Timey Wimey Business- a thread for Doctor Who

[PrimalxConvoy]

The Halloween Apocalypse has just aired (on the iPlayer) and it was pretty good.

For anyone who isn't aware, this series is called "Doctor Who: Flux" and all the episodes are connected to make a single story.

Here's the trailer:

-

 

[electricidad]

Chibnall is throwing A LOT of balls into the air. I worry about him being able to stick the landing.

But the interplay between the Doctor and Yaz is perfect. I like that the Doctor was able to save herself, and it feels like the Doctor and Yaz are having fun! The new big bad for the season is gloriously creepy. He seems to be a Doctor adversary from the lives that she has no memory of (?). I'm cautiously optimistic about the new companion, and the Doctor, Yaz and Dan seem to gel pretty well.

This episode has:

*Random 1820s businessnmen. How do they fit in?

*Sontarans. Just kind of there.

*Adorable dog aliens.

*Claire, a potential new companion who knows the Doctor and Yaz, but they don't know her.

*Weeping Angels!

*The new Big Bad. Don't believe I caught his name. Powers of telepathy, energy-drain, and just general creepiness.

*Vinder, a space guy, who is tracking the Flux.

*The Flux! A cloud-based apocalypse that's destroying worlds and is headed for Earth.

Almost all of these things, we knew from the trailer. As with every other Chibnall season, I am cautiously optimistic. Last season's premier gave us the Master in a plot twist I didn't see coming. This season's premier gives us the Doctor kicking off a series of episodes that could be great!

 

[Rust]

Sticking the landing is the part I'm worried about. Pulling out all the stops for one last adventure is fine, but Chibnall's problem is the follow through.

 

[Princess Viola]

Honestly, I thought the first episode was just OK? I'm not going to judge the entire series off of just one episode, but it just came off really disjointed to me because of the need to show off bits and bobs of all the plot elements that will be happening in Flux. I mean, I get it, they don't have a million episodes or whatever here, but IDK it just didn't really work for me.

 

[Kalidor]

I wasn't very impressed. The episode was boring and nothing made sense about the dog boys. First the one we saw was a bad guy trying to kill the Doctor but then he turns out to just be someone trying to rescue his pet human, which wasn't even telegraphed. It looked like some feeble attempt at a "twist". Then there are 7 billion ships.. well that seems like normal Who stuff... and it looks like they're still milking that "hundreds of past lives" Doctor nonsense with this other bad guy.

It's a pretty big mess of nothing just one episode into it with the Flox already looming over Earth. And once again, Chinball makes the Doctor out to be clueless and dumb and having no idea what's going on.

 

[abates]

*The new Big Bad. Don't believe I caught his name. Powers of telepathy, energy-drain, and just general creepiness.

He's apparently called "Swarm".

Spoiler

Also two aliens(?) living in a house in the Arctic(?), one of whom may have been Swarm's sister Azure in disguise with amnesia(?) for entirely unclear And Dan's girlfriend also seems to be somehow relevant.

 

[Rust]

they're still milking that "hundreds of past lives" Doctor nonsense

Thankfully, I expect that to be swiftly and quietly put in the bin after this season.

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

I wasn't very impressed. The episode was boring and nothing made sense about the dog boys. First the one we saw was a bad guy trying to kill the Doctor but then he turns out to just be someone trying to rescue his pet human, which wasn't even telegraphed. It looked like some feeble attempt at a "twist". Then there are 7 billion ships.. well that seems like normal Who stuff... and it looks like they're still milking that "hundreds of past lives" Doctor nonsense with this other bad guy.

It's a pretty big mess of nothing just one episode into it with the Flox already looming over Earth. And once again, Chinball makes the Doctor out to be clueless and dumb and having no idea what's going on.

I must admit that I was looking at the phone and making dinner at some points through this, as it didn't hold my attention. I also didn't understand why the dog wanted to kill a human at the start and then save another one later. Doctor Who hasn't ever really made sense to me. The writing has always been pretty bad and the plot explained by exposition (usually the Doctor), rather than by the, well, plot.

John Bishop is the Liverpudlian comedian in this, BTW:

-

His stand-up comedy is NSFW, so I've linked to a family-friendly TV show he used to host instead (YouTube's got some of his more adult content if anyone is interested).

 

[electricidad]

Solid episode! We got Sontarans, and a fairly logical reason for them to be doing what they're doing. The Doctor does what she does best: make new friends and stand up to evil. We see more of Dan, while Yaz and Vinder meet the season's BIG BADS on a planet called Time.

I have a theory:

Spoiler

Chibnall is doubling down on last season's big reveal, that the Doctor isn't Gallifreyan at all, but from another universe. Or maybe what it was like before the Big Bang? The Gallifreyans just stumbled upon her, and based all their Time Lord gear off of her. Swarm and Azure are from where the Doctor was originally from, and are pissed that she once defeated them. They either created the Flux, or can somehow control it. Also, who is The Passenger? Tall person under a mask. We know The Master loves disguises, and messing with The Doctor--could The Passenger be The Master?

Good conclusion to the Sontaran threat. Optimistic about the next episode.

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

I liked the episode, especially the joke about Japanese food ("Tempura rift"), which I shared with my Japanese chums.

I was a bit cautious about the inclusion of a person of colour in the "wrong" time/place (as the show has been criticised for having done) BUT, I was wrong as the "real historic character" (which was an odd choice of words, considering in-universe, ALL of the people were "real" and "historic") was actually a West Indian lady (but not an "British Asian" woman, whom the actress seemed to be?) called Mary Seacole:

- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Seacole

I REALLY like it when they promote marginalised ethnicities, genders, or other minority groups, plus use famous historical events that many of us might not have known much about.

I wish the BBC would do follow-up shows, teaching about social/historical/etc issues from each episode. I think they would be great. Perhaps in the form of an "after show", like they have done with GOT, TWD, etc. Then, "privileged" old farts like me could learn a thing or two.

 

[Monique]

You know I haven't been a fan of the Chibnal era but Flux actually has been really good. I mean I'm a little meh on the whole "oh theres this big bad that has a long history with the doctor but we've never seen it before because the doctor doesn't remember" thing. It smacks too much of the Timeless Child and Ruth bullshit with Chibnal once again deciding to retcon stuff in with little regard to how much it breaks. Still two episodes in and its been surprisingly good. First episode I was glued to the screen and couldn't believe it when the episode ended because it didn't feel like id been watching almost an hour of tv

 

[abates]

I was a bit cautious about the inclusion of a person of colour in the "wrong" time/place (as the show has been criticised for having done) BUT, I was wrong as the "real historic character" (which was an odd choice of words, considering in-universe, ALL of the people were "real" and "historic") was actually a West Indian lady (but not an "British Asian" woman, whom the actress seemed to be?) called Mary Seacole:

Sara Powell, who played Seacole, was born in Jamaica according to IMDB.

Sara Powell | Actress

Known for: Last Christmas, Holby Blue, Silent Witness

www.imdb.com

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

Sara Powell, who played Seacole, was born in Jamaica according to IMDB.

Sara Powell | Actress

Known for: Last Christmas, Holby Blue, Silent Witness

www.imdb.com

Thanks for the info. She could still be ethnically "British Asian", I suppose?

 

[Cradok]

At least, this time, Chibnall didn't pick someone who was shot in the back of the head by Nazis.

 

[Rust]

Swarm and Azure are just the right "flavor" of Classic Who villain that has been sorely, sorely lacking from the show for a long time. I absolutely love them - from the costuming to the acting. I'm not even bothered by the whole "Oh, we knew you once." angle because that can easily be patched up to be a pair of Time War baddies the Doctor forgot about/had their memory wiped of.

But speaking of the Timeless Child nonsense...I actually don't hate the idea of the Mouri as a replacement for the Time Lords. Again, has a Classic Who vibe I feel was missing for a lot of years. I know it's weird for someone who turned up with Nu-Who to wax nostalgic about the show's past he didn't even watch until Matt Smith became the Doctor, but I've grown to really appreciate Classic Who in a lot of ways and I really do like that the show is finally remembering that a lot of its success comes from the more "goofy" aspects.

As for the Passenger, my crackpot theory.

Spoiler

The Passenger is the Doctor's next incarnation - or some fragment of it, anyway. We've seen in the transition from Fourth to Fifth that regenerations can happen in different ways and different means of wibbly wobbly timey whimey stuff. I think the ultimate end for Swarm and Azure is going to be the Doctor going back and helping this incarnation against the pair since she has zero idea.

Alternatively it's the Fugitive Doctor aka Ruth Clayton, as that whole incarnation is unknown at this point.

 

[Princess Viola]

Just watched the newest episode. Gotta say, really enjoyed it. The new Sontaran design is great and I love how it harkens back to how they looked in Classic Who. Really looking forward to the next part.

 

[Kalidor]

I like the Sontarans but I'm struggling to like this show. I was watching the episode and was so bored and checked to see how much time was left and was like "Jesus.. I'm only 26 minutes into it!?"

I might have to just hang this up until the new showrunner and Doctor get into it.

I admit that this was the most "Doctor Who" like episode we've gotten in a while, but it just feels so hollow. I can't explain it.

 

[Superomegaprime]

I admit that this was the most "Doctor Who" like episode we've gotten in a while, but it just feels so hollow. I can't explain it.

Bad writting is likely part of the cause along with underdeveloped characters that simply do not grab your attention compared to the older series thou this is merely my point of view, I can't judge the resent eps as I dipped out, as the show became a shell of what it once was

 

[Rust]

If you aren't liking it, you aren't liking it. No shame in that.

 

[PrimalxConvoy]