# Doctor Who



## Hemi-Powered Drone (Apr 30, 2011)

Well, the second episode of Season 6 is on right now(In the eastern US, at least) and I'm surprised nothings been said here of it. How many people watch Doctor Who on here? We can definitely find something to discuss...

Do the episodes air earlier in Britain, or do they are at the same time as in the US? If they air earlier, please don't spoil it...


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## Waelstrum (Apr 30, 2011)

Was on last night in Australia, and I think about a week ago in Britain (not sure though).

The start was quite WTF-worthy, but I'm pretty sure everything will make sense in part two.


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## Hemi-Powered Drone (Apr 30, 2011)

Waelstrum said:


> Was on last night in Australia, and I think about a week ago in Britain (not sure though).
> 
> The start was quite WTF-worthy, but I'm pretty sure everything will make sense in part two.



Wait, you just saw _The Impossible Astronaut_?


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## steve1 (Apr 30, 2011)

the same one aired here today. I see it occasionally, I'm not really a fan of the new guy. David Tennant is my favourite of the modern doctors.


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## Waelstrum (Apr 30, 2011)

dragonblade629 said:


> Wait, you just saw _The Impossible Astronaut_?



Oh shit, I just realised you guys are an episode ahead of us. I'm here-by boycotting this thread.






Spoilers.


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## Hemi-Powered Drone (Apr 30, 2011)

The episode finished, finishing that little story. But now I'm even more confused. If Australians haven't seen _Day of the Moon_, I won't speak my confusion.

EDIT-
That's odd...I would think a Commonwealth nation would get it before some rebels like the US.


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## Grand Moff Tim (Apr 30, 2011)

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Karen Gillan...


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## The Somberlain (Apr 30, 2011)

It's not quite on in the West Coast, but I will post my thoughts soon.


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## Hemi-Powered Drone (Apr 30, 2011)

Crap, this thread won't really work, will it?


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## The Somberlain (May 1, 2011)

Well, since I'm probably the last to see it (unless we have Alaskan or Hawaiian fans), I must say it was quite enjoyable, but it's missing some of that Russell T. Davies magic.


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## Hemi-Powered Drone (May 7, 2011)

Action started pretty quick in this episode, anyone else watching it?


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## Hemi-Powered Drone (Oct 1, 2011)

Did anyone else watch the series finale? OH MY GOD THAT WAS INSANE! Moffat has seriously outdone himself. 






Now we have to wait until Christmas, though.


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## technomancer (Oct 2, 2011)

Tivo'd it tonight, watching it tomorrow... your typo fucked me up though, SEASON not SERIES finale  (unless I missed some information and it got canceled in which case I am going to be PISSED )


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## BrainArt (Oct 2, 2011)

technomancer said:


> Tivo'd it tonight, watching it tomorrow... your typo fucked me up though, SEASON not SERIES finale  (unless I missed some information and it got canceled in which case I am going to be PISSED )



Series is what they call seasons over in the UK, so I guess Dragon decided to use that, as well. 



I haven't seen it, yet. I will eventually.


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## Captain Shoggoth (Oct 2, 2011)

^same here 

I NEED to know what happens, but I have to wait until my dad comes home (we've always watched it together)


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## BrainArt (Oct 2, 2011)

Just saw it. Holy shit. So good. I'm also really good at deducing what's going to happen, but I'm not going to give away any (dare I say it?) spoilers.


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## Pooluke41 (Oct 2, 2011)

I fucking loved that ending,

And may I just say, I loved "the question"


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## Hemi-Powered Drone (Oct 2, 2011)

I had a party with some of my nerdy friends to watch it, we had bow-tie cookies, dalek squid(intended to be a fez) cheese cake, and fish sticks and custard. We had to keep rewinding the episode because everyone was going "WHAT?" at every moment of the Doctor's brilliance.

SPOILER ALERT!


Spoiler



I can't believe I ignored Teselecta! After Lets Kill Hitler I pretty much ignored them because I thought they were irrelevant, and when the came back I was "Doctor, you clever, clever man", but then he didn't say anything, then they went back and revealed he did say how the Teselecta could help and I was "Moffat, you clever, clever man!"


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## chronocide (Oct 4, 2011)

Pooluke41 said:


> I fucking loved that ending,
> 
> And may I just say, I loved "the question"



I couldn't believe anyone hadn't already guessed what the question was when chatting after it. The clues were sledgehammered a-plenty.

Decent enough ending, though can't say I was blown away. Enjoyed the season as a whole though and will be looking forward to the next.


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## Interloper (Oct 5, 2011)

David Tennant > Matt Smith

That being said, I still can't stop watching.


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## Pooluke41 (Oct 5, 2011)

ROLL ON CHRISTMAS.


I cannae wait.


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## technomancer (Oct 5, 2011)

Interloper said:


> David Tennant > Matt Smith
> 
> That being said, I still can't stop watching.





Actually they've done something that surprised me, which is find a series of Drs that I liked. That said Tennant has been the best in this go-round 

Finale was brilliant


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## Hemi-Powered Drone (Oct 9, 2011)

I've prefered Tenant as a Doctor, but Moffat is my favorite writer and I'm beginning to like Smith more. You can't beat Moffat for figuring out how to scare the shit out of you while intriguing you at the same time!


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## Vostre Roy (Oct 28, 2011)

Finally finished the 6th season. Really nice one, without a doubt one of the best (though I'm jumping in the "Tennant was better" bandwagon lol). Waiting for the 7th season to start, has any date been given for it?


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## Hemi-Powered Drone (Nov 3, 2011)

The Christmas Special is supposed to come out on Christmas Day, I think.


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## Hemi-Powered Drone (Dec 15, 2011)

So, 9:00 PM EST for the Christmas special, who's going to be shying away from Christmas socialization for nerd bliss?


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## SammyKillChambers (Jun 24, 2012)

Interloper said:


> David Tennant > Matt Smith
> 
> That being said, I still can't stop watching.



As a matter of fact, Matt Smith is settling into the role really well! David Tennant was better, but I love Smith.

Also, have you seen who's gonna play the doctor's new companion from halfway through the next series? HNNNNGGGHHH.


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## steve1 (Jun 24, 2012)

^ I don't want Karen Gillan to leave


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## Hemi-Powered Drone (Jun 26, 2012)

Not sure if I want the new companion, we'll need to see her, but I've been losing interest in Amy so I'm okay with her leaving. I would like if Arthur Darvill stayed, I feel like we need more badass Rory.

On an unrelated note, Alex Kingston, you know, River Song, is going to be making her first US convention appearance this weekend at Florida Supercon in Miami and it's going to be awesome.


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## mr_rainmaker (Jun 26, 2012)

I`ve been a fan since I was a kid,still can`t seem to warn up to smith.


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## Black43 (Jun 26, 2012)

dragonblade629 said:


> So, 9:00 PM EST for the Christmas special, who's going to be shying away from Christmas socialization for nerd bliss?



me


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## glassmoon0fo (Jul 7, 2012)

Just watched this show for the first time this past weekend, saw the episode with the weeping angels and COULDN'T FUCKING SLEEP. I could see the silouette of a statue outside my window (on vacation in a florida hotel) and didn't blink for like 10 minutes. Christ that was a good idea for an episode


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## technomancer (Jul 7, 2012)

glassmoon0fo said:


> Just watched this show for the first time this past weekend, saw the episode with the weeping angels and COULDN'T FUCKING SLEEP. I could see the silouette of a statue outside my window (on vacation in a florida hotel) and didn't blink for like 10 minutes. Christ that was a good idea for an episode



Potentially the best episode since the reboot  Was it the one on earth with the videos or the one on an alien planet in the caves (there are two with the angels)


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## steve1 (Jul 7, 2012)

Not really a spoiler, but I don't want to give anything at all away to anyone who hasn't seen it.


Spoiler



I need to rewatch series 5&6 + a couple of episodes in series 4, but watch them in the correct order for River Song's timestream.


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## moshwitz (Jul 7, 2012)

Sup?

Gotta love the Dr.

I'm an old guy and go wayyyyyy back from being a little kid watching the re-runs starting with Jon Pertwee then Tom Baker as they aired on Public television. then they started at the beginning again with William Hartnell and went forwards from there. I got my older brother and my Dad into the show back then and the big ass coffee table sized VCR's with beta tapes had just started getting to the home crowd so we started taping them and have pretty much every available episode that is to be had of all 11 doctors. I even have some old memorabilia from the late 70's early 80's somewhere( picture disks, & whatnot.) 

There are allot of first & second season episodes missing from the official archives due to tape wiping,, but I swear we have some of those they say are lost. one day I'm gonna have to dig out the old cases and look into it..

anyway, Hell yeah great show, one of my favorite of all time. and great thread 

MOSHON
DAVE


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## glassmoon0fo (Jul 8, 2012)

technomancer said:


> Potentially the best episode since the reboot  Was it the one on earth with the videos or the one on an alien planet in the caves (there are two with the angels)


 
The one on earth. I'm telling you, cheesy brit production or not, it was almost too much for me to handle. Psychol0gical mindfuckry abounds


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## Tang (Sep 2, 2012)

The season premier was good.

Manly tears were shed.


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## Razzy (Sep 2, 2012)

Tang said:


> The season premier was good.
> 
> Manly tears were shed.



Yeah man, I almost lost it at the end.


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## Tang (Sep 2, 2012)

Razzy said:


> Yeah man, I almost lost it at the end.





Spoiler



I was super excited because the actress that playing Oswin _is_ the same actress that's playing the Doctors new companion. I was thinking she was an absolutely perfect replacement for Amy and Rorie, and then that ending. The Doctor looks more heartbroken than I've ever seen him.

All my feels.


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## Vostre Roy (Sep 10, 2012)

Awesome premier, to say the least. Totally up to my expectation, but like many:


Spoiler



I would had prefered to see that girl being the next companion. Even as a Dalek, imagine a Dalek companion with the Doctor while every other Daleks forgot who he is. That would had been a funny twist, no?. Anyway, I'll check episode 2 tonight.


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## Devyn Eclipse Nav (Sep 30, 2012)

That mid-season finale was amazing. But also terribly sad.



Spoiler



Basically, Rory gets trapped in Winter Quay by the Angels, and sees himself die, thereby cementing it into time. To try and prevent it, he jumps off the building to create a paradox. Amy goes with him. It works, and they wake up in the graveyard Amy and the Doctor bounced back to earlier, after trying to land in 1938 the first time. As they're leaving, Rory sees the gravestone with his name on it, and gets shot back in time by a lone angel. Amy freaks out, and basically follows him, via the angel, so they don't have to be apart, then her name appears on the gravestone. However, they did end up together, and Amy published and put an afterword in River's book, saying they're fine and happy, and they miss him. Cut to the trailer for the Christmas Special, and we see a split second of the new companion.


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## Vostre Roy (Apr 2, 2013)

Well crap. That season's second part will be fucking awesome.



Spoiler



From the new beginning intro to the preview of the upcoming episodes, that episode gave me goosebumps. What the hell with Oswald, that plot is pretty nice. And I freaking love Stax (I think thats how its spelled) humor, freaking potato man ahahah


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## Captain Butterscotch (Apr 7, 2013)

I don't have BBCMurica so I've not even seen anything from this half of the season


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## Captain Butterscotch (May 19, 2013)

Having acquired BBC Murica, the finale last night WAS AMAZING!



Spoiler



And the last bit when John Hurt turned around and the screen said "Introducing John Hurt as
The Doctor" made me jump around like an idiot. I love John Hurt! Tennant, Smith, and Hurt for the 50th anniversary?! Hell. Yes.


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## WaffleTheEpic (May 19, 2013)

SammyKillChambers said:


> As a matter of fact, Matt Smith is settling into the role really well! David Tennant was better, but I love Smith.
> 
> Also, have you seen who's gonna play the doctor's new companion from halfway through the next series? HNNNNGGGHHH.



Yeah dude, Jenna Louise Coleman is a babe. 

I'm still on season six though. I think episode 8? When I get all caught up to season seven, I'm gonna go back and watch Docs 1-8. They have that on Netflix


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## Mordacain (May 19, 2013)

Captain Butterscotch said:


> Having acquired BBC Murica, the finale last night WAS AMAZING!



Yea, the wifey and I were blown away too. So eager for the 50th now~!


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## JPhoenix19 (May 19, 2013)

I started Dr. Who from season 1 on Netflix. I'm only a few episodes into season 5 or 6 (whichever is the first with Smith) and I still think Eccleston was the best Doctor of the 3. I liked Tennant, but I don't think he portrayed the darker aspects of the Doctor as well as Eccleston did.

Anyway, I'll be perusing this thread as I get caught up on Dr. Who.


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## Mordacain (May 19, 2013)

JPhoenix19 said:


> I started Dr. Who from season 1 on Netflix. I'm only a few episodes into season 5 or 6 (whichever is the first with Smith) and I still think Eccleston was the best Doctor of the 3. I liked Tennant, but I don't think he portrayed the darker aspects of the Doctor as well as Eccleston did.
> 
> Anyway, I'll be perusing this thread as I get caught up on Dr. Who.



Oh wow, I have the compete opposite opinion. I thought Eccleston played the doc like a ham and even when he tried to be dark, just never got there.

Tenant on the other hand....oh my lord, darker than black metal on Satan's personal playlist. I suppose that could just be the difference in their abilities and Tenant being a largely Shakespearean actor prior to the doctor but I felt Tenant did justice to the manic moodswings that the Doctor is prone too.

Smith is very good though. Slightly goofier, but he has a nice childlike reverence and awe for the universe that wasn't quite there with the other Doctors...


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## Vostre Roy (May 21, 2013)

Really hard to tell wich one I prefered. Eccelstone made a briefer appearence than Smith and Tenant so I couldn't really bond with him as the Doctor at all. Tenant was pretty much the Doctor when I started to get into that serie, so he will always be the "original doctor" for me. Smith brought a darker side, dunno if the actor or the writters deserve most of the credits, the story itself turned really dark with him, especially with the Weeping Angels.



Spoiler



And now, since I watched the finale, I just can't wait to see the new "Doctor", altough he said that this is another incarnation of himself, but not as "The Doctor," explaining that his chosen name is a promise he made to himself, and that the mysterious stranger is "the one who broke the promise"; rather than his true name, this lost incarnation is his hidden secret. Well shit, I for one can't wait to see more of it, and the next episode is supposed to be a 50th year anniversary of the serie and will feature Tennant and Piper. Wish that Ecclestone and maybe one of the still alive past incarnation of the Doctor will do a feature aswell


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## Vostre Roy (Nov 22, 2013)

50th anniversary is tomorrow. David Tenant and Tom Baker (4th Doctor) will be in it. Should be interesting.


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## guitarmadillo (Nov 22, 2013)

Where'd you hear that Tom Baker is in it? He said he isn't and wasn't asked. 

It's Tennant, Smith and Hurt.


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## ElRay (Nov 23, 2013)

Hemi-Powered Drone said:


> ... I'm surprised nothings been said here of it. ...



Gotta wait to watch it with the kids. Otherwise they'll be self-made orphans.

Ray


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## 777timesgod (Nov 23, 2013)

guitarmadillo said:


> Where'd you hear that Tom Baker is in it? He said he isn't and wasn't asked.
> 
> It's Tennant, Smith and Hurt.



I already overdosed on having them all on the show.


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## Jonathan20022 (Nov 23, 2013)

guitarmadillo said:


> Where'd you hear that Tom Baker is in it? He said he isn't and wasn't asked.
> 
> It's Tennant, Smith and Hurt.



If you haven't seen it yet, you're in for a treat 

Oh man, this was more than I hoped for it to be. Amazing dialogue, and the acting was just superb. Thought it was really cool to see Tennant get right back into the swing of it, genuinely smiled seeing him and remembering all the great moments 10 brought to the show. The dynamic of the 3 was so incredibly interesting, there wasn't a single dull moment throughout the episode with them.

Also, I am SO glad that Billie got the role she did instead of what most people including myself expected. I thought she was almost creepy when she was introduced in the episode, but I enjoyed her lines and what she brought to that "character" throughout.

Also, I'm definitely not spoiling anything for anyone. But all the nods to past and future of this show were great, especially some of the surprises near the end to keep it obscure. The only "forced" line I though, was disappointingly Tennant's, but I can completely overlook that since I know why they threw it in there.

Overall it was excellent, I was so burnt out by Season 7 being the drag it was. Seeing McGann's mini-sode and this one has completely reinvigorated my interest in the series. I just hope they keep the writing this good for Capaldi's ark.

Happy 50th everyone!


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## guitarmadillo (Nov 24, 2013)

It was hands down the best episode I've ever seen. I loved Billie and everyone.


Spoiler



Ahh, so Tom was the "curator".


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## Vostre Roy (Nov 24, 2013)

guitarmadillo said:


> It was hands down the best episode I've ever seen. I loved Billie and everyone.
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...





Spoiler



Up until the end, I thought I was about to be wrong... they kept the best for the end.



And I totally agree. I have hard time thinking of any Dr Who episode that can top that. It was just superb.


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## technomancer (Nov 24, 2013)

That was very very good... the only thing I just thought of in relation to it


Spoiler



is so ok he saved Gallifrey... this is the same Gallifrey ruled by the Rassilon that created the Master etc etc etc. So was that actually a good thing?  (see The End of Time)



I feel the need to watch a lot of Tom Baker over the holiday...


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## leftyguitarjoe (Dec 26, 2013)

So guys...

Anyone else cry because of the Christmas Special?


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## shanejohnson02 (Dec 26, 2013)

It didn't measure up to the rest of Matt Smith's episodes. I liked the Impossible Astronaut story arc MUCH better.


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## Captain Butterscotch (Dec 26, 2013)

His monologue at the end was the best bit he's ever done as the Doctor. I died a little.


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## leftyguitarjoe (Dec 27, 2013)




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## Jonathan20022 (Dec 28, 2013)

leftyguitarjoe said:


> So guys...
> 
> Anyone else cry because of the Christmas Special?



*SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS*

*SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS*



Spoiler



Only when Karen showed up, that was it. Cool that she came back for it.



*SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS*

*SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS**SPOILERS*



shanejohnson02 said:


> It didn't measure up to the rest of Matt Smith's episodes. I liked the Impossible Astronaut story arc MUCH better.



That arc was perfect, although the ending of the Pandorica season blew my mind when I went through it for the first time  but I do agree. It was good, just didn't accomplish much besides the obvious regeneration haha.



Captain Butterscotch said:


> His monologue at the end was the best bit he's ever done as the Doctor. I died a little.



It's up there for sure, I think he hit the nail on the head when he said "I'll always remember when The Doctor was me" AND LOOKED AT THE ....ING CAMERA. Great nod at the fans that he really enjoyed his time there as The Doctor.


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## Tang (Feb 9, 2014)

So I met someone near and dear to our hearts.. also reppin' the Devin Townsend Project if you can see it under my jacket!




IMGP7745 by nrrfed, on Flickr

They won't have the digital download ready until the 16th so I just set up the lighting the best I could and took a picture with my DSLR. Turned out decent, but obviously the digital download will be full quality.


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## metaldoggie (Feb 12, 2014)

Greetings fellow Whovians!

I am new to the forum......just wanted to drop in and say hi!


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## soliloquy (Feb 19, 2014)

i tried REALLY hard to try getting into this show time and time again. and the reason why i tried more than 4 or 5 times is because i seem to befriend hoovians quiet easily. its just not working for me.

the first time i tried, i heard that the guy who made Sherlock did some work with doctor who. i couldn't find any comparison aside from the accent. then the 'epic' story line, and it didn't work. then the 'comedy' of it and it still didn't work. 

i'm trying to take the show seriously, only to have aliens farting non stop, or plastic eating people, or a screw driver/wand that seems to be the answer to the universe. 

am i really missing something here? :S


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## ferret (May 3, 2014)

Whelp, just began watching the rebooted series from the beginning. Never really followed it before, but just finished rewatching Battlestar Galactica with the wife and decided to jump into it.


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## Vostre Roy (May 15, 2014)

My girlfriend also watch that show. She totally hates my new windows background ahaha






I saw that trick on the web. Just get every frame, set them as your background picture and make them change every 1-3-5 minutes, to liking.


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## Vostre Roy (Aug 24, 2014)

Bump for the new season


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## Captain Butterscotch (Aug 24, 2014)

Did you watch the premier? I was sadly disappointed. It felt...lost? Wandering? Kind of aimless? 

And the last bit with


Spoiler



Matt Smith's doctor making that phone call really hit me in the feels just because I truly loved that Doctor so much. I feel like it took away from Capaldi's limelight at a time when we should really only be thinking of his incarnation.



Oh well. We'll just see what will come of this next season. I want to like Capaldi, but this episode wasn't written well imo.


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## Ocara-Jacob (Aug 24, 2014)

I thought it was fantastic, and that Capaldi absolutely nailed it.


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## Vostre Roy (Aug 25, 2014)

WOuldn't say that it was the best episode ever, but I think it was on par with the usual first episode after a regeneration. We'll see after a couple of episode if Capaldi will be a good or a great Doctor, I know back when Smith took over Tennant, it took me almost an entire season to get with Smith, now I think that both did an awesome job



Spoiler



I think that Strax has became my favorite secondary character. That show I think has some of his best quotes ever lol


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## metaldoggie (Aug 25, 2014)

Not a bad episode, but kind of a rehash of "Girl in the fireplace".
The situation they were in was kind of a throwaway backdrop to the post-regeneration stuff. I kind of wish he were thrown into a dire situation from the get-go and had to deal with this stuff at the same time.
I agree Strax is a great comic relief character.

I did like Matt Smith but he could get a bit whiney at times.....we'll see how Capaldi does with the Daleks next week.


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## Varcolac (Aug 25, 2014)

Thought it was pretty good. Darker in many places. The equations all over the floor, the ambiguity over who killed the half-face man, the fact that he's Glaswegian...

Also Strax. Strax forever.














Can't unsee Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker though, so this part was amusing.


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## Veldar (Aug 26, 2014)

Okay so I haven't watched this show since David was the doctor, Matt Smith for me was to energetic, and it felt quite bipolar in his character and then how extreme they went with time travel crashing into itself (I've only seen about 5 of matts episodes) I did watch the new doctor because he was going to be a bit more serious and I did enjoy it very much after the first 20 minutes of him being frantic, I do have a couple of points I want to make though.


I don't think the companion is going to work with the new guy unless her character is changed.
I might not like the epsiodes because I'm so used to Russel T Davis's work on the show.
finally, did anyone else feel like the phone call at the end was ment for all the tumblr fangirls who are going to drop the show now that the actor isn't young & attractive?


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## Alex Kenivel (Aug 26, 2014)

Could barely pay attention to this last season. The opening sequence seems like the "Doctor Diaries" 

Tennant or gtfo


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## Captain Butterscotch (Aug 26, 2014)

Veldar said:


> ]finally, did anyone else feel like the phone call at the end was ment for all the tumblr fangirls who are going to drop the show now that the actor isn't young & attractive?
> [/LIST]



I definitely feel as if the whole episode was saying "It's okay that he's old, he's still cool." With Matt Smith at the end basically looking into the camera and saying "Guys, I know you miss me, but Peter will be pretty awesome and you should give him a shot!" 

this review I found said it very well:



> In fact, Moffat went extremely meta and essentially had Clara sit in on for all the Matt Smith fangurls and fanboys who complained about the casting of an older man to play the Doctor. Much of the episode was a thinly veiled rebuke against anyone who mistook the two previous pinup versions of the character as the real thing. No, were told now. It was just a silly phase an old man was going through and you were wrong to pin his poster up on your bedroom wall. Hes not your boyfriend, we were told over and over again. This may have been overkill. And we vehemently disagree that this version of the character is somehow more true and real than the previous two. The veil has been lifted, Madam Vastra said, recasting the previous several seasons of story as some sort of falsehood. But even so (they said, ping-ponging once again), parts of this were probably necessary. The show has never had an audience as large as the one it enjoys right now, which means a lot of people watching this episode never had to deal with the oddness of watching the main character change their face and certain aspects of their personality while insisting they were the same character. Lets face it: it wasnt that hard to go from David Tennant to Matt Smith; not in comparison to this change. A lot of Who am I and who are you to me kinds of questions needed to be asked up front in order to guide the audience into the new status quo. And after Tennant and Smith, the show really did find itself painted into a corner of unprecedented popularity, with versions of the main character that looked like outliers compared to all the previous versions. Even if we quibble or argue with some of the particulars, we cant deny we loved the sense of focus on display and the fact that Moffat seemed somewhat aware of the recent flaws in the show. If he wants to retcon away (by ignoring) the previously unearned and undefined relationship between Clara and the Doctor for something that looks, at the start, to be a richer, more interesting take, were all for it.




The whole thing wasn't exactly subtle.


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## Abaddon9112 (Sep 14, 2014)

I've recently gotten semi-addicted to Doctor Who. I used to watch the David Tennant era episodes after school sometimes, mostly for laughs at the shitty CGI and foam rubber monsters. Never really got that into it, though I appreciated how different in premise and tone it was from other mid-2000s sci-fi stuff like Stargate or the Battlestar Galactica reboot, which seemed to take themselves way too serious even though they were kinda crap IMO. I didn't follow the Matt Smith series at all, but I caught up on it during the week long marathon on BBC America last month. And I've now been following the Capaldi series as well as watching the old 1st Doctor series on Retro TV. 

I think at this point I can say that I definitely like the Tennant episodes more than Smith. The 11th doctor series was certainly filmed better and has a lot more cinematic feel, but I think the stories are totally convoluted and not very well thought out. I get the impression that the writers were trying to craft this deep story arc with many layers of interconnected meaning, but falling short of that goal by a long shot. A lot of the episodes have a very disjointed feel; the story won't make any sense until the very end, the dialogue and action is too fast-paced, and you pretty much can't follow what's going on without being utterly familiar with the universe and storyline of the series as a whole. It's fun to watch and can be downright hilarious at times; I definitely enjoy it. But it just doesn't seem as good from a storytelling perspective as the 10th doctor era. The amount of hype and fanboy/girl (mostly girl)-ism around this show was also absurd. 

The Capaldi episodes so far haven't been great, but I think it has potential to get a lot better. He's has some of the mystery of the early doctors, which I personally like. At four episodes in I feel like I don't really understand his personality. He can be pissed off, fatherly, smart and scientist-y, or zany and weird, which reminds me a lot of the 1st doctor (who I'll get to shortly). The tone of the show is also more serious and reminiscent of the 10th doctor show. The Robin Hood episode was corny as hell ad I din't enjoy it, but the other episodes have interesting stories, though they could have been directed better. I look forward to seeing the show develop.

Now...the 1st Doctor show I really, really like and have been following closely. It comes on every night of the week on Retro TV, so you can see years worth of story arcs in the span of a couple weeks. But I enjoy it mostly for just how outright _bad_ it is. This show was on during the same era as brilliant sci-fi like Twilight Zone and Star Trek, but it is on the same level as the _worst_ 1950s movies like Plan 9 form Outer Space. The special effects are _beyond terrible_, and the acting is really bad. It is comedy gold though, and has a lot of creative stories. The Vortis story arc (butterfly people vs. giant ants) had me laughing harder than I have in six months. I love it for its flaws, and it is actually probably my favorite era of DW that I've seen. 

I've also caught some of the 9th doctor episodes, and I really wish they'd show him more often in the US. I mean, it's only one season, but I literally never knew there was a doctor prior to Tennant in the reboot era because they just don't show it that often on TV in the US. But he's cool, he's a lot more burdened psychologically from the Time War and is an interesting character. I wish he'd had more seasons.

All in all I still don't really know that much about DW, and I'm sure this post isn't as well-informed a critique as it should be. I'll probably never be as big of a fan of Doctor Who as I am of stuff like Trek and Wars, which I've watched my entire life and cherish more than any other sci-fi universes. But DW is a great show because it is creative and doesn't take itself entirely serious. It's a fun world to escape into and is one of the few shows on TV today that doesn't try to be an ultra-gritty gore fest. Definitely a fan now.


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## pushpull7 (Sep 16, 2014)

I just enjoy that we have the doctor. Bad Dr. Who is better than 99% of what's out there......and I don't think this is bad so far. It's kinda weird though. 

Actually, I think I'm more akin to the current version than I was with Matt Smith at first. He ended up being terrific but it took a while to grow on me (I liked David Tennant so much! )


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## The Q (Sep 16, 2014)

I insist that the best Doctor so far from the new ones was Eccleston - I really liked its down to earth approach on things and the lack of the wackiness. Then as soon as Tennant and especially Smith came, the show practically became a circus and I got disappointed.
I still blame Moffat for that.

I had decided not to bother with Capaldi's run, but then I watched an episode. It wasn't that bad. Then another and then another and... while it had that awful Moffat tone it had actually improved and wasn't as bad as I had expected.

So Doctor Who team, please try to at least keep it half-decent now, will you?


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## Captain Butterscotch (Sep 18, 2014)

Last night I caught up with all the Capaldi episodes after his debut. I really really like his Doctor and look forward to what he can bring. The writing still has pretty odd pacing at times, but Capaldi is awesome.


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## Vostre Roy (Sep 19, 2014)

After four episodes, I think I can say that I'll enjoy Capaldi as the Doctor way more than I enjoyed Smith. I had hard time liking him as the Doctor, especially after Tennant's portrayal. Looking back though, I must say that Tennant wasn't has good as I remembered him, probably because I've watched a couple of Hartner and Baker's episodes. Ecclestone was indeed a great follow-up of the War Doctor.

Now back to Cappaldi. He seems to bring a "vintage" look to the doctor, if I can say. He has a very dark eccentric side and seems to look like he has less humans emotions or connection with them, wich I think is better has he's less likely to have another useless romantic story with one of his companions.


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## asher (Sep 27, 2014)

Just watched the first Capaldi episode.

short: I liked him quite a bit, feels adapted old school... which is a plus, for me. And I get the sense that's how Capaldi would do it, forced vintageness or no.

I've seen a large majority of old Who (parents) and so we started watching the new series. I bailed at the end of Martha. I loved Eccleston and liked Tennant alright (and odds and ends I've seen of Smith I've liked him fine too).. but the sidekicks were all horribly written, doing the same story over and over, etcetc. I know I left at the end of Davies' reign, but I just couldn't deal with the taking-itself-too-seriously, over the top, overedited, etcetc. But I might pick it up again now.


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## Abaddon9112 (Nov 2, 2014)

Watched part 1 of the finale last night. I personally thought it was hella good; my favorite of the new season unless next week can outdo it. I think a lot of people guessed who the big reveal at the end was pretty early on, but it was still a good twist. They did a lot to keep you wondering till the end. 

I liked the season overall, but a lot of the episodes felt sort of like filler (as well as being kind of soap opera-ish). Still better than the vast majority of the 11th Doctor stuff though, IMO. This was Capaldi's first real edge-of-your-seat adventure episode, and he was excellent. I think this was sort of a buffer season to introduce the new doctor and what he's all about, and my hope is that next season will be a little more engaging. 

I've gotten totally into this stuff over the last few months. Doctor Who isn't exactly "hard" sci-fi or anything, but it's a very entertaining show that has some real creative gems in it. Definitely looking forward to what's to come.


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## FretsOnFyre (Nov 2, 2014)

Wow, how have I not found this thread yet?

Also, can someone tell me how the spoiler tags work? I can't find them and I don't want to spoil last night's episode


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## ghostred7 (Nov 2, 2014)

I like Capaldi much better than Matt Smith. I didn't really like his Doctor very much for some reason. Nothing against him as an actor...I just feel what they wrote for him was 'meh.' Tennant was my fav "modern" Doctor before Capaldi. 

EDIT: I love that the inside of his coat is red lol. I'm such a sucker for black & red 

He definitely carries the old-school Who vibe, but with a modern twist. 



Spoiler



I also love that they wrote in his being Scottish into the 1st of his episodes



My fav Doctor will always be Tom Baker because that's who I grew up on.

Nice little bit of (maybe accidental) trivia.... just before the announcement of who was going to play the new Doctor, Peter Capaldi played a W.H.O. Doctor in World War Z. I like to think that was intentional, even if it wasn't.


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## FretsOnFyre (Nov 2, 2014)

I figured out spoiler tags!

First of all, Peter Capaldi is PHENOMENAL. I haven't disliked any Doctor I've seen, so maybe that's not saying much, but Capaldi hooked me right from the beginning.

I watched Dark Water at 12:30 in the morning, and honestly


Spoiler



the speculation about Missy being the Master has been all over the internet for about six months so it wasn't a huge surprise, but the reveal was well done. Michelle Gomez was fantastic. I do have a sneaking suspicion that Moffat's trying to pull a fast one on us, and it will turn out to be someone else, but I'm looking forward to the finale either way.

And even though I knew the Cybermen were coming, the scene with the water draining out of the tanks was brilliant.


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## ghostred7 (Nov 2, 2014)

FretsOnFyre said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> And even though I knew the Cybermen were coming, the scene with the water draining out of the tanks was brilliant.


I thought that part was well done, too


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## Dusty Chalk (Nov 2, 2014)

I have to admit, I cried during the exchange right after the "go to hell" line.

I know, I'm such a baby. But in my defense, it was 2:30 or so in the morning.


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## The Q (Nov 3, 2014)

Yeap they managed to keep it decent. Thankfully for us fans...


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## ghostred7 (Nov 3, 2014)

Dusty Chalk said:


> I have to admit, I cried during the exchange right after the "go to hell" line.
> 
> I know, I'm such a baby. But in my defense, it was 2:30 or so in the morning.





Spoiler



*Doctor*: You betrayed me  betrayed my trust. You betrayed our friendship, you betrayed everything that Ive ever stood for. You let me down!
*Clara*: Then why are you helping me?
*Doctor*: Why? Do you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?
*Doctor*: Stop it with the eyes. Dont do that with the eyes. How do you do that, anyway? Its like they inflate!
*Doctor*: Weve got work to do. This is it, Clara, one of those moments.
*Clara*: What moments?
*Doctor*: The darkest day. The blackest hour. Chin up, shoulders back. Lets see what were made of, you and I. (must admit...i thought they were going for a Green Lantern rip off at this line lol)



Ya man....it was a very well written, emotionally charged exchange. Not gonna lie.... I dig the Clara/Capaldi Doctor chemistry better than the Smith-Clara-awkwardness. I am wondering if she'll eventually get replaced with a new companion.


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## Abaddon9112 (Nov 3, 2014)

ghostred7 said:


> Ya man....it was a very well written, emotionally charged exchange. Not gonna lie.... I dig the Clara/Capaldi Doctor chemistry better than the Smith-Clara-awkwardness. I am wondering if she'll eventually get replaced with a new companion.



I was actually expecting Clara to be out by the end of this season, but I'm not entirely sure now. She's been getting gradually more fed up with the new Doctor, and that culminated in the exchange at the beginning of the last episode. And she's been building a life for herself on Earth with Danny, which the Doc is kinda interfering with.


Spoiler



I was in the camp who thought Missy might have actually been some future version of Clara Oswald, returning for revenge on the Doctor after some great tragedy, but that turned out to not be the case.


 But if everyone makes it out of the next episode safe and sound, her opinion of Doc 12 could change and she could stick around for a while.


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## Dusty Chalk (Nov 3, 2014)

Yes, that exact exchange, ghostred7.


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## Vostre Roy (Dec 29, 2015)

Over a year old bump!

Man, Capaldi is really my favorite doctor of the serie's reboot so far. The last season was awesome, the first episodes just hooked me back, couple of slower episodes but overall, it was a really great season.

Haven't catched the christmas special yet, will try to catch is up once I get back to my place.


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## leftyguitarjoe (Jan 4, 2016)

Season 9 sh!t all over season 8. Capaldi is awesome, but the writing for season 8 was crap.

9 was awesome! They totally redeemed themselves. I havent seen the christmas special yet but I hope Clara stays dead. I cant stand that woman. I'm tired of all this falling in love with the doc stuff. Give me Donna Noble back!


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## High Plains Drifter (Jan 4, 2016)

ghostred7 said:


> My fav Doctor will always be Tom Baker because that's who I grew up on.



Same for me. And Elisabeth Sladen, well... .


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