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Gaz-L posted:Definitely not ubiquitous. Honestly, Christmas movies in the UK tend not to be actual Xmas movies, as much as what the networks would air over Xmas. So like The Sound of Music and various Bond movies. Around Christmastime last year, I was showing my brother some of the seasonal BBC 1/BBC 2 idents from the early 90s that some people had uploaded to YouTube, to give him an idea of what British TV was like (I lived over there for 2 years but he sadly never got the chance to visit while I was there). Some of them had info on what movies were coming up. Quite literally, one ident had a (presumably) middle-aged chap announcing in the most jolly of voices, "Christmas Movies: PLATOON!" Needless to say, we were both  at that announcement. Maybe someone got it confused with Dad's Army or something. 
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Dec 25, 2023 23:32
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That felt a bit like RTD going "...and also I can do whatever I want!" after the significantly more conventional Tennant specials. Dunno quite how I feel about it yet, I think I need whatever context the series proper provides.
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Dec 25, 2023 23:36
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Well, I loved this. I do understand why people might love/hate it, though I think I'm more in the mid-to-high enjoyment level myself. Give it a 7 (8 if I wanna be generous due to the musical number having me grinning the entire time) but I suspect this one will either cool upon repeat viewing, or get more appreciation on later in the series (if things do develop from here). I'm glad RTD is taking big swings again. Also, BF chat: Since I finished Chimes on Christmas Eve, thought I'd give Spare Parts another listen today. Still such a great, atmospheric story (albeit very melancholy). Makes me really wish we'd gotten a good Mondas cyberman story (besides their appearance in Capaldi's finale). While I was waiting for the download to finish on BF's oddly slow app, I listened to Project Lazarus again. The Forge - what a lame wet fart that ended up being. This one is still the best of the bunch, though, due to 7 showing up in the back half and immediately clowning on everything and everyone, including himself. Sorta. Will have to make sure I don't accidentally listen to The One Doctor too soon before Christmas, since that's my preferred 'fun' Xmas BF story. Wish there were more quality 'fun' ones.
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Dec 25, 2023 23:47
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A fine episode that suffered substantially from over-explanation. They're goblins. No need to go into coincidence or luck or what have you. All the time used to explain how the goblins work/exist should instead have been used establishing the gloves a bit more. We learn they can make you heavy the exact moment they make the Doctor heavy, which was very deus exy. The exposition was unfortunately somewhat Jodie-esque, though it was fairly minimal.
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Dec 26, 2023 00:00
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McGann posted:Well, I loved this. I do understand why people might love/hate it, though I think I'm more in the mid-to-high enjoyment level myself. Give it a 7 (8 if I wanna be generous due to the musical number having me grinning the entire time) but I suspect this one will either cool upon repeat viewing, or get more appreciation on later in the series (if things do develop from here). After the various Forge audios I'm constantly amazed that Cavan Scott now has a hugely prolific career across multiple franchises and seems to be pretty well regarded. Twilight, Lazarus and Destiny are all decidedly mediocre things and Nimrod is so very "original character do not steal" that I'm amazed Big Finish allowed him in one story let alone turned him into a recurring villain.
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Dec 26, 2023 00:02
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Updog Scully posted:A fine episode that suffered substantially from over-explanation. They're goblins. No need to go into coincidence or luck or what have you. All the time used to explain how the goblins work/exist should instead have been used establishing the gloves a bit more. We learn they can make you heavy the exact moment they make the Doctor heavy, which was very deus exy. The exposition was unfortunately somewhat Jodie-esque, though it was fairly minimal. I'd put money on the coincidence thing not being exclusively the goblins, and thus it was necessary to set up later stuff (if nothing else it's there to highlight the Doctor feeling a connection to Ruby through the foundling thing), and honestly, it wasn't all that much, unless you're counting them in the background as we follow Ruby and learn about her as being exposition rather than threading the sci-fantasy stuff into scenes that otherwise might've felt disconnected from the plot? And the Doctor revealing that oh by the way this thing they've been doing/carrying/talking about the whole time, it can do THIS too! Is literally how the show works. He literally reversed the polarity.
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Dec 26, 2023 00:11
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Updog Scully posted:A fine episode that suffered substantially from over-explanation. They're goblins. No need to go into coincidence or luck or what have you. All the time used to explain how the goblins work/exist should instead have been used establishing the gloves a bit more. We learn they can make you heavy the exact moment they make the Doctor heavy, which was very deus exy. The exposition was unfortunately somewhat Jodie-esque, though it was fairly minimal. I think it's because they're actual fantasy goblins, and not Boblins from Planet Noblin, and he's learning how to deal with them. Salt at the edge of the universe might have started to let fantasy type creatures in - so the Doctor doesn't necessarily have a science solution for them yet.
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Dec 26, 2023 00:21
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Minor issue I know, but given the way they were causing bad luck and the whole flying ship thing I'm surprised they weren't called gremlins. Sure you lose the "gobble you up" pun but I dunno, fits what they do better.
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Dec 26, 2023 00:27
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I did like the Doctor being all "it's not magic! it's just different science and I can totally learn it!"
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Dec 26, 2023 00:36
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My feel on the special is it was kinda middle of the road. It wasn't a total stinker, but it wasn't very good either. The best bits were the character moments, the worst bits were the clunky pacing and really bland resolution. Compare it to The Giggle which made absolutely no sense but there was something amazing happening every two minutes to keep pulling you along. The character stuff was pretty good, though, right down to the goblin knots. I want to see Ruby and the Doctor come together, too. And I'm pretty sure Mrs. Flood encounters them during the Beatles episode given when she mentioned the last time she saw a police box. Though that does make me wonder why she thought her neighbor put it there. When Gatwa stepped out of the Tardis crying in the cold open, I was thinking that it would be him coming back from the climax of the season. Feels like a bit of an overreaction to Ruby's mom forgetting her, but maybe he'll be a more emotional Doctor. McGann posted:While I was waiting for the download to finish on BF's oddly slow app, I listened to Project Lazarus again. The Forge - what a lame wet fart that ended up being. This one is still the best of the bunch, though, due to 7 showing up in the back half and immediately clowning on everything and everyone, including himself. Sorta. At least the epilogue to the Forge poo poo, A Death in the Family, is extremely good.
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Dec 26, 2023 00:36
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Also no police boxes for 50 years? They only removed the last ones from Glasgow like 10 years ago. Technically haven't totally removed them if you count the ones they've converted into vape kiosks.
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Dec 26, 2023 00:42
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Okay so this doctor flirts with everyone and everything. I'm totally on board with that.
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Dec 26, 2023 01:21
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Really enjoyed this. Gatwa has this great physical presence as the Doctor, like the way he instantly went scuttling through the goblin door when it opened. There's also a little sense that for all his outward joy there's still something tugging at him. Ruby I like as well, she looks a bit like Clara and it seems like she has a real reason to want to travel (she wants to know more about her past). Bring on Spring!
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Dec 26, 2023 01:47
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Felt fresh and fun. Identifiably Russell T Davies but also noticeably different from his old Doctor Who stuff, even the recent specials. Now those episodes feel a lot like he was playing with some old toys one last time before putting them away. I don't know if I liked this episode that much, but I like a lot of stuff about it
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Dec 26, 2023 01:49
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Gaz-L posted:Also no police boxes for 50 years? They only removed the last ones from Glasgow like 10 years ago. Technically haven't totally removed them if you count the ones they've converted into vape kiosks. I thought they were on their way out when the show started in 1963, though not so uncommon that it would be weird to see one. They had become rare enough to be commented on it being unusual to find one in Logopolis in 1980. Maybe the Scots just need more boxes to keep police in.
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Dec 26, 2023 01:52
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Ncuti's energy gave me strong Eccleston vibes, without the PTSD, and I am here for it. Felt like the same sense of wonder and excitement. Spring needs to come sooner
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Dec 26, 2023 02:08
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When we were about two thirds of the way through: Mrs Wolfechu: So, who's the old lady going to turn out to be from the old series? (Anita Dobson) Me: Oh, I think she's just the neighbor. If Russell wanted us to be guessing, the camera would linger on her dramatically and she'd say something mysterious. (Ten minutes later) Oh.
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Dec 26, 2023 02:13
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Wolfechu posted:When we were about two thirds of the way through: The second time they cut to her and she was sitting down, I mistook it for a wheelchair, so I thought they were going for some kind of "butterfly flapping its wings" thing with Fifteen going backwards and forwards in time. Paul.Power posted:Minor issue I know, but given the way they were causing bad luck and the whole flying ship thing I'm surprised they weren't called gremlins. Sure you lose the "gobble you up" pun but I dunno, fits what they do better. Yeah I had the same thought. They're pulling on power cords and everything, it's extremely gremlin poo poo! Updog Scully posted:A fine episode that suffered substantially from over-explanation. They're goblins. No need to go into coincidence or luck or what have you. All the time used to explain how the goblins work/exist should instead have been used establishing the gloves a bit more. We learn they can make you heavy the exact moment they make the Doctor heavy, which was very deus exy. The exposition was unfortunately somewhat Jodie-esque, though it was fairly minimal. I loved the coincidence stuff, it saved them from being just a group of generic baddies. There's something so Doctor Who about monsters that feed on coincidences that I can't believe it hasn't been done before (all I can think of is the climax of Watchmen). Plus, the dramatic peal of thunder every time they discovered a new coincidence was peak RTD and it ruled.
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Dec 26, 2023 02:20
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I enjoyed it. Looking forward to more in May! I feel like Russell including the nod to the Timeless Child stuff in there almost feels like him saying, "Challenge accepted," in terms of trying to reconcile it and make it work. W.T. Fits fucked around with this message at 02:24 on Dec 26, 2023 |
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Dec 26, 2023 02:22
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Feeding off coincidence and misfortune is interesting, they didn't need to explain it over and over again though.
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Dec 26, 2023 02:23
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https://twitter.com/dimensionsinjen/status/1739405978674618446?s=46&t=uiUehxbkNdNcN0PmfZ4Vaw It’s clear that RTD views pizza as a sign of mundanity.
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Dec 26, 2023 02:23
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Are gremlins more of an American thing? They were very definitely gremlins to my American brain. Edit: nope, invented by the British air corps in WWI to explain random mechanical mishaps. A.o.D. fucked around with this message at 02:27 on Dec 26, 2023 |
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Dec 26, 2023 02:24
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St. George, with the assistance of the Seventh Doctor, drove all of Britain's gremlins into the sea around the year 1140, according to NA 38, "The Slow Doldrums."
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Dec 26, 2023 02:25
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For those who watched on the BBC, was Mrs. Flood's final lines before or after the credits? On D+ it was before, I assume because the app was going to shrink the screen as the credits ran.
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Dec 26, 2023 02:31
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Pinwiz11 posted:For those who watched on the BBC, was Mrs. Flood's final lines before or after the credits? On D+ it was before, I assume because the app was going to shrink the screen as the credits ran. It interrupted the credits here.
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Dec 26, 2023 02:54
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I would pay good money if Mrs. Flood turned out to be Iris Wildthyme. The odds don't seem good, mind.
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Dec 26, 2023 02:55
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Jesus that flat would be ten million quid or something.
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Dec 26, 2023 03:32
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I rewatched the episode and I noticed some weird issues with the script. Remember when Ruby's mum comes home and the Doctor and Ruby cover up Lulubelle's doorway? That move implies that they're hiding her absence, even though Lulubelle is safe in the room so there's nothing to hide. They also bicker between each other but what they're actually bickering about isn't established. Have I missed something here?
Updog Scully fucked around with this message at 05:07 on Dec 26, 2023 |
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Dec 26, 2023 03:40
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Unkempt posted:Jesus that flat would be ten million quid or something. And we got the classic 'rent controlled/fixed rent' TV excuse
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Dec 26, 2023 03:57
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They've lived on that flat since before Ruby was born, I just assumed property was relatively affordable when they moved in there
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Dec 26, 2023 04:17
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2house2fly posted:They've lived on that flat since before Ruby was born, I just assumed property was relatively affordable when they moved in there Ruby said she and her mum lived in Manchester and only moved there to look after her gran.
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Dec 26, 2023 04:21
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Ah hell, I've been caught not paying attention again. I just extrapolated from the mother and grandmother still being in the same flat when Ruby was erased
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Dec 26, 2023 04:26
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The festivities have wrapped up and even though I was done with Christmas specials, I wanted to keep going, so I'm watching Heaven Sent again and this could've won a loving Emmy in the states. Easily.
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Dec 26, 2023 04:45
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Really fun episode!
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Dec 26, 2023 04:45
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LividLiquid posted:The festivities have wrapped up and even though I was done with Christmas specials, I wanted to keep going, so I'm watching Heaven Sent again and this could've won a loving Emmy in the states. Easily. The Emmys have always been weird with genre TV, even more so than the Oscars with sci-fi/fantasy.
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Dec 26, 2023 04:56
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You ain't wrong. The old men who vote on these things are terribly old-fashioned.
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Dec 26, 2023 04:57
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I loved that. Truly a RTD Christmas Special from start to finish but also an INCREDIBLE debut for Ncuti. Usually it takes me an episode or two to go "Ah yes, that's the Doctor." but it was immediate here.
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Dec 26, 2023 04:57
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Yeah he seemed to just HAVE IT from The Giggle onward. Maybe it's because they didn't do the typical post-regenerative funk thing, but Gatwa seems to have a very strong idea how he's playing this.
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Dec 26, 2023 05:16
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That was a lot of fun. I like having a Doctor that is a young actor who plays it as a young man. They set up a bunch of stuff that could pay off or not.
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Dec 26, 2023 05:19
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Maxwell Lord posted:Yeah he seemed to just HAVE IT from The Giggle onward. Maybe it's because they didn't do the typical post-regenerative funk thing, but Gatwa seems to have a very strong idea how he's playing this. Yes. Not having to spend an episode with them reeling from regeneration was incredible. In my opinion, it's the best Doctor debut since 11 (although Eleventh Hour is a better episode overall)
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Dec 26, 2023 05:21
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