The DW finale part 2
Nov. 9th, 2014 10:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shapinglightManaged to watch this when it aired for a change.
Spoilery thoughts behind cut.
On the whole, I thought it was pretty good, though that has not a lot to do with plot resolution, which - as so often with DW -seemed to boil down to 'Humans are marvellous, I tell you, marvellous! The human spirit can overcome anything,' which, while a nice, inspiring message, is a bit trite, to be honest.
No, where it was good was in all the character moments. The Doctor and Clara, Clara and Danny, the Doctor and the Master (ooh boy, Michelle Gomez knocked it out of the park with her performance. Queen of Evil? Heh!), even the Master and the Computer Interface bloke in Netherworld. And, yes, the nods to the Brigadier were really nice. It was time the show did a proper tribute to Nicholas Courtenay, and I thought it worked very well.
I also thought the episode worked thematically, with what was built up all season - the Doctor worried that he's not a good man, his antipathy to the military, etc.
It was also, at times, a tough watch emotionally. Jenna Coleman and Samuel Anderson sold the Clara/Danny romance to me completely. I so wanted her to get him back, even though I was sure she wouldn't even before the little bit at the end with the magic bracelet. Pretty devastating really - especially when followed by the Doctor and Clara talking past each other in the TARDIS, each not wanting to put a damper on the others' supposed happiness, while at the same time being totally miserable.
I didn't much like that downbeat ending being spoiled by the Father Christmas cameo at the end, but I appreciate I'm not the target audience, and some people may well have needed a bit of a lift.
So, all in all, I liked the series. There were some seriously duff episodes (the moon one, the magic forest one, Listen - though it's possible that, now I like Clara, I might not think that one was so bad if I re-watch it). Peter Capaldi is great as the Doctor. For me, he's very effectively made the part his own. Also, the series has done what I never thought it could do, which is make me like Clara. I think it needed the edge that Capaldi's brought to the part of the Doctor to bring out the best in her character.
Hands up who thinks the Master is really and truly dead this time?
Me neither.
Spoilery thoughts behind cut.
On the whole, I thought it was pretty good, though that has not a lot to do with plot resolution, which - as so often with DW -seemed to boil down to 'Humans are marvellous, I tell you, marvellous! The human spirit can overcome anything,' which, while a nice, inspiring message, is a bit trite, to be honest.
No, where it was good was in all the character moments. The Doctor and Clara, Clara and Danny, the Doctor and the Master (ooh boy, Michelle Gomez knocked it out of the park with her performance. Queen of Evil? Heh!), even the Master and the Computer Interface bloke in Netherworld. And, yes, the nods to the Brigadier were really nice. It was time the show did a proper tribute to Nicholas Courtenay, and I thought it worked very well.
I also thought the episode worked thematically, with what was built up all season - the Doctor worried that he's not a good man, his antipathy to the military, etc.
It was also, at times, a tough watch emotionally. Jenna Coleman and Samuel Anderson sold the Clara/Danny romance to me completely. I so wanted her to get him back, even though I was sure she wouldn't even before the little bit at the end with the magic bracelet. Pretty devastating really - especially when followed by the Doctor and Clara talking past each other in the TARDIS, each not wanting to put a damper on the others' supposed happiness, while at the same time being totally miserable.
I didn't much like that downbeat ending being spoiled by the Father Christmas cameo at the end, but I appreciate I'm not the target audience, and some people may well have needed a bit of a lift.
So, all in all, I liked the series. There were some seriously duff episodes (the moon one, the magic forest one, Listen - though it's possible that, now I like Clara, I might not think that one was so bad if I re-watch it). Peter Capaldi is great as the Doctor. For me, he's very effectively made the part his own. Also, the series has done what I never thought it could do, which is make me like Clara. I think it needed the edge that Capaldi's brought to the part of the Doctor to bring out the best in her character.
Hands up who thinks the Master is really and truly dead this time?
Me neither.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-09 09:36 pm (UTC)(I realized you and I were talking about different cameos -- I meant the Brig, and you were talking about Santa, which I agree was a bit WTF-making.)
no subject
Date: 2014-11-11 10:06 am (UTC)