Post by theretsam on Aug 26, 2014 14:52:11 GMT
Lovely title. I wanted something more pretentious, but alas, didn't fit.
So, this is sort of my review of Deep Breath. It's to be the exact opposite of Sandifer's, which managed 2,000 words without saying a single thing about the actual episode.
First, my opinion. I liked a lot about this episode. It was a solid, smashing piece of TV with a lot going for it. I'd even go as far as to call it a classic, in a long tradition where the Base disagrees with me.
What I probably like most about this episode is that Moffat is becoming self-aware, something that started with the John Hurt Doctor in The Day of the Doctor, and continued in the bit with the truth field in The Time of the Doctor. We all know characters aren't the Moff's strongest point. Now he seems to get it as well, and even dares to put it in his own episodes. This improves my opinion of him considerably.
What did we get in Deep Breath? Well, the first time any attention is being given to the companion losing 'their' Doctor. The previous time this happened, Rose got over it considerably quickly. Here we get this scene between Vastra, Clara, and the veil, which uses symbolism and character interaction to give us an extremely belated insight into Clara's character. Also, it fills Bechdel's Test.
Yes. We need some of this. Thank you for showing Clara's difficulty with regeneration. I appreciate this greatly.
I especially like "Nothing's more important than my egomania!" and Clara chewing out Vastra for thinking Clara was in love with Eleven. Also, Twelve hinting that Vastra might have meant that the other way around.
Which brings us to the next topic: the Paternoster Gang. GB doesn't like them. I find this rubbish. They're awesome! I think they're just jealous cause they only had a tin dog in their Golden Years. Because their argument ("they're silly!") doesn't hold water.
You had a robot dog. Named K-9.
Cheers, a New Who fan.
They also don't like Strax. He's apparently a disgrace to Sontarans. Completely ignoring the longstanding Who tradition of ridiculing the military, they also assume the Sontarans had a reputation to begin with. This stems back to one of the more peculiar traditions of 80s and 90s Who fandom, the so-called "bringing back classic monsters".
I'm of the firm belief that the only monsters that could believably be called classic are the Daleks and the Cybermen. People remember those en reasonable masse. The Silurians, Sontarans, Autons, Zygons, etc.? People might remember watching them, but only Doctor Who fans could ever find them an important part of the program.
I mean how often did they appear? Silurians, twice (of which once under Ian Levine). Sontarans, four times (of which once in the 80s). Autons, twice. Zygons, once.
You know who also appeared a few times? The Slitheen. You know who also appeared once? Chumblies, Mechonoids, Quarks, Voord, Kraal, Kroll, Cat People, Kandyman, the Valeyard, Sensorites, Myrka, and Robespierre.
Yes, I know, they were classic because they were really good designs and monsters and whatnot, I know. But don't start about Strax being a disgrace to Sontarans. They're just Sontarans. They're not human-like. They're potatoes.
As for Vastra and Jenny, they're probably the most interesting couple the show has ever known, if a bit gimmicky. But I repeat, friggin' robot dog!
Then there are those who said Moffat is repeating himself. This is not a crime. It's really hard for a writer, yes even Moffat, to be original. And should I tell you a secret? Most 'great' works aren't original. Shakespeare often recycled elements. The trick is to write really really well. That's what they've got in common: they're really really well written. Originality often helps, making something better faster, but it's not mandatory. You just have to write really really well.
I don't think Moffat should go. I think he improves with age.
Finally, the episode was supposedly a bit slow. Have you seen The Sensorites? It's not exactly 1964 anymore, but coming from Whovians this is complete rubbish. I liked it.
Yes. I liked this episode. It wasn't rushed and bloated and oblivious to its faults, like that mess they called Series 7. It breathed, and did clever stuff with its characters. It had actual humans as characters. It was balanced.
Soon it will join the ranks of Planet of the Ood and The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood as episodes that are sadly misjudged, whose actual content is forgotten.
P.S.: Peter Capaldi is slightly overrated.
So, this is sort of my review of Deep Breath. It's to be the exact opposite of Sandifer's, which managed 2,000 words without saying a single thing about the actual episode.
First, my opinion. I liked a lot about this episode. It was a solid, smashing piece of TV with a lot going for it. I'd even go as far as to call it a classic, in a long tradition where the Base disagrees with me.
What I probably like most about this episode is that Moffat is becoming self-aware, something that started with the John Hurt Doctor in The Day of the Doctor, and continued in the bit with the truth field in The Time of the Doctor. We all know characters aren't the Moff's strongest point. Now he seems to get it as well, and even dares to put it in his own episodes. This improves my opinion of him considerably.
What did we get in Deep Breath? Well, the first time any attention is being given to the companion losing 'their' Doctor. The previous time this happened, Rose got over it considerably quickly. Here we get this scene between Vastra, Clara, and the veil, which uses symbolism and character interaction to give us an extremely belated insight into Clara's character. Also, it fills Bechdel's Test.
Yes. We need some of this. Thank you for showing Clara's difficulty with regeneration. I appreciate this greatly.
I especially like "Nothing's more important than my egomania!" and Clara chewing out Vastra for thinking Clara was in love with Eleven. Also, Twelve hinting that Vastra might have meant that the other way around.
Which brings us to the next topic: the Paternoster Gang. GB doesn't like them. I find this rubbish. They're awesome! I think they're just jealous cause they only had a tin dog in their Golden Years. Because their argument ("they're silly!") doesn't hold water.
You had a robot dog. Named K-9.
Cheers, a New Who fan.
They also don't like Strax. He's apparently a disgrace to Sontarans. Completely ignoring the longstanding Who tradition of ridiculing the military, they also assume the Sontarans had a reputation to begin with. This stems back to one of the more peculiar traditions of 80s and 90s Who fandom, the so-called "bringing back classic monsters".
I'm of the firm belief that the only monsters that could believably be called classic are the Daleks and the Cybermen. People remember those en reasonable masse. The Silurians, Sontarans, Autons, Zygons, etc.? People might remember watching them, but only Doctor Who fans could ever find them an important part of the program.
I mean how often did they appear? Silurians, twice (of which once under Ian Levine). Sontarans, four times (of which once in the 80s). Autons, twice. Zygons, once.
You know who also appeared a few times? The Slitheen. You know who also appeared once? Chumblies, Mechonoids, Quarks, Voord, Kraal, Kroll, Cat People, Kandyman, the Valeyard, Sensorites, Myrka, and Robespierre.
Yes, I know, they were classic because they were really good designs and monsters and whatnot, I know. But don't start about Strax being a disgrace to Sontarans. They're just Sontarans. They're not human-like. They're potatoes.
As for Vastra and Jenny, they're probably the most interesting couple the show has ever known, if a bit gimmicky. But I repeat, friggin' robot dog!
Then there are those who said Moffat is repeating himself. This is not a crime. It's really hard for a writer, yes even Moffat, to be original. And should I tell you a secret? Most 'great' works aren't original. Shakespeare often recycled elements. The trick is to write really really well. That's what they've got in common: they're really really well written. Originality often helps, making something better faster, but it's not mandatory. You just have to write really really well.
I don't think Moffat should go. I think he improves with age.
Finally, the episode was supposedly a bit slow. Have you seen The Sensorites? It's not exactly 1964 anymore, but coming from Whovians this is complete rubbish. I liked it.
Yes. I liked this episode. It wasn't rushed and bloated and oblivious to its faults, like that mess they called Series 7. It breathed, and did clever stuff with its characters. It had actual humans as characters. It was balanced.
Soon it will join the ranks of Planet of the Ood and The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood as episodes that are sadly misjudged, whose actual content is forgotten.
P.S.: Peter Capaldi is slightly overrated.