Doctor Who: Deep Breath - REVIEW | Review of Death 

I was one of the judges on the Blue Peter competition for the gadgets. It was a VERY bizarre experience that ended with us spreading 50 drawings across Steven Moffat’s living room floor so he could give them a go over.

What I dislike about Deep Breath is 1) how heavily Steven Moffatt seems to think we were worrying about the Doctor's age. Were people talking about it? I think they were after he kept harping on it all through this episode. He should have let it be. 2) The Matt Smith cameo. Making #1 even worse, they bring back the previous, beloved Doctor at the finale of Capaldi's debut, just when we are supposed to be fully on board with the new Doctor. WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA???! PC was certainly a gentleman because I would have sh!t a brick if I saw this scene in my debut script.

The gag about the Doctor not remembering the Clockwork Droids is a callback to the deleted plotline from The Lodger which would have seen Meglos seeking his revenge and the Doctor going "Sorry, who?"

I was just starting college when this episode aired, crazy how much time has passed!

Haven’t pressed play yet, but I’ll be disappointed if I don’t hear Billy’s Capaldi impression

Matt Clown horn at 58:32

I'm sure you're exaggerating for comedic effect to some degree, but all of the doom-mongering on your recent episodes seems silly to me. A disappointing finale doesn't mean that the sky is suddenly falling in. Chill out lads, you're usually above this sort of thing. Well, mostly.

I swear I remember hearing/reading an interview with Capaldi that he actually wanted The Doctor to be more alien, which I think is represented in his more relaxed, brutish and slightly menacing take from Series 8. Which then went on to get u-turned the next couple seasons into a more lovable grandfather type. Which isn't inherently bad I suppose but I can't deny, I adore Capaldi as a bit of a d*ck bag to everyone and being sort of fed up with everyone around him. It provides for great comedy and also is just a fresh take on The Doctor which we just haven't seen up until that point.

I'm so glad that I'm not the only person who was sick of the Paternoster Gang. The amount of fans saying they wanted them to have their own spinoff made me think that I was alone in my curmudgeoness

I saw Deep Breath in the cinema, I had a fun time with that, though we weren't told there would be a Q&A at the end, there was a stretch of just blank screen, I assumed it was done and left, as did many others, so I missed that part. fun time though, a full 10 years before the next time I saw doctor who in the cinema. It was definitely over padded to fit the run time and for a run time that is really stretching what can be called feature length that seems a bit of a waste. I do have fond memories of going to that though

The ship metaphor is the original lore -having been coopted by many a fiction writer - Only Fools used it in a fresh way. Moffat has no qualms in applying it yet again, to good effect

Murray Gold's first version of the theme tune is acceptable, but his subsequent reimaginings just get worse and worse. Fair enough keep him for the incidental music, but could they really not ask new people to do the theme tune, rather like the James Bond theme songs? All Gold does is bury the tune under unnecessary and often unpleasant racket. Now we have dirty pervert heavy breathing in the theme tune. What next space farts?

Matt's USA accent is spot on

I'm really sorry, I love this podcast but the constant "well we haven't heard anything about season 3 so the writing is on the wall" is making the pod really unlistenable atm. I get the finale was a bit of a let down but literally everything we've heard from RTD, Julie Gardner etc. has been very positive about what the reaction has been like from the BBC and Disney. Like even down to the joke about Doctor Who being included in the D23 sizzle reel, I get to some extent that was a joke but that does genuienly mean something in terms of how Disney view the show so to joke that it was just "put it because they had space to fill" is stopping any positive discussion about the possibility of renewal. We've even been told that Disney won't be making any decisions until January so we won't hear anything until then so acting like the sky is falling (when by all genuine accounts it isn't) is getting really tiring. Also you are obviously entitled to your opinions about the current era and especially the finale but I came here to listen to you natter about Deep Breath because I really like you as a podcast and its really off putting for the current era to keep being brought up as a punching bag especially seeing as (to put it bluntly) the show is objectively in a fine state, this "the current state of the show", cancellation mumerinig is something you have kinda just invented as a result of you personally being less infused by the recent run.

I was completely baffled to learn (via the credits, after having sat through the film) that Ben Wheatley recently directed The Meg 2.

I've always enjoyed this story. It's a perfect introduction for Capaldi's Doctor, he's unsettling and unpredictable in a way that the Doctor hasn't really been before. I enjoy the steampunk-ness of the villains, and I've never really had an issue with the run time of this one, it's always flew by. Okay, the strax/Clara scene is a bit jarring pace-wise, but I've always had a soft spot for Stray and the Paternoster gang. Overall, 7.5/10 for me!

51:09 This would have been the sixth one hed done, actually! Matt had 2 versions , and then there was the 50th end credits version too

Oh nice. Edge of Destruction will be a fun one. Always love it when you guys go back to the black and white era.

You guys are misinterpreting the scene where The Doctor leaves Clara behind. He did it to trick her into fending for herself and get as much information as possible. He never actually left her. He just needed information and knew Clara would get it. Like she said “He’ll still have my back.” And he was, but that element of doubt heightened her adrenaline.

Honestly loved it. Hated Matt smiths cameo. Really liked a more blunt and colder Doctor after Smith’s childish side was exaggerated The gang I can’t stand. One note and strax..can’t stand him though. I hate him

Very disappointing to see you acting like Vastra/Jenny being lesbians is being relentlessly shoved in our faces... like, come on, we had Amy for 2.5 seasons, and EVERYTHING about her was that she is straight. Every single episode they bring it up, A LOT. No one ever complains about that. Apart from me, coz tbh it does suck. The straights should be more ashamed of themselves imo.

So this at my local cinEma wen it came out

I like the fact the Doctor is more irascible and dubious in character, just like the original Doctor William Hartnell. I don’t like the comedic Sontaran or the atrocious modern Silurian. I’d rather watch this era of Who than the dreadful OTT over emotional Casanova Tennant Doctor or the horny crying I’ll hit on someone within minutes Gatwa Doctor. Least Peter Capaldi understood the Doctor’s character better than the others and tried his best to cut out the flirtatious crap. The scene where the Doctor talks to the android about body replacement and looking into the silver service he realises he could be referring to himself is beautifully played. Maybe it could have cut out the dinosaur action and have humans being skinned but perhaps Moffat didn’t want it to be too horrific? This is the problem with modern Who it isn’t gory enough and fails to kill off companions without resurrecting them or in RTD’s case hints they’ll die but they don’t. Modern Who is too soft and the Doctor’s characterisation is dragged down to a human level. What I love about Peter Capaldi is he doesn’t play the Doctor in too much of an empathetic way. He’s tactless and isn’t too concerned with human relatability. I do wish they’d have done more with his Doctor. Alien worlds and I’d have had a huge story arc involving a new Dalek Invasion of Earth with new Robomen and the Doctor meeting his Granddaughter for the last time. If you look at the 1st, 6th & 12th Doctors you can see they have this wonderful tetchy unpredictability which I find refreshing. The Doctor was after all originally supposed to be a bit of an anti-hero or at least a mysterious figure. I prefer this.

Ok I recently watched this story and for the 12th Doctor’s first episode it’s pretty good. Although I have some critiques with the episode which is no surprise. Paternoster Gang i never had any attachment too. Vastra is not interesting and Strax is not funny. Which is a shame because I love Dan Starkey as Sontarans. Jenny i actually like out of the three honestly. I do find the first 30 minutes of this story bit silly honestly and Moffatt’s writing does get on my gears abit (Sorry Steven) but the rest of the story is good, i really like the actor playing the clockwork man, such a great performance definitely. The way he moves, such great robot acting. Peter Capaldi I find difficult seeing him as the doctor honestly. When I watch an episode with he’s doctor I can’t see him as the doctor. Don’t get me wrong i mean he’s great but I’m not getting the vibe he’s the doctor. But if I had to pick out of Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi, i choose Peter definitely. I do like the call back to girl in the fireplace that was cool and the stuff in the restaurant is so grim. Overall it’s a 7/10 for me personally.

Pffft, the Doctor Who levels on Lego Dimensions? Naaahh lads. The Red Dwarf mini level was supreme!....Oh yeah...deep breath was alright I guess

Billy’s gone crazy: “Edge of Destruction is the best 2 parter in classic Who” The worst, surely! Sonataran Exp and all 3 Davisons much better, Shirley?

crap

Gotta agree with thr comment saying that Matt Smith's inclusion completely undermined Capaldi. The Doctor shouldn't need a reference from his predecessor to work, he should just work. And, frankly, the fact that they felt they needed it showed that they actually had little faith in their brilliant casting choice, or little faith in their audience. If they were worried the audience wouldnt take to an older Doctor, the thing to do would be to jettison making him an abject prick throughout the series... The Colin Baker era had already shown what a terrible idea that was. Side note: I think I'm the only person in the worldxwho noticed this or us annoyed by it, but theologically, the promised land isn't thecsame as fucking Heaven/the afterlife. The promised land is Zion. Still, why does that matter? I mean, it's not as if understanding of that bit if terminology still has any real world ramifications, amirite? 😐