Spoilers Doctor Who s15 (or 2) [[spoilers!]]

Necropolitan said:

It's not even that what's happening is more fantastical than previous Doctor Who, it's that "MAGIC" is being used as an excuse for the fantastical elements not having any internal logic.

"MAGIC" is just a way to paper over the current show's lazy writing so they don't need to explain anything. Or to ensure there's plenty of stuff for fans to speculate over online.

For example the musical scene at the end of The Devil's Chords was originally going to have The Doctor explain that it was caused by music rushing back into the universe after The Maestro was defeated. It was cut.

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It's even simpler than that. There has been a strong movement by all the studios to "Star Warsify" all sci-fi because they want a simple special effects driven model instead of good writing and consistent stories that stick to their own internal rules. Thus the mess of the current Dr. Who where special effects are considered more important than story telling

So Mrs Flood isn't an anagram, but Mister Flood is!?

nevin said:

It's even simpler than that. There has been a strong movement by all the studios to "Star Warsify" all sci-fi because they want a simple special effects driven model instead of good writing and consistent stories that stick to their own internal rules. Thus the mess of the current Dr. Who where special effects are considered more important than story telling

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I don’t think that’s true at all. I think it shows you don’t watch much sci-fi.

John R Davis said:

So Mrs Flood isn't an anagram, but Mister Flood is!?

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Storm led Fido - a reference to Sutekh?

Drifted Looms - a reference to Lungbarrow?

Lords of Time

Morrus said:

I don’t think that’s true at all. I think it shows you don’t watch much sci-fi.

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Tell me about it. The last few years have had some of the best SF in the genre. Three Body Problem, The Expanse, Andor, The Last of Us, etc.

It’s a good time to be a genre fan.

Even in the latest incarnation, they’ve given us 73 Yards, Dot and Bubble, The Well. All excellent SF stories.

Hussar said:

Tell me about it. The last few years have had some of the best SF in the genre. Three Body Problem, The Expanse, Andor, The Last of Us, etc.

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Indeed! Foundation, Black Mirror, Severance, Altered Carbon, Westworld... just a few off the top of my head. Sci-fi has been amazing for the last decade or more. Hell, going back to 12 Monkeys, Firefly, Ophan Black, or--possibly the best, IMO--the Battlestar Galactica reboot. All amazing, thoughtful shows with not a hint of 'Star Wars' in any of that.

(None of them are as good as The Sopranos, though, which I still maintain is the best drama TV show ever made).

Staffan said:

Also, the show specifically included an in-world reason for more mythic content: the Doctor invoking superstition against the Not Things at the Edge of the Universe. That's why we're getting goblins (who are really more like gremlins), gods, and magic.

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I think this has also been a theme for Tenant 2 and Gatwa since that point at the edge of the universe. He keeps asserting rules and they stick on the things from outside. Against the toy maker there is the two out of three games he must win to win (I have not seen all the Hartnell Toymaker ones so I don’t know if that was a thing the first time around). Ncuti keeps telling Lux and the storyteller things they have to do and they then do have to do them.

None of these rules are hinted at beforehand as far as I can see, he seems to be making them up on the spot and imposing them on the beings just by declaring them.

Voadam said:

I think this has also been a theme for Tenant 2 and Gatwa since that point at the edge of the universe. He keeps asserting rules and they stick on the things from outside. Against the toy maker there is the two out of three games he must win to win (I have not seen all the Hartnell Toymaker ones so I don’t know if that was a thing the first time around). Ncuti keeps telling Lux and the storyteller things they have to do and they then do have to do them.

None of these rules are hinted at beforehand as far as I can see, he seems to be making them up on the spot and imposing them on the beings just by declaring them.

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Ah, he's playing Fate and using Lore to inflict Aspects on the mystical foes.

Voadam said:

I think this has also been a theme for Tenant 2 and Gatwa since that point at the edge of the universe. He keeps asserting rules and they stick on the things from outside. Against the toy maker there is the two out of three games he must win to win (I have not seen all the Hartnell Toymaker ones so I don’t know if that was a thing the first time around). Ncuti keeps telling Lux and the storyteller things they have to do and they then do have to do them.

None of these rules are hinted at beforehand as far as I can see, he seems to be making them up on the spot and imposing them on the beings just by declaring them.

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I mean, this isn't anything new either. Remember when The Doctor was leaning on the Shadow Proclamation to get villains to dial it down a notch? Muttering about the "Laws of Time". Nine sending a child to his room? Or Eleven suddenly declaring to the Daleks "If there's one thing I'm allowed to do, it's talk!"- ok maybe that doesn't count, but it feels like it, lol.

Laying down the law is a tactic The Doctor will happily exploit when it suits his purposes- then toss out the window the instant it gets in his way. Sometimes his opponents call him out on this, granted, but he gets away with a lot of nonsense by keeping his enemies off balance, keeping them uncertain, and forcing them to adhere to rules (real or imagined) is just another card in his deck.

To quote Wizard's First rule: a person will believe a lie for one of two reasons. They want it to be true, or they're afraid it might be.