Doctor Who - Discussion Thread I

1.

Neither episode starts as you’d expect

2.

Both episodes open magnificently, especially episode two which is a patented. Moffat-montage special

3.

The gay agenda is back!

4.

The monsters (whose mere name would be a spoiler) are brilliant, with a truly chilling MO. They should rate up there with the Weeping Angels as one of the new series’ greatest creations. They look great, but it’s the idea behind them that is truly chilling

5.

There is an Easter Island gag

6.

The Doctor dances… with some unexpected film stars

7.

There are lots of Americans with guns gags

8.

There are two fez mentions

9.

It’s very, very dark and spooky at times. Wait till you see the scene in the Whitehouse toilets…

10.

At least three Moffat tropes are put into action again

11.

There is the startling return of a familiar special effect… twice

12.

There is the curious return of a familiar prop

13.

The Utah footage is quite simply stunning, but there’s not as much of it as we’d expected

14.

There are some quite beautiful, cinematic sequences

15.

Rory gets to wear some specs

16.

Amy reveals a secret

17.

The President’s nose dominates any scene it’s in

18.

The special effects are downright magnificent

19.

Matt Smith takes his portrayal of the Doctor up a gear

20.

The Doctor looks very embarrassed at one point

21.

The first time we see the Doctor, he’s naked. Sort of…

22.

The monsters have some important dialogue, so it’s a bit of a shame their voices are not terribly clear at times

23.

The first episode is a little talky and surprisingly character-led when you’d expect a barnstorming opening; the second episode kicks off storming that barn and keeps storming it

24.

Having said that, the character led-moments are often quite exquisite

25.

It’s funny, it’s wildly inventive, it’s fiendishly clever, it’s surprising, it’s audacious, it’s uncompromising and it’s quite unlike anything else on television

26.

There’s lots of timey whimey stuff, and not just in terms of the science fiction – more so, we’re referring to some of the storytelling techniques involved, with lots of flashbacks, sudden jumps and montages

27.

However, it’s so packed with ideas, you can’t help thinking some important elements are undeveloped. There are enough great concepts here to fuel five or six episodes, which is a good thing in many ways, because it keeps the energy fizzing and the plot surprising, but they do all fight for room a bit. We’d certainly liked to have seen more about the monsters’ background and had the dénouement clarified, among other things

28.

You can’t help thinking there are a lot of moments when kids are going to turn to mum and dad go, “Why did that happen?” and mum or dad will go, “Erm… shhhh, I’m concentrating!”

29.

You may suffer from revelation fatigue by the end of it. And a lot of things – perhaps a couple too many – are not wrapped up in the story itself, but are ongoing mysteries to be sorted out later. This show is getting like Lost, designed to be picked over on the internet! Let’s hope it doesn’t take seven years to get some answers

30.

The final, final, final scene, though, will ensure you’ll carry on tuning in to find out what happens next… or maybe in the story after next. Or maybe next season…