Doctor Who Series 7

[Baron Greenback]

Well, series 7 of the resurrection of Doctor Who is almost here. The gods of sanity have prevailed, as they have done for the last year or so, and the show will be broadcast on the same day, Saturday the 1st of September, in the mother country and a couple of prominent ex-colonies:

There are spoilers in all the forthcoming links.

In the UK - 7:20 pm (BST) on BBC1

In the US - 9 pm on BBC America. I've not sure the timezone that relates to, sorry, but probably Eastern

In Canada - 9 pm on Space. Ditto with the timezone thing.

So what do we know about it so far?

Well, the BBC are running a little webisode thing every day from today (Monday) until the opening episode. These are bracketed under the name "Pond Life". Here's the first one on the BBC site:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00xwctd

I hope that works outside the UK, but if not the local broadcaster will surely have them somewhere, or else Youtube will have many copies.

I hesitate to mention explicitly some things that are known about this series. Some of them are well known in the UK, due to having been in the papers, but I don't know how widespread that news goes.

Anyway, here's the BBC trailer for the first episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPECCBoCn9o

[Rubixcube]

The first part of Pond Life has been put up on the BBC Youtube page. Just a minute long but the series is supposed to lead directly into the beginning of the Series 7 premiere.

[Baron Greenback]

Here's Arthur and Karen being, well, Arthur and Karen, talking a little about Pond Life:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00xq2jv

[Broomstick]

Originally Posted by Baron Greenback

The gods of sanity have prevailed, as they have done for the last year or so, and the show will be broadcast on the same day, Saturday the 1st of September, in the mother country and a couple of prominent ex-colonies

Nice of the BBC to recognize that the audience for Doctor Who is actually global. Also, I'm sure it cuts down somewhat on the bootlegging.

[aceplace57]

I wonder if they'll bother mentioning that The Doctor is supposed to be dead and hiding from the Silents? It briefly came up in the Christmas special. Not sure if its worth continuing that story into the new season.

[DummyGladHands]

Wait, it's the Silents??? Damn, I was hearing the silence. Thanks!

[TBG]

Originally Posted by DummyGladHands

Wait, it's the Silents??? Damn, I was hearing the silence. Thanks!

No, you were right. One silent, many silence.

[bouv]

Argh, I'm at a wedding then...ok well, that's why DVR's exist. Thanks for the reminder, I'll program that bad-boy right now.

[Bridget Burke]

Originally Posted by aceplace57

I wonder if they'll bother mentioning that The Doctor is supposed to be dead and hiding from the Silents? It briefly came up in the Christmas special. Not sure if its worth continuing that story into the new season.

Since he's a time traveler, how would someone know the Doctor they meet is not from before he "died"?

[Broomstick]

Part 2 is up on YouTube now. Geez, and I thought I had bizarre and annoying relatives...

[aceplace57]

That's true. At least until he regenerates again. A new face for the Doctor would be hard to explain. I doubt we'll hear about the Silence again. Moffat has a lot of loose ends in his story lines that just get dropped and ignored. I doubt that the Doctor will be any more cautious since last season's battle with the Silence.

Pond life is an interesting idea. I had always thought the companions traveled non-stop with the Doctor until they left the Tardis for good. Moffat is introducing the idea they go home for extended periods. But, still get their life interrupted when the Doctor needs them.

Originally Posted by Bridget Burke

Since he's a time traveler, how would someone know the Doctor they meet is not from before he "died"?

[Baron Greenback]

Originally Posted by Broomstick

Part 2 is up on YouTube now. Geez, and I thought I had bizarre and annoying relatives...

Hahaha, that's awesome.

"We have a RULE about the BEDROOM!"

[Maus Magill]

Originally Posted by aceplace57

I wonder if they'll bother mentioning that The Doctor is supposed to be dead and hiding from the Silents? It briefly came up in the Christmas special. Not sure if its worth continuing that story into the new season.

I think this is Moffatt's way to get away from the massive, huge world-shaking stories that RTD favored.

[Trion]

I have a question. I don't get BBC America. Will I be able to purchase the episode via the Zune Marketplace (preferably) or iTunes the next day?

[enalzi]

The whole Silence storyline isn't over, with the "Doctor Who?" setup at the end of last season, but I'm pretty sure Moffat said he won't be focusing on a long arc this series.

[aceplace57]

Pond Life Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm0dqb7rKpk

[aceplace57]

Pond life 4. This one is pretty cute.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz9CsgEZWYc

[Baron Greenback]

Originally Posted by aceplace57

Pond life 4. This one is pretty cute.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind an Ood butler.

[Peter Morris]

Part 5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMwZqi66EnA&feature=plcp

[Drunky Smurf]

Oh man I can't wait for tomorrow.

[RandMcnally]

Originally Posted by Drunky Smurf

Oh man I can't wait for tomorrow.

Is there any way for an American who does not have cable be able to watch this legally?

[Bridget Burke]

I think iTunes will have it, but I don't know the details....

[Maggie the Ocelot]

I believe you can download it on Amazon Streaming.

[gaffa]

Every time I see this topic in the Cafe Society list, I think of this film, and imagine that this season Rory and Amy have to battle to the death.

[aceplace57]

Looks like I was right. The Doctor sent Rory and Amy home last season so they'd be safe.

Well, it didn't work. Somebody found them. That may be why The Doctor has stayed in touch. Normally he wouldn't contact a former companion. Maybe he knew they were in danger?

Big question, why was the Doctor at the front door? Why not materialize inside like he always does?

[Broomstick]

Actually, he's materialized on the street a number of times - when he first dropped them off there, at Christmas, etc. Why? I don't know. Whim of Sexy Thing?

[aceplace57]

Remember there's something weird about Amy and time. We've been told that many times. Events center on her. What's special about Amy has never been fully explained. The crack in her bedroom, bringing Rory back. The Doctor has never completely broken contact with Amy. It's like he's been waiting for events to catch up.

[dropzone]

I so totally don't want to watch this season. Wake me when the bad part is over, okay?

Never mind. I'll watch. Amy will be sweet and strong, Rory will outdo himself in magnificent Roryness, and I'll cry like a baby.

I hate Moffatt, but at least I still have my Amy clone at AA. If I weren't old enough to be her father.... And not married. And she wasn't married. And, most magically of all, if I were not me.

[Mahaloth]

Did it air in the UK? How was it?

[Dublin11]

It did air and I thought it was pretty good.

Some laugh out loud moments and the new girl is easy on the eye and can act, so that should please most. Her current situation is....intriguing. Though a bit of yer traditional time travelling jiggery pokery should soon put us all in the picture.

Next week, we're getting DINOSAURS ON THE MOTHERFUCKING SPACE SHIP. Wowsers!
(Paraphrasing, as I'm sure you can guess, but that's what it reminded me of. )

[Pushkin]

Originally Posted by Dublin11

Her current situation is....intriguing. Though a bit of yer traditional time travelling jiggery pokery should soon put us all in the picture.

Whatever happens it'll be a heck of a "with a single leap she was free" move.

Nice to have a nu-Who Dalek episode that doesn't end like all the others have so far too.

Spoiler free enough?

[amanset]

It wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, but was still better than most of last series.

[aceplace57]

That was a good episode. I guessed the ending about half way into the episode.

SPOILER:

Only a Dalek could manipulate the planet's security so effortlessly. She was keeping the Doctor alive the whole time.

Those Dalek's that look like humans are a scary addition to the series.

I'm not sure what to think about Rory and Amy's breakup and reconciliation all in one episode. Seemed a little forced. Why did it need to be in the story?

[aceplace57]

Behind the scenes Asylum of the Daleks. 3 min clip.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00y2rzx

[Malden Capell]

I liked it - funny, dark and the Daleks were the old style, not the poncy colourful iDaleks.

Although I disliked what the Doctor was repeating to himself in the TARDIS, at the end. The show was doing the equivalent of question marks on his lapels.

[GuanoLad]

That was an unexpected visitation.

[Slow Moving Vehicle]

Okay, can some kind Estuary speaker tell me what Oswyn said to the Doctor about his chin? This poor 'Muriken doper has watched the scene five times, and I'm damned if I can understand the line.

(It's not at all relevant to the plot, so I'm not going to put the question in a spoiler box.)

And I know that The Grand Moff has said that this season won't have any grand convoluted arcs, but I don't trust the bastard. Love him, but don't trust him.

[GuanoLad]

Originally Posted by Slow Moving Vehicle

Okay, can some kind Estuary speaker tell me what Oswyn said to the Doctor about his chin? This poor 'Muriken doper has watched the scene five times, and I'm damned if I can understand the line.

She says "Bad combo. No sense of humour in that chin." "What is wrong with my chin?" "Careful, dear. You'll put someone's eye out."

[Slow Moving Vehicle]

Originally Posted by GuanoLad

She says "Bad combo. No sense of humour in that chin." "What is wrong with my chin?" "Careful, dear. You'll put someone's eye out."

Thank you, GuanoLad. I got the last two lines, but just couldn't make out her first. I miss half the jokes on Doctor Who because of the accents.

[dropzone]

Originally Posted by Malden Capell

I liked it - funny, dark and the Daleks were the old style, not the poncy colourful iDaleks.

This shouldn't give away any more:

Originally Posted by Rory

What colour? (pause) Sorry; there weren't any good questions left.

[aceplace57]

I saw the Doctor's happy dance at the end differently. I thought he was celebrating that thousands of years of bad blood and anger was washed away. He had a fresh start with these creatures. Sure, they are still evil creatures, but there's no personal vendetta against him anymore.

Originally Posted by Malden Capell

I liked it - funny, dark and the Daleks were the old style, not the poncy colourful iDaleks.

Although I disliked what the Doctor was repeating to himself in the TARDIS, at the end. The show was doing the equivalent of question marks on his lapels.

[standingwave]

Originally Posted by Malden Capell

Although I disliked what the Doctor was repeating to himself in the TARDIS, at the end. The show was doing the equivalent of question marks on his lapels.

I didn't much like it either. A little too 'on the nose' though it was an echo of Dorium shouting it in The Wedding of River Song.

So essentially, the Daleks have been rebooted. They get to relearn to 'divinely' hate the Doctor all over again? I guess this fits with the Doctor stepping down a bit from becoming "too big" though that plot point seems more like it's actually the writers who are stepping back from being obligated to top themselves every episode/season.

[GuanoLad]

Originally Posted by standingwave

...though that plot point seems more like it's actually the writers who are stepping back from being obligated to top themselves every episode/season.

I blame Russell T Davies with his ridiculous finale plots involving things like Reality Bombs.

[Oswald Bastable]

Originally Posted by Dublin11

...the new girl is easy on the eye and can act, so that should please most.

Spoiler tags just in case...

SPOILER:

I'm shocked no one has yet speculated further on the surprise appearance of Jenna-Louise Coleman in this episode (Moffat's 'no long story arcs' disclaimer be damned!).

So, will Jenna-Louise Coleman's companion be an earlier, human Oswyn - in which case I guess she'll be the first non-20th Century companion in NuWho plus, as her end has already been shown, it will give Smith plenty of opportunities to put on a manically brave face for his companion while looking sadly aside to camera. Or perhaps Oswyn-Dalek survived the Asylum's destruction and we'll end up with our first Dalek companion! That would be... odd.

Personally, I don't think Oswyn and the Coleman companion will be the same character, but there has to be a reason they chose her to play this role rather than just some random other young thing.

OB

[williambaskerville]

Originally Posted by Oswald Bastable

Spoiler tags just in case...

SPOILER:

I'm shocked no one has yet speculated further on the surprise appearance of Jenna-Louise Coleman in this episode (Moffat's 'no long story arcs' disclaimer be damned!).

So, will Jenna-Louise Coleman's companion be an earlier, human Oswyn - in which case I guess she'll be the first non-20th Century companion in NuWho plus, as her end has already been shown, it will give Smith plenty of opportunities to put on a manically brave face for his companion while looking sadly aside to camera. Or perhaps Oswyn-Dalek survived the Asylum's destruction and we'll end up with our first Dalek companion! That would be... odd.

Personally, I don't think Oswyn and the Coleman companion will be the same character, but there has to be a reason they chose her to play this role rather than just some random other young thing.

OB

SPOILER:

We were speculating about how this might work out. She has her own DNA to work with (her brain) :- I personally think she'll use that to clone herself her own body. If that's the case, the Doctor's new companion will be an insanely intelligent, computer hacker genius, ex-Dalek who created her own human body by cloning herself :- I think that's pretty much the Doctor's dream girl.

[Pushkin]

Originally Posted by Oswald Bastable

SPOILER:

as her end has already been shown, it will give Smith plenty of opportunities to put on a manically brave face for his companion while looking sadly aside to camera

Haven't we sort of had that before with River Song and the fate of Amy's child?

[The Hamster King]

We were all intrigued by the possibility of a new companion in the Liz Shaw / Nyssa mode -- someone who's able to keep up with the technical expertise of the Doctor and occasionally surprise him with her cleverness. That's territory new Who hasn't explored yet.

[3:20:59 or bust]

Originally Posted by The Hamster King

We were all intrigued by the possibility of a new companion in the Liz Shaw / Nyssa mode -- someone who's able to keep up with the technical expertise of the Doctor and occasionally surprise him with her cleverness. That's territory new Who hasn't explored yet.

Are you forgetting Martha? She was no slouch in the brains department.

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

Originally Posted by Slow Moving Vehicle

Thank you, GuanoLad. I got the last two lines, but just couldn't make out her first. I miss half the jokes on Doctor Who because of the accents.

My daughter watches it with closed captioning on for that reason!

[Slade]

What was that about Amy not being able to give Rory a child? Didn't she already give birth to River Song? And wasn't Rory the father there? Or has all this been magicked away in some sort of continuty reboot?