The Rings of Akhaten (3308/708)

[Purple Glow]

The basic formula for writing good fiction is to create interesting, compelling characters and torture them for 300 pages. How they react tells you something about them and makes it enjoyable. Maybe they rise, maybe they fall.

The Rings of Akhaten completely violates this principle.

1. The new characters created for this story are neither interesting nor compelling. The only character from this story with much of any english lines at all is the little girl, and she was not made compelling by them, imo. The antagonist was a blob with no speaking lines.

2. I didn't feel that a good job was done of conveying the threat to the audience.

As a result, you wound up a story filled with forgettable characters facing a boring threat.

The story didn't work.

[BruTak]

I loved this episode for its imagination and the Doctor's hearty speech. First thoughts were of whther or not the Akhaten sun is related to the same species we met in Series 3's 42. Probably not but just a thought

Hmm, that never occurred to me.

[P-90_177]

The basic formula for writing good fiction is to create interesting, compelling characters and torture them for 300 pages. How they react tells you something about them and makes it enjoyable. Maybe they rise, maybe they fall.

The Rings of Akhaten completely violates this principle.

1. The new characters created for this story are neither interesting nor compelling. The only character from this story with much of any english lines at all is the little girl, and she was not made compelling by them, imo. The antagonist was a blob with no speaking lines.

2. I didn't feel that a good job was done of conveying the threat to the audience.

As a result, you wound up a story filled with forgettable characters facing a boring threat.

The story didn't work.

Speaking as a writer, I rather dislike formula.

[MasySyma]

But formula is the basis of most of the Moffat driven series. His episodes were amazing during the RTD era because he always avoided RTD's patterns, but now, he has embraced patterns, cliches, and a lack of complexity. It is only a matter of time until glowly Doctor returns.

[Blencathra]

....

2. I didn't feel that a good job was done of conveying the threat to the audience.

As a result, you wound up a story filled with forgettable characters facing a boring threat.

I don't know about that. My daughter was quite scared. It depends on your age.

[Commander Zelix]

In fairness this episode wasn't written by the Moff, but by Neil Cross, who hasn't written for Who before (he's the creator/writer behind the generally rather good Luther, though I'm not sure that ability translates so well to Who), but I do agree with you. I used to absolutely adore Steven Moffat's writing even before Doctor Who, and when he had only one or two episodes a series to do during RTD's tenure, they were pretty much the very best of the season. Now that he's literally and figuratively running the show, I think his writing has slowly got worse and he does seem to be edging more and more towards making it a children's show rather than something that is accessible to all ages.

Yes, it's strange because Moffat episodes were pretty good during the RTD era. But let's not forget about this episode and any past episodes that the showrunner often rewrites many part of the episode no matter who gets the writing credit on screen.

[Admiral Mappalazarou]

Episode on a whole was average, but I really liked the ending! Especially the doctor facing the God.

Yes Clara, give the dog alien your ring so we can get the scouter and we can have a nice emotional scene... it's not like The Doctor has a TARDIS he could use instead...

If I remember rightly they needed the scooter because they needed to get to the pyramid, and the Doctor has said repeatedly that he never takes the Tardis into battle in case it ever falls into the wrong hands.

[Blencathra]

If I remember rightly they needed the scooter because they needed to get to the pyramid, and the Doctor has said repeatedly that he never takes the Tardis into battle in case it ever falls into the wrong hands.

It's always amused me in "classic" Who the various ways in which the writers try to get rid of the TARDIS so the Doctor can't use it - dropping it off a cliff, have it floating in space, have it vanish because he forgot to deactivate the pause control etc etc.

[BruTak]

And for the second week in a row, he doesn't close the TARDIS doors behind him.

What's that all about?

[stargatefan234]

If I remember rightly they needed the scooter because they needed to get to the pyramid, and the Doctor has said repeatedly that he never takes the Tardis into battle in case it ever falls into the wrong hands.

repeatedly or just last episode?

[Blencathra]

And for the second week in a row, he doesn't close the TARDIS doors behind him.

What's that all about?

Perhaps it so someone can have sneaked aboard & we get to see them in Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS.

[MasySyma]

And for the second week in a row, he doesn't close the TARDIS doors behind him.

What's that all about?

Bad detail work!? Just like the Tardis translation circuit should have prevented the whole dog barking scene.
That and perhaps the child singer made an error due to horribly repetivie lyrics because the invented song actually had no meaning.

[Quizziard]

Bad detail work!? Just like the Tardis translation circuit should have prevented the whole dog barking scene

Ho cho bo cho do ho bo do. Poppa doppa poppa dop. Cho ho.

["It's also an argument that applies to anything spoken by the Juddoon. So there! No, really!"]

[Greenee]

Quote Originally Posted by Purple Glow View Post
The basic formula for writing good fiction is to create interesting, compelling characters and torture them for 300 pages. How they react tells you something about them and makes it enjoyable. Maybe they rise, maybe they fall.

The Rings of Akhaten completely violates this principle.

1. The new characters created for this story are neither interesting nor compelling. The only character from this story with much of any english lines at all is the little girl, and she was not made compelling by them, imo. The antagonist was a blob with no speaking lines.

2. I didn't feel that a good job was done of conveying the threat to the audience.

As a result, you wound up a story filled with forgettable characters facing a boring threat.

The story didn't work.

Speaking as a writer, I rather dislike formula.

Speeking as a student of literatue, I absolutly agree withyou

[Admiral Mappalazarou]

repeatedly or just last episode?

Pretty sure the Ninth and Tenth Doctors alluded to the same thing. It's already been set up. It gives them a reason not to have to come with a physical reason as to why the Doctor doesn't use the TARDIS for everything as if he did, there'd be no struggle or anything.