Spoilers The Ghost Monument grade and discussion thread

[JRoss]

Solid and enjoyable episode. The music was fantastic. Reminded me of a combination of John Williams and the score from the video game Journey. Whomever this new guy is, I already like him better than Murray Gold. So we're getting a "Dark Prophecy" this season, too. Fine. Figure we'll get one now until the end of time. Chibnall's real test is to see whether or not he makes it work like RTD or blows it like Moffat.

The Tenza didn't strike me as anything more than the same generic one-off angry aliens that we've seen a million times before (which works fine for one-offs), such as the Sycorax, those guys who killed Vikings, that thing from under the lake (where the Sliplknot dude did the voice) and others whose name I forgot as soon as the episode was over. Be interesting to see if they can make these guys work.

 

[Timo]

...The Doctor not liking guns in the MacGyver sense or for abstract pacifism has always seemed like a misinterpretation to me. What he hates is people using guns. That is, people other than him/herself.

In this particular case, she's intent on weaning Ryan off the idea of guns as a solution, for his own safety. Which is basically what she/he is always doing when bringing up the topic. Guns are fine in the hands of people who know how and when to use them. It's just that neither Ryan nor soldiers meet those criteria.

On the other tidbits... Are those even the specific shades of 12, or just some random junk 13 picked up from Earth to fill her pockets with? She'd probably feel an urge to do the latter, this perhaps even becoming a recurring motif.

I get slow pacing. I don't appreciate lax endings. What happened to the two contestants or to the race? We probably will find out later on. But even if we do, the sendoff was less than satisfactory, given the emotional investment in at least Angstrom. If we don't, the "conclusion" here is simply poor.

I also get arc building. I don't appreciate doing it at the expense of story. Has this sort of thing ever happened before, with so little in-episode stuff and so much apparent groundwork? "The Power of Three" was a bit like that, but turns out it wasn't groundwork after all and nothing ever came out of it, no recurring threat, no wisdom gained, no characters revisited. If this one turns out to be the same...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Christopher]

Whomever this new guy is, I already like him better than Murray Gold.

https://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Segun_Akinola

 

[Starkers]

I get slow pacing. I don't appreciate lax endings. What happened to the two contestants or to the race? We probably will find out later on. But even if we do, the sendoff was less than satisfactory, given the emotional investment in at least Angstrom. If we don't, the "conclusion" here is simply poor.

The race was over, the two jointly won and, as per what Art Malik said at the start, were teleported off planet with their winnings.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

The race was over, the two jointly won and, as per what Art Malik said at the start, were teleported off planet with their winnings.

They brought up the Stenza, so we could well see Angstrom and Epzo again. Not quite arc building, but a connection here or there isn't a bad thing.

 

[Saul]

Forget your coat?

Don't worry. I'll be sticking around to share my thoughts on all things Doctor Who. The Trek BBS is not quite Russia yet.

 

[auntiehill]

I gave it a "Very good" rating. I found it a pretty enjoyable episode. I thought the ending was very clearly spelled out, so not confusing at all.

 

[Awesome Possum]

Don't worry. I'll be sticking around to share my thoughts on all things Doctor Who. The Trek BBS is not quite Russia yet.

That’s a shock. Everyone who posts overly dramatic diatribes about leaving a show always leave forever. They don’t stick around and complain for years. What a new development!

Yeah, I don’t care if you needed it spelled out for you.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Bill Potts.

Sybill Potts.

S. Potts.

Spotts.

Spots.

Bill Died from a gaping spot to her torso.

Dated a spot of magic space water.

Oh, and her haircut looked like a spot as well.

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

My favourite part of this episode was the call out to the police call box next to Sheffield town hall "but that one's green..."

My granddad always used to point to the "TARDIS" there, and I was always disappointed that it was the wrong colour, and not quite the right shape (it's a later version of the British police call boxes, from the seventies I think.), but it is still there.

It was a refreshing change from the other modern companions in Who not knowing what it is.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Oh, sweet! It didn't occur to me that Yaz refered to a real police box but of course it was lovely reference.

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

Oh, sweet! It didn't occur to me that Yaz refereed to a real police box but of course it was.ovely reference.

Yeah, the other thing is, the premiere of episode 1 was held at a cinema in Sheffield city centre (about a week before it aired), but I knew nothing about it until the day after. I'm still kicking myself, as I would only have had a ten minute walk to go and see the cast, and the actual TARDIS parked outside Primark (Which for the benefit of non-uk board members is a chain of cheap clothes stores).

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Does Doctor Who appear as fiction in the show's universe?

 

[Christopher]

Does Doctor Who appear as fiction in the show's universe?

There was a wink-wink moment in "Remembrance of the Daleks" (set on November 22, 1963) where a TV was implicitly just about to begin showing Doctor Who when the camera cut away, but it wasn't made overt. And there are a couple of tie-ins (and an abortive Easter egg in UNIT's Black Archive) suggesting that the Peter Cushing movies exist in-universe as fiction based on the Doctor's real Dalek encounters (written by Barbara Wright after her return to Earth, according to one version, IIRC).

 

[Saul]

That’s a shock. Everyone who posts overly dramatic diatribes about leaving a show always leave forever. They don’t stick around and complain for years. What a new development!

Yeah, I don’t care if you needed it spelled out for you.

You've really got a chip on your shoulder about people not liking what you like. I'm sorry you cannot tell the difference between overly dramatic and something made in jest. You don't need to take everything so personally. Get over it.

 

[Butters]

My favourite part of this episode was the call out to the police call box next to Sheffield town hall "but that one's green..."

My granddad always used to point to the "TARDIS" there, and I was always disappointed that it was the wrong colour, and not quite the right shape (it's a later version of the British police call boxes, from the seventies I think.), but it is still there.

It was a refreshing change from the other modern companions in Who not knowing what it is.

I don’t remember that. I moved away over twenty years ago, but Sheffield will always be my favourite city. The people are the best.

I’m making a point to see this when we try out the tram-train at Christmas. The boy will love it.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

My favourite part of this episode was the call out to the police call box next to Sheffield town hall "but that one's green..."

My granddad always used to point to the "TARDIS" there, and I was always disappointed that it was the wrong colour, and not quite the right shape (it's a later version of the British police call boxes, from the seventies I think.), but it is still there.

It was a refreshing change from the other modern companions in Who not knowing what it is.

Makes me think of the Jade Pagoda which was another Time Lord's TARDIS I think

 

[Saul]

My favourite part of this episode was the call out to the police call box next to Sheffield town hall "but that one's green..."

My granddad always used to point to the "TARDIS" there, and I was always disappointed that it was the wrong colour, and not quite the right shape (it's a later version of the British police call boxes, from the seventies I think.), but it is still there.

It was a refreshing change from the other modern companions in Who not knowing what it is.

I was wondering if that was a reference to something real.
So is this series set on an Earth where Aliens are not a thing yet?

Makes me think of the Jade Pagoda which was another Time Lord's TARDIS I think

I thought the Pagoda was the Doctor's TARDIS or maybe I'm thinking of something else.
Would be cool to see a TARDIS with a different outside for a while. Maybe if they go to Asia...

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I was wondering if that was a reference to something real.
So is this series set on an Earth where Aliens are not a thing yet?


I thought the Pagoda was the Doctor's TARDIS or maybe I'm thinking of something else.
Would be cool to see a TARDIS with a different outside for a while. Maybe if they go to Asia...

http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Jade_Pagoda

It's a TARDIS escape pod.

I've never seen it in the old show

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

I don’t remember that. I moved away over twenty years ago, but Sheffield will always be my favourite city. The people are the best.

I’m making a point to see this when we try out the tram-train at Christmas. The boy will love it.

The nice thing about that road is not only that box , but about five of the old red telephone boxes in close proximity as well. And , if you play Pokémon Go, there's a Pokémon gym of the statue of Vulcan.