'The Power of the Doctor' Review - Doctor Who
Вставка
- Опубліковано 17 жов 2024
- This is it. Jodie Whittakers FINAL outing as the 13th Doctor. 'The Power of the Doctor' also stood as the bookend of the Chibnall era of Doctor Who, so many eyes were looking at just what form the 14th Doctor would take.
Was this a fitting farewell to a misunderstood Doctor? Or did we suffer the same fate as the majority of the Chibnall-penned eps? Let me know in the comments as to how you thought Jodie's swansong went!
#DoctorWho #JodieWhittaker #DavidTennant
Check out Amy and I's NuWho rewatch podcast here:
anchor.fm/kaste...
![DID IT SUCK? | Doctor Who [THE POWER OF THE DOCTOR REVIEW]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/lqBHbpF0wfM/mqdefault.jpg)
8 showing up not wearing robes and saying "I'm a manifestation of our consciousness, I can wear what I like" was an absolutely perfect encapsulation of McGann's Doctor in a single line. One of the rare times I felt like Chibnall's dialogue really worked
@@armysheep75 I really don't think Russell touched this at all apart from specifying who the next doctor is. It would have been a much tighter and more lucid story if he had been and would have delivered rather than ultimately queer baiting Thasmine. This was all Chibnall. Fun in places, lots of fan service (not a bad thing for a farewell special) but overstuffed. Cut the Darleks, cut Graham wandering around volcanoes, give Dan a proper exit with some emotion and I know the song was funny but cut the whole Rasputin bit it was a totally irrelevant and confusing time jump for no reason whatsoever. Also get rid of that weird bit where the master spends 2 minutes trying to destroy the doctor's reputation. More emotion, more cohesion more tension and better foreshadowing of the masters regeneration plan and this could have been a great episode.
The cameos honestly made the episode for me. Seeing Paul Mgann in the show actually had me slack-jawed. I am so excited to see wtf is going to happen next. I am also awaiting a 13th doctor series with Big Finish. Hopefully Colin Baker appearing in the show again can be foreshadowing for Jodie Whitakers potential redemption.
It's nice seeing them... but doesnt it have to mean something? Add something? Shouldnt it feel important rather than like key jangling?
Compare these appearances to McGanns in Night of the Doctor. These felt so empty and desperate in comparison.
Sad state this show is in.
@@captbuckyohare5585 I mean I'm not saying it was a great episode by any means. The cameos were just the best part about it imo. Nothing else in the episode really felt like it had an impact
What about William Russell? That was the high point of the whole episode, quite a coup to get him, he's 98 years old, and hopefully doesn't need the money
How did Colin Baker need 'redeeming' exactly? His portrayal of the Sixth Doctor was wonderful - light years ahead of Whittakers cringe inducingly amateurish turn as the time Lord.
I actually gasped when McGann showed up. I was so happy to see him. Hope he comes back for the 60th
Paul Mgann showing up was just fucking amazing, I've been listening to his Big Finish stories recently and I just can't stop thinking he deserves so much better. I was neutral on him with the movie and I loved him in the mini episode and ever since I've started loving him so much more and he's slowly moved into my top 5 (maybe even top 3) favourite doctors of all time.
I think Jodie has a great final line personally
She isn't sad, she isn't upset that her incarnation has ended, she's happy about what's to come and wants to know how it goes... She's optimistic and looking forward and it's exactly how her character was
Same
And the “Doctor Whoever I’m gonna be…tag, you’re it”
God I was so giddy and it fits so well with her optimistic fun childlike personality, very sweet
Yeah thd regeneration scene was really good! And I loved that line
I love the idea of the line - the optimism for what comes next. However, I don't know why I feel it could have been executed better? Like a better line than "tag, you're it". Seemed a little childish, but I guess that was what her Doctor was, something I didn't exactly enjoy.
@@mahfuzurchowdhury2765 I didn't enjoy her character either but atleast her last line is consistent with it, It's not emotional like all previous regenerations, She's happy and optimistic and I just... Idk... I love that
Agreed. Loved the line and delivery, and it felt the most “The Doctor” she’s gotten to be. Also, props to her being the first modern Doctor to think “hey…maybe I shouldn’t regenerate inside the TARDIS.”
I couldn't quite understand Tegan's anger. She left the Doctor. He didn't leave her. Okay sure, the first time round, he accidentally left her behind, but her final goodbye was her choice. All the deaths finally got to her, and she wanted to get away from it all. She said goodbye to the Doctor and Turlough and ran off.
Even then, after she said goodbye, "it isn't fun anymore," Tegan ran back as the TARDIS dematerialized. She made a choice to leave, and yet ran back, as if the Doctor would just keep waiting.
@@nancyjay790 Tegan was often annoyed about things and let people know about it. It is why I really like her!
He had a very spiky relationship with Tegan and Nyssa used to mediate between them on occasion. She spent a lot of time shouting at the Doctor.
@@thevirgologychannel6215 Because she can't act - a fact painfully evident last night.
The writer clearly had no understanding of Who's history. There was no reason whatsoever for Tegan to be pissed at the Dr as she was the one who wanted to leave.
Listening to various reviews and reading the comments after watching the episode one further problem with Chibnall’s approach is that it ALWAYS looks as if great chunks of the story have been edited out and that’s what I have until now thought myself. I’ve changed my mind. I now think the missing scenes are not because of editing but because Chibnall simply has no idea how to get from A to B. The reason we don’t know, for example, how Graham got to the volcano is that he doesn’t know and doesn’t care. He wants Graham there so he is there. It’s this sloppy approach that has undermined his whole tenure.
Spot on. He wants something to appear? It appears! Doesn't matter if it fits - "If I can find a way to make it fit, no matter how tenuous, all good. If I can't? You work it out, it's going in!"
I've come to the realisation Chris has good ideas but terrible execution. He can lay a solid foundation but when he gets to the payoff he really face plants
@@MrProbeNWatch I think the problem is the foundation isn't solid. It's random noise that has the appearance of Doctor Who past, but doesn't understand why those things happened. He is a baker who understands the ingredients but not the recipe.
@@leipherd8118 very well said. There was so much opportunity, but he just couldn't roll with it, and it shows in that some of the highest rated episodes or moments in episodes weren't even written by him
But, he learnt that from Moffat. There are no such thing as plot holes. It's up to the audience to explain the gap.
I love the "tag, you're it" line, I feel it fits Jodie's doctor perfectly, she's an optimist and fun loving doctor, and she was not precisely a monologuist doctor, so a short, playful comment suits her better IMO
It's funny how so many characters were inside a volcano and nobody was at the very least, sweating. Chibbers! You wrote "42". That episode was 90% sweating!
Omg my husband and I were literally shouting the same thing the whole time 😂
Dalek force fields and air cooling technologies and whatnot it's science fiction you can get away with that.
I had a good time with this one, and try not to think too hard about it. It was just fun. This was the best episode of the Chibnal era. I will miss Jodie, but not Chibnal 's scripts.
I feel the best Regeneration stories, Logopolis, Parting of Ways, End of Time, Time of the Doctor and Twice Upon Time all had strong Death motifs woven into the narrative. The tone is therefore very sombre and the regeneration bittersweet. Jodies death kindof felt a bit random, she's gone then she's back then she's gone again. That was a seriously messy way to do it
"A big ole rambly mess"
Summed up the Chibnall era in one line there without even trying to.
I was right there with the Doctor at the end..just as confused by what happened. I was fully expecting to see Ncuti.
I'm kind of annoyed it wasn't.
@@lcoyle1998 I'm VERY annoyed it wasn't.
Tennant will regenerate to Ncuti in the 60th anniversary. I think it's rather cool that he gets the big 60th anniversary show to take his place in Who culture.
I thought there were a lot of fun moments, but the actual plot beneath the fan service was SO convoluted. It's a shame we'll never see Jodie with some truly competent writing. I loved her characterization.
In your talking about the end with 13 and Yaz... I realised what he's done... he's recreated the third Doctor and Jo Grant.... He couldn't say goodbye, so quietly left... and this is also reflected in the final words... "The Blossomiest Blossom", paraphasing the third Doctors "Daisiest Daisy"
The ending line of "tag ur it" I feel fits Whitaker's doctor really well, and it left a smile on my face.
Personally, I really like Jodie’s final words. Jodie has always been a bit of an awkward, childlike Doctor, and in the end she uses a children’s game like tag to pass the baton to the next doctor. She even says she doesn’t know what will happen next, much like when you tag someone, it’s a completely different person and actions, yet with the same goal. It’s quite a good analogy for regeneration as a whole. But hey, that’s just me.
Not just you. Tag, me too! 😁😁
She doesn’t say she doesn’t know, she says she wants to know what happens next. It’s like a child after an exciting episode of their Saturday morning cartoon. The tag analogy is another example of this childlike wonder that she had
As always, a thoughtful review, even given its impromptu nature. I found myself enjoying the story, and I'm not sure whether it was because of the blatant fan service or if I perceived that Chibnall was actually trying to redeem himself. For me, the Thirteenth Doctor was for the first time a credible character, and it's just a shame she wasn't from the beginning. Whittaker is a fine actor, and, as you say, it is a disservice to her that she has not been given better material. Indeed, the actors were rarely the problem. I'm blown away by Dhawan's performance (easily my favourite Master). Yet, as you've pointed out, there were the same old plot problems: too much going on and too many contrivances, like there just happening to be parachutes under the floorboards of Kate's office. I think however Chibnall might have tried to scale these back somewhat. Yes, the regeneration scene was very different. Personally, I was glad the Tardis didn't explode and crash-land (so needlessly dramatic), as if mourning the Doctor, and it just occurred to me why this didn't happen. She (for, as we know, the Tardis is female) isn't mourning 13, she's welcoming back 10. Did Davies write the regeneration scene? Thanks, Rich, and thank you Jodie for doing the best you could. Happier times ahead.
I'm 99% certain Chibnall wrote the regeneration scene, well Jodie's half anyway, as he talks about the script and how he changed the line order in an interview. According to Jamie Magnus Stone, who directed, he did all of Jodie's part on the clifftop and then Rachel Talalay did Davids's part way, way later - which was written by RTD.
@@hotdog1214 Makes sense.
He didn’t leave Tegan! She told him goodbye, said that her adventures stopped being fun, AND LEFT HIM. If she’s bothered by that 40 years later, that’s her own fault.
Jodie really felt like the Doctor in this episode, like she belonged in that world, and I'm glad that she got to do some better stuff with the character before departing, even if the episode the performance is in is a bit lackluster. The story has numerous plotholes, but it was fun, most of the performances were solid, and it actually started to feel a bit like Who for a short while. I think I'll look back at this one fondly, but I'm still glad that we're moving on.
This was probably Chibnalls best episode. Why? Because he didn't adress any of the issues that he conjured up in the first place. That was the smartest thing to do as there was no way he could have adressed any of it in a way that would left the audience happy. The entire epsiode was fan service and a nice sending off for Jodie. The fans got a lot of nostalgia and Jodie had a nice goodbye. All of that was fine and the right thing to do. On the other hand, he left all of it for RTD to solve or to ignore. Either way, not exactly a nice thing to do. While I enjoyed this episode and the tone of it, I can't help, but think that the entire Jodie run was wasted. The first female Doctor should have been important and yet, the only thing we will remember is that nothing good happened. Even the Doctor showed no character development at all. None. 5 years of toxic environment, toxic comments and a showrunner, who had no clue what he wanted to do or how he was gonna solve it in the end. That is what will remain. Quite frankly, you could ignore the entire era and nothing would change. It was completely pointless. It only created a mess and solved nothing.
I feel like this episode is chibnall putting aside his pride and writing something fans will truly love.
He didn't intend to bring back anything at all from the classic series series or any of the standard monster to begin with though that didn't really work out.
@@Enzo012 I didn't mind what Chibnall tried to do with S11. After several seasons of a Daleks, Master, Cybermen conga line, IMO it was a good idea spending S11 taking a break from that, establishing some new corners of the Doctor Who universe and doing a number of standalone adventures. Moffat did something fairly similar with S6, ignoring all the established stuff to focus on the Silents and River Song (though obviously Moffat went arc-y rather than episodic). If Chibnall had brought us a series of fair-to-great stories that didn't reuse existing monsters that would've been great. The problem was that he didn't really stick the landing and the season overall was meh (though I personally have a soft spot for *Demons of the Punjab*). I have no reason to assume the stories would've been any better written and executed if they'd had Daleks and Cyberman rather than Stenza and P'ting.
7 for me. Ace and Tegan I felt like had a bit more purpose, the cameos were hallmarks ,(Paul McGann returning), and that regeneration was short, sweet, beautiful, and the Doctor didn't blow up THE DAMN TARDIS AGAIN. I really do hope to see Jodie return somewhere down the line under Russel T. Davis or Big Finish. She was never the issue I think and to see her become who she was meant to be is hopeful, if not exciting.
I loved this episode even though I'm in no way the biggest Chibnall fan. I have a lot of nitpicks and I know that every single element of the plot falls apart if you think about it for more than a second, but I simply don't care as it was so much fun. Also the common Chibnall traps are a staple of this era so I'm honestly glad they were here too. Despite all of it's problems, I still think this was a great send off for Jodie as they left a good amount of time at the end for the Doctor to say her goodbyes and have a regeneration that was in my opinion the perfect way to end this era.
This perfectly sums up my feelings too. Not a Chibnall fan by any means and certainly there's quite a few things that can be picked apart but it's his best episode imo and I enjoyed it. Don't think too hard and enjoy the ride. A good one to end on for sure.
I thought Thirteen's last words were perfect. She's never been one for bombastic speeches like Eleven or Twelve. And she's always been the sort to look at things with a childlike sense of wonder and possibility. Passing on the role with joy to her next incarnation is so totally her.
I was expecting to feel nothing but joy at the end of the Chibnall/Whittaker era, but that regeneration.... serious emotional damage right there.
Another thing that has been missing throughout this tenure and what was missing here, especially for the regen... amazing music. The regens of 9, 10, 11 and 12 all have those beautiful themes that we had come to associate with the doctor at his most vulnerable during their respective series. We didn't have that powerful audio cue to guide our emotional response to what was happening on screen. I sincerely hope RTD is able to get Murray Gold to come back at least for the 60th if not his entire run.
But the Doctors theme was probably the best of the music in this era and suited the scene
Thirteen's theme was blasting all over the regeneration, that was pretty powerful, no? Up there with 9s theme for me.
I was hoping that, in the group meeting of companions at the end, Yasmin would learn about River and Rose. Like some acknowledgement of the Nu Who companions, other than Jodie’s companions, should have been included. Martha and Mickey are still out there.
Noel Clarke will never feature in Doctor Who again and too right
@@ThetaSigma-vu1sk As far as I know, all the charges against him were dropped and there wouldn't be any criminal investigation.
@@Here_is_Waldo doesn't mean he's innocent. He had more than 2 dozen women speaking against him. Don't even think about telling me they're all lying
@@ThetaSigma-vu1sk Innocent until proven guilty. I don't know if he's guilty. YOU don't know if he's guilty. The police - the ones whose job it is to gather all of the available information and try to work it out - don't seem to know if he's guilty. So why are you saying he's guilty?
Two-dozen people making accusations is certainly too many to ignore, but are you going to claim it's enough to destroy someone's life when all you know about the case is what the news thinks makes for a click-bait story?
@@Here_is_Waldo no, im not believing news articles, im believing the victims. It's common knowledge that the justice system is messed up, especially with sexual assaults cases, and even more especially when the person accused is rich. Clarke has given no evidence as to why he's innocent, he's just said he is. But there are over 2 dozen women saying otherwise. Of course i'm going to believe them. His life isn't over. His net worth is $3 million and he's literally writing a story about this whole thing. Unfortunately, his career is not over.
Dude... You understood more than I did. Please fill me in on some of this other stuff...
1) Why Did the Master alter the paintings? Was it just to taunt the Doctor?
2) Why steal the seismologists? Did he think they were going to stumble on the Darleks?
3) Speaking of which... Why did he even need the Darleks??????????? Did he feel the Cybermen couldn't do the capture the Doctor part?
4) Why is he in Russia again? Why did he not kill those people instead of sending them on holiday?
5) The metallic planet the Doctor lands on... The rip of transformer's Unicron... What was that place?
6) What was Vinder on the planet for? He didn't take the alien back so he really wasn't after it. And why was it captured in the first place?
7) When the Master gets stranded there by Yaz, we see two planets attacking each other... What were those planets? Why are they fighting??
I'm sure I'm missing questions to but I've seen the episode twice and have no idea of what just happened. As for The Thasmin kiss.. Don't care and not surprised. I do care that there was NOTHING for the timeless child bs but I feel if there was, it would have only made things worse. I wasn't a fan of jodie's. When she started showing the fandom disrespect in things she said I felt she came into it the wrong way. However I feel bad for her because yeah... she got totally overshadowed this episode and I am NOT talking Tennant. She did basically NOTHING. Period. She got captured almost right away then saved by Yaz... only to get blasted and saved by Yaz again.I thought Yaz was the main hero and the Doctor was just a victim. Hell Yaz even showed she could fly a Tardis! What was the point of the Doctor? All and all highly disappointing and exactly how I thought Chibnall would end it. I can 110% guarantee you now Chibnall was fired. Jodie was an unfortunate victim of his incompetence BUT I can't blame her for taking the role. It was a big one for her so I will wish her well.
Look into how we changed how Chibnel was writing. For instance in his first season there was no/little overarching story. He fixed this in the following season but it was still bad…
I’m just so disappointed we didn’t get any clarification on Ruth and where she fits in.
Think back to the 50th anniversary with the curator about revisiting old favorites in future regenerations. I'm glad they are playing on that!!
I think it says a lot about Jodie and the Chibnall era that Durdle Door got a bigger reaction during the regeneration than Jodie did.
Great review Rich, love the off the cuff style. For me, even after all Jodies stories, I still never felt I knew what her Doctors character was, seriously let down by the writing. But that moment with Seven & Ace was perfection.
Jaz woke up from the illusion. Honestly the fact that she shut down her romance after seeing Ace and Tegan shows that Jaz was an adult as opposed to Rose who was a love sick teenager.
Hmm, I hadn't thought of it like that, it makes sense though that Ace and Tegan was a wakeup call for Yaz. Very good point.
I was actually glad to see the Cybermen Time Lords return to begin with. Because that concept could be terrifying... You don't even need the Daleks or any of the complications. I really, really wanted to see them explored further.
But no, they were just Cybermen in a different costume.
They were mainly there to get their regeneration energy harvested when the Doctor was a tight predicament that required it, it was quite well planned out.
When they appeared I was thinking "why don't they use gold bullets?"
Then Ace announced that UNIT had gold bullets....
@@Neil070 I never understood the gold bullets. As far as I remember, it was gold dust that choked the cybermen breathing systems, not gold in general that was a problem for them. They were bulletproof, regardless of what the bullets were made of.
For once I have to give credit for actually ending something, the Cybermasters were not only used to power the degeneration but it (I assume) also means they are gone forever, so Chibnall has at least wrapped it up and there aren't regenerating Cybermen wandering about the universe. Unless the Master kept a few in a secret cupboard and RTD wants to wheel them out in the future. 😋
@@hotdog1214 Compared to what the cybermen could do in the Matt Smith era, regenerating wasn't really all that special. It's not as if Time Lords are the only ones capable of it, either. Several species could regenerate in the original series.
Also why did the Tennant doctor regenerate in his new clothes? When earlier on the Sasha Master Doctor wore Jodies outfit? What? What? WHAAAAT?
Cameos and references cannot be a substitute for good storytelling and well written dialogue.
Hello Rich, I would like you to touch on the watch that contained all of the doctor's division memories because when she sent it down into the TARDIS, she said to not give it back unless she was in great danger and she needed it. Ever since then, it has been a plot thread that has been left hanging, and in the episode, the doctor stated that a forced regeneration qualified as the gravest of circumstances so where was the fob watch? Please let me know what your thoughts are. Love your show!
I really enjoyed it. Best Jodie episode ever. Mostly because the Master is played so well!
Are you joking? This Master is just terrible... imagine Roger Delgado doing the Kosack dance to Boney M?
@@rnw2739 I thought that was hilarious and very much like the Master.
@@ChRoPi21 Really? Which Master was it like? Certainly not Delgado, Ainley, Beevers or Pratt. It is completely at odds with his entire persona....he doesn't care for Earth at all, let alone is familiar with 70s disco hits. No, just yet another feeble attempt to be 'funny' and relevant whilst totally undermining the central character - I suppose if they bring the Rani back (the coldly impassive Time Lady scientist) she will suddenly be an environmentalist tree hugger.
@@rnw2739 I’m sorry you really didn’t like it. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
@@ChRoPi21 Indeed 🙂
4:12 When me And my friend got to this part in the episode we both just yelled "FATHER GRIGORI!?"
The highlights. Sacha as The Master, Ace, The Past Doctors( Especially McGann), Tegan, Tennant and the Gatwa post credit scene. The lowlight, the story.
The Master wanting to he the doctor while at the same time wanting the doctor to be him is pretty whacky but at the same time pretty deep and an interesting dynamic.
Under any other show runner this would've really been explored and formed the core of the story, allowing Jodie to dig in with the type of emotional performance that is usually produced when these two characters interact. But oh well, nevermind I guess...
In a way, I almost feel as if this episode was what would have happened if Chibnall wrote Journey's End. The culmination of a multi-series arc, bringing basically everyone together, the levels of fanservice... except it just didn't deliver on the big things it needed to. Ace felt like she was talking from a script, it wasn't natural. How did Graham get into the volcano? How did he meet Dan to begin with? Where was Ryan? Then we get to the big one, the kiss. I appreciate that the romance angle probably wasn't what he originally imagined with those 2, but he then decided to go down that path, only for us to not actually get the payoff his teasing and storytelling warranted. I don't think it was anything to do with not wanting a same sex kiss on the show, because not only had the Doctor done that in the show (Jack, to name one), but there have been both lesbian kisses, and ones involving POCs. There was absolutely no reason not to put that in unless he just mad the choice it wasn't worth it, which will only serve to make the fanbase angry, plus potentially criticise it as queerbaiting. The ending scenes with the companions also didn't make sense, why not give them each a little few seconds? We got it in Journey's End, we got it in End of Time, why not here? Maybe he didn't want to make the goodbyes seem so formal because he thought that would make them less likely to return under future showrunners? I really don't know. However, there were good touches, and nice moments too. The Rasputin scene had me howling in laughter, and the empty chair at the group meeting too. I hope that was deliberately left empty as reference so Sarah Jane, but I am not sure I can place that much faith in him. Overall, though? An episode I enjoyed watching, and it could have been a LOT worse. Super excited for next year to see how RTD takes things forward in his second stint, and what ideas he has for the series I am hoping comes in 2024
It’s kind of a cargo-cult Journey’s End, ticking all the boxes but there’s too much complexity to let anything breathe, and it’s so seriously played that when it gets weird it’s not a fun shrug at the campiness.
Oddly I've seen some fans saying it was queerbaiting because he *didn't* feature a kiss. Personally, I'm glad it didn't, as I wasn't invested in Thasmin at all and felt that Chibnall wasn't either. Yet another case of 'oh that's an idea to try' but without preparation or thinking it through. It wasn't something he planned, he stumbled across it on Twitter and decided to throw it in without any thought of how it would progress or end. The best he could come up with was a reworking of Ten's "I can't spend my whole life with you" speech to Rose, with Yaz and Thirteen on the beach at the end of Legend of the Sea Devils. I was ok with that as the conclusion to their 'relationship'. I feel a kiss in TPOTD would be cheap, and it was more powerful to have them sharing their last moments, sometimes with just silence, enjoying each other's company. Bonus that we finally got to see Yaz as the companion we had wished for and the scene atop the Tardis, with Mandip holding back the tears, instead of all out blubbing, I personally found much more impactful.
that scene where they had their heads together, The Doctor and Yaz and I'm just sitting here like 'is it going to happen?' 'so much tension.' then nothing.
If you watch the end of series 12 again with subtitles on you can see/hear the master saying all of you this way basically implying he slipped away to a TARDIS and escaped
Ace hit a Dalek. That’s all I need I’ll be honest. I enjoyed the episode. I’m happy to be completely sucked in by the fan service and love it for that and tbh that alone. Oh and Sacha performance as the master. I think Ncuti look like he will be great. I agree with everything you said rich and I have chosen in my own head to ignore it haha. I loved it
My favorite part was when the woman fell down an elevator shaft, then emerged from the bottom shaking her hands like she's gone and sprained her wrist. Rubbish writing again, Jodie deserved better. Looking forward to REBOOT 2!
Hey. It's been ages since I last saw you on my screen. Good to see you again, Hut!
Tegan in Resurrection: I give up, doctor, the adventures have been getting too violent and I could be killed in one more adventure.
Tegan in Power: I can't believe you abandoned me!
I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it - I struggled with Flux as I kept picking holes as I watched, but this was just a sit back & enjoy the romp - the past doctor/companion stuff was probably the best part, alongside Sacha's master who was genuinely quite chilling at times and just a fantastic villain even if the plot didn't make sense. Probably my biggest issue (with a bit of time to reflect) now for me would be that 13 was not in the episode for a good chunk and character-wise didn't have that much to do (compare to 10 's finale for example and going through everything to the point where he gives up himself for Wilf), and yet this was meant to be 13's farewell ... it lacked a bit of emotional grit to make us care
Something for the full review - 13's character development (or lack of), feel like we still don't know who she was as a doctor!
Thanks for the review - I was waiting for it, and looking forward to more EK - have just watched the S3 triple-bill with my brother for the first time for him and the contrast to the last few series in terms of character and emotional heft is pretty stark. Enjoy Disney!!
The problem with the Missy incarnation being after the Sasha one is that she knew nothing of these events. It would be better to have a "Missy" centiment Sasha Master broken by the "Timeless Child" revelation, reverting him to his earlier mind set
I'm not so sure about the David Tennant regeneration . Felt it undermined that moment a bit . I know it's the ultimate fan service and I hope it's really necessary thematically for the new ..new Doctor
I really like how subtle you are about your dislike of Chibnall... it's really subtle but if we read between the lines we can just about make it out..*chuckles* . well done... and thanks again for another great video!
Overall I sat through Power of the Doctor and it didn't annoy me. It did however feel like Flux Part 7 with so many things going on that there was little time to be annoyed because before you can get angry or confused, Chibs has sent you somewhere else. A couple of things: (1) Why does Chibnall think that we are supposed to really liked Vinder? Nothing wrong with him, but nothing really interesting about him either. (2) He brings out the Fugitive Doctor and then she's gone and we still don't know what the hell she was about. I'm okay with that. (3) Tegan and Ace - God bless them. I would love if Davies gave them a spinoff like The Sarah Jane Adventures (4) I was fine with Yaz and The Doctor not kissing. Way back in the early years I recall fans getting annoyed that Rose and The 10th Doctor had a thing for each other and then they were annoyed that Martha had a thing for the 10th Doctor. But if it's Yaz and the 13 doctor, yay, they've got the hots for each other! Have at it! Thazman! I don't get it. (5) I am happy Dan and Yaz are still alive and haven't had their minds wiped, and they didn't get tossed into a parallel universe, and they didn't wind up back in time because of the Weeping Angels. After all, Martha Jones might like to have some new friends. (6) Seeing all those other Doctors again was wonderful! I probably have more things to say but this will be it for now, except - Hooray, no more Chibnall stories! If I saw one more of those screen that said "Indonia - 1945" or whatever, I was going to scream!
In Revolution of the Daleks, Ryan and Graham decide to use their new psychic paper to investigate strange phenomena on Earth. That's why Graham was there.
My partner has adhd and she described the episode as a day in her brain. He just has absolutely no idea how to make a story flow with such limited time. I feel like he'd be a better movie writer because he needs at least 3 hours to fit every bloody idea he wants into it. I still can't believe this is the same guy who wrote Broadchurch, which was fantastic in my opinion...
I’m gonna disagree on the regeneration farewells.
For me, 10’s lengthy farewell tour and bordering-on-whiny reaction (both to Wilfred when he realized the situation and to the camera at the end) was absolute cringe. And vastly out of character-I remember 6 saying some similar things about dying for an unimportant person, but that was intended to mark him as villainous and out-of-sorts (or even possibly mind-controlled in some sense). Compare with 5 happily risking death for a single person on multiple occasions, most notably in Caves of Androzani.
13’s little talk-to-herself moment was absolutely pitch-perfect for her character, and one of the best regeneration “speeches” of the series, IMHO.
Us going - "wait.. What did they just do?..... But why?....... Okay, I guess....Whatever...." is actually a very accurate description for the Chibnall era.
Yaz being told "we used to be you...." and seeing the look on her face, and there's absolutely no conversation about it, and the Doctor still gives her no clarity and brushes her off (while sitting atop the TARDIS) and Yaz just leaves on such a flat, unemotional note.... was such a d!£k move for the writing. Yaz was truly done dirty in that episode.
I recognise that big Dalek in the background haha 😁
Isn't there usually some kind of crash mat at the bottom of a lift shaft that cushions the lift if it malfunctions and just freefalls? Maybe that's what Tegan landed on?
I really enjoyed it. By far Chibnall’s best episode (low bar) and emotional. Plus the great ending. But all your points are fair.
Roll on the 60th!!
the boney m rasputin part made me laugh sooo much loved it and the end made me scream
Thank God I wasn't the only one going isn't there 3 masters? What happened to the one that was in UNIT HQ? Like he just disappeared and then the Rasputin master gets seemingly killed by the end so does that mean the seismologist master is dead? And the master is actually dead dead and his death just got thrown to the side like nothing really happened and will the master come back?
Personally I think Whittaker's Doctor is actually still in a state of regeneration, she hasn't fully gone yet and Tennant's is a projection (hologram as you called it) due to Whittaker's apparent death to the Master in the episode and seeing the previous Doctor's on the cliff edge. We'll have Tennant's projection basically on top of Whittaker's version before finally regenerating into the fourteenth, so we could see Whittaker back to finally regenerate into the fourteenth after Tennant's Doctor is done and her body and form is back. I think it's also important to note that he has his old clothes and not in hers, so he's not really back in full body, more like his soul is back on top of Whittaker's regenerating body and that's what we're seeing.I guess we'll see.
Best thing Chibnall has done is the Rasputin banger scene
honestly it felt very "Missy"
yea
The cameos were amazing, and EIGHT doctors in non archive footage was killer. But at the end of the day, off you sod Chibbers. I actually really liked the more understated speech at the end. I found the last few regeneration speeches to be way too overblown. I am really glad that from now on I can look forward to Doctor Who without a caveat of 'written by chibnall' in my head.
I actually loved her last line. It’s one of my favourite last lines now.
This episode was a food fight - a lot of fun in the moment, but afterwards, you realize what a horrible mess it was.
My excuse for the Master being Rasputin is he wanted a palace as a base of operations and he could get one easily if he played Rasputin.
From a writing standpoint, this ear - as you said - was turbulent but for me, there was such a sense of pure enjoyment from the characters and cast that just made me fall in love with this era
Can’t believe he didn’t even get round to mentioning Ra ra Rasputin🤣🤣 one of the highlights of the episode big similarities to here come the drums haha
Great video Rich.
See you November 2023 in the next video 👀😅 kidding of course!
The thing with the master really confused me as well! Like where did he go after he teleported - also I hate how it didn’t establish where his master fits in the timeline 🙄
I personally enjoyed that episode. As a stand alone and the end of Jodies doctor and the end of the screen writers run , it hard to leave things unturned which did feel a little rushed. Personally, you can't knock captain Jack's lack of storyline to chivnall writing due to off screen issues that came out with Jon barrowman.
The problem with Spy-Master being before Missy is that Missy didn't make any reference to the Timrless Child.
I prefer to see it that Spy-Master (somehow) comes after Missy and that his going back to old ways is because of learning about the Timeless Child (which I have a way of undoing if RTD is interested)
why is no one talking bout flux? nothing of that got wrapped up!!
I can't imagine the pressure RTD feels right now, having to show that the Chibnall era's bad writing is a Chibnall problem, and not a "modern who inherent" problem. He needs to deliver a fucking banger for the 60th or whenever the next special is. The pressure is on, but thankfully if anyone is capable of doing that, its RTD.
it do be going Missy, The Lumiat, Spymaster- but only people who have listened to Missy on Big Finish would know that, haven't heard those sets myself
David Tennant's 20 seconds gives me hope. It was funny, edgy. Loved the line 'I've felt these teeth before. In another way it's sad that this was the best part of the episode
I still hold onto Missy being the last Master
The Master has completely, definitively died a lot of times before. Just like the Daleks and Cybermen have been definitively wiped out before. They always come back because writers still want to use them and audiences want to see them. Don't overthink it.
I'm still firmly in the camp of Sacha's Master coming before Missy in the show's continuity. Sad we won't see her again, but it is what it is.
I can only say that totally enjoyed The Power of the Doctor. And I also really enjoyed Jodie's run as the Doctor.
To me that was the best episode of Chibnall's entire run. Were there problems,? Sure. However it did enough to stand out, and ultimately entertained.
Also, was it me or was the regeneration music more akin to Murray Gold than Segun Akinola's usual vibe?
Totally agree with the top comment.
Regarding the second, that is definitely Segun there, it's the Doctors theme aka "Thirteen", been around since the first episode but this I would say is its most prominent use.
I was fully expecting the seismology master to have really been the Doctor pretending to be the Master....
So the force regeneration was really the masters appearance but the doctor remains in control.
All the master in the future had been Doctor Master, leaving little threads around to pull at the final moment, but alas.
Them there could of been a big huge twist....
But never mind Chibnall wasn't that clever.
The other wasted moment was that whilst the doctor was forced to regenerate into the master we could of had two masters... That would of been fun too.
Again, alas, not that clever.
I WISH RTD had done ONE with Jody, just one, just to show what she can do....
I'm not convinced Tennant is the 14th, smells of David Morrissey is the Next Doctor. That being said I'm totally hyped for his upcoming episodes.
Yup, strongly suspect Chibnall's fave inspirational quote where writing sci fi is concerned is "...somehow Palpatine has returned". No need to explain. It just "is". BaDA-BING-bada-BOOM. All plot decisions now justified.
I thought it was slightly typically messy (Chibnall ofc) but I think it was one of his strongest episodes... A real fan pleaser and loved seeing all the previous Doctor's. I think it was a good send-off to Jodie who was a brilliant Doctor who was failed by the writing (generally).
I honestly think you have the least tinted views on doctor who, i love to hear your opinions because you seem so genuine, so honest and you always keep the past of the show in mind when rating episodes
90 minutes...just about managed to hold my bladder. Did turn the central heating on and off briefly (got to keep an eye on the bill), yawned a couple of times, scratched my head. I did wonder what was happening and tried to engage in the emotional beats of the story.
Got my first pang when the Cloister Bell tolled near the end of the story. Whoever created that sound effect (first used in Logopolis at the end of the 4th Doctor's era) knew their stuff. So powerful, so evocative.
I didn't get anything much from seeing the returning characters and did feel that this episode wasn't really chasing the general audience, who I suspect didn't stay the whole term. It was good to see Graham back, although how and why didn't make any sense to me. Also nice to see Ace. For me she is the second greatest companion from the classic era, and that's because back then she was well written for and she threw herself into the role. In Power she was too much of a throwback to the original, but as an actor she shone.
The actual regeneration looked beautiful and a clear contrast to what had gone before. I really wasn't expecting to see the full regeneration so that was a wonderful surprise. I'd kind of expected it to conclude on the process starting and the audeience would be left in a state of expectation...
...and then it's RTD again and what he does is he sets expectations up in layers. Suddenly I'm excited about the future of Who.
Missy would have been perfect fan service, but there was no New Who fan service at all whether by choice, accident, or circumstance.
I kept waiting for the Master (as the Doctor) to pull out a bow tie or fez, or for Capaldi to have a role (or even a cameo) in the hologram, or even maybe Martha to show up in the companion group at the end. I get they may not have wanted Tennant to show up before the ending, but that ending seemed to be the only notion that New Who had even happened. It feels like Chibnall wrote this finale as a conclusion to the 80s cancellation.
As you were listing off the regenerations it made me realize how each one distilled their entire Doctor into one closing line (or monologue) that represented their core ideology. Jodi’s send off would have been perfect without words if it had just ended with a kiss. That would have been the core of her Doctor.
I forgot to add, I was also kinda hoping we would see the Master regenerate, but just the start, and into Anthony Ainley!
I find it funny that the Doctor Who channel hinted at the regeneration in the most unsubtle way possible in a video talking about the process days before.
My view was broken up by iplayer buffering, so I did miss parts. Consequently, I felt repeatedly lost. But at the end, I never felt I missed anything important. You are 100% right, there was way too much going on and no continuity. It is Chibnall's style. Does anyone know how Tegan survived the fall? It's the only thing I missed that seemed to matter.
Definitely something I thought we'd see was the return of the Fob watch the doctor dropped into the TARDIS console containing her memories. Honestly thought it would have come up as a plot point or just as an off handed comment. Did we ever get an explanation of what that weird old black and white house was?
Graham just turning up in the volcano was such an odd way to reintroduce him to the show and definitely thought ace would question it more.
Tiegan falling down the lift shaft definitely also should have been covered.
As well as Kate almost being "converted". Thought maybe she'd be a bit more damaged or something but no, just gets up and walks away.
I feel a lot of stuff got cut. Like they planned on having things explained or maybe even filmed some extended bits but cut them out to fit the run time.
The black and White House is the world where the memories are stored. That was one of the few things actually explained in the vanquishers
I didn’t even realize that her regeneration was today, goes to show how far chibnall has pushed the fans away. Ding dong the witch is dead
Not "the fans". Some fans. And your final comments really makes me feel like we aren't missing most of those who've gone...
@@chrispalmer7893Are you kidding the few people who still watch it. Dr who has the worst ratings in all of the show’s history of nearly 60 years at what as only 2.2 million viewers. Jodie Dr who is a failure so get off your soapbox.
@@sboyk No, I'm not kidding. I'm just aware - as are the BBC - that viewing habits have changed dramatically in a short period of time such that 3.7 million (which is the actual live viewing figure from last night) is more than decent. That figure will likely hit closer to 8 million once iPlayers views in the first 24 hours are taken into accout, making it easily one of the top-rated shows of the weekend.
I'm also aware that with anything, the voices of discontent tend to be the loudest and that generally causes those people to seem more numerous than there are. You're entitled to dislike it, but not so much to assume that in so doing you are somehow representative of the whole of fandom. I also note, in passing, the absence of any meaningful denial of the irrational bigotry I detected in your first response.
By the way, this is the first time I've ever seen you and I really enjoy spontaneous you. Feels authentic. I'm sure your scripted reviews are good as well.
Chibnall attempted to serve up a smorgasbord for the fans but sadly it left me feeling hungry, if there had only been less things with more character and flavour. Even for an extended episode there was just too much crammed in. Although the cameos were the best thing it did all feel shoehorned in and a bit frantic, a few longer moments for the characters to reflect would have been better. After them missing out on the 50th anniversary it was heart-warming to see the classic doctors given a spot. The 'Companions Anonymous' scene was a nice touch and a genuine treat, particularly to see William Russell, still looking very dapper in his late 90's, and reprising the role of Ian Chesterton, as I remember as an 8 year old seeing the very first broadcast of Dr Who , and have never missed a single episode since.
I have a feeling Dan was supposed to do the stuff Vinder did, but because Dan wasn't available, they shoehorned in Vinder when it made no sense...
I was slightly disappointed with this episode. EVERYTHING THAT WAS DONE IN THIS EPISODE WAS PULLED FROM OTHER, BETTER EPISODES!
Space train, Daleks and Cybermen together, Daleks drilling into the Earth, a large group of companions return, Master killing the Doctor, past Regenerations showing up... they are just too numerous to list.
It was like Chibnall just poured all the ideas in a blender and hit "puree."
The episode spent more money on the special effects and the spectical than they did the script. Alll these ideas poured together were never given the chance to be fully explained. For example, the paintings were never realized to a full explanation. It was just a bad writing. The just brought back Tennant as a publicity stunt to bring people back.