The Time of the Doctor (2013)

[SaberBlade]

Your spoiler and a lack of "Coming Soon". I have a dirty mind.

I wouldn't pay any attention to a lack of Coming Soon since they've not started filming yet. I think that weird split in the middle of season 7 plus filming Sherlock is probably the reason. I've always considered the introduction of the new Doctor more of a teaser than anything else, but as we had that teaser with the 50th, I do feel a bit let down too, because they pretty much just rehashed Eleven's introduction by having them (seemingly) crash into something. For me, it's the 50th that got me interested in Twelfth, so I see this more of a joking start to it all.

[Flyboy]

Your spoiler and a lack of "Coming Soon". I have a dirty mind.

I wouldn't pay any attention to a lack of Coming Soon since they've not started filming yet. I think that weird split in the middle of season 7 plus filming Sherlock is probably the reason. I've always considered the introduction of the new Doctor more of a teaser than anything else, but as we had that teaser with the 50th, I do feel a bit let down too, because they pretty much just rehashed Eleven's introduction by having them (seemingly) crash into something. For me, it's the 50th that got me interested in Twelfth, so I see this more of a joking start to it all.

Dirty minds are the best

I know why there wasn't a preview... but it always felt an important part of the Christmas Specials to me... and *incredibly* important part... possibly as important as the episode itself... Capaldi just didn't show me he'd be a good Doctor...

As for the story... I'm *still* miffed about Gallifrey and the way it was used as a deus ex machina, almost ignoring completely the very reason the whole damn Mexican stand off had happened...

[SaberBlade]

The Gallifrey thing took me by surprise. I was honestly expecting River's regeneration energy to be used as a way out. I can't really believe it took all her remaining regenerations to revive him at the start of series 7 but not enough to actually kick him into changing.

The whole Trenzalore battle seemed wrong to me overall. They kept the old man bit in check, but not the millions of dead and The Doctor dying. In fact, it would seem like all his enemies know he's very much alive now since he regenerated and the only people to die were Daleks, their possessed who were technically dead the the people of a single village who actually survived.

So where was this huge battle and the graves.

[Flyboy]

The Gallifrey thing took me by surprise. I was honestly expecting River's regeneration energy to be used as a way out. I can't really believe it took all her remaining regenerations to revive him at the start of series 7 but not enough to actually kick him into changing.

I was expecting Tasha to turn out to be River, and that she would explain to the Doctor as he was regenerating that she'd reset it... or something...

The whole Trenzalore battle seemed wrong to me overall. They kept the old man bit in check, but not the millions of dead and The Doctor dying. In fact, it would seem like all his enemies know he's very much alive now since he regenerated and the only people to die were Daleks, their possessed who were technically dead the the people of a single village who actually survived.

So where was this huge battle and the graves.

All I can assume is that the battle was bigger than the town of Christmas itself... I wonder if outside of that town, there were hundreds of Clerics fighting off enemy forces...

[knowles2]

Given that the last time we saw the Time Lords they were evil, I guess that they did more to the Doctor than just granting him a few more regenerations. Wiping his memory may just be the beginning of their plan to return to this universe.

I am disappointed that we didn't see how the battle played out before the Time Lords intervention.

An couldn't they have gave him the regenerations through the small crack, instead of the big giant crack in the sky. I wonder if there any connection between Clara Grandmother and the Doctor.

Given how weak the human race is usually presented, I found it strange that a single vessel could hold off hundreds of races by itself. The space scenes and CGI looked good for once, it seems someone at the BBC been listening to my complaints about crap look space ships and space scenes generally.

Why didn't any of the Doctor friends show up to help him throughout the 1000 year plus war.

There must be way more villages, towns and cities on Trenzalore to support and provide food to Christmas, there wouldn't be enough sunlight to produce food.

[Ian-S]

It does seem this regeneration is more of a reset than a regeneration, with his line of asking if she knew how to fly it, unless his next words are, just kidding...

[Flyboy]

It does seem this regeneration is more of a reset than a regeneration, with his line of asking if she knew how to fly it, unless his next words are, just kidding...

The Doctor has almost always been an absolute mess following regeneration... and this is a BIG regeneration...

2nd > 3rd: Some sort of a coma (if I recall)
3rd > 4th: Erratic behaviour
4th > 5th: Distinctly unwell, requiring a zero room, and I believe some memory loss
5th > 6th: Volatile behaviour, positively unbalanced, nearly killed companion.
6th > 7th: Memory loss (though at the hands of the Rani, I believe...)
7th > 8th: A HELL of a lot of amnesia, brought on by too long between 'lives'
8th > War Doctor: Unknown
War Doctor > 9th: Unknown
9th > 10th: Reckless, unstable, manic - opening up the TARDIS engines fully..
10th > 11th: Quite unstable... also with cravings...

[SaberBlade]

I just had a thought about Madam Kovarian. Ultimately, The Order of the Silence was purposed with stopping another Time War, as all The Doctor's enemies would have launched a new attack on Gallifrey (for whatever reason) and plunged the universe unknown chaos. While her intention was to kill The Doctor, she was doing it for a good reason.

So in all, she's a bit of a good guy.

That said, it is somewhat contradictory. She talks about being in a war with The Doctor, perhaps she means the 300+ years he was camped out on Trenzalore and it always seemed the Silent/Silence (not sure which name is used) aliens ran the show. It's hard to believe The Doctor created a subconscious command to kill the Silence on sight but have them create a religious order (even a subsect of one) trying to stop The Doctor from his fate.

[knowles2]

The silence are still quite the mystery. Through the Doctor seem to have learnt a lot more about them off screen, something was said about them being genetically engineered.

[SaberBlade]

The silence are still quite the mystery. Through the Doctor seem to have learnt a lot more about them off screen, something was said about them being genetically engineered.

Genetically Engineered Priests. You confess your sins and then you forget. Which is weird, as it seemed like they were running the order, were killing people who could betray them (at least in the alternate reality created by River) and had been living on Earth for as long as humans, perhaps longer. Plus they inspired humanity to go to space (if what The Doctor said was true). Bit weird for a race of alien priests.

[knowles2]

Genetically Engineered Priests. You confess your sins and then you forget. Which is weird, as it seemed like they were running the order, were killing people who could betray them (at least in the alternate reality created by River) and had been living on Earth for as long as humans, perhaps longer. Plus they inspired humanity to go to space (if what The Doctor said was true). Bit weird for a race of alien priests.

They also seem to be the equivalent of a super soldier as well.

[Greenee]

What the hell was that? This acctully was the first Episode of Doctor who with left me completely unsattisfided and dissapointest. I was ready to cry my eyes out over the death of 11 (or twelve, whatever). I wantid it to be dramatic and cheasy and solving questions from "the name and the doctor", and yes, I wanted to see a kiss between 11 and Clara (please don't hit me!) But what did we get? Some silly joke about the doctor beeing Claras lover, that was just not like the Doctor we knew. Than: the Doctor aging, didn't like it but ok I could live with that, but the Doctor becomming sort of Father CHristmas.. realy? Please! And...

Loved the final line.

But, for the rest? Nope. Sorry. Standard Christmas bleurgh. Padded, meandering, and full of plot holes. Okay, some reasonable tie-ups to long-standing questions, but, really...

And no, I don't feel much emotion about it. Not, for example, compared to the entire Curator scene. Let's see what Peter can do...

That preaty much summs it up.

... it just seemed... too cheap and easy. All that effort, and the Doctor could have just told the Time Lords to take a chill pill and not come through there and then... They seemed to naff off fairly easily...

I don't MIND the good Doctor being given a new regeneration cycle... but the WAY it was done just felt a little non-dramatic...

Also - anyone notice that the Doctor DID lie... TWICE?! There were some great moments (loved the use of the seal of the high council nicked from the Master), but I don't know...

I totaly agree. As for the lying bit..

Did he really send her away, or did he send the TARDIS away with her inside it? Or perhaps being inside the TARDIS made the truth field ineffective. As for having a plan, can't explain that one away.

He did't send her away, he left her, so technicy he wasn't lying. And on the other hand, if I got it ride, they alredy were back at Claras place so he wasn't bount to telling the truth anymore anyway.

(spoilered for crude comment)

Spoiler:

I feel like I just had sex and failed to climax...

That's how the ending has made me feel... it just doesn't feel RIGHT... like there's so much more to be said... like it's incomplete... maybe part of that is the lack of a 'Coming Soon in Series 8' that we usually get...

When Ten regenerated it looked like a brand new beginning... this doesn't *feel* like that... it feels... abrupt.

Like the comparison I'm supriesed to agree with you in so many points As for the "coming soon".. I did't miss that, since I usually turn the teasers of in fear of spoliers.


Anything else... Liked the explanation how the silence were created. But I still don't know, how did Clara and the Doctor escape from the timestream and why is Clara a teacher now? By the way? who were the two other people at the christamasdinner? Her gran and? aunt and uncle? Or did I just missed the introduction, beeing too busy shaking my head about the holgramclothing-rubbish?

Never though I would be talking so bad about the show, and now I realy should stop talking.

But- one last point - loking forfard to Capaldi now.

[The Flyattractor]

Sigh. Typical NuWho Nonsense.
Overemotional Teenage style Melodramatic Nonsense. Also rather unimaginative.

And I really hate the why this series intros characters and then tosses them aside like trash and acts like we should be deeply emotionally attached to them...*aka Handles*.

For me...this show somehow manages to keep getting worse.

[min min light]

Also - anyone notice that the Doctor DID lie... TWICE?!

The one I noticed was "I don't really have a plan," and I don't think anyone came up with a good excuse for that one yet. Besides Moffat just forgetting his own rules.

I'm so sad to see Matt Smith go. I didn't know what people were talking about with all the "Doctor X is MY Doctor" statements until Eleven showed up. *sigh*

[Quizziard]

The one I noticed was "I don't really have a plan," and I don't think anyone came up with a good excuse for that one yet. Besides Moffat just forgetting his own rules.

It was said that the truth field got stronger the closer you were to the tower: maybe being at the top of the tower was like the eye of a hurricane, where you burst through to a piece of non-truth field? [I know, it's just a flaw in the script ]

Sorry Moffatt - I think you need to choose, DW or SH. One or the other, trying to do both is not working (at least on the DW side). And please concentrate on your scripts.