I know it is early, but word of warning. I have heard that major spoilers are hitting the internet. Apparently, the BBC released two key scenes with spoilers that they have now pulled off the web.
Anyway, it is a two part finale and I assume we will learn exactly who Missy is and what is going on with the “afterlife” aspect of this season. I have to think she is zipping it with time travel or something and yoinking people away just as they are about to die. Perhaps she knows the Doctor’s history and knows points where people die.
Thoughts on Series 8 as a whole? As we wrap things up, what are your opinions on the new direction of the show and the new Doctor?
I have liked, but not loved, this season of Doctor Who. I have been rewatching series 1-7 while watching this new series and it is clear to me that things were certainly better series 2-6. I have not yet re-watched 7, but I really find that I miss both the 10th and 11th Doctors. I liked the upbeat nature of the show and I really like their love for humanity. I like Peter Capaldi, but I am finding his personality as Doctor draining. I wouldn’t give him a totally negative review, but he isn’t one of my top Doctors.
I love Capaldi. In one season, he’s moved up to tie with Tennant (and that’s no small feat–I adore Tennant’s Doctor, even in his stinkeroo episodes). I find Twelve to be a refreshing change from Eleven’s overgrown-kid antics, a much darker, more authoritative, ‘in charge’ Doctor that really appeals to me. He reminds me a lot of Three, who was my favorite classic Doctor.
(Not that I didn’t like Eleven–I did. He was fun, and I really liked it when he got serious, because it contrasted so nicely with his normally goofy persona. But all in all, his take on the Doctor didn’t resonate with me, and I’m finding in retrospect that he hasn’t stood up nearly as well as I thought he would in my mind. And his companions, especially Amy and Rory, did nothing for me.)
I am very much looking forward to this finale. I’ve avoided spoilers but read all the spoiler-free reviews and watched the clips (I’m not sure if I saw the ‘spoiler’ bits before they were removed) and it looks like it’s going to be amazing.
I hope we completely resolve the Missy storyline so things don’t keep dragging on into another series. Also, I am hoping beyond hope that Clara ends up staying and that the Jenna Coleman leaving rumors were false. She’s been awesome this year, my third favorite modern companion behind The Ponds and Donna(I count the Ponds as one companion).
I like Clara too–she’s a great companion. I like the fact that she’s smart and snarky and doesn’t take crap from the Doctor, though I have to admit I haven’t been fond of how she kind of seems to have taken over the show. Often it seems like it’s more about Clara than the Doctor. I want to see them together more with her being resourceful and smart but him being his usual badass “I’m the smartest thing in the room” self.
I never really liked Amy Pond. I know I’m in the minority, but she just rubbed me the wrong way. I didn’t dislike her, but I kept getting this weird pouty, petulant vibe from her that didn’t work for me.
I want more River Song! And I agree about Donna–she and Tennant had fantastic chemistry. You could easily tell they were good friends in real life. And it was nice to have somebody who wasn’t in love with the Doctor!
I liked Mickey as a person, but he always seemed like he was tacked on to Rose. I think he would have been a better companion alone, rather than as Rose’s ex-boyfriend. I’m glad he ended up with Marta and got some backbone by the end.
I think it would have been highly amusing watching Ten try to deal with Rose’s mom as a companion.
This is my order too, not that I disliked Rose, but her story should have ended at the end of series 2. Martha wasn’t well served by the scripts really, much like Clara wasn’t last year. This year she’s been great. It’s almost a tie for the top two for me, but Donna wins. I think both 11 and 12 would have had a great time travelling with her too.
Just saw the episode. Very nice little cliffhanger. I did suspect who Missy is about halfway through, primarily due to the BBC’s introduction – it didn’t exactly give things away, but it hinted at a bit too much.
Most interesting is how this will impact the search for the next Doctor when Capaldi retires.
“Do you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?” shows the real 12
“Don’t cremate me” is just plain terrifying, and a place I didn’t think Who would go. That must have sparked a few awkward conversations in households, say ones with a recently deceased grandparent
HAH! That ain’t happening. Some bad pennies NEVER go away, for good. The 3W logo took me a while, but not long enough to be surprised. That Cybermen would want brains unbaked makes sense, and the human skeletons didn’t look very human, more like a framework.
I actually hope Missy sticks around for a good long time. I love that they were brave enough to make a female Master, and she seems like a smart, powerful character who’ll be a good match for the Doctor. Plus, maybe this will shut people up for a while about making the Doctor female. (I have no issue whatsoever with female Time Lords–just not the Doctor.)
I would think at this point spoiler boxes shouldn’t be necessary, but just to be safe,
First a comment
Having Clara take the Doctor inside a volcano, I’m guessing a callback to “The Fires of Pompeii”
And two questions
Why did Missy say the Doctor left her to die when in fact, the last time we saw the Master he was going for revenge on Rassilon for screwing up his life?
Also, the way Missy has been calling the Doctor her boyfriend and the way she “greeted” the Doctor, does that imply a homosexual undertone when the Master was male?
There was a pretty strong “bromance” subtext going on with Ten and the Master. And we haven’t really explored Time Lord sexuality that much. So it’s possible.
