He Who Moans: Doctor Who Review: Flatline 

I like that idea. I think if the BBC wanted to give Doctor Who an extra fifteen minutes each week, they'd have to cut down the number of episodes. Maybe 10 (60 minute) episodes, which are all two parters, giving us 5 stories a year? I'd also prefer to have New Year's Day specials than Christmas ones. Then the writers won't have to be forced to make their stories "festive".

***** Last season seemed to work pretty well, as most of the stories were "two parters." However, as predicted, even when given twice the screen time, Moffat still can't write a consistent narrative. "Under the Lake/Before the Flood" was the best of Series 9, IMO. "Heaven Sent" wasn't too bad - Moffat's best in quite some time, but the problem is that it was meant to be the first part of a 2-part story, and in "Hell Bent," he completely went off the rails. The extra 45 minutes per story doesn't do a lick of good if the writer is incapable of writing a coherent, internally consistent narrative. Part of NuWho's problem is that it spends far too much time trying to be things it's NOT - like "Robot of Sherwood" trying to be a light-hearted "Men in Tights" spin on Robin Hood, "Sleep No More" attempting to be Doctor Who's answer to the Paranormal Activity "found footage" trend, and then "Face the Raven" being blatantly inspired by Harry Potter's Diagon Alley. What made the original DW great, particularly during the first 17 years, was that it didn't try to please everyone by dipping from every genre bowl on the table - it stuck to solid science fiction doing it's own thing, instead of leaning heavily on what's trending for source material.

+sixstanger00 I agree and disagree. I think part of the appeal of DW is that it CAN slip into different genres. Looking at the first two Doctors, you have solid Sci-Fi, the more fantastical, straight historicals, even a little Sci-Fi horror. I think to make the most of its premise, it needs to be able to do this. With regards the episode length thing, the two parters are the way to go. Sadly, with such a large American following, a 60 minute episode structure would be too difficult for scheduling. I don't see why we can't have say 5 two parters and 2-3 "smaller scope" stories. Not every Who episode needs such high stakes and it might give characters their own moments to develop, as well as being a good testing ground for new potential writers and such.

jakerockznoodles *_Not every Who episode needs such high stakes_* This is another issue I have with modern Who. Every story always sets the stakes at "the universe will be destroyed forever," or "never will have existed," etc. Major characters regularly die, then are resurrected....Rose, Donna, Amy, Clara, River Song, Jack Harkness..etc. The audience becomes de-sensitized to the concepts of death and universal threats. These days, when I hear the Doctor explain that X could destroy the entire universe or a major character allegedly "dies," it doesn't even phase me. No emotional response whatsoever, because we know universal destruction can never stick, and major characters can apparently never stay dead.

Stubagful's reviews are surprisingly accurate. I went to the writer's website yesterday jamiemathieson. com. jamiemathieson.com/flatline-cut-scenes Under the Doctor Who section he released parts of the script that ended up being cut for time. He also writes about how the stories evolved over the writing process and goes into exactly what it was that he was focusing on when writing. The rest of the details he fills in as 'logic' would dictate or he fits to suit the instructions Moffat gave him. Crazy what Mathieson made of Moffat's direction...vs what the writer of "Kill the Moon" made of Moffat's instruction to "Hinchcliffe the shit out of the first half".

It was predictable before that. She was stuck where she was and she kept trying to bake a souffle and messing it up and she didn't run out of ingredients? Anyone who cooks or bakes can figure that out.

dngn4774 And that is why we all like Jack he is the only non-mordern day person that managed to make more then two episodes (not counting two parters).

BBCA does get commercials :/

working on it atm :)

***** Looking forward to it!

***** Yay, can't wait until your reviews are in, I have been checking everyday like a sad nerd man

So was the first half just a Torchwood ripoff (Small Worlds Season 1 Episode 5)? If so, could they rip off a good Torchwood episode next time? Seriously, it feels like my love of Doctor Who just kicked my intellect in the balls. Just two more weeks for Moffat to do something underwhelming with Missy then we're done with Series 8.

He's absolutly nothing like the 11th Doctor, though... And what do you mean by "this is Doctor Who"? What about this episode didn't feel like "Doctor Who" to you? The fact that it was more focued on the companion? This isn't the first time an episode wasn't about the Doctor (earliest example would be the first story "An Unearthly Child").

The 11th Doctor was more childish than 12 is; and I don't mean that in a bad way, that's how he was written; he was more apt to the silliness. I don't think 11 was all that dark to begin with, though he had those moments where he actually acted his age as a grumpy old Time Lord. Even though Matt Smith was great as the Doctor, he handled whatever Moffat threw at him, I think 12 pulls that off much better. It's TIME we had an older Doctor. We needed to get back to that. THAT'S Doctor Who in my opinion.

As of now, Capaldi's Doctor feels like if William Hartnell only did horror scripts. He's more of a mix between 1 and 6 (and a dash of 3).

dngn4774 I like "a dash of 3" I also read somewhere that 12 was going to be a shade of 6. He's old and grumpy, that's how it's supposed to be!

Lanie Ssel No Doctor will ever be as cool as Jon Pertwee.

+Chris McWilliams There are no commercials during TV shows on the BBC

MrSinxist Lucky them, then I guess that's why they have a TV tax. So why are the episodes only 45 minutes instead of a full hour?

Chris McWilliams I'm not too sure, but it would be good if they were an hour.

MrSinxist Yes, it would.

So when they sell the show over seas they can make it up to an hour with adds Of doctor who wasn an hour then it would be an hour and 15 minutes over seas But the BBC REALLY need to decide if they should be loyal to the British fans or the over sea ones

soon. I just felt I needed some time away :)

Slightly.

I noticed the continuity error, but the episode was nonetheless awesome.