EDIT: Easter eggs video is now live! ua-cam.com/video/9rFyGpOm334/v-deo.html Timestamps in the description folks! Let us know your thoughts on the episode, make sure you check out the Ups & Downs review, and stay tuned for the easter eggs video coming very soon!
Why ya'll have a problem with "unnecessary funny" :( Another show i watch tries to do it every episode and it's my favorite part. It's called "The Rookie", and honestly i would love to see more random places the doctor ends up just at the beginning of episodes. somewhere not very world ending, just funny and weird.
I actually reallly enjoyed all of the tone shifts in this episode because it really alined with one of the major themes of the episode which is that people are multifaceted. Donna can think of herself as stupid and brilliant at the same time. The Doctor's intelligence is both his biggest strength and biggest weakness when dealing with the creatures. And the tone shifts demonstate how Doctor Who can be funny and scary, it can be heartfelt and cruel, it can be pessimistic and hopeful, etc.
It was lovely seeing Bernard Cribbins as Wilf in that last scene! And although that's all we're getting for him I'm eternally grateful that we got to see him one last time and in such a lovely scene! You could just tell how much he meant to everyone and how happy david tennant and catherine tate were to be acting alongside him again! Wilfred Mott, the grandfather everyone wishes they'd had, we'll love you forever! 😢💔 RIP Bernard Cribbins ❤❤
Actors may pass, but characters don't, unless it's written. And Wilf lives, because a death scene wasn't written for the character. He carries on, until such time as a death is written, filmed, and broadcast (which never has to happen). Regeneration was the mechanism for keeping "The Doctor" character "alive" through changes (NewWHO is a revival, not a reboot, thank God). so, there are 14 iterations of a single character, "The Doctor" (with a 15th to come).
This was such a beautiful moment which really surprised me due to the overall tone of the episode and then all of a sudden Wilf is back. It was such a delight. Whilst he's only every interacted with 10/14 he does kinda feel like the modern day Brigadier of New Who and I'm sure the fans will remember him that way. Rest in peace Sir. You're memories will live on forever!
I totally understand the comments about this episode being perceived better if it was not part of the 60th, but a normal series. However, I'm kind of liking (and I hope this remains the same with the next episode.) how these episodes are shaping up to being a broad representation of the series as a whole. You could almost say to someone who had never watched the series before "Watch these three episodes and you'll get an idea of what the show is."
I’d say that’s a pretty spot on summation of what they’re trying to do here. Be a jumping on point for all those additional Disney viewers to the series.
Thing is people want multi doctor stories for it, but Chibnall literally did this a year prior, basically the whole multi doctor anniversary stuff was done a year ago by him so it's kinda pointless to just do it again so quickly. There is usually time between multi Doctor stories, usually years. Last time was Matt, David and John which was such a long time ago now, then Power did it and it would be too soon to do it again.
Oh no. Not underwhelming. Starbeast was too much, this was a classic. Adored it. Scared me. Made me laugh. Scared me. Made me miss these two. Awesome acting.
I agree 100%! This episode hit hard and really brought back the nostalgia for the original run of Tennant & Tate. Personal opinion: this is the best episode of Who we’ve had since Heaven Sent.
as an avid doctor who lover who doesn’t keep up with doctor who outside of the show I loved this episode. I missed all the promos so I had no expectations for it and it gave me the perfect doctor who vibe where i felt like a kid again watching for the first time. The big hands were so funny and creepy I loved it. I love the old who’s shitty special effects it’s the charm of the show. I imagined those big arms grabbing donna when she ran past the fake doctor for the first time and the giants chasing them was terrifying. 10/10 😂
I for one am really glad we knew nothing about this episode prior to its release because I am so sick and tired of things getting spoilt, trailers revealing too much, and leaks left right and centre! My expectations were switched off because I didn't know what to expect!.. and I was so pleasantly surprised as a result. This was a fabulous story that felt so much like Doctor Who. I'm glad there were no classic references, no multi doctor elements or returning companions ect.. That would have detracted from the story greatly.. This episode was a perfect celebration of Doctor Who itself, wierd, wonderful, beautifully sci-fi.. and damn right creepy!! Think you both have been a little too harsh on this one... Specially as I've seen it been given so much praise.
agreed. its kind of insane to see people saying this episode sucked or wasnt as good because nothing was spoiled or didnt fit their grandiose idea of a concept they themselves dont even have an idea what it would look like. its one thing to have issues with the content, but when the issue is they imagined some impossible to satisfy idea of what it could be because nothing was known, thats not on the episode. ive been watching these as they air with no knowledge and its been a highly enjoyable experience for me thus far and repeat viewings have only enhanced my enjoyment of these specials. its good to see theyll approach the third, finally, with an open mind at least lol. kind of disappointed to know those who havent seen it yet are going to get spoiled by this channel and many others because theyre all using wilf as the thumbnail to spoil the ending or the monsters even i feel is a bit much because the feeling of discovering them through the episode was fantastic! its ironic they spoil the ending given the first few minutes of this video was all about avoiding spoilers. way too many people only care about spoilers when it solely impacts themselves and once theyve seen it, theyre just as inconsiderate as the very people they avoid.
@@uhfrank Beautifully put! Yeah I feel exactly the same! It's fun to speculate but if you use that as your own personal set of standards, you're never going to be satisfied cause it'll never be what you expect.. I've been loving these stories, feels like a real return to form Yeah I wish they hadn't spoilt Wilf in the thumbnail too.. and your complete right.. Sean and Ellie were judging this episode based on their own personal expectations, and not on the episode itself!
What's great about David is he's able to go from "hero" to "victim" to "clown" in mere moments which is both a testament to his performance and RTD's writing.
The big deal was the Doctor's and Donna's relationship exploring its completeness and its depth. The episode was brilliant BECAUSE it was only the two of them (four of them?) speaking rock bottom truths. The emotional truth of the words was the entire point of the episode. It didn't need guest stars or past companions or anything else.
The way I thought about the TARDIS dropping them off at the ship was that, in flying broken, it dropped them off places precisely when and where they didn't need to be (Newton was about to discover Gravity on his own, but their arrival changed it to Mavity, and then they arrived at the spaceship right when it gave the Nothings enough time to figure everything out and stop it). It's a bit headcannony, but it ties the intro scene better into the following story than just the running gag of Mavity
I think people are forgetting the most ominous thing: wouldn't Isaac Newton discovering gravity be a fixed point? Could them changing it to Mavity be a way of them rewirting history which shouldn't be able to be done? I think the universe is so empty and destroyed that things that normally weren't possible are possible now. Like changing fixed points in time.
We did hear something in the Children in Need special about the timelines from 14, so maybe that's what causes it. The other thing is i think we shiuld wait till the next episode to judge this one, as i kay be wrong but i have feeling that all of this has been a play by the toymaker and we kight even find out this episode was essentially a prank by him. Idk i could be very wrong but it be awesome if so,
I'm 62 and I started watching Doctor who during the First Doctor's era. I was shocked by The Celestial Toymaker the first time around and as a 60th anniversary celebration I have been well satisfied with the first two episodes. We had all the Doctor's with the Power of the Doctor and watched Tennant through my daughter's eyes and I totally love Donna Noble. To see her tragic fate unwound and get so much of her in The Wild Blue Yonder has been an absolute treat. The episode was imaginative hard SciFi a great scary unsettling setting a spaceship to match 2001 for scale and aliens that are truly alien in how they look feel think and what they can do. Fantastic a great SciFi show the opening was silly but hey this always has been a kids show, a family show. I get why some people feel that Isaac's casting was gesture politics but this is the show that brought us highly dodgy Chinese villains and cowardly untrustworthy Welsh men so a bit of rebalancing is fine although pretty pointless. At least the actor was hot (I don't happen to be gay or bi but I know hot when I see it). I think these 3 episodes are for new viewers as much as old - we have had the child friendly cutesy opening, the true Scifi mid season look at how the series can still find novelty and reinvent itself, buckle down for the mad extravagant season finale. Can't wait.
Oh this episode was fantastic. Every scene had a unique rhythm, a beat like a song. Once the tone shifted, so does the atmosphere and the melody. The horror aspect is garnished. It teases your eyes, making you second guess yourself. Seeing it all come together, and undone. It makes you wonder what Donna knows beneath the surface, memories, and knowledge. Perhaps even more than the doctor
I loved the nothing doctor realising with his tie that when something is gone it continues to exist, gave me chills fit some reason. Some really cool creepy moments 🎉
Honestly I didn’t mind the tone change from the cold open to the rest of the episode, after I gave it some thought. They were really emphasizing the song wild blue yonder and specifically how it sounds all jolly and fun but its actually a wartime mobilizing song and I think the drastic tone change was fully part of trying to lay the episode out as being a jolly fun adventure like the last special before tearing away that facade and exposing a much darker premise underneath
I believe the tonal shifts were deliberate to give the audience, the disjointed feeling that the characters are experiencing in the episode. Those shifts worked for me.
After watching these two specials and knowing that Ncuti's reign is going to be another era, it felt like star beast was a classic nod, wild blue was a modern nod and the giggle will be focused on honoring the past but looking to the future.
Classic/Old WHO.... a brief TV movie.... ...New WHO? And in good time, THE GIGGLE becomes the needful & necessary bridge to .....((((drumrolls))) FUTURE WHO???
Everyone keeps saying that the “mavity” thing was just a gag but if you listen I dont think it was. First of all Donna knows gravity when she meets newton, then she doesnt know it later in the episode, she says mavity. Then when they speak of the song she says wide instead of wild. I feel like there is going to be something more to that like whatever change they caused with Newton is going to ripple and that is part of the cause of the toy maker being there or something. IDK I just feel like we haven’t seen then end of that.
I'm going to wait for the last episode to confirm but i think the Children in need and Mavity jokes could be subtly telling us potential permanent historical changes 14 may be causing accidentally. Tge way 14 looked at Donna when she first said "we got mavity" and rolled with it. Until he he said the correct "gravity well" and only said mavity well after Donna was confused to avoid explaining things to her in that moment
Good point! Excellent observation. Scott Bakula's series that he is known for, that he co-starred with Dean Stockwell.... (before ENTERPRISE) had him going back in time and changing THE past. Often greatly improving on it. Either the TARDIS slid into another universe and changed THEIR present... or.... our own past just got changed, and unlike Quantum Leap.... things weren't really improved by that particular modification! Given that #14 and/or #15 do meet up with the TOYMAKER.... some have speculated that the 'cold open' hints at what is down the metaphoric road. RTD perhaps intends to tie this all together with something that is beyond ED WITTEN's 1980s STRING THEORY speculations!!!
I assumed the same thing. I think the clue is in the moment when the Dr says gravity well. Somehow, he still knows that word, while Donna doesn't. I honestly don't think the opening scene was just for laughs. It's there for a reason, possibly setting things up for the new season.
I think they did the right thing, making it just a mini season with Tate and Tennant. Im glad they didn't to a grand thing with one story over all three with multiple doctors and they like, there's been enough of that. This is a better way to start new viewers on Disney+ too
We know RTD is tremendously talented writer, his CV is littered with genius, and Im hopeful/praying ep3 ties all three eps together. He has a plan... and the Toy Maker is a superb character to bring the sixtieth celebrations to a conclusion with canonical references (and characters) taking us into Ncuti.
The thing about this episode is that it was 100% filler and that was 100% necessary. To make it feel like Donna was really back, we needed an episode to breathe, in between her arrival last week and inevitable departure next week, where the characters could just play off of each other and reestablish their full dynamic. This episode was specifically written to be exactly that, and it does an excellent job. Now, because of this, any emotional beats next week will feel more genuine.
My whole fixation is with the Captain. Who is she, where's she from, what species is she of, what's her story, and what led to her having to kill herself over the Not-Things finding out what she was up to.
They could literally make a whole episode out of it. Although them being left a mystery gives us something to think about. I mean imagine the captain being chased by two giant copies of themselves??? And how about them going about the ship preparing the countdown? At least she didn't have to worry about identity theft as she would know does the real one the whole time.
I was a little bit confused with the switch between the orange and blue rooms, I thought it was showing different bits of a conversation that was happening at different times, it didn't occur to me until " my arms are too long" that it wasn't the doctor and donna we saw, it came off as a transition and it worked shockingly well.
I understand your feeling that it was just a filler type episode and that it should be big since its only three episodes thing. Buuut. I'm really glad for it. We only have these two for 3 episodes. So I was really happy to have an episode that just felt like a gold ole David Catherine episode. This episode could almost be copy and pasted in to season 4. I really appreciated it. Im sure that the next episode will be the big 60th anniversary celebration.
I love old companions being a part of UNIT. It makes so much sense, not only would UNIT be keeping tabs on these people, they would absolutely want them working for UNIT. When it comes to people who are experienced with extraterrestrials, the threats that are out there, and defending earth from aliens there are no better candidates then literally anyone that has ever traveled with the doctor.
I definitely think the "invoking of superstition at the edge of the universe" is setting up something bigger for RTD2. I loved that this episode gave Tate and Tennant a chance to shine and re-establish their great friendship. There wasnt a lot of breathing room in special 1 for viewers to reinvest in their balance as friends! Giving rhem a bottle episode sets up stakes and gives breathing room for a larger development in the 3rd. As for the tonal shifts, I think the opener with humor was meant to gear-shift down from the coffee spill emergency and to keep younger viewers from getting too overwhelmed by the body horror to come. CGI for that audience shouldn't be too realistic lest it be too scary for the broader audience. I love Donna for the doctor! She has one of the best companion dynamics as a grounding friend who loves the Doctor enough to check them when they aren"t facing hard truths. I loved the poetry of her tragic meta-crisis exit, but giving her back the ability to remember things doesnt have to take away from that! I think it would be great for her to re-appear from time to time ala the Brigadier as a grounding presence! The friend that knows all of your secrets and baggage, but supports you through it! The Doctor has done adversarial, lonely, powerful, family, and paternity. Let them have the confidante for a bit that isnt a love interest, protégé, or ward but rather challenges the Doctor to just be a good friend!
24:50 Although sometimes it's also fine to have the character die off-screen in-universe as well, like they did with the Doctor tracking down the brigadier only to find out he died. It's still a fond remembrance of the actor and it fit within the story they were telling at the time.
I was SUPER happy to have zero spoilers for this episode and for it to happen to be a silly scary episode. I enjoyed every bit, and if ANY PART OF IT had been spoiled. I simply would not have had the same experience. I loved it.
This is one of my new favourite episodes. I couldn't find anything wrong with it. I found the CGI and the tone changes made it perfect and were ups for me, not downs. It felt very Doctor Who, especially nostalgic, and I can't be the only one, right? I loved it ALL. It gave me Midnight vibes, which is actually still one of my fave Doctor Who eps of all time. So I'm obviously gonna love this one. There was not a single moment of the episode that didn't work for me. It was just fantastic. Brilliant. Molto bene. David and Catherine were absolutely phenomenal. I can't be the only one. Right?
This definitely feels more like Tennant's series of specials before Series 5 as opposed to a 60th Anniversary celebration. But I love Wilf so much, so I'm still grateful for what we got.
I'm glad this episode was kind of standalone, for two reasons. Firstly, if every episode was part of some grand anniversary adventure, it might feel like we'd never really got Tennant back for another adventure. Secondly, we had loads of nostalgic stuff back in The Power Of The Doctor, I have no need for multi-doctor appearances at the moment, we've had all that quite recently.
I love love love this episode, and even if we wanted a grander celebration for the 3 specials, I like we had an episode to just fully get doctor and Donna again. Just a full hour with both of them. Definitely a top 20-25 new who episode for me
3:29 in- I don’t think there was too much secrecy. People for a long time say things along the line of “there’s too much revealed” or “don’t release information” or “let us be surprised”. This is exactly what happened. We went in knowing nothing. Was I expecting a lot? Yes. But it still was an objectively good episode. And (sorry) in fact learning this secret episode was just a normal episode was actually comforting. Because I feel it reminded us that not every surprise has to be some sort of major crisis. It may be my age showing, but remembering what it means to go in knowing nothing of a show you’re about to watch means I’m fine with them keeping secrets and those secrets being normal rather than a big reveal. Because I’m used to it.
Didn’t expect you guys to be so harsh with this episode! Possibly the best one we’ve had in the last 4/5 years, and I absolutely love Capaldi and Whitaker… understand the comments about the overall celebration but I think it’s a sensational episode and it positively blew me away, automatically up there with some of my favourites
Man I really thought this middle episode was so much better than the first. 😅 I might be the only person but I REALLY enjoyed it. It’s definitely a celebration of Tate and Tennant…BUUUUT they’re really selling to my nostalgia. So I get how there’s no balance as well.
Tone changes, you are wrong. Newton wasn't needed but it gave the gag, plus it was a call back to the hazard avoidance system. Tone shifts though, the comedy were their way of coping. It highs made the horror more horrific. It was a very dark two hander.
I loved this episode. It definitely benefits from rewatch, I’ve now seen it four times😂. When people say this doesn’t feel like an anniversary celebration, and they’re expecting tons of cameos…I get it. I do. But if that were the case, there would be those grumbling that it has already been done, a couple of times in fact. The Five Doctors. The Day of the Doctor. The Power of the Doctor. No way to please everyone. But I get where people are coming from. The Day of the Doctor is one of my faves, so for this anniversary I decided not to expect anything and just enjoy it. Besides the main trailer months ago, I did not watch any trailers for this ep or for The Giggle. The Doctor and Donna are my favorite pairing, so I’m just along for the ride. I simply see this as the start off point for the next 60 years. Brief respite, while we wait for Fifteen.
I mean, nobody had confirmed before that this special would be Multidoctor... And Russel t just only hide the stuff because the plot of the clones would work better that way, at least for me. People create crazy theories and that's ok, but let's just not expect MultiDoctors and cameos, and honestly to me i didn't even care that wasn't a multidoctor thing, Tennant and Catherine made this episode epic. People should stop creating uncertain expectations and then getting mad because the episode didn't had what they want :)
The fact I was disconnected from the DW bubble trough out the hype made me enough the episode like it was released on tv normally without the Twitter stuff
Agreed. I didn't even know people were expecting so much. The only complaints I've seen were people who convinced themselves there would be cameos from past doctors & companions, etc. I really liked the episode myself.
@@sabrinatirabassi3529 because some people was expecting an evil version of 12th Doc, when Capaldi already stated in a interview that he wasn't coming back for the show :p
I did wonder if the creatures would shape shift into former Doctors and companions to wear them down, but especially with the Doctor already questioning his identity since The Timeless Child and Flux. I can imagine a Clara shape shift especially messing with his head after how she died. Wearing the Doctor down until he broke would be a great opportunity for Donna to save the day.
Absolutely. I think this is what alot of people were expecting due to the hype. The idea of the Doctor being haunted by past companions and Donna by different versions of the Doctor she hasn't met yet would have been a much better pay off.
THE MIND ROBBER ---- The curious parallel universe Number 2 encountered in the 1960s.... were those two mimicry/morph creatures from it? If there are more of them coming through a dimensional doorway, a wormhole into our space/time universe.... if that fantasy driven universe tumbles into ours, invades it.... we'd need to summon all the SLIDERS dimensions SIR ISAAC NEWTONs and DOCTOR ALBERT EINTSTEINs that we possibly can! Its like a maze of classic carnival fun house mirrors, where everyone's Id + memories are embodied and exposed to the universe.
Considering these specials are also the series finale (RTD has said 15 is the start of a completely new series), I like that they're resolving some of this series unfinished plotlines. I just really need two things in the last special to really wrap things up: Jenny and The Lumiat (with how much of Twelve's story was about building a relationship with Missy, it's really disappointing that we never got to see the Lumiat in the show). I also hope that the chaos we see at the end of the episode gives them an excuse to bring back some old companions to help deal with things - it wouldn't be a stretch for Martha, Mickey, Yaz to get called in by Kate Stewart to do some work for UNIT. Bill is also currently in London and while I don't think she'd be on the list of former companions Kate would call, I can see her and Heather getting involved to help people.
That's the thing, it's cool if it makes sense for them to get involved. People wanting multi Doctor stories need to have a reason for them to appear, and we had that only a year ago, it's too soon to jump to the whole multi doctor special stuff again, it's sad to say but Chibnall beat RTD to that.
@@chazo1367 There's no reason to bring back 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, or War for this anniversary. However, I do think it's extremely important that we see the impacts they've had - the easiest way to do that is to show what the surviving, earth-dwelling companions learned from these six Doctors.
I feel like the scene with Isaac Newton and the 'mavity' gag was a bit of foreshadowing relating to the salt suspicion that the Doctor later planted in the episode - just reminding us of the concept that any of the Doctor's actions/words can have consequences (big or small). Just a theory :)
When I saw Wilf, I screamed oh hell yeah now it’s a party! I’m so glad he got to be in WBY and that he won’t die and will just keep living in the Whoniverse.
I thought that the tardis dropping them off at that point where they needed to be was a reminiscent of the tardis when it was human in matt smiths run as the doctor
I wonder if I am the only person who watches these episodes of Doctor Who and just enjoys them for what they are. I don't pick them apart, just revel in the fact they it is back! Also, happy tears at Bernard Cribbins' appearance. I loved Wilf.
You're not. I've had a few jabs with the episodes, an eye roll or two with a line but they are minor issues for me. I'm absolutely having a ball with the episodes so far and just enjoying them as I go. I think the part that is annoying me is 1. Everyone's wild expectations that were never gonna be met. I fairly liked that we weren't given any details of Wild Blue Yonder but it meant that everyone thought we were getting multiple doctors. They've done that a lot in Classic Who and on the 50th Anniversary. I loved that it was just David and Catherine as both sides of the spectrum but now there's just a wave of disappointment from people saying it was underwhelming. This is why we can't have nice things like mysterious episodes I guess because everyone wants to know everything. And 2. The infuriating online trend of bashing Doctor Who like the hashtag RIP Doctor Who in The Star Beast. It just p*sses me off because if they don't like it, fine they don't have watch it but why spoil it for us, the other fans who are in for the ride. Everytime I type Doctor Who into UA-cam, I'm met by the usual BBC Videos as well as a few videos from clickbait Doctor Who haters. And that just upsets me. 😭 (Sorry this comment has gone on way too long. I'll just leave It here.)
personally i liked the first scene. Because i avoided spoilers, that scene got me into a sense of security, which made me more creeped out for the rest of the episode, to the point not even the small jokes took me out of it. I think they paced this episode in a way for people like me, even including the feeling of dread with the end scene with the copies, i had been afraid of that exact thing happening the whole episode that when it happened it got me.
I feel like there's going to be more of a connective thread between Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle than people are initially thinking. Simply because to me the "mavity" gag seemed to me like the sort of change the Toymaker would make just to mess around. Also, the Doctor and Donna were already gone when it cut to Newton deciding upon "mavity" so how would they know about that? Also iirc only the Doctor ever initially refers to "gravity" instead of "mavity" before getting corrected by Donna. Idk, maybe I'm reading into it too much (also the TARDIS blaring a song about the Wild Blue Yonder when it re-appeared seemed Toymaker-esque).
Apt post! Keep in mind the 'cold open' was filmed on a farm LiKE Newton's at Woolsthorpe... ....and.... THE Doctor & Donna met a nice young chap rather like but not quite (clone) identical to.... THE SiR ISAAC! .....WHAT HAS THE CELESTiAL/COSMiC/MULTiVERSE "TOYMAKER" BEEN DOING???
I think they know because the change means it was never "gravity" and always "mavity" as a Timelord the Doctor can perceive the change, he says "gravity" and Donna gets confused and he corrects it to "mavity" so the timeline has changed a little with the word but Donna didn't notice.
@@thomassweeney3674 They changed history, so the word gravity became mavity. The Doctor has Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory, Donna does not. It's a trope summarized as: For this guy, changing history won't make him lose his memories.
The invoking of Superstition at the edge of the universe the edge of creation line! A link to the toymaker and why he shows up next week? Nobody is mentioning this!
I always find it funny when Ellie talks about Doctor Who from way back in 2008 as if it was a lifetime ago… for me (a 52 year old) it feels like last week 😂
In regards tot he "Mavity" gag, I have a feeling that this change in time is what has allowed The toymaker to come through. The Flux weekend the universes walls however changes like this is what has allowed him to crash through.
I love that I watched this without any explanation or expectations. This episode was so good I needed ten minutes to absorb it. Love the content. (Peaceful Rest Bernard)
Y’know, after hearing the argument about whether this is a good episode for the 60th, I think RTD is making a trilogy of Doctor Who’s Story Stucture.It’s kinda like “What are the three best kind of DW episodes?” 1. The New Companion Episode 2. The Minimal/Emotional Episode 3. The World is Gonna End/Regeneration Episode
The Wilf scene did not affect me directly as strongly for Bernard, but reminded me of my own dad, who lived to almost 101 years, and was himself up to the last few months. His health was declining, but he was still strong to me.
I'd love every episode to be this way. But unfortunately, too many people would keep growing expectations and try to ruin it for everyone else who want to indulge the mystery. 😭😭😭 I don't get why some want to know an entire mystery from the start, rather than go on a journey to receive the answer. But even then the Journey is the best part.
When I frist watched this episode I put it at my number one tied with Heaven Sent but after rewatching damn it still earns that place, I loved this episode was just awesome and pure old fashioned Doctor Who
I think people are missing some key aspects here. First, I think some of the CGI & the setting was supposed to be unsettling; the uncanny valley. Because the not-things weren’t things. But they looked like humans, and that’s the uncanny valley. The liminal spaces used in that corridor of the episode is an unsettling phenomenon as well. It’s all supposed to come together to say “something isn’t quite right, here.” Second, one of the constants throughout all of Doctor Who is the Doctor & the companion/s. Having an entire episode dedicated to this doctor/companion relationship was not only genius with how they pulled it off (with having just the two of them for almost the entire episode) but also it shows character development for both of them. A companion after her travels with the doctor and a doctor after he had to let her go. They’ve come back together, albeit briefly, and this episode highlights how travelling with the Doctor changes and evolves a person and how the Doctor needs a good friend to talk to after all the shit they go through. Not to mention they both have to try to figure out which is the real person and who is the imposter. I believe this episode is a perfect episode for highlighting that Doctor/companion relationship, which is a staple of the show and has been for 60 years. The first ep was the family viewing aspect of Who, this one was the character and relationships aspect. I wonder what the third episode will be..?
I enjoyed the tonal shifts which repped the show's diverse genre range and going into the episode with zero spoilers from the preview and promo material really enhanced the enjoyment of the ep, allowing the viewer to enjoy the ultimate friendship chemistry and the tension of the intimate, psychological horror aspects brilliantly acted by David Tennant and Catherine Tate as it unfolds. It's not the episode's or the productions fault for wild guesses of people imposing thier own ideas for the ep, it would be amazing if every episode could be promoed the same way. Wild Blue Yonder is among the top Doctor Who eps with Blink and Midnight.
It would have been a neat nod to the past 60 years to have the doctor creature not be able to reconcile all the generations of the doctor, so that there was a flash like, rainbow effect of the past doctors when the creature moved...and having problems resolving to 14 when it stopped moving.
I felt that The Star Beast followed by this worked as a perfect pairing. The Star Beast got children sat on the sofa watching Dr Who again and then Wild Blue Yonder got them hiding behind the sofa again
“Oh, I keep thinking, ‘I wish I hadn’t done that thing with the salt’. I invoked a superstition at the edge of the universe, where the walls are thin and all things are possible.” This quote at the end of the episode really stuck with me. After a second watch, I can’t help but feel like this and the “mavity” bit will either bare significance in The Giggle, OR are potential classic RTD Bad Wolf style setups for things to come in Ncuti’s era (or both).
Dude feels very cynical would much rather ellie's nostalgia. There's also gotta be a greater meaning to them going to the edge of creation, for the show as a whole as well. Only thing I wish for Wilf is, I would have loved to see him inside the Tardis, his reaction would be amazing.
I feel for me I love those parts where it’s just funny because to me, it doesn’t really it feels like more of a break from from the tension and anxiety buildup and then going back to building up your anxiety in the tension, but making it to where you’re still engaged but still giving you a break if it’s too much for some people who can’t stand having tension and anxiety all the way through I like it when some harm stuff gives you things that gives you a break but then put you right back into it like building up and then being OK for a little bit give them a break with that anxiety because it’s too much. It might turn people off the episode because they’re too scared to continue watching because it’s too much for them but if you give people a break and as long enough to lower that tension and anxiety to where you can build it back up it feels like a thoughtful, caring, creative choice to allow people and even children space to break calm down and build it back up
Mavity was not just a throwaway gag. It’s part of the timelines and canon collapsing arc that started with Destination Skaro. There is also the recurring separation by a glass wall. In Star Beast it seemed like a call back to End of Time. We see it again here, and this time it seems more like a mirror, which is traditionally associated with parallel worlds. Finally we have the invoking of superstition at the edge of the universe. This is all adding up to something. I’m wondering if it will be wrapped up on Saturday, or carried forward into the new series.
Seeing bernard cribbins at the end and knowing that he passed shortly after was heartbreaking!!! I remember seeing him in invasion of the daleks with peter Cushing!
And I'm going to hear "mavity" in my head whenever I use the word gravity for the rest of my life...lol That aside, I really enjoyed the actual evolution of the Doctor, and I don't think we would have gotten that actual picture had this been a new Doctor. The horror elements of the episode were unusual, but I understood why they were there. I don't think this episode would have worked otherwise. The CGI used was huge for Doctor Who, even though as an audience we've become used to "better" CGI. This wasn't a movie, it was an episode. The AR Wall used is a major element and it's expensive. Whether it would have been better to use CGI in post, I think it would have lacked the grandeur of the ship. Seeing Bernard, knowing he'd passed in '22, just was so bittersweet. I'm sorry he wasn't here to see how he impacted us all. I will always tear up when I watch this episode. NPH was an interesting choice for Toymaker, & I know he'll crush the role, even if he's an American popping up in a British show. I really, really hope that both Tennant & Tate get a proper send off, and that we get closure on probably the most dynamic duo of the new Who era.
We may also find out if a certain 6th Doctor Story (which was supposed to be filmed, but got scrapped when the show went on a 13-month hiatus) involving the Toymaker is canon.
So my reason this episode was number one in the trio and the one I'd recommend multiple rewatches is because for me, after not having an episode I can watch during Whitakers run it felt SO good having a special that just feels like a good ol episode of Donna and the doctor on an adventure. It was so refreshing finally getting something that felt like good ol 4th season doctor who and not something grandiose like a Capaldi and Smith cameo. It was the episode that appealed to my nostalgia and checked off every nostalgia box I could have wanted from doctor who.
Thank you, I love the discussions, it is great watching you all discuss the show. I must admit, I am also missing the 60th anniversary vibe, I am missing the feeling of the three doctors, the five doctors and the superb day of the doctor feels. There is a lot riding on the giggle to grab the 60th vibe, I am grateful for the return of David and Catherine, however, missing the 60th vibe, it really brings home how short this run is with these two great actors.
I could be totally wrong about this, but Tales of the TARDIS and these three specials, I think we have to remember while yes it is a celebration of the 60th anniversary, the show still have to progress. So with the mention of the Doctor's vulnerability being addressed like The Timeless Children arc on top him dealing with the Flux, these might be set ups for the 15th Doctor to have to overcome in his series. So while yes, it should just be a romp celebrating all of Doctor Who and we see shades of that with the 14th Doctor being not 10, the three specials needs to be plot progression while Tales of the TARDIS is a love letter to all 60 years proper.
The word "Gravity" existed long before Newton. Gravitas is the latin word used by Medieval natural philosophers to translate the Aristotelian heaviness, i.e. the quality of a body "having weight"
I actually have a theory that in the next special we'll find out that reality has been altered and how certain things aren't what they're supposed to be such as the salt line. If this were the case maybe this whole time they've been in a pseudo-reality thing created by the Toymaker or something else. I'm probably wrong but that was my thoughts on the matter.
@@defgecd9434This has been my thought the whole time. Potentially even including the regeneration. Maybe we see Jodie at the end and she regenerates into Ncuti as the true 14. Who knows. When they first announced Tennant coming back, I was hoping he would be playing 10 and then be revealed to be The Master.
1:05 hearing Sean bring this up in the ups and downs video actually really surprised me, as I personally barely noticed. That said, I do watch quite a lot of shounen anime, which, to overgeneralize a bit, is VERY prone to very intense mood whiplash, more so than any other genre/type of storytelling I've ever encountered. Guess it depends on what you're used to.
I feel for you Ellie! I've got plans this Sat, so will have to hopefully stay completely off the grid until I can watch the final one. To quote another franchise that just made a comeback, May The Odds Be Ever in (My) Favor
In the end, this was a bottle episode. Which in TV production, is a scaled back episode to save on budget, to use that extra money on another episode. Yes, the CGI in this episode is expensive, but considering what we have seen in the trailers, we know The Giggle has a lot coming in it. I think that time will be very kind to Wild Blue Yonder. Expectations have been extremely high for these episodes. Can't wait to see how everything comes to a conclusion and I do believe The Giggle will give off a more anniversary vibe.
I am hoping the Easter Egg video will include the nods to classic that there were in this episode that have not been mentioned in this discussion. I came into this episode with no expectations and never having seen The Thing (never wanting to see it I do not like Horror movies). I didn't expect multi doctors or companions so for me there was zero disappointment. Dodgy cgi = typical Doctor Who and I loved it. The giant duo creeped me out and made me laugh (when they got stuck for a bit). I loved the hokiness of the long arms and the double knees it actually fitted for me in the awareness of the aliens struggling to understand the form. I don't think all is as it seems, I think the Newton part was relevant and that will become more apparent in the giggle. Donna and the Doctor did not hear Newton say Mavity they went back into the Tardis yet they used that term later. They changed history and I think that is going to play a part in the giggle. The salt I believe is more significant than some are believing and it may be apparent in the Giggle but it may be a set up for Ncutis Doctor come his episodes. For me there is something not quite right about both the Star Beast and Wild Blue Yonder and my belief is that the Toymaker has played a part in both. I know fake Donna said about seeing the 15 years when she became Dr Donna again but I still think there is something not right about things Donna said in Star Beast. Maybe I am overthinking it I am hoping not as that would drop Star Beast down in rating for me based on the awful way they 'let go' of the meta crisis. I grew up with Classic so saw some of the references and the Thunderbirds reference too. I am admittedly an older viewer but I try not to go into ANY episode with expectations. Oh and I am one who is not a fan of Midnight but I loved this. I enjoyed Midnight on first watch but too be honest after that it was actually boring. Sorry to all who love it just my opinion.
Feel like RTD missed a unique opportunity with these specials. We've all seen multi-doctor stories where the doctor meets up with a previous incarnation. What we've never seen is a doctor meet up with a FUTURE incarnation from their perspective. Would love to have seen that. Unless of course that's the twist that RTD has been teasing with the "something we've never done before"....
There’s actually a reason for that. The Blinkvitch limitation effect. A time traveler doesn’t remember an encounter they had with themselves until they experience it from their future self
The fever dream comparison absolutely bang on, Ellie. That is what it felt like. I've sometimes dozed off unintentionally while listening to Big Finish Doctor Who adventures and had experiences similar to the feeling of this episode.
Another theory I have is that each of these three specials are playing off of the main Doctor Who episode archetypes. Help an Alien, Companion/Doctor Story, Horror/SciFi/Superstitious, High stakes/action, Suspense and Plot. And remixing them. Star Beast had us help the alien and Companion Story (Meep and Donna) and twisted it by having the alien be the big bad. This episode was our horror and Doctor story. The Not Things being a HUGE call back to Midnight. The twist here lies in the Doctor Story. The Doctor being unable to not think and making the plot continue, along with continuing the mystery of why 10’s face but 14. Usually its a companion that makes the mistake that the Doctor has to fix (looking at you Rory, lol,) Next week, I believe it will be our High Stakes action with the twist being whom the Toymaker uses to fight the Doctor, the human race.
So, I was debating whether there was a point to the Doctor being there like you said and I concluded that the point wasn't for the Tardis to drop them off to stop the aliens but for the Doctor to face his secret. I think there Tardis knew the fake Donna would talk to him about what he won't talk about and it's setting up a future resolution
I’m not convinced that there isn’t a longer version of the ending Bernard Cribbins scene in the Giggle enabling that good bye, since as said, it’s basically Scene 1 of the Giggle, I could see them having filmed the long scene and then cut it for this and the giggle separately
Sadly no. RTD said Bernard could only film this scene, he was too ill to do any other and passed away before, they had a lot planned for him too if he was up to it, but it sadly was not to be.
Here's my take on the CGI: As a general perspective, shows like this (especially Doctor Who which historically has had an abysmal budget) require some suspension of disbelief. I loved the approach and the visuals with the ship itself, both with the practical sets and the massive main corridor which is almost entirely created with CGI. The scale was something hardly attempted in stories past (definitely gave off vibes of World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls), and I was thoroughly impressed. With regards to the duplicates of the Doctor and Donna, I'll dip into the established lore of the episode. These creatures from beyond the universe have no strict concepts of shape, size or mass, which is why they can grow into giants and overexpand themselves to get stuck at first. Over time, as they assimilate more about their victims, they get the proportions and the visual details right. But that whole process takes time and they can make mistakes. Maybe they make the arms too big, or add extra knees, or fangs, or dissolve into a puddle, or perform contortionist moves. They also may make mistakes on how light hits them, how they cast shadows, etc. The fact that they look different from the rest of the world around them is a mistake of them trying to assimilate to our laws of physics, thermodynamics, and conservation of mass. From a real world perspective, the "obvious and poor" CGI is them mucking it up as they go along. They look different, and it feels wrong, and unsettling to the viewer.
I agree with the corridor cgi. Not to take away from the amazing work they did. Maybe have a zoom out long shot to show the vastness. But having watched old who episodes it is so heartwarming seeing the sets, and that the backgrounds are paintings, because there is action and plot happening you don’t notice it. They could have built as small chunk of the corridor as for much of that scene they are walking past the same background, it would add to that eerie atmosphere of time dragging, da ja vu, they shouldn’t have had the car trolly in my opinion , just to add to how trapped they are, and how long things take on the ship.
EDIT: Easter eggs video is now live! ua-cam.com/video/9rFyGpOm334/v-deo.html
Timestamps in the description folks! Let us know your thoughts on the episode, make sure you check out the Ups & Downs review, and stay tuned for the easter eggs video coming very soon!
Why ya'll have a problem with "unnecessary funny" :(
Another show i watch tries to do it every episode and it's my favorite part. It's called "The Rookie", and honestly i would love to see more random places the doctor ends up just at the beginning of episodes. somewhere not very world ending, just funny and weird.
I actually reallly enjoyed all of the tone shifts in this episode because it really alined with one of the major themes of the episode which is that people are multifaceted. Donna can think of herself as stupid and brilliant at the same time. The Doctor's intelligence is both his biggest strength and biggest weakness when dealing with the creatures. And the tone shifts demonstate how Doctor Who can be funny and scary, it can be heartfelt and cruel, it can be pessimistic and hopeful, etc.
same! the tone shifts really made it 100% for me. I don't see any problems with the episode - at all, actually. a new fave for me!
Yes. Totally agree . All the tone shifts were really fun to me. I enjoyed this episode a lo
brilliantly put just brilliant
It was lovely seeing Bernard Cribbins as Wilf in that last scene! And although that's all we're getting for him I'm eternally grateful that we got to see him one last time and in such a lovely scene! You could just tell how much he meant to everyone and how happy david tennant and catherine tate were to be acting alongside him again! Wilfred Mott, the grandfather everyone wishes they'd had, we'll love you forever! 😢💔
RIP Bernard Cribbins ❤❤
Hear hear - RIP Bernard! Was brilliant to see him again.
Actors may pass, but characters don't, unless it's written. And Wilf lives, because a death scene wasn't written for the character. He carries on, until such time as a death is written, filmed, and broadcast (which never has to happen). Regeneration was the mechanism for keeping "The Doctor" character "alive" through changes (NewWHO is a revival, not a reboot, thank God). so, there are 14 iterations of a single character, "The Doctor" (with a 15th to come).
This was such a beautiful moment which really surprised me due to the overall tone of the episode and then all of a sudden Wilf is back. It was such a delight. Whilst he's only every interacted with 10/14 he does kinda feel like the modern day Brigadier of New Who and I'm sure the fans will remember him that way. Rest in peace Sir. You're memories will live on forever!
@@igorschmidlapp6987Thecnically its 15 now thanks to the War Doctor. But yes if we look at numbering its 14.
@@igorschmidlapp6987 plot twist, following Bernard Cribbins’ tragic passing, Wilfred Mott recast and introduced in Series 14 as the “Second Wilf”
I totally understand the comments about this episode being perceived better if it was not part of the 60th, but a normal series. However, I'm kind of liking (and I hope this remains the same with the next episode.) how these episodes are shaping up to being a broad representation of the series as a whole. You could almost say to someone who had never watched the series before "Watch these three episodes and you'll get an idea of what the show is."
💯
Excellent point!
I’d say that’s a pretty spot on summation of what they’re trying to do here. Be a jumping on point for all those additional Disney viewers to the series.
I've been looking at it as a mini season with the different types of episodes you can get. So I completely agree!
Thing is people want multi doctor stories for it, but Chibnall literally did this a year prior, basically the whole multi doctor anniversary stuff was done a year ago by him so it's kinda pointless to just do it again so quickly. There is usually time between multi Doctor stories, usually years. Last time was Matt, David and John which was such a long time ago now, then Power did it and it would be too soon to do it again.
Oh no. Not underwhelming. Starbeast was too much, this was a classic. Adored it. Scared me. Made me laugh. Scared me. Made me miss these two. Awesome acting.
I agree 100%! This episode hit hard and really brought back the nostalgia for the original run of Tennant & Tate. Personal opinion: this is the best episode of Who we’ve had since Heaven Sent.
as an avid doctor who lover who doesn’t keep up with doctor who outside of the show I loved this episode. I missed all the promos so I had no expectations for it and it gave me the perfect doctor who vibe where i felt like a kid again watching for the first time. The big hands were so funny and creepy I loved it. I love the old who’s shitty special effects it’s the charm of the show. I imagined those big arms grabbing donna when she ran past the fake doctor for the first time and the giants chasing them was terrifying. 10/10 😂
I for one am really glad we knew nothing about this episode prior to its release because I am so sick and tired of things getting spoilt, trailers revealing too much, and leaks left right and centre! My expectations were switched off because I didn't know what to expect!.. and I was so pleasantly surprised as a result. This was a fabulous story that felt so much like Doctor Who. I'm glad there were no classic references, no multi doctor elements or returning companions ect.. That would have detracted from the story greatly.. This episode was a perfect celebration of Doctor Who itself, wierd, wonderful, beautifully sci-fi.. and damn right creepy!!
Think you both have been a little too harsh on this one... Specially as I've seen it been given so much praise.
agreed. its kind of insane to see people saying this episode sucked or wasnt as good because nothing was spoiled or didnt fit their grandiose idea of a concept they themselves dont even have an idea what it would look like. its one thing to have issues with the content, but when the issue is they imagined some impossible to satisfy idea of what it could be because nothing was known, thats not on the episode. ive been watching these as they air with no knowledge and its been a highly enjoyable experience for me thus far and repeat viewings have only enhanced my enjoyment of these specials. its good to see theyll approach the third, finally, with an open mind at least lol.
kind of disappointed to know those who havent seen it yet are going to get spoiled by this channel and many others because theyre all using wilf as the thumbnail to spoil the ending or the monsters even i feel is a bit much because the feeling of discovering them through the episode was fantastic! its ironic they spoil the ending given the first few minutes of this video was all about avoiding spoilers. way too many people only care about spoilers when it solely impacts themselves and once theyve seen it, theyre just as inconsiderate as the very people they avoid.
@@uhfrank Beautifully put! Yeah I feel exactly the same! It's fun to speculate but if you use that as your own personal set of standards, you're never going to be satisfied cause it'll never be what you expect.. I've been loving these stories, feels like a real return to form
Yeah I wish they hadn't spoilt Wilf in the thumbnail too.. and your complete right.. Sean and Ellie were judging this episode based on their own personal expectations, and not on the episode itself!
What's great about David is he's able to go from "hero" to "victim" to "clown" in mere moments which is both a testament to his performance and RTD's writing.
Same for Catherine…😊
You forgot also to "villain"... Not-Thing-Doctor, and just David as villains in general, are just so good!
The big deal was the Doctor's and Donna's relationship exploring its completeness and its depth. The episode was brilliant BECAUSE it was only the two of them (four of them?) speaking rock bottom truths. The emotional truth of the words was the entire point of the episode. It didn't need guest stars or past companions or anything else.
The way I thought about the TARDIS dropping them off at the ship was that, in flying broken, it dropped them off places precisely when and where they didn't need to be (Newton was about to discover Gravity on his own, but their arrival changed it to Mavity, and then they arrived at the spaceship right when it gave the Nothings enough time to figure everything out and stop it). It's a bit headcannony, but it ties the intro scene better into the following story than just the running gag of Mavity
I think people are forgetting the most ominous thing: wouldn't Isaac Newton discovering gravity be a fixed point? Could them changing it to Mavity be a way of them rewirting history which shouldn't be able to be done? I think the universe is so empty and destroyed that things that normally weren't possible are possible now. Like changing fixed points in time.
We did hear something in the Children in Need special about the timelines from 14, so maybe that's what causes it.
The other thing is i think we shiuld wait till the next episode to judge this one, as i kay be wrong but i have feeling that all of this has been a play by the toymaker and we kight even find out this episode was essentially a prank by him. Idk i could be very wrong but it be awesome if so,
I'm 62 and I started watching Doctor who during the First Doctor's era. I was shocked by The Celestial Toymaker the first time around and as a 60th anniversary celebration I have been well satisfied with the first two episodes. We had all the Doctor's with the Power of the Doctor and watched Tennant through my daughter's eyes and I totally love Donna Noble. To see her tragic fate unwound and get so much of her in The Wild Blue Yonder has been an absolute treat. The episode was imaginative hard SciFi a great scary unsettling setting a spaceship to match 2001 for scale and aliens that are truly alien in how they look feel think and what they can do. Fantastic a great SciFi show the opening was silly but hey this always has been a kids show, a family show. I get why some people feel that Isaac's casting was gesture politics but this is the show that brought us highly dodgy Chinese villains and cowardly untrustworthy Welsh men so a bit of rebalancing is fine although pretty pointless. At least the actor was hot (I don't happen to be gay or bi but I know hot when I see it). I think these 3 episodes are for new viewers as much as old - we have had the child friendly cutesy opening, the true Scifi mid season look at how the series can still find novelty and reinvent itself, buckle down for the mad extravagant season finale. Can't wait.
My dude, I'm a lesbian and I agree that the actor that they used for Issac Newton (sorry if I misspelled it) was hot.
Oh this episode was fantastic. Every scene had a unique rhythm, a beat like a song. Once the tone shifted, so does the atmosphere and the melody.
The horror aspect is garnished. It teases your eyes, making you second guess yourself.
Seeing it all come together, and undone. It makes you wonder what Donna knows beneath the surface, memories, and knowledge. Perhaps even more than the doctor
I loved the nothing doctor realising with his tie that when something is gone it continues to exist, gave me chills fit some reason. Some really cool creepy moments 🎉
Object permanence
They did such a good job of giving the Not-Things ordinary but unsettling lines.
@Sparx632 agreed they felt totally alien
They didn't experience things like we do They didn't think like we do. Fantastic.
Honestly I didn’t mind the tone change from the cold open to the rest of the episode, after I gave it some thought. They were really emphasizing the song wild blue yonder and specifically how it sounds all jolly and fun but its actually a wartime mobilizing song and I think the drastic tone change was fully part of trying to lay the episode out as being a jolly fun adventure like the last special before tearing away that facade and exposing a much darker premise underneath
I believe the tonal shifts were deliberate to give the audience, the disjointed feeling that the characters are experiencing in the episode. Those shifts worked for me.
After watching these two specials and knowing that Ncuti's reign is going to be another era, it felt like star beast was a classic nod, wild blue was a modern nod and the giggle will be focused on honoring the past but looking to the future.
Classic/Old WHO.... a brief TV movie.... ...New WHO? And in good time, THE GIGGLE becomes the needful & necessary bridge to .....((((drumrolls))) FUTURE WHO???
Everyone keeps saying that the “mavity” thing was just a gag but if you listen I dont think it was. First of all Donna knows gravity when she meets newton, then she doesnt know it later in the episode, she says mavity. Then when they speak of the song she says wide instead of wild. I feel like there is going to be something more to that like whatever change they caused with Newton is going to ripple and that is part of the cause of the toy maker being there or something. IDK I just feel like we haven’t seen then end of that.
"My arms are too long." Is 100% gonna become the new "Are you my mummy?"
Yes, yes. I was thinking the exact same thing.
Hey!. . Who turned out the lights?
Apparently people have seen children running around the playground saying "My arms are too long", soooo... yeah!
Oh my gawd yes!!!!! Exactly! Definitely!
Can we spare a thought about Horse Mom?
Also loved Murray using a re-orchestration of the same music as the “Did you miss me?” reveal in The Christmas Invasion for the reveal of 14 to Wilf
Omg! Totally missed this one. Just went back to check and yep it's amazing
I'm going to wait for the last episode to confirm but i think the Children in need and Mavity jokes could be subtly telling us potential permanent historical changes 14 may be causing accidentally.
Tge way 14 looked at Donna when she first said "we got mavity" and rolled with it. Until he he said the correct "gravity well" and only said mavity well after Donna was confused to avoid explaining things to her in that moment
Good point! Excellent observation. Scott Bakula's series that he is known for, that he co-starred with Dean Stockwell.... (before ENTERPRISE) had him going back in time and changing THE past. Often greatly improving on it. Either the TARDIS slid into another universe and changed THEIR present... or.... our own past just got changed, and unlike Quantum Leap.... things weren't really improved by that particular modification! Given that #14 and/or #15 do meet up with the TOYMAKER.... some have speculated that the 'cold open' hints at what is down the metaphoric road. RTD perhaps intends to tie this all together with something that is beyond ED WITTEN's 1980s STRING THEORY speculations!!!
I assumed the same thing. I think the clue is in the moment when the Dr says gravity well. Somehow, he still knows that word, while Donna doesn't. I honestly don't think the opening scene was just for laughs. It's there for a reason, possibly setting things up for the new season.
I think they did the right thing, making it just a mini season with Tate and Tennant. Im glad they didn't to a grand thing with one story over all three with multiple doctors and they like, there's been enough of that. This is a better way to start new viewers on Disney+ too
I have watched it 3 times now, will probably remain one of my fave episodes. The simplicity of it and dread with rhe baddies was just amazing.
We know RTD is tremendously talented writer, his CV is littered with genius, and Im hopeful/praying ep3 ties all three eps together. He has a plan... and the Toy Maker is a superb character to bring the sixtieth celebrations to a conclusion with canonical references (and characters) taking us into Ncuti.
I really liked that it was a "simple" episode as Ellie inferred. It was a good example of a "normal" Doctor Who episode. Found it very satisfying.
The thing about this episode is that it was 100% filler and that was 100% necessary. To make it feel like Donna was really back, we needed an episode to breathe, in between her arrival last week and inevitable departure next week, where the characters could just play off of each other and reestablish their full dynamic. This episode was specifically written to be exactly that, and it does an excellent job.
Now, because of this, any emotional beats next week will feel more genuine.
My whole fixation is with the Captain. Who is she, where's she from, what species is she of, what's her story, and what led to her having to kill herself over the Not-Things finding out what she was up to.
They could literally make a whole episode out of it. Although them being left a mystery gives us something to think about. I mean imagine the captain being chased by two giant copies of themselves??? And how about them going about the ship preparing the countdown? At least she didn't have to worry about identity theft as she would know does the real one the whole time.
I was a little bit confused with the switch between the orange and blue rooms, I thought it was showing different bits of a conversation that was happening at different times, it didn't occur to me until " my arms are too long" that it wasn't the doctor and donna we saw, it came off as a transition and it worked shockingly well.
I was thinking the same thing. But then it was seeing how they acted before the arms are too long bit
How old are you 😊?
@@tgiacin435 it's done in a way where you second guess and it's so well done
I understand your feeling that it was just a filler type episode and that it should be big since its only three episodes thing. Buuut. I'm really glad for it. We only have these two for 3 episodes. So I was really happy to have an episode that just felt like a gold ole David Catherine episode. This episode could almost be copy and pasted in to season 4. I really appreciated it.
Im sure that the next episode will be the big 60th anniversary celebration.
I love old companions being a part of UNIT. It makes so much sense, not only would UNIT be keeping tabs on these people, they would absolutely want them working for UNIT. When it comes to people who are experienced with extraterrestrials, the threats that are out there, and defending earth from aliens there are no better candidates then literally anyone that has ever traveled with the doctor.
I definitely think the "invoking of superstition at the edge of the universe" is setting up something bigger for RTD2. I loved that this episode gave Tate and Tennant a chance to shine and re-establish their great friendship. There wasnt a lot of breathing room in special 1 for viewers to reinvest in their balance as friends! Giving rhem a bottle episode sets up stakes and gives breathing room for a larger development in the 3rd.
As for the tonal shifts, I think the opener with humor was meant to gear-shift down from the coffee spill emergency and to keep younger viewers from getting too overwhelmed by the body horror to come. CGI for that audience shouldn't be too realistic lest it be too scary for the broader audience.
I love Donna for the doctor! She has one of the best companion dynamics as a grounding friend who loves the Doctor enough to check them when they aren"t facing hard truths. I loved the poetry of her tragic meta-crisis exit, but giving her back the ability to remember things doesnt have to take away from that!
I think it would be great for her to re-appear from time to time ala the Brigadier as a grounding presence! The friend that knows all of your secrets and baggage, but supports you through it!
The Doctor has done adversarial, lonely, powerful, family, and paternity. Let them have the confidante for a bit that isnt a love interest, protégé, or ward but rather challenges the Doctor to just be a good friend!
24:50 Although sometimes it's also fine to have the character die off-screen in-universe as well, like they did with the Doctor tracking down the brigadier only to find out he died. It's still a fond remembrance of the actor and it fit within the story they were telling at the time.
I was SUPER happy to have zero spoilers for this episode and for it to happen to be a silly scary episode. I enjoyed every bit, and if ANY PART OF IT had been spoiled. I simply would not have had the same experience. I loved it.
This is one of my new favourite episodes. I couldn't find anything wrong with it. I found the CGI and the tone changes made it perfect and were ups for me, not downs. It felt very Doctor Who, especially nostalgic, and I can't be the only one, right? I loved it ALL. It gave me Midnight vibes, which is actually still one of my fave Doctor Who eps of all time. So I'm obviously gonna love this one.
There was not a single moment of the episode that didn't work for me. It was just fantastic. Brilliant. Molto bene. David and Catherine were absolutely phenomenal.
I can't be the only one. Right?
This definitely feels more like Tennant's series of specials before Series 5 as opposed to a 60th Anniversary celebration. But I love Wilf so much, so I'm still grateful for what we got.
I'm glad this episode was kind of standalone, for two reasons. Firstly, if every episode was part of some grand anniversary adventure, it might feel like we'd never really got Tennant back for another adventure.
Secondly, we had loads of nostalgic stuff back in The Power Of The Doctor, I have no need for multi-doctor appearances at the moment, we've had all that quite recently.
Amen to that. 🥹✨
The episode felt like a reference to “The Edge Of Destruction”, “Under World” and “Midnight”. It was scary and weird. It was great!
I love love love this episode, and even if we wanted a grander celebration for the 3 specials, I like we had an episode to just fully get doctor and Donna again. Just a full hour with both of them. Definitely a top 20-25 new who episode for me
Looking forward to The Giggle, I'm hoping we get an answer to the "why this face" question...please don't leave us hanging!
3:29 in- I don’t think there was too much secrecy.
People for a long time say things along the line of “there’s too much revealed” or “don’t release information” or “let us be surprised”. This is exactly what happened. We went in knowing nothing. Was I expecting a lot? Yes. But it still was an objectively good episode.
And (sorry) in fact learning this secret episode was just a normal episode was actually comforting. Because I feel it reminded us that not every surprise has to be some sort of major crisis.
It may be my age showing, but remembering what it means to go in knowing nothing of a show you’re about to watch means I’m fine with them keeping secrets and those secrets being normal rather than a big reveal. Because I’m used to it.
Didn’t expect you guys to be so harsh with this episode! Possibly the best one we’ve had in the last 4/5 years, and I absolutely love Capaldi and Whitaker… understand the comments about the overall celebration but I think it’s a sensational episode and it positively blew me away, automatically up there with some of my favourites
Man I really thought this middle episode was so much better than the first. 😅 I might be the only person but I REALLY enjoyed it. It’s definitely a celebration of Tate and Tennant…BUUUUT they’re really selling to my nostalgia. So I get how there’s no balance as well.
You're not alone don't worry ^^ I thought it was incredible! All of their "criticisms" I see as gleaming positives
Tone changes, you are wrong. Newton wasn't needed but it gave the gag, plus it was a call back to the hazard avoidance system.
Tone shifts though, the comedy were their way of coping. It highs made the horror more horrific. It was a very dark two hander.
I loved this episode. It definitely benefits from rewatch, I’ve now seen it four times😂.
When people say this doesn’t feel like an anniversary celebration, and they’re expecting tons of cameos…I get it. I do. But if that were the case, there would be those grumbling that it has already been done, a couple of times in fact. The Five Doctors. The Day of the Doctor. The Power of the Doctor. No way to please everyone. But I get where people are coming from.
The Day of the Doctor is one of my faves, so for this anniversary I decided not to expect anything and just enjoy it. Besides the main trailer months ago, I did not watch any trailers for this ep or for The Giggle. The Doctor and Donna are my favorite pairing, so I’m just along for the ride. I simply see this as the start off point for the next 60 years. Brief respite, while we wait for Fifteen.
I mean, nobody had confirmed before that this special would be Multidoctor... And Russel t just only hide the stuff because the plot of the clones would work better that way, at least for me.
People create crazy theories and that's ok, but let's just not expect MultiDoctors and cameos, and honestly to me i didn't even care that wasn't a multidoctor thing, Tennant and Catherine made this episode epic.
People should stop creating uncertain expectations and then getting mad because the episode didn't had what they want :)
The fact I was disconnected from the DW bubble trough out the hype made me enough the episode like it was released on tv normally without the Twitter stuff
But Wild Blue Yonder was a multi Doctor story. Didn't you notice the two 14th Doctors?
Agreed. I didn't even know people were expecting so much. The only complaints I've seen were people who convinced themselves there would be cameos from past doctors & companions, etc. I really liked the episode myself.
@@sabrinatirabassi3529 lol indeed it was XD
@@sabrinatirabassi3529 because some people was expecting an evil version of 12th Doc, when Capaldi already stated in a interview that he wasn't coming back for the show :p
I did wonder if the creatures would shape shift into former Doctors and companions to wear them down, but especially with the Doctor already questioning his identity since The Timeless Child and Flux.
I can imagine a Clara shape shift especially messing with his head after how she died. Wearing the Doctor down until he broke would be a great opportunity for Donna to save the day.
Except she’s not dead. As of the last time we see her, she’s in her own tardis.
We dont talk about timeless child
Absolutely. I think this is what alot of people were expecting due to the hype. The idea of the Doctor being haunted by past companions and Donna by different versions of the Doctor she hasn't met yet would have been a much better pay off.
@tgiacin435 She died eventually, since she had a glass avatar in Twice upon a Time.
THE MIND ROBBER ---- The curious parallel universe Number 2 encountered in the 1960s.... were those two mimicry/morph creatures from it? If there are more of them coming through a dimensional doorway, a wormhole into our space/time universe.... if that fantasy driven universe tumbles into ours, invades it.... we'd need to summon all the SLIDERS dimensions SIR ISAAC NEWTONs and DOCTOR ALBERT EINTSTEINs that we possibly can! Its like a maze of classic carnival fun house mirrors, where everyone's Id + memories are embodied and exposed to the universe.
Considering these specials are also the series finale (RTD has said 15 is the start of a completely new series), I like that they're resolving some of this series unfinished plotlines. I just really need two things in the last special to really wrap things up: Jenny and The Lumiat (with how much of Twelve's story was about building a relationship with Missy, it's really disappointing that we never got to see the Lumiat in the show). I also hope that the chaos we see at the end of the episode gives them an excuse to bring back some old companions to help deal with things - it wouldn't be a stretch for Martha, Mickey, Yaz to get called in by Kate Stewart to do some work for UNIT. Bill is also currently in London and while I don't think she'd be on the list of former companions Kate would call, I can see her and Heather getting involved to help people.
That's the thing, it's cool if it makes sense for them to get involved. People wanting multi Doctor stories need to have a reason for them to appear, and we had that only a year ago, it's too soon to jump to the whole multi doctor special stuff again, it's sad to say but Chibnall beat RTD to that.
@@chazo1367 There's no reason to bring back 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, or War for this anniversary. However, I do think it's extremely important that we see the impacts they've had - the easiest way to do that is to show what the surviving, earth-dwelling companions learned from these six Doctors.
Jesus Christ. I know you said you need two things but I think you're asking for too much for asking Jenny to come back.
But you do you.
I feel like the scene with Isaac Newton and the 'mavity' gag was a bit of foreshadowing relating to the salt suspicion that the Doctor later planted in the episode - just reminding us of the concept that any of the Doctor's actions/words can have consequences (big or small). Just a theory :)
When I saw Wilf, I screamed oh hell yeah now it’s a party! I’m so glad he got to be in WBY and that he won’t die and will just keep living in the Whoniverse.
I dunno. They'll have to honour it eventually, even if he does make a final appearance next episode
I absolutely loved this episode. And it being on disney plus was very convenient for me here in Vegas.
I thought that the tardis dropping them off at that point where they needed to be was a reminiscent of the tardis when it was human in matt smiths run as the doctor
I wonder if I am the only person who watches these episodes of Doctor Who and just enjoys them for what they are. I don't pick them apart, just revel in the fact they it is back! Also, happy tears at Bernard Cribbins' appearance. I loved Wilf.
You're not. I've had a few jabs with the episodes, an eye roll or two with a line but they are minor issues for me. I'm absolutely having a ball with the episodes so far and just enjoying them as I go.
I think the part that is annoying me is 1. Everyone's wild expectations that were never gonna be met. I fairly liked that we weren't given any details of Wild Blue Yonder but it meant that everyone thought we were getting multiple doctors. They've done that a lot in Classic Who and on the 50th Anniversary. I loved that it was just David and Catherine as both sides of the spectrum but now there's just a wave of disappointment from people saying it was underwhelming. This is why we can't have nice things like mysterious episodes I guess because everyone wants to know everything.
And 2. The infuriating online trend of bashing Doctor Who like the hashtag RIP Doctor Who in The Star Beast. It just p*sses me off because if they don't like it, fine they don't have watch it but why spoil it for us, the other fans who are in for the ride. Everytime I type Doctor Who into UA-cam, I'm met by the usual BBC Videos as well as a few videos from clickbait Doctor Who haters. And that just upsets me. 😭
(Sorry this comment has gone on way too long. I'll just leave It here.)
personally i liked the first scene. Because i avoided spoilers, that scene got me into a sense of security, which made me more creeped out for the rest of the episode, to the point not even the small jokes took me out of it. I think they paced this episode in a way for people like me, even including the feeling of dread with the end scene with the copies, i had been afraid of that exact thing happening the whole episode that when it happened it got me.
I feel like there's going to be more of a connective thread between Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle than people are initially thinking. Simply because to me the "mavity" gag seemed to me like the sort of change the Toymaker would make just to mess around. Also, the Doctor and Donna were already gone when it cut to Newton deciding upon "mavity" so how would they know about that? Also iirc only the Doctor ever initially refers to "gravity" instead of "mavity" before getting corrected by Donna. Idk, maybe I'm reading into it too much (also the TARDIS blaring a song about the Wild Blue Yonder when it re-appeared seemed Toymaker-esque).
Apt post! Keep in mind the 'cold open' was filmed on a farm LiKE Newton's at Woolsthorpe... ....and.... THE Doctor & Donna met a nice young chap rather like but not quite (clone) identical to.... THE SiR ISAAC! .....WHAT HAS THE CELESTiAL/COSMiC/MULTiVERSE "TOYMAKER" BEEN DOING???
I think they know because the change means it was never "gravity" and always "mavity" as a Timelord the Doctor can perceive the change, he says "gravity" and Donna gets confused and he corrects it to "mavity" so the timeline has changed a little with the word but Donna didn't notice.
@@chazo1367 right that's what I'm saying, perhaps that's gonna somehow relate back to the Toymaker in some way? idk
@@thomassweeney3674 They changed history, so the word gravity became mavity. The Doctor has Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory, Donna does not. It's a trope summarized as: For this guy, changing history won't make him lose his memories.
The invoking of Superstition at the edge of the universe the edge of creation line! A link to the toymaker and why he shows up next week? Nobody is mentioning this!
I always find it funny when Ellie talks about Doctor Who from way back in 2008 as if it was a lifetime ago… for me (a 52 year old) it feels like last week 😂
In regards tot he "Mavity" gag, I have a feeling that this change in time is what has allowed The toymaker to come through. The Flux weekend the universes walls however changes like this is what has allowed him to crash through.
I love that I watched this without any explanation or expectations. This episode was so good I needed ten minutes to absorb it. Love the content. (Peaceful Rest Bernard)
Y’know, after hearing the argument about whether this is a good episode for the 60th, I think RTD is making a trilogy of Doctor Who’s Story Stucture.It’s kinda like “What are the three best kind of DW episodes?”
1. The New Companion Episode
2. The Minimal/Emotional Episode
3. The World is Gonna End/Regeneration Episode
The Wilf scene did not affect me directly as strongly for Bernard, but reminded me of my own dad, who lived to almost 101 years, and was himself up to the last few months. His health was declining, but he was still strong to me.
EVERY episode should have this level of mystery!
THANK YOU! I was so miffed by that. I was so glad I knew nothing about this episode before watching it as it SHOULD be!
I'd love every episode to be this way. But unfortunately, too many people would keep growing expectations and try to ruin it for everyone else who want to indulge the mystery. 😭😭😭 I don't get why some want to know an entire mystery from the start, rather than go on a journey to receive the answer. But even then the Journey is the best part.
When I frist watched this episode I put it at my number one tied with Heaven Sent but after rewatching damn it still earns that place, I loved this episode was just awesome and pure old fashioned Doctor Who
I think people are missing some key aspects here.
First, I think some of the CGI & the setting was supposed to be unsettling; the uncanny valley. Because the not-things weren’t things. But they looked like humans, and that’s the uncanny valley. The liminal spaces used in that corridor of the episode is an unsettling phenomenon as well. It’s all supposed to come together to say “something isn’t quite right, here.”
Second, one of the constants throughout all of Doctor Who is the Doctor & the companion/s. Having an entire episode dedicated to this doctor/companion relationship was not only genius with how they pulled it off (with having just the two of them for almost the entire episode) but also it shows character development for both of them. A companion after her travels with the doctor and a doctor after he had to let her go. They’ve come back together, albeit briefly, and this episode highlights how travelling with the Doctor changes and evolves a person and how the Doctor needs a good friend to talk to after all the shit they go through. Not to mention they both have to try to figure out which is the real person and who is the imposter.
I believe this episode is a perfect episode for highlighting that Doctor/companion relationship, which is a staple of the show and has been for 60 years.
The first ep was the family viewing aspect of Who, this one was the character and relationships aspect. I wonder what the third episode will be..?
1am with a fever sounds like the IDEAL state of mind to watch the episode.
I think it was a great episode, even as a special. In a way the 3 specials feel like highlighting how different Dr who can be in style and tone.
I enjoyed the tonal shifts which repped the show's diverse genre range and going into the episode with zero spoilers from the preview and promo material really enhanced the enjoyment of the ep, allowing the viewer to enjoy the ultimate friendship chemistry and the tension of the intimate, psychological horror aspects brilliantly acted by David Tennant and Catherine Tate as it unfolds. It's not the episode's or the productions fault for wild guesses of people imposing thier own ideas for the ep, it would be amazing if every episode could be promoed the same way. Wild Blue Yonder is among the top Doctor Who eps with Blink and Midnight.
It would have been a neat nod to the past 60 years to have the doctor creature not be able to reconcile all the generations of the doctor, so that there was a flash like, rainbow effect of the past doctors when the creature moved...and having problems resolving to 14 when it stopped moving.
I felt that The Star Beast followed by this worked as a perfect pairing. The Star Beast got children sat on the sofa watching Dr Who again and then Wild Blue Yonder got them hiding behind the sofa again
“Oh, I keep thinking, ‘I wish I hadn’t done that thing with the salt’. I invoked a superstition at the edge of the universe, where the walls are thin and all things are possible.”
This quote at the end of the episode really stuck with me. After a second watch, I can’t help but feel like this and the “mavity” bit will either bare significance in The Giggle, OR are potential classic RTD Bad Wolf style setups for things to come in Ncuti’s era (or both).
Rtd also mentioned that The Boss isn't The Toymaker.
So yeah.
People love to remember Wilf, but to me Bernard Cribbins will always be Tom in Dalek Invasion of Earth 2150AD, the second dalek movie from the '60s
Was in tears at the end of this episode. Wilf is definitely one of my favourite Who characters in general.
Dude feels very cynical would much rather ellie's nostalgia. There's also gotta be a greater meaning to them going to the edge of creation, for the show as a whole as well. Only thing I wish for Wilf is, I would have loved to see him inside the Tardis, his reaction would be amazing.
I feel for me I love those parts where it’s just funny because to me, it doesn’t really it feels like more of a break from from the tension and anxiety buildup and then going back to building up your anxiety in the tension, but making it to where you’re still engaged but still giving you a break if it’s too much for some people who can’t stand having tension and anxiety all the way through I like it when some harm stuff gives you things that gives you a break but then put you right back into it like building up and then being OK for a little bit give them a break with that anxiety because it’s too much. It might turn people off the episode because they’re too scared to continue watching because it’s too much for them but if you give people a break and as long enough to lower that tension and anxiety to where you can build it back up it feels like a thoughtful, caring, creative choice to allow people and even children space to break calm down and build it back up
Mavity was not just a throwaway gag. It’s part of the timelines and canon collapsing arc that started with Destination Skaro.
There is also the recurring separation by a glass wall. In Star Beast it seemed like a call back to End of Time. We see it again here, and this time it seems more like a mirror, which is traditionally associated with parallel worlds.
Finally we have the invoking of superstition at the edge of the universe.
This is all adding up to something.
I’m wondering if it will be wrapped up on Saturday, or carried forward into the new series.
I absolutely loved this episode! One of my favourites. It really gave me the chills. Ct and dt are fricken amazing man
Seeing bernard cribbins at the end and knowing that he passed shortly after was heartbreaking!!! I remember seeing him in invasion of the daleks with peter Cushing!
And I'm going to hear "mavity" in my head whenever I use the word gravity for the rest of my life...lol
That aside, I really enjoyed the actual evolution of the Doctor, and I don't think we would have gotten that actual picture had this been a new Doctor.
The horror elements of the episode were unusual, but I understood why they were there. I don't think this episode would have worked otherwise.
The CGI used was huge for Doctor Who, even though as an audience we've become used to "better" CGI. This wasn't a movie, it was an episode. The AR Wall used is a major element and it's expensive. Whether it would have been better to use CGI in post, I think it would have lacked the grandeur of the ship.
Seeing Bernard, knowing he'd passed in '22, just was so bittersweet. I'm sorry he wasn't here to see how he impacted us all. I will always tear up when I watch this episode.
NPH was an interesting choice for Toymaker, & I know he'll crush the role, even if he's an American popping up in a British show.
I really, really hope that both Tennant & Tate get a proper send off, and that we get closure on probably the most dynamic duo of the new Who era.
We may also find out if a certain 6th Doctor Story (which was supposed to be filmed, but got scrapped when the show went on a 13-month hiatus) involving the Toymaker is canon.
So my reason this episode was number one in the trio and the one I'd recommend multiple rewatches is because for me, after not having an episode I can watch during Whitakers run it felt SO good having a special that just feels like a good ol episode of Donna and the doctor on an adventure. It was so refreshing finally getting something that felt like good ol 4th season doctor who and not something grandiose like a Capaldi and Smith cameo. It was the episode that appealed to my nostalgia and checked off every nostalgia box I could have wanted from doctor who.
Thank you, I love the discussions, it is great watching you all discuss the show. I must admit, I am also missing the 60th anniversary vibe, I am missing the feeling of the three doctors, the five doctors and the superb day of the doctor feels. There is a lot riding on the giggle to grab the 60th vibe, I am grateful for the return of David and Catherine, however, missing the 60th vibe, it really brings home how short this run is with these two great actors.
I could be totally wrong about this, but Tales of the TARDIS and these three specials, I think we have to remember while yes it is a celebration of the 60th anniversary, the show still have to progress. So with the mention of the Doctor's vulnerability being addressed like The Timeless Children arc on top him dealing with the Flux, these might be set ups for the 15th Doctor to have to overcome in his series. So while yes, it should just be a romp celebrating all of Doctor Who and we see shades of that with the 14th Doctor being not 10, the three specials needs to be plot progression while Tales of the TARDIS is a love letter to all 60 years proper.
The word "Gravity" existed long before Newton.
Gravitas is the latin word used by Medieval natural philosophers to translate the Aristotelian heaviness, i.e. the quality of a body "having weight"
I actually have a theory that in the next special we'll find out that reality has been altered and how certain things aren't what they're supposed to be such as the salt line. If this were the case maybe this whole time they've been in a pseudo-reality thing created by the Toymaker or something else. I'm probably wrong but that was my thoughts on the matter.
@@defgecd9434This has been my thought the whole time. Potentially even including the regeneration. Maybe we see Jodie at the end and she regenerates into Ncuti as the true 14. Who knows. When they first announced Tennant coming back, I was hoping he would be playing 10 and then be revealed to be The Master.
As soon as they walked into the hallway I said to my girlfriend “holy CGI Batman”
1:05 hearing Sean bring this up in the ups and downs video actually really surprised me, as I personally barely noticed. That said, I do watch quite a lot of shounen anime, which, to overgeneralize a bit, is VERY prone to very intense mood whiplash, more so than any other genre/type of storytelling I've ever encountered. Guess it depends on what you're used to.
I feel for you Ellie! I've got plans this Sat, so will have to hopefully stay completely off the grid until I can watch the final one. To quote another franchise that just made a comeback, May The Odds Be Ever in (My) Favor
In the end, this was a bottle episode. Which in TV production, is a scaled back episode to save on budget, to use that extra money on another episode. Yes, the CGI in this episode is expensive, but considering what we have seen in the trailers, we know The Giggle has a lot coming in it. I think that time will be very kind to Wild Blue Yonder. Expectations have been extremely high for these episodes. Can't wait to see how everything comes to a conclusion and I do believe The Giggle will give off a more anniversary vibe.
I am hoping the Easter Egg video will include the nods to classic that there were in this episode that have not been mentioned in this discussion.
I came into this episode with no expectations and never having seen The Thing (never wanting to see it I do not like Horror movies). I didn't expect multi doctors or companions so for me there was zero disappointment.
Dodgy cgi = typical Doctor Who and I loved it. The giant duo creeped me out and made me laugh (when they got stuck for a bit).
I loved the hokiness of the long arms and the double knees it actually fitted for me in the awareness of the aliens struggling to understand the form.
I don't think all is as it seems, I think the Newton part was relevant and that will become more apparent in the giggle. Donna and the Doctor did not hear Newton say Mavity they went back into the Tardis yet they used that term later. They changed history and I think that is going to play a part in the giggle.
The salt I believe is more significant than some are believing and it may be apparent in the Giggle but it may be a set up for Ncutis Doctor come his episodes.
For me there is something not quite right about both the Star Beast and Wild Blue Yonder and my belief is that the Toymaker has played a part in both.
I know fake Donna said about seeing the 15 years when she became Dr Donna again but I still think there is something not right about things Donna said in Star Beast. Maybe I am overthinking it I am hoping not as that would drop Star Beast down in rating for me based on the awful way they 'let go' of the meta crisis.
I grew up with Classic so saw some of the references and the Thunderbirds reference too. I am admittedly an older viewer but I try not to go into ANY episode with expectations.
Oh and I am one who is not a fan of Midnight but I loved this. I enjoyed Midnight on first watch but too be honest after that it was actually boring. Sorry to all who love it just my opinion.
If bringing back two actors of this calibre - you need a showcase/platform for them.
This is it.
the giant versions reminded me of titans from Attack on Titan. So comically out of proportion but just terrifying.
I love your chemestry energy and vibes, you 2 are the best.
Feel like RTD missed a unique opportunity with these specials. We've all seen multi-doctor stories where the doctor meets up with a previous incarnation. What we've never seen is a doctor meet up with a FUTURE incarnation from their perspective. Would love to have seen that. Unless of course that's the twist that RTD has been teasing with the "something we've never done before"....
There’s actually a reason for that. The Blinkvitch limitation effect. A time traveler doesn’t remember an encounter they had with themselves until they experience it from their future self
The fever dream comparison absolutely bang on, Ellie. That is what it felt like. I've sometimes dozed off unintentionally while listening to Big Finish Doctor Who adventures and had experiences similar to the feeling of this episode.
Another theory I have is that each of these three specials are playing off of the main Doctor Who episode archetypes. Help an Alien, Companion/Doctor Story, Horror/SciFi/Superstitious, High stakes/action, Suspense and Plot. And remixing them.
Star Beast had us help the alien and Companion Story (Meep and Donna) and twisted it by having the alien be the big bad.
This episode was our horror and Doctor story. The Not Things being a HUGE call back to Midnight. The twist here lies in the Doctor Story. The Doctor being unable to not think and making the plot continue, along with continuing the mystery of why 10’s face but 14. Usually its a companion that makes the mistake that the Doctor has to fix (looking at you Rory, lol,)
Next week, I believe it will be our High Stakes action with the twist being whom the Toymaker uses to fight the Doctor, the human race.
I also thought the meeting with Issac Newton was unnecessary. But…I like to believe that their encounter will play some type of role in future.
So, I was debating whether there was a point to the Doctor being there like you said and I concluded that the point wasn't for the Tardis to drop them off to stop the aliens but for the Doctor to face his secret. I think there Tardis knew the fake Donna would talk to him about what he won't talk about and it's setting up a future resolution
I’m not convinced that there isn’t a longer version of the ending Bernard Cribbins scene in the Giggle enabling that good bye, since as said, it’s basically Scene 1 of the Giggle, I could see them having filmed the long scene and then cut it for this and the giggle separately
Sadly no. RTD said Bernard could only film this scene, he was too ill to do any other and passed away before, they had a lot planned for him too if he was up to it, but it sadly was not to be.
Putting the main "Spoiler" on the thumb nail... behind a banner saying "SPOILERS!"
Classy.
I thought I wanted the tweed brown suit.
This is my favorite.
Here's my take on the CGI:
As a general perspective, shows like this (especially Doctor Who which historically has had an abysmal budget) require some suspension of disbelief. I loved the approach and the visuals with the ship itself, both with the practical sets and the massive main corridor which is almost entirely created with CGI. The scale was something hardly attempted in stories past (definitely gave off vibes of World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls), and I was thoroughly impressed.
With regards to the duplicates of the Doctor and Donna, I'll dip into the established lore of the episode. These creatures from beyond the universe have no strict concepts of shape, size or mass, which is why they can grow into giants and overexpand themselves to get stuck at first. Over time, as they assimilate more about their victims, they get the proportions and the visual details right.
But that whole process takes time and they can make mistakes. Maybe they make the arms too big, or add extra knees, or fangs, or dissolve into a puddle, or perform contortionist moves. They also may make mistakes on how light hits them, how they cast shadows, etc. The fact that they look different from the rest of the world around them is a mistake of them trying to assimilate to our laws of physics, thermodynamics, and conservation of mass. From a real world perspective, the "obvious and poor" CGI is them mucking it up as they go along. They look different, and it feels wrong, and unsettling to the viewer.
I agree with the corridor cgi. Not to take away from the amazing work they did. Maybe have a zoom out long shot to show the vastness. But having watched old who episodes it is so heartwarming seeing the sets, and that the backgrounds are paintings, because there is action and plot happening you don’t notice it. They could have built as small chunk of the corridor as for much of that scene they are walking past the same background, it would add to that eerie atmosphere of time dragging, da ja vu, they shouldn’t have had the car trolly in my opinion , just to add to how trapped they are, and how long things take on the ship.
I think the 'gravity' sketch at the beginning was to lighten up a very dark episode