Doctor Who Thread III: Reverse the Polarity of the Neutron Flow

[CthulhuEatYou]

The Silents obviously avoid the other races the same way they avoided humans for thousands of years.

Presumably a few got Exterminate!-ed or whatever when Daleks have been around but no report would come of it.

Heck I think it an open question what even the Doctor remembers about them.

1: Avoided humans for a thousand years? When did that happen? Can't remember anything about that :/

Also, they DO interact with other races. It was hinted several times in the show, like in the Episode: The Vampires from Venice, where the whole almost-extinct fish people specie "ran from the silence".

2: Nobody knows, it's the silence, their existence is based on being able to manipulate behind the scene without ever being noticed. (And have lemur fingers that shoot lightning)

3: As far as I remember he didn't. He got some hints, and later on he was able to remember them because of the silence religions special eye wear.

What is really interesting is what happened after the doctor got erased from history.

[dehro]

Originally Posted by Soras Teva Gee

Presumably a few got Exterminate!-ed or whatever when Daleks have been around but no report would come of it.

that rises another question..
are the Silent inherently forgettable or is thiers a jedi-mind trick that requires a conscious effort from their part?
in other words.. say you kill a Silent and other Silents don't know/find out about it.. does his body still get forgotten as soon as you don't look at it?
I'm guessing it should end up on all kinds of recordings..morgue registers, actually being on one of those trays.. lying there..
even if it's inherently forgettable, a dead body is still a dead body..it doesn't bugger off on its own so you're bound to stumble across it enough times to figure out a thing or two..
which makes their ability to evade detection from other enemy races..epic-level

[Tvtyrant]

Originally Posted by dehro

that rises another question..
are the Silent inherently forgettable or is thiers a jedi-mind trick that requires a conscious effort from their part?
in other words.. say you kill a Silent and other Silents don't know/find out about it.. does his body still get forgotten as soon as you don't look at it?
I'm guessing it should end up on all kinds of recordings..morgue registers, actually being on one of those trays.. lying there..
even if it's inherently forgettable, a dead body is still a dead body..it doesn't bugger off on its own so you're bound to stumble across it enough times to figure out a thing or two..
which makes their ability to evade detection from other enemy races..epic-level

Remember that you even forget their photos if you look away, so I would say that it is inherent to the species. The real question is, do the Silence know what they look like? :P

[Soras Teva Gee]

Originally Posted by CthulhuEatYou

1: Avoided humans for a thousand years? When did that happen? Can't remember anything about that :/

Of course not.

You however an eye drive will tell you about being here since "the wheel and fire" not being poetry.

Also, they DO interact with other races. It was hinted several times in the show, like in the Episode: The Vampires from Venice, where the whole almost-extinct fish people specie "ran from the silence".

You touch on why the race is best referred to as the Silents.

Because "the Silence" is much more ambiguous. It could refer to the events of series 5, the organization/religion working with the Silents of series 6 who can be remember, or the coming event at Trenzalore. Probably all of them.

Ultimately all the events surrounding the arc words don't quite add up.

3: As far as I remember he didn't. He got some hints, and later on he was able to remember them because of the silence religions special eye wear.

I meant when its all said an done at the end of series 6

Originally Posted by Tvtyrant

Remember that you even forget their photos if you look away, so I would say that it is inherent to the species. The real question is, do the Silence know what they look like? :P

Since evidently they organize and are aware of their history presumably they are not subject to their own effect.

[Soras Teva Gee]

Apologies for double post, but just thought I'd leave this here.

[CthulhuEatYou]

Originally Posted by Soras Teva Gee

Apologies for double post, but just thought I'd leave this here.

Damn, they are really getting worse :/

[Soras Teva Gee]

Nahh they've been stronger lately, though not so much here. This one's sadly only mid tier or so.

I do credit them for evidently doing their research though.

[Xondoure]

There was a lull but they seem to be picking up again. This I quite enjoyed, but mainly for the brilliant Dr. Who, Doc Brown was less impressive.

[Tvtyrant]

I was a little sad they picked 10 and 4 for the doctors. I like 9 the most myself.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Originally Posted by Tvtyrant

I was a little sad they picked 10 and 4 for the doctors. I like 9 the most myself.

Nine? Interesting! I generally hear another doctor rather than him! What do you like most?

As for the Doctor vs Dr. rap...I'm generally a fan of the ERB series...but I didn't really like this one at all.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Originally Posted by Tvtyrant

I was a little sad they picked 10 and 4 for the doctors. I like 9 the most myself.

I am a major Eccleston fan, but I can understand them picking Tennant over Eccleston, because he's way more recognizable (and fanbase-popular). Which is sad, because I prefer Eccleston and Smith as portrayals of The Doctor.

Of course, including Baker's Doctor was a stroke of awesome, IMO.

[Androgeus]

Man, I wish I'd informed you guys that yet another audio play has been playing on Radio 4 Extra over the past month. Unfortunately it's been one part a week so iPlayer only has the most recent part up.
The play is called "Cobwebs", it involves an abandoned research station and knowing your own future. Its Doctor is the 5th alongside Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa.
We're 3/4 of the way through so far and it's a pretty neat story I think (obviously part 4 could ruin everything, but it's good so far).

[Kalrany]

Originally Posted by Androgeus

Man, I wish I'd informed you guys that yet another audio play has been playing on Radio 4 Extra over the past month. Unfortunately it's been one part a week so iPlayer only has the most recent part up.
The play is called "Cobwebs", it involves an abandoned research station and knowing your own future. Its Doctor is the 5th alongside Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa.
We're 3/4 of the way through so far and it's a pretty neat story I think (obviously part 4 could ruin everything, but it's good so far).

I am unfamilar with the audio plays. Can you tell me more? Or provide links?

[Androgeus]

Originally Posted by Kalrany

I am unfamilar with the audio plays. Can you tell me more? Or provide links?

If you don't mind starting half way in to the story, here's a link to the current series on iplayer if you're the UK (the episode starts about 1:20 in).

I think there two styles of "audio plays". One style is where it is treated like an audio book where they have a single narrator basically reading a book, I believe this is the style most New Who audio plays use (I haven't heard any so this is just from
The other style is much more like an old Who episode but in audio form, they generally get the actors to reprise their roles when they appear in a story. Big Finish tend to produce the ones of the latter style, and they put out a new story each month.

I've only heard a sliver of what is out there, but what I have heard is good. I'd particularly recommend the stories involving the 7th doctor and Klein (A Thousand Tiny Wings, Klein's Story, Survival of the Fittest, & The Architects of History)

[Tvtyrant]

Originally Posted by TheWombatOfDoom

Nine? Interesting! I generally hear another doctor rather than him! What do you like most?

As for the Doctor vs Dr. rap...I'm generally a fan of the ERB series...but I didn't really like this one at all.

A couple reasons. He is more serious than the other doctors, which I love as he is coming out of the time war. Both Eccleston and Tennant played through sections where the Doctor was less than heroic (how many genocides did Tennant commit without blinking while letting anything Timelordoid go?), but I felt Eccleston dealt with his hatred of the Daleks in a more direct way.

Yeah, it wasn't the best one.

[Soras Teva Gee]

Originally Posted by CarpeGuitarrem

I am a major Eccleston fan, but I can understand them picking Tennant over Eccleston, because he's way more recognizable (and fanbase-popular). Which is sad, because I prefer Eccleston and Smith as portrayals of The Doctor.

Of course, including Baker's Doctor was a stroke of awesome, IMO.

Yeah for every Who fan that has their favorite... there are legions of more casually aware folk who probably can probably only think of 4 and 10 when someone says "Doctor Who"

I have no ranking for Classic but Ten is far and away my favorite NuWho. While somewhat retroactive in crystallizing this opinion I think its because I always picked up on how he utterly loved being the Doctor.

(Also not to come down on anybody in particular but Eccleston... don't get it. Other then a bit hipster-ing logic as the "least obvious" choice or that he's somehow extra tragic for not having more time. Not saying that anyone here is doing that... Best Doctor is like Best Pony, every Doctor is Best Doctor... while okay he was always just okay. I think I might just not like the hair or something.)

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Originally Posted by Soras Teva Gee

(Also not to come down on anybody in particular but Eccleston... don't get it. Other then a bit hipster-ing logic as the "least obvious" choice or that he's somehow extra tragic for not having more time. Not saying that anyone here is doing that... Best Doctor is like Best Pony, every Doctor is Best Doctor... while okay he was always just okay. I think I might just not like the hair or something.)

Eccleston won me over with The Empty Child. There was a nuanced blend of furious, goofy, and driven that really resonated with me. Eccleston's Doctor is The Oncoming Storm, and he's also "Fantastic!".

For some reasons, I think this really sums it up for me...

"Eccleston was a tiger and Tennant was, well, Tigger. Smith is an uncoordinated housecat who pretends that he meant to do that after falling off a piece of furniture."
- Lynne M. Thomas

Which is also the reason why Smith's Doctor has been working his way into my heart very adeptly. The tiger and the kitty. And with his more furious turns, I feel that Smith is not only capturing tragedy better than Tennant did, but he's also blending elements of Eccleston's Doctor back in.

[Xondoure]

Tennant wasn't Tigger. He's... I want to say a cobra but that's not quite it. He's all about warnings, he'll give you every chance to stop, and if you don't. Wrath of the Timelord.

[Eldan]

I think I have found my problem with Smith, after rewatching a few episodes. I don't buy his anger. He doesn't sell it to me. He doesn't look furious. He looks like a man pretending to be furious. He can do happy, and confused, and excited, but not furious.

[Soras Teva Gee]

@CarpeGuitarrem:

I can see where you're coming from but don't share it. I always felt Eccleston was kinda a jerk. My quintessential moment for him is him ranting at the Dalek, him being happy, inquisitive, or silly just never clicked with me

While I think Rose always had other intentions (quiet aside from 'lol imma save my dad') he's not someone I ever quite felt was someone I buy people wanting to travel through time with. Share a drink with in a bar maybe sure, watch a football game with or something.... but I never quite believed for example he could fell himself "falling through space" or the like. Its that fantastic part that fails.

Maybe its the hair, or lack thereof.

While Tennant I think (while arguably verging on bipolar) could be serious, sentimental, or silly with equal believability. I might call Tigger fair, except hit the wrong button once too often and suddenly its this Immortal Angry Cat Demigod piercing your soul and ready to rip you apart. And I think Tennant was always great at acting with a look, a great deal of looks from his Doctor.

Smith... I think has has so far been a bit too much style without enough substance. I don't know whether to blame this on Smith or his material. It certainly doesn't help that I get the impression that collectively everyone was a little too afraid to rock the boat and so 10 to 11 is arguably the smallest change between characters. Not that I've seen enough Classic to make that but just in description from I feel each manages to be distinct, though probably the outfits. I can still do that between Tennant and Smith but its not as far.

I characterize it like being in a bar and finishing your drink and telling the bartender to suprise you and the the suprise is... a drink similar to the one you just had. One may be better then the other, but the second still suffers for being not that different. Again possibly the outfits in play here shaping my perceptions.

[Aotrs Commander]

Originally Posted by Soras Teva Gee

@CarpeGuitarrem:

I can see where you're coming from but don't share it. I always felt Eccleston was kinda a jerk. My quintessential moment for him is him ranting at the Dalek, him being happy, inquisitive, or silly just never clicked with me

My Dad has the same opinion on that, and I also agree that was probably Nine's best moment.



I think Eleven is my favourite (and before that it was Ten, who was a hard act to follow); but I think there might be some degree of bias because part of Eleven's charm has come from having the best supporting cast the Doctor has ever had (the fact he's had consistently 2.5 companions - all of whom I like - a first, even for classic, where sometimes (e.g. Five) had that number, but I didn't like all of them). I also, to be fair, like the somewhat nasty edge behind the clown (a bit like Two).

[LokeyITP]

I'm hesitant to call Eccleston's portrayal underplayed, but there's tons of things there depending on how you look at them. I think his doctor preferred working in the background...well at least more so than Tenant's and much more so than Smith's. Hard to say without more thought.

[Soras Teva Gee]

Originally Posted by Aotrs Commander

My Dad has the same opinion on that, and I also agree that was probably Nine's best moment.

Good to know I'm not alone in that assessment. And I should add its not that being a jerk is the worst character choice, just not something I'm quite buy for the role.

I always totally bought Nine as the war survivor who's definitely not over it though. Something that (I suspect by accident) makes for a nice little character arc between the three Doctors as they move away and get past the Time War.

(Though its not quite gone even now, then again A Town Called Mercy feels kinda like a Tennant/Davies episode that got shelved for while and then pulled out later)

I think Eleven is my favourite (and before that it was Ten, who was a hard act to follow); but I think there might be some degree of bias because part of Eleven's charm has come from having the best supporting cast the Doctor has ever had (the fact he's had consistently 2.5 companions - all of whom I like - a first, even for classic, where sometimes (e.g. Five) had that number, but I didn't like all of them). I also, to be fair, like the somewhat nasty edge behind the clown (a bit like Two).

I will say that is something I'm convinced of from Smith/Moffat, the show is better with multiple companions.

[Philistine]

I had the opposite reaction to Eccleston and Tennant: I always found Nine believable, while Ten was just too ridiculously over-the-top to ever be credible ("equal believability" in any mood, sure - 0=0). Especially in Season Two, Tennant overacted like crazy - though he did get better with time, and was mostly bearable by Season Four. I suspect this may have been habit due to Tennant's coming to the role from the stage, where you have to overplay everything because even the good seats are several feet away; film and TV acting requires more subtlety, since the camera can get right up in the your face with a close-up for the critical character moments. I also liked (and believed) Eccleston's on-screen chemistry with Billie Piper better than Tennant's.

[dps]

I may have posted this before, but I think that Eccleston's probably the best actor to ever play The Doctor (though Matt Smith just seems to keep getting better and better in the role), but I still have reservations about the way Nine was written.

[Kalrany]

I agree with Soras Teva Gee and Aotrs Commander -- that was a perfect moment for Eccleston, but I never really felt his portrayl worked for me. I loved Tennent -- there was something about his performance that just was just so much more beliveable even when the scene itself was rather out there. I have loved Smith's episodes, but that was becuase of his companions -- Amy and Rory were just perfect (Rory more so than Amy, I admit) to the point that the Doctor was less of a central character for me (more of a story catalyst than a title protagonist). I will say this though, Darvill, Gillan, and Smith had a chemistry on the screen that was magical, which is probably why the Ponds came to life so well. With the new companion set to enter, it will be interesting to see if Smith remains so far ahead in my assessment of the Doctors verses Eccleston.

[Androgeus]

Just a friendly reminder that Children in Need is on this Friday and they are going to be showing something Doctor Who related, A prequel to the Christmas episode I think.
Also there's another audioplay being broadcast on Radio 4Extra on Sundays, here's a link to the first episode

[dehro]

snigger

[Androgeus]

Prequel
Trailer

[Kato]

So... I just sat down and saw the 1996 movie with a friend... and it was so terrible! I mean, okay, not terrible, terrible, but bad. The... Eight was decent enough but all the weird stuff with the Master, the Eye of Harmony, pretty much everything that happened in this movie was just so off...

Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks that movie was bad.