I just can't get around how awful the child actress playing CHLOE WEBBAH is. DW almost always has trouble with kid actors, but she's like the Omega of bad DW kid actors.
Everything else about the episode is overshadowed by that performance. Any time I try to think about it I just hear her voice.
I just can't get around how awful the child actress playing CHLOE WEBBAH is. DW almost always has trouble with kid actors, but she's like the Omega of bad DW kid actors.
Everything else about the episode is overshadowed by that performance. Any time I try to think about it I just hear her voice.
I don't think she's even that terrible (she's' certainly not good, though), but there's just something awfully weird and cheap-looking about the whole episode. Somehow even the street, a real street, looks cheap. It must have been the way it was shot.
Didn't realize there would be so many fans of The Gunfighters in here! Well you're all too late, because my Hartnell marathon is now over...all over...but it isn't all over! It's from being all over...
It is actually over, though.
The Tenth Planet
The final Hartnell serial, famous for so many firsts: the first regeneration, the first appearance of Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor, the first appearance of the Cybermen. Also famous for missing its fourth and final episode (more on that below). But I think a lot of these milestone firsts kind of mask the fact that this serial is actually not that big of a deal, story-wise.
I knew not to expect some massive, career-capping epic to close out Hartnell's run, as I've gotten accustomed to with modern Doctors; no callbacks to past episodes, no old companions making cameo appearances, no indications whatsoever that the Doctor was even at death's door save for one or two possible red flags. It's actually very just an ordinary story, that just so happens to end with the Doctor dying. Which, I actually kinda like.
But that said, the story itself is just so-so. The vast majority of the action is a lot of yelling among military officers crammed into a mission control room over how one of their rockets are faring, and then how their next rocket is faring. It's a lot of rocket drama. Then the Cybermen appear and say that their home planet Mondas is going to drain the Earth's energy (huh?) in order to survive. The Cybermen are fought off, then come back, and then, if I remember right, nobody does anything and Mondas just blows up.
That's the weird thing about this story: nothing really happens! There's a ton of yelling and handwringing about these two rockets in space, but if the Doctor and co. don't show up, nothing changes; Mondas still dies because it was already dying and the Cybermen didn't do anything to stop it from dying. I wonder how much of this was impacted by the fact that Hartnell was simply too ill and physically unable to even complete the story (he's completely absent from the third episode) and things had to be rewritten around that.
On the plus side, the early Cybermen designs do look pretty creepy, and that creepiness is completed so well by their odd sing-songy voice. I just wish they were a bigger part of the story. I didn't expect some ridiculous The End of Time-esque sendoff for Hartnell's Doctor, but I guess I was expecting more of a story focused on Cybermen and the Doctor going to his death than mission control rocket drama.
I mentioned above that the fourth episode is gone, and I think most people would say that the worst part of that is it means we don't have the complete footage of the first Doctor Who regeneration. That is definitely a shame (though the most important bit does survive thankfully), but to me the biggest loss that comes from not having the fourth episode is that we don't get to see the physical performance behind Hartnell's final words: "What did you say, my boy? It's all over? That's what you said. No, but it isn't all over. It's far from being all over."
Just on voice alone, this sounds like it's among Hartnell's very best performances. He perfectly wraps up the Doctor's on-the-verge-of-death weariness with a triumphant, defiant spirit all in just a handful of sentences. And it's a testament to how powerful a performance it is that it can still stir something in you even when, on screen, the words are coming out of a mediocre Flash animation. The fact that we can't see Hartnell's face when he says those words, the gestures of his hands, the look in his eyes, is imo the biggest loss from not having The Tenth Planet episode 4 available.
It does look cheap, and the sfx are laughably bad. But I don't really care about any of that. One reason given for the show's jump in popularity was the increase in production values, but I just don't care.
I should also hedge-- I like Fear Her, but it's not great. It's just an enjoyable standalone. So many of those single concept episodes bore be, and Fear her didn't.
Sleep No More is probably in my list of worsts too. I can't remember a thing about it, which is not a good sign. It's the biggest black spot in a season I otherwise loved.
Hilarious fish man death aside I'm sort of OK with The Doctor's Daughter? Really strong and surprisingly subtle performance from Tennant in that one and some great stuff from Tate - "dadshock" and all that, and her working out the solution to the whole mystery. The problem is that all the Martha stuff could be deleted and it would make it an enormously better (and 15 minute shorter) episode
Ooh, I kinda hate Tennant's performance in The Doctor's Daughter- "LET THE FOUNDATION OF YOUR SOCIETY BE THE MAN WHO NEVER WOULD" and all. Even in his better moments, it feels like he's having a strop more than anything else.
Tate didn't do badly, but I never bought her working out the solution in the slightest, and the rest just leaves her adrift.
I mentioned above that the fourth episode is gone, and I think most people would say that the worst part of that is it means we don't have the complete footage of the first Doctor Who regeneration.
Which makes me wonder if this is why they're returning to it at Christmas. It won't be the same, of course, but outside of a miracle (or time travel) it's the closest we're going to get to seeing One's complete regeneration with actual actors.
I don't think she's even that terrible (she's' certainly not good, though), but there's just something awfully weird and cheap-looking about the whole episode. Somehow even the street, a real street, looks cheap. It must have been the way it was shot.
The episode was put together at the last minute without any significant budget. They probably called in some favours, too. Chloe's mother is played by Nina Sosanya who had worked with Tennant on the Davies-scripted Casanova. The alien is basically a CGI doodle.
It's not my favourite Who episode, but it gets a lot of unwarranted fan outrage. It's a pretty good story idea and well realized. In 2012, some Doctor Who fans with long memories even wanted David Tennant to be one of the bearers of the Olympic torch, as Doctor Who is depicted stepping out of the crowd and carrying the torch in the episode, complete with an emotive commentary by BBC journalist Huw Edwards. Their pleas were not in vain. Matt Smith, the then-current Doctor Who, was one of the British relay who carried it in 2012.
Ooh, I kinda hate Tennant's performance in The Doctor's Daughter- "LET THE FOUNDATION OF YOUR SOCIETY BE THE MAN WHO NEVER WOULD" and all. Even in his better moments, it feels like he's having a strop more than anything else.
Tate didn't do badly, but I never bought her working out the solution in the slightest, and the rest just leaves her adrift.
Ah yes, that ending speech is bad. I'd forgotten about that. The moment before it, with her in his arms, and after, with the sort of quiet, rueful departure, those are better. I'm specifically thinking of the moment where she claims to be a Time Lord and he snaps at her, snarls at her, has something really awful and nasty there for a moment - that's a great piece that we didn't really see much of from him.
Steven Moffat says he was contracted to produce the episodes up The Doctor Falls, which takes 12 up to the point where he needs to regenerate. Then it emerged that Chris Chibnall wasn't ready to start with a Christmas episode (after all, Moffat didn't do that, his first full production was The Eleventh Hour). So he decided to talk to the BBC and they agreed to run his final episode at Christmas.
It's got Capaldi and Bradley as Doctor Who numbers 1 and 12, so I think it will be a classic.
Do we know who could replace Gold on the score? It makes sense for him to leave at this point, but him staying on the show for s8 and beyond was one of the things that signaled to me that the music will still be a huge part of the show. Also that it was still gonna be good.
Probably Olafur Arnalds. He worked with Chiball on Broadchurch, and he's gold dust, one of the best composers out there. Heavily classical but with some electronic music in his works too. I'm sure Chibnall is trying to get him onboard. Interestingly, David Tennant features on a collaboration album by Arnalds and LateNightTales too.
I believe they've been announced in Doctor Who Mag at the least so nothing to worry about, I don't think really intended as a surprise.
I see today's Sheffield filming is in a place with a lot of cranes, and that the DWSR tag on Twitter and thread on GB continue to be trash. Trying to figure out if the rumours of a night shoot today are true, what in Sheff is notable enough that it will a) be recognisable enough to have come here to film (as some of the other street stuff is v generic and easily done elsewhere) and b) lit at night? Look I'm just very excited it's pretty much on my doorstep okay :P
I've just realised Chris Chibnall's company is filming in England and not Wales-for-England as has often been the case in the past. I wonder why Sheffield is so important. From memory of a single visit more than thirty years ago, its brutalist skyline was one of its most notable features. That could well have gone by now. A glance at Sheffield Interchange on Google Maps shows me some photos that could just as easily have been taken in my home town hundreds of miles from Sheffield.
I need to get back into the Big Finish audios. It will require me finishing Doom Coalition 2, both War Doctor sets, and the last two 10th Doctor audios first though.
They're going to show a regeneration early?! Mental. Then again, I suppose we already know "how he dies"... and maybe they'll cut 13's first scene off the end.
The Doctor Who website press release does say it'll cut off the final few moments.
Fans will be able to enjoy a preview of the episode, apart from the last few moments which will be kept as a surprise until the BBC One broadcast on Christmas Day.
Having just watched The Tenth Planet, I wonder when this scene is supposed to be happening? By the time Polly and Ben get back to the TARDIS, the Doctor is already out cold on the ground and regenerating.
Damn, you just reminded me of when someone at the last forum and posted Matt's final words from GB, denied they were real spoilers and attacked me and a few others for getting mad about it. And then the episode came out and the words were proven real, and he gave a half-assed "oh, sorry" over it.
Having just watched The Tenth Planet, I wonder when this scene is supposed to be happening? By the time Polly and Ben get back to the TARDIS, the Doctor is already out cold on the ground and regenerating.
Think it might be before he goes out into the storm. I'm assuming 1's hands will keep glowing as he resists regeneration just like 12. Not sure how I feel about that retcon...
Damn, you just reminded me of when someone at the last forum and posted Matt's final words from GB, denied they were real spoilers and attacked me and a few others for getting mad about it. And then the episode came out and the words were proven real, and he gave a half-assed "oh, sorry" over it.
Think it might be before he goes out into the storm. I'm assuming 1's hands will keep glowing as he resists regeneration just like 12. Not sure how I feel about that retcon...
Filming in South Africa is pretty cool. I would love to see them film in Asia some day as well, given the big deal they got with a Chinese channel earlier this year to air Doctor Who I wonder if they would want to set a story in/film in China at some point.
It would, but I'm more talking about the glow itself. Even Night of the Doctor went with something of a mix between classic and modern regeneration visuals rather than fully adopting the glow from Eccleston's regeneration. Dunno if it was budget thing, however
Ooh, that'd be great. Always wished they had more money to do more location shooting in more places. They made the most of it, but Cardiff and Lanzarote can only look so different
It would, but I'm more talking about the glow itself. Even Night of the Doctor went with something of a mix between classic and modern regeneration visuals rather than fully adopting the glow from Eccleston's regeneration. Dunno if it was budget thing, however
I'd say it's the show trying to be more mature or emotional. Both Nine and Ten had excessively over-the-top regenerations. It's like they were going Super Saiyan. Elevens regenerative was more subtle and subdued, and I appreciated it more.
I'd say it's the show trying to be more mature or emotional. Both Nine and Ten had excessively over-the-top regenerations. It's like they were going Super Saiyan. Elevens regenerative was more subtle and subdued, and I appreciated it more.
I'm talking about the actual moment of regeneration, not the initial process. Twelve probably has the most subtle one yet. A single shot in the back and it begins.
I was wondering whether they'd get him involved in more than just a VO way.
His original acted snippets in the original Shada DVD are hilariously awful. He's narrating the story in first person in what is in essence a weird Doctor Who gallery.
