So, nuWho.
Sep. 6th, 2014 11:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
avevale_intelligencerYes, I enjoyed this one. Mostly.
Mark Gatiss has been as prone as any other writer to nuWho Syndrome, otherwise known as "OMG I'M WRITING FOR DOCTOR WHO OMG I'M EIGHT YEARS OLD AGAIN AND CAN'T PLOT FOR TOFFEE!!!!1!!", but this one wasn't bad at all. He wisely reasoned that with a less silly Doctor there was scope for an openly silly episode, which is a vast improvement on a supposed-to-be-serious episode that one can't take seriously. He also understands the power of story.
There were problems, of course. The tired old trope of the Doctor competing with a human for who can pee the furthest, whether it's to impress the human girlfriend he would never ever have or just for dominance, didn't sit right in The Empty Child and never has since, so that was a waste of time. I couldn't help wondering if every episode is going to be about a ridiculously implausible robot ship going to the "Promised Land."
But these were details. There was a lot to enjoy, and I enjoyed it. There was a Robin Hood who didn't turn out to be a fraud or an illusion or a Lord Flashheart-type bastard. There was a glorious flouting of historical authenticity. There was a glimpse of Troughton. There was a miraculously restored Antony Ainley as the Sheriff...yes, I know it was Ben Miller, but don't tell me you didn't see the resemblance to Ainley's Master before he disappeared into self-parody. There was fun. I remember Who being fun. And there was Robin's last line to the Doctor, which hit the nail squarely on the head. And "Missy" did not appear.
Change has to happen slowly. I guess I'll keep watching and hoping. For now.
Mark Gatiss has been as prone as any other writer to nuWho Syndrome, otherwise known as "OMG I'M WRITING FOR DOCTOR WHO OMG I'M EIGHT YEARS OLD AGAIN AND CAN'T PLOT FOR TOFFEE!!!!1!!", but this one wasn't bad at all. He wisely reasoned that with a less silly Doctor there was scope for an openly silly episode, which is a vast improvement on a supposed-to-be-serious episode that one can't take seriously. He also understands the power of story.
There were problems, of course. The tired old trope of the Doctor competing with a human for who can pee the furthest, whether it's to impress the human girlfriend he would never ever have or just for dominance, didn't sit right in The Empty Child and never has since, so that was a waste of time. I couldn't help wondering if every episode is going to be about a ridiculously implausible robot ship going to the "Promised Land."
But these were details. There was a lot to enjoy, and I enjoyed it. There was a Robin Hood who didn't turn out to be a fraud or an illusion or a Lord Flashheart-type bastard. There was a glorious flouting of historical authenticity. There was a glimpse of Troughton. There was a miraculously restored Antony Ainley as the Sheriff...yes, I know it was Ben Miller, but don't tell me you didn't see the resemblance to Ainley's Master before he disappeared into self-parody. There was fun. I remember Who being fun. And there was Robin's last line to the Doctor, which hit the nail squarely on the head. And "Missy" did not appear.
Change has to happen slowly. I guess I'll keep watching and hoping. For now.
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Date: 2014-09-07 03:45 am (UTC)I also thought it was a terrific, silly romp, which only threw me out of disbelief with The Shot that solved the technical problems (despite that it couldn't have happened, about ten ways before actually trying to figure out the reasons it couldn't).
As for the contest, I chalked it up to the Doctor never liking to be wrong; in this case, about the reality of Robin and the gang. Either way, as you note, this one was lots of fun.
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Date: 2014-09-07 11:31 am (UTC)Yes, gloriously silly - made me laugh, and Gatiss' line about history vs fable brought a genuine lump to my throat.