I believe the actual reason why Capaldi ran like that was because the boots he wore on set with his costume were a little bit big. As a result, whenever he ran, it had to run a certain way to stop his boots coming off. 😂
I love Bill as a companion. And that snap to open the TARDIS at the end always gives me chills. Welcome to peak Capaldi in my opinion. Perfect balance of silliness and gravatas
This has always been my favorite style of Doctor, Companion relationship. The Doctor at his core should be a teacher. A hero yes, an adventurer yes. But most important of all a teacher. To the Companions, and to the audience. It was something missing in a lot of NuWho.
He was only dealing with the consequences of the war, because the show runners wanted to have a character with war trauma as the focus. I'm just saying I prefer versions of the character like this. and Sylvester McCoy with a student companion. I enjoyed NuWho but it was missing this element to me.
Bill is a great companion, without the "hook" of a mystery to explain why the Doctor is interested in the person. Nardol was a surprise, in being the Doctors valet, someone that is experience in the universe, but not special. This is actually one of the better seasons. Moffat had more or less said what he wanted to say about the Doctor. There is no grand plot, no huge story mystery and no universe shattering event. The only thing left is the Doctor and his companions having adventures in space and time.
I always liked how the lighting was done in that episode and all of series 10.Seeing River, Susan and the mug full of sonic screwdrivers was a great fan moment. The Dr has a fans perfect desk.
Robert Payne It did seem weird to me that the only pictures he had were of Susan and River. But i guess the Dr has had so many friends over the years it’d be impossible to feature them all.
Yes, they were I suppose "family photos". The Dr could cover a wall with all their 'assistants' as they used to be called. Odd to remember also that the Dr has spent about 94 years with Nardole if we count the 24 years with River and up to 70 years guarding the vault at the University.
"I know you think she's cute, but sweetie no!" My thoughts when I first watched haha. Great reaction to the start of my favorite team and season of Twelve's era!
Here's a little background information: the war they travel to is the Dalek-Movellan War (a war explored in the Classics) and the reason the Dalek doesn't recognize the Doctor until scanning the screwdriver is because according to its own knowledge at the time, the Doctor is the Fourth Doctor.
Travis Poirier they didn't. The Daleks used this design around the time this is set. They just went away from it again. It's confusing, but they did actually use that design at that point. The use of that design during the Time War and after is in fact the second time they use it.
Can't wait to get into this - my favourite Capaldi series by FAR! The relationship between Twelve and Bill is just wonderful, I can't wait to see what you think of this season! :)
But then we'd be at the end of Sesska's Doctor Who reactions! There are plenty of brilliant episodes this season, and even if a few were weak, the awesome dynamic between The Doctor and his companion completely makes up for it. I am looking forward to her reaction to the finale though!
One of my favorite moments in this episode is when the Doctor first takes Bill into the Tardis, he changes his jacket. Its a small thing but I always enjoy it when I see it.
It does feel really weird. The Pilot feels like it was on, like, *yesterday*, comparatively speaking. So I'm excited for Sesska to meet Bill but also weirded out by how close to the finish we are.
I think one of the most interesting things about Bill is that the Doctor basically chose her to be his Companion long before he actually planned to take her anywhere.
Oh, I love how the Doctor has little mementos of classic Who on his desk, like the sonics, pictures of his Susan, River, and even a class vase containing "regeneration energy". :)
I thought Bill and Heather would have worked better had they been an existing relationship, or even exes who met up again. Having only just met each other, it didn't feel like it quite carried the weight it was meant to.
What I noticed watching this reaction, that I didn't notice before, is that they do know each other for at least a few months. You can tell from Bill's wardrobe that before Heather gets 'puddled', time passes to the tune of about a year. I think the montage happened so fast we lost that, but we saw Bill going from summer clothes to winter clothes, Christmas, various lectures, chip servings, and back again to summer clothes. I reckon that if they had more of a Heather/Bill friendship included in that montage (I suspect they may have originally then cut it later down the line if the episode overran) it would have packed more of an emotional wallop for sure.
Even if accurate, it still doesn't work, because there was never really a relationship. They were just people who flirted with one another over time. They weren't a couple; at least, there's no evidence that they were. What would have worked great is if they'd once had a relationship, and in fact had once planned to take a trip together, but Heather had broken things off before the trip. Now, she's back in town, taking classes with Bill, and they tentatively start things up again. For Bill, Heather is the one that got away. Then, at the end of the episode, you really feel that pull from Bill towards Heather, that chance for them to finally be together. I just think about the end of the episode. If something like that happened, and a person I'd flirted with died and was chasing me across the universe in liquid form, I'd be freaking the F out and wanting that person to get as far away from me as possible. I wouldn't be having a tender moment with them; I'd be screaming, "Don't touch me!" But if it was someone I'd once loved, and even taken to bed, that would be different.
Yep. It was a central weakness. Nor was it the last time there were issues with Bill's relationships. I had absolutely no problem with her being gay but it wasn't handled well. I understand why that happened and it wasn't due to a deliberate failure but was determined by plot exigencies we can't go into yet. Other than that the episode wasn't too bad and Nardole was a lot better than I had expected (I have never been a big Matt Lucas fan). In fact between ourselves I prefer Nardole to Bill.
I love Bill. It was so refreshing to have a normal companion after the whole Clara is the most important companion ever drama. Bill is funny,clever and very curious. Hope you will like her :)
So many easter eggs but I particularly loved seeing the photographs of River and Susan on the Doctors desk. A very refreshed start to series 10 and immediately fell for Bill. Wonderful reactions and I cant wait to watch your journey with this new Tardis trio.
Fun fact for those who didn't know...the aliens with the silver dreadlocks the Daleks were fighting are called the Movellans and featured in the Classic Who story "Destiny of the Daleks"
Thanks to a movie theater (about an hour from where I live) being a Fathom Events host, I was able to watch this episode on the big screen. It's so beautifully shot, it looked great! I love that it's funny, spooky, exciting, with some touching moments. Of course, all of the Easter eggs and references make a person think of the past, while the new beginnings make you feel excited for the future! I love it! ^_^ Anyway, that memory makes this episode feel extra special to me.
JESS is going to be BLOWN AWAY by this final season with Peter Capaldi and "Bill". I loved Bill! I also always really liked the cinematography in this episode.
Heather is a tardis now. Not really like the Doctors Tardis, but is a Tardis-like creature. Looking for her companion (tardis and doctor), travels in time and space following them, chameleon circuit to change appearances, etc. Basically a physical Tardis missing the spiritual part that the Doctor's Tardis has. Took Heather to help complete that, and trying to take Bill as the "Doctor" it's missing.
Because of the Doctor Who episode formula, the show needed some kind of monster of the week, and Heather "the Pilot" was it. Rewatching this episode, considering how creepily she/it was portrayed and how many jumpscares were had, I found the scene at the end a bit hard to swallow. And of course, the nagging feeling at the back of my mind that Heather is basically that person who you're kinda interested in but is now stalking you and you should really go "nope nope get away from me". Because of all this, sadly I was never able to buy their relationship. Maybe the episode should've tone down on the creepiness, maybe the episode should've just ditched the monster of the week format for an episode and treated Heather as more of a mystery than a monster, maybe the relationship between Heather and Bill should've been closer and more intimate rather than just two people flirting. Maybe then, the episode would've worked better.
I agree that it's maybe not the strongest of series openers, but it's solid enough, and lays a good foundation for what is, for me, a largely good tenth series.
Been here since series 1 ep 1. Ive loved all your reactions and can't wait for both this series and the classics!! An era is ending but you've still got a lot ahead of you. Im also excited to be watching along with you come series 11!!
I am soooooooo excited for you to get into classic who! I've watched random episodes here and there and tried a couple of times to watch it all from the beginning but since I don't have anyone who would happily come along with me on a journey like that my determination always kind of fizzled out at some point, having your reactions to early who in my subscription feed is going to be the best motivator to sit down and actually watch the whole history of doctor who. I love your reactions so much. I know you're sad that you're catching up with new who, but I can't be the only one who on some level actually can't wait for you to be caught up so you can take us back in time 😊
Ines Miller There's another youtuber who is going through the entire Classic series. Her channel is Medusa Cascade, and she's currently up to season 4 with the Second Doctor. I enjoy her reactions. :)
I just went to her channel and watched her first video, she seems lovely. Thank you very much indeed for the recommendation. Since I don't know her yet she's not necessarily going to provide sufficient motivation for me to dive into classic who earlier, but I subscribed to her for later to watch alongside sesska once she gets there. Again, thanks for posting that comment, that was very kind of you!
Why Her? Take another look at the opening scene and you will see the Doctor glancing at Susan's photo. Steven Moffat has stripped the series back and return it to it's roots, albeit, with a contemporary twist. Another wonderful reaction. There is lot to be enjoyed about this season, regardless of a few misteps. The two part finale is a tour de force on every level. Enjoy.
I think the reason he decides to take Bill as his student/companion is because she reminds him a bit of Susan. When she asks him why he wanted to see her, there's a moment when he looks at Susan's picture and then looks back at Bill. So maybe there's a connection there. Plus, in the "knock knock" episode, Bill calls him grandfather, and he looks at her in a moment of fondness, like he's remembering the last person who called him grandfather. So I guess that's why it's never explicitly explained.
Someone may have already mentioned this, but the guys the daleks are fighting are the movellans. They are an android race that we only ever saw back in a 4th Doctor story. I was delighted when I saw them in this episode!
A great Classic Series Easter egg in this episode is that the aliens the Daleks are fighting are the Movellans, which is a callback to a Fourth Doctor story!
That TARDIS reveal was downright sexy. That long take of the camera pulling back, the lights quietly turning on, The Doctor putting on his hero outfit, and then BOOM the Madman in a Box music in full glory. Legitimately the best reveal they’ve done on the show.
It feels so weird to be watching you so close to catching up with the show. It's almost like an end of an era because I started watching your videos back when you were on series 2. Bill is one of my favourite companions and I think you'll love the dynamic she has with the Doctor and Nardole.
I really liked this episode. After season 9 the show was off the air for over a year except for two Christmas specials. And this was a great episode to reintroduce Doctor Who.
I feel exactly like you Sesska. Been on this journey with you since the beginning pre PIP days. Seeing you reach S10 is bittersweet but I think Capaldi and Moffat go out with a bang from here :-)
Classic Who serials you need to react to after you finish Series 11: - Spearhead from Space (The 3rd Doctor arrives on the scene) - Inferno (Featuring the Doctor Who Mirror Universe) - Terror of the Autons (First appearance of the Master) - The Three Doctors (Should go without saying why) - Genesis of the Daleks (Davros's awesome first outing) - The Deadly Assassin (A Political Thriller on Gallifrey) - The Entire "Key to Time" Story arc. (The Doctor searches for his universe's Infinity Gauntlet) - Arc of Infinity (The return of Omega) - The Caves of Androzani (The best regeneration story ever) - Remembrance of the Daleks (Best Dalek story since the first Davros outing) - Survival (The original series finale)
Adam Audio exists for each missing episode, as well as reconstructions for a lot of them. It’s not ideal, but it is technically possible to “watch” every episode
It’s weird to see you so up to date! Haven’t seen this episode since it came out so it was a nice revisit. It’s a soft opener that’s for sure. There’s big moments to come though. I can certainly think of a few episodes I’m DYING to see how you react.
A low key beginning to the new season, but after so many episodes with Clara, Bill feels like a breath of fresh air. I like the protege/mentor relationship she has with the Doctor. Great reaction as always!
Hannah Roberts I've seen all of Classic Who my dear. More of it at the time of it's original broadcast than I sometimes like to admit 😄 Seven and Ace are a favorite pairing, as are Four and Leela
The war that the Doctor, Bill and Nardole visited in this story was the "Dalek-Movellan War" which ONE skirmish from was depicted in the 4th Doctor story "Destiny of the Daleks". The other reference to that era was when 12 gave Nardole the 4th Doctor Sonic to use during the above mentioned sequence.
While I'm also a bit melancholy that this is your last season "catching up" so to speak, I'm also really hyped for it. And I love this episode. I agree, it's not the most memorable one, but it's a lot of fun and I think it gives Bill a really great introduction, as well as reintroducing us to Twelve, and their relationship. It's a good "starter" episode, I feel. Also I really like Nardole in it. Glad you had as many moments of "AWW" as me (the photos of River and Susan! The photos of Bill's mom!), and then that part at the end with the mind wipe... Gets to me every time. Looking forward to seeing more of you reacting to Bill, Twelve and Nardole, and s10 in general. :D
JojoInSpace This was always intended to be a soft reboot in his final series/Season and Moffat called it "the pilot" for that exact reason, I'm sure you know but some might not of course
I really love River and Susan cameo in this XD Lol. I'm late. Just catching up the last 4 episodes of comedy series "LA To Vegas". And mad that it got cancel after 1 season... *Sigh* Am I that bad at picking a TV show? Every show that I think it's great always got cancel...
I can't believe you're all the way up to season 10 now! I've been watching your Doctor Who reactions since the beginning and it feels so strange that you're almost be up-to-date with them. Bill is one of my favourite companions in new Who (maybe even *the* favourite) so I hope you like her too. Anyway, I'll actually watch this now! :D
I think this was a great season opener. It really hit all the bases. Introduced the new companion, had an interesting/engaging adventure, and a good mix of comedy and drama.
I have to say that I love your videos! Your reactions are genuine lol. You’re also very gorgeous. I love reaction videos because it’s nice seeing other people enjoy things that I enjoy as well! This is my favorite season, the 12th doctors era is my favorite hands down.
I live in Switzerland, and when the christmas episode is on, I'm at my grandmas house, with a part of my family who have no idea what doctor who is. or understand english. so, they wanted to go to church and I would stay home to watch it, yes. but they didn't go, so we played cards and at the same time I was watching this episode. afterwards I must say, thank god I wasn't alone in this big house watching that.
All those big music moments gave me chills too! I really liked Bill and thought the look of this episode was really gorgeous. Don't think anything could beat The Eleventh Hour as an opener though!
She was actually in Husbands of River Song as a waitress, and in Day of the Doctor as a member of the council in the War Room xD Her name is Rosie Jane
I love Bill so much. Come Oxygen, I love Nardole so much too. And I love this episode immensely. It's another imperfect season, but it's really a super great TARDIS team. Come the final episodes... ooo... I just wanted these guys to really go on for another year so much. Always leave your audience wanting more, I guess.
I have watched you for a while and always enjoyed your journey knowing all episodes so well. I have been holding the hand of what is my childhood to adolescence to Father to emotional me now. I am of Peter's generation and watched William hartnell on those cold Autumn Winter nights. Matt Smith so young but old.....understand your connection. But Peter certainly brought it all full circle. I knew you would like him though. I will continue to follow you up to date. Don't be sad.
