Any Whovians?

That's what I keep hearing, and the little bits I have seen make me want to get back to it!

Yeah, I think Clara was not written terribly well. There was a lot of character inconsistencies that plagued her... but I have a terrible crush on her.

Haha, I'll keep you posted if I can't keep up.

That's cool, I'm glad you enjoyed it. For me, it just seemed her mania wasn't... it wasn't the right mania. That's entirely subjective, so it makes sense that people would have different views.
I'm hoping that the things that make the Doctor the Doctor for me will show up. As I mentioned before, the pacing seems off, too fast. If she can calm down and give us (or me, I suppose, haha) inside her hearts and mind, what makes her tick (compassion has been a major theme), then I will grow more fond of her.

Very true, I also like how they are very normal, I just simply did not connect with them. One theme I haven't liked all that much sense 2005 is the importance of the companions, they are supposed to be normal everyday people, and when they stop traveling with the Doctor, they go back to their normal everyday lives. Better, more learned and travelled, but not every companion has to change the course of history.

Indeed. I'm hoping I will grow to enjoy this series. The show needed a shake up, something fresh, I just hope what was served is actually tasteful.

 

Nah, I get you. I think my bias ignores some issues, that's all.

 

I haven't had the chance to watch the new episode, but I'll get to it in the next day or two.

What did you think of it, @Addi Ras?

 

Sounds good! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it. I should be able to watch it tomorrow evening.

 

So episode 2, "The Ghost Monument."

I'm gonna start off saying I enjoyed it more than the previous episode. It didn't try to be overly complex act like the story was so super-genius that you could never have guessed it coming (looking at you Moffatt), and that was nice. It was just a nice, relatively steady pace from act 1 to act 3. No "surprise! gotcha!" moments. It was simple. I liked it. It wasn't trying to be something it wasn't.
And I think I repeated myself a couple times in that sentence, but I don't care. I'm lazy!


I like the character of Graham so far. But I find the acting... bland. Not just his acting, it's everyone. On paper, and what plays out onscreen is that even though things are awkward and strained between him and his step-grandson, he's working on a relationship. It's really cool to see someone who could just as easily wash his hands and move on with his life. But he doesn't.
However, as I said, the acting is bland. It doesn't come across to me as genuine or like the actors are invested. I'll touch on this more in a moment, but everything seems surface level for the cast. It's like they've read the bullet points of their characters, they receive their lines, done. There's no humph, no thought process about why the character says what he or she says.


For those who are curious, the Doctor was separated from the TARDIS for the entirety of the previous episode, made a contraption to teleport to it, and when the button was pressed, she and the companions appeared adrift in space. So this episodes starts up with them getting picked up by two different... space.. faring people. We will learn that these two people (I am forgetting there names I couldn't seem to retain them) are racing each other. Part of some great race across the galaxy to win a prize of immense wealth.
So Doctor and companions all finally land (and crash land woohoo) on planet where the basic plot of the episode is spelled out, but the end goal for the race is the "Ghost Monument." Yes, the TARDIS! Which I think is cool. A mysterious object that fades in and out every now and again, that no one knows where it comes from or what it is... except it's obvious to the audience what it is. But, that's okay.

I like that because we know what it is. The story doesn't try to make it a surprise. Calling it the "ghost monument" is the sort of thing that a knowing audience gets excited about. We know the Doctor's history, we know his/her impact to all people throughout time and space... That phrase is reminiscent of the "Doctor's tomb" from The Name of the Doctor. What else could he have been buried in besides his own ship?
What other monument would create so much mystery? In some ways I'm glad they didn't play it up to much, like this super big mystery that must be solved, but at the same time it would have been cool if they did play with that idea, give it some lore and how it was giving that title. But as it stands, I'm fine with it.


Talking about, or writing, or anything that is in regards to the latest ongoing season with a new Doctor, is like ignoring the elephant in the room when you don't mention your impression or thoughts on the new Doctor, so here are mine.
I was really hoping that I like Jodie Whittaker better is this episode, but I still think she's missing the mark. Mind you, I think the same thing about the other actors. At the moment, I believe it's an issue with either the writing or the directing, or both.

She comes across, to me, as bland and uninteresting. I don't know if I realized it while watching this episode or if it was simply in this episode, but it seemed like she was channeling Tennant's Doctor. Which is fine, considering their ties from Broadchurch, and she is still growing into the role. But it added to the sense that she isn't making it her own, and there's no thought process about who the Doctor is to her. It is simply an eccentric role.
Most actors who play the Doctor at least feel like the same person, different personality and sometimes a different rationale for doing something, but you feel like it's the same person. It's the same heart and soul.

And that's what I'm missing from her. Heart and soul.
Making quick, expositional wise cracks does not make you the Doctor. Being the smartest person in the script does not make you the Doctor. It's about the soul, that makes you the Doctor.
Again, I really don't think it's her that's the root of the problem, considering this is my critique of the rest of the show.

In my opinion, what would help is if the Doctor just slowed down and took a deep breath, and had some confidence in the situation. The Doctor is a character who always seem to be in charge of the situation, or gets control of the situation. The trouble builds, the Doctor waits and is thinking through things, the trouble gets to a boiling point, the Doctor either takes charge or usurps the authority and saves the day. That's typically how it goes. Sometimes he/she cannot gain that control, and it adds to the tension. Oh no, he's not in charge! But it all ends well because there's a loophole or a flaw that is found and finally the Doctor gains the upper hand!
But that hasn't happened. Whittaker's Doctor simply has no confidence in actually knowing what's going on. So when she spouts off the techno-babel, it's not believable. It sounds trite and fake. And then when she does know what going on, it feels very contrived.

In this episode, they in a shooting range basically, while these robot snipers are after them. So Ryan (the grandson, I finally looked it up) picks a blaster from a destroyed foe to fight back. And after going through the classic "No guns" speech (which didn't land with me this time), he runs outside, shoots up a bunch of robots and quickly runs back in because it didn't go as he thought (also a stupid line about his "training" being from Call of Duty. Please...). So the crew freaks out, and the Doctor gets real clever and says the answer was right in front of them (answering a question that wasn't asked always makes you sound smarter), pulls out an EMP and disables all the robots.
That just seemed a classic scene from a fan fiction. The lines, the delivery, the plot, the solution.

Speaking of fan fiction, the exchange of dialogue when the group is trekking across the desert, Graham complains about the sun, so the Doctor hands him some sunglasses. But, how did she get them?! She got from other Audrey Hepburn or Pythagorus! Haha... not. See, she's separated from the TARDIS, she and to make her own sonic screwdriver, and she got her clothes from the shops. HOW COULD SHE GET A PAIR OF SUNGLASSES SHE GOT FROM SOMEONE ELSE FROM A DIFFERENT TIME?! It makes no sense! Yes, it sounds witty and "wow, the Doctor sure gets around" but it's impossible for her to have had those on hand! That really drove me nuts. It just adds to the sense I have that this feels like a fan show and not a product of the BBC.

Was the music really loud for anyone else? It really overpowered the dialogue and made it difficult for me to keep up with things. And the shaky film really draws me out as well, minors things, of course, but it all piles on.

I'm going to keep up with the show. Not giving it up yet, even though it feels like a chore. "The Stenza" (spelling right?) aliens being behind a lot of things and the "Timeless Child" are being teased as a series arc, so I'm curious what will turn up with that.

As it stands (or should I say Stenza?! Sorry) I'm still disappointed in the show. Though, the new opening is pretty cool!

 

Absolutely, it's been fun writing informal reviews!
Yeah, I think the joke could have landed if the context was better. It just seems so tacked on that with my impression of everything, it just adds to my disappointment.

I'm hoping I will like her. Sometimes it's hard to separate each Doctor from their writing, because the actor can only do with what they are given. But yes, I also hope the self doubt doesn't last all season.

 

Thank you! I'll do my best, but I've seen super busy.

I watched "Rosa" a couple weeks ago, but never got around to writing a review. I'll probably do some a larger post with shorter reviews as I get through them.

 

That's a bummer. I only got through the first two or three episodes of Chibnall and Whittakers first season, and I couldn't stomach it. It was poorly written, poorly told, and poorly filmed. And perhaps my opinion would change if I watched more, but I thought Whittaker was too frantic and not really smart... just had plot intelligence.
(and before someone says "You just hate women," dank farrik, actually talk it out with me before you cast that statement)

I haven't been keeping up with what's happening behind the scenes, but it doesn't sound like either of them will be stepping down soon.