Just give us Bonnie Langford as Mel writing a COBOL program for 45 minutes. I'd watch that.
Spoilers The Interstellar Song Contest grade and discussion thread
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If we’re rally unlucky we’ll get ‘when two become one’ and possibly an explanation for Susan we didn’t want nor need. I was looking at my shelf and just horrified myself by realising that ‘An Unearthly Child’ is uncomfortably close to ‘Space Baby’.
Someone has been holding RTDs beer since the Chibnall era.
Someone has been holding RTDs beer since the Chibnall era.
Mining old Who for ideas isn't exactly a new practice in modern Who, but the degree to which RTD expects viewers to be familiar with details of a show that ended 35 years ago is perhaps... ambitious.
Also, putting the key two-seasons-in-the-making plot reveal in a mid credits sequence was an odd decision. And clunkily written, I felt, given its importance. "Luckily, that's not a problem for me" *regeneration effect* *cut to credits* would have been sharper and maintained a cliffhanger.
Also, putting the key two-seasons-in-the-making plot reveal in a mid credits sequence was an odd decision. And clunkily written, I felt, given its importance. "Luckily, that's not a problem for me" *regeneration effect* *cut to credits* would have been sharper and maintained a cliffhanger.
Am starting to get a real sense of possibly JK Rowling — actually no, those books held up ok even as they got fatter, it’s more later era Anne Rice. No one there saying ‘this is a bad idea’ and a writer who is so high on their own supply that any old shit can and will happen, while the ideological or political subtext suddenly wraps itself in loops trying to reconcile the past with the present.
We’re in the Prince Lestat era now.
On the other hand, given how often "she's the Rani" is a popular theory regarding any mysterious woman who has been on the show (especially if she's a villain) it seems at this point anyone who has never watched Classic Who would be familiar with the name at least.
I think people should give modern audiences a little more credit. Nobody was confused when they introduced the Daleks, the Cyberman or the Master as the story at hand always provided more than enough context for new viewers to fill in the blanks. The same holds true for as recently as the Toymaker and and I'm Suhtek. I'm sure the same will hold true here.
Ironically, RTD's one of the first people who starts worrying about "whither the new fans" when it comes to introducing something from the classic era only to realize soon enough, it can be done in a manner which will make it accessible. In The Writer's Tale he talks about when planning TEOT, Julie Gardner mentioned "I think we should see Gallifrey." RTD immediately had a meltdown ranting about "do you realize how much exposition we'd have to load in the script, how much continuity we'd have to summarize in order to have everyone on the same page about Gallifrey?"
Eventually, after deciding to use Gallifrey he decided to go ahead and write a scene without worrying about continuity or anything and work to make it accessible to everyone after the fact, when it turned out the scene he came up with (the opening scene from TEOT Part 2 with Rassilon and his entourage marching down the corridor and meeting with the council) actually worked well enough even to those who knew nothing about Classic Who. Some alterations to the scene were made to reflect the fact the show does have a limited budget, but otherwise we got what RTD thought up when he stopped worrying about if the "Not We" could follow it.
I'm not sure hugely famous British pop culture villains like the Daleks are in the same category as the Toymaker and Sutek. People who've never seen Doctor Who could probably ID a Cyberman. That's like thinking because people know the Klingons we can bring in the Husnock and expect people to be familiar.
I may not be a fully read up WhoNerd like some here but I've watched every episode of modern Who more than once and I watched the classic show as a child, and none of these new nostalgia big bads are familiar to me without looking them up. I would imagine the majority of the audience would be in a similar or less informed boat. While you can obviously pick up the new story, the clearly intended "wow" value of the reveal is lost a bit when you have to get the name off the credits and Google it.
Y’know what, in some cases, you’re better off not knowing. SUTEKH (which autocorrect always capitalises for me..) last year was probably less shite if you had no idea who he was. No expectations equals less disappointment hopefully.
As someone who hasn't watched Classic Who aside from a handful of episodes, I had little idea of who Omega or The Master were prior to TEOT and Utopia. I know who Susan is but not much about her, and I've heard the name Rani before (So Master is Darth Vader and Rani is Tarkin/Thrawn?) but I'm not familiar otherwise.
I also don't really care for the Bigeneration schtick, although if it's used well I can live with it. I don't see how the Doctor and Susan can fight 2 Rani, 2 Omega and 2 Masters so I'm wondering if another Doctor will return.
Personally, I'm hoping this season will end the 'magic' started in WBY and dispense with "Mavity" and Gods and Bigenerations etc.
I also don't really care for the Bigeneration schtick, although if it's used well I can live with it. I don't see how the Doctor and Susan can fight 2 Rani, 2 Omega and 2 Masters so I'm wondering if another Doctor will return.
Personally, I'm hoping this season will end the 'magic' started in WBY and dispense with "Mavity" and Gods and Bigenerations etc.
The Master is Dr Doom. The Rani is the High Evolutionary.
I remember in Five Doctors the producers didn't want Susan to call the Doctor her grandfather because they wanted to pretend that Dr. Who didn't reproduce, something which Carole Ann Ford found absurd. I find it interesting that Susan's back when the Doctor is openly flirting with everyone and this is in fact rather mild compared to his cold-blooded torture of the villain this week. How much times have changed.
Also, Susan must've had a relatively nonviolent life ever since the Doctor left her on a Dalek invaded Earth considering she hasn't regenerated at all in the centuries that have sinced passed in the Doctor's timeline (unless this is a Curator thing going on with her)
Also, Susan must've had a relatively nonviolent life ever since the Doctor left her on a Dalek invaded Earth considering she hasn't regenerated at all in the centuries that have sinced passed in the Doctor's timeline (unless this is a Curator thing going on with her)
We don't know how much time has passed for her.
Even the Doctor has aged considerably in his time on Trenzalore. And that's just the one life of his that actually got to age....
I'm wondering if Carole Ann Ford has surpassed some kind of record for length of time between debuting and latest portrayal of a live action character. She certainly broke Leonard Nimoy's record of playing Spock (1966-2013), in fact she was Susan before Spock even was created...
(just remembered the late William Russell also held a similar record as he returned as Ian Chesterton in Dr. Who a few seasons back before his death)
(just remembered the late William Russell also held a similar record as he returned as Ian Chesterton in Dr. Who a few seasons back before his death)
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I would guess William Russel got to have that record until last week....
But he would still have the record for the longest interval in between appearances because Susan appeared in the 20th anniversary show.
The Rani is Dooku in that analogy. Maybe Maul, if you prefer. Or, the Monk is Vader, Master is Maul, Rani is Dooku. By appearance order. Drax is Ventress. Or Ahsoka maybe.
Oh no I’ve gone crosse-eyed.
Doctor: I shouldn't have tortured him, it wasn't the Time Lord way.
Rani: It was only natural. You thought he killed your companion and you wanted revenge. It wasn't the first time. Remember what you told me about your time as the Time Lord Victorious?
The Master seems to be chaotic evil. Converting Time Lords into Cybermen that regenerate is not the product of a sane mind lol
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