No one understands time travel, and just because he wants to stray from the social norm of what we may think it is, is fine by me.
Steven Moffat Yay/Nay
- Thread starter Admiral_Young
- Start date
No one understands time travel, and just because he wants to stray from the social norm of what we may think it is, is fine by me.
For me the most telling example is A Christmas Carol. Mucking around with someone's entire life is dubious at best, but whilst he managed to explain why despite this Sardak was still a grouchy old man that was fine, it was when he took young Sardak to see old Sardak at the end that I got annoyed, because surely that rewrote everything that had gone before?
Also from a dramatic perspective the notion that time can be rewritten leeches tension out of a story. TT is just something that's hard to do right, particularly in an ongoing series, and though the show is about a time traveller, I feel Who is at its best when it shies away from the timey wimey stuff.
The Curse of the Fatal Death - Meh.
The Empty Child - Yes, with a hint of "meh."
The Doctor Dances - Yes
The Girl in the Fireplace - Yes
Blink - Hell yes
Time Crash - Yes
Silence in the Library - Yes
Forest of the Dead - Yes
The End of Time Part Two Final Scene - Yes.
The Eleventh Hour - Yes.
The Beast Below - Yes, but barely.
The Time of Angels - Meh.
Flesh and Stone - Meh..
The Pandorica Opens - Yes, with a hint of "meh."
The Big Bang - No.
The Christmas Carol - Yes, with a hint of "meh."
So Moffet was doing quite well until we hit Series 5, and his average went down the crapper.
The Empty Child - Yes, with a hint of "meh."
The Doctor Dances - Yes
The Girl in the Fireplace - Yes
Blink - Hell yes
Time Crash - Yes
Silence in the Library - Yes
Forest of the Dead - Yes
The End of Time Part Two Final Scene - Yes.
The Eleventh Hour - Yes.
The Beast Below - Yes, but barely.
The Time of Angels - Meh.
Flesh and Stone - Meh..
The Pandorica Opens - Yes, with a hint of "meh."
The Big Bang - No.
The Christmas Carol - Yes, with a hint of "meh."
So Moffet was doing quite well until we hit Series 5, and his average went down the crapper.
-The Curse of the Fatal Death - Never saw it
-The Beast Below - meh
The rest get a big yeah!!
-The Empty Child
-The Doctor Dances
-The Girl in the Fireplace
-Blink
-Time Crash
-Silence in the Library
-Forest of the Dead
-The End of Time Part Two Final Scene (uncredited)
-The Eleventh Hour
-The Time of Angels
-Flesh and Stone
-The Pandorica Opens
-The Big Bang
-The Christmas Carol
-The Beast Below - meh
The rest get a big yeah!!
-The Empty Child
-The Doctor Dances
-The Girl in the Fireplace
-Blink
-Time Crash
-Silence in the Library
-Forest of the Dead
-The End of Time Part Two Final Scene (uncredited)
-The Eleventh Hour
-The Time of Angels
-Flesh and Stone
-The Pandorica Opens
-The Big Bang
-The Christmas Carol
He did it in The Big Bang too, and just used the excuse that the universe was ending. I really hate it.
It's awesome and yeah it's about thirteen or fourteen minutes I think. Not to mention that Hugh Grant is in it!
And Rowan Atkinson who actually makes for a great Doctor. Also, it shows very well what happens if you follow through with the whole 'time can be rewritten' thing. 
I'm also a bit worried (well, not really worried, but you get my meaning) about how time travel worked in "The Christmas Carol", though I liked the story. But Moffat kind of rewrote the rules of it as they were previously portrayed on the show (as far as I can tell, I have yet to 18 seasons of the old show) because it's possible to cross your own time stream without any consequences.
Sure, it can be explained by the universe having been rebooted so the rules might have changed. But it also means that most of the time you really wouldn't have a story because the Doctor can just go back and change whatever caused the problem. (Ok, there are still a few stories left to be told even with such scenarios but it does seriously undermine the premise.)
I'm also a bit worried (well, not really worried, but you get my meaning) about how time travel worked in "The Christmas Carol", though I liked the story. But Moffat kind of rewrote the rules of it as they were previously portrayed on the show (as far as I can tell, I have yet to 18 seasons of the old show) because it's possible to cross your own time stream without any consequences.
Sure, it can be explained by the universe having been rebooted so the rules might have changed. But it also means that most of the time you really wouldn't have a story because the Doctor can just go back and change whatever caused the problem. (Ok, there are still a few stories left to be told even with such scenarios but it does seriously undermine the premise.)
I think that Moffat used time travel as one of the themes he was exploring in series five, I don't think we will see it used as much this series. Although that might turn out to be false when we get to the "everything changes" part lol. I am a tad bit worried about that.
It has been a theme with Moffat for a while, even in his first Doctor Who story, The Curse of the Fatal Death. Blink is the prime example, but it's also a major element of the River Song backstory and it played a major role in The Girl in the Fireplace.
No kidding! Doesn't that make Matt Smith the 16th Doctor, though?
The Curse of the Fatal Death - Never seen it
The Empty Child - Yes
The Doctor Dances - Yes
The Girl in the Fireplace - Yes
Blink - YES (and still by far the most frightening villain on the show)
Time Crash - Yes
Silence in the Library - Yes
Forest of the Dead - Yes
The End of Time Part Two Final Scene - Sure, for what it is
The Eleventh Hour - Yes.
The Beast Below - Yes
The Time of Angels - Yes
Flesh and Stone - Yes
The Pandorica Opens - YES
The Big Bang - Yes
The Christmas Carol - Yes
Moffat's Part 1s tend to be rather better than his Part 2s, and as much as I like The Big Bang, it still feels a bit underwhelming after the brilliant The Pandorica Opens. But overall he's the best writer on the show and his episodes are all "Must sees."
It's good when one thing can serve as a multiple metaphor, but the political metaphor doesn't have near the power as the emotional one.
The Empty Child - Yes
The Doctor Dances - Yes
The Girl in the Fireplace - Yes
Blink - YES (and still by far the most frightening villain on the show)
Time Crash - Yes
Silence in the Library - Yes
Forest of the Dead - Yes
The End of Time Part Two Final Scene - Sure, for what it is
The Eleventh Hour - Yes.
The Beast Below - Yes
The Time of Angels - Yes
Flesh and Stone - Yes
The Pandorica Opens - YES
The Big Bang - Yes
The Christmas Carol - Yes
Moffat's Part 1s tend to be rather better than his Part 2s, and as much as I like The Big Bang, it still feels a bit underwhelming after the brilliant The Pandorica Opens. But overall he's the best writer on the show and his episodes are all "Must sees."
It's good when one thing can serve as a multiple metaphor, but the political metaphor doesn't have near the power as the emotional one.
I can't believe how many people have not seen Curse of the Fatal Death! Now there's no excuse, it is one click away: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do-wDPoC6GM