Doctor Who

[Kanriel]

But that's just it. She didn't get bitchy because he has a different attitude than 11. She got bitchy because he changed, he got older. That was the entire point of the first episode this season. That's what I don't get or like. As someone who has seen every regeneration and understand it more than any other companion, she has zero reason to be bitchy about it

Has she really seen every regeneration? She has seen every face, sure, but I don't think she actually "lived" alongside all of the Doctor all of those years. Though I guess the actual mechanics of her jumping into the timestream aren't very well explained...

[Meph]

wibbly wobbly timey wimey

[Myrrh_Quetz]

Even seeing every face should be enough knowledge about Regeneration that her reaction was forced and shitty. The writers were trying to relive the Rose/Tennant regenerations by the looks of it and it failed

[Sunrider]

Really? It seemed to me that the writers were trying to drive home that the Rose/10 dynamic was dead and gone.

The Doctor Clara crushed on wasn't anymore, and she just hasn't been dealing well with that, despite the fact that many of his qualities are still there, and that he still kind of needs her.

[Jamison]

They've said it will take the Doctor longer to "recover" from this regeneration because it was so significant. Maybe this really is just a long con.

[TummieGaruda]

I like her Character. I don't like what its turning into and the hate of her is silly. The writers are the ones ruining it.

I am somewhat ok with her, but yes it is the writers who are at fault really. My comment was more about the fact that currently, the writers seem to be a little bit more focused on Clara than the Doctor which is causing some fans to refer to the show as "Clara Who". You will see in tomorrows episode "Flatline" that Clara is the focus of the episode because:

Spoiler: show

The Doctor gets trapped in his Tardis because the dimensions are being tampered with (The Tardis shrinks on the outside and the doctor makes a comment about the true weight of the Tardis could crack the Earth). Clara ends up with the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver and essentially takes on his role for the episode by trying to deal with the dimensional monsters in the episode (since the Doctor is trapped) and even at one point calls herself the Doctor. The Doctor is still in the episode barking orders at her through an earpiece and it will feel like a very Clara-centric episode however, it is an episode that is needed because Clara should come out of the episode with a deep understanding as to what it is like to be the Doctor and having to make impossible decisions

[Siatdiat]

Its not without precedent to have another character other than the Doctor drive the action.

I was really excited watching this latest episode, actually thinking we would be rid of Clara, but no such luck. Going to assume we are stuck with her now for at least the remainder of this season. Peter Capaldi to me is the most original "modern" Doctor so far, with his own personal mark on the character and not relying as much on echoes of classic Doctors versions. Looking forward to a solid few seasons with a better companion.

[Tricen]

Is there a safe place to watch season 8 online?

[TummieGaruda]

I heard a very interesting theory about "heaven"/nethersphere that blew my mind but I doubt its true.

Spoiler: show

the nethershere is a storage place for time lords. When humans die a certain way their bodies are transported to the nethersphere for regenration purposes. This would explain how the 12th Doctor looks like Caecilius from fires of Pompeii .

Also I'm hearing the woman from the shop mystery may be revealed in flatline

[Silenka]

My bets are on the Doctor being shown he is more like a soldier than any of the soldiers he's encountered in this series so far (and they will be thrown in his face, all of the people Missy collected, at the end). He has been so calculating, so quick to sacrifice others for the sake of the mission or the greater good this season compared to past ones. I would honestly be shocked if this is not at least partly how things go down, because the "Doctor has a problem with soldiers" motif has been SO shoved in our faces every damn episode.

I'm kind of worried about the finale

Spoiler: show

if it is indeed Missy and an army of Cybermen, we have seen that already in "The Next Doctor", crazy lady with cyberman army. Not new, but a regurgitated theme just like everything else in this season.

Also the lack of historical episodes has been bothering me. 90% of them have been futuristic/alien episodes. As a fan of history, it's very disappointing.

[ronin sparthos]

I wanted the series to finale with the reintroduction of Missy as the Rani. It'd at least salvage the season and give us a character from old Who back in the new.

[Kanriel]

I wanted the series to finale with the reintroduction of Missy as the Rani. It'd at least salvage the season and give us a character from old Who back in the new.

I'd actually love for this to happen. Though apparently Moffat said he had no reason to bring her back, though that was 2 years ago and that could just be to make the reveal bigger.

[Kaslo]

No comments on last night's episode? I think it may have been my favorite of the season so far.

Adams Family style

[nicholai]

I enjoyed it. They've done a good job making the season about Clara and her changing her perspective on who the Doctor is and what he does. Still hoping for a good pay off in the last two episodes.

[Jamison]

Just finished watching it. Liked it as well. IMO, the past few seasons have been a little too much "hit you over the head" with the season-long story arc. And even though I generally enjoy longer arcs, it's been extremely refreshing to get away from that a little bit. Not sure exactly how the last episodes will play out, but this could reminiscent of 9 in that the things that tie this all together have yet to be revealed. Or maybe nothing does, we'll see.

Regardless I think this has been a great season overall (an opinion that is admittedly not universally shared).

[Intrinsic]

Below average season for sure. Capaldi is hard to stomach and the writing hasn't helped him. This last episode was the best and he was confined to the Tardis for everything important. The best thing he's done is Thing the Tardis off the rails.

[Exoduso]

While I do share the view that Capaldi has been rather difficult to stomach, I think that I'm starting to get used to him. What I'm not getting used to is the sense that nothing is really happening as far as a long story arc... I expected things to pick up by now and they're simply not.
That being said, this was probably my favorite episode after "Listen", it's just sad that this season has 4 episodes or so left this season and we've yet to have any significant 2-parter or any earth-shattering development in the main story arc but like Jamison said, maybe it's like 9 in that we won't find out how things tie together until the very end. One can only hope, anyways.

[Tidane]

The Missy/afterlife/heaven thing is weak at best and doesn't have any real hook into anything that's happening, making it completely useless for me. I am not at all interested in what it is and the less consequential it is, the better. Hopefully it is a quick device to evolve the Doctor into a role that really lets Capaldi shine. I can only imagine this arc is all Moffat's idea. I really believe they need a new show runner. Let Moffat write, but have someone else do the planing. His grandeur is getting tiresome.

That said, this episode was the best of this season. Still a great deal of poor writing that Capaldi and Coleman manage to make watchable. The fact that the Doctor wasn't interacting with anyone other than Clara was probably the most important part. Instead of being insufferable to everyone, he was the confused Doctor. The fact that he wasn't in control also meant we didn't have to listen to Clara bellyaching over everything he said or did. A nice change of pace, for sure.

The Doctor getting a view of how Clara sees him showed us that he was well aware of what he was doing. For whatever reason, he's lost hope in the idea of saving everyone. He still wants people to live, but recognizes that bad choices need to be made, and believes someone has to do it. Since that someone is him, he hardens himself and has an uncaring exterior.

Strangely (and bothersomely) enough, Clara seems completely oblivious to the weight that is on the Doctor's shoulders and indifferent to the lives lost under her watch. The Doctor made it painfully obvious that he doesn't think of himself as a good man any more. It should be interesting when Clara figures this out and we finally learn what is weighing him down. Perhaps Clara will grow up and realize that the weight of the universe is on his shoulders and the little moon choice she had to make didn't even compare.

Very little Pink, so that makes the episode much more bearable as well. Can't stand the character. I originally thought there was some potential there, but they quashed any hope of that from me. Who knows what the hell Clara sees in him.

TL;DR: Hate Pink, hate the writing, hate the arc, waffling on Clara, and appreciate the effort Capaldi and Coleman are making.

[Kaslo]

The Missy/afterlife/heaven thing is weak at best and doesn't have any real hook into anything that's happening, making it completely useless for me. I am not at all interested in what it is and the less consequential it is, the better. Hopefully it is a quick device to evolve the Doctor into a role that really lets Capaldi shine. I can only imagine this arc is all Moffat's idea. I really believe they need a new show runner. Let Moffat write, but have someone else do the planing. His grandeur is getting tiresome.

That said, this episode was the best of this season. Still a great deal of poor writing that Capaldi and Coleman manage to make watchable. The fact that the Doctor wasn't interacting with anyone other than Clara was probably the most important part. Instead of being insufferable to everyone, he was the confused Doctor. The fact that he wasn't in control also meant we didn't have to listen to Clara bellyaching over everything he said or did. A nice change of pace, for sure.

The Doctor getting a view of how Clara sees him showed us that he was well aware of what he was doing. For whatever reason, he's lost hope in the idea of saving everyone. He still wants people to live, but recognizes that bad choices need to be made, and believes someone has to do it. Since that someone is him, he hardens himself and has an uncaring exterior.

Strangely (and bothersomely) enough, Clara seems completely oblivious to the weight that is on the Doctor's shoulders and indifferent to the lives lost under her watch. The Doctor made it painfully obvious that he doesn't think of himself as a good man any more. It should be interesting when Clara figures this out and we finally learn what is weighing him down. Perhaps Clara will grow up and realize that the weight of the universe is on his shoulders and the little moon choice she had to make didn't even compare.

Very little Pink, so that makes the episode much more bearable as well. Can't stand the character. I originally thought there was some potential there, but they quashed any hope of that from me. Who knows what the hell Clara sees in him.

TL;DR: Hate Pink, hate the writing, hate the arc, waffling on Clara, and appreciate the effort Capaldi and Coleman are making.

I think there have been some solid moments where Clara has seen the Doctor she thought she knew in Capaldi, the look on her face at the final confrontation in this episode was one of those moments and something I loved.

[Kaslo]

Am I watching the Happening?