Did ‘The Star Beast’ SAVE Doctor Who?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- The first of the 60th Anniversary Dr Who specials is here. David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Beep the Meep. I have thoughts on them, and have done some timey wimey shenanigans to get this video out so quickly in order to share them with you. I say the words “special” and “lovely” quite a lot, if you’d like an indication of my overall opinion.
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Let me know what you think of The Star Beast!
Fantastic!
Loved it so much I've watched twice
I plan on watching again. It’s a bit soon to say if it “saves Dr Who”, but I enjoyed it very much.
I think the TARDIS was a bit much, actually, but it will be interesting to see how she rebuilds herself.
I’ve seen as many negative as positive comments, so far. Not that I’ve spent hours at it 😊.
Lol
Well, it seems that the negative comments are more vocal. There seem to be tons of people who want to I’ve in the mid-20th century and ignore today’s issues. I suspect even more people hate the 60th than hated Jodie.
It’s fiction! Stories can go two ways. They can educate and inspire us or they can provide escape. I’m hearing more people who want Dr Who to be escape, with more of the same stories they heard 50-60 years ago. We will have to wait and see how the BBC reacts.
I loved Sylvia... we saw a lot of growth, but still being herself... and maybe she's not always in touch with being a great mother in her interactions, but the way she wanted to protect Donna and how it echoed through Donna wanting to protect Rose 🥹🥹 I miss my mum... was beautiful 💙💙
We all expected Wilf to be the comedic and emotional goldmine of the Noble family but Sylvia stole the show a little
The 14th Doctor putting on the wig and playing trial judge was like a Bugs Bunny skit and it was super silly and funny. Overall, I liked the entire episode. It was back to form!
I’d love to see more of that from this Doctor, just comedic props appearing
It was a lovely reference to the 4th Doctor doing the same in The Stones Of Blood.
I really liked the scene but I would have preferred no wig ngl, particularly as Tennant’s hair is just so good
My theory behind the recap at the beginning is that it may have been a request by Disney given that they don't have any of the previous episodes to watch on their streaming service. While I agree that the episode does a pretty good job of covering what happened, I could see an exec at Disney feeling like it may not be enough for new viewers.
Yeah that makes a lot of sense. As I said, it’s a bit strange but it hardly harms the episode.
You were honestly really good at speaking off the cuff and expressing your thoughts in a natural but organized manner! Agree with a lot of what you said here and hope to see more of these types of videos.
Thank you, I really appreciate the feedback (the editing helped tie it together into something coherent). Based on the response this video has had, I’ll keep this format up for the rest of the 60th specials!
Donna has really grown as a character off screen. She felt a lot more mature.
It’s always so great when characters grow and change in the time we don’t see them, it’s no fun when people have been frozen in ice for yesrs
Yeah, it was a pretty stupid episode. Honestly, we had two women in the form of Donna and Rose (or a woman and a man, depending on how accepting you are) being smug, rude and dismissive to the Doctor, a hero who has saved the Earth countless times. There were also repeated scenes in which women characters were rude and condescending to male characters, and Donna's husband is so very spineless that neither his wife nor daughter are willing to take on his last name (or even hyphenate their names to his) out of love and family unity. Furthermore, Donna was stupid enough to give away what I think might have been 166 million pounds to charity, but then proposes selling the Meep to the highest bidder.
The characters just generally seem like quite horrible people, with all of this wokeness going on. Also, perhaps if Donna hadn't folded and allowed her son Jason to instantly receive affirmative care, and had instead taken him to a psychologist, his underlying gender dysphoria could have been treated in a more gentle, less extreme approach then pumping him full of drugs and mutilating his body with surgery.
@@shaolinabbott9161worst fucking take ive ever heard
I am exactly where you are; just a good episode, but a great start for a new era. This format is fine. Definitely keep it up. 👍
I’ll be back next week then!
I think the opening monologue bit would have worked if it were Capaldi in the Tardis talking to the camera, but they clearly wanted to save the Tardis reveal.
Was always such a treat to get a Capaldi TARDIS monologue, but I’m not sure if Tennant could pull it off
Agree with pretty much everything here. I felt like the explanation to the meta crisis was a bit messy, but in that classic cheesy RTD way that somehow makes you forgive him, because his characters are so good. Main takeaway is I feel really satisfied that doctor who is on the right path again, which I guess was the episodes entire job 😆 I say let the man cook.
can't wait to hear your thoughts on the coming episodes 💙💙
I think that’s a really nice way of putting it. I hope you enjoy the next special, I’ll be back for another video on it next week!
I love that this episode is about identity and what the "true self" really is. It's why we have the scene with Rose talking to Meep about "feeling like she's from a different planet" and the scene where she gets heckled or the scene where she mentions pronouns or the scene where the Doctor says "I don't know who I am anymore" or Rose at the end saying "I know who I am now." It's all tied to the theme of identity and what someone's "true" self is. As Meep looks cute and cuddly and innocent but is actually evil, or the warriors going after Meep look evil but are actually good, or Rose being nonbinary when she was born a male and presents as a female, or Donna not knowing she's Doctor Donna, or the Doctor being unsure of who they are when they literally have the face and actions of 10. Everything here is in service of that theme and it's been awhile since we've had an episode of Who that's like this. One where we can really analyze what's in service of the themes and one that's truly saying something.
Yes! 👍
Yeah, it was a pretty stupid episode. Honestly, we had two women in the form of Donna and Rose (or a woman and a man, depending on how accepting you are) being smug, rude and dismissive to the Doctor, a hero who has saved the Earth countless times. There were also repeated scenes in which women characters were rude and condescending to male characters, and Donna's husband is so very spineless that neither his wife nor daughter are willing to take on his last name (or even hyphenate their names to his) out of love and family unity. Furthermore, Donna was stupid enough to give away what I think might have been 166 million pounds to charity, but then proposes selling the Meep to the highest bidder.
The characters just generally seem like quite horrible people, with all of this wokeness going on. Also, perhaps if Donna hadn't folded and allowed her son Jason to instantly receive affirmative care, and had instead taken him to a psychologist, his underlying gender dysphoria could have been treated in a more gentle, less extreme approach then pumping him full of drugs and mutilating his body with surgery.
It's leaning more on the positive side of decent for me. It's nice to see David and Catherine back but I'm still a little more antsy to finally get Gatwa.
Also, love that the Sonic now has a holographic display *and* force field setting but still in all likelihood "doesn't do wood".
I’m so very excited for Gatwa. Christmas can’t come soon enough!
I find it interesting that in both of Tennant's "first outings" a hot drink gets spilled in the TARDIS to dramatic consequence.... Tea good - Coffee bad
Oh that’s very fun, clearly the tardis is more susceptible to beverage-based shenanigans than we’d expect
The court scene was a throwback to Tom Baker's court scene in that one key to time episode- blood stones? Stones of blood? Something like that. That's what it reminded me of at least. Seemed to me a nod to Baker's hilarious "monster in disguise turned courtroom drama" episode. Like now they each have one. 😂
Good mention! Stones of Blood
The tardis looked like concept art, could get better with age but definitely gets points for the run-around-ability tennant showed off
Yeah that scene really did it some favours
It wasn't perfect, but it certainly felt very genuine and it's LEAGUES better than what we we've had for the past few years.
Any reservations I have about it are with this additional layer of “but probably still better than it has been”
@@Joe_Brennan_ Same
I agree about 14 being better than 10; really felt like Tennant had merged the personality of 10 with the gravitas and softness of 2.
Hardly any nauseating manic outbursts like we would normally expect from 10, but instead we get a restrained and thoughtful Doctor who actually shares their feelings instead of putting up a wall at the slightest probing. Pretty subtle but powerful work.
Yeah I’m super excited to see more from him
Do you think he conveys the thousands of years elapsed in the characters personal timeline since then?
The manic outbursts is one of the reasons 10 is my favourite Doctor honestly, that said I love the more mature more emotionally together take on The Doctor 14 brings.
The only part I didn’t like is when Rose scolds the Doctor for calling Meep a pronoun, but then made fun of him for being a man again and he would understand the meta crisis if he was still a woman which I felt is really uncalled for 🤨 and some scenes did feel a bit rushed
But other than that I enjoyed the episode, it made me feel really nostalgic, I love the new Sonic and Tardis and David and Catherine back together is awesome, it feels like they never left 🥰
I liked it, it’s what the average trans person likes to butt in. So very on point
yeah the assuming pronouns line made me wonder if anyone trans was advised on the writing because that specific wording was really bad, like written exactly the way transphobes mock trans people as behaving.
and enforcing binary gender roles and stereotypes later in the episode wasn't good either. the lines feel like they were written in 2013, not 2023 and even in 2013 they wouldn't have been good
Like what is Doctor not allowed to be genderfluid?
@@combogalis I'm deeply curious about who made the call to include these on-the-nose cringey gender lines - was it Davies or was it Disney? I'd like to believe that Disney had something to do with it, because it honestly doesn't make sense when you look at how Davies has included bisexuality in Doctor Who and the spin offs. When you look at a character like Captain Jack, his bisexuality was always portrayed in a very organic way that normalized it as just a neutral part of himself rather than putting it front and center and showing it as this marginalized thing. The scene where he kisses the doctor goodbye in season 1 was such a heartfelt moment, neither Rose nor the doctor react with shock because they have such a deep understanding of each other in that moment. It's just hard to believe that the guy that wrote that scene is the same guy that wrote "you don't understand this dumb deus ex machina because you are male presenting"
@@combogalis What makes the scene even more dumb is that the doctor was literally a woman until like a few hours ago. To make a claim that the doctor's gender presentation inherently changes his capabilities and understanding of things...sorry that's not progressive, that's sexist. I miss Season 1 Davies where Captain Jack is just like like "screw gender, let's all kiss each other and not make a big deal out of it"
I like the format as an extra way to do a video and I think the red thumbnail instead of your classic blue is a really nice, subtle way of distinguishing themselves apart from one another without having to come up with a clunky video title or second channel or whatever 😊
Thank you very much! The turnaround of this video was really refreshingly fast, so I’d love to keep making them. As long as the format is well received, I’ll keep dipping back into it.
There's photos of Bernard Cribbins at the initial table read for this episode so I imagine Wilf originally had a slightly bigger role and then didn't get chance to film everything.
That’s a real shame, I hope they’ve been able to use as much as his footage as they can in the rest of the specials.
This epsiode in particalr felt like it should have been a 2 parter. But i can absolutely get why it wasn't
If not 2 parts, then definitely another few minutes would’ve helped!
Intro exposition is mostly for worldwide audiences that are just starting the show for the first time through Disney+.
Yeah I realise that it could be quite alienating to try and trust the process of in-scene exposition
I did like the mention of a bonus for UNIT staff meeting the Doctor.
It's good that hazard pay is part of their contracts
It’s little details like that that really shine in RTD’s scripts
I absolutely loved this episode! Not everything worked, but man did it have me beaming throughout; just so damn fun!
As is clear from the video, I’m very similar!
@@TheKing-cm9ibI refuse to watch de who until they stop preaching "The message".
I found the resolution stupid but also I was crying. So a definite RTD episode of Who.
Haha, perfect.
Glad I went into this with no spoilers bc I could enjoy the ride and have a good time. The Star Beast was sooo good and I was actually shocked when Meep turned out to be an evil fuck. Haven’t laughed that hard in a long time 😂😂😂
It’s an objectively hilarious twist
Yeah, it was a pretty stupid episode. Honestly, we had two women in the form of Donna and Rose (or a woman and a man, depending on how accepting you are) being smug, rude and dismissive to the Doctor, a hero who has saved the Earth countless times. There were also repeated scenes in which women characters were rude and condescending to male characters, and Donna's husband is so very spineless that neither his wife nor daughter are willing to take on his last name (or even hyphenate their names to his) out of love and family unity. Furthermore, Donna was stupid enough to give away what I think might have been 166 million pounds to charity, but then proposes selling the Meep to the highest bidder.
The characters just generally seem like quite horrible people, with all of this wokeness going on. Also, perhaps if Donna hadn't folded and allowed her son Jason to instantly receive affirmative care, and had instead taken him to a psychologist, his underlying gender dysphoria could have been treated in a more gentle, less extreme approach then pumping him full of drugs and mutilating his body with surgery.
@@shaolinabbott9161 this is such a depressing way of looking at things and your life would be improved so greatly if you stopped trying to make everything fit to the idea that there’s some great conspiracy. Donna giving the Doctor shit is about as core a character trait as anyone has ever had.
The part I've seen no one pick up on yet that I personally lost my mind at was when Donna gets her memory back and say "I'll show you destruction" part of 'I am the doctor' played and I nearly cried. RTD is not holding back, this show truly is his as much as it belongs to the doctor themselves.
Yeah I really enjoyed that music playing. It felt very natural and then I realised where it was actually from. I hope Murray continues to draw from eras across the show, not just Tennant’s
I enjoyed this format. I would still love to see some in-depth analysis for these episodes in future. Although, for the time being I do love hearing about your initial unscripted thoughts on the episode!
I really appreciate the feedback, I’m gonna keep doing timely thoughts videos for each of the 60th specials, then maybe I’ll do a more scripted and structured reflection on the specials as a whole a little down the line
The only bit that gave me pause was that rose is a bit old for Donna to have had in only the last 15 years. So I wrote it up to times wimey shenanigans.
Yeah I think RTD has fudged the numbers a little for this to be possible, but I don’t mind really
Solid episode, would probably give it a 7/10. Some parts felt rushed, and some parts felt clunky, but I still had a lot of fun with it and felt that it was an enjoyable romp.
I think I’d land near 7/10 as well. I can see that going up or down though.
I’m about 8.5 at this point. I’m planning on watching at least once more to pick up bits I may have missed.
Maybe I’m old, but I didn’t pick up on the trans situation. Probably not watching closely enough.
Overall well worth my time.
I absolutely agree about the binary/non-binary resolution being a little too quick to fully work for me. I want to rewatch it because, like you said, it feels like there was something there, but with how quickly they threw it out there I feel like it was maybe as simple as Russell realizing the words were the same and “slapping it on there” like you talked about in the case of some bad representation the show has done
I think what bothered me was how everyone in the story was like “of course! this all makes sense!” when as a viewer it really didn’t
@@Joe_Brennan_ absolutely! The finger-pointing moment from Tennant and Tate didn’t land cuz I was just like “huh?”😅
It felt so fresh, but also like coming home. good characters again! engaging dialogue! it feels like Christmas! doctor who is back! And it's making TERFs pissed! love you RTD
Much better than what we were getting before. The acting really shines.
Catherine Tate continues to impress me, she’s far better than I always expect
describing the 10th as a little rat man is so funny 😭
And just after I’d been so conscious about saying he looked older. The irony was totally lost on me.
"Doctor Who won't be any good until the hat stand comes back!" - Joe Brennan
You condensed my thoughts into one sentence
joe brennan's opinions are always so correct and good (they're basically the same as mine)
i really liked sharon, i loved her scene with 14 and the lack of stairs in the new tardis is telling me we might see her again quite soon
Happy to be purveyor of your own opinions!
Enjoyed the episode massively, it was more or less what I expected but it felt nice to have a fun romp with old characters. It had all the strengths and weaknesses of RTDs writing, but honestly my main takeaway is that it felt nice to have good character moments in the show again.
RTD wrote an episode for groomers.
Largely agree with you - I really enjoyed it, it felt like old times but also like things had moved on/progressed, both in-universe with Donna's family and out-of-universe with RTD's writing. It's not perfect by any means, and I wouldn't call it 'great' on its own, but it does give a solid indication of what's to come from the RTD2 era and he's given us firm lines on important things that I appreciate. There are small things I have issue with, but none that ruin the episode, and I'm really excited for more Doctor Who in a way I haven't been in a long time.
It’s so great when characters have moved on in the time we haven’t seen them. Any time we had a character reintroduction with Chibnall, it’s like they’d been kept in ice. Russell knows how to keep things authentic
Yeah, it was a pretty stupid episode. Honestly, we had two women in the form of Donna and Rose (or a woman and a man, depending on how accepting you are) being smug, rude and dismissive to the Doctor, a hero who has saved the Earth countless times. There were also repeated scenes in which women characters were rude and condescending to male characters, and Donna's husband is so very spineless that neither his wife nor daughter are willing to take on his last name (or even hyphenate their names to his) out of love and family unity. Furthermore, Donna was stupid enough to give away what I think might have been 166 million pounds to charity, but then proposes selling the Meep to the highest bidder.
The characters just generally seem like quite horrible people, with all of this wokeness going on. Also, perhaps if Donna hadn't folded and allowed her son Jason to instantly receive affirmative care, and had instead taken him to a psychologist, his underlying gender dysphoria could have been treated in a more gentle, less extreme approach then pumping him full of drugs and mutilating his body with surgery.
Always feel free to share your thoughts as they come! I like your usual format because the visuals often add to the humour (couldn’t help but notice your eyes looked a bit different in your last one?) but this was great to stick on in the car on my way to work this morning! Keep up the great work Joe 🙌🏻
I’m definitely gonna keep the typical video essay format for my normal uploads, but I’m glad this gives me the freedom to deliver more timely opinions when the moment calls for it. I appreciate the feedback, it really helps me steer the ship in the right direction (and encourages me about the stuff I’ve already done)
Cohesive might be the word. The episodes and series' Russel T Davies wrote for doctor who always seemed to fit and work together, without the kind of confusion Moffat's tended to have. As far as specials go the end of time is one of my favourites, because I'm such a simp for John Simm as the master.
Simm can be truly electric with the right material
Yeah, it was a pretty stupid episode. Honestly, we had two women in the form of Donna and Rose (or a woman and a man, depending on how accepting you are) being smug, rude and dismissive to the Doctor, a hero who has saved the Earth countless times. There were also repeated scenes in which women characters were rude and condescending to male characters, and Donna's husband is so very spineless that neither his wife nor daughter are willing to take on his last name (or even hyphenate their names to his) out of love and family unity. Furthermore, Donna was stupid enough to give away what I think might have been 166 million pounds to charity, but then proposes selling the Meep to the highest bidder.
The characters just generally seem like quite horrible people, with all of this wokeness going on. Also, perhaps if Donna hadn't folded and allowed her son Jason to instantly receive affirmative care, and had instead taken him to a psychologist, his underlying gender dysphoria could have been treated in a more gentle, less extreme approach then pumping him full of drugs and mutilating his body with surgery.
Loved the episode! I agree that the ending felt rushed, but that didn't detract from the experience! Tennant and Tate still have great chemistry! 14 was very proactive, enjoyed the sonics new ablities. I imagine that 15 will make the Tardis feel more personable!
I’m a big fan of the sonic’s hologram display. I’m not sure about its ability to create a forcefield, but maybe it depends on WHEN it’s used
Murray Gold’s music made the difference between me just loving that scene of Tennant analysing the rocket and me tearing up seeing an older 10.
I absolutely loved every minute of it. It was brilliant seeing Tennant and Tate reconnect. There were moments when I was on such an emotional high, I started to laugh and cry at the same time! I just wish this could have been the start of a long running spin-off instead of an all too fleeting moment.
I’m just grateful we get this fleeting moment at all
I absolutely agree on the TARDIS, it's cool but definitely needs more furniture or something to make it a little more homely. I also really loved the visuals overall, exceeding even S10 which was my favourite visually before this.
Regarding the trans rep, as a trans person I think there was a lot of good, but also a few bits that felt a little bit clunky. Like I didn't really get the jab at the doctor being male presenting, that felt a bit off. But in general their heart seems to be in the right place and it's good to see positive trans rep in such a popular show when there's a lot of negativity towards trans people in the world currently. I think like in most situations the rule applies that the key to good rep is having a lot of it so the burden of perfect rep does not rest on a single character.
I really appreciate your perspective here, from where I’m standing I can understand and agree with a lot of that sentiment
It’s refreshing to see Trans people commenting on the ‘clunky’ and in my opinion unnecessary dialogue that was jammed into the story. The deadnaming and the kitchen scene should have been enough. The ‘non binary’ line to me makes no sense as it means that character should have been non-binary identifying as opposed to trans-female identifying .
I think we saw the Tardis as it was because The Doctor (Tennant) is not the 14th doctors final form (Gatwa), and we are looking at the Tardis in its Natural State and not styled to the current Doctor.
I'm glad we get some decent writing for once. It does feel like RTD is continuing on where The End of Time Part 2 left off, though. Remove any reference to the previous two eras and people who dropped off long ago would be able to understand what was going on.
I felt like Shaun was criminally underused, and completely unphased by the whole situation? Which was a bit odd? The sonic also appeared from nowhere and now makes bulletproof shields? That might have been handy on many occasions!
The interface that The Doctor traces is cool though, before we've had them just say random stuff when scanning things so it's nice to see some sort of visual representation. The Star Beast stuff was decent, but not extremely important. I wonder who The Boss could be? The Toymaker! Yes it is! Obviously!
Shirley is more of a character than Kate and Osgood have ever been, and they've been around for... TEN years. Insane. It makes Shirley a lot more interesting than the latest bunch of companions which is MAD.
It's a very odd place to start a 'new' era, though. People are still going to be confused if they go in blind. It's very silly...
I have very mixed thoughts on the special, but it really does feel like Doctor Who is back!
Yeah it’s a bizarre choice to have this special start the third iteration of the show
I also loved it because I legitimately said “that thing is a war criminal” within seconds of the meep showing up. I KNEW there was no way he was this nice
I don't know if you were trying to make a big point of it, but a new sonic having a new ability should be entirely expected. I do agree though that it came out of nowhere, they usually put more significance on a new sonic, so it just being there is strange.
@@eldritchcupcakes3195 I listened to a 6th Doctor audio called 'The Ratings War' where Meep was openly evil :')
I would say I could clearly see the increase in cinematography of the filming as well as the budget. I definitely enjoyed the beginning and the reunion, however, the resolution of Doctor Donna for myself did not have a satisfying ending. It only made me question what it means for them to just let it go. As a woman myself I was very confused as to why being a woman would teach them to just let it go. What does that even mean? I felt like it was just a plot device to allow the Doctor and Donna to get to the next episode. As for the trans representation, I felt it didn't really make sense to me. I believe it might have been better if they did not use it as the symbol for the fixing of the Doctor Donna because it felt like the writing just used trans representation as a plot device and I do not believe trans people should be used as a plot device. It was a comical special though.
Yeah I think tying the trans storyline into something so sci-fi (and doing it with no time to avoid unfortunate unintended implications) is one of those things that has the right idea but the wrong execution.
Thank you so much for putting into words what I was trying to say. Brilliant! Everything I had to say sounded crap.
@@eccremocarpusscaber5159 I sound like I’m writing a literary review though lol
I think it was both a joke on the stereotypical masculine trait of holding grudges and emotions inside (of which, we’ve seen lots of in the Doctor- Tennant’s “I don’t want to go”, 12 refusing to let Clara die, even Tennant trying to save Bowie Base One etc…),
and then the idea that women often have to “let things go” like comments or things that make them uncomfortable, to keep the peace and not evoke anger in men. Which we see earlier in the episode when those kids deadname Rose as she’s arrived home.
But obviously, all of that is really deep for a throwaway line, so even if it’s explainable, it’s poorly handled. Also, I actually think Rose was really handled well aside from that conclusion to the meta crisis, she was quiet for what I’d expect from Donna’s daughter but that’s just how RTD has written her, not down to the actress.
I for myself believe that it’s actually hurtful to propagate Lgbtq support in children’s shows. I think an example of a good show was the second season of Loki. It was good sci-fi without having to force ably place it in.
After 59 years, 11 months and 3 days, Doctor Who's back!
Finally a return to proper telly
"He looks like a little rat-man"
🤣🤣🤣
I can’t believe I said this a few moments after being conscious of speaking about his face too harshly
Loved this off the cuff format. Would love to see you do it for all the specials
I’ll try my best to keep it up!
Was it as good as RTD's best episodes? No. Was it as good as some of the best episodes we've had over the last three searies? Absolutely, and seemingly (although obviously not actually) effortlessly so. I left it feeling excited for the next episode and disappointed at having to wait a week so I take as a success.
The new sonic abilities are stupid and I could have done without the 'men useless' joke in amongst the otherwise very positive messaging, but those niggles are far outweighed by the pluses of it just being some solid Doctor Who. I'll be interested to see what direction things go in once we get to series 14 proper and the truly 'new' stuff, but from what we've seen so far, I'm very happy to be along for this ride.
Offensive to males. Why Tennant puts up with that garbage I have no idea.
Yeah the more I’ve sat with the “male presenting time lord” stuff, the more unfortunate it feels. But as you said, it’s part of a story that does have the right idea about things.
I liked the special, but it does fall firmly under the category of “Episodes I Like Because I Like Doctor Who” rather than “Episodes I Like Because They’re Just SO GOOD”
RTD is as his best when the story is firmly anchored in character, and The Star Beast’s resolution of plot and character is mostly propped up by very overt dialogue rather than any real character arc through the story. Even the Meep serves as more of a plot function than anything else, something over which the Doctor/Donna are able to reconnect.
That said, this special had to do a lot of heavy lifting on the part of the series as a whole and the Tennant/Tate era in particular, as well as cutting some pretty clear messaging that definitely deserves to be made explicit in the world of Doctor Who. Given the circumstances as they are, the special did remarkably well with the given material; I just wish that the plot could have better supported that story, and I hope that future episodes get a little more finesse that brings them into the “SO GOOD” category.
I think we’re very much in agreement here, hopefully now this groundwork has been laid, we can have a great time going forward.
@@Joe_Brennan_ I hope so too! I’m looking forward to the next few weeks
What was all that heavy breathing over the end credits??? I was creeping out my gf by mimicking it 😂
Very funny mental image there
@@Joe_Brennan_ she's a lucky lady for sure 😂
OMG FINALLY SOMEONE ELSE NOTICED 😂
I thought it sounded like breathing too! I thought I was going mad!
@@bexrex97 I was in disbelief 😂
Loved it, can’t wait for more ❤
So exciting that we get more so soon! Two more specials this month!
Yeah I felt like pretty much everything in the prologue was repeated later on in the episode
I guess they didn’t want people to be immediately put off by a lack of relevant info at da start
Not only was it repeated later, it was done better. After the intro was done, my wife and I spent the credits saying “hmm…not sure about that”. I felt like it was a diktat from someone at the beeb saying “people will be confused, we need to explain what’s happening right away!”.
Fortunately, like Joe says, once that bit’s over and the episode gets going, it’s much better.
As a trans person, I really loved how they did Rose's character. I know Russell said he talked with Yazmin about the deadnaming/misgendering scene and I know a few people have been angry about it but I really relate to that and I think it's an experience that's important to show seeing as most trans people go through it. The binary/non-binary stuff was a bit cringe to me but I think that's just personal tastes haha
What do you mean "it was a bit cringe"? It was hateful against man but that's fine or what?
Thank you for your perspective, I really appreciate having it
@bodycounter9386 I'm not sure how you saw it as hateful, it just showed women can have a different perspective than men do. I'm masc presenting and I don't find it offensive at all, sounds like a problem you need to work on.
@@book4004 You serious? did you not see what they even said to the Dr at times? Even down right scolding him. One fine example saying, to bad your not a woman anymore.
You dont do that.
@@KimbaLemuryou're* It wasn't meant to be taken that seriously. Stop being a snowflake and move on.
First video of yours I’ve seen, and right out the gate I subscribed. Love your personality, can’t wait to see more.
Welcome to the channel! I hope you enjoy
007 wheelchair was excellent
It did remind me of Goldeneye when Q shoots a rocket out of a fake leg cast on a wheelchair! 😂
I only just discovered your channel today, and honestly, I love these videos! Your way of speaking is so measured and calming, and even if I don't agree with all of your opinions, you explain your view point really well so I get them and think about it in a new way. It does just feel like Doctor Who is becoming more of a talking point again and listening to a friend's opinion 🥰
I'm glad you found the channel! I hope you continue to enjoy
Extra thought: I think the Meep was creepier before the VFX editing
agree with your thoughts a lot! I was chatting with a friend and we were just in awe at the simplicity of the kitchen scene, where they are having a conversation like normal people while tackling lots of elements of the story and characters. missed that...
The stuff with the Nobles was good upto a point. But the stuff pinched from the original comic does that story no justice. It also stumbles on the representation aims to the point of being patronising. Donna is saved by the power of being a woman. UNIT can have a genius in an armed wheelchair but the Daleks can't. Rose's gender identity is down to sci-fi and not just her being her. It's well meant but clumsy.
Clumsy is absolutely the word. But, as you said, it’s definitely well meaning.
I’m tired of this representation garbage.
Ok
@@holden190 I thought they handled Rose Noble's story well up until they attributed their gender presentation to the Metacrisis. Then it just fell to pieces.
This is probably the best review I've seen of it. I feel like it will be heightened, as will the whole return concept, after all three drop and we have the wider story
I agree about the ending being rushed but to be fair most of RTD episodes have that problem. This felt somwhere between the Doctor pushes some buttons and the Doctor mixes a load of medicine together in a lift.
Usually a rushed ending can be justified by the TV runtime, but a special like this should have some more room to breathe
Not just an RTD problem. The worst one I can remember is “Journey To The Centre Of The TARDIS” literally having a big reset button at the end.
You're a very good speaker. I think you summarised a lot of my thoughts very well.
It was a very good, fun and enjoyable episode, albeit clearly flawed. It really had a lot to cram in to what felt like quite a short space of time: the Meep, the reintroduction of the Nobles, the handling of the meta-crisis stuff. It did speed through a lot, and perhaps sacraficed potential quality in the process.
The episode felt like a sequel to The End of Time, but its nonsensicality meant that you could tell that it was, concurrently, an adaptation of a comic. Like you said, it completely served its function in both of these regards and as a reintroduction to the show. A version of the show with much better dialogue than we've had in a WHILE at that.
Saturday will have to prove that RTD is capable of non-End of Time stories. His most recent two have been very similar. I have faith though. Thank you for the comment!
Overall it gets a good rating for me, the humor and the characterization is certainly there and completely blows Chib's stuff out of the water in comparison, so a good start. I do love the reunion of Doctordonna, stellar stuff (the metacrisis passing down is a bit odd I and I do see it's messiness, but personally I WILL roll with it cause it ain't much of a problem to me as it is for others), plus Sylvia is just golden in this episode as well. Big fan of The Meep ofc, fun villain and the set up of "wait till I tell the boss!" is a bit corny but it's a very Doctor Who level of corny that I find endearing. I also overall enjoy the exploration of different topics, such as identity with Rose and Doc, it's a pretty ok tackling of the transgender and non-binary topics and all the gender jazz which is epic and all.
I think my biggest gripes are:
1. Not a fan of the structure of the new intro god im so sorry
2. That opening shot, while definitely a miss, was really funny. I dig it but for the wrong reasons.
3. The pronoun interaction with Meep felt jarring not in the sense that I don't think it's it's necessary, but I feel like maybe it could have been placed in a situation that wasn't so rushed, like getting to learn about The Meep slower and not rushed by the tension and conflict outside.
4. The whole, "It's a shame, as a male-presenting doctor, the woman would understand...just let go" thing was very...weird to me. Like I get that this is Donna poking at the fact that 10 couldn't let go and that 14's face is a representation of that, but does it not feel like it's completely undermining the non-binary arc that Doc had, like maybe it should have been "It's a shame, you know, returning to that face, cause one thing that we know that you don't, is to let go". A complete spitball, but delving into the same face thing might've been...more understandable writing-wise, don't you think?
Yeah I think I pretty much completely agree with, that last line has felt more misjudged the longer I’ve sat with it. It’s not something that has much of an impact on my opinion of anything beyond the line itself though, so in that sense I can’t say it matters
Bro got the red thumbnail to signify your inner darkness
I’ve gone evil like The Meep
@@Joe_Brennan_ you lived long enough to see yourself become the villain
Tardis felt a little impersonal and clinical. Would have liked the lighting or controls to have felt a bit warmer or homely
They did show the different lighting styles. Have a feeling they'll be utilizing that a lot as mood lighting in Ncuti Gatwa's upcoming era
It would be vastly improved by some furniture, although I didn’t hate it without.
I called the meep out as evil from the first second I saw it, and noticed how like a cat it looked. Also, I want a plush toy of the meep.
I'm here for the Sylvia Noble redemption arc!
She’s suddenly the best!
Hopefully, the specials will only improve from here! Overall it was great!
It definitely feels like a good episode that’s likely to be the weakest episode of the 3
I've watched Doctor Who for so long that I remember the Toymaster even without the assistance of streaming services. I gave up on it during the 80s when Peter Davidson and Colin Baker's eras (not the individuals) failed on the whole to live up to their predecessors' shows. Part of that was me growing up and trying to leave my childish things behind. New Who I experienced again through my own child's eyes and I've caught up on what I missed and stuck through some dodgy scripts and production nightmares because this show even in its worst seasons has moments and all that depth behind it. I love it now even at its worst and this was not that. Russell poked the bear a few times (and not just the alien bear's eye) but that's Russell and he is right to do so because if The Doctor ever taught anything it was that we should be more kind as a species and as individuals.
I've learnt not to expect too much from an hour or so of TV. Midnight and Heaven Sent can't arrive every week or even every year and this had a lot of work to do. It set out Russell's stall, it entertained, it did call backs and fan service but also was accessible to new viewers and returning ones. That's incredibly hard.
It was really good and so was your new format. It served its purpose and you got out before the cracks in the wall got too big.
Thank you for the really great perspective in this comment, and I appreciate the feedback on the format
This definitely had the vibe of a classic RTD romp, a little silly, but still a classic sci-fi story. Mostly enjoyed seeing David Tennant back doing his thing, and Donna is such a good counterpart. There was definitely a lot of soft reboot vibes, especially with the weird void lecture at the start. As you said, the convo with UNIT broadly covered it.
The metacrisis solution was interesting. The idea that Donna had shared it with Rose makes about as much sense as anything about regeneration, but I did think the "binary, nonbinary" felt a bit... on the nose? In that the concept is actually really good, but the dialogue feels like it's overexplaining it. It felt like I was reading an analysis of the scene, instead of dialogue. But that's a bit of an RTD trope, slightly hammering you over the head with a good point!
All in all, good stuff, fun vibes, looking forward to the next one!
I thought it was about on par with a standard middling episode from S1-4. It wasn't perfect, but I still enjoyed it very much. 14 did feel a bit Good Omens at some points though but that might just be the proximity of the two releases and face associations.
I’ve been trying to think of which RTD episode I’d put it alongside if I was ranking, because you’re on the money about where it sits. The trouble is, I think the emotional core surrounding the characters is so strong that saying something like Tooth and Claw wouldn’t be fair, but then you start to look among the better episodes and it is way more flawed than they are.
Nice thoughts, Joe I feel basically the same. I do think 14 is just 10. I’d have liked to hear DT’s Scottish accent just as an indicator of a new doctor. I guess we’ll see more of him and get a real sense next week
Yeah I’ve sometimes thought the same thing, although I understand the argument of “if you’re bringing him back, you’ve gotta have him do his *thing*”
I loved 14 and the unit lady, just worked as a duo and that initial chat had a bit of weight to it somehow
I love that she just approaches him while he’s skulking and doesn’t get the rest of UNIT on him
@@Joe_Brennan_ she's the cool teacher who lets you fuck about a bit so long as you're in school
Thought it was good fun! I thought Rose was a fantastic addition to the Noble family, the new TARDIS was really cool. David and Catherine were as great as ever. Definitely enjoyed it
Good fun is what it’s all about!
I loved the episode!!! I don’t see it as a messy one personally, I thought the theme of ‘identity’ pulls every strand of the story together beautifully. Love all the new stuff (sonic, TARDIS, titles). I can’t really seem to find anything I dislike!! I think the ‘let it go’ bit was slightly rushed but I think that’s me nitpicking - it’s a plot point that Russell clearly wanted to establish and more forward from and I think he did it well!
I like that way of looking at “identity” tying it together, though I do think the pace felt like we were shorter on time than each thread warranted
I really liked this special and as I had lost intrest in dr who around Capaldis era and have since just watched the occational episode. This felt like something I can watch without feeling a huge need to go back and watch all the seasons before. This might just be these specials and not the coming season with Ncuti Gatwa. I do look forward to it a lot and hope that it will grip me and make me want to watch which I have not had for a long time. Maybe with it I can get the motivation to watch the seasons I have not yet watched but we shall see.
Fingers crossed the show keeps you on board as it moves forward, I personally have very high hopes
I fucking loved it to bits.
I’m so glad!
Good vid Joe, liked this format for this type of stuff. We obviously share a lot of opinions but you really articulated them well, like I love all the representation in this ep although some stuff did go over my head regarding the resolution.
Also very out if character of you to laugh about talking about Avengers movies right after saying Star Wars movies with a straight face as if they get made anymore 🤪
That’s true actually, that’s not like me at all! I guess the return of good Doctor Who clearly tricked me into thinking Star Wars still made movies. Thank you for the nice comment too!
I agree that the episode was a bit messy from a narrative standpoint toward the end. But I had more fun with this episode than I've had with Doctor Who in years, so to me it didn't matter all that much. I'm excited to see what RTD has in store for the show going forward. And honestly, having David Tennant and Catherine Tate back on my screen again felt even better than I imagined. They are just fantastic.
They really are, what a delight
I did feel like they disrespected Donna a bit when she got all angry about giving away her money and then stating that she did it because she wanted to be like the doctor... Because she was just as thoughtful and kind and it would be something she would have done too 😢
At the same time though Donna would not have given away 166 million quid. Not all of it anyway.
having this big moment were donna finally has her memory back and she says something as silly and sassy as that I think was perfect. Donna has always been very compassionate but also mean about it at the same time, like she'd give all her money away to charity but she'll make a quip about it in the process.
I’m with Rory here, I think that moment was really great. The kind of lighthearted “you made me better! I hate you for that!” sentiment feels very authentic and real
@@Joe_Brennan_I find it a little strange that the Doctor queried it three times. Maybe he was trying to work out who this Donna was. The Runaway Bride would have been taken advantage of and lost it, the doctor/donna or the Octor himself would have used it to build gadgets to keep the Earth safe, giving the money away was more in keeping with the caring experienced Donna at the end of their time together. For me it shows she wasn't fully reset but I'm not sure Russell meant that. Maybe one of those scenes was nearly cut and reinserted but it felt a little laboured. Maybe it ties into something later or maybe it's just a symptom of production schedules and a very minor flaw that got left in. No harm done anyway.
I think whilst probably not russell's best work, it was a solid RTD filler episode. That might sound like an insult but that's still better than 90% of doctor who in the last 10 years so i'll take it! 😀
Yeah I’m trying to figure out where I’d put it in comparison to other episodes. It’s probably around Smith and Jones tier?
@@Joe_Brennan_ I agree somewhat but I think Smith and Jones had slightly better pacing overall. In a way I think the episode was more similar to end of time part 2 in that the meep meep and the time lords returning plotline were both wrapped up way too quickly to make room for the character stuff.
Thank you! After all the horrid things about the show I've heard and read yesterday, this is really soothing! :o)
Happy to provide a less horrid perspective!
@@Joe_Brennan_ Oh, yours the splendid one! Not a condemnation nor a blind adoration. Very nice and thoughtful and open-minded one. :o) I like it very much! So thank you again! :o)
This 30 year fan is watching again. It was awesome. My 12 year old daughter loved it too.
Well that’s the most important thing!
Quick answer: Yes this level of quality is good enough to revive the show and bring it to new heights.
grats on all the views!
Thank you!
I liked it. It felt like nostalgia done right and had a right-ish combination of silliness, action and drama.
You’re right. I think that combination is exactly what we needed, although I hope we get something else on Saturday
Loved the episode. The comment touching on men vs women perspective on regeneration was also made by the Lord President who regenerate from a man to a woman during Hell Bent. She commented on the weight of the male ego. As for the Meep pronoun moment, it reminded me of Capaldi communicating with the horse who was gay. Not amazing that people who are in shock over these moments have missed these past moments. The show hasn’t changed. It is consistent and wonderful.
Loved show’s new opening theme sequence and the new Tardis interior.
Also- the music and sounds were way too loud over Tennants voice in parts. Really took away from how commanding his voice used to sound in many scenes where he was taking control
I didn’t have that issue with the mix, although I always listen with headphones specifically to avoid such trouble
Just hearing Oy, Skinny Man! Was magic
You don’t really know how much you’ve missed Donna until she’s back
Other than some weird dialogue choices ("it's a shame you're not a woman anymore, because she would have understood"), and perhaps some rushed pacing, the only thing that annoyed me was that there wasn't a single moment or scene without soundtrack playing, which limits the impact that the score had in the bigger moments. It's an issue I also noticed in Dead Reckoning; it seems like studios are worried that if there isn't a constant barrage of audio-visual stimulus at all times then audiences will stop caring. The music's really good, but I don't need it in every scene!
But it really is just nitpicks. Overall, it's great. It *feels* like Doctor Who is back. It's confident and committed to its ideas, and it's exciting to watch. Solid 8.
I hadn’t noticed that as an issue (in this special or in Dead Reckoning) but I’ll have to pay attention next rewatch (of both), because I tend to agree with the notion that it’s better to have some time without a score
A fun romp imho, but I'm expecting the next two to be the heavy hitting emotional ones.
I’m the same, going in with high expectations
Another reason why Dr Who has reached its end. It should have been put out of its misery years ago... the viewing figures will soon prove what many former fans have said; its finished.
Gotta love these intrusive r's funny how that works 6:39 Donna is so cool.
Ever since I learned they exist I’m so conscious of them
where the hell was Scongo in the special tho. bet he is the big boss
I feel like it was finally Saturdays are back
I thought it was pretty good and definitely enjoyed it but because the parts I felt didn't work as well were specific to the story of the episode itself and the parts that worked best for me were things that will be present for at least the next two episodes and probably the rest of the current era I like it far more as a start to this era than as an episode.
It kinda felt like I was watching something on CBBC rather than BBC One
CBBC has high quality programming!!!
@10:26 i thought for sure you were going to show the screen cap of the slap you know for comedic effect lol
I think trying and failing to block Donna from seeing her is the height of slapstick tbf
Sadly the gentleman who played willford, Bernard Cribbins passed away in 2022 which is why they danced around his character's presence and gave him a pleasant off screen retirement as an honorable sendup. I really liked his portrayal of Wilford. He had a ton of charisma.
2022* not 2002
Bernard Cribbins had been locked into these specials from day one and filmed plenty before he passed away, if I remember correctly they either had finished all his scenes or almost had, so it would be safe to assume they’d want the last job he ever did to have a proud place in one of the 3 episodes :))
@@con4468wibbly wobbly timy-wimy ;)
@@sp0ngeb00b7I did not realize he had done filming for Doctor Who before he passed. I look forward to it then :D I always really liked him and his character.