Doctor Who Social Club
A community for discussing all things Doctor Who.
Rules
1 Be constructive
All posts/comments must be thoughtful and balanced.
2 Be welcoming
It is important that everyone from newbies to longtime fans feel welcome, no matter their gender, sexual orientation, religion or race.
3 Be truthful
All posts/comments must be factually accurate and verifiable. We are not a place for gossip, rumors, or manipulative or misleading content.
4 Be nice
If a polite way cannot be found to phrase what it is you want to say, don't say anything at all. Insulting or disparaging remarks about any human being are expressly not allowed.
5 Spoilers
Utilize the spoiler system for any and all spoilers relating to the most recently-aired episode. Spoiler protection will not be granted to information that is out in the mainstream media.
6 Keep on-topic
All submissions must be directly about the DW franchise (the shows, movies, books, etc.). Off-topic discussions are welcome at c/Quarks.
7 Meta
Questions and concerns about moderator actions should be brought forward via DM.
Upcoming Episodes
| Date | Episode | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 12-07 | TWB 1x01 | "Homo Aqua" |
| 12-07 | TWB 1x02 | "Plastic Apocalypse" |
| 12-14 | TWB 1x03 | "The Deep" |
| 12-14 | TWB 1x04 | "The Witch of the Waterfall" |
| 12-21 | TWB 1x05 | "The End of the War" |
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I enjoyed this one. There's lots of sci fi elements, good plot points to explore, and it's directed very well. The sound design is pretty good in this one, I like the mournful music when the black hole is on camera contrasted with the jaunty music during shift change before everything starts to go bad. The slow descent into madness as things start breaking apart is well done, even if it does trigger my "why does no one just talk to each other" detector. I enjoyed the use of a language so old even the tardis can't help translate it - it adds to the base feeling like it really is remote, and the designs of the underground cavern are nice, it reminds me a bit of Petra in Jordan. There's a really nice line when the doctor and rose are discussing the black hole - They are gateways to other universes. The doctor replies "not that one", referencing the fact that this black hole isn't a doorway, but also implying there's no way Rose can get back to the other universe where Mickey and Pete are. Finally, actually trapping the doctor without a tardis, rather than handwaving away that it can't be used like in the Madam Pompadour episode, is a much better way to keep things interesting.
There are some very minor bits I think could have been done a better though. I feel the implication is Doctor and Rose have hung around a bit on the base after the tardis was lost, but some more explicit passage of time would have been nicer. Were they there a couple of hours? weeks? The final trapdoor at the end looks pretty small. It's big, sure, but not to the extent that justifies the reaction they have on seeing it. Rose takes on the compassionate friend of the ood role, but is dismissed by everyone, and the doctor seems not to mind it either, and I am reminded of Harry Potter where Hermione's campaign for the house elves is similarly dismised and ignored by everyone. Thankfully we get a follow up of that plotline in a later series, but maybe it was biting a bit too much off at once here.
Overall, really enjoyed this one, and the cliffhanger it ends on feels important, because there's a lot of mystery still left to resolve.
Random nitpick - In the caves, they throw up a "gravity globe". It's a flare. They could have just called it a flare.
The gravity globe is such a weird little thing - I guess it's called that because of the way it hangs in the air? Pretty risky when you're in a planet orbiting a black hole, that's also projecting some kind of gravity funnel into deep space.
Even weirder is the fact that it's recurring - the Anglican Marines use one in Matt Smith's Weeping Angels two-parter.
I like this thought - it had never occurred to me before.