Doctor Who: The Giggle
Dec. 10th, 2023 09:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakIn which our Mr. Davies sticks to his rule of trying too much in a finale (of sorts, as the upcoming the Christmas Special will clearly be a beginning), which means while there's a lot to enjoy and treasure, there's also "?!?" stuff. I mean, I liked it, without having made up my mind on the thing everyone is going to be discussing most, but of the three Tennant/Tate featuring specials, it's probably the weakest one for me, with the middle one being the best. (Again, not a big surprise. RTD's small scale character eps just hit my own fictional buttons better than his big extravaganzas.)
BTW, some of the stuff changes with context. I haven't seen the surviving original eps featuring the Celestial Toymaker, which means I was unaware that he was being played by a white actor in "Asian" makeup and a bad accent in the First Doctor serial he featured in. So when the Neil Patrick Harris shaped Toymaker first showed up in a terrible "German" accent (with bad German words too boot) making a racist remark, I rolled my eyes and thought, Rusty, must we? But post episode googling enlightened me, and okay, that changes it, point make. Speaking of Neil Patrick Harris, he is clearly having fun as a chaotic villain hamming it up, while not feeling like a copy of Jon Simms' version of the Master (since we're in Daviesian Who.) Him bringing out the worst in the human race via all things screen might be a bit on the nose, but you know, sometimes subtlety doesn't work, and as someone who often feels weary and drained by all the hate spewing in all directions and the entitled "I am right and no one else is" attitudes: I can relate, and it really rang a bell for me and was frightening and of our time. Also: am entirely unsurprised at RTD being unimpressed by both anti vaxxers in the midst of a pandemic and the British government. (again: so relatable!)
It was lovely seeing Mel again - whom Big Finish gave far better scripts to shine in than the show back in the day did -, and see the Doctor treasure her. Ditto for Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, of course, and new character Shirley the UNIT scientist. Kate making Donna a job offer at UNIT and Donna immediately asking for a high salary: *chef's kiss* (Did this look like the set up for a spin-off and thus belonging under the subsection of "RTD doing too many things at once in his finales"? You bet. Was it still enjoyable to watch and did I love it? Absolutely!) (I mean, even if the spin-off never happens on screen, Big Finish clearly is going to get the chance. Unless the Mouse is anti Big Finish. IT BETTER NOT BE.) Puppets and puppeteers are just inherently creepy as E.T.A. Hoffmann knew all too well, and the episode makes the most of it. And speaking of set ups, yeah, that one for the ominous "Boss" the Meep mentioned who is the one thing the Celestial Toymaker run away from is also as subtle as a brick, hello there, days of "Big Wolf", "Torchwood" and "Harold Sexton", and speaking of the last one, the Toymaker imprisoning the Master in his golden tooth and said tooth being picked up, Dracula style, in an exact copy of the scene from the season 3 finale by a hand with red nail polish made me grin. (Though if and when RTD brings the Master back - which I bet won't happen for a season or two at least - can we please have some acknwoledgement of the character development in the Missy era? (The lack of which completely spoiled any appearance of the Master in Dhawan form for me.) Though I'm fairly optimistic there, because something all three specials have in common is RTD being excellent with the character development recognition on and off screen.)
Now to the elephant in the room: "bigeneration", is it? I will say what happens here works better for me thematically than the Metacrisis Doctor sticking around to be Rose's romantic consolation prize in an alternate universe ever did, because not only is it acknwoledged no version of the Doctor would ever be happy without the TARDIS (Doctor/TARDIS OTP forever!), but a version of the Doctor - especially after Thirteen's run, who pointedly did not talk about any of her trauma and excelled the running away from it even for Doctor standards - doing non-regeneration "rehab" by staying with beloved Companions and friends (and the TARDIS, see above) to process is all in ways not running away while another, buyoed through the usual Timelord revitalization of regeneration, goes on adventuring in time and space right away works four the emotional arc we got. Yes, I can see the obvious downside - the Fifteenth Doctor, the first "official lead" one (pace Jo Martin, who was fabulous) played by a Black actor, existing in a version of canon where his precedessor is also still around so that - but then again, any multi Doctor story lives from the fact that technically, all versions of the Doctor are still around in all of time and space, they just don't usually interact. I also liked we didn't just see Ncuti Gwata in the traditional regeneration fashion for the last minute of the story but saw him teaming up with the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna to defeat the villain of the hour, and what we saw of him was fabulous and makes me look forward to the Christmas special where he'll be the one and only Doctor featured, and the subsequent season even more. Like I said, I'm in two minds about the whole issue.
Not in two minds about: the three ways "catch" game as the solution. I mean, obviously it had to be a game, but I thought the two Doctors would outwit the Toymaker, not just exhaust him which was how it felt like to me. Bring on Dream versus Lucifer in the Oldest Game instead, say I.
In conclusion: despite some criticism, I enjoyed watching this, loved all three specials and am now bouncing with excitement for the next special and season. And does it ever feel good to be excited about new DW again!
BTW, some of the stuff changes with context. I haven't seen the surviving original eps featuring the Celestial Toymaker, which means I was unaware that he was being played by a white actor in "Asian" makeup and a bad accent in the First Doctor serial he featured in. So when the Neil Patrick Harris shaped Toymaker first showed up in a terrible "German" accent (with bad German words too boot) making a racist remark, I rolled my eyes and thought, Rusty, must we? But post episode googling enlightened me, and okay, that changes it, point make. Speaking of Neil Patrick Harris, he is clearly having fun as a chaotic villain hamming it up, while not feeling like a copy of Jon Simms' version of the Master (since we're in Daviesian Who.) Him bringing out the worst in the human race via all things screen might be a bit on the nose, but you know, sometimes subtlety doesn't work, and as someone who often feels weary and drained by all the hate spewing in all directions and the entitled "I am right and no one else is" attitudes: I can relate, and it really rang a bell for me and was frightening and of our time. Also: am entirely unsurprised at RTD being unimpressed by both anti vaxxers in the midst of a pandemic and the British government. (again: so relatable!)
It was lovely seeing Mel again - whom Big Finish gave far better scripts to shine in than the show back in the day did -, and see the Doctor treasure her. Ditto for Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, of course, and new character Shirley the UNIT scientist. Kate making Donna a job offer at UNIT and Donna immediately asking for a high salary: *chef's kiss* (Did this look like the set up for a spin-off and thus belonging under the subsection of "RTD doing too many things at once in his finales"? You bet. Was it still enjoyable to watch and did I love it? Absolutely!) (I mean, even if the spin-off never happens on screen, Big Finish clearly is going to get the chance. Unless the Mouse is anti Big Finish. IT BETTER NOT BE.) Puppets and puppeteers are just inherently creepy as E.T.A. Hoffmann knew all too well, and the episode makes the most of it. And speaking of set ups, yeah, that one for the ominous "Boss" the Meep mentioned who is the one thing the Celestial Toymaker run away from is also as subtle as a brick, hello there, days of "Big Wolf", "Torchwood" and "Harold Sexton", and speaking of the last one, the Toymaker imprisoning the Master in his golden tooth and said tooth being picked up, Dracula style, in an exact copy of the scene from the season 3 finale by a hand with red nail polish made me grin. (Though if and when RTD brings the Master back - which I bet won't happen for a season or two at least - can we please have some acknwoledgement of the character development in the Missy era? (The lack of which completely spoiled any appearance of the Master in Dhawan form for me.) Though I'm fairly optimistic there, because something all three specials have in common is RTD being excellent with the character development recognition on and off screen.)
Now to the elephant in the room: "bigeneration", is it? I will say what happens here works better for me thematically than the Metacrisis Doctor sticking around to be Rose's romantic consolation prize in an alternate universe ever did, because not only is it acknwoledged no version of the Doctor would ever be happy without the TARDIS (Doctor/TARDIS OTP forever!), but a version of the Doctor - especially after Thirteen's run, who pointedly did not talk about any of her trauma and excelled the running away from it even for Doctor standards - doing non-regeneration "rehab" by staying with beloved Companions and friends (and the TARDIS, see above) to process is all in ways not running away while another, buyoed through the usual Timelord revitalization of regeneration, goes on adventuring in time and space right away works four the emotional arc we got. Yes, I can see the obvious downside - the Fifteenth Doctor, the first "official lead" one (pace Jo Martin, who was fabulous) played by a Black actor, existing in a version of canon where his precedessor is also still around so that - but then again, any multi Doctor story lives from the fact that technically, all versions of the Doctor are still around in all of time and space, they just don't usually interact. I also liked we didn't just see Ncuti Gwata in the traditional regeneration fashion for the last minute of the story but saw him teaming up with the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna to defeat the villain of the hour, and what we saw of him was fabulous and makes me look forward to the Christmas special where he'll be the one and only Doctor featured, and the subsequent season even more. Like I said, I'm in two minds about the whole issue.
Not in two minds about: the three ways "catch" game as the solution. I mean, obviously it had to be a game, but I thought the two Doctors would outwit the Toymaker, not just exhaust him which was how it felt like to me. Bring on Dream versus Lucifer in the Oldest Game instead, say I.
In conclusion: despite some criticism, I enjoyed watching this, loved all three specials and am now bouncing with excitement for the next special and season. And does it ever feel good to be excited about new DW again!
no subject
Date: 2023-12-10 01:21 pm (UTC)Yeah, I've been worrying abouit this. He's the first Doctor where the previous on just didn't pass on the baton, and I don't like it. I was already dubious about how RTD would handle a black Doctor after what he did with Martha, and now after being unable to let go of Rose, RTD seems unwilling to let go of Tennant, which does not bode well.
Everything about Fifteen looks awesome, and yet. I have zero faith in RTD on that front.
(It's not the Doctor who can't let go. It's RTD.)
no subject
Date: 2023-12-10 04:49 pm (UTC)As for the bigeneration thing I’m definitely not happy with it. And I know of black fans who are extremely unhappy with it. Just a wrong decision for me on so many levels.
But like you I enjoyed the episode overall.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-11 01:27 am (UTC)Dhawan and Missy - so with you. Loved the actor, but wanted continuity with Missy's story arc.
If there's a UNIT spin off in the offing, that would explain the spanking new shiny UNIT tower and the strong cast they're building there. Lots of talented women!
Wasn't sold on the ball game either, but glad to hear the Toymaker's 'German' was payback for an older fake 'Asian'. Interestingly, his German sounded 'wrong' even to my limited ear. I thought the actor made him wonderfully creepy!
no subject
Date: 2023-12-11 08:19 am (UTC)Yes, I can see the obvious downside - the Fifteenth Doctor, the first "official lead" one (pace Jo Martin, who was fabulous) played by a Black actor, existing in a version of canon where his precedessor is also still around so that - but then again, any multi Doctor story lives from the fact that technically, all versions of the Doctor are still around in all of time and space, they just don't usually interact. I also liked we didn't just see Ncuti Gwata in the traditional regeneration fashion for the last minute of the story but saw him teaming up with the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna to defeat the villain of the hour, and what we saw of him was fabulous and makes me look forward to the Christmas special where he'll be the one and only Doctor featured, and the subsequent season even more.
I loved how Ncuti Gwata was able to just swan in and was the Doctor immediately and altho he was in his pants it was filmed very Looking Respectfully -- I don't think we even saw his bum! -- and the clothing emphasized the Doctors were the same, sort of a mitosis. I saw an article which said something like, the Fifteenth doctor has already been through all the stuff that Fourteen is going to go through, which is why we get the end result of "rehab" first, so it's timey-wimey rather than some kind of cloning. Sort of a mini version of River and the Doctor's timeline.
I REALLY cannot wait for the Xmas special, which is a great feeling to have about Who after I just tuned out the past several year.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-11 03:52 pm (UTC)Yes, it's even there in the dialogue - 15 says to 14 "I'm fine because you took the time to fix yourself", which at a guess nixes any theories that 14 will develop into the Caretaker or any other separate regeneration line but rather means they will merge again, or 14 will fade into 15 or something else at some point in the future.
I REALLY cannot wait for the Xmas special, which is a great feeling to have about Who
I know. I enjoyed parts of 13s run, and I really liked individual episodes and characters, but as a whole, Chibnall just wasn't able to make the show sing the way both Moffat and RTD can, in their own different ways. (Doesn't mean the BBC is off the hook for not hiring a female showrunner already, of course.)
no subject
Date: 2023-12-11 04:08 pm (UTC)Indeed, and given sadly Class never got another season and there can't be any more Sarah Jane Adventures with Elisabeth Sladen dead, there's definitely room for another spin-off. But presumably that depends on the success of the mother show. If there isn't one, I still hope we'll see the curent UNIT crew in various adventures.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-11 10:44 pm (UTC)Bi-generation as a concept I really hate, it feels goofy as hell and like they are keeping Tennant in reserve as needed. (Why they can't just the expanded universe thing as say 'here are the tales you didn't seen between original run episodes' I do not know.) The actual episode well, it was nice to see Gatwa early and the affection between 14 and 15 was pleasant only giving way to the inter-Doctor ribbing at the end so it was fun but still... conceptually eh.