Allons-y!

Here we go again ….
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
Well, that was an RTD special and no mistake. From the carefully scripted
preamble through the reprise and oh-my-God even DENSER Murray Gold scored
titles and all the way to the comedy accident cliffhanger (and how DARE
they set fire to the most beautiful TARDIS set since … well, ever? The
round things. I love the round things) there was a sensation that Doctor
Who is BACK, baby!

Don’t get me wrong. I liked Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor. But Chris Chibnall’s
writing was often weak, the stories confused and poorly resolved, the
direction flat and the pacing off. This was a return to form on a grand
scale.

I don’t even like Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble. Never have. But this story
was tremendous fun. The Disney money is there on the screen and there was
perhaps a bit too much gratuitous shooting, for the benefit of gun lovers
everywhere: but honestly.

The ‘B’ plotline of Beep the Meep and the Wrarth warriors was competently
updated, reasonably faithfully, from the comic book original, and Miriam
Margolyes delivered a good voice turn as Beep.

And I loved the agency given to Ruth Madeley as UNIT’s scientific advisor
Shirley Anne Bingham with her Q-gadget loaded wheelchair straight out of
James Bond.

Tennant brought back “10” as 14 - but with a little bit of 13, a touch of
11 - that was some clever characterisation.

But the real story was and always had to be rescuing Donna Noble from her
“inevitable” fate – and it was done beautifully. From Donna’s fierce pride
and love for her daughter, her surprisingly delicate coaching of her mother
in acceptance of Rose’s transition, to Rose and her nature being the key to
allowing Donna to survive – marvellous. A tour de force.

The ongoing hint that all is not normal was well-delivered and landed fine.
Who is the boss? (OK, we all know really, but let it ride for now).

It was a little bit style over substance in places but on the whole, it was
a tremendous and very welcome return to form.

Rose: “Can I see inside?”
Donna: “No! No! No! Because something will go wrong. You’ll end up on Mars
with Chaucer and a robot shark, and that’s actually happened, hasn’t it?”
The Doctor: “Oh yeah.”

9/10 and I can’t wait for next week.

--
“The timelines and … canon … are rupturing” - the Doctor

The Last Doctor wrote:

> Allons-y!
>
> Here we go again ….

And that's just it isn't it, it's like the RTD/Tennant era all over
again! Tennant's Doctor and Donna Noble are just carrying on where
they left off... after a long gap admittedly... but it was just so
familiar watching them together again in "The Star Beast". We're all
a little bit older, but it's like that pair of comfy old slippers you
come home too.

In article <ujts84$2v3e1$1@dont-email.me>,
The Last Doctor <mike@xenocyte.com> wrote:
>Allons-y!
>
>Here we go again ….
>.
>.
>.
>.
>.
>.
>.
>.
>.
>.
>Well, that was an RTD special and no mistake. From the carefully scripted
>preamble through the reprise and oh-my-God even DENSER Murray Gold scored
>titles and all the way to the comedy accident cliffhanger (and how DARE
>they set fire to the most beautiful TARDIS set since … well, ever? The
>round things. I love the round things) there was a sensation that Doctor
>Who is BACK, baby!
>
>Don’t get me wrong. I liked Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor. But Chris Chibnall’s
>writing was often weak, the stories confused and poorly resolved, the
>direction flat and the pacing off. This was a return to form on a grand
>scale.
>
>I don’t even like Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble. Never have. But this story
>was tremendous fun. The Disney money is there on the screen and there was
>perhaps a bit too much gratuitous shooting, for the benefit of gun lovers
>everywhere: but honestly.
>
>The ‘B’ plotline of Beep the Meep and the Wrarth warriors was competently
>updated, reasonably faithfully, from the comic book original, and Miriam
>Margolyes delivered a good voice turn as Beep.
>
>And I loved the agency given to Ruth Madeley as UNIT’s scientific advisor
>Shirley Anne Bingham with her Q-gadget loaded wheelchair straight out of
>James Bond.
>
>Tennant brought back “10” as 14 - but with a little bit of 13, a touch of
>11 - that was some clever characterisation.
>
>But the real story was and always had to be rescuing Donna Noble from her
>“inevitable” fate – and it was done beautifully. From Donna’s
>fierce pride
>and love for her daughter, her surprisingly delicate coaching of her mother
>in acceptance of Rose’s transition, to Rose and her nature being the key to
>allowing Donna to survive – marvellous. A tour de force.
>
>The ongoing hint that all is not normal was well-delivered and landed fine.
>Who is the boss? (OK, we all know really, but let it ride for now).
>
>It was a little bit style over substance in places but on the whole, it was
>a tremendous and very welcome return to form.
>
>Rose: “Can I see inside?”
>Donna: “No! No! No! Because something will go wrong. You’ll end up on Mars
>with Chaucer and a robot shark, and that’s actually happened, hasn’t it?”
>The Doctor: “Oh yeah.”
>
>9/10 and I can’t wait for next week.

Average 8.5/10 and You and me agree!

>
>--
>“The timelines and … canon … are rupturing” - the Doctor

--
Member - Liberal International This is doctor@nk.ca Ici doctor@nk.ca
Yahweh, King & country!Never Satan President Republic!Beware AntiChrist rising!
Look at Psalms 14 and 53 on Atheism ; unsubscribe from Google Groups to be seen
Merry Christmas 2023 and Happy New year 2024 Beware https://mindspring.com

In article <nnd$1aeb04c8$345778c8@76ce6f3a23d3db9b>,
Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
>The Last Doctor wrote:
>
>> Allons-y!
>>
>> Here we go again ….
>
>And that's just it isn't it, it's like the RTD/Tennant era all over
>again! Tennant's Doctor and Donna Noble are just carrying on where
>they left off... after a long gap admittedly... but it was just so
>familiar watching them together again in "The Star Beast". We're all
>a little bit older, but it's like that pair of comfy old slippers you
>come home too.

This feels like doctor Who since 2017!

Anyways what the new TARDIS interior?
--
Member - Liberal International This is doctor@nk.ca Ici doctor@nk.ca
Yahweh, King & country!Never Satan President Republic!Beware AntiChrist rising!
Look at Psalms 14 and 53 on Atheism ; unsubscribe from Google Groups to be seen
Merry Christmas 2023 and Happy New year 2024 Beware https://mindspring.com

In message <ujts84$2v3e1$1@dont-email.me>, The Last Doctor
<mike@xenocyte.com> writes
<snip>
>It was a little bit style over substance in places but on the whole, it
>was
>a tremendous and very welcome return to form.
Agreed. The only thing I didn't like was yet another new version of the
theme tune. With each new version, it seems to move further away from
its distinctive and instantly recognisable alien strangeness. And Murray
Gold (assuming that he was responsible) needs to learn that "grandiose"
is not the same as "grand". Other long-running shows don't seem to feel
the need to change their themes every five minutes, so why does Who?
--
John Hall
"Acting is merely the art of keeping a large group of people
from coughing."
Sir Ralph Richardson (1902-83)

On Sun, 26 Nov 2023 10:00:32 +0000, John Hall <john_nospam@jhall.co.uk> wrote:
> In message <ujts84$2v3e1$1@dont-email.me>, The Last Doctor
><mike@xenocyte.com> writes
><snip>
>>It was a little bit style over substance in places but on the whole,

Yeah I would agree with that. I think the balance was a bit off too for
a TV Doctor Who story - too much running gun-battle in the middle. I
felt that bit dragged quite a bit.

I think as well as the plot being pretty light, the character development
of the new characters was pretty light too. We know really very little
about Shirley Anne Bingham and only a tiny bit about Rose Noble (other
than being a toy-maker as a side-hustle whilst still being at school).

I think some of the techno-babble during the disabling of the ship was
way over the top and far more babble than techno for me.

I think the reversal of the rivers of lava through the streets of London
(and their 'magical' healing) was a bit well comic-book.

> Agreed. The only thing I didn't like was yet another new version of the
> theme tune. With each new version, it seems to move further away from
> its distinctive and instantly recognisable alien strangeness.

Yep the theme, especially the closing theme, did sound less good, less
distinctive as you say. Akinola's arrangements of the theme were better
for me and brought in more elements of various other arrangements
throughout the years.

--
Andy Leighton => andyl@azaal.plus.com
"We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!"
- Douglas Adams

In article <zjpzWcBAdxYlFwbR@jhall_nospamxx.co.uk>,
John Hall <john@jhall.co.uk> wrote:
>In message <ujts84$2v3e1$1@dont-email.me>, The Last Doctor
><mike@xenocyte.com> writes
><snip>
>>It was a little bit style over substance in places but on the whole, it
>>was
>>a tremendous and very welcome return to form.
>Agreed. The only thing I didn't like was yet another new version of the
>theme tune. With each new version, it seems to move further away from
>its distinctive and instantly recognisable alien strangeness. And Murray
>Gold (assuming that he was responsible) needs to learn that "grandiose"
>is not the same as "grand". Other long-running shows don't seem to feel
>the need to change their themes every five minutes, so why does Who?

What not back to 25 minute episode and multi parters?

>--
>John Hall
> "Acting is merely the art of keeping a large group of people
> from coughing."
> Sir Ralph Richardson (1902-83)

--
Member - Liberal International This is doctor@nk.ca Ici doctor@nk.ca
Yahweh, King & country!Never Satan President Republic!Beware AntiChrist rising!
Look at Psalms 14 and 53 on Atheism ; unsubscribe from Google Groups to be seen
Merry Christmas 2023 and Happy New year 2024 Beware https://mindspring.com

In article <slrnum6b3c.1foqm.andyl@azaal.plus.com>,
Andy Leighton <andyl@azaal.plus.com> wrote:
>On Sun, 26 Nov 2023 10:00:32 +0000, John Hall <john_nospam@jhall.co.uk> wrote:
>> In message <ujts84$2v3e1$1@dont-email.me>, The Last Doctor
>><mike@xenocyte.com> writes
>><snip>
>>>It was a little bit style over substance in places but on the whole,
>
>Yeah I would agree with that. I think the balance was a bit off too for
>a TV Doctor Who story - too much running gun-battle in the middle. I
>felt that bit dragged quite a bit.
>
>I think as well as the plot being pretty light, the character development
>of the new characters was pretty light too. We know really very little
>about Shirley Anne Bingham and only a tiny bit about Rose Noble (other
>than being a toy-maker as a side-hustle whilst still being at school).
>
>I think some of the techno-babble during the disabling of the ship was
>way over the top and far more babble than techno for me.
>
>I think the reversal of the rivers of lava through the streets of London
>(and their 'magical' healing) was a bit well comic-book.
>
>> Agreed. The only thing I didn't like was yet another new version of the
>> theme tune. With each new version, it seems to move further away from
>> its distinctive and instantly recognisable alien strangeness.
>
>Yep the theme, especially the closing theme, did sound less good, less
>distinctive as you say. Akinola's arrangements of the theme were better
>for me and brought in more elements of various other arrangements
>throughout the years.
>

I would say disney putting their touch on things might be the case.

>--
>Andy Leighton => andyl@azaal.plus.com
>"We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!"
> - Douglas Adams

--
Member - Liberal International This is doctor@nk.ca Ici doctor@nk.ca
Yahweh, King & country!Never Satan President Republic!Beware AntiChrist rising!
Look at Psalms 14 and 53 on Atheism ; unsubscribe from Google Groups to be seen
Merry Christmas 2023 and Happy New year 2024 Beware https://mindspring.com

On Saturday, November 25, 2023 at 10:25:11 PM UTC, The Last Doctor wrote:
>
> 9/10 and I can’t wait for next week.

I read the original comic strip, so got pretty much what I expected. The main thing that grated a little is that the sonic screwdriver seems to be able to do even more magical stuff. And the reasoning behind a transexual son/daughter being the solution for Donna made absolutely no sense to me. Rose is essentially a male who thinks he's female because he's having hormone treatment. That's just someone with a mixed up gender identity.

On Saturday, November 25, 2023 at 5:25:11 PM UTC-5, The Last Doctor wrote:

> Who is the boss? (OK, we all know really, but let it ride for now).

Bruce Springsteen, obviously.

Or that artificial intelligence computer from The Green Death.