor before watching him die and choose to become someone else entirely. Six minutes and forty nine seconds just isn't quite enough.
That was great. I've seen the TV movie, but I haven't listened to any of the Big Finish stuff, so this is my only other exposure to the Eighth Doctor. McGann was just fantastic. I wish this had been a full episode and not just six minutes long.
