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litcityblues · 1 year ago

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Doctor Whoquest Part Six: Whittaker 2, Electric Boogaloo

Ok, y'all. I have heard complaints about the Whittaker run. I have heard that the writing isn't all that good. I've heard that the stories aren't the best. I've heard the acting could be better and you know what? After watching this season I have but one question: what the hell are people talking about?

Was this the perfect season of Doctor Who? No, and I don't expect I'm going to find one- every season is going to have episodes that just don't quite land or episodes that are kind of 'meh' and that's fine. But this season is a really solid season of Doctor Who and some of it is very, very good indeed. When you've been around for as long as Doctor Who has, it's tempting to play the hits and that's fine from time to time, but the real interesting thing to me is when they can do the hits (Daleks, Cybermen, etc) for instance and play them in a new and interesting way. The Judoon are back this season and they're so much better than before-- crisper, deadlier, sharper, still space rhino cops though. The Daleks do show up, but they're getting sneakier and quicker and actually think a plan through for once, but this season gets mad props for me because, for the first time in all the Doctor Who I've ever watched, the Cybermen- especially the Lone Cyberman is menacing as all hell.

The Master is back as well and Sacha Dhawan's portrayal of the character is the best I've seen in Nu-Who. Don't get me wrong: Michelle Gomez was an interesting twist playing Missy and she has her charms in the role, but Dhawan just runs with it- maybe to the point of chewing the scenery a bit too much, but it's obvious he's having fun with it AND he is menacing, villainous and imbues his performance with just a hint of 'mad as a box of hares' to make it a unique and memorable turn in the role.

Introducing a previously unseen incarnation of The Doctor in Ruth? (Jo Martin) Brilliant and more importantly, interesting.

Three Episodes I Liked

'Fugitive of the Judoon': I liked the Judoon when they first popped up way back when in 'Smith and Jones' but then they seemed to be a little bit flat-footed and got confused when someone contradicted them. These Judoon have a bit more of a menacing edge and definitely know what they're doing. (In a nice callback to this episode, the Doctor gets snatched by them at the end of 'The Timeless Children' and taken to jail- presumably because her mystery incarnation/Ruth is on the run for doing something.) I loved the introduction of the mystery incarnation- because John Hurt set the precedent with The War Doctor, so there's no reason why they can't continue it and put a new twist on it that opens up new story possibilities. Plus, Captain Jack is back with a warning for the Doctor, though he doesn't actually get to interact with her, which is a nice twist- 'Beware the Lone Cyberman'

'Spyfall': What a fun season premiere. Loved the return of the Master, loved the whole spy technology thing and running around the world, trying to figure it out, and then, bam! The Master's back with a new, fun face. Also, Stephen Fry shows up and I always appreciate Stephen Fry in anything he's in.

'The Haunting of Villa Diodati': The historical episodes of Nu-Who can be a bit hit or miss sometimes, but this one was great, exploring the origins of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Now, they unravel the mystery and find out that it's a Lone Cyberman that is haunting Vila and what he's after. Unraveling the mystery is done well-- they don't lift the curtain too quickly which keeps the mystery firmly in the territory of 'period ghost story' until the very end. Plus, as a personal aside, somewhere buried back in my family tree, I'm related to Percy Bysshe Shelley somehow. So, props to my ancestor of some degree getting a shout-out in Nu-Who.

Two Episodes I Didn't Like

'Orphan 55': This episode just didn't work for me for whatever reason. It wasn't bad, it wasn't good, it just... was.

'Praxeus'/'Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror': 'Praxeus' was an interesting idea that tipped over into 'preachy' territory a little bit too much- on the one hand, there is a crisis of microplastics in the environment and not enough people are talking about it, so props to Doctor Who for at least trying, but at the same time, learning about the microplastics crisis isn't why I watch Doctor Who. (Though to be fair, you always forget it started life as a children's program, so educational aspects/notes popping up now and again shouldn't be that surprising.). 'Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror' was largely just okay. Didn't really impact me one way or the other and it sort of faded into the background, which probably isn't what they were hoping for.

One Episode To Consider

'Can You Hear Me?': The Gang (Ryan, Yaz and Graham) get some time off in Sheffield to spend time with family and the Doctor responds to an alert from Aleppo, Syria in the year 1380, where she saves Tahira, the last patient alive in the bimaristan. First of all: the setting immediately grabs you- Aleppo, 1380 isn't Doctor Who's usual fare, so it stood out. Plus, did you know what a bimaristan was? I didn't before I watched this episode. Back in the present in good old Sheffield, The Gang is having dark visions and contacts the Doctor at the same time and they all figure out that the visions are somehow connected to the creepy guy whose fingers fly off and seem to be haunting their nightmares. Turns out, he's an immortal who manipulates the Doctor into releasing his immortal ally, Rakaya and the two go off to feed on the nightmares of Earth the Doctor and the Gang have to figure out how to stop them through the ingenious use of the creepy guy's flying fingers. What stood out for me in this episode were the immortals. I don't think Nu-Who has ever trod into this territory before, so it's another interesting choice in a season full of them.

Overall: I loved this season. Spyfall was a fun way to kick things off, the return of The Master was excellent. We saw the return of the Cybermen in a fun way. The whole 'Timeless Child' might be the only aspect of the season that seemed slightly out of place. I know they were trying to do something big with the mythology and Gallifrey, but in the end, it was vaguely interesting but just didn't land with me. The end of the season saw first Ryan and then Graham exit the Tardis, leaving Yaz and the Doctor to travel on alone.

I have no complaints about this season. Jodie Whittaker is doing just fine in the role. The writing was solid. Some of the episodes were really genuinely good and the writers took some interesting swings at things- some of them worked, some of them didn't. All in all, I don't think you could ask for a better season of Nu-Who.

My Grade: 9/10

#whoquest #doctor who #13 #whittaker #season 12

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abumblebeeat221b · 2 years ago

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I think it depends on how much you don't like an episode. Like, if you completely hate it and there is not a single good thing you can say about it, then yes, maybe don't tag the thing. But if you want to discuss a certain aspect of an episode which you didn't enjoy then imho tagging it can be a good idea BECAUSE it can leave other ppl feeling validated.

Like. I like Spyfall. I really do because the story is undeniably great. At the same time, i'm certain there is not another piece of media on Earth which got written and produced with the writers doing a worse job at actually researching the stuff they wanted to write about. Like. I honestly don't understand how anyone could greenlight those two episodes. Like. I don't know how there wasn't at least one person at the BBC who read Chibnall's scripts and didn't ask him to change certain minor details to make it less "cringe". And the longer you think about certain bits and pieces, somehow, THEY MANAGE TO GET EVEN WORSE (like, this isn't even my main issue, and I'm pretty sure this has been discussed ad nauseum but I saw another post mentioning it earlier so it reminded me again : the morse code the Doctor uses? Well, Chibnall got it wrong. It does very much mean something in morse code (why did he think it wouldn't?) and I'm pretty sure he didn't put that there on purpose). Honestly, it's remarkable on how many various levels those episodes manage to be uncomfortable.

My point is: the first time I watched Spyfall 2, I didn't want to acknowledge my feelings about it, I thought I was being too sensitive because I thought it couldn't possibly be that deep. But then, I saw other ppl bringing up stuff which could have been handled better and seeing those posts felt great. It told me I wasn't the only one who felt THAT WAY.

Still, i kind of agree with you, if ppl only want to tell everyone how terrible something is, then maybe they should use a different tag. At the same time, if they aren't only hate-posting then having those posts show up in the tags can be a good thing in my experience.

I wish everyone else took the approach of "if you don't like an episode, don't put a post in the main tags about how much you don't like the episode", I feel like that used to be standard practice but maybe that was just in my other fandoms

#the fandom life

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sclfmastery · 2 years ago

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I posted 2,442 times in 2022

458 posts created (19%)

1,984 posts reblogged (81%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@mostincrediblechange

@the-patrex

@themastergifs

@conduitandconjurer

@koscheioakdown

I tagged 1,750 of my posts in 2022

Only 28% of my posts had no tags

#ooc - 520 posts

#ic - 189 posts

#master of a nothing place (dhawan) - 171 posts

#dw spoilers - 158 posts

#i'm alive (simm) - 118 posts

#thoschei - 63 posts

#meta - 50 posts

#lol - 46 posts

#lmao - 45 posts

#ownership enough (ten) - 39 posts

Longest Tag: 133 characters

#for the longest time thirteen was my favorite doctor because her seeming optimism was an antidote to twelve's horribly depressing end

My Top Posts in 2022:

This is the most perfect encapsulation of what I do with every single piece of canon, LOL.

100 notes - Posted October 15, 2022

There was nothing in sight But memories left abandoned There was nowhere to hide The ashes fell like snow And the ground caved in Between where we were standing And your voice was all I heard That I get what I deserve

So give me reason To prove me wrong To wash this memory clean Let the floods cross The distance in your eyes Give me reason To fill this hole Connect this space between Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies Across this new divide

(He’s baaaack...... )

108 notes - Posted April 20, 2022

also is no one talking about how the Master’s new TARDIS is a reflection of an utterly deranged, past-all-hope mindset of hostile yet desperate mimicry? its interior is a complementary foil and ideological inverse of hers:

LITERALLY, the same exact structure, to “mock” her, yes, but come on. It’s more than that, and so are the outfits. I called this years ago and again one month ago. He is so preoccupied by the fact that they are no longer equals, because his identity is a REACTION to HERS. to have no selfhood anymore because he can no longer claim to be her peer has BROKEN him. LITERALLY THIS INTERIOR IS A PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF THE INSIDE OF HIS MIND. BRIGHT AND COLD AND BLUE AND PURPLE LIKE A BRUISE, WHEREAS HER TARDIS IS WARM YELLOWS AND GOLDS AND LIKE A BREATH OF LIFE.

i wish someone could capture and rehabilitate him. like i literally want him to go to a mental health facility. this is only going to get worse each time he reappears. i want to laugh about the gimmick of it but it’s actually DEEEPLY tragic???

121 notes - Posted October 24, 2022

(Very) belated happy birthday, @mostincrediblechange, my creative partner in crime ;)

I was housed by your warmth Thus transformed By your grounded and giving And darkening scorn Remember me, love When I'm reborn As a shrike to your sharp And glorious thorn --Hozier

144 notes - Posted February 26, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

So to jump off of a Tweet I made (I’m Ambs):

No but really. Indulge me for a moment.

The Master thinks of Tecteun’s discovery of the Timeless Child as a despicable disgusting thing; he’s too angry and hurt at the Doctor to consciously recognize that his disgust isn’t just at “everything I am is somehow because of you”--it’s ALSO at the fact that his best friend was killed over and over and experimented on as a child AS THE FOUNDATION OF AN ENTIRE CIVILIZATION.

The civilization to which HE belongs, which HE always thought entitled him to something akin to godhood ( “I’m a Time Lord, I have that right,” said Simm Master, during Ten’s era). Which, after absorbing the entire Matrix and all its knowledge, he is now aware is a GENOCIDAL LIE (“everything you know is a lie,” Spyfall Part 1). Including his identity. Far more importantly, including HER identity. “Call me by my name,” he demanded of her, on her knees (because, Doctor, you have always defined me and you always will, and I’m learning that’s inescapable. I have no autonomy, control, or mastery, over anything).

But the Master is nothing if not obsessive. He can’t let it go. He can’t accept this: especially after having been Missy in the Vault for 70 years, trying to placate the Doctor by “turning good,” and ending up killing and being killed by herself as thanks for it. So he’s off to work. First the Spyfall plot, including the encoded message (”why should I make it easy for you? It wasn’t for me”): that falls through quickly, and gives him 77 years among the worst pockets of humanity and human history, more pain and resentment in which to marinate.

Next, he absorbs the Cyberium and creates the Cyber Masters (the corpses of the Time Council and Lords, who have KNOWINGLY reaped the benefits of genocide, mutilated into Cybermen with the Doctor’s DNA). This is all mere ritual: he has no real desire to follow through with conquering the universe. He wants to die. He begs the Doctor to kill them both with the Death Particle. Then at last they’ll be equals again. She refuses, runs (because unlike him, she has other people to live for), and lets a human try to kill him instead. This won’t do.

So he escapes, and chooses to live a little longer.

Now, in Power of the Doctor, he decides, okay, if I can’t just kill us all, this awful lie of a “great civilization” build on the predation of my childhood best friend, I’m going to make it so that this entire scenario never occurred to begin with. He drops the Doctor a hint--as one always does, in the best of cat and mouse games (though he has told us, now, in his deepest state of despair, “it isn’t a game”). What’s the hint?

“This is the end of your existence. You will be ERASED.”

It’s that word--erased--that draws ALL my attention. Someone on Twitter noticed that what the Doctor is standing inside, when we see her regeneration energy being activated, and hear her calling “YAZ,” looks an awful lot like a LOOM.

Why’s that important? Because looms synthesize Time Lord offspring using genetic sequences.

So logically, they can undo those genetic sequences too.

What would happen if the Master robbed the Doctor of identity as completely as he has been robbed? In his mind, what makes her special, deserving of adulation, is her capacity to be immortal. He misses the idea that they are equals and foils. If he can’t make them equal again with a simple double suicide, then maybe he can extract the parts of her DNA that make her (in his mind) special.

Maybe the scene that we THINK is Thirteen’s regeneration is just a loom the Master is using to remove her ability to regenerate, period. And she’s screaming for Yaz because something has happened to Yaz, and if she can’t heal her with regeneration energy, Yaz will die.

And maybe the Master is TAKING that ability from her, to BECOME, in his mind, a SUPERIOR DOCTOR.

What if he’s found some way to prevent Tecteun from ever finding her--some causal chain of events that necessitates abducting earth seismologists and wiping certain famous earth artists from existence such that their paintings never existed (or maybe just the paintings, that’s not clear yet)? What if that’s why the Daleks were contacting the Doctor of all people for help--they are noticing parts of their history changing or going missing.

What if the Master has been able to create a functional temporal paradox (this might explain the two earths and two TARDISes) so that he and his “children” the Cyber Masters can go on existing, but simultaneously, the Doctor and the other Time Lords never came into being?

“You will be ERASED.”

269 notes - Posted October 9, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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embarrassingresultofmyfreetime · 4 years ago

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2020 Masterlist

Here’s a list of all the fics I’ve posted this year! (Listed by category, then chronologically:)

Link to my ao3 where you can read all of these: embarrassingresultofmyfreetime

Currents wips:

And They Were Quarantine Mates

An old disease has resurfaced on Earth- one which most humans recover from but is permanently lethal to Time Lords.

Because of this, the Doctor stays on Earth to make sure her humans make it through okay.

And because of the Doctor, the Master- against his better judgement- also chooses to stay.

Reluctant to leave the safety of the Doctor's Tardis, the Doctor and the Master find plenty of ways to pass the time but it can be difficult to enjoy each other's company with so many things left unsaid.

Good thing they have plenty of time in isolation to work it out.

Word Count: Currently 88,172

Spyfall: Battle For Humanity

This is a little number I like to call: Roleswap AU with Dhawan!Doctor and Whittaker!Master

It's sort of a rewrite of Spyfall p2 but it's better.

Word Count: Currently 5,688 (will be about 12k when finished)

~~~

Main fics (completed):

Please Tell Me Why Do We Worry

Summary: After learning about the final loss of Gallifrey, the Doctor takes some time to grieve and finds herself with surprisingly mixed feelings about the whole ordeal.

To her surprise, a knock at her Tardis door soon reveals the Master not only alive, but in uncontrollable mental agony as he reveals that the Doctor's suffering has been amplifying his own emotions via their telepathic bond.

Note: (After so many kind and positive comments on this fic, I finally gained the confidence to start posting more! A huge thank you to so many people it means so, so much to me!)

Word Count: 5,068

Second Chances

When Graham finds a teleportation cube offering an all-expenses-paid vacation, he, Ryan, and Yaz take up the offer and give the seemingly-distant Doctor some time to herself.

After the events of Skyfall 1&2, the trust between the trio and a certain timelord is shaken. However, when their vacation quickly becomes a nightmare, it's up to the Doctor to bring about peace on an upsettingly familiar planet.

Note: (A rewrite/fix it of S11 episode Orphan 55)

Word Count: 7,130

All’s Fair In Love And War

Having escaped alive and alone, the Master dwells on his failure and uncertainty at what to do next.

Purely by accident, he runs into a version of the Doctor he's never met before and she gives him a much needed perspective on their relationship.

Word Count: 4,653

Truth and Reconciliation

“I... I destroyed a lot of things, but not this... trove of secrets. This is what started it all.”

Missing Scene where the Master goes to Gallifrey and discovers the truth of the timeless child for the first time + alternate ending to The Timeless Children episode

Word Count: 7,563

The Doctor Finally Gets Some Rest

(Ch2 update Missy pov)

The Doctor promised to guard Missy for 1000 years, but Missy doesn't mind returning the favor.

Word Count: 5,671

I Wouldn’t Wish It On My Best Enemy

"Just deserts appeared to finally be served for the Doctor. All her running had come to an end, all the lives she's taken or caused had finally been assigned a numerical value, and all the morals she had once believed in seemed to crumble to dust right before her eyes.

A life sentence.

She had JUST BEEN TOLD she would never die, and the first thing the universe does is give her a life sentence.

What kind of cruel joke is that?"

Basically: The Doctor reflects on herself while in prison, the Master rescues the Doctor and actually helps her, and idk read the tags

Word Count: 4,629

Brand New Reality

In an alternate timeline: The Master is killed in the Time War but the Doctor finds a way to salvage his oldest friend's mind by binding it to his Tardis and building him an android vessel as a way to interact with the physical world.

The Doctor also manages to save the Time Lords from their war- but he is still a renegade in their eyes. As punishment, the High Council uses the Doctor- and by extension the Master- as their personal diplomats/field agents.

The Master isn't too happy about being trapped on the Doctor's Tardis, the Doctor is fed up with being the equivalent of a dog on a leash to the Time Lords, so in a moment of anger and also pure luck- they break out from their world and end up on a parallel one with a very different version of their universe and very different versions of themselves.

(Shalka!Universe Doctor and Master meet their modern counterparts- the Thirteenth Doctor and Dhawan!Master)

Word Count: 10,148

The Imposter(s) Among Us

The Doctor has been searching the universe for the Master, but it's only when she takes a break to help a damaged space vessel that she runs directly into him!

The Doctor has a hundred and one things to ask him, but there's no time for any of that now. The ship is barely functional and if the mysterious murderer doesn't get to the Doctor first, then the trigger-happy crewmates might throw her out the airlock before the killer gets a chance.

Word Count: 12,655

My Dear, Doctor…

The Doctor investigates an anomaly to find that her previous self has stood up their oldest friend for the umpteenth time.

Confused as to why the Doctor can't recall ever receiving Missy's invitation in the first place, the Doctor goes searching for answers and ends up finding far more letters than just one…

Word Count: 6,657

~~~

Series:

And They Were Happy Au Parts 1-4:

Part 1: Dinner and a Show

All his lives, the Master had always believed that he and the Doctor could hold on for about the same amount of time. He always imagined that when they reached their last lives, they would both give all this up and spend their retirement years bickering and raising bees or whatever. The Master didn't particularly like bees, but he had always imagined that the Doctor did and as long as they were together, that was enough to satisfy him.

What he had discovered in the Matrix had proved his ideal endgame impossible.

The revelation that the Doctor was The Timeless Child meant that the Doctor would always live on. They would always evolve and survive no matter what happened. The Doctor would always race to people in need; and now, they would never have any reason to stop.

(AU where the reason the Master wanted the Doctor to kill them both in The Timeless Child is bc he's on his last life)

Word Count: 5,120

Part 2: Dinner and a Show One-Offs

"The Doctor did her best to space out her visits with O. For every couple adventures she had with her 'fam', she would stop by his home once or so. Sometimes she let months slip by, because she knew that the longer she waited, the less of O's limited time she used up.

She felt guilty to calculate it, but if O was already in his mid-thirties and he lived a full human life...

Suffice it to say, she wanted it to last for as long as possible. She had never had a situation as stable nor as safe as she now had with O. After everything they had both been through to get to this point, she refused to jeopardize a single moment.

For all the pain the Master had caused her, O was well worth the wait."

(By popular demand, a continuation of 'Dinner and a Show')

Word Count: 10,926

Part 3: Unjustifiable

O- having no recollection of his actions as 'The Master'- returns to being Earth's Horizon Watcher.

O is proud of his work and he cherishes the Doctor's frequent visits, but it's becoming increasingly apparent that she's been keeping more secrets about his past than he had theorized.

To make matters worse, the arrival of an advanced species of aliens on his doorstep brings with it a whole new plethora of problems. Something terrifying resurfaces when O hears they're searching for a Tardis and things go terribly wrong.

Word Count: 23,870

Part 4: Found Family

The Master finally gets around to seeing the universe in a more peaceful way and runs into a young woman looking for her father.

Word Count: 3,663 (Will possibly be updated at a later date, but complete for now)

~~~

Oneshots Inspired by others (specific inspiration in the beginning notes of each):

All Alone In The Dark

While heading back to Earth, the Doctor hears someone calling for her help.

She tracks it back to the Master- injured yet alive- and finds him trapped in his own head, reliving his last confrontation with The Time Lord Council before the destruction of Gallifrey.

Word Count: 1,926

You Again

The 10th Doctor and Missy each escape their last canon appearances believing that the other is dead for good.

So imagine their surprise when they run into each other at a party in the 1920's.

Word Count: 6,943

Sick Day

The Master has everything set up for his latest evil scheme but when he tracks down the Doctor, he realizes his best enemy is in no condition to fight. So the Master does what any good nemesis does and takes care of him.

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

Word Count: 2,807

Prompt: "Right now, I don't know if I want to kiss you or shove you off a bridge!" "Can I pick?"

The Master’s Tardis had traced the call seven minutes in advance to this exact time and location. He pushed open his Tardis door to find himself in front of some no name bar with graffiti scrawled on the side, situated in front of an empty ravine. He was on Earth, and there was probably a similarly ramshackled city around him, but he didn’t so much as spare it a glance.

The Master’s steps were determined, his jaw clenched, and his hands shaking despite his signature device in hand.

He had been on the other side of the universe, licking his wounds like any old villain would when disappointed by their latest nemesis showdown. It all made his blood boil to have caved so soon. To come back and HELP the Doctor.

The Doctor still had O’s number and her call was scheduled to be made in exactly seven minutes. A hysterical, agonizing call that begged the Master to intervene. He wasn’t sure what was worse, hearing the Doctor in so much despair, or the disappointment that hearing her in such agony somehow didn’t lessen his own.

Word Count: 2,410

The Beginning and The End

Prompt: First Doctor, Dhawan!Master, Gallifrey, and the dialogue: "I know my words mean close to nothing for you. But I do, in fact, love you very much."

Basically Theta (Academy Era Doctor) accidentally runs into the Master on a burning Gallifrey

Word Count: 4,499

Kisses Like That

The Doctor's never understood why humans enjoy kissing so much- but a certain, somewhat familiar woman piques his interest.

(Missy goes back in time to give 10 a lil kiss)

Word Count: 1,885

Spyvember 2020

Collection of short fics I did inspired by Spyvember prompts (from Tumblr)

Word Count: 15,506 (6 separate chapters)

~~~

Thank you to everyone who has inspired me, commented on my work, read any of my writing, and overall has just supported me in any way this year!! Thank you for keeping me motivated and helping me improve as a writer!

My best wishes to you in the new year! <3

#here's a version w a break for mobile users lol #otherwise its the same #doctor who #dw #doctor who fic #doctor who fanfic #thirteenth doctor #dhawan!master #dhawan master #yasmin khan #ryan sinclair #graham obrien #thoschei #spydoc

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upslapmeal · 5 years ago

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Spyfall Pt. 1

BANGER OF AN OPENER ok let’s get into them reactions

cold open!

I missed cold opens in s11

why have the fam been missing for periods of time back at home when they literally time travel

the Doctor still having bad memories of trying to get Rose back to the exact moment she left?

is this the first time we’ve seen the doctor fiddling with the internal bits of the TARDIS from the outside like this?

water slides! rainforest floor!

‘in 5 seconds: die’ I mean that’s just another day with a satnav

‘I’d be a great spy, I’d just blend in’ ah but Graham what about the other key spy components: running away from explosions and smoothly ordering cocktails

Stephen Fry!

'you actually do exist’ cue Graham starting to doubt the possibility of his own existence

'they’re not toys Graham’ 'no they’re not and if you say other wise I will shoot you with my laser shoe’ ACTUAL CHILDREN lmao

so uh. VOR is Google right? or Amazon?

is this ep trying to seek forgiveness for Kerblam

(which I did enjoy but is a bit yikes when you start to think about it)

‘UNIT! even Torchwood!’

the emphasis on even since somehow that welsh disaster gang managed to get stuff done occasionally

also RIP UNIT and Torchwood I mean after London’s many alien invasions you’d have thought they’d have at least kept someone keeping an eye on the whole alien thing

does Thirteen have 2 phones? or was she just borrowing Yaz’s iphone?

well RIP Stephen Fry

the entire time the Aussie agents were searching outside the house all I could think was why did the Doctor land the TARDIS so far from the house!! it’s just out there! how will they get away if they have to!

'I’d be a great brother in law'

Yaz!! she’s been light alien absorbed!

love how genuinely tense this ep is

and I love the design of that weird forest-y place Yaz was sent

alien and terrifyingly isolated

'I thought I was dead’ 'I’m never gonna let that happen to you’ uh. this will be their second series as companions so let’s hope that’s not some nice early foreshadowing :)))

'we’ve tried to ask but she just changes the subject’ ok glad it’s looking as though the Doctor’s purposely been hiding her past

ooh that tantalising shelf of info

O seems very familiar and I can’t remember if the time he met the Doctor was in the show

WAIT no he was Waris Hussein in An Adventure In Space And Time that’s where I know him from

'there’s no match’ Doc why are you using a laptop to do this surely the TARDIS will get jealous

love the bond-esque score, nice work Akinola

'blend in’ your time has come Graham bc that’s something the Doctor has never been good at

Thirteen being threatening yess

imagine Thirteen getting shot and full on regenerating mid chase

I mean it would be useful in terms of being undercover and not being recognised

…

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT!! WHATT!!!!!!!! W H A T

it’s the Master??????

did we have any idea this was coming???? I feel as though they’ve kept this very well hidden since I’ve not seen anyone mention the Master may be back this series

BETRAYED BY WARIS HUSSEIN

shrunken O in the matchbox is very The Faceless Ones

especially combined with them being on a plane

now I just want to know how long the Master just had to pretend to be an agent

I mean they’ve done the long term thing back when they were Harold Saxon but still

and yeah ok people are saying this ruins Missy’s arc but guys

it’s the Master

this character is 90% pure evil schemes did we really expect that arc to stick?

my one complaint about the ep? A SEVERE LACK OF SCRONCH

glad we don’t have to wait a full week for Spyfall 2 Electric Boogaloo, are we thinking those 4 morse code beeps in the trailer = the Master’s drum beats?

#doctor who #thirteenth doctor #spyfall #dw spoilers #ramblings

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johannesviii · 5 years ago

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So I guess I have thoughts on The Timeless Children

If you’re expecting some well-organised meta this isn’t a good post for that, you should probably leave now

I probably forgot half the things I wanted to say because I waited 2 days to write this

Ok so first I have to say I’m disappointed that the horrible bullshit from the WW2 sequence of Spyfall part 2 wasn’t addressed at all. It means it was not part of some big plan and that Thirteen doing some horrible shit wasn’t foreshadowing, but just insensitive writing. Fine. Ok. I don’t like it at all but it, unfortunately, happens. Every single New Who showrunner so far has made a big mistake at some point or another so that doesn’t mean Chibnall is worse than Moffat or RTD, who also had their own qualities and flaws and some occasional horrible writing. It sucks, and it’s gonna taint Thirteen’s character for me. But I’ll live.

HOWEVER

THIS FINALE

Oh my god ok so uh first, Cybermen? again? But like? It was still interesting?? The designs were varied, and the Lone Cyberman had this whole Hellraiser-lite aesthetic going on, and that abandoned warship was straight out of Sword of Orion and I really enjoyed all of that. It’s a shame the Lone Cyberman was defeated so quickly, because he was a much more interesting “final boss” than the one from the previous season in my opinion.

The regenerating Cybermen were 100% ridiculous but it was the good kind of ridiculous and I loved it

I have to say something about the fam now but I don’t have a lot of thoughts about them specifically. I liked it when Ryan threw that explosive thingie and actually managed to hit the cybermen and was super hyped about that, though

OK SO

Look. I loved Missy. I adored her semi-redemption arc, and her self-doubt, and her ultimate decision to be good, just to be killed by her past self as a result, even though the Doctor wasn’t there to witness it. That was brilliant.

But.

This new Master. I already thought he was pretty great, but the way he’s been recontextualised in this finale? I?? Holy s h i t

I’ve said it already but the actor is doing a fantastic job

I wasn’t even planning to put pictures in this post but this shot is so incredibly good

So in my Spyfall post I pointed out that he was very aggressive and very performative in his evil actions, to the point where he looked like he wasn’t enjoying himself. He was, like, doing it to prove a point.

Turns out it was because the best way to make a new evil version of the Master after Missy’s semi-redemption arc was to base this new Master on INTENSE, DEVASTATING, SUICIDAL SELF-LOATHING

AND IT WORKS SO WELL??

AND I LOVE IT??

IT’S ALSO VERY UNCOMFORTABLE BUT LIKE? IN A GOOD, INTERESTING WAY??

The part where he gives Thirteen the key to stop him. And he doesn’t dare her to press that button. He’s begging her to press that button. He knows she will do it because she did it once before and he’s like go on. Kill me now. God

If you’ve ever been suicidal or even just self-destructive yourself, even if you’re, like, a nice person and not... well.... an intergalactic criminal like the Master is, seeing him being like “go on. Press that button. End me. Do it. NOW” is... extremely relatable not gonna lie

Thinking “oh mood” about the Master during one of his scenes is... not something I was expecting but here we are

Also I absolutely adore how all of his world-destroying rage against the Time Lords was basically fueled by “they hurt my best friend and only I have the right to hurt my best friend” that’s so in-character

SPEAKING OF WHICH

You already know I’m very in favor of fluidity in the DW canon. One of my absolute favorite DW stories I’ve read so far was Unnatural History, which basically said “the Doctor is an idea that exists across the entire multiverse and every origin story is true and every version is true and nothing is canon because everything is canon”

But I wasn’t very fond of one specific version of the Doctor’s origin story which is super popular in the Extended Universe crowd of fans, and that’s the Cartmel Masterplan. I won’t bore you with my full thoughts on it but I’m not fond of the idea of the Doctor being some sort of rebirthed god now on the other hand the idea that all Time Lords are eldritch beings and that the Doctor or the Master is Nyarlathotep-

But this isn’t what this finale is doing

So far the Doctor’s origin story in the tv series was basically saying “look. This character that grew up in a privileged and pretentious part of their planet’s society just had enough of that one day (for a reason or another or even several reasons) and decided to leave, and by traveling and making friends, they realised being kind was important, and they decided to help people instead of watching bad stuff from afar without doing anything.” And now this finale basically added: “That society of pretentious assholes? Yeah they actually adopted that character as a kid and exploited them like a convenient source of power, and at the root of their power there’s literal child abuse, and they had to erase that child’s memories so that the kid could be assimilated in the society built on their own pain“.

It didn’t change that many things about the Doctor as a character ; it DEFINITELY changed stuff about the Time Lords, but they have always been this kind of background menace, with evil founders and shady shit, so I think it’s very appropriate.

So yeah. If you ask me to pick one between “plot twist the Doctor is a god” and “plot twist the Doctor is a lost child with the ability to regenerate”, I pick the second one, definitely

The best part is, it doesn’t contradict anything really important. The Doctor didn’t remember any of this. At all. Their desire to run away, their eventual hatred of Time Lord society, their choice to be kind and to try to help where they can? This didn’t come from that completely forgotten past. They still grew up in a life of privilege after their memories were erased, and they still decided to run away. It’s still their choice.

It doesn’t even diminish later things, like Ten being afraid of dying, or River giving away her regenerations to Eleven. Because, again, the Doctor didn’t know any of that origin story. Just like Gallifrey being hidden in a pocket universe doesn’t erase or diminish Nine being completely destroyed by what he thought he had done. It’s still as good as before.

It does put that scene from Time of the Doctor in a different light, though! This wasn’t a new regenerative cycle being given to Eleven in the end, just unlocking a dormant potential.

I saw someone saying this episode was bad because it was saying nature was more important than nurture? But... the episode literally states the opposite very explicitly, with Ruth saying ”have you ever been limited by who you were before?”.

I also saw someone on twitter saying that the diversity in the past incarnations we briefly saw “felt forced” and. like. It’s 2020. Can we not do this again please

I have such a thing for identity crisis tropes and stories and adding a bunch of lives in the Doctor’s past is certainly that and it’s like opening a giant sandbox. Imagine all the things that are actually possible now. The stories you can tell in that nebulous past! And I’m so glad the Morbius Doctors were briefly seen too!

Hell, there’s even an open door right there if you didn’t like this origin story, built in the scenario, and I’m certain it’s on purpose: the Matrix projection didn’t tell us the child was the Doctor. The Master told us the child was the Doctor. You’re free to believe him or not. It’s not set in stone. And that’s even better in my opinion.

So yeah it was all very very Unnatural History and the only thing I disliked was how it was a bit too much “telling” instead of “showing”, but that’s a minor complaint.

If you disliked this story, you aren’t a “fake fan”

If you liked this story, you aren’t a “fake fan” either

If you like some parts of the show you’re a fan, and you’re free to dislike some other parts ; god knows I don’t like some other things in Doctor Who

The only fake fans are the people bullying other fans about what they should like or dislike

I can’t wait to see what the fandom is going to make with this new sandbox and I’m so glad to be enthusiastic about the tv series again

Have a nice day

#doctor who #long post #spoilers #the timeless children #thirteenth doctor #The Master #suicide ideation tw

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oswildin · 5 years ago

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The Boss ~ Dhawan!Master x Clara Oswald

~ Okay so a while ago I had the idea of Clara travelling with Dhawan!Master. Or rather him travelling with her in her TARDIS. Just some fun. ~

Request: You do know that I’m going to have to request a Clara x Dhawan!Master fic now?? I have this idea that he couldn’t get back to his tardis after spyfall part 2 and has been hitchhiking for a bit. Maybe in return for a ride to his next stop he fixes the chameleon circuit in Clara’s tardis? But if you had another idea on how they’d cross paths I’d take anything at this point 😂 ( @theaussietimelord )

Warnings: None just some fun!

Clara had been travelling alone for a few days. Me said she had things to do, which Clara didn’t understand considering she had surely done everything in her extremely long life, right? Or not. She shrugged it off, sighing as she paced around, pursing her lips, clicking her tongue trying to fill the silence. Maybe a trip home? Yeah. Trip home.

Clara landed the TARDIS with ease. Luckily for her this TARDIS liked her, as much as it groaned with annoyance every time she’d take a trip, still running from her inevitable death. Clara would just say ‘next time’, which of course never came.

She patted down her clothing, her red dress reaching her knees as she wore a leather jacket on top. She went to walk towards the door, as there was a knock on it. She furrowed her brows, confused as to why someone would knock. The diner had a close sign up. She opened the door, revealing the restaurant on the other side, along with a very disheveled looking man. He was wearing a long purple jacket, reminding her of Eleven’s, with a deep blue shirt and checkered trousers. She folded her arms, raising a brow.

“Er, can I help you?” She inquired, looking at the man in confusion. He didn’t seem threatening. In fact, the look in his eyes felt familiar. The man in front of her slowly grinned, glancing behind her to see the inside of the TARDIS.

“Oh, I think you can.” He said almost menacingly, but Clara just furrowed her brows further, looking at him as if to say ‘okay....’ He stepped forwards as she glared, taking a step back cautiously.

“Okay, slightly menacing tone there.” She commented. “Do I know you?” She wondered, folding her arms. The man seemingly almost giggled with glee as he placed his hands on his hips.

“I’m offended. You don’t recognise me?” He raised a brow. “Clara Oswald.” She raised her brows at the mention of her name, suddenly becoming cautious and suspicious.

“Nope! Should I?” She asked, licking her lips anxiously.

“Oh come on.” He said exasperatedly. “Say something nice.” He told her, a small smirk on his lips as she finally understood. She looked surprised for a moment, before clearing her throat.

“Missy?” She looked confused, looking him up and down.

“Master.” He told her defiantly. “Call me Master.” She pulled a face.

“Bit pompous isn’t it?” She almost chuckled. “I mean, at least Missy was a name. Master?” She couldn’t help but chuckle, as the Master growled in annoyance. He’d forgotton how annoying she was. “Got a bit of a fetish do we?” She joked as he rolled his eyes in irritation.

“I forgot how unbearable you are.” He muttered as she gave him an amused glance.

“Right so, why are you here?” She asked, ensuring her body was in front of the entrance to her ship. “Planning to steal a TARDIS and run away? Joining the gang are you?”

“Planning to steal your TARDIS.” He told her. “And no. I’m not running away. That’s more the Doctors thing.”

“Speaking of... Have you seen him?” She asked, her walls falling down for a second.

“Her.” He informed Clara as she raised her brows in shock. “And yes, fairly recently actually.” He sounded annoyed.

“So, not friends then?” She questioned as he pulled a disgusted face. Clara rolled her eyes.

“Timelords. You’re all children having tantrums aren’t you?” She commented as he just stared at her frustrated. “Anyway, you aren’t getting my TARDIS. Not for sale I’m afraid.”

“Wasn’t planning on investing.” He stepped towards her, somehow towering over her. She glancing up at him, a stern look on her face.

“You know, you could just ask nicely.” She offered. “Manners go a long way y’know?”

“Not really my area of expertise.” He gritted his teeth, giving her a dark smile. “And I always get what I want.”

“How about a deal?” She raised her chin, keeping her eyes on his own. “I give you a ride, you fix my chameleon circuit. Deal?” The Master laughed lightly.

“I don’t take compromises.” He told her. She clicked her tongue, sighing as she turned away, going to go back inside.

“Well then, guess you’re staying here.” She told him as she began to walk away. He groaned as he reached out, grabbing her arm, spinning her back around.

“Fine.” He hissed. Clara eyed his tight grip on her arm as she narrowed her eyes. “We’ll do it your way. But I can’t promise I won’t kill you.” She rolled her eyes, pulling her arm away.

“Good luck with that.” She commented. “I’m already dead.” She turned away, leaving the Master confused as they entered her ship.

“What?” He asked, brows furrowed.

“Oh yeah, guess the Doctor hasn’t told you.” She closed the doors. “I died. But the Doctor went to Gallifrey, saved me. Kind of. He removed me from my death, leaving me in between heartbeats. He was in a lot of trouble.” She explained as she walked around the console. The Master listened intently. “So now, I travel the universe, just waiting for the day I decide to return to that moment in time.”

“Interesting.” The Master said genuinely, his eyes analysing her. “I knew the Doctor was a rebel but wow.” He breathed out, a smile on his face. “This is something else.”

“Yeah... Well..” Clara cleared her throat, shrugging. “He’d do it for anyone.” She pulled a lever, the TARDIS taking off, entering the vortex. “So, where to?”

That was 3 months ago. The Master stayed longer than he had planned. He needed to better his plan, he needed to figure out what his next move was. Of course, he didn’t tell Clara any of it. She’d only try to stop him, of course.

“I should start charging you rent.” Clara commented as she entered the console room. The Master narrowing his eyes at her. “You’re basically a squatter right now.”

“You invited me.”

“I had no choice.” She argued.

“I fixed your chameleon circuit didn’t I?” He raised a brow as she nodded slowly, pursing her lips.

“Did you sneak off somewhere last night?” Clara inquired, folding her arms. The Master faked shock and hurt.

“Why would you think that?” He gave her puppy dog eyes as she leant against the console.

“Because I found the handbrake off this morning, and I always put it on.” She told him, a small smirk on her face.

“It’s not a handbrake.” He muttered, stepping towards her.

“Hmmm...” She hummed as she traced the console with her finger, giving him a suspicious glare. “What if I told you, the TARDIS told me?” She offered as he scoffed.

“Don’t be stupid. You can’t communicate with the TARDIS. You’re not telepathic.” He folded his own arms.

“You’re right.” She nodded, before grabbing the screen, swinging it round to show him. “But she does know the human language.” She showed him the screen that said the words ‘The Master went out.’ The Master furrowed his brows, glaring at the machine as he swore under his breath. “What have I told you about going off without me?!” She exclaimed, talking down to him like he was a child.

“I’m not a child.” He argued. “Just be lucky I didn’t throw you out into a supernova and steal your ship.” He narrowed his eyes, as she raised a brow.

“Right that’s it.” She had enough. “You are grounded.” The Master looked annoyed, but slightly amused.

“You can’t ground me.” He told her. “Not even the Doctor could do that.”

“I’m not the Doctor.” She told her defiantly. “Now go to your room.” She ordered as he looked shocked her by strong tone.

“You can’t order me around! I’m the Master!” He exclaimed, anger flashing through his eyes as he met her gaze.

“Go. To. Your. Room.” Clara repeated, glaring at him, pointing towards the corridor. The Master growled, deciding to do as she said. She was the pilot after all. He marched past her, sulking as he disappeared from sight. Clara couldn’t help but smirk to herself.

She was in charge of this ship.

#doctor who #dr who #doctor who imagine #clara oswald #clara oswald imagine #dhawan!master #dhawan master #master x clara #osdrum #dhawan!master x clara oswald #fanfic #oneshot

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raggedydocs · 5 years ago

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We’re already half way through Series 12 (sob) so I figured it’s time to rate the episodes that we’ve been given so far. Curious to know what everyone else thinks about the series so far.

1: Fugitive of the Judoon - I mean what else can I say about this episode other than it’s the best episode of Doctor Who that I think we have gotten in a long time. The return of Captain Jack, the twist about Ruth being The Doctor, the continuation of the Gallifrey story arc and the impact it has had on 13 and her dynamic with her companions, Jodie absolutely slaying all her scenes with her acting and the amount of depth that was added to her Doctor in this episode alone. It’s just perfect in every way 👌

2: Spyfall Part 1 - I don’t think there could have been a better way to start off this series. This episode was fun and action-packed even before the reveal of The Master at the end but let’s be honest, that scene elevated this episode and the hype surrounding this series to new heights. It really felt like Series 12 had peaked immediately so it’s such a relief to see an episode like Fugitive of the Judoon to come along and raise the bar even higher than I thought possible.

3: Spyfall Part 2 - For a conclusion to a two-parter this episode was actually really great. The supporting characters were great and the fam excelled in this episode. It was slightly dragged down by the anti-climactic conclusion to the Barton storyline but Jodie and Sacha Dhawan absolutely made this episode and their scenes together as The Master and The Doctor were so good. I hope we get to see them together again later on in the series.

4: Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror: Generally just a really solid episode that I really enjoyed. Nothing extraordinary but the relationship between The Doctor and Nikola Tesla was a pleasant surprise and their dynamic just worked so well. Can’t really fault this episode but considering the quality of what we’ve been given this series it falls down the ranks slightly.

5: Orphan 55: An episode that I had such high hopes for at the beginning and was genuinely loving until it slightly lost its way near the end. Really fun at times and the message was relevant and important, just a shame it felt a little bit tacked on to the end rather than being an organic part of the episode. My biggest criticism is that this episode felt like it was throwing a little too much into the narrative without fleshing it out or allowing it to run its natural course. Everything just sort of...happened. This episode definitely wasn’t the worst we’ve gotten but it felt like it had a lot of the things that I was hoping we would leave behind after Series 11.

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chucklestheechidona · 5 years ago

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Doctor Who: The Jodie Review

(Long post)

(Sorry)

Introduction

I decided, still being locked down, to watch some Doctor Who.

Hadn’t watched it in a while, told myself I’d always catch up when I had the time, and the universe decided to give me a lot of it.

I had stopped watching Matt quite some time ago, but caught up about 4 years ago to Capaldi’s first season. I had meant to carry on with it but slow-going times and I forgot and all the other jazz that fills in the space between not doing things.

But I thought I’d storm through them and get them over with. I had heard bad things going onwards, but hey, I’m one of those sad losers that LIKE Love and Monsters. It’s not great but I thought what it did well, it did great.

So, off I went to finally catch up on a show that formulated so much of my younger self, my love for time-travel, interesting sci-fi that ended up getting me into the genre, and a love for character interactions and lore.

I went through Capaldi, and his last two seasons, yeah, they had an odd episode here and there, Sleep No More is a disaster, but I carried on through. I’m a trooper, I got through Fear Her after all.

But I fell in love with the Doctor again. Heaven Sent is easily the best DW has offered so far, the character building with him and Clara and Bill and hell, Nardole, are superb. The stories were interesting, the Doctor was great and evolved, and the companions were the perfect fit for Capaldi.

And then, after a brilliant goodbye, he was gone.

“Be kind.“

And here we go, we’re with Jodie, she’s northern, she’s confused, and she’s in need of some pockets, falling through the sky, yeah, 200 degrees that’s why they call her missus fahrenheit-

Not Jodie, but Chibnall

I’m not going to drag this out too far, I ain’t gonna make you read this for ages just to see if I like it. If you don’t want to see me complain about two seasons, this is your point to head out.

I think these are the lowest series of Modern Doctor Who.

But like the title says, it’s not Jodie’s fault. She’s an amazing actress, and she plays the part well. Hell, so does Bradley, Tosin and Mandip. Each one of them is a good actor and when the scene calls for them, they pull it off well.

The issue here is the writing.

And I feel I should go through why I think that.

But first, I think I should point out the good.

The Good: On historical topics and representation

This is the most diverse Doctor Who has been in a while. It was pretty diverse before mind you, let’s not forget the Doctor seems a bit flexible, the companions have been a mix of sexualities, gender, age and race, and each one of them is loved by many. Hell, Jack Harkness was so popular he got his own tv show.

But Thirteenth has gone and made sure that there was more.

Characters just pointing out they’re gay and it’s just a matter of fact. It’s a statement, not an argument, not being out there or subvertive, it just is. People are more than fine with this.

I’m surprised Graham the bus driver is so accepting of everyone at the start, but it speaks testament to his character. He fell in love with Grace, he raised a son with a disability, he stands up for those that dare have a go at any of that. Graham didn’t have to grow to learn this in the Tardis, he was accepting from the get-go.

Well, there’s some conflict about Ryan blaming things on Dyspraxia in the first episode but it comes out of a place of fear of their lives. But any tensions between them are resolved quite well, to the point they can count on each other.

Either way, representation is important and Jodie’s season has it in spades.

As for historical topics, the Doctor tackles them quite well. Honestly, the episodes in the past are her strong suit. And as she’s a woman now, she has a new battle against her. History wasn’t always kind, and the gag of them addressing Graham each time is a genuinely good idea.

Also, Rosa had the opportunity to be butchered. It could have been written badly, it could have been handled with hardly any care, but it was the standout episode of the season. Each character gets some good lines, the gang has to face moral decisions and it’s a genuinely good look into a past that America would sometimes like to forget.

As an aside, I think Bill, even as one character, explored the sexuality thing more and the diversity she faced from it, I think thirteenth doesn’t do a bad job. I liked the astronauts as shown above quite a bit to be fair.

Graham

The standout star of the show.

This will be unfortunately brought up in my negatives for the show too, but this is the good side.

Graham’s lost his wife, he has to connect to her grandson, his cancer is a constant worry in his head and he comes with the Doctor in an attempt to escape/confront all three.

He is the one who evolves the most as a character in the first season, coming to terms with the death of Grace is something he battles with throughout, he still blames himself. For whatever reason, even in the Rosa Parks episode, he gets the most emotional writing. Ryan and Yaz do get good writing in the same episode mind you, (which is unfortunately one of the few times Yaz does) but it’s heartbreaking to see Graham realise what he has to do.

The Acting

I unfortunately have to put Ryan, Yaz and the Doctor here in one group category. and I hate to do that, but I feel it’d be a disservice not to mention them.

Their actors can act well. When the script calls for it, they do amazing work.

The scene where Jodie is angry and confused at the other Doctor, where Ryan is actually there to support his friend, when Yaz is comforting Ryan about America, where Jodie is fucking pissed at the Master, all good scenes.

But this is a perfect segway into -

The Bad: Asides the retcon

Holy shit where do I start.

I mean, we’ve got the good out of the way, so you know where I stand on the issues a bunch of people wrong accused the show of being. A female doctor is more than fine, the diverse cast is great, the topics of exploring the past is done good.

And I’m not going into the retcon just yet, I feel like going ITS BAD BECAUSE OF THIS ignores so much of the problems to be had

But let’s start with

The Doctor

This should have been her outfit just saying

I find the best way of describing most of this doctors run so far is...

Imagine, if you will, that you need to write a Doctor Who book. They’ve given you a plot to go with, but they haven’t told you which Doctor it’s for. But tight schedules and they still haven’t told you, so you write up a draft. A template. But you leave the Doctor’s text ambiguous. A template for a Doctor. With some work, you could make it the 12th, the 5th, the 1st, once you add mannerisms and how the doctor would react personally in a situation. So you write in this template Doctor and go to sleep. But you wake up and your assistant has only gone and submitted it.

The Doctor is kinder than any other iteration of her Doctor, but that’s it. I get why the natural progression from Capaldi, and Jodie sells a nice Doctor superbly, but ...

There’s nothing really there to distinguish her as her own Doctor. She’s nice, a bit confused, LOVES things and calls people fam.

But like, that’s it. Where the 9th had coldness, 10 had eccentric, 11 had old man and 12 was furious, Jodie has... nice. But a Doctor needs an edge.

She’s quiet about her home life and she doesn’t really talk much to her companions about it, but like, that’s understandable, she doesn’t really talk one on one to them or even much about their home lives.

She doesn’t get an arc until Spyfall, and even then it’s largely just turned into “She’s well moody”, and apparently well moody is just being kinda quiet. Jodie says it right when she shouts at them in one scene “You don’t know me!”

And she’s right, but then the companions trust her with everything and they’re part of a FAM and super close but they don’t really talk with each other. Jodie doesn’t have these quiet talks like the other Doctors would have with the companions, it’s just... not there.

And because it’s not there we’re supposed to believe they think of themselves as a tightly knit group but also very apart as characters. And the companions, to their credit, try and confront her on it, but the conflict is over so quick as to not be there at all.

Yaz and Ryan

This is the best scene of them in, and one of the rare times Yaz makes an impact on a story which isn’t just supporting the Doctor

What they did to these two actors is cruel.

Ryan at least gets to join in on Grahams arc, because it is Grahams arc, not Ryans, really. There’s a plot about his Dad that’s done quite well, so that’s why Ryan doesn’t suffer the same poor fate as Yaz does.

Yaz has absolutely no agency. She wants to be a successful Policewoman but it’s not really much addressed outside of the first episode and the dream episode (which admittedly, is a good episode and explores each character). She gets told by everyone she’s the heart of the team and super brave and like, she hasn’t got an arc, she pretty much blindly follows the Doctor, she has no reason to be there much other than her family’s a bit annoying.

Her actress plays the scenes well, and there’s some touching moments with her in Rosa and the dream episode about how she is the way she is, why she does the things she does. But 2 episodes out of 20 isn’t enough.

Ryan gets a couple of good episodes, a touching one especially comes with horrors of the future and not being there for his friends plaguing his mind, and he manages to get help for his depressed friend, which is touching.

But the two episodes? That’s kind of it.

Ryan gets a nice Dalek episode though.

Orphan 55

The worst episode in Doctor Who. Took any good faith from Spyfall and plonked S12 in bottom tier before we even got to the retcon.

If I talked about everything it did wrong here this would go on too long.

It was just the worst 45 minutes of DW

At least Sleep No More was just boring.

Character Arcs, What Are They

Graham’s arms give out in season 1 for carrying the team.

The Doctor against Tim Shaw is laughable, there’s no conflict past killing a couple of people, so Graham has to have that moral dilemma instead, Ryan manages to respect him and call him gramps, but that’s more Grahams arc than Ryans. Yaz has nothing, the Doctor learns nothing.

But series 2, the Doctor’s given an arc, which is something, considering that before this it was a throwaway line about Timeless Child from a piece of cloth.

Gallifrey is gone again, the insurance rates at this point are through the roof on this planet, she’s been told the Master did it for learning a terrible truth. But she of course doesn’t explore the ruins until she has to, but ah well, we can live with that, that’s fine in Doctor Who. I’m not even being sarcastic, the Doctor through all iterations isn’t very clever.

It gives her a bit of a mood that’s not really explored too much past that, but then we’re given Jo Martin as The Other Doctor

My opinions on throwing in Doctors from the past aside, (I love you John Hurt but damnit), Jo plays a competent Doctor, and her attitude clashes so well with Jodie that both actresses get to act well in good written scenes.

But then she’s just very confused until Gallifrey rolls around again.

We’ll ignore the retcon, again, but once she learns she gets super fucking pissed. And for good reason. Against the Master, against the Time Lords, against everyone, she’s shouting at everything, lost in her life.

But it’s sorted out very quickly by Jo intervention and then she’s much the same as ever.

Well, I say that, what I mean is “Willing to burn and kill all life on Gallifrey” with a button press. Yeah I know that the Time Lords are dead and the Master is about to kill everyone but you wouldn’t let a Spider be shot through mercy killing and you expect me to jump to “Would absolutely murder the Master and desecrate the bodies of the Time Lords”

It doesn’t matter anyway, for she has not the will to do so.

But she lets someone else do it

For fucks sa-

And at the end, what has she learned? That the thing she only knew half an hour ago shouldn’t affect her, so back to status quo

Wasted potential - Monsters

Imagine a super cool idea for a monster? Cool, add it into an episode.

And now get rid of it super quickly or butcher the premise.

REGENERATING CYBERMEN? Let’s have one shoot the other to show how bad it would be and then kill them immediately.

The Pting, capabale of disrupting a ships infrastructure an- Nah, just dick around with the lights.

A TIME TRAVELLING RACIST WHO KNOWS HOW TO FUCK UP THE TIMELINE

Let’s not even reference him 15 episodes later

Cyberman hybrid?

You get the idea.

The Master, or rather, the Missy Issue

The Master is putting on his best Simms Master homage, and like, I get it. It’s a good Master, and Sacha really puts his all into it.

I can only hope that this Master is before Yana. Missy’s exit was poetic, done well. Of course, just when she could feel ok joining the Doctor, the obstacle in her way was herself.

It’s not even the fact she died and why is he back now, it’s ... this Master has almost no nuance to him. He wants the Doctor to know the truth, which is at least some Master motives, but then its just wanton destruction for the sake of it. Like Simms but “what if we made him more crazy” The Master is more than this, can be more than this. It was nice seeing Jodie try and relate to him but this Master has thrown out three years of compelling evolution of the character. To throw it all out seems ... odd.

I can’t fault his performance though, he can be real damn quiet and sinister and really out there when he’s screaming at things.

The episodes themselves

Good cast, good side characters, good ideas, butchered in execution by not exploring the main cast, falling flat on the ideas and by the second season, losing the fun side characters.

Episodes I liked

Woman Who Fell To Earth

Rosa

Demons of the Punjab

WitchFinders

Takes You Away

Fugitive of the Judoon

Can you Hear me

Episodes I hated

Orphan 55

Arachnids

The Timeless Children

The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (for cutting everything short)

Everything else was mostly unmemorable I fell asleep on Ascension of the Cybermen, had to rewind it.

The Retcon

You knew this was coming.

I put it last for I feel there’s a hundred and one issues here and it’d be cruel to just go for the obvious first. Maybe people would think I’d be against this one thing and that’s why I hate the rest. God no, I was so annoyed going into this episode, let alone for what it was about to deliver.

I don’t outright hate past Doctors. Hell, shove the brains of Morbius in there. It shits a bit on Hartnell and established lore a bit, but still.

“But the Brains of Morbius said-“

The eighth doctor said he was half-human, there are some bits of this canon we ignore.

But oh well, it’s not the main crux of the issue.

The Doctor, before this, was a Time Lord. He wasn’t much of a good one, by Time Lord standards at least. Ran from the schism, wasn’t as good as the Master in school, didn’t like the stuffy nature of his race, or their non-intervention policy. Ran off in a stolen ship with a knackered console and wanted to see the universe.

He flouted the rules. He stood up for people where Time Lords wouldn’t. Observe, don’t intervene. But the Doctor couldn’t, too curious, too inquisitive. He got a fondness for humans, god knows why.

But this Time Lord was against his own people, he was kinder than them, but alien to us. He wanted to learn, and left his planet to see if there was good in the universe. He was a rather shit Time Lord but helped where he could, making a difference in other people’s lives, trying to be the best he could be, learning.

This got him into trouble with the Time Lords of course, but, hey, it’s a funny old universe.

And we like that, as British folk. An underdog common person just trying to help out and be good.

What we’re not a fan of is saying the the Doctor isn’t just some Time Lord that likes helping out, but a chosen one who is the reason that Time Lords exist in the first place and is of another dimensional world and there were 50 of them and they knew kung fu in the super secret Time Lord service but they wiped her mind because it was super secret guys and she can live forever and is immortal and-

I was annoyed when the 50th made a slight mockery of the Time War. I get we don’t always have to stick so closely to canon, but holy shit the Timeless Child.

The fact it was exposition dumped on us and then wrapped up 10 minutes after with NEW ADVENTURES AT CHRISTMAS was just the icing on the cake.

If you wanted to pull this off, this should have been the Doctor’s struggle for the next season, coming to terms that her life is missing, that the Time Lords did this, that she didn’t even know what was right or not

But no, resolved. Felt not like adding to the lore but upending it on its head to say he could.

It’s why I don’t blame Jodie, who does an excellent job. Or the cast.

I blame Chibnall.

And it wouldn’t be as bad if the writing leading up to it helped serve the episode. But there was nothing there.

Conclusion

The writing is trash, the Doctor is underdeveloped, the cast outside of Graham aren’t explored, the setup for the finales are weak and uninspired, the retcons are going to cause major issues down the line and you’ve changed the very nature of the Doctor’s character and didn’t even have good writing behind it nor did much to explore it.

And I’m sorry it had to happen to such a good casting decision.

Here’s hoping you sign on to Big Finish and they give you some good storylines Jodie, you deserve it.

#Doctor Who #Thirteenth Doctor #chibnall #Jodie Whittaker #Graham #Ryan #Yaz #Peter Capaldi #Review #The Doctor

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alicedoessurveys · 4 years ago

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Doctor Who Tag

yes im a nerd...

CHILDHOOD

1. Did you like DW as a child?

I was 10 when it came back on telly with Eccleston and the first episode with the autons scared me so much my mom wouldn't let me watch it again until a couple years later, but yeah my teens I was obsessed with DW... still am at age 25

2. Your age at the time of the revival?

3. First DW episode you ever saw?

‘Rose’

4. Did you have any of the toys?

I still have the eleventh doctor’s screwdriver... I used to have some of the figures but there in storage now somewhere

5. Which DW character did you play on the playground?

didn't play it on the playground

6. Monster(s) that scared you most as a child?

all of them! the ones that still scare me now are the Cybermen and the Autons... genuinely cant walk past a shop mannequin without being suspicious

7. Joke/story you didn’t get as a kid?

as a kid, any of the innuendo type jokes

8. DW opinion that has changed since you were a kid?

idk I think I still have the same opinions

9. Who introduced you to DW?

parents

10. Did you like Sarah Jane Adventures as a child?

I LOVED SJA!! I miss that show, and Elizabeth Slade :(

DOCTOR

11. Who is your Doctor?

Ten was the doctor that made me fall in love with Doctor Who

12. Your favourite Doctor?

omg why not just ask me who my favourite child is... (I don't have kids but you know what I mean) if I had to chose my top three are ten, eleven and thirteen

13. Least favourite Doctor?

purely just because he doesn't have enough episodes... nine...

14. Best regeneration?

none of them I hate regenerations :( they make me sad, im too emotionally invested in every single one

15. Do you like “Doctor-Lite” episodes?

they're not my faves

16. Who is the most human Doctor?

I think nine maybe? or twelve?

17. Best multi-Doctor story?

the 50th anniversary special

18. Best Doctor monologue?

“Hello Stonehenge! who takes the pandorica, takes the universe. but bad news everyone, cause guess who? HA! You lot you're all whizzing about- its really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute because I AM TALKING. Question of the hour is, who's got the pandorica? Answer, I do. Next question, who's coming to take it from me? Come on, look at me! No plan. No backup. No weapons worth a damn. oh and something else, I don't have anything to lose. So, if you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship with all your silly little guns and you've got any plans on taking the pandorica tonight... just remember who's standing in your way. remember ever black day I ever stopped you and then- AND THEN- do the smart thing... let somebody else try first.”

not copied and pasted, remember that from the top of my head... its always there waiting in my mind incase I ever need an epic monologue :’)

19, What do you think TenToo/MetaCrisis Doctor is doing now?

hopefully living his best life with Rose

20. Best Doctor/companion pairing?

ten and donna

COMPANIONS

21. Favourite companion?

Donna, Clara, Amy

22. Favourite secondary companion?

is Mickey classed as secondary? idk

23. Least favourite companion?

Ryan

24. Best TARDIS Team?

Doctor, Amy and Rory

25. Most underrated companion?

Graham, but that may just be cause I love Bradders

26. Most overrated companion?

Rose... I like her but idk, I think she gets more hype than she deserves.. don't @ me

27. Favourite companion’s family?

Rose’s mom

28. Who should have been a companion but wasn’t?

idk I cant think of anyone

29. Favourite (canon or non-canon) DW universe relationship?

Amy and Rory

30. Who did you not used to like, but really like now?

wasn't keen on Bill at first but by the end I really liked her, same with Rory

EPISODES

31. Favourite episode ever?

girl in the fireplace

32. Least favourite episode?

most of Chibnall’s episodes tbh sorry not sorry

33. Which episodes do you skip?

the regeneration episodes

34. Best two-parter?

Human Nature - Family of Blood

35. Historical, present day or futuristic episodes?

I like them all in there own way but I think present is fave, then historical, then future

36. Episode that will always make you smile?

all of them

37. Episode that will always make you cry?

Rory and Amy’s last episode :’(

38. Best run of episodes?

ugh I cant answer this theres too many

39. Best cliffhanger?

the end of Spyfall part one when the Master reveals who he is... I was SHOOK

40. Favourite Christmas special?

Voyage of the Damned

SERIES

41. Classic Who or New Who?

new who

42. Favourite series?

four or five

43. Least favourite series?

eleven, I just cant with the writing

44. Which series do you skip?

none

45. Favourite series opening?

eleventh hour

46. Favourite series finale?

Doomsday

47. Best series arc?

Bad Wolf

48. Thoughts on series 11/12?

I adore Jodie Whittaker and her doctor, and although I think 3 companions is too many I do love Yaz and Graham (Ryan is hit & miss). I just think theyve been massively let down by the stories/writing... they’ve tried to hard to tick certain boxes and completely missed what Doctor Who is about for a lot of people.. an escape from the real world into these outrageous unbelievable but lovable fun alien adventures

49. How much of Classic Who have you seen?

not a lot

50. Who should have had another series?

NINE NINE NINE NINE NINE

MONSTERS

51. Favourite monster/villain?

the master

52. Most creative monster?

Weeping Angels, whoever came up with monsters that look like statues and only move when you're not looking at them is genius

53. Monster(s) that scares you most?

Autons, Cybermen, the creepy dolls from Night Terrors, the ones from Waters of Mars, Weeping Angels

54. Monster you think is too easy to defeat?

idk

55. Least favourite monster/villain?

absorbaloff

56. Monster you want to return?

The Master, I really hope that isn't the last we see of Dhawan

57. In your opinion, what makes a monster good?

being genuinely scary,

58. Daleks, Cybermen or Weeping Angels?

Weeping Angels

59. Best Dalek story?

Daleks in Manhatten

60. Best one time villain/monster?

my brain has gone blank I cant think of an answer right now

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL

61. Torchwood or Sarah Jane Adventures?

SJA

62. Favourite Torchwood Team member?

I haven't watched it all so I couldn't say

63. Which Torchwood death made you saddest?

again, not watched it all

64. Do you rewatch COE or MD?

huh

65. Favourite SJA Team member?

Sarah Jane

66. Mr Smith or K-9?

K-9

67. Maria or Rani?

Rani

68. Do you read the comics/novels or listen to Big Finish?

Nope

69. If you do, your favourite additional stories?

n/a

70. Do you like DW analysis (video essays, fan theories, etc)?

yes

DESIGN/PRODUCTION

71. Favourite piece of alien tech?

the sonic, I love how it is so multipurpose except for when it comes to wood

72. Favourite piece of Murray Gold music?

I am the Doctor - gets me pumped every time

73. Favourite TARDIS design?

Ten’s Tardis

74. Has the 2005 era CGI aged well?

actually yeah, I was rewatching the ‘are you my mummy’ episodes the other day and my God when the gas masks emerged from the faces... ooooooof I was like omg how

75. Favourite Doctor outfit?

eleven or thirteen

76. Monster with the best design?

not really a design more of a costume.. I live Dhawan master’s costume. that shade of purple, oof he so stylish

77. Best show runner?

idk

78. Best writer?

Gatiss

79. Best opening titles?

eleven’s titles where the Tardis is flying and being zapped is cool but thirteens music hits different

80. Will DW age well/stay popular in the future?

I hope so, I feel like its lasted this long surely it can last forever.. if the writers don't fuck it up...

IF YOU WERE IN THE SHOW

81. Time period you’d want to go with the Doctor?

whatever time means Id get to wear the most beautiful costumes

82. Planet/place you’d want to go with the Doctor?

Galifrey, pre-desctruction

83. Doctor you’d most like to travel with?

any of them, please and thank you

84. Companion you’d most like to travel with?

donna, sceso a good laugh but also I feel like she’d look after me

85. Monster you’d like to defeat/fight?

The Master

86. If you could go back on your own history (like Father’s Day), where would you go?

back to when I was a toddler, I wanna see what I was like

87. If you could ask the Doctor anything, what would you ask?

theres too many to ask

88. Historical figure you’d like to meet?

Shakespeare

89. How do you think you’d meet the Doctor?

id probably be rescued from doing something stupid and then the doc would be like you know what the bitch clearly needs supervision she's coming with me

90. Would you travel forwards or backwards in time first?

backwards

IF YOU MADE THE SHOW

91. Historical event would you like to see in DW?

Hamilton

92. Issue you’d like to see addressed in DW?

idk

93. Who would you completely erase from the DW universe?

Ruth

94. One unanswered DW question you’d love to know the answer to?

where is Clara now?

95. Actor/actress you’d like to see play the Doctor?

Phoebe Waller Bridge (or Lin Manuel Miranda)

96. Actor/actress you’d like to see play a companion?

Andrew Scott (yes I did just basically recast fleabag and hot priest)

97. Is DW “too political”?

series 11 got a bit like that

98. Which characters fate would you changed?

Danny Pink

99. What about DW could be improved?

I think ive made my options about Chibnall pretty clear...

100. If you could write an episode of DW, any ideas for what you’d do

bring back Jenny, the Doctor / Daughter adventures they would have. I’m actually writing a fic about it if you wanna read.... here

#doctor who #tag #doctor who tag #doctor who questions #survey

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isagrimorie · 5 years ago

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I made a mistake and hit the wrong button, reposting here:

iamdelta-s asked: Apropos of nothing (and certainly not because of some shitty YouTube video I got a recommendation for saying that the Timeless Child arc sucks actually), and you certainly don't actually have to do this, but I like positivity and I was wondering if you'd be interested in talking about s12 and what about it worked for you from a character development perspective, etc. Again, no pressure, I just really like your meta. :D

Sorry, I took a long time to answer!

I love series 12 a lot!

I enjoyed series 11 -- and its focus on the Fam. Although, it did lack in Yaz content -- not the police stuff people complained about because I never felt that).

I adored how this season took risks and focused on Thirteen.

I'm here for Thirteen all the way. I love how a lot of the writing in series 12, and Jodie Whittaker's performance validated my read on the Thirteenth Doctor.

Thirteen's hiding a lot, and because she's attempting to be kind, she's hidden a lot of herself because of it. Her idea of a clean slate meant she's not sharing a large part of herself.

I love the moments with Ryan and we saw more of his comedic chops, his nervousness and the way he cares about people. I love that Graham is willing to step back and let people shine and is supportive.

I love the way Yaz steps up and validates the reading, she is a 'look before you leap' kind of person. And she internalized a lot of the Doctor's actions into her own, I like the hint we got from Can You Hear Me? that Yaz takes on characteristics of the person she admires... much to the Doctor's chagrin.

And then there's the Master himself -- Sacha Dhawan is excellent this season especially in his scenes with Jodie. Their chemistry is electric, in every way.

I loved the Spyfall two-parter. It was a fantastic way to start the season -- adventure, espionage, and double-crosses. Classic spy stuff culminating in the events in Spyfall 2. A more intimate one on one between the Doctor and the Master, and all the vicious cruelties they can do to each other.

We see Thirteen without the team and how different she is without them.

Orphan 55 was a mixed bag but at least it was trying to say and do something. And Ryan was adorable here, as well as Yaz teasing Ryan about his crush. I have issues with the episode but this episode also showed Thirteen at her most grumpy with the fam.

Nikola Tesla and the Night of Terrors was enjoyable from start to finish and I adored Thirteen bonding together with Nikola.

(The Historical episodes this season cements something I've been thinking about: I want to see Thirteen with a Historical companion. She's so good with Historical companions, and it's a shame if we never see Thirteen with a historical companion.).

Night of Terrors is also the episode where Thirteen goes genocidal in front of the fam, and I'm just -- shivers.

And then the Grand Dame of series 12 -- Fugitive of the Judoon with Martin!Doctor, the Judoon, and Thirteen. So many things happened here but I loved, loved there was a quiet moment in between this where the Doctor just had a quiet conversation with... well, herself, essentially but also, the introduction of the MARTIN!DOCTOR who is so the Doctor on the word 'go', it's amazing.

Praxeus was a fun romp across the world. I love the interactions between the fam and guest cast. I love Ryan talking to Gabriela; I love Yaz deciding to be more Doctor-y.

I love that the gay couple survived and had a happy ending. (I have a few quibbles, but this isn't the post for that -- and anyway, my series 12 overview is in the works).

Can You Hear Me? was a fun experiment and exploration into the psyche of the Companions. We learned more about Yaz, and her relationship with Sonja; Ryan's fierce loyalties, and Graham's continuing fears.

Also, the fantastic animation in this episode -- I loved it, I hope these pair of villains return because they have so much potential. It's a pity this was only one episode, this could have been a two-parter.

The Haunting of Villa Diodati - This episode battles Fugitive of the Judoon for the top spot in series 12.

The construction and the writing for Haunting is so great and it services all the characters. The team had a lot to do, the Doctor was fantastic without leaving behind the guest characters.

This is also the first time where a Cyberman has truly terrified me and it's amazing.

Ascension of the Cyberman - A good set-up episode. I love how we see the Doctor unravel even more as she locks into a soldier aspect than thinking like the Doctor. Her fear makes her lash out at the Companions and she sends them away from her, thinking it was a safer prospect. If Bill's death taught her anything, the Companions are not safe with her.

Timeless Children - This episode was... not constructed well as I'd like but, man, did I love moments in the finale.

I love, love the visual creation of the Citadel and the music that accompanied the rise of the Time Lords. I love Thirteen's feral moments, I love the bonding between Yaz and Graham. Ryan's ambivalent feelings about guns, after imbibing what the Doctor taught him.

Sacha Dhawan made most of his screen, and he was clearly enjoying it. From the Master's moments with the Doctor, to his disdain with Ashad's ultimate plan -- robots.

And then there was the Master's death wish and his elaborate murder-suicide plan with the Doctor as the instrument of death.

And then Brave Yaz. Yaz who was already halfway to the Boundary before Graham has even finished talking. She told the Doctor a long time ago, she will never ever leave the Doctor.

(Much to the Doctor's increasing fear).

Most of all, I love that making the Doctor the Timeless Child brings the Doctor closer to me. I feared they'd turn the Doctor into this untouchable god, god of Time Lords.

Instead, how Chibnall wrote it, the Doctor was the first in the long line of children the Time Lords used.

They experimented on a child and used over and over again to further the agenda of the Time Lords. Then when the Time Lords were established as a power, they discarded the Foundling. Wiped their memories and reverted the Foundling back into a child.

It changes everything for the Doctor, and it doesn't. Because she is still the Doctor. It means there are so many things she can still discover about herself both good and terrible.

I love how turning the foundling back into the child backfired on them. The child will become the Doctor. They became the Doctor and because of this they were able to escape from Gallifrey, to quote @maximumscherzer | @jod13whittaker:

in one episode this series took a character who had always been (to me, anyway) a subtextual immigrant even before the time war, and textually, canonically said, “yes, they are not only an immigrant, they are a refugee who has been massively exploited and abused and gaslit by a more powerful majority that essentially forced them to conform and assimilate”

“and then they escaped.”

And the ending where the Doctor returns to the TARDIS and greets the TARDIS softly: "Hello, mate." And the TARDIS responds to her simply by touch and begins to power-up.

Then the Judoon arrives and imprison the Doctor and I adore this callback to Fugitive of the Judoon. There were consequences to Martin!Doctor's actions and now she's in prison.

I have so much love for this season. Was the season perfect? No, but I enjoyed the arc construction, I prefer it over using arc words, especially since I got the sense this storyline is far from over.

Series 12 swung for the fences and took risks. I liked series 11 but man, this season had a fire to it and a momentum that left me breathless.

I love that we got more Time Lords in both myth and characters and I love that this season, as @missmarthanightingale wrote, was an exploration of imperialism and of the Time Lords and their imperialism in particular.

There will be fallout from all this, and I'm excited to see where this goes for the Doctor and for the team.

#answered #thirteenth doctor #13th doctor #dw series 12 #thinky thoughts #iamdelta-s #chris chibnall #thirteenth doctor era #long post

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thirddoctor · 5 years ago

Note

Thanks for answering my question, and I really loved the one about how it being a random child would have REALLY affected the Doctor. I'm afraid I have a few other questions - what were your theories for the Timeless Child, and what would you have had The Timeless Child be (and what would've been the reason for the Master freaking out about it?)

I had no theories about the Timeless Child because someone on Gallifrey Base already leaked the plot before S12 aired (initially I thought they were talking obvious rubbish, but then Spyfall 2 happened), so I knew where the plot was going and just hoped in vain there was some sort of additional context that would make it work.

I’ve got various fix-it headcanons for it, as well as alternate ideas for what they could have done, but I guess at the end of the day I just... wouldn’t have done that plot at all? As much as a I like Gallifrey, doing a lore-heavy Time Lord story only makes sense if you have a way to make the companions an integral, driving force in that plot. They can’t just be along for the ride. If I were doing S12, my number one priority would be character. For me, good character work trumps anything else. It can salvage weak stories and it gives the audience a reason to actually be invested in what happens. I watched Aliens of London/World War Three recently (I’m rewatching both Classic and New Who at the moment) and the Slitheen are rubbish---not even in a charming way, they just suck---but the story is redeemed by the strength of the character drama. You may be cringing at farting aliens one minute, but the next you’re feeling Jackie’s fear for her daughter or the Doctor’s desperation to save the world.

That’s where the show needs to shine. Hidden underneath all the aliens and monster and sci-fi mumbo jumbo there has to be a human story. That doesn’t mean the characters have to be human, but there must be something real and meaningful at the heart of the story.

As for the Master, honestly, the only thing I can imagine getting him to react the way he did would be finding out he was the Timeless Child. That would explain everything, even his post-Missy character regression, but I would hate it. I much prefer his backstory the way it is. So I guess my answer again would be I wouldn’t do things this way at all---I would’ve used the Master in a completely different context.

#thanks for the questions!#Replies #rebelqueenofthediscovery #Ranger yells about the Master #Ranger shut up about Doctor Who #DW criticism

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timeagainreviews · 5 years ago

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Vengence on Gallifrey

Welcome back, friends. We’re meeting up sooner than we usually do! I could get used to the idea of a new episode every Wednesday and Sunday. Wouldn’t that be swanky? In the time since part one of "Spyfall," there has been a lot of speculation and theories about what would be in store for part two. How many of your fan predictions came true? I know a couple of mine did. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Before part two aired, I revisited part one. I was curious to review O’s storyline in light of the big reveal. Would I notice any nods or giveaways to his being the Master a second time around? The answer is basically, no. Other than the Master’s reaction of "ridiculous," to the inside of the TARDIS, there’s not much telegraphing to be had. I did, however, notice some things that seem head-slappingly stupid upon a second viewing.

My pal Steve compared the episode to "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," in that it moves so fast that you don’t have enough time to realise how stupid it actually is. One of those things I noticed the second time around was the big glass box in the middle of O’s home. My mind had kind of glazed over by that point that I never questioned how stupid it was that he would have a spring-loaded glass box in his ceiling. Now, I’m only human, but the Doctor isn’t. Why didn’t that seem weird to her that he would have a trap hanging from the ceiling? It made me think of Troll 2 when the dad walks over and grabs a fire extinguisher conveniently propped against the house. Why was it there? Because the plot demanded it.

Despite this, there is one thing I feel deserves saying. As much as I liked "Kerblam!" "The Witchfinders," or "It Takes You Away," I haven’t watched any of them since they first aired. I haven’t watched any of season 11 since my initial viewing. Regardless of any plotholes I found, I wanted to rewatch Spyfall. And I think that goes to show that despite various failings on Chris Chibnall’s behalf, he’s got me watching the show again! What then is different?

My first response would be that the stakes are higher this time around. A lot of that has to do with the fact that the Master is back. Regardless of how overused he may or may not be in the new series, their relationship has gravity. As an agent of chaos, the Master ups the tension as we have a history with him. Like with the Dalek in "Resolution," he lends a familiar element that this new era deeply needed. In these past few days, I was truly worried about how our friends were going to get out of this mess. I haven’t felt that way about Doctor Who in a long time.

When we last saw our heroes, the Doctor had been transported to the brain realm and the companions were about to crash on a plane. Through a bit of time travel, the Doctor saves the day via phone app, thus continuing the trend of the Doctor messing with Ryan’s phone. At least the dude got to keep his data this time. I found the whole sequence with the Doctor making plaques and laminating belaboured the point a bit, but it was cute.

We learn that the Doctor is walking around in some sort of synaptic realm. She meets Ada Lovelace who seems to think it's her own mind, but that was her best guess. I would complain that it was a weird design if it was a mind, but then I remember "The Invisible Enemy," and realise how much worse it could have looked! According to Ada, she’s been visiting this place since she was a wee bairn. She seems rather cool about the whole thing but is perplexed to see the Doctor.

The two flash into Ada’s timeline of 1834, where the Doctor has found herself at a steampunk convention. I found some of the steam-powered devices like the grenade to be a bit moronic. It was so unbelievable that my initial reaction was that she was in some sort of alternate history. But no, it’s just goofy. The Master discovers the Doctor survived and goes to finish the job. Before the episode, I was thinking "I hope they show the inside of his TARDIS." Turns out they already had. I guess it’s the same size on the inside. I had kind of expected it to be like Clara and Me’s TARDIS in that the diner was just part of the facade with the real bit hidden away. But no, his console is right there in the main room. Weird. Also, remember when chameleon circuits used to make TARDISes look inconspicuous? The biggest thing we ever saw it do was when the Master’s TARDIS became a truck. The coolest camouflage still goes to my man Professor Chronotis’ TARDIS in Shada. It was just a door along a wall. How cool is that? Not complaining, merely lamenting the loss of simplicity.

From within the Master’s TARDIS we see Barton confront the Master. The conversation between these two really only serves to show Barton as alive, and establish the power structure which is that the Master is in charge, which we already knew. It also establishes the existence of a sculpture that looks like something a third-year art student might have half-assed while hungover. Barton goes to intercept the companions, while the Master takes care of the Doctor. He makes a grand entrance with his tissue compression device doling out murder without reason. Did anyone else wonder why the device seemed not only to shrink people but also to turn them stiff like plastic or wood? I suppose compacting material like that could increase rigidity, but it was an odd choice.

To get the Master to stop killing people, the Doctor placates his ego by getting on her knees and calling him Master. It was, for lack of a better word- hot. Ada shoots the Master with a steam-powered gun and they get away. This was more of Chibnall’s weird relationship with guns. The Doctor says to Ada that she doesn’t approve, but the second Ada uses a grenade the Doctor is like "Hell yeah, this is my bad bitch Ada! Represent!" It’s like in "The Ghost Monument," when she hated the use of guns against a group of emotionless robots and then used a bomb to take out the same group of emotionless robots. It’s almost as though it’s not the killing the Doctor hates, it’s the inefficiency of the whole thing. "Mate, use bombs, way more effective!" Okay, Chris.

In the last five minutes of part one, I wasn’t sure if Sacha Dhawan was going to be a good Master or not. I was worried he was going to be too flamboyant, but the second he hits the screen in part two, it’s as though he had always been in the role. I really love him and Jodie Whittaker’s chemistry. It’s great to see her Doctor faced with someone truly evil, and I feel as though it’s given her a lot to work with. Watching the two of them verbally spar is nothing short of delightful.

Barton comes up empty-handed in his search for the companions, which is no sweat off his back as he is Mr Tech Empire. After a little bit of finagling with the internet, their faces are soon posted everywhere as wanted criminals. Exactly like in "The Sound of Drums," they’re going to have to go off the grid. They even take refuge in a construction site! Doing so gives them a bit of downtime to talk and regroup. In a moment of clarity, it dons on them that they don’t really know the Doctor all that well. They decide that after all is said and done, they’re going to have a talk with the Doctor. Like many people, I was hoping that they would visit this concept, as series eleven made them seem a little too keen. It was a welcome bit of character development.

Another thing I love about this scene is that Graham isn’t annoying in it. "But Natalie," you say, "I thought you loved Graham!" And you would be right, I do love Graham. But I feel like it’s worth pointing out that they didn’t ruin him. Usually with a lot of shows and movies, if something is good or popular with fans, the tendency is to overdo it. This is the same lovable dude from the previous series and I feel that should be acknowledged. One of the things I really admire about Chris Chibnall is that he really seems to know his own character’s voices. One of my biggest issues with Clara Oswald is that her personality was all over the board. We don’t get that here.

Having travelled with the Doctor for a while now, the companions decide to carry on like she would have them do. They still have their spy gear and like exploding cufflinks and Graham’s laser shoes, and their timing couldn’t have been more perfect as the baddies from part one show up. Sadly, they’re not the Voord as me and many others had hoped. They’re a species known as the Kasaavin. It’s a name that’s about as inspired as Ranskoor Av Kolos, and that is not a compliment. It’s simply a very forgettable name. I dunno what it is, but I really hate the way Chris Chibnall names stuff. He’s willing to do groan-inducing puns like "Arachnids in the UK," or "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship," but then decides to reign it in with "Resolution," despite the naming convention established in previous Dalek stories like "Revelation of the Daleks," or "Remembrance of the Daleks." Though I suppose in his defence, "Resolution," is about a singular Dalek. Either way, Graham’s laser shoes save the day. It’s ridiculous, but unlike the Master, it is a compliment when I say it.

The Doctor has now regrouped with Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage. After a bit of fangirling on her part, she goes into Doctor brain mode. She pieces together that the multiple maps of the earth are, like I had guessed, different points in time. The aliens are spying on important people throughout time, for some reason that still makes zero sense to me. Why would they care about the Earth’s technology? Wouldn’t their computers completely best our technology? What threat could humans pose to them? I thought their sights were set on taking over the universe, but now it appears their sites are set on one planet’s technology. I guess you’ve got to start somewhere.

The Doctor surmises that the Kasaavin must have difficulty keeping their form in our universe, thus a need for a machine that keeps them stable. This, of course, is the bad art student sculpture we saw in the Master’s TARDIS which has now found its way into Charles Babbage’s study. This must have been too close to the truth as at this moment a Kasaavin shows up. The Doctor uses this as an opportunity to hitch a ride off of the Kasaavin’s energy surge in hopes to end up back in the present day. As she does, Ada grabs her hand and is transported as well. Instead of 2020, they end up in the year 1943 during a Nazi blitz on Paris. Literally, the first person they encounter is another historical figure- Noor Inayat Khan. That’s gotta be some kind of record for the show- three historical figures in one episode.

After establishing that they aren’t Nazis, the Doctor and Ada hide in the safety of Noor’s home. However, it is then that the Master shows up in full Nazi regalia and orders a team of Nazi soldiers to fire into the floor and leaves. I, like many of you, was immediately confused. The Nazis weren’t known to ally themselves with people of the Master’s current complexion. However, we learn that by using a series of perception filters, the Master has disguised himself as white, which makes sense in relation to the show. We discover the Doctor and Ada narrowly averted death as they were, in fact, hiding in the floor.

On the other end of things, Graham, Ryan, and Yaz use being under surveillance to draw Barton’s people into a trap. Using Graham’s laser shoes, they steal a vehicle and head to stop Barton. Speaking of Barton, we’re treated to a deliciously dark scene between him and his mother. It was pretty obvious that the woman strapped to a chair in his bad guy lair had to be his mother, but that didn’t make it any less funny. This guy is such a piece of work that not even his mother likes him. He tells her that she is to be the first person to be subjected to his grand scheme. After being taken over by blue electricity, she appears to die. What a dick.

Back in Paris, the Doctor realises Noor is a British spy. Using her telegraph, the Doctor baits the Master by tapping out four beats- the heartbeat of a Time Lord. Unable to resist, the Master taps four beats in response to the Doctor. What happened next was one of the coolest things I’ve seen on Doctor Who in a while. The Doctor and the Master make contact telepathically, something of which hasn’t been seen in the show for years. I quite literally threw my hands up into the air with joy. Kudos to Chris Chibnall for giving me the nerd feels.

The Doctor and the Master meet up atop the Eifel Tower where they have a rather intimate conversation. We find out it was the Master who killed C in the previous episode. So yes, they did waste Stephen Fry, which officially makes me a disappoint. The Doctor deduces that the Master isn’t actually in control of the Kasaavin. Instead, the Master has merely allied himself with them, claiming to have given them a broader scope of vision. I’m not exactly sure how going from wanting to take over the universe to taking over a small planet is a broadening in scope, but stop asking questions and watch the show.

Now, remember how I just gave kudos to Chris Chibnall? Well, I am going to have to take those back. In an attempt to delay the Master, the Doctor gives him away to the Nazis. She makes them think he is a British spy and directs them to their location. However, not only does she do this, but she also disables his perception filters. So effectively, the Doctor, a white woman, gives up a brown man to the Nazis. It wasn’t enough to make them think he’s a spy, they had to also see that he had brown skin. I was honestly a bit disgusted by this. How would they even recognise him as the same guy they were told was a spy? They’re going to arrive and find a person of colour in a Nazi uniform and not know who he was. Jesus Christ, Chibnall.

The Doctor uses the Master’s TARDIS to get back to the present time, just in time to find Barton unrolling his big plan. He goes on a long speech about how we give all of our information to corporations and how we should watch who we allow to pry into our privacy. It’s the social media equivalent of "Don’t blink." It’s a very effective bit of writing on par with one of Steven Moffat’s better speeches. It’s a shame it was preceded by the Doctor selling the Master out to Nazis.

So what’s the big plan? Well, remember the spy woman in part one whose DNA had been rewritten? And remember how Barton was only 93% human? It turns out that the Kasaavin plan to rewrite the DNA of the human race and turn us into hard drives by storing information within our DNA. They do so by using our smartphones and tablets against us. In the same arc of blue electricity as Mother Barton, people all over the world begin to be assimilated. During this entire press conference scene, I’m not sure if any of the actors in the audience were given proper direction as they have the most benign faces throughout most of this. Barton, whose speech went from zero to megalomaniacal in the first few seconds, should have sent up red flags across the room, but instead, they were as serene as cows. It was bizarre.

That was it, that was the big plan. Turn people into hard drives. I think? I had to ask a few of my friends what they thought it was supposed to be because I was worried I had missed something. Were they trying to take over the bodies of humans so they could have corporeal form? If so, then why say they wanted to store data in our DNA? Why do they need so much data storage anyway? Have they got a huge stash of hentai in their universe? Were they torrenting all of Doctor Who? Seriously, I do not understand their motivation or their methods. But honestly, I hardly care, because the real star of the show is the Master.

Having waited 77 years, the Master shows up just in time to be kind of late to the show. Like, he didn’t even buy a gun in that time. I do however look forward to the Big Finish audios pertaining to that era of his life. However, in the meantime, the Doctor took it upon herself to put a bug in the Kasaavin’s system which negates their mission and reverses the conversion. She informs the Kasaavin that the Master had planned to double-cross them. As they depart from our universe, they take the Master with them, but not before he mentions to the Doctor that Gallifrey was destroyed.

After getting Ada and Noor to their respective timelines, the Doctor goes to see Gallifrey for herself. Sure enough, the once-great Time Lord society has been raised to the ground. It’s a powerful bit of acting on Jodie Whittaker’s behalf. Devastated, the Doctor returns to the TARDIS only to be greeted by a hologram of the Master telling her it was him that did it, as a sort of act of punishment or vengeance. This is a much needed source of motivation for the Master’s current rage, considering how much of a departure it is from Missy’s redemption arc. Remember the timeless child storyline I’ve been dreading? Well, I’m genuinely surprised to be sitting here today to tell you that it has piqued my interest. Having something to do with the founders of Time Lord society, Rassilon and Omega, the implication is that their legend is based upon a lie, thus the Master’s final warning to the Doctor at the end of part one.

So who is the timeless child? Well, I am relieved to say I don’t think it’s the Doctor. My wildest guess is that she was some sort of person that didn’t experience time like the rest of us and was killed to harness that power. Think Rusty Venture powering his dream machine with the heart of an orphan. Like I said, my wildest guess. The biggest takeaway from all of this is that I’m sitting here speculating about Doctor Who. With Moffat’s plotlines oftentimes leading nowhere interesting, I had grown wary of speculation. Why wonder what was next when it was most likely something disappointing? It’s nice to feel intrigued by Doctor Who again.

Upon returning to her fam, the Doctor is distant and quiet. The companions can tell something is up, but as they decided earlier, they needed to have a talk with the Doctor. The Doctor concedes and tells them the basics- she’s a Time Lord, she’s from Gallifrey, she can regenerate her body, the Master was her friend. This bit of truth on her behalf seems to please the trio as they don’t press the issue further. The Doctor throws the TARDIS into gear and we’re left lingering on her face for a moment before the episode ends.

Afterwards, my wife and boyfriend and I sat in silence. As the biggest Whovian in the house, I think they were waiting for my reaction. And in some ways, I think I was too. I really enjoyed the episode, I did. But I had my issues, which I’ve listed extensively above. My main qualms at that time were of structure. Much like the first episode, this one was clunky. The pacing was definitely better than last time, but still had issues. But otherwise, I needed to think about what I had just seen. I liked the anti-fascism angle, save for the Doctor selling out the Master to the Nazis. And there were a lot of great callbacks to classic Who. My wife had checked out at the DNA storage bit because she’s a giant nerd and was feeling nitpicky about the science in a science fiction show. But it was Duncan whose comments I think were the most on point. He told me that he, as a casual viewer, was lost throughout much of the episode. For him, a little bit of explanation peppered throughout the episode would have gone a long way.

One of the most persistent flaws in classic Doctor Who is that oftentimes they would explain what was happening within the final episode of a story, leaving you in the dark for the first few episodes. In the same way, Spyfall had left him feeling lost. I even said it recently that I am not the kind of fan Doctor Who needs to please. I will watch the show regardless of its quality. If someone as fanatical as myself was feeling confused, imagine how my boyfriend felt. It is, as he said, why people start tuning out. The show is on course to what may possibly be one of it’s best seasons in years. I’m hoping that the next few episodes give us a bit of breathing room before throwing us back into the deep end.

#doctor who #Jodie Whittaker #Thirteenth Doctor #Sacha Dhawan #The Master #Graham O'Brien #Ryan Sinclair #yasmine khan #yaz #spyfall #gallifrey #ada lovelace #noor inyat khan #charles babbage #kasaavin #Time and Time Again

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youremyonlyhope · 5 years ago

Text

Spyfall Part 2

Yay part 2! I’m so ready. Give me more.

While on my lunch break at work today, I nearly opened tumblr on my phone. Then I realized it was after 2pm so the episode was currently airing in Britain. I could have been spoiled if I hadn’t stopped myself.

I see the Doctor is still talking to herself. Old habits die hard. “Don’t panic.” Love Hitchhiker’s Guide. “RYAN.” HUH “RYAN SINCLAIR?” WHAT? This is reminding me of something... what am I being reminded of... BLINK MAYBE??? YES THIS IS JUST LIKE “SALLY SPARROW DUCK NOW.” THIS IS BLINK. IS THIS BLINK? BECAUSE THIS IS BLINK. ...Who in the world is this lady... “Obviously I’m a recording and can’t hear you.” THIS IS BLINK. Also this is throwing shade at Blink with the “Obviously” part... It is his TARDIS!!!! IT’S A TARDIS. THE HOUSE IS A TARDIS. THE FANS WERE RIGHT. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was a TARDIS or just the Master making a joke by having the house fly by them. But nope, IT’S A TARDIS. I literally screamed “IT’S A TARDIS” out loud. “Magic Apparrating Man! Lady. Apparrating Lady! Every time...” That made my dad laugh. But I mean, 1100 years at least of being a man, not counting the 4 billion years in the confession dial. It takes getting used to. Marooned in the past. Chibnall, I really hate to say this, but this is becoming a little too similar to Blink. Just because of the being trapped in the past and leaving messages for the present thing. The lace bonnet had looked super.... weird in the other realm. In a cool way. A way that made me wonder what material it was made of and if she was really from the mid 1800s or if she was just an alien with clothing that imitated the style. Because the way the lace glowed was cool. Also. Why does Ada seem familiar to me? OH NO. Lol. “O no.” I didn’t even do that on purpose. That face she made as she realized the Master’s not in control was such a Doctor face. “Ada, I really do not approve.” Aww Doctor. Never change. I like the old lady taking a picture with an iPad. Yaz calling her mom is a very Martha move and I approve. The Silver Lady was in the Master’s TARDIS.... “From his master” oh ok. “Multiple time periods” OOoohhhhh. Not multiple Earth dimensions then. I was gonna say that I was thinking of Weeping Angels earlier in the day today... I’m not saying these are Weeping Angels... but getting the vibes from the time travel and pulling people in and out and stuff. Oh and I was right that they can transport people purposefully. Did I say that in the last post? I can’t remember. But when Yaz was transported last episode I was like “So they can transport people places?” and the answer is a definite yes, and also in time. Also. Ada Lovelace. I know that name... I know I know that name... “Deep breath” ok now I miss Twelve. Of course it’s WWII. This music reminds me of like... Star Wars... Something from the sequel trilogy sounds like this... or at least has this vibe... Also. I don’t know how I feel about an Indian man in a Nazi uniform. That just... they wouldn’t have let him do that, first of all. Second of all, can we not? These are all women so far that the Doctor is bumping into... And I feel like it’s meaningful... Why would he do that to his mom? Noor Khan, I feel like I DEFINITELY have heard of her. Important women in science? I’m guessing Ada was a mathematician I think, but I can’t really remember. “They promised us that a war on this scale would never happen again.” “This is not the first time?” Ugh. WWI and pre-WWI people finding out about WWII always hurts. IT’S THE DOCTOR DOING THE SOUND OF THE DRUMS. Just the sound of the drums gives me chills. Is this a Old Who thing? The mind reading? She said it was classic. “Not exactly the Aryan archetype.” THAT’S WHAT I WAS SAYING. OOoooooh a perception filter. So they think he’s white. Ok. Ok that’s better.

Also, I’m sorta glad they’re actually addressing race affecting time travel to different time periods. They didn’t do it with Martha enough/at all. They tried to do it with Bill, and I did appreciate the “History is a whitewash” and London being blacker than Bill thought it was, but because London was diverse it wasn’t really an issue (besides the racist the Doctor punched). But I’m glad this is an actual situation where being another race is genuinely DANGEROUS since that’s how it was.

“Look after my mum” So is she not dead? Or is he mocking them? They can’t have destroyed Gallifrey again. He’s lying It was probably the Master himself that killed everyone if he’s not lying. “How else would I get your attention?” Awwww. That’s almost sweet. It’s sweet by Master standards ok. Ok... letting Nazis attack the Master... for being a spy... while he’s a person of color... is pretty harsh... Of course the Nazis can’t do much damage... And the Master did willing side with them to find the Doctor... But still... Very harsh... I guess after everything the Master has done... Maybe he deserves to be on the receiving end of racism since he hates humans so much... But still. “Forget you heard that word.... Otherwise I’ve just disrupted the whole of history. Again.” Doctor. Babe. Control yourself. Ok so it was people who were important in the development of computers in general. Cool cool cool. I appreciate that Ada and Noor were the ones the Doctor specifically bumped into. “You kept clicking agree” Yeah... yeah... he got us there. “This is like the Matrix” - My Dad. OH wow the Master came the long way round. 77 years. I’d almost say poor dude. Conversion!?!? NO. NOT CYBERMAN! IF THERE’S CYBERMEN THEN IS THIS A 3-PARTER?! “Oh.” “That’s your name.” HA. HA, good one Doctor. “I forgot the plane!” No you didn’t, Doctor. Don’t worry. You can do it anytime, as long as you do it at some point. “Are we being replaced?” Oh Graham. But also, I want the next companions to be from the past. See in Blink we didn’t get to see the Doctor setting everything up like we’re seeing it now. So that’s cool. Imagine if we had seen Martha standing behind the camera annoyed, then running around to say “I gotta support him!” That could have been fun. I think I just want more Martha in Blink. “The Fascists. Do they win?” “Never” Yeah I really hope not, but time is repeating itself. I guess it will also repeat them not winning. That’s sweet that the Doctor still wants her to know that computers are a thing because of Ada. And I appreciate that the show didn’t try to be like “She helped make computers because of the Doctor.” because no, she made them because she was always going to. Oh wow we’re going back to Gallifrey?? We haven’t been in a while. Been wondering if we would.

I didn’t write anything for the last few minutes because I’m just like... HUH.

First of all, I knew the Master did it. Called it.

Second of all. I was like “Oh no. The Doctor just got Gallifrey back, do we HAVE to take it away again? To make her angsty?” Then we heard the Master’s reason for destroying it and I was like ok maybe there’s justification.

Third of all. The Time Lords have always sucked. We’ve known this forever. The Doctor has said that the Time Lords went wrong at the end of the Time War and that they choose to remember them in a good way and forget the ugly side. So we know the Time Lords suck. That’s not a surprise. What is it that they did that was so bad, the MASTER of all people felt the need to put an end to it? The Master. As in the little boy who was driven crazy because the Time Lords chose to put the Sound of the Drums in his head and use him as a weapon. He didn’t destroy Gallifrey then, so what could be worse than that? Do I even want to know? They’ll tell us, but I don’t know if I want to hear it. We might be going very dark this season...

Fourth of all, yay! They’re asking the Doctor questions and she’s answering! Yay! And Yaz asking “Can we go to your planet?” was the second Martha thing she did.

And fifth, yay! We’re probably getting an overarching theme this season! And maybe the Master isn’t completely evil, since everyone’s so worried about Missy’s redemption! He’s just hurt by what he found, felt he had to destroy Gallifrey, and is still upset about it. When he said the Timeless Child I literally said out loud “OH. OH ok so we’re really doing this then.” because I felt like all the predictions of the Timeless Child being involved were probably right... but not like this.

EPIPHANY. What if he really was just doing all this to get the Doctor’s attention? He wants the Doctor share the burden of the truth, but doesn’t know any other way to get her to listen besides do horrible things. What if he didn’t kill, plot, and plan just for the hell of it and maybe rub Gallifrey in the Doctor’s face, but the ultimate goal was to get that message to the Doctor so the Doctor could find out about Gallifrey.

Honestly I’m concerned about what it is that the Time Lords lied about. What did the Master mean by “who we are as a species” like... I’m scared.

Also halfway through the episode my mom came in (she’s super behind, as in she hasn’t even watched Capaldi’s seasons yet) and she said “You have to stop screaming ‘IT’S A TARDIS IT’S A TARDIS’ of course it’s a TARDIS that’s what she drives.” So apparently my mom heard my freak out over the Master’s TARDIS. She heard me screaming last episode too when I was jumping at the Master reveal.

Anyway. Sorta Blink-esque in that Ryan, Yaz, and Graham being saved is an endless loop if causing itself because of previously planted messages from the Doctor. But also, we got a mini history lesson, which was the point of Doctor Who in the first place. Gallifrey’s gone and apparently Time Lords suck, but what else is new. And we got the Master finding out the effect that race has in certain (or all) time periods. Hopefully the Master’s back soon. We really were spoiled rotten by Season 10 when they gave us Missy in like half of the episodes. I need more Master. Give me more Master.

#hope watches doctor who #ignore me if you want #doctor who #dw spoilers #doctor who spoilers

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