UPDATED 3:11 PM CST USA 14 NOVEMBER 2014
Here’s a a clip from the previously mentioned 2014 Christmas Special - said clip appeared tonight on BBC’s annual Children in Need fundraising broadcast.
[via]
Glen here…
…bringing us to the end of a rather spectacular Season/Series of DOCTOR WHO.
A perfect Season/Series? Not by a long shot - one could justifiably quibble over many elements of any single episode. While I understand how thankless it must be to script the first adventure of any newly regenerated Doctor, I felt Deep Breath was a bit lackluster in retrospect, and didn’t effectively portend the strength of the material which would follow throughout much of the Season/Series. Now that we’ve seen most of S8, I wonder if some viewers may’ve found Deep Breath’s understandably transitory and sedate tone off putting and dissuasive? I can’t help but think that, perhaps, the show should’ve come out of the gates roaring - which isn’t exactly what Deep Breath did.
In the Forest of the Night was an interesting notion which wasn’t fully considered or realized. It was hamstrung by too many ‘But why…’s throughout, all of which swelled to a climax which felt under-amped and dramatically diffuse. The little girl’s ‘message to the world’ was one of the biggest ‘That’s it!?’ moments I’ve experienced in film or television viewing this year. On the flipside came episodes like Mummy on the Orient Express, Time Heist, Dark Water and Flatline. All of which, for my money, represent the very strongest material nuWHO has offered in quite some time in terms of execution and scripting. Perhaps even the best since the show’s 2005 relaunch.
Most commendable about S8 is its vision - its dedication to cleaning up its act in terms of direction, photography, visual effects, and the use and style of Murray Gold’s score. Where all factors had become a bit hinky in Seasons/ Series 6 and 7, there was clearly an assertive ‘vision’ at play here which…for the most part…was executed deftly and boldly. DOCTOR WHO S8 was tremendously well produced not only for WHO, but for television Sci Fi in general. Well played all.
There’s not much more I can say about Capaldi’s inaugural run that I haven’t already offered at various points during the S8 Docback. I like him very, very much. I love… and am endlessly amused by…his Doctor’s dick-headedness, but I appreciate his child-like qualities even more. That almost sheepish look he gets when confronted with emotions he doesn’t quite understand, or when he realizes he’s hurt someone he didn’t intend to hurt. So much depth and nuance here - a truly astonishing performance for the ages.
To this day, I’m still aghast by how many people I encounter who’ve turned away from DOCTOR WHO this Season/Series because of ‘the old guy.’ This makes my blood boil. All I can say is, people like this 1) Don’t understand the series on the whole, and 2) are watching DOCTOR WHO for all the wrong reasons. Team Moff and BBC’s decision not to reflexively cast another boyish hunk in the role was admirable, dangerous, and risky from the outset considering the marketing visibility/mass accessibility Smith seemed to bring to the public’s perception of DW. They’ve served Capaldi well both by feeding him generally strong material, and letting him run with it. The material was so strong, in fact, that the tone and subject matter of last week’s Dark Water actually put BBC on the defensive a few days ago [details HERE].
Which, in may ways, is the way it should be. DOCTOR WHO is 50 years old, and the fact that it can still ruffle a few feathers is a potent statement that the show still has some life left in it, and provocative narratives are still out there, waiting to be explored. Good art…doesn’t automatically appeal to all audiences, and isn’t always ‘easy.’ Good art…should always be expressed and encouraged. I hope BBC and Team Moffat (or whoever ultimately succeeds them) will continue pushing the envelope in terms of the show’s subject matter, and allow DW to mature and blossom as promisingly as it has over the last 12 stories (I’m assuming this weekend’s #12 will not drop the ball - which may be foolhardy of me). While S9 shouldn't be a tonal retread of this Season/Series, I do hope it will continue S8’s trend of not being afraid to ‘go there’ in terms of the innate potential and maturity of its material. Brave storytelling is so critical these days, on so many levels. I also believe that it’s the gateway to greater mainstream notoriety (BREAKING BAD, AMERICAN HORROR STORY, etc.) - which is only going to serve the franchise well in the long run.
Which bring us to Death in Heaven, the final episode of Season/Series 8 proper.
Many unanswered questions remain from last week’s tale, and there many directions this might go. I’ll be the first person to admit, as much as I love his work on the whole, that Moffat sometimes struggles to land his ‘big’ concepts - so DiH has me a bit on edge. Will it be existentially brilliant and emotionally wrecking? Will it come up short, and emerge as a promising set-up filled with missed opportunities? Or will it land somewhere in between?
We’ll find out soon enough…
THE DOCBACK will return on or around December 23 for an exploration of the 2014 Christmas Special. Or beforehand, should circumstances dictate.
Until then, take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. Wishing you the happiest of Holiday Seasons…
————
Glen Oliver
“Merrick”
DOCBACK CODE OF CONDUCT
1) a Docback should be about completely open and free discourse regarding all things WHO with, obviously, some variation on subject matter from time to time - the real world intervenes, discussions of other shows are inevitable, etc....
2) converse, agree, disagree, and question as much as you want - but the freedom to do so is NOT a license to be rude, crass, disrespectful, or uncivilized in any way. Not remaining courteous and civil, as well as TROLLING or undertaking sensational efforts to ignite controversy, will result in banning. Lack of courtesy may receive one (1) warning before a ban is instigated. Obvious Trolling or Spamming will result in summary banning with no warning.