6x01 The Impossible Astronaut (Grading/Discussion) (SPOILERS!!)

[Nays]

So has anybody else noticed the person standing next to the life guard shack when the Doctor is murdered? I was re-watching the episode and noticed it. The figure is gone as soon as the Doctor is shot the second time.

So what do you think? A Silent, 11th Doctor, or just a production error?

Link to photo

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I'm going with a production error, but I suppose it doesn't technically matter either way. After all, they knew one was near the beach. The beauty of the silents is they could be literally everywhere walking the streets as we speak without any difficulty or problem.

 

[Captain_Amasov]

Its very striking to compare the difference in tone between 'Impossible Astronaut' and early Tennant. After watching the premiere, I put 'School Reunion' on due to the Liz Sladen appearance. The jokey, tongue-in-cheek, feel of the show was almost entirely lost in this grim and disturbing premiere.

I don't think that's a meaningful comparison. Doctor Who has always had a mixture of dramatic and tongue-in-cheek episodes, and episodes that mixed both. For every "The Shakespeare Code," there was also a "Dalek" or "Human Nature." Hell, just last season, we went from the dramatic "Vincent and the Doctor" to the hilarious "The Lodger" in just one week.

Also "Midnight" wasn't exactly a barrel of laughs either from Tennant's era.

 

[watermelony2k]

I think a better comparison would be The Impossible Astronaut with prior season premieres, which up to this point have been fairly episodic, light-hearted affairs.

 

[Snaploud]

I know Rory has the whole "I was a Roman" thing happening, but it seemed odd that they burned the body on a boat right after the mention of how every molecule is potentially dangerous (in that a bunch of alien races would kill for them). The boat is eventually going to sink, and you're going to have a corpse at the body of the ocean...not a pile of dust. It would have made more sense to burn the body on land and then spread the ashes into the water...

 

[WillsBabe]

I enjoyed it. I usually enjoy it. Matt Smith's just getting better in my opinion. Unfortunately it occurred to me that I'm really tired of his posse.... so shoot me.

 

[DimesDan]

The Doctor's funeral pyre kind of reminded me of when The Tenth Doctor burned the Master. Quite a nice scene.

Or Vader's or Qui-Gonn's

Or you know, a Viking funeral which predates all of that.

 

[Mitty]

I still can't believe that nobody out of River, Rory and Amy didn't ask where the TARDIS was. Perhaps there wasn't enough time because they were still in shock and then 909Doc turns up, but I'm surprised it didn't come up later. I wonder if it'll get addressed next episode.

 

[Blamo]

Well the appreciation index is out - 88%

I've read that's joint highest for a Doctor Who series opener.

 

[Capt_Pickirk]

The Doctor's funeral pyre kind of reminded me of when The Tenth Doctor burned the Master. Quite a nice scene.

Or Vader's or Qui-Gonn's

Is it bad that I was humming the music to vader's funeral music during this bit? I really couldn't care less that the Doctor was dead.

Oh and when River said that there was only one person that the Doctor trusted more than the three of them my sister blurted out 'Rose!'. It was such a facepalmy moment, I thought they were going to do that. I hate Rose

 

[Phily B]

Well the appreciation index is out - 88%

I've read that's joint highest for a Doctor Who series opener.

iirc the appreciation index has been 85-90 for the past few years apart from for victory of the daleks. i think it was end of time or journey's end/stolen earth with the title of 90+.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

The Doctor's funeral pyre kind of reminded me of when The Tenth Doctor burned the Master. Quite a nice scene.

Or Vader's or Qui-Gonn's

Is it bad that I was humming the music to vader's funeral music during this bit? I really couldn't care less that the Doctor was dead.

Oh and when River said that there was only one person that the Doctor trusted more than the three of them my sister blurted out 'Rose!'. It was such a facepalmy moment, I thought they were going to do that. I hate Rose

While I didn't hate Rose, it certainly wouldn't make sense to have her. This is the new Doctor, they aren't going to bring in past characters randomly like that because it'll steal the show from the current characters.

 

[Pindar]

Been away from the forum a while. Voted this Stetsons ARE cool.

This episode looked amazing the scenery look great in HD.

I enjoyed that in one episode we got actors from BSG and B5.

Have we had anyone from Trek on Who yet?

The episode itself I enjoyed but as it's all setup that probably wont be paid off in full before the end of the series it's hard to give it a final mark.

 

[Count Zero]

Oh and when River said that there was only one person that the Doctor trusted more than the three of them my sister blurted out 'Rose!'. It was such a facepalmy moment, I thought they were going to do that. I hate Rose

It would have been appropriately screwed up, though. I could almost see Moffat pull a stunt like that just for the laughs.

 

[Neroon]

The Doctor's funeral pyre kind of reminded me of when The Tenth Doctor burned the Master. Quite a nice scene.

Or Vader's or Qui-Gonn's

Or you know, a Viking funeral which predates all of that.

Precisely. Don't get me wrong. The effect is atmospheric and cool looking and all, but I've seen that enough now. Then again how many other rites could you use in teh same context to good effect?

Oh and when River said that there was only one person that the Doctor trusted more than the three of them my sister blurted out 'Rose!'. It was such a facepalmy moment, I thought they were going to do that. I hate Rose

It would have been appropriately screwed up, though. I could almost see Moffat pull a stunt like that just for the laughs.

Nahhh... Moffat would have a look-a-like blonde walk out of the restroom and past them, giving the Doctor a pause and then shaking his head.

 

[Rosalind]

watched it a few more times and still loving it.

Did anyone else caught the Doctor say "brave heart Canton" when they got to the warehouse? That put a smile to my face.

 

[ITL]

GAH! Tegan's the one with the brave heart! And the big gob. And the whiny voice. And the mini-skirt.

 

[Psion]

Have we had anyone from Trek on Who yet?

Morgan Sheppard has been in Trek a bunch of times. First in The Next Generation as Ira Graves, then again in Star Trek VI as the Klingon commandant of Rura Penthe. He was also in Voyager as an Ahab-esque shuttle pilot intent on killing a protoplasmic life form, and I understand he was in the 2009 movie as one of the Vulcans, but I don't remember him in it.

 

[DimesDan]

Have we had anyone from Trek on Who yet?

Morgan Sheppard has been in Trek a bunch of times. First in The Next Generation as Ira Graves, then again in Star Trek VI as the Klingon commandant of Rura Penthe. He was also in Voyager as an Ahab-esque shuttle pilot intent on killing a protoplasmic life form, and I understand he was in the 2009 movie as one of the Vulcans, but I don't remember him in it.

He was the Vulcan who was chairman for when Spock was wanting to join the Science Academy.

Mark Sheppard played Ichebs dad in a later season episode of Voyager and I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up earlier.

Question is now, anyone from the Stargate franchise shown up in Doctor Who?

 

[Pindar]

Have we had anyone from Trek on Who yet?

Morgan Sheppard has been in Trek a bunch of times. First in The Next Generation as Ira Graves, then again in Star Trek VI as the Klingon commandant of Rura Penthe. He was also in Voyager as an Ahab-esque shuttle pilot intent on killing a protoplasmic life form, and I understand he was in the 2009 movie as one of the Vulcans, but I don't remember him in it.

So he was. I am getting old and forget thing these days.