Doctor Who Series 7 (Spoilers when broadcasting)

**JunkMonkey** · September 15th, 2012, 04:28 PM

The 'Guy from Farscape' is Ben Browder and he is pretty good. Wise of them to give him whiskers so the audience didn't spend a couple of minutes thinking "It's the guy from Farscape... isn't he getting old?"

I was slightly thrown by the design of the Gunslinger. I have trouble with the arm in a gun costume thing after being exposed to this at an impressionable age:

Alienator by the_junk_monkey, on Flickr

(I was 50. Far too young to be young to be exposed to a Fred Olen Ray's film. Warped my entire old age that has. )

**Loerwyn** · September 15th, 2012, 04:38 PM

Wow, Madonna let herself go a bit.

**JunkMonkey** · September 15th, 2012, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by Loerwyn

Wow, Madonna let herself go a bit.

You should see her when she breathes out...

**Lazerus** · September 17th, 2012, 12:37 PM

Firstly, I liked the episode. It entertained me, which is why I watch it.

Spoiler:

However there were a couple things that tweaked me as I was watching, which is surprising to me, because I don't usually let inconsistancies bother me.

It seem very much out of character for Amy to point a gun, in anger at the Doctor. Certainly, her fumbling use of it helped to provide some comic relief, but I thought it was just too much out of character. Actually, as I type this, I remember that I was also surprised that the Doctor started to use a gun. I know he definately has no qualms about providing punishment, in anger, in some form, but guns are so personal and he's repeatedly refused to use them before.

When the marshall was in the ground dying, he said (something like) You're both good men, you just don't realize it. (or "forget sometime"). The marshall had known the doctor for hours(?), a day(?), a week(?). How could he know? That's something that I expect a longtime friend to say, not someone he just met.

Even all dusty, Amy/Karen is still a serious crumpet.

**sink_plunger** · September 18th, 2012, 04:51 AM

I felt this was the most interesting episode of the series so far, if only because it picked an idea and spent a little time exploring it through the medium of its characters (a habit the show seems to have fallen out of, by and large).

The setting was gorgeous - I used to live near that area of Spain, but even I was transported to the Old West for the duration of the story. Excellent direction, set dressing, costuming, etc.

The only real issue I had is that they've done the "dark Doctor" thread several times in the last few years, and it always boils down to the same thing. The Doctor ends up travelling alone and loses his moral compass. That's fine as far as it goes, but it hasn't been that long since he last saw the Ponds and we're led to believe that he's been knocking around with other characters off screen (Queen Nefertitti, Riddell the hunter, Rory's dad, etc.). Having the Doctor go off the deep end so quickly makes him look like a dangerous nutter in need of some kind of live-in carer, to remind him that killing people is wrong.

Still, maybe it's just the Dalek nano-tech from episode 1, lurking in his system.

**JunkMonkey** · September 18th, 2012, 06:50 AM

Originally Posted by sink_plunger

The only real issue I had is that they've done the "dark Doctor" thread several times in the last few years, and it always boils down to the same thing. The Doctor ends up travelling alone and loses his moral compass. That's fine as far as it goes, but it hasn't been that long since he last saw the Ponds and we're led to believe that he's been knocking around with other characters off screen (Queen Nefertitti, Riddell the hunter, Rory's dad, etc.). Having the Doctor go off the deep end so quickly makes him look like a dangerous nutter in need of some kind of live-in carer, to remind him that killing people is wrong.

La Pond at one point says it's been '10 months' since they last saw him. I guess that was thrown into the script as sop to that sort of worry. But you're right it is getting tiresome.

**Lazerus** · September 19th, 2012, 12:27 PM

He also mentioned in the latest episode that he's "now 1200 years old". I seem to recall it mentioned last season that he was 900 years old. That caught my attention while I was watching it. Is that accurate....or am I making up another memory (it happens)?

**sink_plunger** · September 19th, 2012, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by Lazerus

He also mentioned in the latest episode that he's "now 1200 years old". I seem to recall it mentioned last season that he was 900 years old. That caught my attention while I was watching it. Is that accurate....or am I making up another memory (it happens)?

He was 900 or so years old when the series started, but there was a period of 200 years towards the end of the series when he travelled alone, hoping to avoid his death at the hands of the impossible astronaut. That takes him up to 2100 years old. So I guess there's a gap of 100 years in his timeline between series 6 and 7.

**sink_plunger** · September 20th, 2012, 01:09 PM

You can find a spoiler-free preview of this Saturday's episode right here. Sounds like Chris Chibnall might be improving!

**Loerwyn** · September 22nd, 2012, 04:06 PM

Thoughts:

Could really have done without the free marketing for Google and its ilk. What happened to "Social Media"?

But some good little moments. Smith showing off his football skills, Prof Brian Cox, Lord Alan "Failure" Sugar, Rory's dad (who is a really underused character - I hope they involve him more in radio productions/audio dramas). Even found Arthur/Rory navigating the cup to his mouth in the "Did real life just get started?" scene funny. Oh, that music playing cube rocked.

Very interesting idea behind the cubes, though. Not sure I bought the... attack(s) going unnoticed for six months, and there was a slight lapse in effect quality when the cube moved (notice how it didn't sit flush on the table?

). Also was a bit worried that the Doctor stopped in the middle of trying to work out HOW TO STOP A DEADLY INVASION in order to have a heart-to-heart with Amy, as it didn't seem to be quite sensible for him considering, earlier, he was very much about humanity coming first. And it got a bit vomity too

And wow, that rubbish collection was slow, eh? Suddenly became daylight too!

The real bad guy? He looked like a bad guy from Who. More than most have done for a long while. The resolution to the heart attacks? Um. Wow. That was clumsy. Rory stated the cure, Doctor was like LOL NO What We'll Do Is This, 'This' being exactly what Rory implied.

I think it's another one of those episodes where we get at least glimpses of how good Smith could be with the right scripts and direction. He seemed both more human and more alien this time, too.

So, aside from a few really minor quibbles, it was a pretty good episode. I think Brian/Rory's dad's last line was pretty damn powerful, and shows he's not as slow-witted and vacant as he's often shown.

But next episode. Weeping Angels? Excuse me whilst I go outside and swear loudly. THEY ARE NOT A GOOD ENEMY THEY SUCK PLEASE STOP USING THEM. I think JM would have liked the little hints of River Song's, um, riverbed, though

**JunkMonkey** · September 22nd, 2012, 04:48 PM

I liked that. I liked it a lot. Missed the Riversong references. Did notice the cube wasn't flush on the table (dead clumsy I thought) but all in all better than last week's - I liked it (though the obligatory physical clowning moments in the hospital strained my patience) I liked it right up until the heart attack reversal sonic screwdriver waving bit - which I thought was ultra pants with crabs in. And then the whole thing just turned to poo. Sorry, but waving a magic wand and making everything better again is just not on. At least the old Doctors used to rip panels off, mutter "If I can reverse the polarity of the neutron flow...", and cross their fingers. It was still pulling rabbits out of hats but at least it looked like he was doing something. Not just saying "Heartatacio Reversio!" and making the plot vanish. That's just bollocks. With crabs.

Rory's dad is just Donna's granddad in disguise but at least he doesn't make me think of the Wombles. (Yes, I am that old.)

**Loerwyn** · September 23rd, 2012, 01:54 AM

River Song was in the preview for next week's episode at the end, JM.

But you have a point. The Sonic Screwdriver allows for too much literal magic handwaving, at least how it's used now.

**JunkMonkey** · September 23rd, 2012, 06:45 AM

Originally Posted by Loerwyn

River Song was in the preview for next week's episode at the end, JM.

But you have a point. The Sonic Screwdriver allows for too much literal magic handwaving, at least how it's used now.

That would explain it. I always switch off before the preview (or leave the room swiftish.). I hate knowing what's going to happen and I don't need my inevitable disappointment feeding any more than it is.