Review Twice Upon a Time (2017)

Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Sigh.

"Hilarious" conflict, throughout the episode, between Bill and the Hartnell Doctor about him expecting her to spring clean the Tardis etc, and the Capaldi Doctor shushing him.

This is old ground, covered by Tegan in The Five Doctors, and it wasn't exactly hilarious then.

I have little doubt now that the Capaldi Doctor will audibly make a point of deciding to change gender, just to spite or make a point to the Hartnell Doctor. So the gender change will, indeed, be made an issue of before the fact.

Moffat taking one final dump on the Classic show with an overly silly, undramatic script, before leaving, where the regeneration will be a political, anti First Doctor statement, rather than just another regeneration.

That's my interpretation of this David Bradley interview anyway.

I may be wrong.

But, based on past form with this modern version of the show, I suspect not.
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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On the man whose shoes he is almost literally filling, Bradley told Doctor Who Magazine:

“I think Hartnell wanted to have a bit more of a good time. He wanted to emphasise the playfulness of the Doctor.

So I thought, 'This Christmas episode, there’s definitely a cheeky kind of fun to the whole thing. I want to bring that out.’

I feel the weight of responsibility, doing not only the man justice, but his performance too. Hartnell was one of the great British character actors of his time, and you want to honour that.

The humour in this Christmas episode is important.”


The Christmas Special will also see the departure of actor Peter Capaldi as and David had kind words for his Twice Upon A Time co-star:

“It’s been a great pleasure working with Peter. I think he’s fabulous. He’s got the right amount of quick-wittedness, and eccentricity, and the wild imagination. And he looks great.”

The actor, also known for his roles in the Harry Potter franchise, Broadchurch and Game Of Thrones, teased the relationship between the First and Twelfth Doctors. Bradley informed Doctor Who magazine that, in terms of the characters, there’s a “rivalry”. He adds:

“There’s a little bit of one-upmanship, but also a creeping admiration and appreciation of the other, from both sides.”
 
Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Hartnell was one of the great British character actors of his time, and you want to honour that.
Click to expand...

By having a running joke throughout the episode about his Doctor's sexist attitudes - and about how it annoys Bill and flabbergasts a horrified Capaldi Doctor?

Yeah, I imagine the ghost of Hartnell will be loving this "respectful" depiction of the character that he put his heart and soul into all those years ago.


a creeping admiration and appreciation of the other, from both sides.”
Click to expand...

I think that even a few treacly and sentimental lines of admiration near the end of the episode - a la TIMECRASH - said by Capaldi to Bradley will be too little, too late after the Hartnell Doctor has been portrayed as constantly in the wrong throughout the proceeding story as a running joke.
 
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Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Looking at this clip, the Bradley Doctor is, in my opinion, completely lacking any of the blustery fire of the Hartnell one and simply comes across as slow and dim-witted thanks to Moffat's writing, just as the Davison Doctor refused to deduce or grasp the obvious in front of him in TIMECRASH.

No disrespect to Bradley, but this clip alone suggests a complete misunderstanding of the nature of the first Doctor and is an inadvertent glib insult to the actor that formed his character.

And when that "sub-Harry Potter whimsical music" kicks in halfway through this clip to take over from the "sub-dramatic blockbuster auto-pilot music", my worst fears were confirmed.

And Gatiss is just the turd in an already rank punchbowl.

Apart from that it looks highly unpromising. :emoji_confused:
 
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Doctor Omega

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Mark-gatiss-as-the-captain-in-Doctor-Who-xmas-special-1019164.jpg


Potential spoiler - if true - concerning the identity of the Mark Gatiss character in the Christmas Special......


Rumour has it that Mark Gatiss' character 'The Captain' is actually Captain Gilbert MacKenzie Trench, the man responsible for the design of the Metropolitan Police Force's Police Box introduced in 1929...

1Gatiss-Trench-f9f7829.jpg
 
johnnybear

johnnybear

Member: Rank 6
Can't say I've been a fan of the Capaldi era or the Matt Smith one to be honest and David Bradley, who was excellent as William Hartnell in the docu-drama a few years back seems to have lost the old rascals vibe that he had back then! Unless it's Moffat's poor writing again? This will sadly be my final visit to the world of current Who and that's only for the kids to be honest but old Troughton episodes will soon be gracing my television set upstairs!
JB
 
johnnybear

johnnybear

Member: Rank 6
Gallifrey Base and Doctor Who Online! Both have a guy called The Seeker and Seeks on there and I'm convinced it's da same guy! But is he you?
JB
 
johnnybear

johnnybear

Member: Rank 6
I wonder why they have changed the Ben character's hair? The guy in the drama looked okay but this guy looks like a flump! And why have Ben and Polly anyways, even if it is a Tenth Planet recreation (That none of us will accept anyway?)
JB
 
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