Here the teaser poster for this Saturday!
(http://i1.cdnds.net/12/35/618x436/cult_doctor_who_town_called_mercy_poster.jpg)
Thanks to insomnia I actually watched the episode of Battlestar Galactica this episode is based on the other night, and it's still daft fun. It's hard to go wrong with this kind of mish-mash, and I even recall an old Star Wars comic that had a similar premise that ended with Chewie in an interspecies three way.
(http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd74/redhotchillis/sw3w001.jpg)
Dude's a fuckin pimp - beat that, DW!
Heh, when I saw the trailer for this one all I could think of was Kryten from the Gunmen of the Apocalypse episode :) Should be fun though, there's never been a western episode has there, though my experience only goes as far back as Tom Baker?
Quote from: Mudcrab on 13 September, 2012, 04:53:16 PM
Should be fun though, there's never been a western episode has there, though my experience only goes as far back as Tom Baker?
William Hartnell did it.
Yeah - old Bill was at the OK Corral.
Cheers. One of these days I'll catch up with the older ones.
My digi-box has just gone and stopped working on me, so I swapped over to the "emergency" one I was given a few years back. I was happy at first, seeing as it picks up more stations than the one I'd been using, but then I found out that every now and again the sound cuts off. Only for a second or so, but I can still miss something important in that second. Seeing as Dr Who is the only show on television I'm actually interested in watching at the moment and we're already nearing the end of this recent series, I'm not very happy. The original digi-box was still picking up BBC1 (it was one of the few channels it was still getting) so I'm guessing every Saturday is going to see a box-swap-around for the next couple of weeks. I know it's a relatively easy enough thing to do but it's going to be a right pain in the arse.
IGN review of this episode is up already. Not sure how they wangled an advance screening!
Beware - spoilers!
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/09/15/doctor-who-a-town-called-mercy-review
Quote from: JamesC on 15 September, 2012, 11:12:25 AM
IGN review of this episode is up already. Not sure how they wangled an advance screening!
Beware - spoilers!
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/09/15/doctor-who-a-town-called-mercy-review
I was a bit concerned as it seems very similiar to an episode of Battlestar Galactica (the first one)-a cylon rather than cyborg gunman on th e loose in western tahn, however I'll be watching.Ben Browder always gives good value IMHO so it's another plus.
I'm impressed with the three episodes of Dr Who so far. They are just what my 7 year old wants.
Daleks! Dinosaurs! Cowboys!
This is what Saturday telly should be about. This is what Dr Who is about. Something mildly scary for Dads to enjoy with the sprogs (beer in hand, ideally). With a pretty lady to make up for plot holes, and enough action to make the sprog sit on the edge of the seat.
Susan. :lol:
I didn't really like the episode but as Dr X mentioned, his 7 year old liked it and I'm guessing my younger family members would also have. I do try to remember (for such episodes) an article I saw some months back where somebody said the BBC consider their target audience for Dr Who to be 7-13 year-old kids and be thankful for the more "young audience but also above" episodes that come along. Two episodes remaining so I'm guessing both to be works of Moffat and so will be for the youngsters and us oldsters.
I thought it the best episode of the series so far. Reminded me a bit of 'Firefly'. I'm liking the idea of a vengeful Doctor!
Smith was brilliant as always, but they really have run out of things to do with Amy, haven't they? Pity that Rory has to go when she does.
The plot was a bit by the numbers and, for want of a better word, mechanical, but it was fun.
Quote from: Charlie boy on 15 September, 2012, 09:33:25 PM
Two episodes remaining so I'm guessing both to be works of Moffat and so will be for the youngsters and us oldsters.
Next weeks episode is another Chris Chibnall episode, then the one after that is by Steven Moffat.
A pretty good episode this week all things considered, certainly no complaints from me. Although I did guess that Jex had created the Cyborg as soon as he said he was "sort of a father".
Looks like the Doctor's darker side is deffinetly going to be an important plot point for this series considering the events of the last two episodes.
Not my dr who at all, im sorry to say. That's exactly what an american version of the series, or an explicitely- co-funded version, would be like. It could have slotted into any season of any seemingly endless american sci fi show, and i hated every minute for exactly that reason. I see we even have aliens with minimal facial makeup these days, and so i have to give up i guess and accept it's not for me.
After it finished, the boys requested some 'old' who, so we put on 'parting of the ways' from 2005. It was so much better. Just a different show entirely- real people, dialogue not consisting of a string of unfunny gags, and a compelling monster to boot.
I wonder if there's any chance of RTD resuming control of the show once moffat finally, finally, fucks off.
SBT
I didn't like that one. Nor last week's much. First was good but overall this season so far is a massive dip in quality for me over the last couple. Even my kids have lost interest, and they were so excited for every episode the last couple of years. They wanted to watch X factor instead of it today. Christ, thats bad! My daughter reckons the lack of an 'arc' (season wide mystery) is the reason she isnt interested. She prefers it when there is an ongoing story tying the episodes together. Which is weird as it seems like they deliberately decided to do away with that this season to make it more accessible?
The ship seemed far too close to the township at the end than when the Dr first discovered it. HMMMMM.
V
I think if I were to compare this episode to some of my favourite old who(Tom Baker) it wouldn't compare well at all, so I'm not going to do that. I'll just say that judging it on it's own it was an enjoyable little piece of fluff that held no great surprises and was much as I expected it would be when I first saw the trailer. I liked the monster as far as it went and quite liked the western setting too. I think I'd like to see some form of over-arching storyline though. These individual episodes feel a little unloved to me.
And as I said, it simply wouldn't compare to good old Tom. But then, no-one could... of course.
Not a fan of new Who generally, nor of the Western genre, either. (and all previous Whithouse stories have been dire) However, I quite liked this; it looked great, had some convincing performances (Adrian Scarborough, Ben Browder, the undertaker) was one of the more mature stories of recent times and didn't make me want to smash the telly in like most post 2005 Who does. Plus the Ponds were (thankfully) sidelined, there was no fast talking, flirty, sexed-up, girly banter or relationship issues, and the moral tone of the ep reminded me of old 1960's Star Trek. (Surely a good thing?).
Matt Smith still annoys (which pantomime did he escape from?),while the cyborg gunslinger was surely inspired by Mean Machine.
I thought it was good fun. I liked the gunslinger and thought the other alien doctor was suitably snivelly.
Acting all round was convincing and I particularly liked the scene where the Doctor talked down the lynch mob.
Fair enough episode enjoyable story and some moral dilemmas, thought Smith suddenly getting angry and vengeful was a bit of a mis-step but otherwise fine.
Good support work from the "townsfolk" too.
Quote from: Van Dom on 15 September, 2012, 11:31:25 PM
My daughter reckons the lack of an 'arc' (season wide mystery) is the reason she isnt interested. She prefers it when there is an ongoing story tying the episodes together. Which is weird as it seems like they deliberately decided to do away with that this season to make it more accessible?
The ongoing theme for this series looks to be Amy and Rory deciding to leave (via two second scenes) but yeah, they do look to be going for a more accessible route into the episodes this year. Next year, however, we have the anniversary year which Moffat has promised big things for. I'm guessing it's going to be returning to The Silence and showing the already mentioned battle where the BIG question is asked. I'll be glad to see him back, his absence has been rather noticeable.
Quote from: The Zanti Misfit on 16 September, 2012, 08:41:52 AM
...while the cyborg gunslinger was surely inspired by Mean Machine.
Nope, given that he [spoiler]becomes the sheriff[/spoiler] at the end, definitely Kryten :D
Quote from: SmallBlueThing on 15 September, 2012, 11:11:47 PM
I wonder if there's any chance of RTD resuming control of the show once moffat finally, finally, fucks off.
If the RTD school of writing wins out over Moffat's then I shall be forced to conclude that the ongoing stupidification of the British public is complete.
Seriously, I don't understand how anyone can keep a straight face and defend the RTD mode of storytelling which is:
This time, it's set in the year ONE BILLION! Why? Because last time, it was set in the year One Million and bigger numbers are more, well, y'know, science-fictiony, aren't they? And NOW we have EIGHTY ZILLION Daleks because we only had two hojillion last time and, y'know, more is automatically better, right? And THIS TIME, they're going to destroy ALL OF EVERYTHING EVER. Wouldn't that destroy themselves? Well, yes, but they're EVIL, right? And, besides, last time they were trying to destroy all of everything so the only way to raise the stakes is to have them trying to destroy ALL OF EVERYTHING EVER. What's that you say? How? Oh, well, they've got this bomb full of magic whiffle dust. No, don't think about it too much. All right, magic SCIENCE whiffle dust, then. Happy? Good. Now, we'll just keep ramping up the nonsensical threat level with little or no regard for plot logic until... yes! I'll pull a Deus Ex resolution that I haven't bothered to set up in advance and all the characters will go on about how great the Doctor is. No, no, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...
I've heard some of the pro-RTD arguments: it's about heart, it's about writing to the emotional moments, it's about blahblahblahblah... I'm not saying that these things have no value, I'm saying that they work better when they arise logically out of a cogently constructed plot and mirror established and consistent characterisation.
Whatever else you want to say about Moffat's stint on Who (and I'm honestly not an uncritical fan of it) I don't see how his methodical dismantling of Davies' ridiculous, overblown, "Lonely God", "Oncoming Storm", "Armies Flee At The Very Mention Of His Name" additions to the mythos puts him further from the original series than RTD.
Cheers
Jim
THIS ^^ Phew, thank fuck I don't have to go the effort of trying to say all that.
I like one off adventures that don't involve migraine inducing metaphysics or OTT emotional meltdowns every week. I liked this one okay, but the doctor threatening people angrilly with guns jarred somewhat.
What I'd really like is a spooky four parter where a succession of poachers/housewives/village policemen and then soldiers get horribly offed by some alien nasty with rising tension and good cliffhangers each week. The doctor will not be believed for at least two episodes, will be put into (and escape from) at least one cell per week, and he'll leave the sonic friggin screwdriver alone for ten minutes. (I've been watching a lot of old-who recently!)
That's pretty much exactly what I'd like to see too DDD. Sounds perfect. Stand alone stories that are 2, 3 or 4 parts long. Like the way Cracker used to be (sorry thats the only example I can think of!)
I saw it today using Virgin On Demand, and I enjoyed it. I like these moral dilemma type episodes and I'm fond of cyborgs and killer robot type things.
Quotehe doctor threatening people angrilly with guns jarred somewhat.
I agree with that. I did notice that he raised his gun when spinning round though, so I don't think he intended to threaten the villagers, but it did feel a bit off.
And much as I'm grateful to RTD for bringing Doctor Who back (and I'm not a hater of his tenure overall) I prefer Moff-Who to Davies-Who.
Quote from: Dandontdare on 16 September, 2012, 02:15:55 PM
leave the sonic friggin screwdriver alone for ten minutes. (I've been watching a lot of old-who recently!)
One of the things I really liked about Smith's first episode was how his sonic screwdriver wasn't ready yet, so he had to go and save the day without it. I liked this because he had been relying on it far too much but now, using it can still come into a story a little too much.
I'm going to add I think Moffat has a much better handle on the emotional element. I remember too many years of Tennant whining on and on about Rose for the emotional element. His regeneration, as I've said before, went on far too long with his goodbyes featuring characters I had no interest in. You compare that to say- The Big Bang- with The Dr talking to the young Amy as she sleeps and time is going back on itself, and you've got the clear winner. You then had what must have been a dig on Moffat's behalf; The Dr saying he would go now as he hates repeats. Yep- best get out of there before it's the Davies era again!
I thought he used the screwdriver the correct way in[spoiler] his confrontation with the cyborg. A sound based tool creating a disorienting sound? Fair enough.[/spoiler]
I'm uncertain of his use of it as a tricorder in modern WHo as a tricorder though. Then again submarines use sonar to scan objects. Build in a storage and visual element into the sonic screwdriver, and I guess I just about buy it.
Oh I'm not saying he misused it, mate- I just think we get it a little too much. I know it's his gizmo but I'd just like an episode or two were he doesn't need it.
No suprises in a very straightforward and simple episode. But all the better for it I say. I like a bit of moral dilemma with my tea on a Saturday night.
Didn't really need Rory and Amy though did it? Isaac could have been the human point of view for the episode. So did they film that in America with Americans or have they got really good at set dressing the quarries round Wales?
Really enjoyed that one. Did the Western themes really well. Traditional Doctor ideas and themes mushed in. All good and very well realised. Top one for me that one. Then I do love me some western.
Quote from: Charlie boy on 16 September, 2012, 06:33:13 PM
Oh I'm not saying he misused it, mate- I just think we get it a little too much.
exactly - I mean can't he notice the anachronistic electric lights without making one glow? And what the fuck he was scanning the rocks and bits of wood for I've no idea. Don't let a prop become a crutch.
Quote from: Tiplodocus on 16 September, 2012, 08:30:33 PM
So did they film that in America with Americans or have they got really good at set dressing the quarries round Wales?
Fort Bravo, Almeria, Spain. Spaghetti Western country.
Quote from: Dandontdare on 16 September, 2012, 09:21:27 PMAnd what the fuck he was scanning the rocks and bits of wood for I've no idea.
Force of habit.
Hehe...
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/303826_515595698454009_727097000_n.jpg)
:lol: Nice one Goaty!
Francesco Francavilla's sketch for this one.
http://francesco-francavilla.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/doctor-who-town-called-mercy-ep703.html (http://francesco-francavilla.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/doctor-who-town-called-mercy-ep703.html)