The Name of the Doctor

Opening up this discussion a little ahead of time.
And for the record, I think his name's Dave...

Dave Winterbottom.

that...was...wow...

I thought that was incredible. Hartnell in colour, Troughton in a new scene, Clara as the Doctor's guardian angel (shame we didn't see more of her story). an actual acknowledgement that he didn't "save" River at the Library...and John Hurt is indeed a forgotten incarnation-but he's not "The Doctor"! Wow...

Didn't mind that, really. A couple of cringey bits but generally quite enjoyable, with Grant on good form (better than in The Snowmen) and I do enjoy the Victorian trio even though I slightly suspect I shouldn't (and I would have been very pissed off if they had killed Jenny). The Hurt stuff is VERY interesting and I don't mind the idea at all (esp if, as is presumably the case, he comes between McGone and Eccles). Quite a bold and cool move. If anything, I suspect I'll be cheesed that the 50th is likely all we'll get of him!

Some of the old Doctor stuff was a bit poor, though the Hartnell cameo was quite sweet and worked surprisingly well. A high 3 and a solid finish to a pretty rum season. I hope they've learned their damn lesson and go back to multiparters next time...

I thought the Hartnell, Troughton and Pertwee stuff, and the brief glimpses of the sixth Doctor, worked well. The McCoy clip was an odd choice though, and the Tom Baker and Davison inserts seemed slightly off scale with Clara. Though maybe that was just me.

A shame the BBC apparently can't use moving footage of McGann from the TVM in the series. A brief glimpse of a stand-in in Paul's clothes was not enough.

They've used McGann clips before (in 11th Hour for one!)

The bit with William Hartnell was the best bit.

codywillis1 wrote:They've used McGann clips before (in 11th Hour for one!)

Weren't they stills?

I think they were all moving from what I recall, even if only a bit.

Watched it again at a friend's this morning. Still brilliant.

Though when the Great Intelligence said of the Doctor that he will have other names: "the Storm. The Beast. The Valeyard"...

I couldn't help half expecting him to say "the Storm. The Beast. The Wolverine".

I really tried hard to follow it-but as with other recent `Who` i'm all adrift. I just don't have the mental capacity to `get` today's Dr Who. So, I can't really judge it as the fault lies in me, but its good that many are able to follow and enjoy today's. 

I don't think it's about mental capacity so much as it is about how the individual viewer is 'wired', so to speak. I prefer these kinds of convoluted potlines to the fun runarounds so I tend to get very engrossed. If that kind of storytelling isn't your cup of tea, you're more likely to just get distracted and not follow it.

It was on BBC 3 again Sat night. Really couldn't get that much of it. One thing in particular puzzles me- if I have `grasped` this bit. If the Intelligence has gone into Doctors timeline to inflict defeats-why isn't the Doctor dead? Surely he would be-wouldn't he?

alanultron5 wrote:It was on BBC 3 again Sat night.  Really couldn't get that much of it. One thing in particular puzzles me- if I have `grasped` this bit. If the Intelligence has gone into Doctors timeline to inflict defeats-why isn't the Doctor dead? Surely he would be-wouldn't he?

That was rather the point of Clara following the Intelligence into the Doctor's timestream. Everything the Intelligence tried to change for the worse, she corrected. That was the whole point of the episode.

True-but he went first and did cause `changes` surely the first would be the Doctors death before Clara could intervene! It just doesn't make any sense to me! The Intelligence got there first and if he was already able to cause some changes-then why not the Doctor's death. Its a storyline impasse to me. Sorry if its folks favourite-but to me, this type of storyline has really driven me away from the current programme.

alanultron5 wrote:True-but he went first and did cause `changes` surely the first would be the Doctors death before Clara could intervene! It just doesn't make any sense to me! The Intelligence got there first and if he was already able to cause some changes-then why not the Doctor's death. Its a storyline impasse to me. Sorry if its folks favourite-but to me, this type of storyline has really driven me away from the current programme.

They were inside his timestream. Yes, the Intelligence was able to cause the Doctor's death at various points in time, which is why those changes happened. But Clara was then able to undo the Intelligence's interference each time so that it didn't stick, thereby saving the Doctor. As I said, that was the point. The whole underlying theme of Moffat's tenure is that under the right circumstances, time can be rewritten.

Afraid it's really lost me! But, i'm glad others enjoying it. Programme needs a high profile and if stories like this do that its great.

You need to think of time as non-linear. What's the old example about seeing it as a river? You're carried upstream but you can step off onto the bank and go in any direction you like. The Intelligence was swimming downstream through the Doctor's life but Clara was running along the bank periodically jumping in and undoing its actions.

Gosh! afraid its rather beyond me is that Tony, but thank you for trying to clear it up.

I do my best.