No matter which Doctor I watch(classic or modern), none of them make me believe they’re an extremely old person in a younger persons body except Matt Smith. He give The Doctor the eyes of someone who has seen it all.
It's one of the requirements of being the Doctor. If it's a young actor they have to act like they have an ancient mind, and if they're a (relatively) old actor, they have to act like they have a young energy to them. With a few notable exceptions, I think this carries across all of Who. To me, the most obvious of the young energy in an "old" body are Jon Pertwee (with his Judo and hot-rodded car) and Peter Capaldi (with his electric guitar).
@@StarkRG I always felt the electric guitar and sunglasses were just a sad, desperate attempt at making him look and feel younger. They’re two of the reasons I mentally checked out of Capaldi’s era.
Paula, "No wonder they all fall in love with the Doctor. He takes them to such amazing, glamorous places." Jo Grant from the Classic Series, "My first trip in the TARDIS, he took me to a planet that was a giant clay pit."
Although my father was 58 when he died, I was only 7. I quite empathize with the Clara situation. It always comes back, in unguarded moments. What might have been. Another unguarded moment. I am older than my Father was when he passed.
This is my all time favorite Matt Smith Doctor speech. The acting, the visuals and the singing in the background is so epic. I watch it whenever I need a good happy cry.
Real underrated episode for me this one. The speech is what everyone goes to but I love the beautiful understated nature of Clara's moment afterwards, so much character stuff happening there for her.
‘I walked in universes where the laws on physics where devised by the mind of a mad man’ This is him referring to Omega, a timelord that created time travel, but in boing so trapped himself in another universe that he could control.
This season had a strange quirk where, starting with this episode, every episode had a reference to one of the classic Doctors chronologically. The Doctor referring to his granddaughter was a reference to the 1st Doctor, and next episode has a reference to the 2nd Doctor, and so on. I haven't heard Moffat or anyone else reference it, so I imagine it was just something they did because it was the 50th anniversary year. But they also fall short with the last few classic Doctors? I don't get why xD
It started before this episode, though it became more consistent starting here as the 50th approached. The season opener “Asylum of the Daleks” featured Dalek designs from every classic-series Dalek episode, and had the Doctor name-check every planet where he encountered them (onscreen). The Great Intelligence showing up in the Snowmen was a Second Doctor recurring antagonist. In this episode, besides his mention of his granddaughter, the Doctor’s line about a universe where the laws of physics were written by a madman could refer to any of several classic-series adventures- “The Celestial Toymaker,” “The Mind Robber,” or “The Three Doctors.” Moffat did say in the pages of Doctor Who Magazine that this was deliberate in the runup to the 50th anniversary. Speaking of which- Gallifrey Gals, I hope you don’t skip “An Adventure in Space and Time” when you get there! Though not technically an episode of the series itself, it’s still a great part of the 50th anniversary specials.
people have a lot of varying opinions on Moffat, but one thing no-one can deny is that (for the most part) he writes damn good speeches. Also I imagine that without the context of the original broadcast, Paula might've been afraid the Doctor was about to regenerate after giving himself to the parasite, certainly masquerades as a big noble sacrifice if taken by itself.
This is another example of when The Doctor might be talking about himself if just a little bit. That,perhaps,he feels guilty for having lived so long and experienced so much and even taken people away from their lives that he feels like a parasite. Quite a bit you can look into with that speech. Also glad you included the part with Clara and the leaf as it tends to get overlooked by others.
"I walked in universes where the laws of physics were devised by the mind of a *_mad man."_* Speaking as a physicist, that line always gets my mind going off in places it shouldn't go. Makes me wonder things like, "what if F = ma +1?" and other random, terrifying crap like that.
This episode is one of my favorites of all time. I love the lore of alien religious practices, the music always makes me cry, and THAT SPEECH. I never really loved Eleven before this episode, but that speech made me love his doctor. Seeing him talk about the Time Lords and how much he has lost breaks me every time
I absolutely loved that speech by Matt Smith. This episode is one of my favorites simply because of that. Plus it also has a ton of character development with Clara. Matt Smith was a fantastic Doctor.
I remember standing in a friends kitchen when she showed me a photo of Matt Smith on her mobile. We both where furious they went with a “pretty boy“ for the next doctor. How dumb we where...
That's funny.I have a friend who quit watching after Tennant because in her opinion they went from someone good looking (Tennant) to someone who "looks like The Elephant Man (Smith)"!
I found out my best friend died on the day this episode aired, so the whole 'days that never were' aspect of this episode? Yeah, that hit like a truck.
Only who followed the travels of the doctor and saw what he was going through, understands the pain in his words. The tears that follow are unavoidable. I allways enjoy your reactions, even if it means that seeing you cry makes me cry too.
That Jenna Coleman looks like Christina Ricci is a good call. As a child her family joked that she looked like Wednesday Addams from the Addams family movies.
Katrina: holds one empty giant Parma violets packet and freaks out about how much sugar it is Me: looks at the four empty packets of them on my floor rn from the past hour
best new who speech ever.... and an also amazing quote: Clara: What about that stuff you said? We don’t walk away. The Doctor: No. We don’t walk away. But when we’re holding on to something precious, we run. We run and run fast as we can. And we don’t stop running until we are out from under the shadow.
Oh it's a great speech, but Matt Smith has a MUCH better one coming. One that to this day still leaves me in tears. Won't say any more though, spoilers. :)
And the rollercoaster goes on and on... Second (chronological) great speech after Pandorica. The way Matt Smith delivered this one is heartbreaking. But we´re just warming up...
This is one of, if not my favorite Matt Smith episode. The speech at the end is beautiful and painful. Matt has an amazing ability to portray being an old man with young mans appearance.
Hey Gals! Great reaction! SPOILERS: As part of the run-up to the 50th, this half of the series has "themed" episodes, but more subtly than usual- all the episodes have mentions or callbacks to the Classic series Doctors. In order: Rings of Akaten: refs 1st Doc and Susan Cold War: brings back a classic villain introduced during 2nd Doctors tenure Hide: 70s paranormal adventure with spy overtones- a 3rd Doctor trope Journey to the Center of the TARDIS- a serial-numbers-filed-off adaptation of a 4th Doctor comic adventure from the early 80s Crimson Horror- 11 mentions a "gobby Australian." (5th Doctor companion Tegan) Nightmare in Silver: title callback to Silver Nemesis, Mr Clever (a dickish version of the Doctor) callback to 6? Name of the Doctor: the Doctor has a mysterious shadowy past identity- a running theme of the Cartmel Plan 7th Doctor. Hope you enjoy the rest of the run!
Ah yes, the episode where the Doctor channels Rutger Hauer from Blade Runner, "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe..." and I love him for it :)
This episode has big Hellboy 2 vibes for me and I've never seen anyone else talk about it. The creature designs are very Del Toro imo, the alien market has the same vibe as the fae market in Hellboy, and the Queen of Years even looks kinda like Princess Nuala. Just makes me love this episode more cus I adore Hellboy
This episode is a bit of a fan favorite. Most come off liking it. If you notice most seasons they have like 3 episodes that take place in the past...3 in the present and 3 off world alien/future. Usually the filler episodes take place in the present day for budget and ease of production reasons. So it's a real treat when you get a future alien world episode that doesn't take place in like a cave or running around in the hallways of a ship. What I really enjoyed about this one was they put a lot of thought into all of the costumes to have this diverse alien market place. They thought of alien foods. But the best part of all was the concept of having an economy based upon sentimental meaning. Which is just a really really clever idea imo. My 2nd favorite part of course was the Doctor's fanciful speech fighting an alien god in the only way a British show can....by talking it out. lmao. The Pen is mightier then the sword. I do respect that but...well it was a nice speech! I didn't care for the singing but hey... it's perfectly in place as a sensible element to have with this plot. It was awfully convenient though of Clara happening upon that little empress girl. Being that she's the most famous and important person of the moment amongst a galactic community. And not only that, happens to not know who she is to be able to have this "I don't care about your fame I just want to help and be your freind" moment. Think about how hard it would be for you to let's say ... have a chance run in with Oprah Winfrey. You're not going to run around an Indian Marketplace and suddenly bump into an unattended Oprah who happens to have a problem that you can help with causing a random freindship. It was just too convenient imo but that's the way of Dr Who.
When I first saw this episode I wasn't completely happy with that ending. But after seeing the full season and coming back to it it's become one of my favorites. They did some big orchestral event in Britain where they performed all sorts of music from the show. I think they got the girl back to sing again.
My only complaint about this episode is that the outstanding monologue by the Doctor was not enough to defeat the creature, and it needed Clara to step in. I get that the episode had a mission statement of giving the new companion a hero moment, but 11's version of the "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe" speech was so good it feels wrong that it didn't do the job in the narrative of the episode.
Made worse by her getting more and more hero moments at his expense till in the end her reward for screwing up is her own TARDIS. Of course I dislike her as a companion in Capaldis run as it's basically she lies, she gets called on it and they all snap at each other for the rest of the episode. When she pulled that garbage with the TARDIS keys I'd have tossed her out the doors if I were the doctor.
I think this episode is a true gem. The visuals, the music, Eleven's speech, Clara's dynamic with Merry, and the fine singing _and_ acting of young Emilia Jones, are all wonderful.
Again, the look of this episode reminds of the Valerian graphic novels by Christin and Mezieres. Generally, I would call both series cousins or sibling series. Both started in the 60s - Doctor Who preceding Valerian. Both involve time travel, though Valerian veers far more singularly to SF, rather than the joyous Surrealistic juxtapositional mix of Doctor Who. Both are at a creative height with inventiveness in civilizations and creature types - in both cases, by a great deal of superb writing, flexibility of the initial concept, in the case of Valerian et Laureline, being drawn, cost is no inhibition! It's interesting that Paula instantly goes to Star Wars for comparison. An illustration, - taking place in a space bar - drawn by Mezieres, of a meeting between Valerian and Laureline and Princess Leia - in slave girl garb - and Luke point out 'similarities' of the look between the two universes. Having been a fan of Valerian before Star Wars was in the cinemas, my own reaction was "Hello, somebody's been looking at Valerian!" A pity the leads in the recent film didn't evince the characters portrayed in the strips.
I've only read one Valerian story - but it happened to be the one they adapted for the film, and even I found it very disappointing in the main, how poorly served a lot of those great ideas were - not to mention the weird, lechy, middle-aged-man-in-a-kid's-body version of Valerian and... well, wasn't Laureline slightly more interesting than that in the comics? Wasn't she basically supposed to have been Joan of Arc or something?
@@petersvillage7447 Ah, no. The 'Maid of Lorraine' was 15th Century. The Valerian story, 'The Bad Dreams', was set in the 11th. Laureline was a peasant girl whom Valerian met on this first mission. In the latter part of the story Laureline is connected up to a speed learning device to prepare her for life in the 28th Century - I suppose that chimes with Clara being uploaded by the Great Intelligence and 'gifted' with all the computer savvy. Laureline was a very clever, brave young lady in the comics, more than holding her own, solo, in the stories and almost, really, became the lead character. Certainly the two were far more charismatic in their drawn form than portrayed on screen. A great shame. When I saw that Besson was handling it, my hopes went up that the film would be great. Visually, the whole thing was all I had hoped. Unfortunate the two 'actors' were the biggest let down. Actually, If they had two who had the calibre and imagination of Matt and Karen - for crying out loud, they even look more like Valerian and Laureline - Besson would have had a couple of actors really worth working with.
I only wish that THIS had resulted in the Doctor having a lack of memory, forgetting much of his past, truly becoming "The one who forgets"... regaining memory at the regeneration.
I LOVE that you love it. It is in my top ten of “nu who”. It always lands at the bottom of fave lists. While most everyone praises the monologue, they don’t like the rest of it.
This will always be one of my favourites just for the speech, with the music. I get so many emotions watching it. Everytime. One of Matt Smiths best performances.
I think this might be the episode that sold Clara to me. Season 7 is a bit rocky, in my opinion, which meant it was difficult to get on board with a new companion. I don't think I ever had the negative reaction Paula did (possibly due to the time gap between the departure of the Ponds and The Snowmen), but it was still a hard sell. I think one thing I didn't like about the season was how Clara didn't really travel with the Doctor this season, they just went out for day trips.
No one talks about it enough but the song the girl sings she says is meant for a God when she sings she sings to the Doctor, 11 is known as the Lonely God. He's the of the Timelords and before him 10 was the God with anger in his heart and 11 was the God who wanted to change that anger to love and strength. Also can we talk about how Clara saying "whoever she was I'm not her" is so interesting because of course from our perspective and the Doctors she is the same person so that's why it's disturbing and a bit funny. But to Clara she thinks about everything she did and learned about him that day. She likely thought in that moment truly about how old he actually is, and how he mentioned going there with his grand daughter Susan, or wonders about his wife who likely is dead as how else would he have a grand daughter. Meaning he reminded her of either his wife or of Susan and she wanted him to know she isn't one of them. It's not something people think or talk about but it's sweet she wanted to try and reassure him about that she isn't one of them.
Another reminder that at some point (hopefully soon) Paula needs to watch An Unearthly Child. I would have hoped before the 50th, but more specifically, before An Adventure In Space and Time, which came out right after the 50th. Though I suppose you don't need to watch it then.
When Paula said she was eating the most Doctor Who appropriate food ... I'll admit, for a second, just a second, I was expecting to see some fish fingers and custard.
Trying to save a solar system from a a massive malevolent star by talking it down is just the most Doctor thing ever. Unarmed and without a plan. Just the Time Lord and his words.
1:40 I mean if you were synchronising before, shouldn't you stay synchronised, unless something would happen? 2:00 Yeah I remember times when Ninth was the ninth Doctor. 2:35 Christmas and other specials sometimes mess with counting on some sites. 6:30 Oh, I never caught the thing that they used the soundtrack here. That's fun - probably one of the nicest songs in the series, they should reuse it some time. 12:10 That's a good Omega reference.
14:00 in. He literally didn’t lie to her hahahahaha he literally just said “you reminded me of someone who died” which is true cause he doesn’t know if it’s just a coincidence or something else. So that’s him thinking at the end trying to figure out what she is cause if he’s 100% straight up with her and she turned out to be a threat or something then he’s kinda fucked ain’t he.
I hate that you missed that leaf opening. It has me in tears every time I watch it. 33 years and still waiting on my leaf. This is The Doctor's second best monolog and the best one from Matt Smith. The only one better is 12's Zygon speech. Also, this started the real score for 11 and Clara. Used all the way until the end of 11.
I was interested in your reaction to this one because with TNG's "Who watches the Watchers" you both seemed to strongly disagree with the anti-religious parts of it. This episode probably has a good message though, and maybe I'm misinterpreting but from this I always get the message of "religion and culture is worth preserving and having, as long as it isn't harmful. The harmful aspects can't really be tolerated".
Interesting you say that, because the critic William Shaw wrote a whole book about this episode as a feminist critique of the New Atheism of Dawkins, Harris et al. The fundamental point being that the Doctor is not meant to be the correct one in this episode, his whole approach to this culture and faith and people is flawed. It is actually a little odd that people don't read it like that, considering he fails in the end, and it requires Clara coming in and saving the day. I would say this episode is maybe the most pro-religious of all of NuWho up until this point.
I love this episode so so sos so so much. probably my literal favourite episode of matt smith's whole era. excepting the day of the doctor. hjdsfjhgfjshd
This is not my favorite episode.. but it is the most special to me. I took my mom to spain, we had been there 2 days and It was the day of the new doctor who, which I was going to miss because we were in spain not the UK.. But they had BBC in the hotel so I watched this episode in the hotel room with my mother.. That was when we found out she was very very sick and the next day was when we learned she could barely walk, she had been fine before just breathless.. After that day she became wheelchair-bound. So its a very memorable episode to me, and every time I see it I think about that last trip we took.
In case anyone was wondering, I believe there are 3 reasons the tardis doesn’t like Clara. 1. Will be revealed much later in the show. 2. Rory and Amy have just died and she doesn’t want the doctor to get attached to someone so quick again/ maybe she is also sad of their passing and isn’t ready to move on. Finally 3. Tardis knows doctor is married and his relationship with clara is pretty sus😂
It's strange, I remember seeing this episode getting totally eviscerated by both critics and fans when this was first broadcast in 2013, and many actually called this "the worst episode ever". Perhaps because of this, I feel this is the single most underrated episode of the show (at least with regard to its post-2005 era). It's the best episode of series 7, and one of the best episodes of Matt Smith's era. Granted it's not very strong plot-wise, but it more than makes up for it in the various other aspects, such as worldbuilding, character development and music. Doctor Who has so frequently gone to alien worlds, but this is perhaps the first time since The End of the World that it feels like we're actually interacting with real aliens in a strange and bizarre environment. The costumes and prosthetics used to create the aliens look so impressive, especially when you realise that many of them were created from old monster costumes that were lying around in storage, while the CGI used to create the planet and the asteroids look really cool for a show on Doctor Who's budget. I also really like Clara's characterisation in this episode. While she was good in the previous episode, she did feel like yet another woman written by Steven Moffat(TM), but she's given a lot more depth in this story, as we find out more about her backstory, her warm interactions with children (a trait that she shares with the Doctor), and her passion for adventure. We're not spending time debating over a mystery surrounding her, nor do we waste time trying to tease a romantic relationship with the Doctor, we simply chuck her into a strange alien landscape and let her actions inform her character. Speaking of the Doctor, Matt Smith gives another great performance, really selling the Doctor's giddiness at showing off the wonders of space travel, and enjoying his new companion's reaction to a place that he's already been to (side note, that reference to Susan makes me think there should be a reaction to "An Adventure in Space and Time" in the near future). And of course, his speech at the end is fantastic, being tied with his soliloquy at Amelia's bedside in the Big Bang, as he unleashes all the beautiful and painful memories he has to try and beat the Old God, and Smith truly conveys the Doctor's status as an ancient alien living with the face of a young man, all while Murray Gold goes all out with "The Long Song", one of if not his best composition for the entire show. There's not much more I can add really, it's just a wonderful episode, and I'm really glad that (going off the other comments) I'm not the only one who feels this way about it
If I remember correctly - people hated it for how simple the plot and villain was? And they hated Clara in general, some I think also thought Smith did too much with his performance. It is polarising episode that's for sure. In my opinion it could have been so much better, even if the acting and performance on itself were great. I love it for the music, the speech and Clara using the leaf. But the star thingy and the kid? I couldn't be bothered about those really.
I remember all the negative reactions, and was surprised by some of my favorite Dr. Who podcasts trashing it! It feels like, over time, people are coming back to it and seeing how good it really is.
Although I loved the episode I personally think the Clara leaf part felt a bit tacked on. I can see what they were going for establishing Clara as a companion but it made the Matt Smith speech which was quite honestly perfect feel kind of redundant.
I don't know if you watch Locke and Key on Netflix but one cool thing about this episode if you do is that Emilia Jones, who plays Merry, grew up to play Kinsey on that show.
Nobody sells "Impossibly ancient being in a young man's body" quite like Matt Smith.
No matter which Doctor I watch(classic or modern), none of them make me believe they’re an extremely old person in a younger persons body except Matt Smith. He give The Doctor the eyes of someone who has seen it all.
It's one of the requirements of being the Doctor. If it's a young actor they have to act like they have an ancient mind, and if they're a (relatively) old actor, they have to act like they have a young energy to them. With a few notable exceptions, I think this carries across all of Who. To me, the most obvious of the young energy in an "old" body are Jon Pertwee (with his Judo and hot-rodded car) and Peter Capaldi (with his electric guitar).
@@StarkRG I always felt the electric guitar and sunglasses were just a sad, desperate attempt at making him look and feel younger. They’re two of the reasons I mentally checked out of Capaldi’s era.
@@Sentient_Zee As someone of Peter's generation. Ouch!
The oldest 5yo child in all the Universe...
Paula, "No wonder they all fall in love with the Doctor. He takes them to such amazing, glamorous places." Jo Grant from the Classic Series, "My first trip in the TARDIS, he took me to a planet that was a giant clay pit."
Clara’s speech has an even greater impact for those who’ve lost a parent, it really is quite amazing.
Although my father was 58 when he died, I was only 7. I quite empathize with the Clara situation. It always comes back, in unguarded moments. What might have been. Another unguarded moment. I am older than my Father was when he passed.
Definitely as someone that lost all his family within 10 years the part about and the part about moments never lived did ring home true
This is my all time favorite Matt Smith Doctor speech. The acting, the visuals and the singing in the background is so epic. I watch it whenever I need a good happy cry.
How am I crying before the video even starts. Even thinking about Murray Gold's score for this episode makes me cry aaaah. So excited for this.
The music in the episode is fantastic. But it’s even better when used during Eleven’s regeneration.
Yes! The rings of akhaten music is amazing. The emotional tie in it has to his regen makes this episode all the more emotional
Real underrated episode for me this one. The speech is what everyone goes to but I love the beautiful understated nature of Clara's moment afterwards, so much character stuff happening there for her.
Clara's sacrifice in that moment is so very beautiful.
‘I walked in universes where the laws on physics where devised by the mind of a mad man’
This is him referring to Omega, a timelord that created time travel, but in boing so trapped himself in another universe that he could control.
@@dupersuper1938 yeah Those too, and i kinda want them to come back in a story
I thought of it as the Toymaker forgive me though I am still learning
This season had a strange quirk where, starting with this episode, every episode had a reference to one of the classic Doctors chronologically. The Doctor referring to his granddaughter was a reference to the 1st Doctor, and next episode has a reference to the 2nd Doctor, and so on. I haven't heard Moffat or anyone else reference it, so I imagine it was just something they did because it was the 50th anniversary year. But they also fall short with the last few classic Doctors? I don't get why xD
I'm guessing because Moffat doesn't have as emotional a connection with those Doctors as he did with the first few. Maybe? Dunno.
It started before this episode, though it became more consistent starting here as the 50th approached. The season opener “Asylum of the Daleks” featured Dalek designs from every classic-series Dalek episode, and had the Doctor name-check every planet where he encountered them (onscreen). The Great Intelligence showing up in the Snowmen was a Second Doctor recurring antagonist. In this episode, besides his mention of his granddaughter, the Doctor’s line about a universe where the laws of physics were written by a madman could refer to any of several classic-series adventures- “The Celestial Toymaker,” “The Mind Robber,” or “The Three Doctors.” Moffat did say in the pages of Doctor Who Magazine that this was deliberate in the runup to the 50th anniversary.
Speaking of which- Gallifrey Gals, I hope you don’t skip “An Adventure in Space and Time” when you get there! Though not technically an episode of the series itself, it’s still a great part of the 50th anniversary specials.
I forget where, but I have read how all 7 classic Doctors are referred to in all these later series 7 stories.
@@Skeezer66 I haven't looked at the list in a while, but I recall not being able to find one for 6 or 7.
@@ghostsurfer23 I'd have to find where I saw it, but they both were there. I'd say more, but spoilers.
people have a lot of varying opinions on Moffat, but one thing no-one can deny is that (for the most part) he writes damn good speeches.
Also I imagine that without the context of the original broadcast, Paula might've been afraid the Doctor was about to regenerate after giving himself to the parasite, certainly masquerades as a big noble sacrifice if taken by itself.
When the Doctor gives Clara back the ring, saying everyone wanted her to have it - this is the most important ring of Akhaten
This is another example of when The Doctor might be talking about himself if just a little bit. That,perhaps,he feels guilty for having lived so long and experienced so much and even taken people away from their lives that he feels like a parasite.
Quite a bit you can look into with that speech. Also glad you included the part with Clara and the leaf as it tends to get overlooked by others.
"I walked in universes where the laws of physics were devised by the mind of a *_mad man."_*
Speaking as a physicist, that line always gets my mind going off in places it shouldn't go. Makes me wonder things like, "what if F = ma +1?" and other random, terrifying crap like that.
E = mc^3
Speed = 5(Distance/Time)
This episode is one of my favorites of all time. I love the lore of alien religious practices, the music always makes me cry, and THAT SPEECH.
I never really loved Eleven before this episode, but that speech made me love his doctor. Seeing him talk about the Time Lords and how much he has lost breaks me every time
I absolutely loved that speech by Matt Smith. This episode is one of my favorites simply because of that. Plus it also has a ton of character development with Clara. Matt Smith was a fantastic Doctor.
I remember standing in a friends kitchen when she showed me a photo of Matt Smith on her mobile. We both where furious they went with a “pretty boy“ for the next doctor.
How dumb we where...
Which is kinda funny, because David Tennant was the "pretty boy" out of all the Doctors.
Odd really given how pretty david is
That's funny.I have a friend who quit watching after Tennant because in her opinion they went from someone good looking (Tennant) to someone who "looks like The Elephant Man (Smith)"!
I always imagine, just as both the doctor and the star could hear the singing of the people they too did hear his speech.
Just opened the video but oh boy, this one, there's going to be tears.
I found out my best friend died on the day this episode aired, so the whole 'days that never were' aspect of this episode? Yeah, that hit like a truck.
I was expecting "Jelly Babies" when she said she was eating the most Doctor Who appropriate snack.
That's 4th Doctor tendencies, lol!! I did the same thing!
#4 is my Doctor
She's not there yet
When Paula said she had a doctor who snack I thought she was gonna show us a bowl of fish fingers in custard lmao 😆
Honestly forgot how early we were and thought she had a pear
Only who followed the travels of the doctor and saw what he was going through, understands the pain in his words. The tears that follow are unavoidable. I allways enjoy your reactions, even if it means that seeing you cry makes me cry too.
The Doctor's speech in this one gives me chills every time. That, and the music. GORGEOUS.
That Matt Smith, man. He's good at them speeches
Can't wait for them to get to Peters legendary speech skills
This is by far the best reaction to this episode. And rest of their reactions to doc who are also pure gold. Thanks guys.
That Jenna Coleman looks like Christina Ricci is a good call. As a child her family joked that she looked like Wednesday Addams from the Addams family movies.
Katrina: holds one empty giant Parma violets packet and freaks out about how much sugar it is
Me: looks at the four empty packets of them on my floor rn from the past hour
best new who speech ever....
and an also amazing quote:
Clara: What about that stuff you said? We don’t walk away.
The Doctor: No. We don’t walk away. But when we’re holding on to something precious, we run. We run and run fast as we can. And we don’t stop running until we are out from under the shadow.
Oh it's a great speech, but Matt Smith has a MUCH better one coming. One that to this day still leaves me in tears. Won't say any more though, spoilers. :)
Paula is over halfway thru... and my favorite doctor and episode yet to come
And the rollercoaster goes on and on... Second (chronological) great speech after Pandorica. The way Matt Smith delivered this one is heartbreaking. But we´re just warming up...
Paula’s reaction to the speech is crushing, and spectacular. It’s why we’re watching. Thank you so much for enjoying the show.
This is one of, if not my favorite Matt Smith episode. The speech at the end is beautiful and painful. Matt has an amazing ability to portray being an old man with young mans appearance.
That was a great monologue. One of the best ones. Highlight of the episode. The leaf is a good touch too.
Hey Gals! Great reaction!
SPOILERS:
As part of the run-up to the 50th, this half of the series has "themed" episodes, but more subtly than usual- all the episodes have mentions or callbacks to the Classic series Doctors. In order:
Rings of Akaten: refs 1st Doc and Susan
Cold War: brings back a classic villain introduced during 2nd Doctors tenure
Hide: 70s paranormal adventure with spy overtones- a 3rd Doctor trope
Journey to the Center of the TARDIS- a serial-numbers-filed-off adaptation of a 4th Doctor comic adventure from the early 80s
Crimson Horror- 11 mentions a "gobby Australian." (5th Doctor companion Tegan)
Nightmare in Silver: title callback to Silver Nemesis, Mr Clever (a dickish version of the Doctor) callback to 6?
Name of the Doctor: the Doctor has a mysterious shadowy past identity- a running theme of the Cartmel Plan 7th Doctor.
Hope you enjoy the rest of the run!
Ah yes, the episode where the Doctor channels Rutger Hauer from Blade Runner, "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe..." and I love him for it :)
7:03 that looks like robot K-1 from behind! Classic who robot
And a being in the audience seems a cousin of the Marshmen.
This is definitely one of my favourite episodes. Glad it made yall emotional because it definitely does that to me errytime. 😊
The song at the end of the fight with the old god. That the first time Paula with have tears in her eye while it's playing but not the last.
0:59 Jelly Babies???
Oh. Chips.
Yes... no longer a noob...--?
Ahem.
So... Rings of Akhaten!
FYI Jenna Coleman was Bucky Barnes date in Captain America; The first Avenger.
Who, didn't hit her mark and someone below camera kept nudging her into the right place!
Cant wait for "SIT DOWN AND TALK"
If you ever need to be emotionally exhausted you should just watch all of Matt Smith's monologues in a row. They're so good!
This is one of my favorite Matt Smith bits. That monologue gets me every time.
This episode has big Hellboy 2 vibes for me and I've never seen anyone else talk about it. The creature designs are very Del Toro imo, the alien market has the same vibe as the fae market in Hellboy, and the Queen of Years even looks kinda like Princess Nuala. Just makes me love this episode more cus I adore Hellboy
This episode is a bit of a fan favorite. Most come off liking it. If you notice most seasons they have like 3 episodes that take place in the past...3 in the present and 3 off world alien/future. Usually the filler episodes take place in the present day for budget and ease of production reasons. So it's a real treat when you get a future alien world episode that doesn't take place in like a cave or running around in the hallways of a ship.
What I really enjoyed about this one was they put a lot of thought into all of the costumes to have this diverse alien market place. They thought of alien foods. But the best part of all was the concept of having an economy based upon sentimental meaning. Which is just a really really clever idea imo. My 2nd favorite part of course was the Doctor's fanciful speech fighting an alien god in the only way a British show can....by talking it out. lmao. The Pen is mightier then the sword. I do respect that but...well it was a nice speech!
I didn't care for the singing but hey... it's perfectly in place as a sensible element to have with this plot.
It was awfully convenient though of Clara happening upon that little empress girl. Being that she's the most famous and important person of the moment amongst a galactic community. And not only that, happens to not know who she is to be able to have this "I don't care about your fame I just want to help and be your freind" moment.
Think about how hard it would be for you to let's say ... have a chance run in with Oprah Winfrey. You're not going to run around an Indian Marketplace and suddenly bump into an unattended Oprah who happens to have a problem that you can help with causing a random freindship. It was just too convenient imo but that's the way of Dr Who.
I always hold my breath when people watch this story, because some people Hate It, and I love it!!! I'm glad Katrina and Paula liked it!
When I first saw this episode I wasn't completely happy with that ending. But after seeing the full season and coming back to it it's become one of my favorites. They did some big orchestral event in Britain where they performed all sorts of music from the show. I think they got the girl back to sing again.
That was the 2013 Doctor Who at the Proms! I think it's on YT.
How happy an I to find your reactions... wondered what had happened after season 4, and now I know. Love you reactions, great chemistry
My only complaint about this episode is that the outstanding monologue by the Doctor was not enough to defeat the creature, and it needed Clara to step in. I get that the episode had a mission statement of giving the new companion a hero moment, but 11's version of the "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe" speech was so good it feels wrong that it didn't do the job in the narrative of the episode.
Made worse by her getting more and more hero moments at his expense till in the end her reward for screwing up is her own TARDIS. Of course I dislike her as a companion in Capaldis run as it's basically she lies, she gets called on it and they all snap at each other for the rest of the episode. When she pulled that garbage with the TARDIS keys I'd have tossed her out the doors if I were the doctor.
1:06 Katrina was expecting jammie dodgers.
11s Rings of Akhaten speech was my favorite until, well... You all know lol excellent reaction, guys! Only gets better from here!
One of the best Matt Smith episodes of for no other reason than that speech!
I couldn't disagree more. On both counts. Sorry.
I think this episode is a true gem. The visuals, the music, Eleven's speech, Clara's dynamic with Merry, and the fine singing _and_ acting of young Emilia Jones, are all wonderful.
Go back and watch The Long Song again, and listen to the lyrics. It will break your heart, later.
Again, the look of this episode reminds of the Valerian graphic novels by Christin and Mezieres. Generally, I would call both series cousins or sibling series. Both started in the 60s - Doctor Who preceding Valerian. Both involve time travel, though Valerian veers far more singularly to SF, rather than the joyous Surrealistic juxtapositional mix of Doctor Who. Both are at a creative height with inventiveness in civilizations and creature types - in both cases, by a great deal of superb writing, flexibility of the initial concept, in the case of Valerian et Laureline, being drawn, cost is no inhibition! It's interesting that Paula instantly goes to Star Wars for comparison. An illustration, - taking place in a space bar - drawn by Mezieres, of a meeting between Valerian and Laureline and Princess Leia - in slave girl garb - and Luke point out 'similarities' of the look between the two universes. Having been a fan of Valerian before Star Wars was in the cinemas, my own reaction was "Hello, somebody's been looking at Valerian!" A pity the leads in the recent film didn't evince the characters portrayed in the strips.
I've only read one Valerian story - but it happened to be the one they adapted for the film, and even I found it very disappointing in the main, how poorly served a lot of those great ideas were - not to mention the weird, lechy, middle-aged-man-in-a-kid's-body version of Valerian and... well, wasn't Laureline slightly more interesting than that in the comics? Wasn't she basically supposed to have been Joan of Arc or something?
@@petersvillage7447 Ah, no. The 'Maid of Lorraine' was 15th Century. The Valerian story, 'The Bad Dreams', was set in the 11th. Laureline was a peasant girl whom Valerian met on this first mission. In the latter part of the story Laureline is connected up to a speed learning device to prepare her for life in the 28th Century - I suppose that chimes with Clara being uploaded by the Great Intelligence and 'gifted' with all the computer savvy. Laureline was a very clever, brave young lady in the comics, more than holding her own, solo, in the stories and almost, really, became the lead character. Certainly the two were far more charismatic in their drawn form than portrayed on screen. A great shame. When I saw that Besson was handling it, my hopes went up that the film would be great. Visually, the whole thing was all I had hoped. Unfortunate the two 'actors' were the biggest let down. Actually, If they had two who had the calibre and imagination of Matt and Karen - for crying out loud, they even look more like Valerian and Laureline - Besson would have had a couple of actors really worth working with.
2:37 Ack-Uh-Ten!
I only wish that THIS had resulted in the Doctor having a lack of memory, forgetting much of his past, truly becoming "The one who forgets"... regaining memory at the regeneration.
The more i watch this episode the more i get the feeling that the doctor was wanting the "old god" to actually take some of his memories
Been waiting for this one! One of my favorite Doctor speeches!
the rings of a curtain
Sold by Del Griffith.
The speech, that song! Beautiful!
When this aired, It was the first episode of Doctor Who I fully enjoyed for years.
Somehow this is one of the only 2 tv Shows episodes that ever makes me cry(Tales of Ba Sing Se being the other)
I LOVE that you love it. It is in my top ten of “nu who”. It always lands at the bottom of fave lists. While most everyone praises the monologue, they don’t like the rest of it.
It's one of the speeches that you'll keep coming back to, when you need a little Matt Smith pick-me-up
This will always be one of my favourites just for the speech, with the music. I get so many emotions watching it. Everytime. One of Matt Smiths best performances.
I think this might be the episode that sold Clara to me. Season 7 is a bit rocky, in my opinion, which meant it was difficult to get on board with a new companion. I don't think I ever had the negative reaction Paula did (possibly due to the time gap between the departure of the Ponds and The Snowmen), but it was still a hard sell. I think one thing I didn't like about the season was how Clara didn't really travel with the Doctor this season, they just went out for day trips.
No one talks about it enough but the song the girl sings she says is meant for a God when she sings she sings to the Doctor, 11 is known as the Lonely God. He's the of the Timelords and before him 10 was the God with anger in his heart and 11 was the God who wanted to change that anger to love and strength.
Also can we talk about how Clara saying "whoever she was I'm not her" is so interesting because of course from our perspective and the Doctors she is the same person so that's why it's disturbing and a bit funny. But to Clara she thinks about everything she did and learned about him that day. She likely thought in that moment truly about how old he actually is, and how he mentioned going there with his grand daughter Susan, or wonders about his wife who likely is dead as how else would he have a grand daughter. Meaning he reminded her of either his wife or of Susan and she wanted him to know she isn't one of them. It's not something people think or talk about but it's sweet she wanted to try and reassure him about that she isn't one of them.
Another reminder that at some point (hopefully soon) Paula needs to watch An Unearthly Child. I would have hoped before the 50th, but more specifically, before An Adventure In Space and Time, which came out right after the 50th. Though I suppose you don't need to watch it then.
When Paula said she was eating the most Doctor Who appropriate food ... I'll admit, for a second, just a second, I was expecting to see some fish fingers and custard.
Confused - are Parma Violets a thing in the US?
Nope.
Trying to save a solar system from a a massive malevolent star by talking it down is just the most Doctor thing ever. Unarmed and without a plan. Just the Time Lord and his words.
easily elevens greatest speech
Only came here for the Parma Violets
love " The Rings of Akhaten" great ep
1:40 I mean if you were synchronising before, shouldn't you stay synchronised, unless something would happen?
2:00 Yeah I remember times when Ninth was the ninth Doctor.
2:35 Christmas and other specials sometimes mess with counting on some sites.
6:30 Oh, I never caught the thing that they used the soundtrack here. That's fun - probably one of the nicest songs in the series, they should reuse it some time.
12:10 That's a good Omega reference.
Is it just me, or does Paula remind anyone else of Jewel Staite from Firefly?
14:00 in. He literally didn’t lie to her hahahahaha he literally just said “you reminded me of someone who died” which is true cause he doesn’t know if it’s just a coincidence or something else. So that’s him thinking at the end trying to figure out what she is cause if he’s 100% straight up with her and she turned out to be a threat or something then he’s kinda fucked ain’t he.
Wait, I thought synching up was a myth?
Who do you think gives better monologues, Matt Smith or Sir Patrick Stewart?
Equally good! ❤👌
I habe to ask. Side question. Have either of you tried fish fingers and custard, jelly babies, or jammie dodgers?
Thank you for doing this🙂
I hate that you missed that leaf opening. It has me in tears every time I watch it. 33 years and still waiting on my leaf.
This is The Doctor's second best monolog and the best one from Matt Smith. The only one better is 12's Zygon speech.
Also, this started the real score for 11 and Clara. Used all the way until the end of 11.
Yeah what's up with that, ending is kind of weird without the context.
SPOILERS:
“Where I stand....” No?
@@stevemorganexperience7833 I mean for people watching on UA-cam.
I'm looking forward to the Caretaker I love the speach the doctor makes to Clara
I was interested in your reaction to this one because with TNG's "Who watches the Watchers" you both seemed to strongly disagree with the anti-religious parts of it. This episode probably has a good message though, and maybe I'm misinterpreting but from this I always get the message of "religion and culture is worth preserving and having, as long as it isn't harmful. The harmful aspects can't really be tolerated".
Interesting you say that, because the critic William Shaw wrote a whole book about this episode as a feminist critique of the New Atheism of Dawkins, Harris et al. The fundamental point being that the Doctor is not meant to be the correct one in this episode, his whole approach to this culture and faith and people is flawed. It is actually a little odd that people don't read it like that, considering he fails in the end, and it requires Clara coming in and saving the day. I would say this episode is maybe the most pro-religious of all of NuWho up until this point.
Another amazing and impactful speech, sadly the art of writing such as this is lost these days in Who
Now I'm wondering if Paula was raised in Innsmouth MA and brought up in the Esoteric Order of Dagon.
You should try French fries (chips) with sour cream. It's the best!
I love this episode so so sos so so much. probably my literal favourite episode of matt smith's whole era. excepting the day of the doctor. hjdsfjhgfjshd
Oh its this one! I'll get the tissues then.
Still got my eye on you Moffat.
After you have done the main 50th can you also react to the Five-ish Doctors Reboot episode which came out at the same time, thanks.
This is not my favorite episode.. but it is the most special to me. I took my mom to spain, we had been there 2 days and It was the day of the new doctor who, which I was going to miss because we were in spain not the UK.. But they had BBC in the hotel so I watched this episode in the hotel room with my mother.. That was when we found out she was very very sick and the next day was when we learned she could barely walk, she had been fine before just breathless.. After that day she became wheelchair-bound. So its a very memorable episode to me, and every time I see it I think about that last trip we took.
In case anyone was wondering, I believe there are 3 reasons the tardis doesn’t like Clara. 1. Will be revealed much later in the show. 2. Rory and Amy have just died and she doesn’t want the doctor to get attached to someone so quick again/ maybe she is also sad of their passing and isn’t ready to move on. Finally 3. Tardis knows doctor is married and his relationship with clara is pretty sus😂
It's strange, I remember seeing this episode getting totally eviscerated by both critics and fans when this was first broadcast in 2013, and many actually called this "the worst episode ever". Perhaps because of this, I feel this is the single most underrated episode of the show (at least with regard to its post-2005 era). It's the best episode of series 7, and one of the best episodes of Matt Smith's era. Granted it's not very strong plot-wise, but it more than makes up for it in the various other aspects, such as worldbuilding, character development and music. Doctor Who has so frequently gone to alien worlds, but this is perhaps the first time since The End of the World that it feels like we're actually interacting with real aliens in a strange and bizarre environment. The costumes and prosthetics used to create the aliens look so impressive, especially when you realise that many of them were created from old monster costumes that were lying around in storage, while the CGI used to create the planet and the asteroids look really cool for a show on Doctor Who's budget.
I also really like Clara's characterisation in this episode. While she was good in the previous episode, she did feel like yet another woman written by Steven Moffat(TM), but she's given a lot more depth in this story, as we find out more about her backstory, her warm interactions with children (a trait that she shares with the Doctor), and her passion for adventure. We're not spending time debating over a mystery surrounding her, nor do we waste time trying to tease a romantic relationship with the Doctor, we simply chuck her into a strange alien landscape and let her actions inform her character. Speaking of the Doctor, Matt Smith gives another great performance, really selling the Doctor's giddiness at showing off the wonders of space travel, and enjoying his new companion's reaction to a place that he's already been to (side note, that reference to Susan makes me think there should be a reaction to "An Adventure in Space and Time" in the near future). And of course, his speech at the end is fantastic, being tied with his soliloquy at Amelia's bedside in the Big Bang, as he unleashes all the beautiful and painful memories he has to try and beat the Old God, and Smith truly conveys the Doctor's status as an ancient alien living with the face of a young man, all while Murray Gold goes all out with "The Long Song", one of if not his best composition for the entire show. There's not much more I can add really, it's just a wonderful episode, and I'm really glad that (going off the other comments) I'm not the only one who feels this way about it
If I remember correctly - people hated it for how simple the plot and villain was? And they hated Clara in general, some I think also thought Smith did too much with his performance. It is polarising episode that's for sure. In my opinion it could have been so much better, even if the acting and performance on itself were great. I love it for the music, the speech and Clara using the leaf. But the star thingy and the kid? I couldn't be bothered about those really.
I remember all the negative reactions, and was surprised by some of my favorite Dr. Who podcasts trashing it! It feels like, over time, people are coming back to it and seeing how good it really is.
@@Skeezer66 I mean with what Chibs have given us - this episode's a masterpiece compared to it.
Although I loved the episode I personally think the Clara leaf part felt a bit tacked on. I can see what they were going for establishing Clara as a companion but it made the Matt Smith speech which was quite honestly perfect feel kind of redundant.
I cover my fries/chips in ranch.
I don't know if you watch Locke and Key on Netflix but one cool thing about this episode if you do is that Emilia Jones, who plays Merry, grew up to play Kinsey on that show.
Fun Fact : the little girl in this show is the girl in Netflix's Locke and Key
And Emilia Jones is in a movie that will be out later this year that is getting a lot of potential Oscar buzz from Sundance, "Coda".
His grand daughter Susan not suzie
Kleenex Klaxon! Stock up with the stress eating chips!