If there was an intention to kill the franchise this would be what a brilliant mind would create.
Lose any new viewers by having the big bads be villians whose sole value is they’re being villians that only the oldest or most steeped fans know about. Check.
Then ignore and change everything in their backstory. Especially the parts that made them fun or interesting. So those old fans are say what? Check.
Introduce a bunch of clues and mysteries. But then ignore them all. Check.
I knew when Omega was defeated (WAY too easily) with a half hour left that there was another shoe to drop. But I thought it was going to be a dream within a dream thing instead of what ever we got.
I actually thought when the doctor woke up it might be with Isaac Newton and restoring “gravity”
I really wanted something more with Susan than a cameo.
I disagree that Omega’s backstory was changed: first Time Lord - check. Exiled to the [-]antimatter universe[/-] (whatever term they used: under something). I do agree that he not used well.
I do note the Mrs Flood can return.
I do note that Billie Piper was NOT credited as The Doctor so exactly what is happening there is TBD.
Though is precedent - Lalla Ward (Romana II) played Princess Astra, and Peter Capaldi played Lobus Caecilius. Of course those were one time appearances and not a long time companion like Rose Tyler.
I am curious about The War Between the Land and the Sea
Revered. But caught in the antimatter universe and unaware of how he was revered so thought he was abandoned. And unaware that he had lost all physical form.
Never “original sin” or “The Titan” … Twisted by isolation in the antimatter universe, vengeful, yes. Took three Doctors to defeat and presumably destroy.
The antimatter universe very much not the same as the Underroo dimension set up here as the same as The Upside Down or Hell, or earlier as the plane beyond which houses the Gods. Now Omega has a physical, well stupid CGI, form, created out of myths about him that did not exist reaching a place that was isolated from them, is wanting to eat blood of Time Lords, and is defeated easily and with no real cleverness required, just a conveniently placed powerful blaster.
And what happened to the two season tease of the biggest baddest god that The Toymaker and all the others were warning about?
To the mystery of Belinda being the same person as from the distant future? No reason why Ruby remains special in some way still? The Susan “find me” is for no reason? The stories creating reality and meta breaks fourth wall and otherwise have no reason? Instead we get Unit HQ twisting about with parallax cannons in a battle that would be stupid even in ‘70s Saturday morning cartoons? And “we are all your children in a way Doctor”?
There were some very good eps in this two season run. But overall they wasted a great actor, again, well several great actors … the Companions’ and Archie Panjabi’s talents were wasted too. And just horrible arcs.
I don’t know if this show can be salvaged at this point.
I don’t know if it will be. They had promised new episodes every year at the new pace of 8 episides per season, but now it will be at least 2027 before the next batch.
I’m a longtime fan of Doctor Who and I did not like that ending. They did the Rani wrong. I don’t see how a renegade Time Lady would want to bring back their society. A low key episode of the Doctor finding her doing experiments instead of bringing back Omega would have been better.
I’m also confused why the Rani bi generated? I guess the left over one called herself the Rani, so she could come back, but can’t hide in plain sight like she did before.
Sutekh needed to be CGI in this day and age. Omega could have been done with make up. The girl with the ocular thingy proved that they could have done something cool.
Shows and movies these days try and be bigger and badder every time. Bond has to have better gadgets against bigger and badder people trying to destroy everything. Same with the MI franchise. Sherlock did that. (Fortunately, Elementary did not.) The MCU has to keep raising the stakes.
Lower. The. Stakes.
I got more out of Conrad’s episode of him being a bad guy then all of the Rani.
That is my understanding as well. Disney hasn’t renewed it yet. From what I read, Disney is waiting to see how the spin off goes? I would hope the BBC can make Doctor Who without Disney. They did for a long time before. Might force some better writing.
This is like '86 with Colin Baker all over again. Fewer and fewer episodes until it’s removed. Maybe when it comes back, it will be with new focus like the seventh doctor had.
ETA: I liked most of the season. I looked forward each week to seeing what they would do. Even ones I thought I wouldn’t like I did. It was the two part ending I didn’t like. I liked several ideas, including the return of the Time Hotel, but I didn’t like the execution of it at all.
Disney 's contract is not for two years. It’s for a set number of episodes. The short seasons means there’s another (short) season’s worth under the contract.
I liked what Davies has done since he returned. A few duds, of course, but overall it’s been top notch and plotted very smartly.
The final episode was solid, with a few flaws. Bringing back Jodie added little and just made it run long.
Also, the bigeneration was unnecessary. Mrs. Flood had nothing to do and the only reason for it was to allow the Rani to be killed by Omega and still bring her back in the future.
Still, this has been a great run-- well plotted and smart in every way.
He has confirmed. But that could be part of the game.
I’ve loved every minute of it, but now is the time to hand over the keys to that beloved blue box and let someone else take control and enjoy it every bit as much as I have. I’ll truly miss it, and forever be grateful to it, and everyone that has played a part in my journey as the Doctor.
There was so much if/when about the next season, I don’t blame Ncuti for not waiting around – IMHO if there was definite next season soon he probably would have stayed.
Ugh. If anything, he has shown again it isn’t the Doctor actor, it’s the scripts as well. He was terrific, a possilbe top-tier Doctor…but was stuck with less than great material.
I won’t remember his run as noteworthy at all. Shame he only stayed on for the two seasons.
I agree with this. He needs to work. Or maybe he wants to work. Equally, in this day and age, actors need to stay in the public eye. At least, that’s my understanding of that profession.
Good points and I agree but would be disappointed if it’s not Archie again with more to do.
THANK you! I had the same thought. I know it’s not good form to pick on a kid, but surely they could have found some child actor who had a spark of personality and charisma for the role.
I was enjoying quite a few of the episodes this season, and I really liked Gatwa’s Doctor (I liked him at the beginning, and he grew on me even more throughout his run). But that last episode was a big, steaming pile of Dugga-Doo, IMO.
Also, I don’t think Billie Piper really is going to be the next Doctor, but I hope I’m right. I never liked Rose very much, and watching her as the Doctor might be the thing that finally has me saying a fond farewell to the show (assuming it comes back at all).
She was initially cast as a smaller child as the Space Babies Captain. Recasting could have been done, especially since there was no reason for her to have been Captain Poppy, didn’t need to have that be a connection, but …
I, for one, have thankfully managed to forget much of the utterly worthless Space Babies, including what every child actor looked like (and their names). I would never have known she was a returning actor and character name if I hadn’t read it on-line.
Ruby said something about her and the Doctor having met a child called Poppy and I thought it was a mistake. Had very little memory of this episode at all.
