"You made me dress up as him!" (Discussion on current Doctor Who episodes)

[Heradel]

I considered reviving one of the old Who threads, of which there are many, but new Doctor, new thread.

And, can we just start off with the awesomeness of this opening performance? All the finding himself bits were there, but along with the increased militancy of the latter Tennant. We saw the attempted use of the Shadow Proclamation by Eccleston, but it never carried the force with him that we see wielded at the end here. I guess the best compliment that I can pay is that I didn't miss Tennant in quite the way I'd expected to.

ETA: Also, I liked how it played with the TV trope of everyone having to be pretty by having Amelia halfway towards believable as a cop (though obviously seamed stockings are not usually standard police issue). Also, having the Doctor say that they were doing a special on TV faults when they burst into the older woman's house.  

It's a pretty clear break from the RTD days in that there's a new TARDIS and opening credit sequence, though there's only so much you can really alter with the DNA of a show this old (though the vignetted walkthrough of the field was new and fun, and the Star Trek ripoff with the blue light from the side and glowing hair was different, though probably explicable because he's still leaking power from the regeneration).

 

[Poppydragon]

Have to agree with the comment about not missing David Tennant as much as I thought I would. A cracking start to the new series, possibly needs a couple more episodes to bed in but I think the new Dr might just do.

[Ocicat]

Just watched Episode 3.  Hum, seems like they're really going to be messing with the continuity of the show.  I'm still not sure how I feel about this.

[Heradel]

Just watched Episode 3.  Hum, seems like they're really going to be messing with the continuity of the show.  I'm still not sure how I feel about this.

I'm not sure that it's really messing with the continuity, it was clear from the Cult of Scarro that some Daleks managed to escape the Time Lock, and it's clear something's gone wrong with the show's timeline/history (but not it's continuity) because Amelia no longer remembers the Dalek pilfering of Earth(obviously it's somehow related to the, really-far-too-obvious, cracks).

[stePH]

Have to agree with the comment about not missing David Tennant as much as I thought I would. A cracking start to the new series, possibly needs a couple more episodes to bed in but I think the new Dr might just do.

My wife is not liking him at all... mostly because his forehead is as freakishly disproportionate as Jay Leno's chin.  And she doesn't like the suspenders and bow-tie.

I told her that if we still had David Tennant, in addition to having Steven Moffatt in charge and writing more episodes, then the show might collapse and implode under the weight of its own sheer awesomeness, so it's just as well they have a new Doctor. 

[Ocicat]

it's clear something's gone wrong with the show's timeline/history (but not it's continuity) because Amelia no longer remembers the Dalek pilfering of Earth(obviously it's somehow related to the, really-far-too-obvious, cracks).

I think Moffatt is using the cracks as a way to move the show into some alternate timeline where all the obvious alien stuff on Earth didn't happen.  Move the show back to "our" earth, as it were.  It was getting kinda out there, with Torchwood and UNIT and multiple alien invasions. 

But if that stuff gets wiped out, I'll kinda miss it.

[Alasdair5000]

Interesting theory.  The other one I've heard bandied around is that Amy isn't from when the Doctor assumes she's from.  Apparently Rory's badge shows a start date of 1990 and all the cars have 1990 and earlier licence plates. 

So, the current version of this theory is that the cracks have possibly caused time to acclerate, meaning you get facebook and camera phones ten years early which in turn explains some of the slightly odd stuff spread across the first three episodes and the Doctor's seeming inability to land when he thinks he's going to.

[stePH]

Interesting theory.  The other one I've heard bandied around is that Amy isn't from when the Doctor assumes she's from.  Apparently Rory's badge shows a start date of 1990 and all the cars have 1990 and earlier licence plates. 

So, the current version of this theory is that the cracks have possibly caused time to acclerate, meaning you get facebook and camera phones ten years early which in turn explains some of the slightly odd stuff spread across the first three episodes and the Doctor's seeming inability to land when he thinks he's going to.

BTW Mr. Stuart: when the alien was talking to the Doctor about how the universe is "leaking", and when the oscilloscope had a persistent line just like the crack in Amelia's wall... both times I muttered: "Arc plot spotter's corner, doot-doo-doot-doo-doooooo..." 

[Heradel]

Someone needs to sell prints: http://www.boingboing.net/2010/04/20/dalek-propaganda-pos.html

[Heradel]

And I approve:

Who is St George? Of course he's England's patron saint, you wally, representing all those romantic notions of Englishness, a defiant spirit, dragon slaying and a jolly large red cross. But hold a minute, we're not even sure that he existed. The Catholic encyclopaedia claims there is little doubt of his being a real person, but forgive me if I take their assertions of what is true with a sprinkle of seasoning. He might have been a Palestinian Christian soldier. He might have defied the Roman emperor by standing up for Christ. He might have been beheaded for that act too.

George is most famous for slaying a dragon, also not helping the whole "is he real?" question. He certainly wasn't English. Wikipedia tells me that on the patron saint stakes, he's a bit of a whore, being claimed for (deep breath): Aragon, Catalonia, England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, and Russia. So George also represents the spirits of those regions too? Maybe George is a partial Thomas Painesque saint in that his country is (large chunks of) the world. He is also a Christian, so one hopes that his religion is to do good.

There's a fine line between being patriotic and jingoism, the former being a good thing. But patriotism still needs justification, rather than blindly following the cosmic happenstance of birthplace. Leave that to sports fans: I bear that cross with simultaneous pride and anguish as I was ejected into the world in time for the all too brief Bobby Robson-era Ipswich.

But I do love these islands. I love how liberal and confident we are as a people. I love pubs, Wodehouse and sarcasm. I love that we created two of the best things in the world, the NHS and cricket. Apart from wishing winter to be just a bit shorter, I even like the weather. And believe it or not, I like the cultural trappings of the Church of England, low key, mostly private religion concerned with charity, singing and, as Eddie Izzard said, cake and death.

But what of St George? What does his legend actually say about any of those things? Although narratives play an important role in cultural membership, national icons are often fatuous and irrelevant. St George is a symbol about whom we know almost nothing and whose own narrative represents almost nothing. St George is a third of the reasons for Henry V's rousing battle cry, which is now mostly appropriated by adverts for sporting events. Other than that, and our crusade-inspired flag, George has not much to do with being English in the 21st century.

So I suggest a new one: The Doctor, the shape-shifting time-travelling guardian of humanity from Doctor Who. In fact, the Doctor shares many striking similarities with St George. Both are dragon-slaying outsiders, fighting on foreign shores to protect their adopted people. But we know so much more about the Doctor, and thus can proudly and sensibly sing his praises. If we as a people demand collective narrative from legend, we might as well make it a ripping yarn.

The Doctor possesses so many traits of Englishness to which we should all aspire: defiance and good humour in the face of adversity; a sense of style that is at once individual, traditional and contemporary; a special brand of cheeky conservative rebelliousness; a humbling reliance on hot companions. Follow your spirit and upon this charge cry God for Harry, England and the Doctor!

[stePH]

And I approve:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/apr/21/st-george-patron-saint

I'm not English, but if I were, I would totally throw my support behind this! 

[Heradel]

So I've been thinking about River Song, and it's probably silly to write this when the episode airs in something like two hours (I seem to remember the BBC announcer saying something like 8:20ish), but I've looked silly here before (Which is why I carry a mod hammer. Fear it.).

So I guess there's spoilers, but, you know, not really.

First off, River Song seemed to hint a bit more towards being The Doctor's Irene Adler in the last episode, which is good and necessary in a foil. The Doctor can get a bit too omnipotent-seeming sometimes, and it's good to find out that he didn't know what the blue stabilizers were or that he didn't realize the TARDIS had a parking break (though they really need to keep the sound).

Anyway, I don't think she's his wife. I think she's supposed to be there when his regenerations are gone and can no longer flip the We Belong Dead switch back the right way. Actually, I kinda suspect she's the Doctor's Daughter after a proper regeneration, and the Doctor just doesn't quite know it yet.

[Alasdair5000]

That's actually looking pretty plausible, especially the idea of River as a slightly adversarial failsafe.  The Eiver stuff LOOKS like it may be the backbone of Moffat's entire run which, if it's true could be extraordinary.

[Heradel]

That's actually looking pretty plausible, especially the idea of River as a slightly adversarial failsafe.  The Eiver stuff LOOKS like it may be the backbone of Moffat's entire run which, if it's true could be extraordinary.

Yeah, I pulled up the Doctor Who TARDIS page for Jenny after I wrote the post, and apparently it was Moffat who made her not dead. It certainly solves the only-two left problem (12 regenerations, 13 Doctors).

[Heradel]

Can I just say, and New Spoilers here, Very New, Very Spoilers.

Amy. Oh Amy. I love this companion so, so much. Best companion ever, I wish she just didn't cause the end of the universe.

[deflective]

my favourite theory on River Song is that it's Donna after a regeneration (assuming that she picked up more than just the Doctor's mental abilities when she became half time-lord.  this could tie into why no one remembers earth being moved).  River is much more like Donna in appearance & demeanor than the Doctor's daughter.  also, when Timothy Dalton was trying to bring gallifrey back there were two women behind him, one could be the Doctor's daughter and the other a regenerated Donna.

and there's an ick factor with the way that River acts if she turns out to be his daughter.  not as icky as if it turns out to be the doctor after a female regeneration tho =P


overall, i'm happy with the new season.  four of the first five episodes have been written by Moffat and he's been delivering quality.  a little worrisome that he's already repeating himself (brought back the angels, conversations with the fragment of a human consciousness after the person has died, Doctor having time-jumping relationships with someone from childhood to adulthood, etc) but they're solid concepts and i assume that he'll expand into new stuff once the season is established.

i really wanted the new companion to be young Amy.  it would have returned the series to a more whimsical feeling (which may or may not have actually existed, depending on how dependable my childhood memories are).



edit:
if you're going to start spoiling episodes that haven't aired yet please use the black-out, highlight to see tag.

[Heradel]

edit:
if you're going to start spoiling episodes that haven't aired yet please use the black-out, highlight to see tag.

Yes, sorry, doing now.

Edit: Though to be fair, it had aired, just not on BBC:A.

[deflective]

ah, ok.  i can understand wanting to talk about an episode you just saw.

you were looking at doctor webpages earlier so i was worried that you were spoiling a series plotline.  it's gonna be a little while before we get the latest episode over here so i can't comment on this week's yet.

[Heradel]

ah, ok.  i can understand wanting to talk about an episode you just saw.

you were looking at doctor webpages earlier so i was worried that you were spoiling a series plotline.  it's gonna be a little while before we get the latest episode over here so i can't comment on this week's yet.

I actually try to avoid real spoilers, I was just looking up Jenny because it had been a while since I'd seen the episode. And then I re-watched that episode, and the Library ones, which kinda put me off them being the same.

I mean, they share a certain aspect of flirtiness, but so does the series. Plus Riversong's too genuinely shocked to be meeting the Doctor for the first time in his timeline for it to be Jenny. Which really sucks, because she's out there somewhere, and it's like she's been retconned out of existence. I mean seriously, it's like someone's parked Checkov's AT-AT outside of the TARDIS.

I don't think she's Donna either, because she doesn't recognize Donna and seems really sorry for her in the library when she realizes that she's the companion that can never remember.

And here comes the black: But she does seem to be there at the end. Though I really wouldn't be surprised if they shifted it to the Doctor's next male companion instead of the Doctor himself (Obviously Jack wouldn't fit the bill, though I really wish they'd do an episode with him in an interstitial phase between now and Face of Bo). Still, this was a good episode, and thank god they made the crack relevant to the plot instead of just glowing and annoying.

Also, nice call to Al about the duck pond (I forget if that was on the forums somewhere or twitter).

And on Amy, well, it was just her two-parter. And thank god she can just snog the damn guy in precisely the way Rose never could. Nine hundred years old and thicker than a nebula.

[Heradel]

my favourite theory on River Song is that it's Donna after a regeneration (assuming that she picked up more than just the Doctor's mental abilities when she became half time-lord.  this could tie into why no one remembers earth being moved).  River is much more like Donna in appearance & demeanor than the Doctor's daughter.  also, when Timothy Dalton was trying to bring gallifrey back there were two women behind him, one could be the Doctor's daughter and the other a regenerated Donna.

I always thought the main one of those two women was his mother.

[Sgarre1]

His mother and Romana seemed to be the two most popular guesses.  Leela was also suggested.

[deflective]

his mother and a regenerated Donna aren't necessarily mutually exclusive...
seriously! didn't one of the early doctors mention something about his mother being closely tied to earth?
ok, so i don't remember the Dalton episode as well as i thought.  apparently the other figure wasn't even a woman.

I don't think [River]'s Donna either, because she doesn't recognize Donna and seems really sorry for her in the library when she realizes that she's the companion that can never remember.

i don't remember this as well as i'd like, but that ain't gonna stop me speculating.  Donna's timelord side is buried deeply inside her so the human side can survive so it's possible that she wouldn't carry many human memories after a regeneration.  she'd sort of be River's pupal stage.

and, since Donna's timelord side came from the Doctor, if River actually does hook up with him and then later turns out to be his mother then the Doctor would be one of those funky spontaneously self-creating entities.  yeah... totally possible.

[Heradel]

Terry Pratchett on Doctor Who. I'd keep typing, but no one's reading this far anyway.

[Boggled Coriander]

Terry Pratchett on Doctor Who. I'd keep typing, but no one's reading this far anyway.

I've seen a couple of assorted Tom Baker and Sylvester McCoy episodes, but I never really got into Doctor Who.  (Dunno what I'm doing reading this thread then.)

Pratchett's opinion piece really makes me want to go change that.

Funny, ain't it?

[Sgarre1]

Terry Pratchet never ran into the term science-fantasy, I guess.  I mean, did he write one of these complaining about how FLASH GORDON isn't really sci-fi either?

Still, he's right about a lot of the writing being lazy, if thoroughly enjoyable.  I usually give it a pass because the show derives from (and still retains charming aspects of) a children's show (this rubs some people the wrong way).  I also see a lot of the lazy/corner-cutting plotting coming from them continuing to jam 2-episode (or 1 and a half episode) ideas into single episodes ("The Beast Below" and the recent WW-II dalek episode being good examples).  Even with those caveats, there's some real howlers.  But the show is so damn enjoyable most of the time, and has such a good heart (most of the time) that I can forgive it almost anything (don't get me started on "The End Of Time").

[Sgarre1]

seriously! didn't one of the early doctors mention something about his mother being closely tied to earth?

The Fox TV one-off contained the revelation that the Doctor was "half-human".

Also worth mentiong that Susan was floated as another Gallifrey woman option....

[Ocicat]

The Fox TV one-off contained the revelation that the Doctor was "half-human".

...which has not only been ignored, but flat out contradicted since.

[stePH]

The Fox TV one-off contained the revelation that the Doctor was "half-human".

...which has not only been ignored, but flat out contradicted since.

And rightly so!  I maintain that while the 1996 TV movie did happen (else there is no eighth Doctor), that particular line did not.

[Heradel]

Ok, don't read this if you're waiting for it to air in America.




First off, and I meant to link to this days ago, even if it wasn't by Al, but it is, so I am.

I’m overweight. I have been most of my life. I’m much, much less overweight now than I was when I was a kid but I’ve long since resigned myself to the fact that I’m probably going to be carrying a few extra pounds for the rest of my natural life. I’m okay with that too, if nothing else because it sort of comes with the body I was given. I’m 6′1″ and I’m built broad with it so if I have to carry some extra weight as the price to pay for looking a really tiny amount like Helo’s younger, chunkier brother? I’m cool with that, especially as being a grown up means that I don’t actually get bullied for looking, thinking or acting differently. Or at least that’s the theory.
[...]
The truth is even fandom has its ugly side and this week, it showed up. As I first set out to write this we’re less than 24 hours away from the broadcast of “The Lodger”, the Doctor Who episode guest-starring James Corden and the bile is rising. On one level it’s justifiable: Corden’s over-exposed in this country, trades off a stereotypically laddish persona and managed to spectacularly blot his copybook with an on-stage bust up with Sir Patrick Stewart. On another though, it’s anything but acceptable. Some of the comments have focussed not on Corden’s person or talent but on his size, on the fact he’s overweight, he’s too fat, he’s different.[...]

But onto Pandorica Part One. Or as I would call it, Episode-in-which-the-Doctor-gets-what-is-coming-to-him. I mean, it was glorious. I barely know where to start, except with Rory, for whom it is proven was always a hero in Amy's mind (as that's the only place his personality could have come from). Also, and unfortunately, a plastiform automaton whose programming makes him shoot Amy, but c'est la vie (or pas-la-vie in his case). But still, entirely predictable and yet still perfectly amazing scenes between them. I'm not the first one to point it out, but there was not really any acting like this during the show's original run. Honestly I thought we were going to get the Valeyard coming out of the Pandorica, but it was better that it was the Doctor going in (though you could tell something was off when you didn't see the Daleks shooting at everyone in orbit). I liked Amy, even trying-to-sleep-with-The-Doctor Amy, but honestly if this is a switch from Amy over to Riversong as next season's companion I won't mind that much.

More in the morning, but this was a seriously well-done episode. Could only have been better by the inclusion of a duck pond.

[eytanz]

I was away for a week now, and my girlfriend made me promise I won't watch Dr Who without her, so I just caught the last three episodes of the season in rapid succession. #10 (The Lodger) was forgettable, but the two-part finale was absolutely amazing. Since it's just a few hours old I'm not posting spoilers (even the UK people may have not seen it yet if they recorded it or watch it on iplayer), but let me just say - my expectations were very high and it really, really delivered.

[Heradel]

I was away for a week now, and my girlfriend made me promise I won't watch Dr Who without her, so I just caught the last three episodes of the season in rapid succession. #10 (The Lodger) was forgettable, but the two-part finale was absolutely amazing. Since it's just a few hours old I'm not posting spoilers (even the UK people may have not seen it yet if they recorded it or watch it on iplayer), but let me just say - my expectations were very high and it really, really delivered.

It really, really did. And Ha the flirtiness was still part of Amy's character.

[Heradel]

Christ.



Also, so happy it's back.

[Ocicat]

Okay, so until next week we get to speculate on the opening episode's mysteries and cliffhanger ending. 

So... who is the astronaut?  It kind of looked like the young Amy Pond...

[eytanz]

Different actress, though.

First episode was awesome.

[Alasdair5000]

I'm guessing the little girl is either a young version of River (She fires at the astronaut to no effect then mutters 'Of course not') or her identity is less important than the suit itself. Oh and why the hell are the Silence apparently using the pseudo TARDIS from 'The Lodger' last year?

[Heradel]

I'm guessing the little girl is either a young version of River (She fires at the astronaut to no effect then mutters 'Of course not') or her identity is less important than the suit itself. Oh and why the hell are the Silence apparently using the pseudo TARDIS from 'The Lodger' last year?

Well, I actually re-watched that episode recently, and there was some sort of a Silence reference in there during the scene with the someone's rubbish attempt at recreating the TARDIS.

[Heradel]

So... who is the astronaut?  It kind of looked like the young Amy Pond...

So it turns out, not quite the thing in black.

Can I just say, it was a very un-doctor-like thing to do at the end there. Since when does he not go after children?

[Alasdair5000]

See I didn't really get on with the second episode because...it's not really a second episode. It's certainly not a conclusion to a lot of the dangling plot threads which is a really audacious thing to do (And holy CRAP is the last ten minutes or so of the episode audacious) but it felt unsatisfying. I suspect it's all going to pay off but right now it feels a bit...off.

That being said, consider this a vote for much, MUCH more Canton Everett Delaware III:)

[eytanz]

See I didn't really get on with the second episode because...it's not really a second episode. It's certainly not a conclusion to a lot of the dangling plot threads which is a really audacious thing to do (And holy CRAP is the last ten minutes or so of the episode audacious) but it felt unsatisfying. I suspect it's all going to pay off but right now it feels a bit...off.

That being said, consider this a vote for much, MUCH more Canton Everett Delaware III:)

I felt the same - except that how I see it, the problem was that it was very much a *second* episode. The first episode was a series of cool mysteries being introduced one after the other. The second - well, it's clear that Moffat's storytelling approach views the whole season as a single arc. The second episode is too early to fully answer or resolve anything. It's role is only to elaborate on the questions already answered - give more details. Some of those go some way towards a solution (e.g. the final scene with River Song). Others reveal that the mystery is deeper than we thought - anything to do with the little girl or Amy or the astronaut suit, for example. And yet others provide what is very clearly a false resolution - the Doctor's answer to the Silence is very clearly him winning the battle, not the war.

Now, all the above doesn't necessary end up as being unsatisfying, but the problem was that there are simply too many plot threads being juggled. There is an art to pacing season-long arcs, and it seems like here too many mysteries were crammed into the first episode and this made it pretty difficult for episode two to fully deliver. And I think it's made worse by the fact that we all know that next episode is going to leave most of these questions untouched - the whole "let's go on an adventure" thing at the end of the episode felt rather forced to me. Of course, this could very well be a smokescreen - Moffat is great with those - so who knows.

I'm really enjoying this season, mind you - I think, much like Alasdair, that ultimately all will pay off. The problem is the pacing - a stunning episode one followed by an episode two which just didn't have nearly as much to do and suffered for it.

[stePH]

I have a serious problem with the Doctor's plan being "have the humans slaughter the aliens wherever they see them".

Non-violence has always been his preferred tactic (Jon Pertwee fisticuffs notwithstanding). Genocide has never been his M.O.

[Heradel]

I have a serious problem with the Doctor's plan being "have the humans slaughter the aliens wherever they see them".

Non-violence has always been his preferred tactic (Jon Pertwee fisticuffs notwithstanding). Genocide has never been his M.O.

The Time War?

[Ocicat]

I think he's hoping that the aliens will run, rather than get slaughtered.  It still was a bit harsh, but he's shown willingness to help humans fight off invaders before, so long as he personally isn't picking up a gun.  I'm thinking about the fight against the daleks in the end of season 1, and also the rebelion against the cybermen the alternate universe...

As to the episode, I enjoyed it.  It was pretty clear half way through that it had no intentions of clearing up the mysteries regarding the little girl and the death of the doctor.  And of course I knew going into it that the Silence were a series long threat.

And yes, I expect next week's episode to deal with exactly none of this, especially since it was originally slotted for towards the end of the season, and moved up later.  The episode after that will probably be fairly stand-alone too, since it's Neil Gaiman's.  But with him you never know...

[Heradel]

My point on the Time War/Genocide bit is that while the Doctor has somewhat of a stated preference for non-violence, it's gotten a lot weaker over time, and Ten and Eleven both have not really shied that far away from violence when it made sense and is in the larger pursuit of justice. The last time I really remember the Doctor refusing to take action was when Nine refused to unleash the Deus Ex Machina wave that would have killed the Dalek battle-fleet but would also have killed off all the inhabitants of Earth. Probably forgetting something though.

Ten did object to the humans killing the... Siggurax? battleship after he'd defeated them, however.

And yes, I expect next week's episode to deal with exactly none of this, especially since it was originally slotted for towards the end of the season, and moved up later.  The episode after that will probably be fairly stand-alone too, since it's Neil Gaiman's.  But with him you never know...

I expect the same, though the Gaiman episode is apparently titled The Doctor's Wife, which could bode well for at least returning to one of the not-quite-as dangling threads in the last episode.

And on that subject, I'm just going to say that Riversong kind of annoyed me when she appeared back in the Library episodes with Ten, but she's rapidly become my favorite swashbuckler, and a good replacement for Jack-who-we-will-hopefully-see-again-someday-once-Starz-gets-around-to-it.

Actually, now that I googled it, there's a new episode in July. And Jane Espenson wrote something like half the series. Please rescind prior complaints.

[Gamercow]

Ten did object to the humans killing the... Siggurax? battleship after he'd defeated them, however.

IIRC, he had a problem with that because they were no longer a threat to humans, and the act of destroying their ship was pure malevolence, in his mind.  That said, I think that both 9 and 10 were both more anti-violence than 11. 

I definitely think we'll see the Silence again.

And can I just say that I find Amy and Rory's relationship wonderful?  Here's this very ordinary guy who adores a beautiful adventurous woman, and she's been off with a time traveling alien who can do just about anything.  He's justifiably worried, but I'm glad they keep Amy seeing him as her number one hero.

[Heradel]

Woo this: http://io9.com/5806852/its-official-doctor-who-producer-says-the-daleks-are-taking-a-nice-rest

--

I'm not really sure what to say, except that this season is going to a really dark place.

[Gamercow]

Woo this: http://io9.com/5806852/its-official-doctor-who-producer-says-the-daleks-are-taking-a-nice-rest

--

I'm not really sure what to say, except that this season is going to a really dark place.

I'm afraid Moffat leans on some monster crutches a bit much, namely space suits, things with weird faces, misshapen mouths and clown/harlequin masks in particular, and creepy children. 

Moffat written episodes:
Empty Child/Doctor Dances - creepy child, weird face(gas mask)
Girl in the Fireplace - Masks
Blink - fangs/mouth
Silence in the Library - space suit
11th hour - fangs
Beast Below - Masks
Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone - fangs/mouth
Pandorica/Big Bang - None?
Christmas Carol - Fangs
Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon - space suit, creepy child, mouth

[Heradel]

The ending of the latest episode almost made up for the fact that they're taking a break until August.

[stePH]

WTF? Have they ever taken a "summer break" before?

[eytanz]

No, but they announced it months ago, so it's hardly a surprise.

[stePH]

No, but they announced it months ago, so it's hardly a surprise.

Except to those of us who don't obsessively follow Doctor Who news. 

[eytanz]

True

Though at this point, I've been messed around by TV networks enough that I always keep an eye out for an irregularities in the schedule of any program I'm following.

[Ocicat]

The break is a good thing as far as I'm concerned.  Good to spread out the Who throughout the year a bit more.

Though the last episode didn't really impress me much.  The revelation was good, but it was one of the (three or so) guesses I had about that particular mystery.

[stePH]

True

Though at this point, I've been messed around by TV networks enough that I always keep an eye out for an irregularities in the schedule of any program I'm following.

TiVo worries about the scheduling so I don't have to. It's a labor-saving device, like the Electric Monk 

[stePH]

Um... WTF? 

SRSLY Moffatt, I trusted you to pilot the ship and this is what you come up with?

[Gamercow]

Um... WTF? 

SRSLY Moffatt, I trusted you to pilot the ship and this is what you come up with?

The problem I had with Demons Run is the "friends" he called in.  Surely he'd call in Captain Jack Harkness?  Moffatt seems to deny any existence of Torchwood or UNIT.  He also seems to be doing a lot of things that break canon and/or tradition. 

[eytanz]

Um... WTF? 

SRSLY Moffatt, I trusted you to pilot the ship and this is what you come up with?

The problem I had with Demons Run is the "friends" he called in.  Surely he'd call in Captain Jack Harkness?  Moffatt seems to deny any existence of Torchwood or UNIT.  He also seems to be doing a lot of things that break canon and/or tradition. 

He has stated in numerous interviews that he tried to get Jack Harkness back but couldn't because of scheduling conflicts with the new Torchwood. Not sure what you mean about tradition - I've only started watching the series after its revival - but I don't believe that he broke canon in any unexplained ways (though he gave himself an easy out with last year's cracks in time).

[eytanz]

Oh, I should state that I really liked the last episode, even though I agree that the final revelation is not much of a revelation. But I think that's the point - it's a reveal that adds more questions than it answers. Answering "who are you?" with "well, my parents are" is not very informative, and there's a lot that still needs to fill in.

What I did appreciate about the last story is the nature of the doctor's darkest hour. It's not his darkest hour because his plans go wrong. It's his darkest hour because he finally realizes that in order to win, he no longer has to try anymore. This is a theme that was played with a lot in the Tenth doctor years as well - especially towards the end - but I thought here it was done a lot better. This isn't about the doctor becoming too arrogant or powerful. He's been doing the right things. But even in doing so, he's doing a lot of harm. If this is going to go where I think it's going to go then I think it's going to be very cool. Maybe it won't satisfy the fans of the earlier doctors - I can't say, because I came to this game way too late to be part of that. But I think that, though far from perfect - and while somewhat less compelling than the previous season  - I overall really like what this season is trying to do.

[stePH]

Who the hell was the fat blue guy? I thought he looked like Ian McNiece (who played Winston Churchill earlier).

[Gamercow]

Who the hell was the fat blue guy? I thought he looked like Ian McNiece (who played Winston Churchill earlier).

He's been seen before.  River Song dealt with him at some point.  Can't remember the exact episode.

My wife corrected me.  It was back when Jack Harkness was showing up a lot, he bought something from the big fat blue man.

[stePH]

So it all comes down to...

DOCTOR: "Hey, Amy, Rory, guess what... I'm gonna bang your daughter!" 

[Sandikal]

So it all comes down to...

DOCTOR: "Hey, Amy, Rory, guess what... I'm gonna bang your daughter!" 

LOL! 

I didn't like the ending of the last episode at all.  In fact, I thought the whole episode was a mess.  I even watched it twice to make sure it wasn't something I missed.  I did love Rory in it though.  He was so cool in the Roman centurion getup.

[eytanz]

Who the hell was the fat blue guy? I thought he looked like Ian McNiece (who played Winston Churchill earlier).

He's been seen before.  River Song dealt with him at some point.  Can't remember the exact episode.

My wife corrected me.  It was back when Jack Harkness was showing up a lot, he bought something from the big fat blue man.

Actually, you were right, not her - he first appeared in the penultimate episode of the previous series, and sold River a time travel device.

[Gamercow]

Who the hell was the fat blue guy? I thought he looked like Ian McNiece (who played Winston Churchill earlier).

He's been seen before.  River Song dealt with him at some point.  Can't remember the exact episode.

My wife corrected me.  It was back when Jack Harkness was showing up a lot, he bought something from the big fat blue man.

Actually, you were right, not her - he first appeared in the penultimate episode of the previous series, and sold River a time travel device.

Yes, that's it.  He sold her a time travel wristband thing, very similar to Jack Harkness' device.  That's where the confusion came from.