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The Return of Doctor Mysterio |
| View Poll Results: What did you think of this? | |||
| Loved it! |
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83 | 42.35% |
| In the middle |
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64 | 32.65% |
| Hated it. |
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42 | 21.43% |
| Not Sure |
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7 | 3.57% |
| Voters: 196. You can't vote on this poll right now - are you signed in? | |||
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#201 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: London or Valencia
Posts: 5,732
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The Return of Doctor Mysterio really was a test of everything it claimed to be. It claimed to be a Christmas special episode of Doctor Who. The core problem with the whole thing is that all of those elements were lacking... it didn't really have any Christmas elements to it really (barring the pre-credits) which alone is fair enough, after this many years shoehorning in the holiday aspect is more of a hinderance. But then the episode also largely sidelined the Doctor himself... his role in the story was very much secondary for much of the runtime which isn't only a problem because the show has been away for a whole year, but also because the episode boldly claims by virtue of its title that it will be a 'return' for him. It really wasn't, as the episode even points out itself in the end, essentially. And then perhaps most troubling was that the episode lacked anything particularly 'special' about it. 'Special' doesn't have to mean anything specific, but it should certainly mean something that The Return of Doctor Mysterio isn't.
The focus of the episode is an attempt to embrace the superhero craze that is currently in the middle of taking the world by storm. The problem starts with the fact that this craze kicked off several years ago now. Other films and shows have figured out what works and what doesn't with the genre, and have had the time to capitalise on that - with significantly bigger budgets as well, whilst also committing to the genre rather than just passing it by for a single story. It all means that Doctor Who's attempt to take on the superhero concept comes across as incredibly amateur, and frankly a little bit behind the times (just like the kind of dating remark about Pokemon). Whilst the nods to famous comic books might have been a great minor inclusion for a few viewers, it's a baffling choice of focus for a story that needs to reintroduce Doctor Who after a relatively large gap. Put simply, the episode ends up depending on the superhero aspect to actually work - and again it doesn't really satisfy... The superhero himself is Grant, aka The Ghost. A bit of convenient plotting and exposition at the start sets up the whole premise that is to follow. After that things then struggle to gain much footing. The episode never really makes it clear how The Ghost operates exactly... some scenes imply his very existence is something of a surprise to characters, whilst others show him saving the day on public television and insisting that 'duty calls'. The character of The Ghost is then subjected to one awkward CGI scene and one clunky bit of direction after another. The few attempts to actually portray his powers were poorly realised - ranging from the holding up of the falling spaceship, to the frequently bad shots of him flying over New York. Grant was a better character than The Ghost, and Justin Chatwin did a good job at differentiating between the two in a believable way. But overall the writing was just not up to scratch - a combined blend of poor pacing, and focusing on the wrong elements of the story throughout made Grant largely forgettable in the end. Lucy was the best new character in the story. Whilst cut entirely from the Lois Lane template - so much so that it wasn't so much a nod to Superman as a cheap knock-off at this point - she was quite fun and interesting. Charity Wakefield played her brilliantly, and in a random highlight from the episode was actually given a scene where she was able to assert a sense of both character and purpose (namely the quite good 'Mr Huffle feels pain' scene). Rather sadly, her brilliance was hindered by something else in the story - something that doesn't bode particularly well... Nardole. There was just no way that Nardole didn't feel shoehorned in...literally walking into scenes where he'd previously been absent, and where he's randomly travelling around in the TARDIS by himself having anecdotal travels that sound far more interesting than what is actually going on. Then frankly adding next to nothing to the story anyway, his only purpose so far apparently being to perk the Doctor up post-River... a needless inclusion given how beautifully last years special wrapped all that up. The Doctor's sense of loss about River doesn't feel like it really needed sharing so bluntly (even as a fan of the character, the references to River here smacked of a need to shoehorn in some sense of sentiment). So all in all Nardole was just an unnecessary spare piece, and one that technically denies a character like Lucy the chance to be a one-off companion...which would have felt like a much more natural fit and may have paved the way for some better handled character content. It doesn't bode well that Nardole felt shoehorned in here... it's not a character anyone is really looking forward to seeing in the first place, so to have him just stroll in and get in the way of what could have been something more is just down right frustrating. Whilst Nardole is by far the biggest problem with this strange episode, it never really stopped there. The whole thing felt quite budget... the scenes in the spaceship looked awful, and even trying to argue that it's not all about appearances doesn't hold up well to scrutiny when the plot was as mundane and lacking as it was. The villains weren't interesting or well developed, there was a decent idea in there that got wasted, and the decision to leave their story open-ended served only as another frustration. The episode has a few fun moments along the way, but like the previous special it fails to strike a balance with daftness and decent drama. The latter is lacking in both cases, and The Return of Doctor Mysterio suffers all the more for not having Alex Kingston or indeed an equivalent to the superb ending that The Husbands of River Song was at least afforrded. Probably the weakest Christmas special from Moffat since his Narnia-inspired yawn-fest, this had the odd moment of fun but none enough to make it feel worthwhile. All of the great ideas that could have been pursued in the only episode of 2016, and none of them executed - nor the idea it went for being executed particularly well either. It's not a worryingly awful kind of episode that speaks for the general quality of Doctor Who, but it feels tired - Moffat has nothing to say about Capaldi's Doctor here and isn't delivering decent enough characters or concepts at this point to make the story passable. Praise to Capaldi, Chatwin and Wakefield but elsewhere this will be one of those episodes that becomes a chore to sit through very quickly. And it's a shame, as it follows a Christmas special that was a similar chore, and a Series 9 finale that was similarly frustrating. With Nardole letting the story down, and the trailer at the end also proving the BBC has a poor grasp on how best to promote the show, it seems Series 10 does have a lot to prove now. 5/10 Sperate note, some of the comments directed at Matt Lucas on Twitter are just downright disgusting. He's playing a comic relief character being shoehorned into something more significant, and I raise issue with that. But it's nothing against Lucas himself, who seems to at least be brushing off the comments with ease. |
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#202 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Birmingham - 1000 trades
Posts: 2,667
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Haven't watched DW since the Matt Smith days, gave it a watch today.
It was alright, Capaldi was good and had the Tennant energy about him, the story was pretty weak however and I didn't like some of the gimmicks, that squeaky toy made what could have been a good scene, childish and immature. And all the CGI flying around, I don't think that's Doctor Who. It's supposed to be about the story and the personalities, not the glamour. Average overall, nothing great, nothing awful. |
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#203 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Kessingland, Suffolk
Posts: 85,540
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Quote:
I was thinking more Albert Fitzwilliam Digby.
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#204 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 5,708
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I never thought I'd say this...
I absolutely loved it on first watch ![]() Nardole was a brilliant comic foil for Capaldi (not sure how this will work out across a series but he may be used sparingly) and I really enjoyed the superhero tropes and could forgive the premise and lack of resolution to that, as well as the underdeveloped threat. I was much more interested in the nanny and Mrs Superhot ![]() Just enough reference to River to conclude that for me ![]() Bill does look rather Mel-esque in the little we've seen so far...but again here's hoping. I thought the trailer otherwise looked good! Great Xmas day fun, very unexpected I'm sure my rating will go down with later watches, but for broadcast Dr Who today this was, for me10/10 |
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#205 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 22,156
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Quote:
The Return of Doctor Mysterio really was a test of everything it claimed to be. It claimed to be a Christmas special episode of Doctor Who. The core problem with the whole thing is that all of those elements were lacking... it didn't really have any Christmas elements to it really (barring the pre-credits) which alone is fair enough, after this many years shoehorning in the holiday aspect is more of a hinderance. But then the episode also largely sidelined the Doctor himself... his role in the story was very much secondary for much of the runtime which isn't only a problem because the show has been away for a whole year, but also because the episode boldly claims by virtue of its title that it will be a 'return' for him. It really wasn't, as the episode even points out itself in the end, essentially. And then perhaps most troubling was that the episode lacked anything particularly 'special' about it. 'Special' doesn't have to mean anything specific, but it should certainly mean something that The Return of Doctor Mysterio isn't.
The focus of the episode is an attempt to embrace the superhero craze that is currently in the middle of taking the world by storm. The problem starts with the fact that this craze kicked off several years ago now. Other films and shows have figured out what works and what doesn't with the genre, and have had the time to capitalise on that - with significantly bigger budgets as well, whilst also committing to the genre rather than just passing it by for a single story. It all means that Doctor Who's attempt to take on the superhero concept comes across as incredibly amateur, and frankly a little bit behind the times (just like the kind of dating remark about Pokemon). Whilst the nods to famous comic books might have been a great minor inclusion for a few viewers, it's a baffling choice of focus for a story that needs to reintroduce Doctor Who after a relatively large gap. Put simply, the episode ends up depending on the superhero aspect to actually work - and again it doesn't really satisfy... The superhero himself is Grant, aka The Ghost. A bit of convenient plotting and exposition at the start sets up the whole premise that is to follow. After that things then struggle to gain much footing. The episode never really makes it clear how The Ghost operates exactly... some scenes imply his very existence is something of a surprise to characters, whilst others show him saving the day on public television and insisting that 'duty calls'. The character of The Ghost is then subjected to one awkward CGI scene and one clunky bit of direction after another. The few attempts to actually portray his powers were poorly realised - ranging from the holding up of the falling spaceship, to the frequently bad shots of him flying over New York. Grant was a better character than The Ghost, and Justin Chatwin did a good job at differentiating between the two in a believable way. But overall the writing was just not up to scratch - a combined blend of poor pacing, and focusing on the wrong elements of the story throughout made Grant largely forgettable in the end. Lucy was the best new character in the story. Whilst cut entirely from the Lois Lane template - so much so that it wasn't so much a nod to Superman as a cheap knock-off at this point - she was quite fun and interesting. Charity Wakefield played her brilliantly, and in a random highlight from the episode was actually given a scene where she was able to assert a sense of both character and purpose (namely the quite good 'Mr Huffle feels pain' scene). Rather sadly, her brilliance was hindered by something else in the story - something that doesn't bode particularly well... Nardole. There was just no way that Nardole didn't feel shoehorned in...literally walking into scenes where he'd previously been absent, and where he's randomly travelling around in the TARDIS by himself having anecdotal travels that sound far more interesting than what is actually going on. Then frankly adding next to nothing to the story anyway, his only purpose so far apparently being to perk the Doctor up post-River... a needless inclusion given how beautifully last years special wrapped all that up. The Doctor's sense of loss about River doesn't feel like it really needed sharing so bluntly (even as a fan of the character, the references to River here smacked of a need to shoehorn in some sense of sentiment). So all in all Nardole was just an unnecessary spare piece, and one that technically denies a character like Lucy the chance to be a one-off companion...which would have felt like a much more natural fit and may have paved the way for some better handled character content. It doesn't bode well that Nardole felt shoehorned in here... it's not a character anyone is really looking forward to seeing in the first place, so to have him just stroll in and get in the way of what could have been something more is just down right frustrating. Whilst Nardole is by far the biggest problem with this strange episode, it never really stopped there. The whole thing felt quite budget... the scenes in the spaceship looked awful, and even trying to argue that it's not all about appearances doesn't hold up well to scrutiny when the plot was as mundane and lacking as it was. The villains weren't interesting or well developed, there was a decent idea in there that got wasted, and the decision to leave their story open-ended served only as another frustration. The episode has a few fun moments along the way, but like the previous special it fails to strike a balance with daftness and decent drama. The latter is lacking in both cases, and The Return of Doctor Mysterio suffers all the more for not having Alex Kingston or indeed an equivalent to the superb ending that The Husbands of River Song was at least afforrded. Probably the weakest Christmas special from Moffat since his Narnia-inspired yawn-fest, this had the odd moment of fun but none enough to make it feel worthwhile. All of the great ideas that could have been pursued in the only episode of 2016, and none of them executed - nor the idea it went for being executed particularly well either. It's not a worryingly awful kind of episode that speaks for the general quality of Doctor Who, but it feels tired - Moffat has nothing to say about Capaldi's Doctor here and isn't delivering decent enough characters or concepts at this point to make the story passable. Praise to Capaldi, Chatwin and Wakefield but elsewhere this will be one of those episodes that becomes a chore to sit through very quickly. And it's a shame, as it follows a Christmas special that was a similar chore, and a Series 9 finale that was similarly frustrating. With Nardole letting the story down, and the trailer at the end also proving the BBC has a poor grasp on how best to promote the show, it seems Series 10 does have a lot to prove now. 5/10 Sperate note, some of the comments directed at Matt Lucas on Twitter are just downright disgusting. He's playing a comic relief character being shoehorned into something more significant, and I raise issue with that. But it's nothing against Lucas himself, who seems to at least be brushing off the comments with ease. That sums up completely how I feel |
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#206 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,080
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Kingfisher's ready to go Sir Hubert
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#207 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Kessingland, Suffolk
Posts: 85,540
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I've now got Sir Digby Chicken Caesar and his trusty sidekick Ginger in my mind, now. (Slurs Dick Barton theme....) Still, been a long day!
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#208 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 2,086
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Wasn't a fan of this episode, though I did like the villain with the eye brains and the folding heads, really enjoyed them
![]() My issue was that the Doctor kind of felt secondary to a lot of things within the story. And if you blinked and missed the doctor on screen you wouldn't know you were watching Doctor Who. All that being said, I am going to give it another viewing. |
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#209 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 3,727
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So the doctor was with River for 24 years, then he let her go playing an astronaut to die?
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#210 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 5,365
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Quote:
The Return of Doctor Mysterio really was a test of everything it claimed to be. It claimed to be a Christmas special episode of Doctor Who. The core problem with the whole thing is that all of those elements were lacking... it didn't really have any Christmas elements to it really (barring the pre-credits) which alone is fair enough, after this many years shoehorning in the holiday aspect is more of a hinderance. But then the episode also largely sidelined the Doctor himself... his role in the story was very much secondary for much of the runtime which isn't only a problem because the show has been away for a whole year, but also because the episode boldly claims by virtue of its title that it will be a 'return' for him. It really wasn't, as the episode even points out itself in the end, essentially. And then perhaps most troubling was that the episode lacked anything particularly 'special' about it. 'Special' doesn't have to mean anything specific, but it should certainly mean something that The Return of Doctor Mysterio isn't.
The focus of the episode is an attempt to embrace the superhero craze that is currently in the middle of taking the world by storm. The problem starts with the fact that this craze kicked off several years ago now. Other films and shows have figured out what works and what doesn't with the genre, and have had the time to capitalise on that - with significantly bigger budgets as well, whilst also committing to the genre rather than just passing it by for a single story. It all means that Doctor Who's attempt to take on the superhero concept comes across as incredibly amateur, and frankly a little bit behind the times (just like the kind of dating remark about Pokemon). Whilst the nods to famous comic books might have been a great minor inclusion for a few viewers, it's a baffling choice of focus for a story that needs to reintroduce Doctor Who after a relatively large gap. Put simply, the episode ends up depending on the superhero aspect to actually work - and again it doesn't really satisfy... The superhero himself is Grant, aka The Ghost. A bit of convenient plotting and exposition at the start sets up the whole premise that is to follow. After that things then struggle to gain much footing. The episode never really makes it clear how The Ghost operates exactly... some scenes imply his very existence is something of a surprise to characters, whilst others show him saving the day on public television and insisting that 'duty calls'. The character of The Ghost is then subjected to one awkward CGI scene and one clunky bit of direction after another. The few attempts to actually portray his powers were poorly realised - ranging from the holding up of the falling spaceship, to the frequently bad shots of him flying over New York. Grant was a better character than The Ghost, and Justin Chatwin did a good job at differentiating between the two in a believable way. But overall the writing was just not up to scratch - a combined blend of poor pacing, and focusing on the wrong elements of the story throughout made Grant largely forgettable in the end. Lucy was the best new character in the story. Whilst cut entirely from the Lois Lane template - so much so that it wasn't so much a nod to Superman as a cheap knock-off at this point - she was quite fun and interesting. Charity Wakefield played her brilliantly, and in a random highlight from the episode was actually given a scene where she was able to assert a sense of both character and purpose (namely the quite good 'Mr Huffle feels pain' scene). Rather sadly, her brilliance was hindered by something else in the story - something that doesn't bode particularly well... Nardole. There was just no way that Nardole didn't feel shoehorned in...literally walking into scenes where he'd previously been absent, and where he's randomly travelling around in the TARDIS by himself having anecdotal travels that sound far more interesting than what is actually going on. Then frankly adding next to nothing to the story anyway, his only purpose so far apparently being to perk the Doctor up post-River... a needless inclusion given how beautifully last years special wrapped all that up. The Doctor's sense of loss about River doesn't feel like it really needed sharing so bluntly (even as a fan of the character, the references to River here smacked of a need to shoehorn in some sense of sentiment). So all in all Nardole was just an unnecessary spare piece, and one that technically denies a character like Lucy the chance to be a one-off companion...which would have felt like a much more natural fit and may have paved the way for some better handled character content. It doesn't bode well that Nardole felt shoehorned in here... it's not a character anyone is really looking forward to seeing in the first place, so to have him just stroll in and get in the way of what could have been something more is just down right frustrating. Whilst Nardole is by far the biggest problem with this strange episode, it never really stopped there. The whole thing felt quite budget... the scenes in the spaceship looked awful, and even trying to argue that it's not all about appearances doesn't hold up well to scrutiny when the plot was as mundane and lacking as it was. The villains weren't interesting or well developed, there was a decent idea in there that got wasted, and the decision to leave their story open-ended served only as another frustration. The episode has a few fun moments along the way, but like the previous special it fails to strike a balance with daftness and decent drama. The latter is lacking in both cases, and The Return of Doctor Mysterio suffers all the more for not having Alex Kingston or indeed an equivalent to the superb ending that The Husbands of River Song was at least afforrded. Probably the weakest Christmas special from Moffat since his Narnia-inspired yawn-fest, this had the odd moment of fun but none enough to make it feel worthwhile. All of the great ideas that could have been pursued in the only episode of 2016, and none of them executed - nor the idea it went for being executed particularly well either. It's not a worryingly awful kind of episode that speaks for the general quality of Doctor Who, but it feels tired - Moffat has nothing to say about Capaldi's Doctor here and isn't delivering decent enough characters or concepts at this point to make the story passable. Praise to Capaldi, Chatwin and Wakefield but elsewhere this will be one of those episodes that becomes a chore to sit through very quickly. And it's a shame, as it follows a Christmas special that was a similar chore, and a Series 9 finale that was similarly frustrating. With Nardole letting the story down, and the trailer at the end also proving the BBC has a poor grasp on how best to promote the show, it seems Series 10 does have a lot to prove now. 5/10 Sperate note, some of the comments directed at Matt Lucas on Twitter are just downright disgusting. He's playing a comic relief character being shoehorned into something more significant, and I raise issue with that. But it's nothing against Lucas himself, who seems to at least be brushing off the comments with ease. After last years farce and the year before that I decided not to watch Who this xmas. I may even skip the next series until we have a new Producer. |
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#211 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 695
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Quote:
The Return of Doctor Mysterio really was a test of everything it claimed to be. It claimed to be a Christmas special episode of Doctor Who. The core problem with the whole thing is that all of those elements were lacking... it didn't really have any Christmas elements to it really (barring the pre-credits) which alone is fair enough, after this many years shoehorning in the holiday aspect is more of a hinderance. But then the episode also largely sidelined the Doctor himself... his role in the story was very much secondary for much of the runtime which isn't only a problem because the show has been away for a whole year, but also because the episode boldly claims by virtue of its title that it will be a 'return' for him. It really wasn't, as the episode even points out itself in the end, essentially. And then perhaps most troubling was that the episode lacked anything particularly 'special' about it. 'Special' doesn't have to mean anything specific, but it should certainly mean something that The Return of Doctor Mysterio isn't.
The focus of the episode is an attempt to embrace the superhero craze that is currently in the middle of taking the world by storm. The problem starts with the fact that this craze kicked off several years ago now. Other films and shows have figured out what works and what doesn't with the genre, and have had the time to capitalise on that - with significantly bigger budgets as well, whilst also committing to the genre rather than just passing it by for a single story. It all means that Doctor Who's attempt to take on the superhero concept comes across as incredibly amateur, and frankly a little bit behind the times (just like the kind of dating remark about Pokemon). Whilst the nods to famous comic books might have been a great minor inclusion for a few viewers, it's a baffling choice of focus for a story that needs to reintroduce Doctor Who after a relatively large gap. Put simply, the episode ends up depending on the superhero aspect to actually work - and again it doesn't really satisfy... The superhero himself is Grant, aka The Ghost. A bit of convenient plotting and exposition at the start sets up the whole premise that is to follow. After that things then struggle to gain much footing. The episode never really makes it clear how The Ghost operates exactly... some scenes imply his very existence is something of a surprise to characters, whilst others show him saving the day on public television and insisting that 'duty calls'. The character of The Ghost is then subjected to one awkward CGI scene and one clunky bit of direction after another. The few attempts to actually portray his powers were poorly realised - ranging from the holding up of the falling spaceship, to the frequently bad shots of him flying over New York. Grant was a better character than The Ghost, and Justin Chatwin did a good job at differentiating between the two in a believable way. But overall the writing was just not up to scratch - a combined blend of poor pacing, and focusing on the wrong elements of the story throughout made Grant largely forgettable in the end. Lucy was the best new character in the story. Whilst cut entirely from the Lois Lane template - so much so that it wasn't so much a nod to Superman as a cheap knock-off at this point - she was quite fun and interesting. Charity Wakefield played her brilliantly, and in a random highlight from the episode was actually given a scene where she was able to assert a sense of both character and purpose (namely the quite good 'Mr Huffle feels pain' scene). Rather sadly, her brilliance was hindered by something else in the story - something that doesn't bode particularly well... Nardole. There was just no way that Nardole didn't feel shoehorned in...literally walking into scenes where he'd previously been absent, and where he's randomly travelling around in the TARDIS by himself having anecdotal travels that sound far more interesting than what is actually going on. Then frankly adding next to nothing to the story anyway, his only purpose so far apparently being to perk the Doctor up post-River... a needless inclusion given how beautifully last years special wrapped all that up. The Doctor's sense of loss about River doesn't feel like it really needed sharing so bluntly (even as a fan of the character, the references to River here smacked of a need to shoehorn in some sense of sentiment). So all in all Nardole was just an unnecessary spare piece, and one that technically denies a character like Lucy the chance to be a one-off companion...which would have felt like a much more natural fit and may have paved the way for some better handled character content. It doesn't bode well that Nardole felt shoehorned in here... it's not a character anyone is really looking forward to seeing in the first place, so to have him just stroll in and get in the way of what could have been something more is just down right frustrating. Whilst Nardole is by far the biggest problem with this strange episode, it never really stopped there. The whole thing felt quite budget... the scenes in the spaceship looked awful, and even trying to argue that it's not all about appearances doesn't hold up well to scrutiny when the plot was as mundane and lacking as it was. The villains weren't interesting or well developed, there was a decent idea in there that got wasted, and the decision to leave their story open-ended served only as another frustration. The episode has a few fun moments along the way, but like the previous special it fails to strike a balance with daftness and decent drama. The latter is lacking in both cases, and The Return of Doctor Mysterio suffers all the more for not having Alex Kingston or indeed an equivalent to the superb ending that The Husbands of River Song was at least afforrded. Probably the weakest Christmas special from Moffat since his Narnia-inspired yawn-fest, this had the odd moment of fun but none enough to make it feel worthwhile. All of the great ideas that could have been pursued in the only episode of 2016, and none of them executed - nor the idea it went for being executed particularly well either. It's not a worryingly awful kind of episode that speaks for the general quality of Doctor Who, but it feels tired - Moffat has nothing to say about Capaldi's Doctor here and isn't delivering decent enough characters or concepts at this point to make the story passable. Praise to Capaldi, Chatwin and Wakefield but elsewhere this will be one of those episodes that becomes a chore to sit through very quickly. And it's a shame, as it follows a Christmas special that was a similar chore, and a Series 9 finale that was similarly frustrating. With Nardole letting the story down, and the trailer at the end also proving the BBC has a poor grasp on how best to promote the show, it seems Series 10 does have a lot to prove now. 5/10 Sperate note, some of the comments directed at Matt Lucas on Twitter are just downright disgusting. He's playing a comic relief character being shoehorned into something more significant, and I raise issue with that. But it's nothing against Lucas himself, who seems to at least be brushing off the comments with ease. |
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#212 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 695
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This episode was eh for me. The plot itself of the episode felt underdone and incredibly lacking. It would have a couple minutes screen time before 20 minutes of exposition till they make another appearance, i never felt invested in the threat as it was simply meant to be in the background of the story and it did nothing to catch my attention.
I wasn't a fan of the superhero drama going on for 1 hour about will he or won't he reveal his identity, at times it worked and other times it was comical him flying around the city like that. You made the point the first time you did it, don't need to waste another 10 minutes of him doing that. Not to mention way to much exposition, nothing happened in this episode. I understand it was a character driven episode, i just felt it was done quite poorly. As for Nardole, some decent moments but hasn't shown enough growth to be a main companion for me. Finally on Capaldi, i liked him this episode, good continuity in the past was quite nice. But one problem not on his part, he was once again sidelined and he doesn't even have a fully fledged companion! Overall, it isn't terrible, but i definitely am not a fan of this episode. |
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#213 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,012
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The average viewer is probably wondering what the 24 years and dying in the library was all about!
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#214 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 15,073
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Quote:
Looks like I didnt miss much then.
After last years farce and the year before that I decided not to watch Who this xmas. I may even skip the next series until we have a new Producer. My (unsolicited) advice would be - take no notice of the people who say it was bad; in fact, it was good. The best episode I've seen for a long time. I sometimes wonder how people can criticise the Doctor for being rude or childish. That's what he's always been. There was a bit too much padding with the romance thing when more time should have been spent on the threat of the brain people. And the Doctor meeting people as children then meeting them again when they're grown up has been a bit overused by Moffat. Apart from that, it had everything I want from a DW episode - pace, humour, fun, great script. Matt Lucas was fine, Capaldi was exceptionally good. I thought the series trailer was enticing and I liked Bill. I'm looking forward to series 10 now. And Sherlock, if Moffat's back on form.I'll probably watch this episode again, something I haven't done since way back in Matt's day. |
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#215 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: West Midlands
Posts: 2,343
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After last years farce and the year before that I decided not to watch Who this xmas. I may even skip the next series until we have a new Producer.
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#216 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 10,236
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I have to say, I quite liked it. It was a bit cheesy and a bit clichéd, but it made me smile. Despite having basically no references to Christmas after the opening credits, I think it felt like the most Christmassy episode in years.
Lucy and Grant were really likeable characters and I actually quite liked the villains so I'm quite happy that it looks like we haven't seen the last of them (I believe they were also briefly in last year's special too). |
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#217 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: south west
Posts: 9,914
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My review of the episode
Well Im pleasantly surprised not to find it all about Christmas! I vaguely remember something about Christmas at the start of the episode, but thats where it stops and Im happy for it!
I thought that the cross references to superman may have been cheesy, but in a strange way they worked very well! I felt it was a lot more like a general series episode than a Christmas episode which I feel is a good thing. Oh and who wouldnt love X-ray vision! |
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#218 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 17,332
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Liked the villains but the rest was amateurish.
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#219 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 6,038
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Quote:
is this pandering to the american audience now, its dreadful btw
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I presume that BBC America threw tonnes of money at this, it is all too American
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Exactly what I was thinking. This is not prime time BBC 1 Christmas Day material here.
Okay. Maybe Trump's version of America. But that leaves the other 75% of the country in the lurch. |
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#220 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 6,038
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Quote:
If BBC America did fund a lot of this episode
really hope it was worth it, Because the British feel of this tonight was zero. Not sure where this notion that BBC America co-production would make it rubbish. Their success percentage for good co-productions seems pretty high. |
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#221 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 6,692
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My expectations were at an all time low coming into this episode but I found myself enjoying it more than I thought I would.
I thought the Grant/Ghost story was well played, derivative but well played non the less. Peter Capaldi was having a blast. More of this Doctor please. After two series of dull soul searching and the team not really knowing what to do with Capaldi's Doctor, I hope they use this episode as a pointer. I thought the gags hit the mark but struggled with Nardole. Possibly a last minute edition at the writing stage it really did feel like Matt Lucas just accidentally walking on mid scene. However, I am left with the feeling that what I had just watched wasn’t Doctor Who. It was a well made, well acted slab of TV, but, after a year of no Doctor Who on our screens I can't escape thinking what was needed was all an out, balls out, edge of the seat, classic Who fun action calling card to the casual viewer. I'm not sure this was it. 6/10 Sweet, funny and charming. The series 10 trailer looked good, dare I say almost RTD esque fun. |
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#222 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 695
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Just seen the episode again, i definitely liked it more the 2nd time around, far more enjoyable than i initially thought it was. Still has its problems but for a christmas special it was nice and probably better than most. Not that the christmas day competition is high.
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#223 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Location: Location
Posts: 4,313
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5.68 million overnight figures.
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#224 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 59,684
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Quote:
Just seen the episode again, i definitely liked it more the 2nd time around, far more enjoyable than i initially thought it was. Still has its problems but for a christmas special it was nice and probably better than most. Not that the christmas day competition is high.
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#225 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 16,008
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Tbh I found the romance a little bit creepy too. Moffat has a bit of a thing for the Nice Guy who is bordering slightly on becoming a stalker and being super nice and lying and hopes that the girl will see what's good for her at the end etc etc.... It really isn't very romantic. More creepy and entitled.
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