Spoilers The Haunting of Villa Diodati grade and discussion thread

[Nightowl1701]

Let's just say Eight's adventures with Mary (and Byron's ties to Faction Paradox) were erased by the Time War, and leave it at that. As I said before, the Time War's the ultimate continuity 'get out of jail free' card.

We never learned what type of cancer he has, right?
Brain tumors can cause hallucinations?so what if this wasn‘t just a funny unrelated side story?
What if they prepare to write him out of the series in a very Joyce Summers way?

Something a YT reactor named 'Firefly 24601' said a couple days ago stuck with me:

"Ryan has said outright he is thinking about leaving. Graham has had harbingers of death in this last episode (and the episode before, with the Grace hallucination). Yaz has had no hints of leaving, and that's what scares me the most. Any or all of these could be red herrings, especially Graham's actual ghost sighting as a harbinger of his impeding death. But it's Yaz not wanting to leave, and always wanting to be involved, and to do MORE, that scares me. The last companion we had like that was Clara, and Yaz is nowhere near as quick and capable as Clara was."

Well, whatever goes down these next two episodes, the Fam certainly can't say they weren't warned.

 

[Pindar]

Saw this one at Gallfrey One. We got to see it a bit early. By an hour or so. I gave it an 8. Probably Whitaker's best story so far. Either this one or Ghost Monument.

I would love to go to Gallifrey One year. Was it good fun?

 

[Mr Awe]

I would love to go to Gallifrey One year. Was it good fun?

They're great fun assuming you're into both DW and the convention scene. I don't go to many conventions, but I like this one because it has a relatively large number of DW guests and it is well run. You don't spend most of your time in lines, etc. This year Eccleston was the headliner, and he was someone I never thought I'd meet! Many other DW guests from both the current series and old.

 

[Starkers]

Just watched again. Just as good, an absolute cracker.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

They're great fun assuming you're into both DW and the convention scene. I don't go to many conventions, but I like this one because it has a relatively large number of DW guests and it is well run. You don't spend most of your time in lines, etc. This year Eccleston was the headliner, and he was someone I never thought I'd meet! Many other DW guests from both the current series and old.

I thought Christopher Eccleston wanted nothing more to do with DW at all.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I thought Christopher Eccleston wanted nothing more to do with DW at all.

Then you're a little behind the times. He started going to conventions last year. There have been a couple of threads about his new turn in the Doctor Who public eye.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Then you're a little behind the times. He started going to conventions last year. There have been a couple of threads about his new turn in the Doctor Who public eye.

Well that's nice to hear.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Yes, it is.

Here are the threads in question.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Yes, it is.

Here are the threads in question.

Verry cool

 

[Starkers]

Maybe the money became too much to ignore? (sorry overly cynical of me I know)

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Maybe the money became too much to ignore? (sorry overly cynical of me I know)

I don't know. How profitable is doing the convention rounds?

 

[Starkers]

I don't know. How profitable is doing the convention rounds?

I don't know what he's charging now but the first one I saw him advertised as doing had photo or autograph around the £90 mark. These events are huge, thousands go to them. Apologies for linking to the Express but this is interesting. I've heard Jewel Staite say this before, how cons can be more lucrative than acting gigs, and by comparison she's a far cheaper guest than someone like Eccleston would be. I think she's in the £20-£30 price range, and she'll be way less popular than Eccleston will be, especially given he's only recently started doing these events.

Don't get me wrong, the majority of stars do these things and I have no issue with people making money and I think it's great that Chris is doing them now, I just always got the impression that he was someone who thought himself above this kind of thing.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I believe he talked about that in the interview in the first thread I linked. Something along the lines he finally came around and saw how beneficial it was for the fans.

But I'm sure the money helped, too.

 

[Mr Awe]

I thought Christopher Eccleston wanted nothing more to do with DW at all.

He was fantastic at the convention. He seemed a bit hesitant or shy about the reaction he'd get right at the beginning but he really loosened up and seemed to have a great time. He comes across as a very kind and caring person. I'd rank his talks up there among the best/most interesting I've heard at conventions.

 

[Mr Awe]

Don't get me wrong, the majority of stars do these things and I have no issue with people making money and I think it's great that Chris is doing them now, I just always got the impression that he was someone who thought himself above this kind of thing.

I think he's a shy person who is more hesitant or surprised at how much his appearances mean to fans. He came across as a very humble person. One who didn't think an appearance would mean much. He explained that DW was a 9 month job he did 15 years ago. He's also a person who is easily hurt and feels things. Lots of risk for making an appearance that bombs. And then there's the mindset of how he views himself which is objectively off. For example, he's often said he was wary of doing humor. But, in his talk he included lots of humor and he was great with the delivery and timing. Really hysterical stuff that he told well. Clearly, how he sees himself and how he thought others see him is different than reality. And, I doubt he thinks he's "above" anything. He described himself as a D-list actor in the UK. He talked about his humble beginnings and working class family background.

In short, I have a completely different impression of him now than I did before.

 

[KimMH]

I was of the impression that his depression contributed to his reluctance to do public stuff. I’m glad to hear he is lovely.

 

[Mr Awe]

^ Yes, that's the impression I had and still have. And, yes, he really is lovely. A kind, sensitive soul.

 

[USS Fardell]

The Haunting of Villa Diodati
The eighth episode of series 12. Team TARDIS arrives at the villa on the shore of Lake Geneva where Percy and Mary Shelley, Lord Byron and others are staying during the 'year without a summer'. However, something up. Weird things are happening, causing illusions and the layout of the villa is twisting upon itself. And Percy Shelly goes missing... But to begin, the intro, before Team TARDIS arrives was done rather well, as well as their arrival during the storm. The scene with the dancing was good too.
That particular meet and greet was done rather well. Then the groups split up, with Graham looking for the 'loo'. The revelation of the villa twisting on itself via Graham's search was done well, as was his confusion. The Doctor scans the villa, because she thinks something is odd. Clearly not hiding the sonic from Mary either. But these scenes were also well written. Then there is also the theme of illusions, with Polidori being able to peirce them while he's sleepwalking. The Doctor then using that knowledge to get through the illusions was a great moment.
However, something is outside the Villa, trying to get in. Something that looks like a ghost, but isn't. (There's something else that may look like a ghost too, see below.) It turns out that the ghost is the Lone Cyberman, and it's after something (of course). Great cinematography in the reveal, appropriately creepy. That the Cyberman is only mostly converted (or damaged) just makes it more creepy. Asking the Doctor “Are you the Guardian?” just makes her confused, for a short while. She quickly figures it out.
More time with the Lone Cyberman, and repetitions of Captain Jack's warning.The Doctor considering giving what it what it wants was certainly well done and it's definitely in character, but she's clearly feeling the strain of the responsiblilty she has given herself. She goes looking for Percy Shelly, telling the others not to follow her. This scene was believable, and consistent with this Doctor's character. That the companions and the others decide go and do something (without following the Doctor) is also believable.
The Doctor finds Percy Shelly, who has absorbed some Cyber nanotechnology that the Lone Cyberman is after. The others also come there, and the Doctor has to choose. Give the Lone Cyberman what he wants, or to allow Shelly to die, thereby changing the future and erasing her companions. (Or to allow the Earth to be destroyed.) That she gives in and gives the nanotech to the Lone Cyberman is also consistent with her character. Overall, it is a rather good episode. 8.75/10.

 

[Qonundrum]

I thought Christopher Eccleston wanted nothing more to do with DW at all.

I thought it was more about the BBC or RTD based on how he was treated? Not DW itself?

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I meant to do this earlier, but I finally watched the episode again, going in with the knowledge of how the ghost story plays out and not holding the story against itself for not going in the direction I wanted. With that freedom, I found myself enjoying it considerably more than the first time around. Ashad stood out more as a tragic and dangerous figure because he's a raw and angry Cyberman, something we haven't seen before, left the uncertainty of whether his state of existence was deliberate or not (he seemed to think so).

I didn't mention this before, but I liked the subtle touch of The Doctor referencing how she met Lord Byron's daughter...Ada Lovelace...although she was less than a year old in 1816 so it's a little odd that Byron wasn't more confused by that reference. I guess he was too busy being smitten by her to notice.

I missed the first time around, but I loved The Doctor's excitement over the Waterloo helmet, saying she loves a good plume, which feels like an obvious reference to The Reign of Terror.

I thought it was more about the BBC or RTD based on how he was treated? Not DW itself?

That's correct. He goes into some details about that in the thread I linked earlier.