|
Post by shallacatop on Oct 29, 2022 9:34:42 GMT
Just had a rewatch in UHD, as it didn’t appear on iPlayer live for me; not sure if that was to prevent anyone from fast forwarding! Well worth the effort if you can; the colour is gorgeous.
Absolutely loved it and surprisingly it’s even better on a rewatch. You don’t have the surprises, but you still get the sheer joy of seeing everyone back and interacting. I think there’s a more thorough plot than what we initially see on the first watch and everything comes together perfectly. Flux had the same effect on me, I loved it on initial broadcast, but it’s so clever and plotted that only becomes clearer on a rewatch. With The Power of the Doctor, I think on the initial watch you get so caught up in the reveals and the returns that you’re just trying to piece everything else together. That’s my experience anyway.
I still think there’s a better way to finish off Jodie’s tenure on a story basis, with more about the Fugitive Doctor, the Timeless Child and the universe post-Flux. However, I’m not sure any of those would make me think of the era any better than I already do - I’ve enjoyed it a lot - and I think the thematic presentation of family and joy presented in Power hits harder. For me anyway.
My other criticism with the episode initially was that the companion meeting and the Doctor’s last moments didn’t mesh together well and should’ve stood alone. I think that’s the perfect example of what I mentioned above about the mind getting caught up in the surprises because the reality is it’s not like that at all. The companion scene is beautiful and then leads into the Doctor’s farewell at the very end as we say a final farewell to Yaz.
Incidentally, has the TARDIS ever travelled so much in a story?! She gets thrown from pillar to post throughout and is only just overcoming the effects of Flux!
|
|
|
Post by bonehead on Oct 29, 2022 10:23:36 GMT
The episode received an Audience Appreciation Index score of 82, which I think is the highest for a Chris Chibnall episode.
|
|
|
Post by sidestep on Oct 29, 2022 15:17:43 GMT
I love this episode.
I went into this free from any spoilers (except for the last one, because of BF sale), so as each surprise guest & twist was unveiled, I was like, “Oh my God” and crying. 😭
The words of wisdom in robes part was my favorite. Super happy that that scene was in this special. Super happy.
And it all just works as an immensely entertaining 90 minutes. I was bemused by the inclusion of the song, but I liked it.
The tv series, the books, the comics, BF continuity don’t mesh together seamlessly, but I am happy this special was written & made. I hope they release a book with extended scenes that didn’t make it to the screen.
And the support group. With a few minutes left in the special, I thought I’d seen everything, & was patting myself on the back for having preordered the Steelbook a few days ago. (Even though I don’t have a tv or a Blu-ray player in my current residence. 😁
But wait, there’s more. 😀
The support group. 🥹
How wonderful to see even more of them show up. Never expected to see J & M & I!
Big Finish, a series on the support group please! 🥰
In my headcanon, more of them were there, they’re just late, or stepped out for a bit. 😉 and as those meetings continue through the years, more of them will find their way into the group, even just to pop by to say “hi”.
will be adding a lot of things to my Fantasy Releases list. 😊
I love, love, love Doctor Who. 🥇🎖
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2022 16:55:33 GMT
The episode received an Audience Appreciation Index score of 82, which I think is the highest for a Chris Chibnall episode. I can appreciate that, as it was my favourite Chris Chibnall episode of Doctor Who...
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Oct 30, 2022 11:42:25 GMT
Big Finish, a series on the support group please! 🥰
In my headcanon, more of them were there, they’re just late, or stepped out for a bit. 😉 and as those meetings continue through the years, more of them will find their way into the group, even just to pop by to say “hi”. will be adding a lot of things to my Fantasy Releases list. 😊 I love, love, love Doctor Who. 🥇🎖 I could well imagine that this will be one of the Spinoffs RTD is planning....
|
|
|
Post by sidestep on Oct 30, 2022 12:58:07 GMT
Big Finish, a series on the support group please! 🥰
In my headcanon, more of them were there, they’re just late, or stepped out for a bit. 😉 and as those meetings continue through the years, more of them will find their way into the group, even just to pop by to say “hi”. will be adding a lot of things to my Fantasy Releases list. 😊 I love, love, love Doctor Who. 🥇🎖 I could well imagine that this will be one of the Spinoffs RTD is planning.... Wow, hopefully! 😀 That would be crazy awesome! I’d be happy with any medium - extended epilogue in the novelization, tv spin-off, webisodes, comics, audio. Anything. I’m an unabashed consumer of fanservice 😁. Guilty pleasure. 😅
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Oct 30, 2022 13:21:53 GMT
I could well imagine that this will be one of the Spinoffs RTD is planning.... Wow, hopefully! 😀 That would be crazy awesome! I’d be happy with any medium - extended epilogue in the novelization, tv spin-off, webisodes, comics, audio. Anything. I’m an unabashed consumer of fanservice 😁. Guilty pleasure. 😅 Welcome to the club!!! (we have tons of t-shirts )
|
|
|
Post by nucleusofswarm on Oct 31, 2022 15:03:02 GMT
|
|
|
Post by sherlock on Oct 31, 2022 15:11:56 GMT
|
|
|
Post by mark687 on Oct 31, 2022 15:42:49 GMT
|
|
|
Post by sidestep on Oct 31, 2022 16:33:48 GMT
Thank you! 😀 That was super fun! I was grinning all throughout. 😁
|
|
|
Post by constonks on Oct 31, 2022 17:10:33 GMT
Colin's outfit looks like something Sixie would wear on vacation - floral shirt, psychedelic Crocs, bright red socks/suspenders - love it!
|
|
|
Post by christmastrenzalore on Nov 2, 2022 11:05:33 GMT
Theory: 10 really didn't want to regenerate. Maybe he never stepped over the edge and that's how he came back. The specials will end with him being ready to go this time.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2022 13:41:10 GMT
Theory: 10 really didn't want to regenerate. Maybe he never stepped over the edge and that's how he came back. The specials will end with him being ready to go this time. If so... "I wanna go" must surely be his last words!
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Nov 2, 2022 19:03:00 GMT
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Nov 2, 2022 19:04:27 GMT
Colin's outfit looks like something Sixie would wear on vacation - floral shirt, psychedelic Crocs, bright red socks/suspenders - love it! I have to say, these Crocs are awesome, I need to get myself a pair of these...
On that note, if anyone wants to know the story why Colin is always wearing Crocs.... (at the very beginning) www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnNfBUsg6v8
|
|
|
Post by bonehead on Nov 2, 2022 21:24:35 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Kestrel on Nov 2, 2022 22:14:16 GMT
I've been thinking more and more about Power of the Daleks this past week, and I think some of my opinions are shifting in retrospect. In some areas, I think it's a better story than I initially thought -- and in others far worse.
Ultimately, I think Power works brilliantly as a kind of examination of the "life cycle" of a companion. It's an... unusual theme, but an interesting one, and Chibnall's script does a great job of establishing it early on with Dan's abrupt and refreshingly drama-free exit from the TARDIS. On the one hand, I really don't care for the idea that ex-Companions spend the rest of their lives trying desperately to recapture their "good old days," a trope that both RTD and Moffat embraced long before Chibnall. But on the other? We've often seen this dynamic from the Doctors' POV -- how they pick up these companions, have a grand old time, and then are left alone when they inevitably leave. This time, for a change, we get to see that play out from the companions' perspective.
Like much of the Chibnall Era, I think it's a fundamentally compelling idea that deserves to be explored.
But where things (quickly) fall apart for me is with how... fundamentally disinterested Chibnall is in his own characters and stories. We get more characterization and development from Ace and Tegan in a single episode than we got with Ryan, Graham, Yaz and Dan across three whole seasons. Imagine how much more impactful that ending might have been -- that penultimate scene with the companion support group -- of Yaz had ever had more presence in the show than just standing in the background of each scene, occasionally soliciting exposition and shooting off meaningful(?) glances. Imagine if the Doctor had formed any real relationship with any of her companions.
There's just... nothing there. Dan's simple exit from the TARDIS, as I said before, was refreshing for being so ant-climactic. But was there really any other outcome there? Dan's used so poorly in this show that I cannot imagine there being any room for drama.
What really gets me is how beautifully written and acted the scenes were with the last-Doctors and their companions. In their cases, we got to see some truly gratifying resolution to relationships that had been slowly built up over the years. But can you imagine trying to do the same with Chibnall's companions, reuniting with the 13th Doctor, in a similar story 10 or 20 years from now? What would they even talk about?
And the way my thoughts on Power keep shifting and changing... I don't know that I'll ever arrive at a final opinion. It's such a weird story! It's fun and engaging and immensely gratifying... a genuine love-letter to Classic Who... but it's simultaneously deeply apathetic and half-hearted about its own era. It's one hell of a note to end on, one I suspect will generate more discussion in the fandom in the years to come than any of the other showrunners' final stories.
|
|
|
Post by elkawho on Nov 3, 2022 0:49:08 GMT
I've been thinking more and more about Power of the Daleks this past week, and I think some of my opinions are shifting in retrospect. In some areas, I think it's a better story than I initially thought -- and in others far worse. Ultimately, I think Power works brilliantly as a kind of examination of the "life cycle" of a companion. It's an... unusual theme, but an interesting one, and Chibnall's script does a great job of establishing it early on with Dan's abrupt and refreshingly drama-free exit from the TARDIS. On the one hand, I really don't care for the idea that ex-Companions spend the rest of their lives trying desperately to recapture their "good old days," a trope that both RTD and Moffat embraced long before Chibnall. But on the other? We've often seen this dynamic from the Doctors' POV -- how they pick up these companions, have a grand old time, and then are left alone when they inevitably leave. This time, for a change, we get to see that play out from the companions' perspective. Like much of the Chibnall Era, I think it's a fundamentally compelling idea that deserves to be explored. But where things (quickly) fall apart for me is with how... fundamentally disinterested Chibnall is in his own characters and stories. We get more characterization and development from Ace and Tegan in a single episode than we got with Ryan, Graham, Yaz and Dan across three whole seasons. Imagine how much more impactful that ending might have been -- that penultimate scene with the companion support group -- of Yaz had ever had more presence in the show than just standing in the background of each scene, occasionally soliciting exposition and shooting off meaningful(?) glances. Imagine if the Doctor had formed any real relationship with any of her companions. There's just... nothing there. Dan's simple exit from the TARDIS, as I said before, was refreshing for being so ant-climactic. But was there really any other outcome there? Dan's used so poorly in this show that I cannot imagine there being any room for drama. What really gets me is how beautifully written and acted the scenes were with the last-Doctors and their companions. In their cases, we got to see some truly gratifying resolution to relationships that had been slowly built up over the years. But can you imagine trying to do the same with Chibnall's companions, reuniting with the 13th Doctor, in a similar story 10 or 20 years from now? What would they even talk about? And the way my thoughts on Power keep shifting and changing... I don't know that I'll ever arrive at a final opinion. It's such a weird story! It's fun and engaging and immensely gratifying... a genuine love-letter to Classic Who... but it's simultaneously deeply apathetic and half-hearted about its own era. It's one hell of a note to end on, one I suspect will generate more discussion in the fandom in the years to come than any of the other showrunners' final stories. This is a brilliant exploration and critique. Thanks.
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Nov 3, 2022 7:03:50 GMT
I've been thinking more and more about Power of the Daleks this past week, and I think some of my opinions are shifting in retrospect. In some areas, I think it's a better story than I initially thought -- and in others far worse. Ultimately, I think Power works brilliantly as a kind of examination of the "life cycle" of a companion. It's an... unusual theme, but an interesting one, and Chibnall's script does a great job of establishing it early on with Dan's abrupt and refreshingly drama-free exit from the TARDIS. On the one hand, I really don't care for the idea that ex-Companions spend the rest of their lives trying desperately to recapture their "good old days," a trope that both RTD and Moffat embraced long before Chibnall. But on the other? We've often seen this dynamic from the Doctors' POV -- how they pick up these companions, have a grand old time, and then are left alone when they inevitably leave. This time, for a change, we get to see that play out from the companions' perspective. Like much of the Chibnall Era, I think it's a fundamentally compelling idea that deserves to be explored. But where things (quickly) fall apart for me is with how... fundamentally disinterested Chibnall is in his own characters and stories. We get more characterization and development from Ace and Tegan in a single episode than we got with Ryan, Graham, Yaz and Dan across three whole seasons. Imagine how much more impactful that ending might have been -- that penultimate scene with the companion support group -- of Yaz had ever had more presence in the show than just standing in the background of each scene, occasionally soliciting exposition and shooting off meaningful(?) glances. Imagine if the Doctor had formed any real relationship with any of her companions. There's just... nothing there. Dan's simple exit from the TARDIS, as I said before, was refreshing for being so ant-climactic. But was there really any other outcome there? Dan's used so poorly in this show that I cannot imagine there being any room for drama. What really gets me is how beautifully written and acted the scenes were with the last-Doctors and their companions. In their cases, we got to see some truly gratifying resolution to relationships that had been slowly built up over the years. But can you imagine trying to do the same with Chibnall's companions, reuniting with the 13th Doctor, in a similar story 10 or 20 years from now? What would they even talk about? And the way my thoughts on Power keep shifting and changing... I don't know that I'll ever arrive at a final opinion. It's such a weird story! It's fun and engaging and immensely gratifying... a genuine love-letter to Classic Who... but it's simultaneously deeply apathetic and half-hearted about its own era. It's one hell of a note to end on, one I suspect will generate more discussion in the fandom in the years to come than any of the other showrunners' final stories. Very well put
|
|