"Asylum of the Daleks"
I'm not entirely sure what I think of the new Dalek situation (I'm also just not pleased to see them back so soon, not a big Dalek fan). Parts of it work for me and parts of it don't ...
- I like them getting a hard reboot with regards to the Doctor, though I don't know how long it'll really take before they're back to status quo on that. But it is nice to see the show ease up on the "everyone in all possible universes knows who the Doctor is and thinks he's amazing" thing, which often feels like an intrusion of fanboy-feels rather than a genuinely good story move (it gets super repetitive, and often leads to the increasingly-tiresome "I am the motherfucking Doctor, fools!" speech). Unfortunately, their Doctor amnesia came too late to stop him acquiring one more goofy, dramatic nickname. I liked "The Oncoming Storm" (maybe because it makes me think of Gandalf?), but "The Predator" is stupid. Not least because I won't ever think of the Doctor before the dreadlocked movie monster when I hear it. Sorry, Moff.
- Dr Who is getting really bad about keeping the villains' motivations and methods distinct. Evil, mostly robotic monsters who convert humans into them ... we already have that, they're called Cybermen. They want the exact same thing, and are going about it in the exact same ways. What distinguishes them apart from appearance and catchphrases now? The Master's pretty much in the same boat - fuck, HIS last episode was about turning humans into himself! I'm only half-kidding when I say that his fucked-up crush on the Doctor is the only keeping him unique.
I'm hopeful about the new companion (and am curious to see how that will actually work, considering the end of this episode). I'm also completely ready for Amy and Rory to go. The "ZOMG, they divorced!" non-drama in this episode just clinched how little I care anymore. To be honest, that seemed like the best move for them anyway - their relationship feels way more fucked up than I think it's supposed to. You go through the entire divorce process before even broaching why you want to split up? Maybe you two should stay not-married, because that is god damn ridiculous.
It's also getting ridiculous how often the Doctor keeps checking in on them after they leave. I know New Who is more into that kind of thing, but geez - he couldn't be arsed to see how his granddaughter's doing, after he abandoned her in a post-Dalek apocalypse, EVER, but he compulsively checks on Amy and Rory? He'll keep poking his head back in to make sure their safe, normal lives are still on track, but he won't investigate, say, if Jamie survived bringing a knife to a gun fight at Culloden, or whether the Master was full of shit about Peri being being alive and well and fucking Brian Blessed? And people thought he was too invested in Rose.
Also, if Amy and Rory leave, maybe we can close the book on River Song for awhile. I am just done to death with that character. (I also have no idea how they can possibly cram more Doctor connections into her life - maybe her clothes are all woven from the hair of his past regenerations).
When the last season ended on the "biggest question EVAR - Doctor Who?", did that just mean they're going to make the "Doctor who?" joke ten billion more times this season? That joke barely works when it's in passing and not much attention is called to it - having a room full of Daleks chanting the title of the show just makes me want to punch Steven Moffat in the stomach. It's just not as cute as he seems to think it is.
- I like them getting a hard reboot with regards to the Doctor, though I don't know how long it'll really take before they're back to status quo on that. But it is nice to see the show ease up on the "everyone in all possible universes knows who the Doctor is and thinks he's amazing" thing, which often feels like an intrusion of fanboy-feels rather than a genuinely good story move (it gets super repetitive, and often leads to the increasingly-tiresome "I am the motherfucking Doctor, fools!" speech). Unfortunately, their Doctor amnesia came too late to stop him acquiring one more goofy, dramatic nickname. I liked "The Oncoming Storm" (maybe because it makes me think of Gandalf?), but "The Predator" is stupid. Not least because I won't ever think of the Doctor before the dreadlocked movie monster when I hear it. Sorry, Moff.
- Dr Who is getting really bad about keeping the villains' motivations and methods distinct. Evil, mostly robotic monsters who convert humans into them ... we already have that, they're called Cybermen. They want the exact same thing, and are going about it in the exact same ways. What distinguishes them apart from appearance and catchphrases now? The Master's pretty much in the same boat - fuck, HIS last episode was about turning humans into himself! I'm only half-kidding when I say that his fucked-up crush on the Doctor is the only keeping him unique.
I'm hopeful about the new companion (and am curious to see how that will actually work, considering the end of this episode). I'm also completely ready for Amy and Rory to go. The "ZOMG, they divorced!" non-drama in this episode just clinched how little I care anymore. To be honest, that seemed like the best move for them anyway - their relationship feels way more fucked up than I think it's supposed to. You go through the entire divorce process before even broaching why you want to split up? Maybe you two should stay not-married, because that is god damn ridiculous.
It's also getting ridiculous how often the Doctor keeps checking in on them after they leave. I know New Who is more into that kind of thing, but geez - he couldn't be arsed to see how his granddaughter's doing, after he abandoned her in a post-Dalek apocalypse, EVER, but he compulsively checks on Amy and Rory? He'll keep poking his head back in to make sure their safe, normal lives are still on track, but he won't investigate, say, if Jamie survived bringing a knife to a gun fight at Culloden, or whether the Master was full of shit about Peri being being alive and well and fucking Brian Blessed? And people thought he was too invested in Rose.
Also, if Amy and Rory leave, maybe we can close the book on River Song for awhile. I am just done to death with that character. (I also have no idea how they can possibly cram more Doctor connections into her life - maybe her clothes are all woven from the hair of his past regenerations).
When the last season ended on the "biggest question EVAR - Doctor Who?", did that just mean they're going to make the "Doctor who?" joke ten billion more times this season? That joke barely works when it's in passing and not much attention is called to it - having a room full of Daleks chanting the title of the show just makes me want to punch Steven Moffat in the stomach. It's just not as cute as he seems to think it is.