I would say this is a great episode of Doctor Who. But it's not really what I want from the 60th anniversary. Honestly I miss Smith and Capaldi more than I miss Tennant and his Season 4 Companions. If they still find a way to satisfy that craving I'll be happy. But can the 3rd Special really deliver on the Toymaker on its own? And will the Christmas special follow up as a two-parter or be Ncuti's episode??
I imagine they would’ve tried to make a big multi-Doctor special happen, but it may not have been feasible. I understand the desire to see them back, Capaldi is absolutely my Doctor
It’s utterly devastating, isn’t it? Seeing that raw vulnerability on The Doctor’s face only to have it be thrown back in his face is a special kind of cruelty. Tennant plays those kinds of moments SO WELL, not just in Doctor Who, but across his career.
Steven Moffat did a disservice to both the show and The Doctor with his unwillingness to allow The Doctor to grieve for Clara. I think that MAYBE that's why Chris Chibnall made Jodi Whittaker's Doctor so emotionally closed off - he didn't know how to deal with a new Doctor who suddenly had so MUCH grieving to do. Chibnall did see one problem he could fix, though - The Doctor has not only run out of regenerations, s/he has just kept regenerating, with only half-hearted attempts made to explain this, so Chibnall gave us The Timeless Child. And unfortunately, he also gave us the Flux, and didn't properly resolve the story. 🙄 So now we have Russell T. Davies, who has been presented with a severely traumatized Doctor. Davies doesn't have to deal with the regeneration anomaly, but The Doctor still needs to grieve for Clara, and has just found out that he's had numerous other incarnations that have been ripped from his memory (as Clara herself had been ripped away, and as Donna's memories of The Doctor had been taken, by The Doctor himself). He's also having to deal with both grief and guilt because of the Flux, and has discovered how evil his adoptive mother was. I don't care how many lifetimes you've lived out - that's a LOT to deal with. So, does The Doctor need a doctor? Yes, I think he does. But where can he find a doctor who will actually believe him when he talks about his trauma? Because it would not be helpful for his doctor to have him involuntarily committed, and we have to admit that his story sounds insane. I think it's time for The Doctor to ask Unit for help. And I'm very glad that RTD isn't trying to keep sweeping the traumas under the rug.
@@margretrosenberg420agreed so much. UNIT providing him with therapy would be fascinating to explore. I was so frustrated when it turned out the Donna he poured out his heart to wasn't Donna. And I was more sure this really was Donna than I was sure this was the Doctor. Amazing scene.
He was creepy when they were still figuring their existence out, he was equally creepy when he actually started to nail the Doctor’s mannerisms. What a performance and what a script.
One of my favourite things about the tie moment (and really the whole episode) is it showed us just how clever Donna is and how much she has taken on from the doctor. The tie trick is not just a doctor thing but specifically a ten thing, I could see him doing that in any other scene!
When the "Nothing" Doctor realised that he'd forgotten the tie on the ground and did the whole "Oh when somethings gone it keeps existing" cue maniacal laughter it really felt like Tennant was summoning Kilgrave back from the Jessica Jones days. Last weeks episode was 6/10 but this episode is definitely a 10/10 for me, honestly felt like something you'd hear in a Big Finish story. Im really hoping next week manages to stick the landing.
That was such a great little moment. I don’t know how you’d even think of stuff like that as a writer, it’s so jarringly inhuman. Let’s hope next week’s episode is more on this level the Star Beast’s!
Am I the only one who thought the giant CGI Not-Things were absolutely terrifying? People keep saying it's silly or shoddy CGI, but they genuinely look unreal and outside of human reference. There's some real Attack on Titan body horror type stuff happening there and I love it.
I wasn’t scared by them in that form, but I don’t think it detracted from their scariness. All the uncanny moments playing with shape and scale were really great.
David and Catherine are so great together that just having some 'normal' adventures with them is the best anniversary IMO. I loved this episode bc it felt like the series 4 days again - two best friends on an adventure. Getting a 'real' episode with one old doctor rather than cameos from several is so much better. And I'm so hyped for next week
@Joe_Brennan_ They are basically exactly the same characters, They only act and seem different because of what they went through over the years. They are back together but the time they spent apart clearly changed them which is why they seem different while still being the same
This episode was exactly what Doctor Who needed- a break from the nostalgia speculation fest and just a brilliant, eerie episode that lingers in your brain for a long while after it finishes.
David Tennent and Catherine Tate were really popular as The Doctor and Donna. This basically felt like just a regular episode with them both in that role. One more adventure from them and that makes it special
The fact this episode didn't feel like an episode you'd have to celebrate an anniversary made me appreciate it even more. It instead just being a simple and sincere two hander between the main pair was truly great. It gave David and Catherine the chance to play with some great variety
This is a lovely way to look at it, RTD in the behind the scenes spoke about how he’d considered putting in big anniversary Easter eggs but kept deciding that restraint was necessary for this setup to work. He was right!
David Tennant and Catherine Tate were brilliant. Instead of some grand story filled with Easter eggs we got a regular episode starring them. It was amazing just like being back in their series but with both characters clearly changed from being through so much
Tennant always did play a good villain! Loved his delivery of the line about how when you take things off they keep existing. Absolutely chilling. And yes 'my arms are too long' is an all-timer.
This is probably one of the best “The Doctor but evil” moments. I don’t know what comes close. Really scary stuff, especially with how close he comes to the real thing.
It’s so nice seeing a writer in Doctor Who give his characters a lot of interesting things to do, his leading actors something to chew on and stretch themselves with. I feel like Jodie never had a chance to show off, and this is such a show-off episode. RTD just knows how to handle actors. You want to give them the best stuff to work with, and this was really it.
I hate being one of these "14 is better than 10" people because it feels like being contrarian for the sake of it, but 14 is better than 10! Ok, I'm being a little glib, but this older more sensitive version of the character with less bravado is more compelling to me, and Tennant is doing so much with the material, Russell & David are even making Flux work, for goodness sake! I'm loving Donna too, all in all I'm so glad The End of Time isn't their definitive ending anymore.
You’re absolutely right and you should say so. Tennant has been spectacular in these specials, and RTD coming in and making Flux the basis of a big emotional beat almost feels cruel to Chibnall because it’s just dunking on him.
I honestly think they brought Tennant back just to rectify the “I don’t want to go” regeneration. Now he can move on in peace and with closure like all the other Doctors.
I agree! I also feel that our familiarity with 10 and the subtle but present differences are part of what makes 14 more satisfying. For me, 14 feels extra good BECAUSE we had 10.☺️
I find myself in th same position. I think Tennant's own experience with the franchise is also recognizable. It would be a dilemma if RTD just let David go like that... still am in favor of doing a Metacrisis spin off. 😇Looking forward to the comics for 14.
It's my favourite episode in years it's SO good. And people saying there's not enough fanservice like.. we have David Tennant and Catherine Tate back and this episode has them on screen for literally every single second, it really makes the most out of their return. What more could you want?
I understand what people are craving (I'd really love to see what RTD can do with Jodi or Peter), but I have to agree that getting so much meaty character stuff from these two feels wonderfully indulgent and all I need from a special right now.
as though fanservice is the be all and end all of good television. I'm sometimes worried that creators are too motivated to cater to their fans to execute their actual creative visions. So glad this episode didn't go that way.
You know that story about the TARDIS creating a city? That story was 100,000x better than anything Chibnall has written in his entire life. Also, when he talks about them trying to “burn the TARDIS”, that felt to me like a jab at Chibnall almost destroying Dr Who, though I could be reaching there.
I didn't even finish Chibnall's episodes so I'm no fan, but you sound overly bitter. Like you're so wrapped up in your anger over another writer that you're allowing it to distract you from fully appreciating the good stories you're now getting. I've seen people go down bitterness spirals where soon all they can do is hate-watch things and never really enjoy anything except it being "not like that other thing I hate" and it seems very not fun. I think you could take Donna and Rose's advice from last episode and let go of it.
chibnall did what i did not think i whould ever see he dethroned john nathan turner as the worst show runner in the show run and and he made the 6th doctor's era look better any ons's of 6's storys i whould watch over 13's its sad 13's era went so bad
‘Midnight’ was one of my favourite episodes of Tennent’s era, and my one regret was that it was a companion-lite episode. I’m so happy that this episode mirrors it so well and includes Donna this time ❤
I’m getting starting to cook up a theory: I think the theme of the whole special trilogy is going to be actions having consequences you cant run from. I’m calling it: Donna and Rose are going to realize the doctordonna isn’t gone, they have to process the situation, you can’t just “let it go”. The same thing with Flux’s impact on the doctor. Those small mentions of things like “introducing superstitions at the end of the universe” being dangerous and the whole gravity becoming “mavity” thing. Such a small change, but will probably have big consequences
If the DoctorDonna isn't gone then than also means DoctorRose exists. She inherited it which was the reason Donna could survive. If it still exists in one then it must in the other
I wondered about "mavity". They both acted like it was now the correct word, like that little scene had indicated a huge change to history. And that can't be good!
@JulieAiken Donna did not The Doctor. Notice how Doctor said the captains body was "caught in the gravity field" when Donna was confused he said "mavity field"
@@YaBoiJoosh i think the reason IS that the metacrisis was passed down to rose because she's donna's child. Her being nonbinary is just a symptom of it, since donna is binary, to balance it out. At least that's how i understood it
the distorted faces of the giant no-things were lowkey horrifying. It was giving Miss Evangelista after her botched upload & she absolutely terrified me as a kid
Honestly, I wasn't too sure about the first episode of the specials, but this one definitely sold me. It was absolutely incredible, it felt like old doctor who but new. Loved it
@@YaBoiJoosh I did not hate the first episode and I am not one of these oh no a trans person is in it which ruins it, but the whole trans binary non binary thing was way too on the nose. Like there is nothing wrong with having trans representation but why can' they be just treated like anyone else without them being trans the most essential plot point. I think that would be more respectful honestly.
This episode also perfectly sums itself up in the "humans can be 2 things" idea. Doctor who can be 2 things at once: it can be scary and funny, it can be huge epic stories and small intimate ones. It's an excellent metaphor for dr who as a show
I really enjoyed the episode, I like how RTD managed to give a decent scene in The Flux, also giving Jodie's Doctor an introspective veil because in all those moments where it seemed like she didn't care about anything, now we know she was faking it and inside she was exploding with rage and pain, I can only say wow. The only flaw, in my opinion, is not making a cameo of the other Doctors, they didn't have to be in the Doctor's shoes, but it would have been nice if the shapeshifters took the form of the old Doctors like Smith and Capaldi and the old Companions to torture the Doctor.
Any time I try and imagine using the other Doctors in that way, I just think it would immediately detract from the effectiveness and become all about cameos
I understand what you mean and I partly agree, but it is still the 60th and every decade (When the series has been broadcast) has had a story with multiple Doctors, so this would have been an acceptable compromise in my opinion.
The only thing I wish about this episode is we could have gotten some 14 specific storylines, being we only get 3 episodes, I wish we would focus on this plot line and focus on why 14 is back and how his Doctor is now. This honestly could’ve been an episode with 15 and Ruby.
That’s an interesting point, maybe something I’ll consider when I’m weighing up the specials as a whole. I think I’m worried it might get a bit messy so I’m kind of glad the burden falls entirely on The Giggle, and we get something so great in the meantime
The only possible problem with giving this story to a new Doctor and companion is that it relied heavily on how well the two protagonists knew other. This Doctor and Donna know enough to tell each other from the copies, which would probably not be true with a new companion.
Not quite, as it did play on Donna's particular character traits to help distinguish her from her doppelganger, and her and the Doctor's long time friendship.
Would've been completely tonally off, but I couldn't help but imagine a scene where the two Not-Things ran into each other without realising it and tried to keep up the charade
While this episode certainly isnt perfect (I thought the ending was too Deus Ex Tardis for my liking), it's probably my favorite episode of the series since The Doctor Falls. It gave me a lot of Midnight and Listen vibes (and even a bit of Mummy on the Orient Express where the Doctor has a very short o amount of time at the end of the episode to piece together the puzzle), which is good because those are all masterful episodes. The villains were kind of silly at times, but in a very uncanny valley way that just added to the horror of them... AND WILF It's a shame that this is apparently the last we will get to see of Wilf, but given how warm and loving of a scene it was, I think I'm okay with it. Rest in Peace, Bernard Cribbins.
Completely agree. I personally wasn't a fan of the newton thing at the beginning, but the rest of the episode was fantastic! Easily the best in a long time.
THIS is the stuff I love from Doctor Who and RTD. Wild Blue Yonder feels just like RTD thought, “I’ve got three Tennant/Tate episodes... I’m going to spend one on a classic Doctor/Donna story.” It just feels like a flex of every muscle that’s been in hibernation for 15 years (there’s a couple twinges here and there) but shows that he hasn’t lost his strength. On the note of Donna, I think she could remember but especially because she describes it as a furnace, it would hurt to look at and burn her up if she lived with what it’s like to be the Doctor; Donna could remember, but she doesn’t want to. The Doctor’s life is unimaginable pain and unbearable loss, and they often have to bear that burden alone. Donna has the choice to not have the Doctor in her head, but she still wants to get inside the Doctor’s head which is why she asks what happened- on offer for the Doctor to share that burden on his terms.
It was much better than last weeks. Loved Bernard Cribbins. He died in July 2022. I wonder how long ago they shot these episodes? I feel sorry for Ncuti Gatwa. David Tennant will be so hard to follow. I bet he say "I'm ready to go now" as opposed to "i don't want to go"
@@Joe_Brennan_ I always liked him. He came over as a nice guy. I stopped watching Who, after a few of the Jodie episodes. The stories were awful. Almost childlike. I felt sorry for good actors having to be part of that shambles. Tom Baker and DT are my favorite Dr's.
TBH despite all the strides in diverse representation and stories that doctor who has done, i genuinely never would have thought theyd have Davids Doctor confirm his attraction for men, let alone through a stupid Issac Newton 'mavity' joke 😂
@@YaBoiJoosh I'm not sure I understand what you mean here? The Doctor has always operated in the ambiguity of asexuality with a couple of romantic attachments to women across the timeline, so in that ambiguity of asexuality as well as the ability to be fluid in ones sex, it stands to reason that the Doctor could very easily form attractions and attachments to men as well as women.
@@YaBoiJoosh What do you mean by "that sort of character"? He was just a woman. If his sex and gender and face and personality can change, why can't his sexual orientation? Seems like you are working with some biases.
"It's just talking!" Yeah! That's where the tension comes from. First the dual conversions with both characters happening at seemingly the same time despite the characters not actually being able to be in two places at once. Then the characters using their intellects to figure out precisely who they're talking to. The four way confrontation. Just the drama of being uncertain if the person you're talking to is the real person, the difficulty finding it out, and the critical thinking required to spot the fake.
Having David Tennant back but as a version of his Doctor that's gone through The Ponds, Clara, Trenzalore, Hell Bent/Heaven Sent, Timeless Child, everything with the Master, I love it so far and hope more of it comes through in the next special
The way Donna looks away from the doctor and then her eyes dart about while claiming she didn’t see anything lends itself (or at least Tate’s performance) to the idea she was able to absorb a bit of his journey. I like what you said about consent.
Yeah I think that definitely seems to be how she’s playing, which is a really lovely interpretation. It’s times like these I wish we had another 10 episodes with these two.
@@Joe_Brennan_ honestly i got the feeling that she remembered but that she couldnt make heads or tails of it because its too much. But had a feeling it was bad
I just want to say how happy I am that you’re back on RU-vid just in time for this new era of Doctor Who! You go in to every episode wanting to love it and have fun with it and are honestly disappointed when you don’t and I really appreciate that.
Tennant’s acting is frighteningly good here. The short conversation the 2 Doctor’s have while the salt counting is going on is so so chilling yet it’s almost hard to say why. Like you said in your video, the duplicate is 90% The Doctor, but with just a TINY bit of him missing that makes it hauntingly strange. The way he says “We drifted here in the lack of light” is a good example of him being so subtly different that it makes you uneasy. The pronunciation of single letters in a sentence or just a little change of tone is enough. And when he asks what’s made them so bad and the copy replies “the things we felt they shaped us”, WHY IS IT SO SCARY 😮 Aw Doctor Who is BACK ❤
I noticed that David used a very very slightly more RP accent as the duplicate, a subtle difference but an effective one in my opinion. Just goes to show how detail-oriented he is as an actor.
In a similar vein, within the same scene where Donna tries to insist there's more to people than that, and then not-Donna just responds with "love letters don't travel that far", Catherine Tate's delivery of that last line is utterly chilling
"My arms are too long" will be the new "Are you my mummy". It was terrifying. While it had it's faults, this episode was amazing and great for the new series.
This was amazing, the horror elements of Dr Who are really great. Especially this uncanny valley sort of horror. I wonder if we will get anymore references to the name change from gravity to mavity. Especially since at the end of the episode the Doctor says gravity again.
The bit about invoking superstition at the end of the universe having dark consequences has me more excited for future storylines than anything in Who has for years.
I think that's a reference to the great tv writer Nigel Kneale who incorporated magic and superstition with scifi. The giggle is RTDs reference to a banned unproduced play called 'The big giggle ' about a TV signal which drove people to suicide. Kneale reworked the idea in the film Halloween 3. Another story about a mad toymaker and an evil TV broadcast.
I think that Catherine Tate's 'dramatic' performances are always way better than her being 'funny'? Bit of a hot take considering her career is from comedy but... I she's better when she's not doing funny lines to me.
I think she’s incredibly funny when she’s given a good script, but yeah I don’t love the stuff she writes for herself. As a dramatic actor, she’s vastly underrated.
I also love the thematic weight to this episode. Having the enemies get stronger when you otherthink and having them be defeated through a slow process is great. This relates to the consequences of the Flux, and Donna even asks 14 "when will you be okay" and he says "in a million years." All of this says that some things need time to truly be dealt with, and can't be solved immediately. Brilliant stuff.
It also shows the captains character which is really good since we never meet them when they were alive. Set up a slow process and then commit suicide so that she wouldn't have any thoughts at all. Died to stop the creatures from learning what was set up and keeping them trapped unable to control the ship
WBY was brilliant! I love how it was just an episode of Dr Who. The Star Beast has to do a lot of reintroduction and The Giggle will be the conclusion, so its nice just to have an adventure with these characters.
You weren't the only one who thought Donna wasn't going to make it. He poured his heart out to her (well, fake Donna) and I thought it was going to be another moment of not quite telling the person that he loves them. I watched alone in my apartment and when I thought Donna was done for, I stood up and yelled enough that my neighbors could hear, "Don't you f**kin' take Donna from me, again!" 🤣 I haven't watched much DW since somewhere in Matt Smith's era (just popping in now and then) and I didn't realize just how invested I still was in these two! These two are MY Doctor and companion... and this episode was **chef's kiss**!
The closed captioning calls them "the Not-Things" and individually, "Not-Doctor" and "Not-Donna." So that's what I'm going with. The best scene for me was when I first realized something was wrong. They were swapping back and forth between Donna and the Doctor in the orange room, and Donna and the Doctor in the blue room, and at first I just thought it was some weird cutting with shifting back and forth in time. Then the Doctor says in this passive, almost blase way, "My arms are too long," and the penny dropped along with my stomach. That delivery and setup was 👌
The dread you can feel in your stomach in that moment is superb, and justifies all of the secrecy. I seemed to gravitate towards calling them Not-Doctor and Not-Donna without even knowing, so it’s clearly a good name
@@Joe_Brennan_ I've personally been avoiding spoilers, leaks, and even trailers as much as possible. I prefer going into these things without any knowledge because it can absolutely ruin a great twist or suspenseful moment. It definitely wouldn't have hit nearly as hard if, say, someone had leaked an image of David with the big arm prosthetic on.
I’m too deep into the online fandom to avoid trailers (thanks to this channel) though I wish I could know less, but leaks are something I’ve definitely tried to avoid
I wanted to thank you for this and your last video, they perfectly put into words all of my emotions and as someone who lives away from home at uni around people who dont even know the show let alone love it as religiously as I do means I dont have anyone to talk to about it, and hearing you talking about it all brings me such catharsis so thank you so much. much love from the netherlands
Thank you so much for the comment! I’m glad to provide that for you. I hope you’re eventually surrounded by people who you can share the show with, but happy to help fill that void in the meantime.
Donna absolutely knows more than shes letting on, but in a vague, 'oh, that wasnt fun', way, and also a 'you will clam up if i try to turn this into an Actual Conversation' way
I loved the episode, it was absolutely brilliant! The lead actors, especially Tennant, were so amazing!!! And Wilf… 😢 However happy, yet sad I was to see Wilf, the Nothings still gave the chills
Exactly! His ability to flawlessly portray two completely different characters is just incredible. Tate was the same. I was almost thinking they were going to do that spider man pointing to each other in a circle meme when they were all in the same room! 😂
I LOVED the new episode. It was really reminiscent of my favorite episode “Midnight”. I just love seeing the Doctor confronted with a threat he doesn’t entirely understand
wild blue yonder was fucking crazy absolutely peak the kind of episode someone might love to have a long conversation about on a discord server for sure
After this episode, I feel reassured that RTD has realised one thing we really need at the start of the new era is the Flux and Timeless Child things somewhat addressed. Not necessarily "resolved," but we've been left feeling unsettled and unsatisfied, not really knowing how the universe stands, what is going to be ignored, how the Doctor is feeling, whether this is something that will matter at all in the future etc. etc. It feels like the specials are the perfect place to do this and Tennant/10/14 is the perfect actor/character to deal with this. We can see more clearly just what effect this has had because we are so familiar with how 10 was affected by and dealt with things previously. An episode like this might not be full of spectacle, but I think it's done some pretty significant work for the show. I might not like the TC or the Flux and wish they weren't canon, but if this is how they are going to be handled in the future, I am no longer feeling unsettled about their effect on the series. And I think Tennant was fabulous this whole episode, whichever version he was playing. There was a real grounded, earthiness to his performance that made the creepy parts more worrying and the emotional parts more real and impactful. Last week had elements of this, but it felt a lot more like the Doctor was just being like "The Doctor and Donna" because that was how he felt he was supposed to be - perhaps wanted to be - but underneath he wasn't really that anymore. I felt this episode David really brought that out beautifully - not just in the dramatic parts, but in his delivery of normal lines and subtle differences in how he holds himself and moves. Anyway, last episode I was still in "wait and see" mode, but after this episode I've started to feel some genuine optimism for the next series rather than just wishfully hoping!
The shift from “wait and see” to real optimism is a great one to experience. I feel like we’re in safe hands, and I don’t think anything they do next week could change that. Thank you for the comment!
This episode was amazingly done, the ONE issue I have is the fakeout with the False Donna at the end. If those imposters were so dangerous that just their mere PRESENCE was enough to send the TARDIS running, I find it doubtful that the TARDIS would even allow her aboard.
@@HarvesterYTwhy would it run from the self destruct? The bomb was supposed to go off ages from when the Tardis landed due to the whole "slow.ship" thing. The hostile action was the Not Things getting free from.the esge of time and destroying the known universe. When the bomb was set off, the hostile action was over so the TARDIS came back.
@@HarvesterYT It WAS the imposters the TARDIS was running from. It only comes back once the countdown gets too far along for the fakes to stop. The self-destruct was never turned off.
Last night I had a dream where someone got into weird body-mod stuff and got an extra set of knees put in, and when I woke up I realised it was literally straight out of this episode - I can't remember the last time a tv ep made its way into my dreams. Truly gruesome stuff!
I absolutely love seeing two time lords fully work together in a situation like this, it super cool seeing both of them be very competent and clever while in a life threatening moment
This reminded me of Midnight, but it was better by miles. Going to the edge of the universe made me think of the Doctor’s Wife episode, where they went somewhere similar (edge of the universe). I had a hard time hearing the dialogue and it hurt my immersion in the story. That’s my only real complaint. Otherwise it was spooky fun. I wondering if next week will be the Toymaker’s chance to influence the timeless child storyline. Seems funny to bring it up in episode two if you aren’t going to delve into it in episode three.
I’ve heard that about the sound mix from a few people, what a shame. I watched with headphones and had no trouble, but I know how much that can let an experience down
I know people are saying Steven Moffat. And it is in the sense it’s the writer placing formal constraints on themselves and showing how brilliant they can be. However, I always think it’s worth crediting Jamie Mathieson for bringing in Boneless creatures and of course there’s a bit of classic dr who episode 1 Terry Nation exploring the world, getting rid of the tardis suspense too.
I laughed my head off for most of the episode. I thought it was the kind of rediculous fun that was seen in Legends of Tomorrow; up until the point where they had 14 pour his heart out to fake Donna. Then it started feeling serious (except for the salt) and when The Doctor took off in the TARDIS I was immediately scared for Donna's life.
As a special it was okay, but as a doctor who episode it is really really good. The guessing of wtf is going in was good. Did enjoy the stupid joke in the beginning and calling it mravity. The perfomance of the actors is good, you just see the actinv eperience of tennant through the years, i have a good hope the new series is going to be enjoyable and im all for it
I think the fact it’s only been a week since the last special makes it feel more like episodic Doctor Who to me, which does it a favour because I’m judging it as that.
6:24 my first thought was that the jimbo robot was doing heaven sent because he was slowly getting closer to his goal with each number of the countdown for 3 years
in the tma fandom there are also dopplegangers, we call the not-thems or not-sasha, i invite the dr who fandom to do the same with the nothing creatures.
Definitely goes in the top 10 new-who episodes, and yes it 100% feels like a moffat esque episode. Doesn't come close to beating heaven sent, but still an amazing episode, it's a shame how many people resort to making hate reviews for the sake of views.
The subtitles called them the not-things. I'm glad you liked it so much, I want to give it some time but it may be one of my favorite episodes. Though it could also just be that it's so much better than what we've had for a while.
Was the TARDIS only recognizing the state of the ship as a bomb as the threat and not the "false-entities" as the main threat? If it was the former, why didn't it recognize the bomb as on a very long delay and not an immediate danger? The length of the episode makes it pretty clear that the danger of the ship-bomb was not indeed immediate.
The entities were there and lurking before they took physical form. If the TARDIS recognised that then it would see the threat they possessed. It disappearing makes perfect sense if the entities were what it discovered. Especially since it returns at the point the entities were no longer a threat but the bomb still was
Thank you!!! So much of what you said resonated with me, but I think the thing that struck me most and that I immediately agreed with was a LOST echo -- "We're going to have to watch that again." After the episode that is the first thing I thought. I was delighted, sad, impressed, excited and a bit discombobulated. There was a lot! I couldn't sort out all the emotions the episode evoked. And when a TV show does that to me I am thrilled! Great episode, great recap!
This episode, to me, felt very reminiscent of Big Finish’s Scherzo. Both are two handers featuring only the Doctor and their companion being pushed to their limits. Both open with the TARDIS abandoning our characters in a place outside the normal universe. Both feature antagonists that begin developing corporeal forms due to the presence of the protagonists, which leads into some freaky body horror antics. And both are incredible Doctor Who stories. Granted, whether this was an intentional homage is unclear (if anything, I find it more likely that the recent 10th Doctor audio ‘The Lost’ would’ve been a stronger inspiration). But it’s still interesting to see how elements from a story famously tailored so specifically to the audio medium could be so well translated for tv.
I’ve listened to Scherzo and I think Wild Blue Yonder is a great example of something that shares a lot of similarities with something that’s already been done, but playing to different strengths. The more tangible and visible nature of a TV story offers it opportunities that Big Finish don’t have, just as the absence of visuals give Scherzo a massive boost. I probably would’ve mentioned it in this video if I wasn’t scared of pronouncing it out loud.
A pretty perfect episode. I’m in complete agreement, Joe: What better way to celebrate 60 years than an episode showing what this show does best? Tennant always excelled at the “base under siege” episodes and this is right up there with the best of those. It really felt like an episode that could have been part of the 2008 series. I may be in the minority, but I never expected this to be a cameo-fest. I don’t know why, but the thought never even occurred to me. I’m really glad that so far they haven’t succumbed to the temptation to just get every other Doctor back. I wouldn’t have minded if they did, but that seems such the obvious choice now, it somehow feels refreshing that the 60th anniversary is just being marked with really good episodes starring two of the show’s finest on-screen talents.
You're so right, I think fans mostly whipped themselves into the expectation-frenzy, aided a little with some cheeky teases. But what we really got was superb.
This and the previous special were my first time watching the show again since Matt Smith left. Not for any major grievance I had with the show, I simply just lost interest and then got overwhelmed by the piling up of stuff I missed that it seemed daunting to catch up again. But I figured I’d just jump in out of curiosity, accepting I’d be missing some context on what’s happened in the last 10 years and also that I may have even forgot some plot points from the stuff I did watch. First special was pretty fun. Donna Noble’s tiger mom schtick is so endearing and it’s fun to see how her character traits show through the type of mom she is. The second special really reminded me of why I used to love the show so much. Just such a simple, horrifying little premise. Immediately the villains seem so ubiquitous that you wonder how they haven’t been villains on the show for decades now. Also the line about reading their goosebumps like braille was just hard as hell too. So I think I’ll continue to watch new specials and episodes as they come out.
@@Joe_Brennan_ I grew up with the Doctor, Tom Baker, and I have always loved it. When Nu Who came out I rejoiced in it coming back. Loved Ecclestone, Tenant was okay but Matt Smith was my Nu Who Doctor. Then Peter Capaldi joined Clara and I was over it. Gave Jodie a chance and walked away with disgust. These specials are just dross. So, I guess that I’m “No True Whovian” - in much the same way that I am “No True Scotsman”.
The absolute ONLY issue I had with this episode was how odd the long hallway looked in the beginning. It either improved or I adjusted as the episode went on though haha.
As a regular episode itself - I love these kinds of concept stories. A truly alien monster that doesn't allow understanding or reasoning, and blocking the Doctor or removing his tools to push characters to figure it out differently. It either gives us some experimental stuff with disturbing conclusions (Midnight), or interesting dynamics in a narrative arcs (Flatline with the ClaraDoctor), or new emotional depths like here. It's always interesting and unexpected! I hope we get some more in the future every now and then. I also loved the idea of a plan so slow that you can't see the pattern to figure it out. It's so simple, but it makes sense and i love it.
It pains me that the fandom takes such little and overall pointless things and thinks Doctor Who is dead. This episode, was brilliant, absolutely brillaint. Incredible characterization, simple yet spellbindingly horrific premise, great production direction and effects, terrifying monsters, mindgames, and overall this has become one of my favorite new who stories. I love 14s subtle differences compared to 10, more emotionally open, more mature, yet he still bounces off with Donna as they usually do, I, don't want their adventures to end. It FEELS like a classic Doctor Who episode, just with higher production value. It's, as 9 would say, Fantastic!.... Yet apparently The Doctor agreeing with Donna that Newton is attractive is enough to make people despise every bit of it
As soon as the Doctor said someone got an ancient robot out of storage and set it to walk really slowly down the corridor, I was confident I'd figured out the twist was gonna be that the robot had been walking the corridor for thousands of years and was in perfect shape when it started, and the corridor was just impossibly long
@@Joe_Brennan_ Is it possible that 'nothing' happened was just a puny appreciation, given these formless creatures came from the nothing. Rather than a sour dismissal of the episode. It just resonated with so many classic episodes, delivered more resolution than CC managed in his entire tenure as showrunner, for both addressing the flux, and delivering on the Timeless child.
If I’d paused and given it some thought, I’d have known there was no way she was gonna die. It’s far too unpleasant, her family are back home, would add too complicated a wrinkle to The Giggle. But in the moment, I was sure it was all over for her.
Brilliant take on it.. Yes this was an amazing episode with a great script and great acting. This is Doctor who back where it should be. RTD with DT & CT is what we all needed after the last 6 years.