So, who wants to talk about new Doctor Who (spoilers likely)

[Morrus]

It looks to me like Moffat has decided to simply ignore the Time War backstory that was so much a part of Eccleston's and Tennent's doctors. That he should be so outraged at the attrocities committed by the alien doctor, without even making a reference to his own similar actions against his own people in the time war struck me as a false note.

I'm assuming that it was a conscious decision on Moffat's part to ignore that material, since it was so obviously available and applicable. I wonder why?

My wife suggested that the when the alien doctor talked about the rage in the Doctor's eyes and compared the two of them, he was making just such an allusion, but I thought it was a pretty thin attempt, and wasn't followed up upon as it absolutely should have been.

The suggestions of similarity were far more than a thin attempt - they were blatant. Moffat pretty much spent half the episode talking about the Time War and The Doctor's actions in it and the guilt he feels for them.

 

[Remus Lupin]

Well maybe I need to go back and watch the episode more closely, because except for that one scene, I missed anything resembling a reference to the time war. To my eyes it was a missed opportunity to link back to the RTD era, when it was central. But I'm willing to admit I may have been out of the room when these things were mentioned and missed the linkage.

 

[Herschel]

I liked the episode and it looked great. Something about it felt a bit.....thin though, maybe clipped. The episode could have been about 10 minutes longer to give the Sheriff and others more time on screen. I'm also totally on board with things happening out of sequence. The Doctor is 1200 again in this episode, which (in theory) is where he was in The Impossible Astronaut, but rule #1 may also be in play. Also, time jumping may lead in to the Weeping Angels Amy/Rory finale.

 

[lin_fusan]

Something about this episode was a bit off. I think we needed more screen time with Ben Browder's Sheriff (to really nail down the Doctor's responsibility to him), and we needed another scene (or a meatier scene) between Kahler-Jax and the Doctor (to better illustrate their similarities and differences).

I also agree that it was heavy handed in regards to the Doctor "needing" a companion.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Hmmm. Yeah, I'm inclined to think that's too much of a reach unless something else shows up next episode. The dinosaurs is the weak link there.

Actually, there were dinosaur eggs in the dinosaur episode. I believe when they find the sleeping Tyrannosaurus Rex, their are eggs there and they briefly mention them.

Not saying I am convinced.

Instead I am saying I want more Ben Browder. Maybe I have to rewatch Farscape.

 

[Morrus]

The Doctor is 1200 again in this episode, which (in theory) is where he was in The Impossible Astronaut, but

I'm always expecting someone to bring up his age at some point and then Amy or someone to ask "... in Earth years, right?" and the Doctor to reply "Eh? No. What would be the point of that?"

Esentially saying that most of the age references throughout the series are meaningless.

Moffat did once say on Twitter that the Doctor actually has no idea how old he is, and just makes it up.

 

[Morrus]

So my wife has a theory; one to which - I'd like top be clear - I do not subscribe. But I thought it interesting enough to share.

She thinks they never left the Asylum. The Doctor is a Dalek and is dreaming all this. The Daleks did, indeed, want a genius - and they got one. But it wasn't Oswin.

 

[Tonguez]

Felt a bit like old school Doctor Who, in that it felt more targeted towards (older) kids. Which is fine, I expect them sometimes.
.

when they ran from the Pterodactyls into a cave and encountered the robots my mind immediately went "OMG It's got the plot of a Choose Your Own Adventure!"

 

[Bedrockgames]

So my wife has a theory; one to which - I'd like top be clear - I do not subscribe. But I thought it interesting enough to share.

She thinks they never left the Asylum. The Doctor is a Dalek and is dreaming all this. The Daleks did, indeed, want a genius - and they got one. But it wasn't Oswin.

That is an awesome theory and it actually would explain quite a bit.

 

[Richards]

So my wife has a theory; one to which - I'd like top be clear - I do not subscribe. But I thought it interesting enough to share.

She thinks they never left the Asylum. The Doctor is a Dalek and is dreaming all this. The Daleks did, indeed, want a genius - and they got one. But it wasn't Oswin.

Wow, that is really--

*HEAD EXPLODES*

Johnathan