Dr Who Episodes 8&9

[arkster]

Well, THAT was ucky. Two episodes, a dozen characters, and the worst kind of traditionalist misogyny endemic to SF. All the men: Paragons of virtue. Family men. Protectors. Could have brought interspecies peace! If it weren't for those warmongering womenfolk and their blasted emotional attachments to their nearest kin.

Thanks, Dr. Who.

The two 'unattached' women are less traditionally evil: Amy just fails to keep alive the memory of her fiancé, whereas Nazreen only acted as the quelling voice of selfishness and human greed at the negotiating table for all mankind. That's all.

Eeeeeeh yeah. Oh, and the throwaway Rio line as an excuse to keep Amy in short-shorts for two episodes and then joke about it. Often. Hey guys: if they were planning on Rio, why did Rory come out in a down vest?

A number of other bits were dull and uninspired; Matt Smith can't really give a brilliant, sparkling stuttering-genius expository rant the way David Tennant did. As a result when he shuts up the bit characters he only comes off as domineering and a prat. In general when he tries to be Tennant he fails.

And there was not enough of being HIM to sustain the plotline. As usual with this Doctor, it's Amy who redeems the performance. When she's allowed.

I don't see why they had to get rid of Rory, but it's clear they took the coward's way out. Another notch on the Doctor's bedpost of ANGST is meaningless by now. And Amy is returned to status quo like a doll to its shelf; still in mint condition for ideal lighthearted quips. No scarring allowed.

Comments

[catsprite.livejournal.com]

AGREED on all accounts! Ugh.

[newsboyhat.livejournal.com]

I hated this two-parter so much. These two and Victory of the Daleks were the low points of this season.

I told my dad to skip them and head straight to Vincent and the Doctor, and just told him, "This is what you need to know about Rory."

[pimpstergust.livejournal.com]

Vincent and the Doctor makes it all worth it, though.

Also, (the last bit of) finale retroactively redeems the season, (albeit makes it obvious the season might as well have been call The Saga of Steven Moffat Doing His Thing)

[arks.livejournal.com]

Bless Steven Moffat. See, I will watch any season titled that.

[ezelek.livejournal.com]

Ugh, brosef, brosef, bro.

Vincent and the Doctor was probably the worst episode of this season.

Even worse than that dumb vampire alien fish lady one.

And that was dumb.

[eva-kasumi.livejournal.com]

Yeah, basically. (http://eva-kasumi.livejournal.com/271263.html#cutid1)

Kind of surprised at your comparison of Smith to Tennant, though. Tennant was just so bad by the end that I really can't criticize Smith for not being enough like him. And I loved the moment where he well and truly fucked up regarding the kid.

[arks.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking specifically here of his rant to Nazreen and the grandpa in which he exposits about bio-programming, to no appreciable later value. It looked like a bit lifted straight from Tennant ("Blood control!! Aaaawh, that's brilliant! I 'aven't seen blood control in years!!") enunciation, word choice, attitude and all. And it flopped. And it was boring.

Come to think of it the bit about monsters being afraid of him sounded like it was written for Tennant too. Or maybe I just can't get intimidated by Smith, ever. I can believe he could shame a race into interspecies peace. But not scare them. (Anyway by the shaming I was more pissed about the women getting the shaft than anything else.)

[eva-kasumi.livejournal.com]

I can't say I even remember that specific rant because the entire episode was so boring. (Aaah, your quoting Tennant from his good days is both a pleasant and sad reminder that he did once have good days on this show. The later stuff was so bad, I sometimes forget.) It sounds like that speech was more written for Tennant than Smith. idk, I just know that given Chris Chibnall, I am inclined to give Smith the benefit of the doubt and blame it all on shitty writing.

For the most part, though, I really love Smith because he is a departure from the Tennant version. It's been kind of weird watching the reactions to this season, as a lot of people love Eleven but hate Amy, or love Amy but hate Eleven, and I love both so it's been interesting hearing why people dislike one or the other.

[ezelek.livejournal.com]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfisgGuuUD8

Watch this, and see how a true Doctor works (with a smattering of other doctors thrown in).

I don't think even Tennant could pull of such a marvelous performance.