Capaldi, Capaldi, & more Capaldi

[samurainoir]

So... this is essentially the "first" doctor of a new regeneration cycle. Anyone else seeing parallels here?

Old Curmudgeon, two school teachers and a schoolgirl. Sound familiar?

I think they are creating a dynamic that plays off of the original.

(and Courtney has now participated in two adventures, and travelled in the TARDIS twice... makes her a companion in my book)

[Bruce Banner]

Decent episode tonight. Better than the previous few. All the better for no annoying kids and minimal screen time for Clara's relationship nonsense.

[aquaboy]

In the early Doctor who series running up a hill was action , I was speaking of the 2009 series onward. I believe it is difficult for the current audience to see all of the doctors since 2009 to be quite younger looking to then jump to a much older appearing Doctor. Most of the polls have fans hating on the new Doctor by about 700 votes. So it obvious many others feel the same way. To each their own , if you enjoy ...enjoy ! I for one as a lonnng time Doctor Who fan used count the seconds till the next episode. Now , if I watch it weeks later makes no difference. Something is simply not right , whether it be the acting , over acting , writing , or the new Doctor it should be fixed ASAP!

[Mikey]

This weeks was meh

The Orient Express idea kinda ripped of the Titanic in space.

[johnnystorm]

What can I say about tonight's episode? It had all the elements of a show I should have loved: vintage setting, interesting monster, suspense... And yet I wasn't thrilled.
Without all the soap opera drama with Clara, we might have been looking at a decent attempt to replicate something from Pyramids of Mars. The "last hurrah" nonsense was very distracting to me.
And boy, I really had trouble understanding the dialogue tonight, I actually had to rewind
a few times to get what I was missing. The music was very loud too tonight.
Good points: the Doctor having jelly babies in his cigarette case, the look of the mummy, the joke with the psychic paper ( I personally have been a mystery shopper!). And the Doctor is now asking people to be a companion. Will he be putting an ad in the personal columns next ( SWTL seeks attractive non-smoker for traveling companion M or F . Must be in good shape and enjoy running).

[Bruce Banner]

It's a shame that a fair few newer and/or younger DW fans allegedly can't seem to accept an older Doctor.
An older actor adds a certain authority and gravitas to the role, reflecting the age and accumulated wisdom of the character.
Mind you, I'm pretty old school. As a kid, I even remember thinking it was a mistake when they cast Peter Davison.

Whatever the case, I'm totally enjoying Capaldi in the role. I think he's great. His abrasive nature is wonderful and I don't have a problem understanding his accent. I hope he sticks around as the Doctor for a long time.

[palitoy]

I view the complaints about an older doctor as people who largely jumped on board for the new show. I even heard one podcast host recommend to a new fan "don't bother with the old series", blech!

[Mikey]

I don't read other boards so I didn't know there is such a backlash about is age.

I think his age is perfect (being such a contrast from Matt Smith)

My biggest gripe, again, is I can't understand him.

It's not just the mumbling under his breath but also when he outright speaks.

It's not his Scottish accent because I mostly can understand other Scott actors.

Because of him being the star and having the most dialog a lot of times I have no idea what the heck is happening.

[clemso]

I thought this episode was better, thought the jelly babies thing was a little contrived, and found Clara's turn around at the end hard to believe.

[Mikey]

Clem, you personally made Doctor Who more fun for me because I go out of my way to see if I can spot you.

You're like the Where's Waldo of Doctor Who

[Gorn Captain]

It should have been a great story, but it wasn't, really.
Again the whole "Clara is leaving, we're not getting along anymore". Very tiring.
It spoiled the main story, getting in the way all the time.
Some real flaws, too. First Clara is caught in the storage compartment, then suddenly she can join The Doctor without a problem.

And then, she changes her mind about leaving, and we're off again!
Well, that was worth all the arguments...

I wanted to like this episode, but in the end it was nothing special.
I don't think it's a good idea to alienate Capaldi from his companion during his first year, give the guy a break...

[Mikey]

The new series seems to be running like the classic series with Capaldi being the new Colin Baker.

My guess is Capaldi wont last long and the BBC will demand a more likable and understandable Doctor because of low ratings (see Sylvester McCoy) -- but, it will be too late.

I hope this doesn't happen because I love the show, but I kinda see it coming.

[mhackley]

Interesting... The ratings for the Classic series didn't really drop until McCoy. http://www.themindrobber.co.uk/ratings.html

And as for this supposed drop in ratings for the current run? Not really. The figures are pretty much in the 6 million to 9 million range for season 8. That is pretty much on par with season 7.

Season 8
http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-...ator-66394.htm

Season 7
http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-...2013-46939.htm

As for this supposed "unpopularity" of Peter Capaldi??? He seems to be quite popular in the UK. And that is really all that matters. The fact that the series has fans in other countries is incidental. The British people are paying for the series. It's a British show, not an American show.

[palitoy]

This Radio Times poll suggests most folks like him.

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-09-29/doctor-who-hows-peter-capaldi-doing

[Gorn Captain]

I'm hoping now that Clara is on board again, we can just get back to regular programming, without all the drama and arguments, and with individual stories that are not interconnected.
I think it's time we had an old-fashioned invasion story.
My perfect scenario: Cybermen vs Ice Warriors. I can dream, right?

Btw: at the end of this episode, I almost thought both Clara and the Doctor had "gone to Heaven". Guess I was wrong.

Oh, and did anybody notice that the singer on the train was singing a Queen song? Don't stop me now...