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Post by Tim Bradley on Jan 3, 2021 9:40:54 GMT
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Post by TinDogPodcast on Jan 3, 2021 10:09:40 GMT
I was more sad at the loss of the classic tardis than at anything the that involved yhe human characters
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Jan 3, 2021 12:12:00 GMT
So, I let this one marinade for a bit. In my first comment, I said it put me in mind of Can You Hear Me and I think that sums it up: same pros and cons, and indicative of who may have shaped that story into its final, overstuffed shape. The spectacle, the big setpieces and crowdpleaser moments all work great: Haven Jones directs with vigour and Chibnall shows how well he can write Classic villains. These Daleks are ruthless, fanatical and bloodthirsty, as they should be. Not oversized comedy props. the pacing is tight, it moves like a lightning bolt and I think Jodie gets some of her best moments here: her vulnerability when she's alone in the jail cell; her confusion when Yaz is upset at her being gone for so long; her chat with Ryan and then her big f-yeah moment in the Tardis against the Dalek swarm. She also plays well with Barrowman, who's just as gleefully chauvanistic as he ever was and the prison break, while compounding a different problem, was a delightful sequence in its own right. However, I did say it has the same issues as Hear: there's too much going on here, and the focus keeps shifting. Not in a layered way, with drama that's rich and works on multiple levels, but just in Chibbs burning through terrific ideas to get to the next action scene. The Doctor being isolated; the fam having to step up and fill her shoes; the Daleks as drone/police brutality allegory; the Doctor calling the Daleks to save the Earth; the potential power of 'new' Daleks bred in different circumstances to the originals. All great ideas... that get no time to breathe. Maybe two of these could've been enough for an episode, but all together it's schizophrenic and leads to a story that keeps teasing you with more interesting versions of itself, rather than the typical invasion story it ultimately becomes. The waste of potential in the prison is a shame. The overloaded dialogue is also, arguably, the worst its been in the era thus far: the first five minutes are almost wall-to-wall exposition and it's really grinding.
The elephant, though, is the commentary and the timing: a lot has happened since this special was filmed, and the episode ends up being rather on the money in its take on protests, police use and the pseudo-Imperialist arrogance of the British Government in trying to cow its citizens. However, its undercut by, again, the rushing: none of it is deep or has much to say, and the latter is so underexplored it doesn't land. The worldbuilding isn't there. Naturally, I don't think it's fair to hold it against Chibbs that he didn't see all of 2020 coming, but it's hard not to notice how vanilla it ends up.
Fun? Yes, but a lesser special than Resolution.
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Post by slithe on Jan 3, 2021 12:45:54 GMT
Personally, I enjoyed this one probably more than I would have done had it not been for the events of 2020. Whilst Chibnal could not have seen what would unfurl last year when he wrote this, it felt quite apt and relevant in a way that it might not have done. Sadly, I can imagine the current government using Daleks to suppress protests and cower citizens - even going to the length of cost-cutting and mass-producing.
The Dalek Factory comes across well - reflecting the claustrophobic nature that many of us have felt at some point during lockdown. Even this is picked up with the idea of the Doctor being in prison and 'counting down' years and waiting for things to come to a conclusion.
I also quite liked the idea that the Doctor 'gets it wrong' with her companions. There is a vulnerability here that is very rarely shown - the fact that this incarnation knows that they have messed up big time (and is even willing to try to break the law of time and go back to change that error) shows how much the Doctor values friends and is a reminder to people that we are not islands and sometimes need help. Relying on Jack, as an old friend, also serves as an important message. The Doctor's 'non human' nature is reinforced by the fact that she still struggles to see why her actions would have led to the cooling of the relationship with Ryan/Graham.
Ironically, the departure of Graham/Ryan is perhaps a bit weaker - if they are fed up of travelling, why go round the world to find adventures.
Power of the Daleks is still a great story! Wish they'd find those missing cans.
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Post by mark687 on Jan 3, 2021 17:06:32 GMT
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Post by newt5996 on Jan 3, 2021 22:45:27 GMT
I thought it was okay. Could have used a few more drafts and the first 20 minutes were really kind of dull, but I enjoyed it. Probably a 6/10 so 3/5. A bit more thoughts of mine here for anyone interested youtu.be/WaoWmy-YJEM
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Jan 4, 2021 0:01:00 GMT
I legit thought Ravio would be in the special, I thought she & Graham would get together & form part of his reason for leaving.
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Post by drj on Jan 4, 2021 0:14:13 GMT
On the first viewing, I have to say this just didn’t sing the way it should have given all the elements... however I’m pleased to report on tonight’s repeat viewing, it’s a much better experience. Strange, but true, bringing me firmly into 4/5 territory, which is quite good for a Xmas/New Year’s special you know!
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Post by sherlock on Jan 4, 2021 11:00:38 GMT
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Post by mark687 on Jan 4, 2021 11:06:25 GMT
It was exactly what a general audience wants from Who on TV. Daleks. Jack and a straightforward plot. Regards mark687
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2021 11:23:14 GMT
Yeah, it's gotten me going down the rabbit hole of Dalek designs and redesigns over the years. Here are some very clean renders from Anthony Lamb (who's lending a helping plunger to The Timeless Doctors, among other projects), published about a month ago:
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Post by shallacatop on Jan 4, 2021 12:05:17 GMT
Yeah, it’s a shame they couldn’t distinguish the Death Squad Daleks in some way, other than a new claw attachment (which is identical to the Recon / Drone Daleks so doesn’t make them unique), even if it was a different coloured dome or something. Same for the leader of the squad; a repainted Supreme would’ve been nice.
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Post by christmastrenzalore on Jan 4, 2021 12:57:52 GMT
It does surprise me how little they try to recolour the Daleks. The Ironsides looked awesome in their military green and khaki yellow.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2021 3:22:45 GMT
It does surprise me how little they try to recolour the Daleks. The Ironsides looked awesome in their military green and khaki yellow. They do definitely lend themselves to it ( source). I remember a swathe of recolours in the late 2000s done by fans to shake things up a little from the bronze design. So many Daleks, so many colour palettes... shallacatop 's got me thinking, actually... Considering the death squad are essentially wetworks enforcers, what would look physically intimidating to a Dalek?
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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 Jan 5, 2021 4:10:40 GMT
It does surprise me how little they try to recolour the Daleks. The Ironsides looked awesome in their military green and khaki yellow. They do definitely lend themselves to it ( source). I remember a swathe of recolours in the late 2000s done by fans to shake things up a little from the bronze design. So many Daleks, so many colour palettes... shallacatop 's got me thinking, actually... Considering the death squad are essentially wetworks enforcers, what would look physically intimidating to a Dalek? Given the Dalek’s propensity for unity and uniformity, they may be able to tell each other apart - rankwise - by radiation emissions and so forth. All the different colours they’ve had over time are purely for the lesser races to be able to distinguish them from each other.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2021 7:41:17 GMT
They do definitely lend themselves to it ( source). I remember a swathe of recolours in the late 2000s done by fans to shake things up a little from the bronze design. So many Daleks, so many colour palettes... shallacatop 's got me thinking, actually... Considering the death squad are essentially wetworks enforcers, what would look physically intimidating to a Dalek? Given the Dalek’s propensity for unity and uniformity, they may be able to tell each other apart - rankwise - by radiation emissions and so forth. All the different colours they’ve had over time are purely for the lesser races to be able to distinguish them from each other. I like it. A sort of radioactive dog tag. That honestly makes a lot of sense. I interpreted the different colours as a manufacturing detail during the production process to ensure that the right mutant ended up in the right casing for its rank. A Supreme, for example, would probably have different blueprint specifications than a Saucer Commander or Time Controller, based on what it was required in duties to the Dalek Empire.
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Post by TinDogPodcast on Jan 8, 2021 13:59:33 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2021 15:07:39 GMT
Well they should all be the same colour so as not to identify themselves to the enemy-surely the DALEKS know who is who and it’s not visual
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2021 15:08:12 GMT
Yeah, it's gotten me going down the rabbit hole of Dalek designs and redesigns over the years. Here are some very clean renders from Anthony Lamb (who's lending a helping plunger to The Timeless Doctors, among other projects), published about a month ago: That’s a nice rendering
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Post by mark687 on Jan 8, 2021 17:28:54 GMT
Very good review as usual 1. Good spot picking up on the Ryan bike coda I was wondering the same thing but wasn't sure. 2. I'm glad they went with Jack because I'm not sure I have the patience for outright burning jealous looks from Yaz that Ms Song might cause Regards mark687
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