Doctor Who - Capaldoc has landed!

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Can anyone tell me what the point of episode 10 was (In The Forest Of The Night)?

Other than to show up that
a) Clara is a really bad liar and given the amount of practice she's had should be better
b) Danny is in need of serious, professional help
c) Missy is stage managing something

And did anyone else find the idea of government officials in hazmat suits more scary than London suddenly becoming a forest?

Also, given the title, I was expecting more tygers

Oh gods. I've just re-read the poem to check. I'm hoping Danny's torch shining in the tiger's eyes was nothing more than the writer playing with the poem and not a clumsy foretelling that Danny Is Also Important.

[SetsunaKou]

Can anyone tell me what the point of episode 10 was (In The Forest Of The Night)?

Other than to show up that
a) Clara is a really bad liar and given the amount of practice she's had should be better
b) Danny is in need of serious, professional help
c) Missy is stage managing something

And did anyone else find the idea of government officials in hazmat suits more scary than London suddenly becoming a forest?

Also, given the title, I was expecting more tygers

Oh gods. I've just re-read the poem to check. I'm hoping Danny's torch shining in the tiger's eyes was nothing more than the writer playing with the poem and not a clumsy foretelling that Danny Is Also Important.

I have no idea---it was so 'bleh' but my sister and mother and I all hope that Mr. Pink is written out of the series next season. He's SO awful in every way. I just can't imagine what the writers (and Clara) see in him. He is utterly dull, utterly with a complex and so utterly off-putting. Ack.

I did like the Orient Express episode and last weeks, too (where the Tardis shrunk) but pretty much, other than those two, the rest of the season has been lackluster and not very interesting.

I don't dislike #12---I think he's fine. Our whole family loves #10 so anyone who's NOT #10 is not on our top anyway, but our dad, who's been a Who fan since the beginning in the 60s absolutely detests Capaldi.
He's to the point where he won't even watch the show anymore because of him (and Pink). When it comes on, he says 'I can't watch---I just don't like him. He's not a good Doctor.' and leaves for the garage while the show is on. It's a shame because we all enjoyed watching 'Who' together but now, it's just my sister and I, and our mom, who doesn't love Who (She's not into Sci-fi AT all) but she tries for us and she liked the Eccleston (#9) episodes (he's her favorite) and the Tennant (#10) x Rose romance. She didn't like #11 (Smith) and nor did I.
I like #12 better than #11 but #12's eps are horrible.

Of course, for all of us (our family), no one can ever compare to Ten----he was perfect. Hopefully, they'll bring him back from time to time, as in the 50th anniversary episode. It would be awesome if they could somehow incorporate the MetaCrisis 10 & Rose, every now and then.

Probably won't happen, but it COULD since they are both alive and well in the parallel universe!

Anyway, agree with you that this Forest episode was a waste of time.

[Vetinari]

Sestunakou: Well if there aren't any plot twists you might just get your wish wrt Danny Pink! (And yea completely agree wrt that particular character)

I hope you warm to Capaldi's run I know what it's like to adore the show/not mind the actors but still have difficulties - I feel sympathy that he's difficult to warm to for your family members! But I'm afraid being of the opposite opinion I can't add much other than pointing out that whilst admittedly he's had the usual mixed-bag of a season so far (both Kill The Moon and the Forest of the Night will not be getting repeat viewings from me) most Doctor's have had stinkers; hell Tennant's first proper trip in the TARDIS had him curing Every Disease Ever with some intravenous drugs that magically got absorbed through the skin! ...Sigh I sort of agree about Eleven; I wish 11's era hadn't gone quite so dramatically down-hill for me after series 5; series 6 had several excellent episodes, but I despised the plot-arc and how it reduced Amy to a walking womb and by series 7 I admit I was only watching the show out of loyalty...

I wouldn't mind seeing 10-two/Rose back as part of an anniversary special if they did mark the 10-yea occassion! (I've got to admit the series of "Specials" that RTD gave Tennant rather made me loose my affection for the character towards the end) but it yea it really could work as a celebratory anniversary special. Still I hope some of the magic comes back for you!



Adored the most recent episode. A wonderful slow burn with a brilliantly creepy concept at it's heart. Adored the CGI/general setting of the Nethersphere - the whole tone was brilliantly slow burny and sinister. I suspect the whole afterlife thing is going to be neatly resolved since it was revealed to be a version of The Matrix, but gods the imagery of cremation/donations to science being felt post-mortem... I loved the fairly subtle nod back to Tomb with the tanks of water. ...And that opener - poor Clara wow. And the Doctor's expected/unexpected response of course he cares too much to turn her out!

...And then the big reveal. Yes it was exactly the obvious thing that everyone thought it was. Adored it, Gomez is utterly perfect for the role. And wow at the sexist explosion currently going on on the massive Who-forum. (Didn't much like the in-universe reasoning for the name-change though - last I checked the character's original name was genderless...)

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally the character's name would have been gendered, in the same way actor was. So it does tie with the manic Mary Poppins look and the old fashioned comment even though these days it really isn't (as per actor); but... yeah - she could (and should, imo) have kept the original as it felt clunky. I guess they felt that might be one step too far. And also spoiled the reveal a bit too soon.

I really hope Danny presses that button.

I thought Seb was going to burst into song (and more specifically Bright Side of Life, or maybe the Universe Song) at one point (just before he handed over the forms) - he had a bit of an Eric Idle vibe going on at times.

Overall a very good episode. Possibly the first one this season that I wish I didn't have to wait a week to see the next one (cliffhangers help, of course, but it was still a strong enough episode).

[DollyKim]

I keep missing the show, but I've seen the memes and look forward to the DVDs. The twist with the lady might have been expected but I think we've needed it, and Curse of the Fatal Death kind of went there.

Might it have something to do with Clara's plea to the glowing crack in the universe in 11's last episode?

[Vetinari]

Only tangentially related to Doctor Who - but very strongly tied to the show, since this world contains HC Clements, Donna Noble's old workplace and is written by RTD himself.

Anyone else been keeping up with Cucumber/Banana/Tofu? (And Screwdriver, which ironically is unbroadcastable on TV due to it's references, and yet the ending of Ep6 was fine... Methinks that shows how messed up the media is really! Graphic violence is a-okay, but a mother making infuriated references to sex and porn = a no no...)


Gods - this show very rapidly became must see TV for me, in a way that most things just aren't nowadays. I hadn't realised just how much I'd missed RTD until his writing blazed back onto our screens in such a spectacular fashion. (I've even missed just typing that, RTD... )

I've loved the show from the very first episode, even with it's rough edges Ep1 was like a loud, brash and mad declaration of intent. And then it very rapidly settled into something much more human, and real, it has a depth that just rings true on a nearly visceral level. With a streak of darkness running through it, that I'd almost forgotten RTD could do. The brilliantly frank discussions the characters have with each other during the "Date Night" episode properly cemented the show as excellent in my mind.


...And then came Ep6. That Ending. Gods.


Banana has been just as excellent, but so far in a much frothier, "Growing pains" kind of way. Even the brilliantly timed episode about revenge porn had a cosy ending for all that the actual content of the episode was fairly dark.

And I admit I've not had the time to sit down and watch Tofu yet, but I fully intend to!


In a terrible way, being the Doctor Who nerd that I am I found myself comparing/contrasting RTDs and Moffat's voices here. Purely because Daniel from Cucumber set off the very same alarm bells that Danny Pink of Doctor Who did. Only RTD wrote Daniel like that on purpose, he was supposed to set those bells ringing. Danny Pink was just (dare I type this?) poorly written...

I think Moffat understands how to plot out complex, often brilliant scifi better than many would like to admit (for all that I do think he likes to reuse his own ideas to death, and sometimes leaves obvious plotholes the size of greenland just hanging there) whereas RTD? RTD just understands people.

Edit: Argh *shudders* The Caretaker is getting a rerun... Danny is an even worse character than my slightly faded memories of him... Even knowing the eventual "tragic love story" context he still comes across as a terrifying controlling person in a way that is eerily mimicked by Cucumber's Daniel...