Opening Titles:

Not bad, but original is superior as usual.

Spoiler

The eyes look completely generic. Can you even tell it's Capaldi?

The theme starts off okay, but the high-pitch gets irritating.

Episode:

Not bad. Capaldi is an amazing actor as usual, and he really puts on a good performance. More post-regeneration shenanigans, and then Clara's characterisation goes off the deep end -

Spoiler

stupid to have someone who more or less comprehends regeneration have almost-generic newfag squicks about it.

---------- Post automerged at 03:28 ---------- Previous post was at 02:56 ----------

Opening Titles:

Not bad, but original is superior as usual.

Spoiler

The eyes look completely generic. Can you even tell it's Capaldi?

The theme starts off okay, but the high-pitch gets irritating.

Episode:

Not bad. Capaldi is an amazing actor as usual, and he really puts on a good performance. More post-regeneration shenanigans, and then Clara's characterisation goes off the deep end -

Spoiler

stupid to have someone who more or less comprehends regeneration have almost-generic newfag squicks about it.

 

Well, I loved Capaldi as the doctor. The plot was fairly weak, but if the series continues on a similar level of overall quality I'll be happy. It'll also prove to me the problem I've had with the last few series has been Matt Smith, rather than Moffat.

 

Spoiler

I more or less comprehend how sausages are made, but watching the entire process happen would still gross me out.

Knowing about something on an intellectual level and watching it happen in front of your eyes are two very different things. It's not stupid for Clara to have that kind of reaction to regeneration, it's human.

 

Sigh. And here I was hoping they go for a clean break and wash their hands of the train-wreck that has been the last few seasons.

Also lol at the whole Clara having to deal with her crush being a scottish dude in his fifties. Moffat must be having a hard time picking up groupies, or something.

 

It's not just the scripts that have leaked. All episodes for this season - except the final ep - have leaked according to Torrent Freak. They're the only ones reporting it; other major news sites are only confirming that the first three eps have leaked.

It should be pointed out that all bar ep 1 are in black and white, often lacking special effects, and heavily watermarked by the BBC. I think they're designed for foreign language subtitling companies. I haven't watched them myself; I'm content to wait.

I was pretty happy with the first ep of this season. I haven't watched much of Doctor Who since Matt took on the leading role. I've seen his last handful of eps in re-runs on TV and enjoyed it more than I was expecting. Given my lack of knowledge about Clara's character history I thoroughly believed in the emotional roller coaster she was on as she adapted to dealing with a new Doctor. She's far from being at equilibrium yet, but I'm more than willing to give the show a chance and see how Clara and the 12th Doctor handle things.

 

I loved the seriousness of this new Who. I hope it gets darker and not the whole herp derp Sci-fi that it was before. Capaldi was awesome as expected, and I'm also liking Clara a whole lot.

Also, loved the Ship of Theseus metaphor for both the robot and the Doctor himself.

Spoiler

Matt Smith was a pleasant surprise as well!

 

I thought it was an okay episode. Not nearly funny/exciting/dramatic/timey-wimey enough for the double whammy of a new season / new doctor opener.... but yeah it was okay.

Capaldi is an absolutely excellent actor, and based on this initial performance, I'm sure he'll be able to deliver this new 'angry and serious doctor' persona with gusto. I'm just not sure that Moffat is up to the task of writing scripts that can really do that role justice.

 

Hmmm.

I think this was a pretty solid episode. I also found it a bit odd that Clara reacted as she did to the Doctor's regeneration, but it was handled reasonably well. I honestly think this is the most interesting Clara's character has been as well, and Coleman was good this episode.

Capaldi is clearly a very solid actor. I really enjoyed him in this episode, and I think Twelve is going to be a pretty interesting Doctor.

Optimistic, but honestly between the way Who has been going and the last season of Sherlock, I'm losing faith in Moffat's abilities. I hope this season proves me wrong.

 

Humans are stupid. And sausage making is a very unique process that I got to experience once. Quite fascinating.

 

I don't think Capaldi will be my favorite doctor but I am definitely excited to see where it goes. I am a bit confused on some of the premises that were foreshadowed, especially the "girlfriend" but that's nothing new I think.

 

B grade plot lifted by some great acting and lines.

Spoiler

The whole 'shrink people and put them in a Dalek for science' was a neat concept, let down a little by a) it being a single 45 minute episode, which made the inevitable return to "Exterminate!" even more predictable and b) the inside of a Dalek looking an awful lot like space station set B from every series of Who so far. You knew the Dalek's reformation was never going to stick, but it was a neat way of establishing some more of this Doctor's character; sceptical but hopeful enough to take a shot.

That was the best bit of the episode for me - it did a better job of showing the Doctor as substantially different to Smith's incarnation. I was genuinely shocked when he let the soldier die. I also liked the continuation of Clara developing beyond sparky mate, and Danny Pink was a welcome surprise for a character I'd assumed was going to be generic love interest #5.

 

Pretty much that. Much rather have this than the reverse.

Spoiler

The Doctor letting the soldier die was vaguely like an execution for me. 'You fucked up, fuckity-bye'. I was also not sure whether he'd try to get the Dalek to see the beauty or whether he'd use the renewed memories and some applied technobabble to kill the Dalek outright. This incarnation seems like he'd flirt with making choices like that without a second thought, and I don't think it'd be that weird if he'd've done it even after Clara slapped some human societal norms into him.

Also, the Dalek calling the Doctor a good Dalek is a lovely throwback to Dalek in the first season of the revived series, as well as a very strong reminder that the Doctor is not a good man. Probably quote of the episode for me, though Jon's spoilered quote is a good contender.

 

Spoiler

RIP Dolorous Edd 2011 - 2014.

On a more serious note its been an ok start to the new season and of course our new Doctor. Capaldi's knocked it out the park thus far, calculated and cold - perhaps a little slow in tonight's episode but he made up for it.

Clara's still just something I honestly try to block out every episode and hopefully what my friend was saying about her leaving the show at the end of this season are true - it's not the acting, just the writing and the character as a whole come across as... I'm not even sure come to think of it, I just cannot stand her.

Hoping this Missy character goes somewhere unlike Clara, though I can see them building up to it as the season ends.

Quite like the new Tardis design too, simplistic yet far more stand-out when compared to all the previous iterations since the reboot.

 

I think Capaldi's acting magnifies the flaws of the show. His Doctor is so serious I feel like he doesn't belong in this oftentimes silly reality. While the ham of the previous Doctors blends in better.

 

Spoiler

I wouldn't mind knowing what it is the Doctor is trying to calculate. We've seen sciency wimey timey scribbles done in chalk in both eps so far.

 

Spoiler

I'd assumed that it was just one of his quirks, just casually doing advanced maths/quantum physics/whatever to pass the time. It hadn't occurred to me that he might be doing something specific. Interesting.

 

Spoiler

Probably trying to work out how to bring Gallifrey back into the regular universe.

 

Probably.

And is it just me or Clara was presented as a kind of a sociopath? People died around her and it didn't affect her in any way even for a duration of the episode.

 

Exactly she was just kind of smilling the whole entire time. Maybe Danny Pink really made that good of an impression(maybe its a plot point) but it was kind of weird seeing her treat the whole situation like a sidetrip.

Though she did say it was like a hobby for her.

Good episode. I have to ask. Has the doctor ever tried reprogramming the Daleks?