Doctor Who IV - Everything Whovian - Would you like a jelly baby?

[Deathstroke]

It felt like Chibnal was going for Moffat whimsy but missed the target. The dog alien was fun.

Instead of throwing the kitchen sink at us the first episode should have just been The Doctor dog alien and Dan.

My first thought about Dan was the producers insisted on having a white guy in the show and Chibnall gave us such an epic loser that the audience wouldn't mind if he gets killed off quickly.

[Somecrazyaussie]

I enjoyed the premise. But, like others have stated already in this thread, The 13th Doctor should really be cemented by this point. Yaz remains a damn cipher and some of the dialogue was dreadful.

Maybe I am just a cranky old bastard.

[ChrisIII]

I was thinking a bit of Logopolis with the TARDIS developing weird glitches and of course the destructive force eating the Universe (Although we've seen similar concepts with the crack and Davros's plans).

[ChrisIII]

Y'know what could be a workable retcon-Have Swarm actually be the Timeless child. It's clear he has some form of regenerative abilities and his sister seemed to be using something similar to a Chameleon arch somehow. She's sort of the anti-Ruth, complete with "husband".

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I thought it was fun. The Dog Alien was great. It's a shame he wasn't in the Woman who fell to Earth back then. I rather see him come back than Tim Shaw. .

Dan is likable enough and fits right in with Yaz and 13.

[Indian Ink]

Haven't seen this yet. Early UK on the night watching figures are not great. Not the lowest by any means, but I think the lowest for a series starter episode.

[ChrisIII]

Wonder if the Flux's source is the TARDIS itself. It's already been established that if it's used the wrong way it can become a universe-destroying weapon. (In the TV movie and the Crack saga).

[Somecrazyaussie]

Haven't seen this yet. Early UK on the night watching figures are not great. Not the lowest by any means, but I think the lowest for a series starter episode.

Both the overnight and appreciation index figures were low. The appreciation figure was the lowest since Love And Monsters. It was 76%. The overnight was 4.4m give or take.

[Somecrazyaussie]

Y'know what could be a workable retcon-Have Swarm actually be the Timeless child. It's clear he has some form of regenerative abilities and his sister seemed to be using something similar to a Chameleon arch somehow. She's sort of the anti-Ruth, complete with "husband".

An interesting theory cropped up between myself and another person and we came up with a idea whereby The Doctor isn't really the Timeless Child. We figured that such info was missing from the matrix and the Master just made an assumption based on the data he could find.

The second Doctor was taken to work for The Division when they were forced to regenerate, they knew about the Timeless Child and there was some great cover-up that included imprisoning Swarm. The (Fugitive) Doctor hid from the Division on earth, they also hid Azure (Swarm's sister) there, too. When they eventually found the Doctor they wiped their memory, fixed their regeneration cycle and dumped them back on earth as the Third Doctor.

This series, Swarm will reveal the Doctor's part in all that, and who the Timeless Child really is.

[ChrisIII]

Yeah, it could go a long way towards explaining things and the whole season 6B theory if Ruth is actually Doctor 2.5 or something like that. Plus it preserves the original origin of the TARDIS and it's police box shape, instead of the Doctor for some reason stealing presumably the same ship again and turning it into a police box again.

Not the first time they've done that either (War Doctor).

[Indian Ink]

Still haven't seen it, but it occurred to me that John Bishop seems a slightly odd choice to put in Dr Who. He's a standup comedian who has a rather laid back style. Wisecracking but self-deprecating. I can't imagine him getting in a flap, and being convincing at the same time. In my mind's eye I see the present Doctor going all "Oooh! Ahh Ergh!! And Bishop, tall as the Tardis looking at her and saying, "......Are you alright?......yes?.....okay, good to know, good to know."

[Catlady in training]

I liked the new episode a lot. But I am a fan of 13 and last two seasons, which seems to be an unpopular opinion here. My only complain is that I would prefer if the villain was either a completely new character, or someone that we have seen before, not someone who is retconned into knowing the Doctor.

[ChrisIII]

Still haven't seen it, but it occurred to me that John Bishop seems a slightly odd choice to put in Dr Who. He's a standup comedian who has a rather laid back style. Wisecracking but self-deprecating. I can't imagine him getting in a flap, and being convincing at the same time. In my mind's eye I see the present Doctor going all "Oooh! Ahh Ergh!! And Bishop, tall as the Tardis looking at her and saying, "......Are you alright?......yes?.....okay, good to know, good to know."

Well, it's not the first time the show has done stunt casting.

[Somecrazyaussie]

I liked the new episode a lot. But I am a fan of 13 and last two seasons, which seems to be an unpopular opinion here. My only complain is that I would prefer if the villain was either a completely new character, or someone that we have seen before, not someone who is retconned into knowing the Doctor.

I get what you are saying, However most of the enemies the Doctor has encountered where known to them (or knew of them) - Sontarans, The Master, The Rani, The Monk, Fenric etc. In all cases they were new. They just had the added hook of knowing the Doctor beforehand so the audience immediately becomes invested in how they know each other.

[Somecrazyaussie]

Well, it's not the first time the show has done stunt casting.

Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn't. Here, in my opinion, it does.