*

Breasts

  • P Cup
  • 3413
Re: The New Doctor Who
« Reply #285 on: January 08, 2013, 03:35:17 PM »
Fair enough. :)

And glad you liked the Songtaran Carols.
« Last Edit: January 08, 2013, 03:47:02 PM by Breasts »
01000010 01101001 01100111 01100111 01100101 01110010 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100010 01100101 01110100 01110100 01100101 01110010 00100001

Re: The New Doctor Who
« Reply #286 on: January 09, 2013, 01:04:39 AM »
I think the console room designs (since the movie) have been somewhat conscious choices to reflect the Doctor in some theme or style.  In the movie, the Eighth Doctor (and even the brief amount we saw of the Seventh) had a sort of steampunk-y, 1800's/Victorian-meets-the-future type aesthetic, and so there was a control room with steel beams, wood paneling, and neat little levers, switches, and a pull-down monitor with the overhead starfield and sleek crystals in the time rotor (the central column thing).

The Ninth/Tenth Doctors were both very much products of the post-Time-War fallout (which would've removed the TARDIS' main/original power source), and so the console room was a more stripped-down stony/coral structure (which also lent itself to the 'TARDIS is alive' plot elements).  There were exposed cables hanging around, grates & catwalks made of metal mesh, and the console itself had all sorts of stuff bolted on or wired up to it--from keyboards and monitors to gears and levers--and there was a toolkit hanging from it too, all of which indicated just how much damage and/or jury-rigging must've had to be done in the wreckage/aftermath from the devastation of the Time War.

The Eleventh Doctor's first control room...well, I stand by my assessment that it looked like a box of toys and other k1ds' stuff exploded and embedded into a glass-and-brass structure.  It wasn't necessarily all bad...I liked the stairs and the big monitor screen, the shiny brass was actually quite nice, and the glass floor with all the tech-guts underneath the console was fine.  I just hated looking at the goofy controls and that bubbled glass spike inside the rotor.  Technically though, it matched with the Eleven/Amy dynamic, where he was her "imaginary chi1dhood friend" and the stuff of fairy tales.  And Moffat did seem to skew several adventures towards the younger viewers, with various instances of k1ds being in trouble and the Doctor working to rescue or save them.  So in that respect, the season 5/6 console was appropriate...I'm just annoyed that the "hey, this is geared towards chi1dren because that's our main viewership" implications got shoved at the audience's face every time the controls were on screen.  Because the program can be made viewable to the younger audience members without alienating the rest of the viewers or needlessly pandering/dumbing down the stories or visuals in the process, but apparently Moffat didn't care to make that effort.

I don't know what direction is in store for Eleven's future adventures, or companions, or the themes and styles between them, and I don't know how much I'll like the new control room until I've seen it in action for more than a brief scene...but for the moment it's a welcome change from the toybox-explosion.
be seeing you...

*

Cris_H

  • A Cup
  • 672
Re: The New Doctor Who
« Reply #287 on: January 09, 2013, 05:44:38 AM »
Interesting.  What was the power source that was removed after the war?  Are you referring to the Timewar?

To me, the explosion-of-the-box-of-toys-look reflected Matt Smith's Doctor's character very well.  He acts very much The Little Boy.  I thought it fit very well.  I suppose the clean-up of the Tardis' interior reflected his decision "not to give a crap" about the universe.  Until he met Oswald in the Christmas special, he'd given up on fun.  That's my guess for the change.
~Cris
all photos © Cris

*

Breasts

  • P Cup
  • 3413
Re: The New Doctor Who
« Reply #288 on: January 09, 2013, 11:54:23 AM »
...  What was the power source that was removed after the war?...
The original power source for all TARDIS's and Gallifrey itself was http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eye_of_Harmony :)
01000010 01101001 01100111 01100111 01100101 01110010 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100010 01100101 01110100 01110100 01100101 01110010 00100001

*

Cris_H

  • A Cup
  • 672
Re: The New Doctor Who
« Reply #289 on: January 09, 2013, 01:23:08 PM »
Ah!  :D

Thanks!  :)
~Cris
all photos © Cris

*

rtpoe

  • Old Fart
  • 12420
Re: The New Doctor Who
« Reply #290 on: January 09, 2013, 11:00:21 PM »
Just saw "Angels Take Manhattan". Nice pacing and direction, I'll give it that. Thought Amy and Rory deserved a happier send off, but I guess Moffat needed his "season finale", so I can deal with the schmaltz. At least Rory got a great scene there on the ledge - kudos to Arthur Darvill for making it work!

Some (OK, I only checked two) noted how unfair to Amy and Rory's families (especially Rory's dad, who was on the verge of becoming a Companion in his own right!) it was to have the two of them vanish the way they did. Me, I'd have added a line to the end of the "Afterword": "P.S. Rory says to tell you that as long as you have the money, you can get anything you want put on a tombstone..."
rtpoe

The ground is deep with fallen leaves and nuts of White and Red Oak, and of Beech, that line and fill the footprints and the ruts which all along the wooded pathway reach. First claim, of course, to chipmunk and to squirrel for bleak mid-Winter sustenance belongs, as all around old leaves descend and twirl about, through feathered autumn songs.
"Oakwise", Nut Gathering at Alban Eve

Re: The New Doctor Who
« Reply #291 on: January 09, 2013, 11:28:30 PM »
To me, the explosion-of-the-box-of-toys-look reflected Matt Smith's Doctor's character very well.  He acts very much The Little Boy.  I thought it fit very well.  I suppose the clean-up of the Tardis' interior reflected his decision "not to give a crap" about the universe.  Until he met Oswald in the Christmas special, he'd given up on fun.  That's my guess for the change.

I've come to prefer the Doctor's description of himself taken from his rapid-fire exchange in "The Lodger", where he's comparing himself to the roommate traits that Craig's listed: "Less of a 'Young Professional'--more of an 'Ancient Amateur'".  The Doctor's always had an off-the-cuff, make-it-up-as-you-go mentality, but the Eleventh seems to be moreso than usual, despite being so very old inside his youthful frame.  At least a couple of times in season 5 (and maybe since then, though I haven't particularly noticed) he claims to have a plan when he really doesn't, and/or proclaims he'll "do a thing" which will somehow solve the problems and save the day.  In a sense, that's what he's done all along but in most cases it seems like Eleven gets well out of his depth worse than he used to...like he's disregarded a thousand-year lifetime of experiences that should be reigning him in or at least guiding his actions when it comes to plunging into danger.  It certainly made for some madcap adventures/romps, but I felt it left him lacking in actual characterization and development, so I'm looking forward to him getting more "serious" about what he's doing.  Maybe he'll actually tie up some plot threads!   ;D

What was the power source that was removed after the war?  Are you referring to the Timewar?
The original power source for all TARDIS's and Gallifrey itself was http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eye_of_Harmony :)
Yep, and as has been mentioned by Nine, Ten, and Eleven, the TARDIS now refuels itself from "rift energies"--radiation that saturates and leaks out from rifts (both open and sealed) in space and time.  So the implication is that the resolution of the Time War ripped the Eye of Harmony out of the universe (along with Gallifrey itself), **77** the Doctor to re-rig the engines and controls so that the TARDIS could still function, resulting in the stripped-down, jury-rigged/slapdash look of the console room during Nine and Ten's adventures.  I didn't mind that it changed...the end of the RTD era seemed to end the 'fallout from the Time War' part of the Doctor's characterization, so it made sense to dump all the other reminders of that within the show.  But the thing I didn't like was Moffat's choice to create a 'Doctor-as-a-chi1d's-imaginary-friend' theme, and the toybox-explosion console was just further evidence of that.  So I actually do agree that the console well reflected the Eleventh Doctor (though I may not have been clear on that point), I just didn't like the theme I was seeing in Moffat's vision (among other things I've already ranted about).

As for the new console...well, as I mentioned before I'll have to see a few more adventures with it before deciding, but at the moment I like the new designs and the spinning rings at the top of the time rotor.  Because spinning is so much cooler than not spinning.   ;D
be seeing you...

*

salem

  • Moderator
  • 76258
Re: The New Doctor Who
« Reply #292 on: January 14, 2013, 09:20:26 AM »
Just saw "Angels Take Manhattan". Nice pacing and direction, I'll give it that. Thought Amy and Rory deserved a happier send off, but I guess Moffat needed his "season finale", so I can deal with the schmaltz. At least Rory got a great scene there on the ledge - kudos to Arthur Darvill for making it work!

Some (OK, I only checked two) noted how unfair to Amy and Rory's families (especially Rory's dad, who was on the verge of becoming a Companion in his own right!) it was to have the two of them vanish the way they did. Me, I'd have added a line to the end of the "Afterword": "P.S. Rory says to tell you that as long as you have the money, you can get anything you want put on a tombstone..."

Apparently Chris Chibnall wrote a scene where Brian is visited by his Grandson, similar to the visit in blink where she receives a letter from her friend that is delivered by her friends grandson.

*

rtpoe

  • Old Fart
  • 12420
Re: The New Doctor Who
« Reply #293 on: January 14, 2013, 07:30:27 PM »
There's a version of the storyboarding of that scene on YouTube. Wonder why they couldn't have filmed it instead of that long, drawn out pre-title sequence....
rtpoe

The ground is deep with fallen leaves and nuts of White and Red Oak, and of Beech, that line and fill the footprints and the ruts which all along the wooded pathway reach. First claim, of course, to chipmunk and to squirrel for bleak mid-Winter sustenance belongs, as all around old leaves descend and twirl about, through feathered autumn songs.
"Oakwise", Nut Gathering at Alban Eve

*

MunchWolf

  • What Tagline?
  • 11463
Re: The New Doctor Who
« Reply #294 on: January 15, 2013, 04:21:44 PM »
I've come to prefer the Doctor's description of himself taken from his rapid-fire exchange in "The Lodger", where he's comparing himself to the roommate traits that Craig's listed: "Less of a 'Young Professional'--more of an 'Ancient Amateur'".  The Doctor's always had an off-the-cuff, make-it-up-as-you-go mentality, but the Eleventh seems to be moreso than usual, despite being so very old inside his youthful frame.  At least a couple of times in season 5 (and maybe since then, though I haven't particularly noticed) he claims to have a plan when he really doesn't, and/or proclaims he'll "do a thing" which will somehow solve the problems and save the day.  In a sense, that's what he's done all along but in most cases it seems like Eleven gets well out of his depth worse than he used to...like he's disregarded a thousand-year lifetime of experiences that should be reigning him in or at least guiding his actions when it comes to plunging into danger.  It certainly made for some madcap adventures/romps, but I felt it left him lacking in actual characterization and development, so I'm looking forward to him getting more "serious" about what he's doing.  Maybe he'll actually tie up some plot threads!   ;D

This is covered in the xmas episode, where Clara points out that he just acts like he is making it up on the way, but has a plan all along

-Munch "slumbering" Wolf

Re: The New Doctor Who
« Reply #295 on: January 16, 2013, 12:15:40 AM »
This is covered in the xmas episode, where Clara points out that he just acts like he is making it up on the way, but has a plan all along

-Munch "slumbering" Wolf

True, his improvisation was also "coincidentally" testing her, but then I remember season 5...at the Pandorica, he mentions to Amy that he was curious about her because her house was too big; except that was the first time it was ever acknowledged in any way, which makes me suspect it was another thing Moffat shoved in to reference his previous adventures as though there was some sort of long-term plotline.

But I know that the Doctor explicitly used the "I'll do a thing!" phrase to substitute for a plan in the Angels 2-parter and the Van Gogh episode.  With the Angels, he made that proclamation and then proceeded into a panicked flight from the advancing Angels, got caught up with investigating the Crack, nearly lost Amy (without the intervention of River), and then when finally cornered, realized that the Angels had thankfully panicked and drained the ship's power reserves, shutting down the artificial gravity and luckily dropping them right into the Crack (another problem he had no clear idea how to actually resolve).  In the Van Gogh adventure, his "thing" appeared to be using the techy mirror to spot the creature and then hope he could sonic it into submission (and it turned out that sonic-ing it didn't do anything useful).

Again, I don't have a problem with the Doctor's improv-heavy lifestyle, as that's been a feature of the show since its inception...the issue is that Eleven seems to figure "whatever, I'm sure it'll all work out fine somehow...Geronimo!" despite the fact that he's got a thousand years of experience to show that it almost never does, what with the tragic loss of innocent life and exceptionally rare "everybody lives!" moments.  So either he's an "Ancient Amateur" who (for whatever reason) is exceedingly reckless, or Moffat's mainly just concerned with having "cool things happen" to resolve his episodes and/or ongoing plotarcs.  For the past two seasons, I've been of the opinion that it's pretty much just the latter, which can still be entertaining yet ultimately is unsatisfying...however, with the stronger plotting and thematic consistency of this Christmas special, I'm hopeful that this'll change.  Maybe the reckless streak will end and he'll be an "Ancient Amateur" who's seen so much yet can still be astonished and blindsided by the wonders of the universe, including Clara and her strange multi-incarnation existence.  So...still excited for the new episodes to air!   :)
be seeing you...

*

MunchWolf

  • What Tagline?
  • 11463
Re: The New Doctor Who
« Reply #296 on: January 16, 2013, 03:08:32 PM »
Moffat's mainly just concerned with having "cool things happen"

pretty much this

-Munch "doesn't matter if it resolves anything, as long as it is cool" Wolf

*

rtpoe

  • Old Fart
  • 12420
Re: The New Doctor Who
« Reply #297 on: January 17, 2013, 08:28:09 PM »
You know, I've recently found the episodes of "Blake's 7" online, and I'm watching them in their correct order. On occasion, I'll watch one back-to-back with one of the Matt Smith "Doctor Who" episodes.

Though "Doctor Who" is much, much better visually, "Blake's 7" is much, much better written....
rtpoe

The ground is deep with fallen leaves and nuts of White and Red Oak, and of Beech, that line and fill the footprints and the ruts which all along the wooded pathway reach. First claim, of course, to chipmunk and to squirrel for bleak mid-Winter sustenance belongs, as all around old leaves descend and twirl about, through feathered autumn songs.
"Oakwise", Nut Gathering at Alban Eve

*

rtpoe

  • Old Fart
  • 12420
Re: The New Doctor Who
« Reply #298 on: January 21, 2013, 07:39:08 PM »
By the way, are there any other fans of the Big Finish audios here?
rtpoe

The ground is deep with fallen leaves and nuts of White and Red Oak, and of Beech, that line and fill the footprints and the ruts which all along the wooded pathway reach. First claim, of course, to chipmunk and to squirrel for bleak mid-Winter sustenance belongs, as all around old leaves descend and twirl about, through feathered autumn songs.
"Oakwise", Nut Gathering at Alban Eve

*

salem

  • Moderator
  • 76258
Re: The New Doctor Who
« Reply #299 on: January 22, 2013, 07:27:39 PM »
I am a collector of the Big Finish audios, although I have to confess to not having listened to very many. The Chimes of Midnight is a good one for Christmastime and Seasons of Fear too is excellent, both are 8th Doctor Audios. I have about 150 of the big finish ones, plus the new Tom Baker ones and separate 8th Doctor seasons.