shutupbanks
Castellan
There’s a horror movie called Alien? That’s really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you.
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Post by shutupbanks on Feb 24, 2020 13:36:12 GMT
Even though I got way too many Earthshock and Sequel-Trilogy-Luke-Skywalker vibes off the episode, it was superb. It may be revealed to be too ambitious in Part Two but the sheer number of questions asked and situations our characters have been placed in make it hugely attractive to me. Ragtag bands of humanity, Ashad torturing other Cybermen into following him, the whole Brendan subplot (I was so glad the clock he was given at his retirement was just a clock - unless he’s an arched Time Lord who was unwillingly converted). The whole episode just threw everything it had at the wall and instead of trying to make it stick it pulled The Master out of its sleeve and gave us another impossible thing to believe before breakfast.
The regular cast were superb and the guests were all very good. My biggest complaint would be “why didn’t the Doctor pilot the shuttle back to the TARDIS instead of following the human ship.” And I’m pretty sure she had her reasons.
This was Who the way I love it: shamelessly derivative, baffling in parts and placing all the cards on the table at once and daring you to call for another just so it can yell “SNAP!” at you.
Roll on next week.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2020 15:13:58 GMT
'Doctor Who Ascension of the Cybermen, was watched by 3.71 million viewers in the UK yesterday according to unofficial overnight figures. The rating, representing 19.1% of the total viewing audience made Doctor Who the 8th most popular show on British Television yesterday'
From Doctor Who news.
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Post by scriptortempore on Feb 24, 2020 15:55:26 GMT
The regular cast were superb and the guests were all very good. My biggest complaint would be “why didn’t the Doctor pilot the shuttle back to the TARDIS instead of following the human ship.” And I’m pretty sure she had her reasons. You could probably put that down to the unreliable nature of the TARDIS or the inability to pilot it there without the Cybermen instantly spotting she was going to the TARDIS and shooting her down either in flight or when she tries to get off the ship.
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Post by charlesuirdhein on Feb 24, 2020 16:00:16 GMT
So the Time Lords have been scooping up the human refugees being sent through and doing something horrible to them while keeping their minds occupied with false realities, that include a Brit's stereotypical idea of Ireland? It was a gentle version of us and that's fine in my book. Could have been a lot worse. My only gripe with it was getting the GARDA sign wrong. It would have had the shield and "Garda" would at least have been rendered in traditional type, still used by the Gardai in their insignia today. Though that in itself might be a permissions thing rather than an actual mistake. Then again, that's minor. Did the electrocution of Brendan line up with Ashad's attack on the Cyberman in the pod though? We will see.
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Feb 24, 2020 16:30:16 GMT
Paul Magrs posted a interesting piece of speculation on his Facebook feed: Pure speculation here. But... wasn't there a lovely old recurring joke in Bob Baker and Dave Martin's Seventies Dr Who scripts about Gallifrey being somewhere in Western Ireland? Well... aren't we seeing a kind of genesis tale coming to a head..?... with the Time Lords turning out to have their beginnings in the very last of the humans fleeing the Cyber Wars? And does that make the three male characters in the Irish flashback scenes Omega and Rassilon and the Other..? And surely that old man with the staff and the beard, standing at the dimensional threshold to Gallifrey, is Rassilon himself..?
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Post by pazzer on Feb 24, 2020 16:57:33 GMT
Another episode that crams alot in. Not too keen on the flying cyberheads and had no idea what was going on. Still found it enjoyable.
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Post by Digi on Feb 24, 2020 16:59:19 GMT
Paul Magrs posted a interesting piece of speculation on his Facebook feed: Pure speculation here. But... wasn't there a lovely old recurring joke in Bob Baker and Dave Martin's Seventies Dr Who scripts about Gallifrey being somewhere in Western Ireland? Well... aren't we seeing a kind of genesis tale coming to a head..?... with the Time Lords turning out to have their beginnings in the very last of the humans fleeing the Cyber Wars? And does that make the three male characters in the Irish flashback scenes Omega and Rassilon and the Other..? And surely that old man with the staff and the beard, standing at the dimensional threshold to Gallifrey, is Rassilon himself..? Fascinating. I don’t know if I buy it, but it’s a really cool bit of speculation.
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Post by ollychops on Feb 24, 2020 17:32:02 GMT
Paul Magrs posted a interesting piece of speculation on his Facebook feed: Pure speculation here. But... wasn't there a lovely old recurring joke in Bob Baker and Dave Martin's Seventies Dr Who scripts about Gallifrey being somewhere in Western Ireland? Well... aren't we seeing a kind of genesis tale coming to a head..?... with the Time Lords turning out to have their beginnings in the very last of the humans fleeing the Cyber Wars? And does that make the three male characters in the Irish flashback scenes Omega and Rassilon and the Other..? And surely that old man with the staff and the beard, standing at the dimensional threshold to Gallifrey, is Rassilon himself..? Frankly, I think that'd be a bit too clever for Chibnall...
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Feb 24, 2020 17:48:28 GMT
Paul Magrs posted a interesting piece of speculation on his Facebook feed: Pure speculation here. But... wasn't there a lovely old recurring joke in Bob Baker and Dave Martin's Seventies Dr Who scripts about Gallifrey being somewhere in Western Ireland? Well... aren't we seeing a kind of genesis tale coming to a head..?... with the Time Lords turning out to have their beginnings in the very last of the humans fleeing the Cyber Wars? And does that make the three male characters in the Irish flashback scenes Omega and Rassilon and the Other..? And surely that old man with the staff and the beard, standing at the dimensional threshold to Gallifrey, is Rassilon himself..? Fascinating. I don’t know if I buy it, but it’s a really cool bit of speculation. I don't know that I completely buy it either but a Genesis of the Time-Lords type storyline would be pretty ballsy. I do continue to agree with Magrs that series 12 has been the most Virgin New Adventures like season of the revived series, so something huge and truly game-changing like that would not be out of place.
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Feb 24, 2020 18:41:59 GMT
So I'll do my fuller thoughts soon, but might as well throw this out: thoughts on Brendan? -Past regen of Ruth Doctor? -Another lost incarnation of the Doctor? -Master/Koschei Zero? -The Other? -The first Time Lord gallifreyan?
-Maybe the Doctor's father/mother? -Some new breed of non-metallic Cyberman?
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Post by Tim Bradley on Feb 24, 2020 19:06:56 GMT
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2020 20:55:15 GMT
Oh that was good. That was very, very good.
Random thoughts :
The show has come a long way since the days of wobbly sets and even wobblier special effects.
With this episode the Cybermen have most certainly 'ascended' in their threat level since the series returned and Ashad would give Davros a run for his money in the fanatical psychopath stakes. Not sure about the flying Cyberdrones though.
For the first time in a very long time the possibility of the Doctor failing to protect her companions feels imminent.
Not sure what to make of all the scenes with Brendan either, but one minor detail really stood out.
Definitely more to Ko Sharmus than meets the eye.
How all of this ties into Gallifrey, the Master and the Timeless Children remains to be seen.
Lots of questions and frustratingly not that many answers (why did Ashad torture that Cyberman?) but hopefully some might be answered next week. Hopefully it'll also be worth the anticipation.
Oh, and that minor detail with Brendan?
He's ginger...🤔
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Post by timegirl on Feb 24, 2020 21:01:27 GMT
Oh that was good. That was very, very good. Random thoughts : The show has come a long way since the days of wobbly sets and even wobblier special effects. With this episode the Cybermen have most certainly 'ascended' in their threat level since the series returned and Ashad would give Davros a run for his money in the fanatical psychopath stakes. Not sure about the flying Cyberdrones though. For the first time in a very long time the possibility of the Doctor failing to protect her companions feels imminent. Not sure what to make of all the scenes with Brendan either, but one minor detail really stood out. Definitely more to Ko Sharmus than meets the eye. How all of this ties into Gallifrey, the Master and the Timeless Children remains to be seen. Lots of questions and frustratingly not that many answers (why did Ashad torture that Cyberman?) but hopefully some might be answered next week. Hopefully it'll also be worth the anticipation. Oh, and that minor detail with Brendan? He's ginger...🤔 Could Brendan be our first ginger Doctor?!🤔😀
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2020 21:19:47 GMT
Oh that was good. That was very, very good. Random thoughts : The show has come a long way since the days of wobbly sets and even wobblier special effects. With this episode the Cybermen have most certainly 'ascended' in their threat level since the series returned and Ashad would give Davros a run for his money in the fanatical psychopath stakes. Not sure about the flying Cyberdrones though. For the first time in a very long time the possibility of the Doctor failing to protect her companions feels imminent. Not sure what to make of all the scenes with Brendan either, but one minor detail really stood out. Definitely more to Ko Sharmus than meets the eye. How all of this ties into Gallifrey, the Master and the Timeless Children remains to be seen. Lots of questions and frustratingly not that many answers (why did Ashad torture that Cyberman?) but hopefully some might be answered next week. Hopefully it'll also be worth the anticipation. Oh, and that minor detail with Brendan? He's ginger...🤔 Could Brendan be our first ginger Doctor?!🤔😀 Or maybe..the source of the Doctor's unconscious preoccupation (in previous incarnations) with being ginger after regenerating?
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Post by timegirl on Feb 24, 2020 21:22:35 GMT
Could Brendan be our first ginger Doctor?!🤔😀 Or maybe..the source of the Doctor's unconscious preoccupation (in previous incarnations) with being ginger after regenerating? Interesting thought 🤔😉
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Post by tuigirl on Feb 24, 2020 21:32:14 GMT
Sorry if I repeat myself... and others... but- wow. This was awesome. I loved it. I loved the dark and brooding atmosphere, the sense of dread, the relentless hammering down on all hope and positivity. I loved how dark, bleak and desperate this got. Even the colour has been leeched out, compared to the bright bubblegum colours of let's say last series Ghost Monument. I loved the sets and the costumes of the refugees as well as the new cyber warriors look great. This was really on the same bleakness level as BF's Spare Parts (!!), and I get all of you who compare it with Earthshock. And yes, I also had to think of Sword of Orion when they were boarding that ship! After last week's episode disappointed a few people for lack of a clear shout out to Big Finish- I think this time they kind of did. At least in my mind. I also loved how absurd and impossible it got and then the BIG entrance at the end... these are the moments that remind me why I love this show so much.
I still have not given up on my early theory from beginning of this series that this whole series might just have happened in the Tardis of the Master... We will find out next week.
Otherwise...
the whole thing with the Time Lords and the background story of the Irish guy... Two options- the Irish story did not really happen in Ireland, but on a human colony in the cyber wars and the guys are getting turned into Cybermen... did the lone cyberman not say that he had joined some kind of resistance and then killed his family?
And then the more revolutionary option that the Timelords were humans all along, just further evolved (now, that would definitely shatter the Whoniverse). No wonder the Master would go berserk from that, learning he originated from ape ancestors.
So Gallifrey was Earth all along? Uhm.... didn't we have that one before this series?
Hmm. Not sure what I should think of these ideas. But at the rate they are going right now, they might come up with something unbelievably more insane.
I am curious.
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Post by tuigirl on Feb 24, 2020 21:33:26 GMT
Could Brendan be our first ginger Doctor?!🤔😀 Or maybe..the source of the Doctor's unconscious preoccupation (in previous incarnations) with being ginger after regenerating? Some good ideas are being spun here...
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Post by tuigirl on Feb 24, 2020 21:41:53 GMT
Just checking the cast list- and Ko Sharmus the gate keeper is the same actor as old immortal Irish guy- just a guess, but I think we have found the "Timeless Child" right there? Now, is he a Timelord or something completely different?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2020 21:45:37 GMT
Or maybe..the source of the Doctor's unconscious preoccupation (in previous incarnations) with being ginger after regenerating? Some good ideas are being spun here... Oh absolutely. In my eyes the sign of a good story is when your imagination starts working overtime with the clues (and red herrings) given...😊
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Post by tuigirl on Feb 24, 2020 21:48:01 GMT
Some good ideas are being spun here... Oh absolutely. In my eyes the sign of a good story is when your imagination starts working overtime with the clues (and red herrings) given...😊 This is why series 12 is so much better than series 11. It feels like back to the speculation of the "good old Moffat days" And it got me really engaged with it again. Yay, bonus.
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