Sea Devils And Die: GeroniMoffat's Doctor Who In The 2010s

It was the synopsis of episode 7 that Steven Moffat gave to the Radio Times to publish. Not exactly a spoiler, unless you want to go into each episode knowing nothing (good luck with that).

I'm guessing it's a good thing that I don't know who James Corden is.

You do: he is the fat guy in The History Boys.

Amy Pond saying "Oi! Churchill" is "not very respectful"

It's true though. I dunno - out of nowhere it's like Amy turned into some kind of bantering lager lout.

Car insurance reference?

Hah, didn't get that but it's totally obvious.

next season, an adventure with Admiral Nelson is a dead cert now.

the final regeneration

http://retroyakking.today.com/files/2009/01/aleksandr_the_meerkat.jpg

out of nowhere it's like Amy turned into some kind of bantering lager lout.

You'd expect a stripper to be a bit more comely and reserved.

she doesn't strip, just kisses

all i expected is for her to be sort of the same person she was in the previous two episodes!

Maybe was a wee bit shy for a week or two as she's new to all this timey wimey malarkey and she's letting her true self come through now?

I still haven't got a handle on any kind of definable personality for her.

Hey, she may have felt a bit self-conscious in prior episodes, what with gallivanting around in nought but her nightie.

honestly i didn't have a problem with her in the episode, but if in fact that episode was meant for Tennant/Donna, that would make a lot of sense

she doesn't strip, just kisses

sure she does

Not exactly a spoiler, unless you want to go into each episode knowing nothing (good luck with that).

Thanks!

if in fact that episode was meant for Tennant/Donna, that would make a lot of sense

ooh that's right, RTD chucked this episode and went with "Fires of Pompeii" instead. I thought Amy felt off in this episode, that would explain it.

Speaking of filming order upthread, this upcoming two-parter was the first thing they filmed. It'll be interesting to see how everyone comes off.

Interesting. Definitely preferred Pompeii, if for no other reason but for that conversation at the end with Donna about fixed events and when it's okay to change history, something that's been basically ignored since the reboot started w/the exception of "Father's Day".

Btw, I knew practically nothing about this season until I saw the bits in the teaser after the first episode, so I'm still pretty in the dark - definitely appreciate keeping the spoiler talk out.

This episode and the last one have covered that ground a bit as well. Think Smith's Doctor will be a lot less cavalier about messing with things than Tennant's was.

Thought the Pompeii one was ropey, much preferred this one. Don't understand why Gatiss seemingly never uses Doctor Who to indulge his really dark side though.

Still, the opening few episodes are always pretty lightweight, we're approaching the point where things should get really good now.

Like...scary death angel statue good?

("Yes, Abboitt." "ok thx.")

(^^^me talking to my animus what is named "abboitt," pretty stupid name but what can a lady do.)

Not really looking forward to more River Song tbh. If she were just a shade less smug I wouldn't mind her.

Liked River Song, and actually thought she'd make a good female Doctor. (Initially, I thought the twist was that she was a future regeneration -- has this plot ever been done?)

Yeah, the entire Trial Of A Time Lord series.

I think I'd like River Song more if she looked like Amy Pond.

He who is tired of Alex Kingston is tired of not getting SBed.

tbh i didn't like river song the first time around, but this stuff in the previews where she's wearing fancy sunglasses and floating backwards out of airlocks while smirking is pretty awesome.

I think I'd like ____ ______ more if she looked like Amy Pond.

rule for life

Well, that was bloody terrifying that was. Relentless psychological horror with some well-timed and very nasty shocks. It was like Caves of Adrozani crossed with Medusa crossed with Hellraiser. I need a stiff drink after that.

Aiiiiiiiyyahhaaaaaaaa. Drinking now, scared shitless.

The video of the Angel was a bit Ring, I thought. Awesome episode and one that really benefitted from the two-parter treatment. It was very pacey when it needed to be, but they had time to establish mood, plot and character. Cannot wait for next week. The preview looks terrifying.

also, Mike Skinner!

Yeah, that was weird. (Mike Skinner's cameo, I mean). This episode was next level greatness, despite River Song's smirking presence.
The scene with Amy in the bunker (the Ringu moment) was brilliant.

Yeah, that was great. Excellent cliffhanger that's not a cliffhanger (you know what the plan is, you just don't know what it does - much better than the 'oh, look what i've found' cop out).

After last week, the relationship between the Doctor and Amy is tops again as well.

I wonder if the lipstick will make an appearance again.

Hallucinogenic lipstick is so going on my amazon wish list.

This episode was fucking CREEPY and TIGHT btw.

That was great.

particularly great was that the Angel used 'sorry' and 'sir' so much after hijacking Sacred Bob ("more like SCARED BOB now eh?" <3)'s cerebral cortex, as if assuming these were standard human terms rather than specifically those of an inexperienced soldier in this context. all rather reminiscent of the Data Ghost thing from Silence In The Library.

Scared Bob joke was awesome – more wordplay needs to be built around anagrams.

Wow, that was actually great, what a pleasant surprise. Our kid was scared, for the first time in ages!

he who is tired of Alex Kingston is tired of not getting SBed.

― and ya thought that shit played out in ILX (Noodle Vague),

Yes!

I didn't like that nearly as much as the rest of you, I suspect, mainly because I hated River.

I really loved this! Didn't recognize Mike Skinner until I read the credits though...

River Song really bothers me. But I have no good explanation as to why. Also found Pond slightly irritating this week. Maybe I was in a bad mood. May merit a rewatch

I think what I disliked most about her is that in SitL there was a legitimate reason for her "shh, spoilers" thing whereas this time - even the way she said it - came over as smug and condescending as she continued to flip through her book reading them herself while telling other people not to. Like a hott version of Harry Knowles.

Lots of bits of this didn't work either.

The TARDIS materialisation/dematerialisation noise is not caused by leaving the brakes on, unless every Time Lord ever has been trained to do it that way.

River Song says she has pictures of "all of your faces" in her book. In which case, why the "Oh, you're so young" in SitL? if she knew what DT looked like and he didn't look any older when he regenerated?

"Sonic me please!" Moffatt has established in The Eleventh Hour that the sonic screwdriver is essentially part of the TARDIS and that MS got a better one than he had previously. So how come when RS has one in SitL she has an older, inferior one? Doesn't this imply the TARDIS doesn't like her enough to give her a good one? Also OH NOES TIMING PROBLEMS this also means she gets her own sonic screwdriver after she and the Doctor have split up and she's started adventuring on her own i.e. between this (where she's already on her own) and SitL (where she has her own sonic screwdriver). Does this sound massively likely for someone who is an annoying ex-wife, always calling in favours after you've split up by exploiting you? Unless he gives her it between this and SitL in her time to try and get rid of her or because he knows she'll need it for SitL, in which case why doesn't her "shh, spoilers" instinct kick in and she refuse to take it?

You can't have an army of Weeping Angels and some of the shots shown (particularly in the next week trailer when they're coming down the corridor) explicitly prove this as some Angels are in the field of view of the others. This would be forgiveable or could be overlooked if it hadn't been the resolution of the last one - that them being able to see each other is enough to freeze them.

Weirdly, the viewer appears to count as watching them i.e. they never move on 'our' camera. I can let this go in the interests of drama, but it's still not right.

Why didn't the angels just leave after they'd killed the monks rather than remain there to die? Nobody was left to watch them, and since they've been around since near the beginning of time they clearly don't need spaceships to travel the universe.

"Whenever an image of an Angel is created, it can become an Angel" - what, like the one on the back of your eye? That's recorded by your optic nerve until your brain processes it, and remains there until you forget it? Yes, it happens very quickly, but what is time on that level to a being that exists in the quantum?

Finally, to me the dead blokes voices over he radio felt ripped off from SitL. Didn't the Doctor even call Dave 'Dead Dave' in that?

The TARDIS materialisation/dematerialisation noise is not caused by leaving the brakes on, unless every Time Lord ever has been trained to do it that way.

oh god yeah, worst piece of retconning for cheap throwaway gag ever.

Loved the "trap" speech at the end, despite it having been completely spoiled in its entirety by the trailer for the episode.

Also glad that they addressed the one massive inconsistency that almost stopped me enjoying Blink: the angles being the "quickest beings in the whole of the universe" or whatever, but only creep up on people at the speed of someone playing What's the time, Mr Wolf. It wasn't a great explanation but i'm appeased.

Weirdly, the viewer appears to count as watching them i.e. they never move on 'our' camera.

I like to think of this as a bit of 4th wall breaking viewer participation. They have used "video recordings" and full closeups in this episode and in blink and i imagine they'll do it a bit more next week.