OH MY GOD HE'S OOGLY: nu-Who season 8

saturday night in the US

This is interesting - a certain scene was cut for broadcast (I don't want to spoil anything; the workprints of the first 5 eps have been online for a while in case you'd like to check out what was removed). At some point we can talk about it I suppose

Loved this ep, very funny and Cap is marvelous in it

Though that bit with the arrow at the end made noooooooo sense

Yeah, this was just stupid. I liked the general idea (what if there was a man behind the legend of Robin Hood, just like the Doctor is a man but also a legend?), but the constant nudge-nudge wink-wink meta commentary was tiring (especially during the loooong ending speeches between Robin & Clara & the Doctor), the banter was uninspired and formulaic, and the plot conincidences were just too much (of course the woman the Doctor saved was Maid Marian, of course Robin used the trick from the Doctor to beat the sheriff, of course the gold arrow had just enough gold to get the spaceship to launch - though I don't understand why it still exploded?). So yeah, a good concept, but bad execution.

Also, the robots were kinda stupid if they allowed the ship to lauch without having enough gold for it to fly. You'd think there'd be some safety measures or something?

I can see what you're saying but I could watch those guys yell at each other in the cell for hours, I thought that was fantastic. The only part where I suspended Who-belief (which is kinda required since so much of Who is, well, predictable) to go WTF was that arrow bit. And like you say the entire ship thing which is totally nonsensical. I had to roll with it but it didn't feel great

Rewatching it how come he didn't look to see where the 'promised land' was if that was a programmed destination? Unless there is no physical location and more a goal

The whole thing was a goofy-ass romp and that's kinda the point.

Just rep-eat to-your-self it's just-a-show

Good advice!

This was better than most Gatiss stories because it was so much less ambitious. Enjoyable cobblers throughout. Robots so unmenacing that their threat can be deflected with a tea tray was pleasantly old-skool.

I've seen Capaldi's "this fucking guy" look a million times by this point but it really works as the Doctor.

Quite enjoyed that! Golden arrow was complete bollocks. Wish Capaldi had headbutted "Hoodie" in that first duel but the spoon was a great touch

v silly overall, but quite watchable

this skated over the usual pitfalls of the "celebrity historical" / "theme park Britain" episodes with charm until an atrocious burst of sub-RTD science

leaving the beheading in might have distracted from it at least

sub-Silver Nemesis, even

ICYMI:

https://i.imgflip.com/bveie.jpg

The golden arrow was some "Idiot Lantern"/"Fear Her"-level nonsense

Fortunately a lot of the rest of it was funny; this Doctor and Jack would be pretty hilarious to watch bounce off of each other.

the sheriff of nottingham actor was p good

Dug these last two eps. I'm in.

I don't go to Dr Who for realistic science

the only Who i've seen was the first couple eps of the Ecclestone variation and it was basically unforgivably corny

that is actually kind of true. I have a hard time returning to th Ecclestones because I find his scene chewing a bit much to take. I know he has people who love him and he deserves credit for making the show a success again but, a few episodes aside, I'm not a huge fan of season 1

ok this was the first one I did not fall asleep in and also it was lol
they get a million points for having (BBC kids' series) 'Maid Marion' R Hood on the computer screens as it was cycling through the legends of Hood

^^^
Ha, did not notice that. Extremely fond memories of that show.

i loved the arrow splitting joke

they get a million points for having (BBC kids' series) 'Maid Marion' R Hood on the computer screens as it was cycling through the legends of Hood

more points for including TV's first Robin Hood

http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/imageArchive/images/10301_gall_002.jpg

<3

they get a million points for having (BBC kids' series) 'Maid Marion' R Hood on the computer screens as it was cycling through the legends of Hood

Er I just rewatched that scene to check for it and this didn't happen? The only live action shot in there was one of Patrick Troughton as Robin Hood.

Oh xp

It was in the background. They had this image, twice
http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100723215015/maidmarianandhermerrymen/images/f/f9/Robin_Hood.jpg

(or similar)

episode had a third doctor kind of vibe

Quite enjoyed that! Golden arrow was complete bollocks. Wish Capaldi had headbutted "Hoodie" in that first duel but the spoon was a great touch

SPOILER: There is no spoon.

this was great but bruce mcculloch as robin hood was very distracting

episode had a third doctor kind of vibe

HAI!

Do you think the fourth episode will have a Fourth Doctor vibe?

that would be kind of amazing; it does look like it might hit some of the Holmes dread buttons

my only thought was oh great, don't open the door: add to don't blink, don't breathe etc

This was an excellent episode, best so far.

agreed - i like my who-pisodes unencumbered by the vast baggage of who-dom. i also like episodes that begin with sheer caprice i.e. "fuck it, let's go to sherwood forest in 1190 and see what happens"

This might have been better as a 20 minute Comic Relief special - the middle scenes were a lot of shouting in search of comedy. But overall it was a pretty charming episode - and the main conceit (the Doctor's quest to prove that Robi n Hood is a fictional character) might be the show's first genuinely original idea in a few seasons. (Although IIRC the Dracula episode of Buffy has a similar joke.)

Loved Capaldi in this, and basically how the Doctor didn't want to go along with anything in the episode (until he discovers that - yes - there are robots! phew)

They had a repeat of Pyramids of Mars on Watch last night, Four is incredibly grumpy and non-cooperative throughout that story. Wonder if that's where Capaldi got a lot of his cues from.

Pyramids of Mars has one of the most devastating scenes of the entire series, when Sarah insists that they can just leave because her existence shows the future is fine and the Doctor says "O RLY" and shows her a devastated Earth that exists because they just left

Yeah, it's full of great moments - pretty much perfect in fact except for the obligatory 'solve some quite easy puzzles in a maze' bit near the end. Now if someone could edit those bits out...

I would've liked it if the entire last episode had been a battle of wills between Sutekh and the Doc in his creepy lair.

Loved this (apart from the golden arrow spaceship exploding nonsense towards the end but w/e, it´d done enough that I went along with it). Dug the way it played around in the sunnier uplands of myth, good-looking robots and the laughs worked for me. & of course Capaldi. Felt like it hit the light-Buffy tone in places.
It´s almost making me nervous how much I´m enjoying this series - waiting for it to sink into a draggy confusing arc, or do something badly wrong. Looking at the Matt Smith eps poll, I was a bit disheartened - little there that I loved (much as I did like Smith as a doctor). This series feels much more like something I just do really want to watch.
(Fun to watch with kids. Maybe I would´ve been more groany if I were watching alone).

Are young kids taking to Capaldi's more difficult Doctor?

my kid loves him

I´m w/ stepkids who aren´t that young (12, 16 on Saturday) but they seem really into him. He´s funny! They like that. Slightly cruel sarcasm goes down a treat with a 12-y-o boy. The 16-y-o was unsure after the announcement - she did like Matt Smith, but Capaldi won her over quickly.