Hours away from Jodie's second episode and her first adventure beyond Earth. Looks like it'll be a lot of fun!
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Spoilers The Ghost Monument grade and discussion thread
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Hours away from Jodie's second episode and her first adventure beyond Earth. Looks like it'll be a lot of fun!
I enjoyed it. Once again, a so-so story, but the presentation makes it sing. It really looks like Chibnall's lasting legacy will be his slower-paced storytelling, which to be honest, I am not against. Pretty good so far.
And I like the TARDIS. Sure, its not exacty original, its basically a combo of the RTD one with the Segal/TV Movie one, but its nice. And it makes cookies, now!
And I like the TARDIS. Sure, its not exacty original, its basically a combo of the RTD one with the Segal/TV Movie one, but its nice. And it makes cookies, now!
I loved this episode. A thrilling adventure with The Doctor and her companions thrown right in the middle of a deadly race. Hell of a way to visit their first planet for Yaz, Graham, and Ryan. While the overall plot was a bit pedestrian, I really enjoyed how The Doctor and her companions had to team up with two ruffians in order to survive the planet and get to the fabled Ghost Monument (which of course is the TARDIS). Everyone got a chance to shine in figuring things out, plus a nice lesson on using guns contrasted with mindless video games (but I imagine this won't be the last time Ryan might feel motived that way).
I have a few minor quibbles but nothing that really takes away from the episode. For such a dire winner-takes-all race, I found it rather odd how Epzo and Angstrom quickly took a backseat to The Doctor's leadership after they reached the boat. Granted, The Doctor made her point about working together, but it still seemed weird that neither of them tried to make a point of working on the engines themselves instead of just letting The Doctor's companions muddle their way through.
I also thought it was odd how Graham didn't seem to bat an eye when The Doctor told him her shades either belonged to Audrey Hepburn or Pythagoras and instead remarked that he didn't think Pythagoras wouldn't wear such glasses. I guess he was distracted by their current situation on a strange alien world and just thought she was having a laugh. Similarly, I thought it was weird Yaz automatically assumed Epzo and Angstrom were humans even though she had no indication that they traveled in time and knows that humans haven't traveled beyond Earth (with minor exceptions, of course).
I forgot to mention this in the last episode, but like others, I'm loving, loving the cinematography of the new season. It's vibrant, refreshing, personal. I particularly loved the long single shots in aboard the two ships as The Doctor and her companions are trying to figure things out.
We finally get to see the opening sequence...and I love it! A wonderfully different texture and feel from the previous sequences while at the same time still invoking them. Just a pity that it was so damn short. Definitely the shortest sequence we've had since The Second Doctor (and perhaps even shorter?).
We also finally got a chance to see the TARDIS control room! Very crystalline, very red, very alien. Also rather dark. Hopefully that's just because of the manic mode the TARDIS was in and it'll lighten up in the following episodes.
I have a few minor quibbles but nothing that really takes away from the episode. For such a dire winner-takes-all race, I found it rather odd how Epzo and Angstrom quickly took a backseat to The Doctor's leadership after they reached the boat. Granted, The Doctor made her point about working together, but it still seemed weird that neither of them tried to make a point of working on the engines themselves instead of just letting The Doctor's companions muddle their way through.
I also thought it was odd how Graham didn't seem to bat an eye when The Doctor told him her shades either belonged to Audrey Hepburn or Pythagoras and instead remarked that he didn't think Pythagoras wouldn't wear such glasses. I guess he was distracted by their current situation on a strange alien world and just thought she was having a laugh. Similarly, I thought it was weird Yaz automatically assumed Epzo and Angstrom were humans even though she had no indication that they traveled in time and knows that humans haven't traveled beyond Earth (with minor exceptions, of course).
I forgot to mention this in the last episode, but like others, I'm loving, loving the cinematography of the new season. It's vibrant, refreshing, personal. I particularly loved the long single shots in aboard the two ships as The Doctor and her companions are trying to figure things out.
We finally get to see the opening sequence...and I love it! A wonderfully different texture and feel from the previous sequences while at the same time still invoking them. Just a pity that it was so damn short. Definitely the shortest sequence we've had since The Second Doctor (and perhaps even shorter?).
We also finally got a chance to see the TARDIS control room! Very crystalline, very red, very alien. Also rather dark. Hopefully that's just because of the manic mode the TARDIS was in and it'll lighten up in the following episodes.
Oh, I wish we were marking out of 10 options - I feel that "very good" is too high, but "good a shade too low, so really I'd put it in between the two.
You can tell they blew the budget on foreign filming cos there were only three guest actors... Overall, though, yeah - some nice touches to the past, it felt like a mix of small-scale and epic... The cinematography continues to impress, as do Jodie and Shane. Tosin is OK, and Yaz is so unmemorable here that I can't even rememer the actress's name. The team works well together (Graham even quotes Ian Chesterton at one point!)
I like the new titles, but the theme... there's a really good version and a really bad version playing at the same time, and which one I notice keeps swapping depending on pitch and tone.
The Doctor's aversion to guns is a bit overplayed considering that she effectively went with "guns are bad, but area-effect explosives are cool, kids." (Twice!) Also, pointing a hand decive at an armed robot (i.e. the sonic) surely ought to invited it to take that as a hostile move and react accordingly.
I'd gathered there was a rumour that there was no stupid arc this year - new broom and all that - but if "Timeless Child" aren't stupid arc words, then I'm the poet laureate. On the upside, was it just me or did anybody else thing Desolation was riffing on Deadworld from the old DWW backup comic strips? And nicely so.
Next week will, I think, be the make or break- will they put lecturey virtue-signalling ahead of story; story ahead of being true to the historical situation, or get the right balance of story and inspiring the audience to go look it up? #drwho
You can tell they blew the budget on foreign filming cos there were only three guest actors... Overall, though, yeah - some nice touches to the past, it felt like a mix of small-scale and epic... The cinematography continues to impress, as do Jodie and Shane. Tosin is OK, and Yaz is so unmemorable here that I can't even rememer the actress's name. The team works well together (Graham even quotes Ian Chesterton at one point!)
I like the new titles, but the theme... there's a really good version and a really bad version playing at the same time, and which one I notice keeps swapping depending on pitch and tone.
The Doctor's aversion to guns is a bit overplayed considering that she effectively went with "guns are bad, but area-effect explosives are cool, kids." (Twice!) Also, pointing a hand decive at an armed robot (i.e. the sonic) surely ought to invited it to take that as a hostile move and react accordingly.
I'd gathered there was a rumour that there was no stupid arc this year - new broom and all that - but if "Timeless Child" aren't stupid arc words, then I'm the poet laureate. On the upside, was it just me or did anybody else thing Desolation was riffing on Deadworld from the old DWW backup comic strips? And nicely so.
Next week will, I think, be the make or break- will they put lecturey virtue-signalling ahead of story; story ahead of being true to the historical situation, or get the right balance of story and inspiring the audience to go look it up? #drwho
Pretty good, though I'm uneasy about the tooth idiots being setup as a major enemy, that seems ridiculous to me.
Hey, they had Art Malik! One great guest actor is worth more then a dozen normal ones. Shame they wasted him though.
Hey, they had Art Malik! One great guest actor is worth more then a dozen normal ones. Shame they wasted him though.
Looked good, supporting cast were O.K., Jodie was good although her tendency to shout stuff as if it's some sort of mission statement will grate if it continues, but I don't think that's her fault.
The dialogue continues to 'clunk' in places and I have reservations about the writing. We're due a good episode now...
The dialogue continues to 'clunk' in places and I have reservations about the writing. We're due a good episode now...
Actually, I liked that the dialogue scenes didn't seem like smug, smart-but-not-smart interactions, but closer to real-life interactions. Its a step further from Moffat's self-indulgent tendencies, and I love it.
I thought this was a fun outing - better story than last week and beautiful visuals. I was actually surprised they got the TARDIS back, fully expecting this storyline to play out over another few weeks - I was sure it would disappear as she reached it. I love the new interior.
Jodie continues to impress and the team are coming together (Yas could do with more to do, though). Nice to see an actress from my home town in it too (though I’ve never really rated Susan Lynch as much of an actress, she was fine here).
Jodie continues to impress and the team are coming together (Yas could do with more to do, though). Nice to see an actress from my home town in it too (though I’ve never really rated Susan Lynch as much of an actress, she was fine here).
Despite all the talk about there not being an arc-plot there clearly is one; two episodes in a row have the same aliens as background; the leadership selection technique makes no sense unless there's more to it (plus, there was another abduction a few years ago, pretty quick unless the aliens need a new leader very often); and today Art Malik talked about how he was ending the race, without any background on that.
Could be lazy writing... or plot threads for later.
Could be lazy writing... or plot threads for later.
Good direction, good pacing and good acting let down by a poor plot. The race felt underused as a concept and the ending was a bit of a clunker. Either have a cliffhanger, like last week into this, or don't. That attempt at a team building speech felt very hollow because of this.
https://kibbinscodex.wordpress.com/2018/10/14/what-is-doctor-who-the-ghost-monument/
https://kibbinscodex.wordpress.com/2018/10/14/what-is-doctor-who-the-ghost-monument/
I really enjoyed that. Great cinematography, great cast, yeah the plot had some holes (just where had the Doctor been keeping those sunnies?) but it was so well put together that I just went with it and had fun. Yaz definitely needs more to do, Ryan's CoD moment was a bit silly but just about worked, Jodie was excellent but the stand out for me was Walsh, far more engaging than last week and it looks like he and Ryan will have a nice partnership (whether Ryan wants that or not).
Anyway I loved it...right until they walked into the Tardis. Maybe it'll grow on me but for the moment I hate it. I liked the coral desktop, but in 2005 it felt fresh and different, this just feels like a flashy retread. So Tim Shaw's people will be the reccuring baddies then eh? And Timeless Child? This year's Bad Wolf/Hybrid no doubt.
Loved the titles and the music.
Anyway I loved it...right until they walked into the Tardis. Maybe it'll grow on me but for the moment I hate it. I liked the coral desktop, but in 2005 it felt fresh and different, this just feels like a flashy retread. So Tim Shaw's people will be the reccuring baddies then eh? And Timeless Child? This year's Bad Wolf/Hybrid no doubt.
Loved the titles and the music.
I am a tad worried there might be a retread of Bad Wolf/Hybrid myself. But we'll have to wait and see, don't we?
Yeah, I'm a little disappointed about the appearance of an arc phrase after they said it would be all standalones. Who knows, maybe it was just a minor continuation but I doubt it, especially considering The Doctor's promise to shut down the hunt.
A couple of things I forgot to note:
Interesting how The Doctor said she was once a hologram for a short while. Am I forgetting something or was it just a funny aside?
I'm genuinely surprised no one fell into Chekov's Deadly Water. As soon as The Doctor described how the water flesh-eating microbes, I figured Epzo or Angstrom would suffering an untimely death. I guess sometimes Deadly Water is just Deadly Water.
A couple of things I forgot to note:
Interesting how The Doctor said she was once a hologram for a short while. Am I forgetting something or was it just a funny aside?
I'm genuinely surprised no one fell into Chekov's Deadly Water. As soon as The Doctor described how the water flesh-eating microbes, I figured Epzo or Angstrom would suffering an untimely death. I guess sometimes Deadly Water is just Deadly Water.
Ha! I didn't even think about that. I was too busy being bugged about Graham not bothered by the Audrey and Pythagoras comment. I guess she transferred it from a pocket she didn't find earlier.
The moment I heard that the “Timeless Child was abandoned” and The Doctor’s reaction to it, I immediately thought Susan... and that they were finally going to do something with her. But I keep thinking that this season for sure were going to get Susan and so far... nope.
I think it was just a funny aside @Evil Headhunter
That's a thought. Would be nice for her to finally return after so many missed opportunities. As much as I love "The Doctor's Wife," I hate how Susan wasn't mentioned during The Doctor and Idris' first conversation.
Yeah, probably so. Would be a funny story to explore later down the road though.
For a super deadly planet it seemed like a fairly decent place for a holiday to be honest. The robots seemed to be only around the shooting range and while the killer paper was obvisually a problem it feels like nothing out of the ordinary for a Doctor Who planet.
Maybe Susan will appear in the Christmas Special? End the 10th episode with a sting of Susan appearing out of nowhere in the TARDIS?
Regarding the "timeless child" thing I thought of Susan at first, too, but then I thought it could fit Ashildr, too. I'm not sure if they would really go back to anything in Wholore for this season, though.
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