#i'm up to s11e1

[fake-colors]

i watched 8 out of 10 cats does countdown from season 19 to present and now i'm catching up from the start and all i've gotten out of it is 2 things

jimmy carr's laugh stuck in my head

i hope mr fabio aka (robert deaton ii) is being paid a high enough salary to live in the tip of the shard or 100 acres of countryside or a quiet neighborhood or wherever he wants to live

[rantingsalad]

finally getting around to watching 13's run in full (just finished rewatching s11, about to start s12) in preparation for the 60th anniversary and i have thoughts. so here's a rambling post to try and sum them up cohesively:

i know i'm not the only one who feels that chibnall's run feels a bit disconnected. part of that was no doubt intentional (new doctor, new showrunner, new start) but it feels a little too disconnected. in fact it almost feels like a spin-off rather than the main series.

Jodie's a good actress, but i'm not entirely sold on 13's personality. one thing about New Who is that you can pretty logically understand the progression of the the Doctor's personalities throughout the various series & regenerations, but 13 feels just a tad off. after 12's run it makes sense that 13 would be lighter & happier, but the way she's written makes it feel more like a regression than a progression. the narrative often makes her come off a over-excitable and less competent, partly because of chibnall's wish to have an unconnected series. i like that we got introductions to the bigger universe of DW instead of the same antagonists over and over, but having 13 constantly not recognizing or not being able to figure things out on her own felt almost condescending.

i like all the companions in theory (except Dan since i haven't seen s13 yet). on paper, they're all very distinct from each other, which was a concern i had since previous companions sometimes felt like different shades of the same color. in practice, i don't think they're developed enough individually for me to form strong feelings about any of them. i feel like the writers took a shortcut expecting viewers to automatically favor the companions and then didn't build enough of a bridge to get me to actually like them as characters.

so far the pacing of nearly every episode also feels off. i'm not as familiar with chibnall's writing signatures as i am with Davies or Moffat, but if i was just basing it off of s11 & s12, i'd say he struggles with self-contained one episode stories. doctor who has always offered a lot of social commentary, but sometimes i think he tries to pack in too many layers that the overall message gets muddled. most episode feel like the intro drags and the ending is rushed. there is an issue with keeping an appropriate level of tension throughout.

this is a personal preference, but i also didn't like the level of connectivity/foreshadowing we got in s11. the stenza get mentioned in s11e1 and e2, and then dropped until e10. when Tim Shaw pops up again in the finale, it feels less like the return of a major antagonist and more like they just didn't have anyone else to bring in. intentionally or not, the narrative feels like it blames 13 for Tim Shaw's actions. the doctor's lack of follow-through is a fair criticism of their past actions that has been rightly levied against them before, but in this case it felt like it came from nowhere.

i only got halfway through s12 the first time. i'm hopeful that it'll feel more cohesive once i watch the entirety, and i've heard good things about s13, so i'm excited about that.

[master-missysversion]

Since even 'Rose' couldn't hold up agaisnt Partners in crime, I've pretty much accepted that ones gonna win and no longer care about who will be first place 😭 thats not exciting now, what is exciting is which of the other episodes will do well, I've been very suprised by some of them! It's interesting to see

My personal predictions was that Smith and Jones would progress, right now it's in the lead but it's real close. I thought s1e1 and s4e1 would be very close but they're actually quite far apart, I probably shouldve accounted for how many people skip the 9th doctor. I also thought s2e1 and s5e1 would be closer but hey I'm happy to see The Eleventh Hour doing well.

I didnt expect the Halloween apocalypse to win but I didnt expect it to do that badly, I probably shouldve though since flux seems to be so hated for whatever reason. I honestly expected s11 and s12 to be closer but partially bc I thought more people will have seen s11e1, so i thought it would do better bc of that, but maybe those who stopped watching after 1 episode just aren't voting. Still, thought it would be closer even just amongst 13 fans!

[queerestqueertoeverqueer]

every quote used in the bbcdoctorwho countdown

i don't know why i felt the need to make this when they started the countdown, but i did and it's been sat in my drafts for a month, so here :,) i cannot believe this is actually coming to an end <33

S11E1 - "I'm just a traveller. Sometimes I see things need fixing, I do what I can" (Thirteen -> Yaz)

S11E2 - "Oh, you've redecorated... I really like it!" (Thirteen -> The TARDIS)

S11E3 - "She changed the world. In fact, she changed the universe" (Thirteen -> The Fam)

S11E4 - "Something's happening with the spiders in the city... They're out of control!" (Jade -> Thirteen)

S11E5 - "A doctor of medicine?" "Well, medicine, science, engineering, candyfloss, Lego, philosophy, music, problems, people, hope. Mostly hope" (Mabli -> Thirteen, Thirteen -> Mabli)

S11E6 - "Love, in all its forms, is the most powerful weapon we have - because love is a form of hope, and like hope, love abides in the face of everything" ❤❤ (Thirteen -> Prem & Umbreen)

S11E7 - "Welcome to another rewarding shift at Kerblam!, fulfilling orders from the human colony of Kandoka!"📦 (The System -> The Fam)

S11E8 - "It's a very flat team structure"🧙‍♀️ (Thirteen -> Willa / Graham -> King James)

S11E9 - "You want the same thing you've always wanted - to be with us! So you've built a world you thought we'd like, and taken forms we won't reject" (Thirteen -> The Solitract)

S11E10 - "None of us know for sure what's out there. That's why we keep looking. Keep your faith. Travel hopefully. The universe will surprise you... constantly!"💥 (Thirteen -> Paltraki, Depth, Andinio)

S11E11 - "This is the DNA of the most dangerous creature in the universe..."🧬 (Thirteen -> The Fam) S12E1 - "Everything that you think you know... is a lie!"🤯 (The Master -> Thirteen)

S12E2 - "When did you last go home? You should really take a look..."🪐 (The Master -> Thirteen)

S12E3 - "People can save planets, or wreck them. That's the choice. Be the best of humanity"🌍 (Thirteen -> The Fam)

S12E4 - "Let them talk, the present is theirs. I work for the future. And the future is mine" 💡 (Nikola -> Thirteen & Yaz)

S12E5 - "Let me take it from the top - Hello, I'm the Doctor" 👯‍♀️ (Ruth -> Thirteen)

S12E6 - "Ryan Sinclair picks up a dead bird in Peru, and might just have saved the world!"🌊 (Thirteen -> Ryan)

S12E7 - "We immortals need our games, Doctor. Eternity is long, and we are cursed to see it all"🖐 (Zellin -> Thirteen)

S12E8 - "Sometimes this team structure isn't flat. It's mountainous, with me at the summit, in the stratosphere alone, left to choose"🤖 (Thirteen -> The Fam)

S12E9 - "Be afraid, Doctor. Because everything is about to change... forever"👀 (The Master -> Thirteen)

S12E10 - "No time to be tired. Still work to do out there. Lives at stake. Armies being born. People need the Doctor"🪐 (Ruth -> Thirteen)

S12E11 - "Two hearts. One happy, one sad" ❤💔(Thirteen -> The Fam) S13E1 - "I can feel it all. I can feel the universe breaking..."💥 (Thirteen -> Yaz)

S13E2 - "I accept your offer of a massacre!" 🥔 (Skaak -> The General)

S13E3 - “You have put yourself at risk in here, Doctor. Time is playing games with you all...” ⏳ (Mouri - Thirteen)

S13E4 - "You are recalled... to Division" (Claire -> Thirteen)

S13E5 - "You, me, and the end of the universe - it's personal now. And I'm gonna win!"💥 (Thirteen -> Swarm)

S13E6 - "Nothing is forever. No regeneration... no life" ⏱ (Time -> Thirteen)

S13E7 - "Come on you brilliant humans! We go again, and we win"🎆 (Thirteen -> Yaz, Dan, Sarah, Nick)

S13E8 - "I wish this would go on forever..." 🏴‍☠️ (Thirteen -> Yaz)