'Doctor Who: Death in Heaven' & Series 8 talk-up!

[Toku Prime]

The dead rise, customised opening credits are played, Missy channels Mary Poppins, a classic series character cameos (kinda) to save (and avenge) their family, and The Doctor and Clara tell each other one final lie.

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Oh and then Santa appears...[/HIDE]​

 

[NoirSon]

LOVED IT!

I recorded the previous episode, avoided spoilers for a week so I can watch it all at once and was floored with the reveal last week. Missy was a superb villain and worthy of the legacy she was filling in for.

The end was very dramatic, per haps to much so, but it was still the best season finale of the Moffat era and better then most of the stories featuring this traditional Who villain ended in years.

Sucks you know who died like they did, but I will give them credit for supplying Danny Pink a far better send off then I think he would have gotten. I am anxious for what they will do with the Christmas special. Moffat's are usually very happy/hopeful aside from the last one that ended with a regeneration but even that had a fairy tale/storybook quality to it. Will this one end on a similar positive/story time vibe given where the Doctor is left?

The guest star appearing at the end seems to point toward yes, but who can tell these days.

 

[Dr Kain]

Amazing. Not only is it one of the best finales ever, but this season was fantastic. I already like Capaldi more than Smith.

 

[Kain]

You know this episode made me think of one thing afterwards

[HIDE]The Ponds are Cybermen now, or were Cybermen and are dead again[/HIDE]

 

[Toku Prime]

I liked that it didn't feel as convoluted as 11's series finales did (seriously, I'm still not entirely sure whether I didn't understand all that Silence stuff or if it was just a massive let-down). Obviously, I'm kinda sad that the person who died never got to achieve that new entry to their bucket list. But the Danny stuff was wrapped up a lot better than I thought it would, and it feels somehow right to have Clara leave on such a bittersweet note.

The only big "oh, is that it?" moment for me was with Missy's comment about why she hooked Clara up with The Doctor. She thought Clara was perfect companion material. Is that it? That's underwhelming.

As for the entire series, well there was no doubt that there were some stinker episodes, and much as I like the way that Clara and Danny's plot threads came together in the end I'm not sure that completely makes up for all the other episodes where I was bored to death of them being killjoys. Rather oddly, taken as a whole this series was not about The Doctor but about Clara, and I don't think that's something I'd like for them to repeat next year. It's the first series of a new Doctor, why are we exploring the companion and not him? I still don't feel like I really know what he's like. But it ended on a high so I look forward to the Xmas episode and the next series.

Just an aside, but it's also worth mentioning that this series had a new timeslot here in the UK. On the one hand, it's nice to see the 'beeb' treating the show as the centrepiece of their Saturday night schedule (which IIRC they did for 9 and initially for 10, before bumping it to an earlier slot for the tail end of 10 and all of 11's run). On the other hand, this series got better as it went along, and yet the last few episodes clashed with the new series of The X-Factor (which is HUUUGE over here) and so the episodes towards the end actually saw a ratings drop.

 

[Khaiden]

Rather oddly, taken as a whole this series was not about The Doctor but about Clara, and I don't think that's something I'd like for them to repeat next year. It's the first series of a new Doctor, why are we exploring the companion and not him?

You must have hated the first seasons with Hartnell

I still don't feel like I really know what he's like.

A line commonly heard throughout the last 50 years.

 

[Toku Prime]

You must have hated the first seasons with Hartnell

I've not got around to watching the classic series yet. I saw the 8th Doctor movie, saw Unearthly Child back in the early days of youtube when people could just upload entire episodes of TV shows, and a couple of weeks ago I was channel surfing and caught the last 15 minutes or so of the last episode of The Aztecs. Otherwise, my classic series knowledge is based on being British (everyone knows a little bit :anime and what other people have mentioned online.

I'm just waiting for a streaming service like netflix to get it's butt in gear and license the classic serials. Picking DVDs at random seems like an expensive and inefficient way to get into Classic Who.

A line commonly heard throughout the last 50 years.

Yeah but after a dozen episodes each you felt like you had a grasp of what 9, 10 and 11 were like, how they'd react etc. I'm not so certain that's in place yet for 12.

 

[Khaiden]

I've not got around to watching the classic series yet. I saw the 8th Doctor movie, saw Unearthly Child back in the early days of youtube when people could just upload entire episodes of TV shows, and a couple of weeks ago I was channel surfing and caught the last 15 minutes or so of the last episode of The Aztecs. Otherwise, my classic series knowledge is based on being British (everyone knows a little bit :anime and what other people have mentioned online.

Sorry, what I meant was that the original true protagonists were the companions, with the Doctor being the vehicle through which both them and the audience discover wonders.
I realize that as time passed the Doctor was what grew with the audience too, and many people watch Doctor Who for the Doctor. But this idea that the companions are experiencing what the audience is intended to be perceiving has always been around, I think. So, their role is important, them getting the focus doesn't bother me that much, since I know they haven't forgotten about the Doctor at all, it's impossible. Whenever they REALLY wanted to focus on the companions as the sole protagonists they gave them their spin-off series (or attempted to).

I'm just waiting for a streaming service like netflix to get it's butt in gear and license the classic serials. Picking DVDs at random seems like an expensive and inefficient way to get into Classic Who.
Yeah but after a dozen episodes each you felt like you had a grasp of what 9, 10 and 11 were like, how they'd react etc. I'm not so certain that's in place yet for 12.

I guess one season doesn't feel like enough for me. Oh, 9.

 

[JackLovesZ]

This may seem odd for a Who fan, but I've never been a fan of the Master. So I was not thrilled to see he had returned. I was really hoping it was the Rani, but I guess their saving her for the audio stories (her newest incarnation is the antagonist in a sixth Doctor story).

Beyond that I loved it. Great seeing the Brigadeer again, kinda sorta.

Sorry, what I meant was that the original true protagonists were the companions, with the Doctor being the vehicle through which both them and the audience discover wonders. I realize that as time passed the Doctor was what grew with the audience too, and many people watch Doctor Who for the Doctor. But this idea that the companions are experiencing what the audience is intended to be perceiving has always been around, I think. So, their role is important, them getting the focus doesn't bother me that much, since I know they haven't forgotten about the Doctor at all, it's impossible. Whenever they REALLY wanted to focus on the companions as the sole protagonists they gave them their spin-off series (or attempted to).

I didn't come into the Whoverse until the TV Movie, then the audio, then backtracked, and even I realized that the companions were a sort of audience surrogate. I really took to Charley (8th Doctor's companion in the audio stories). This was also why I didn't get the hate (though it may have been simply online, who knows) that Amy Pond got. Sometimes I think its best if the newest incarnation of the Doctor and the newest companion are introduced at the same time.

 

[SamuraiEchidna]

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I feel bad that I can't say I'm a true Whovian. I REALLY want to see the classic stuff, but with so many missing episodes and missing material, where do I begin? I'm sure I'll figure it out one day... For now, I just can't say if the newer Who shows are just as good as the classics or not.
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I am glad I was able to enjoy the first half of the Capaldi season. I accomplished a goal to prepare for this. I saw and completed the Eccleston, Tennant, and and Smith seasons JUST in time for the premiere of Peter Capaldi's take on Doctor Who. And over all, I have been enjoying the show. It's nice to see a return to having an older man play the Doctor rather than a youngin'.

However, this mid season finale... I don't know. It just leaves me feeling stale.

Part of me thinks it wouldn't have ended this dark if it was a Smith or Tennant ending. Clara went from the "Impossible Girl" who was full of wonder to a lady with a lot of spite for the Doctor and wanting him to just stay out of the way. And the Doctor constantly calling humans "mud brains" didn't help either. So much for a Doctor that deeply loved and admired humanity... I had at least hoped he'd gain some new respect for Danny without him having to make the ultimate sacrifice, which also seemed kind of forced.

But I do look forward to the Christmas Special and future episodes. I hope better episodes are ahead, and I hope it'll give me reason to be glad that I stayed on board from beginning to end.