Thirteenth Doctor - First Season - Thoughts? (SPOILERS WELCOME)

dragoner · Dec 11, 2018

Morrus said:
So in retrospect, I think Capaldi's last two years were better than Whitaker's first, but this was better than Capaldi's first. I think overall for me, this series was enjoyable, but never wowed me. Still appointment viewing for me.

New Year's Special -- the DNA of the most dangers creature in the universe, eh? Gotta be a Dalek, right?

Then that's it until 2020. Ugh. Another year off.

2020? That is ugh.

I bet it is a Dalek as well, and there has been speculation in the news that is what it is.

I like Capaldi, I would watch his last seasons, though every time I see a marathon with them, it's like Dr Who saves Christmas, which I know is sort of traditional at this point, but it bores me. It's a new tradition. I think I still need to see the season 10 finale again, and more, because I remember the whole Bill getting turned into a Cyberman, but then she flies off with the oil person pilot, etc. and the masters ... I'd have to watch it over, the whole season, as I lost the plot somewhere.

MarkB · Dec 11, 2018

Tim Shaw felt like a bit of an ass-pull villain in the finale. Basically, he just happens to randomly teleport to the one place in the universe where he could consolidate enough power to wreak his terrible revenge.

It also felt like a set-up for more of a challenge to the Doctor's "don't kill" policy - because she spared this person the populations of five planets are dead, and Earth would have been next if not for a last-minute solution - but it's ignored in favour of her being granted the firm moral high ground against Graham's lapse towards revenge. I'm not sure whether the writers deliberately skirted that angle, or just didn't even see it.

Morrus · Dec 11, 2018

MarkB said:
Tim Shaw felt like a bit of an ass-pull villain in the finale. Basically, he just happens to randomly teleport to the one place in the universe where he could consolidate enough power to wreak his terrible revenge.

It also felt like a set-up for more of a challenge to the Doctor's "don't kill" policy - because she spared this person the populations of five planets are dead, and Earth would have been next if not for a last-minute solution - but it's ignored in favour of her being granted the firm moral high ground against Graham's lapse towards revenge. I'm not sure whether the writers deliberately skirted that angle, or just didn't even see it.

The five planets were saved and returned home. That was that while wiring the TARDIS into the telepathic aliens thing.

dragoner · Dec 11, 2018

Deliberately skirted, probably. Too violent and they would lose their family-friendly Sunday 8 pm time slot.

MarkB · Dec 11, 2018

Morrus said:
The five planets were saved and returned home. That was that while wiring the TARDIS into the telepathic aliens thing.

The planets were saved, but the Doctor mentions when she first realises what they are that their inhabitants would have been crushed to death by the compression process. There's no indication that anything other than barren husks of worlds were restored back to their original places in space.

Morrus · Dec 11, 2018

MarkB said:
The planets were saved, but the Doctor mentions when she first realises what they are that their inhabitants would have been crushed to death by the compression process. There's no indication that anything other than barren husks of worlds were restored back to their original places in space.

Presumably then they were that when she arrived? Her actions didn’t have anything to do with it?

Zardnaar · Dec 11, 2018

Avoided reading this thread but was the season any good? We were binge watching Babylon 5, The Expanse and finishing up House of Cards so fell behind.

In terms of quality how does it fall between say the last 2 seasons which were a bit lame and season 2-4 (the best ones?)

MarkB · Dec 11, 2018

Morrus said:
Presumably then they were that when she arrived? Her actions didn’t have anything to do with it?

Her actions in the season premiere put Tim Shaw into the position of being able to kill planets, and provided him the motivation to do so.

Morrus · Dec 11, 2018

Zardnaar said:
Avoided reading this thread but was the season any good? We were binge watching Babylon 5, The Expanse and finishing up House of Cards so fell behind.

In terms of quality how does it fall between say the last 2 seasons which were a bit lame and season 2-4 (the best ones?)

You won’t like it.

Morrus · Dec 11, 2018

MarkB said:
Her actions in the season premiere put Tim Shaw into the position of being able to kill planets, and provided him the motivation to do so.

It’s all on Tim Shaw. He is solely responsible for his choices and actions. There is no way that anybody else has any culpability for his evil acts.