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So… …yeah. Wow. This week brings us to the second to the last episode of Steven Moffat’s stewardship of DOCTOR WHO, and thismuch closer to (what appears to be) the end of Peter Capaldi’s tenure as the Doctor. Will we get a hint of whom Capaldi will regenerate into in The Doctor Falls - a possibility hinted at in the opening moments of World Enough and Time? Or, will the reveal of ‘the next Doctor’ be held until this year’s Christmas Special? A far more likely scenario, as that episode is notably scripted by Moffat instead of incoming show runner Chris Chibnall. But, anything feels and is possible at this juncture - which is when DOCTOR WHO, on the whole, is most exciting and fun. Come what may, we once again find ourselves on the same precarious precipice on which we’ve so often teetered during Moffat’s management of this show: World Enough and Time was an amazing set-up which suggests any number of riveting storytelling potentials, but will The Moff stick the landing?
The atypically scant assemblage of promo images from this week's episode (seen below) tells us little, to nothing at all, regarding what to expect this Saturday. Which also suggests The Doctor Falls may well be meatier, and thrive on more spoilerish material, than the average WHO installment. Which would make sense, and be not at all surprising.
By the way, I updated last week's World Enough and Time thread with a gallery of higher resolution images. There are some very nice shots of Cybermen - both nu original flavors. If you missed those, you can find them HERE. Our discussion boards for The Doctor Falls are now online and ready to go! Next week I will open a new discussion forum dedicated to all things WHO, which will carry us towards the Christmas Special this December. Substantial news., like casting announcements pertaining to the Chibnall era, news about what Chib's reboot may look and feel like, etc. will receive their own dedicated posts. There's also a better-than-not chance other content will be posted here along the way as well, so be sure to check back. As always, stay tuned to our message boards for newslets which may not always warrant their own individual piece - but are relevant and cool nonetheless. On all boards, at all times, there is only one simple, Golden rule: We warmly invite and encourage an open discourse and free exchange of ideas, but will enforce a strict zero tolerance policy regarding trolling, disrespect, or hate speak of any kind. Thank you for being a part of our journey through this amazing, confounding, glorious, weird, touching, goofy, provocative, compelling show. Here's to the future! 
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This Saturday brings us World Enough and Time, the third to last episode of the DOCTOR WHO era overlorded by Steven Moffat. While I am profoundly interested in what incoming show runner Chris Chibnall has in store for us - and early indications suggest it's 'bold' and compelling - I am not necessarily 'happy' to see Moffat go. While I admit his time on DOCTOR WHO has had its ups and downs, its frustrations and inconsistencies, I suspect...in hindsight...many current naysayers will eventually come to perceive and appreciate 'the method to his madness.' And there has been madness, without a doubt. But there has also been method... I strongly assert, for example, that the Moffat 'style' - in terms of overall bravado, scoring, aesthetic, and photography - may have done DW a tremendous, incalculable service in terms of how the public on the whole perceives this show. Moffat's 'vision' modernized and contemporized WHO in a number of ways. I'd argue that he helped a funky show feel less kitschy in the eyes of many, and helped a show that was not known for budget or scale feel grander, more graceful, and less 'silly.' All without fundamentally betraying the heart and soul which has driven the concept since its inception. I believe Moffat's guidance has very much 'fixed' the broader perception of DOCTOR WHO - entrenched it much more firmly into the mainstream, if you will. How this pays off in terms of the show's overall robustness, or eventual longevity, may never be able to be fully measured. This was no easy task to be sure, and no insignificant accomplishment. His contributions, in many regards, may be more etherial than many may realize. In my years of coverage of Moffat Era DOCTOR WHO, I have...quantifiably...seen a perceptual shift regarding the show within numerous sectors (publicly, entertainment industries, etc.). All other arguments about narrative stumbles and annoying proclivities aside... and many of them are well-founded...Moffat mattered. And it is with a sincerest tip of the hat, and humblest appreciation for his stewardship, that I approach these bittersweet final tales in his rein. Back to World. It will be followed by The Doctor Falls on July 1, and this year’s ‘Christmas Special’ (title not yet announced) - presumably airing in its traditional Christmas Day timeframe. One would assume that it is during said Christmas Special that the 'handoff' between Moffatt and Chibnall actually occurs - a passing the baton moment recently outlined by Moffat in Radio Times. Unless Team Moff, Mister Chibs, and BBC have a trick up their sleeves (which is certainly possible, although not likely in this scenario)…this trio of tales also appears to be the home stretch for Peter Capaldi’s tenure as the Doctor. World, The Doctor Falls, and the Christmas Special are all scripted by Moffatt, and all are helmed by Rachel Talalay - whose previous DW directing work includes high-profile season enders Dark Water, Death in Heaven, Heaven Sent, and Hell Bent. While they are regarded unevenly amongst regular viewers of the show, those episodes were all rather well made at the very least. So, it's a safe bet The Moffat Era will exit with quality filmmaking, if nothing else. World is described thusly by BBC: Friendship drives the Doctor into the rashest decision of his life. Trapped on a giant spaceship, caught in the event horizon of a black hole, he witnesses the death of someone he is pledged to protect. Is there any way he can redeem his mistake? Are events already out of control? For once, time is the Time Lord’s enemy… Much has been made about this synopsis' implication that someone 'dies' in this episode. Could it be Missy? Might 'Missy" regenerate into the John Simm version of The Master as a result of this 'death'? If backwards regeneration is possible, what does this mean for the casting of future Doctors? Or, perhaps a reverse regeneration occurs due to the setting of this tale around a black hole? Or, maybe time funkiness is afoot due to the black hole setting - and Simm's presence has nothing to do with Missy? These are all desperate and not terribly well considered HATs, by the way... If I had to guess, the 'death' that is witnessed will be Bill's - and, no matter who 'dies' - said event will somehow be mitigated (or impacted by) the notion that these events are occurring inside the event horizon of a black hole. That setting would, after all, seem to open up a number of freaky possibilities within the context of this show. Geeklectica’s second to last discussion of DOCTOR WHO Season/Series 10 (if you’re not folding the Christmas Special into S10 proper) is ready to roll! After the transmission of The Doctor Falls, we’ll open up a general DOCTOR WHO discussion here, which will bridge the gap between Summer and Christmas. Over the Holidays, we’ll launch a separate discussion for the Christmas Special - centering heavily, I suspect, on the departure of The Moff and Capaldi. After the Christmas Special, we will then launch a second general discussion thread to carry us into the Chib Zone... and beyond! As always, be sure to check the ongoing discussion threads here for any newsbits and general mulling of the WHOverse. Particularly huge reveals (Chib Zone casting, for example) may receive their own individual posts here as well. I am considering revisiting the classic series - starting at the beginning and traveling all the way up through the end of the Moffat era - on the way to ChibWHO. In fact, I would very much like to do so. This is a journey I began a while back elsewhere, but was never concluded. A big part of me would like to chronicle this journey here, but I am...hesitant...to commit to providing expanded content here on such regular a basis. Still, it is a notion which is very on my mind and in the wind... Come what may... PLEASE NOTE: We warmly invite and encourage an open discourse and free exchange of ideas, but will enforce a strict zero tolerance policy regarding trolling, disrespect, or hate speak of any kind. 
Last week saw the Doctor, Bill, Nardole, and a buncha pseudo-dysfunctional Victorian soldiers facing off against the feared and revered Ice Warriors on Mars. The episode landed firmly upon the middle tier of Moffat era DOCTOR WHO episodes for me - never falling flat on its face, but nor did it fully ignite. Its greatest stumble, by my measure at least, was that The Empress of Mars somehow managed to turn an exciting and compelling premise into something of a stayed talk piece. A budgetary consideration? Or, simply a creative choice made by long-time DOCTOR WHO scripter/associate Mark Gatiss? We may never know for certain, but the decision was definitely one which lead to a surprisingly sedate, conversation-heavy episode given the story’s innate premise. All of this said: the Ice Warriors reducing their targets into little bouncy laundry balls? That's pretty great by any measure - and begs the question: what, exactly, happens to the little spherical blobs of people after they’ve been compacted? Are they tossed into a garbage bin? Used for some kind of sport? These are important considerations! (ahem) This week’s adventure returns two doctor who alum to the series: Oxygen director Charles Palmer is back to helm The Eaters of Light, which is scripted by Rona Munro (who wrote the Survival arc back in the McCoy era). Regarding Munro's presence here: it should be noted that Eaters represents one of the last episodes in Steven Moffat's stewardship of this show, and Survival was not only the final, full-on appearance of Sylvester McCoy's iteration of the Doctor, but the closing tale of DOCTOR WHO's original, multi-decade run. A symmetry and symbolism that is difficult to ignore. Here are some promo images from the The Eaters of Light. I'm assuming there's far more to this episode than these images suggest - this is one of the least revelatory, and scantest (is that even a word?) collections of promo shots I've encountered during my experience with the Moffat era on the whole. What does this mean? We'll find out soon enough! The Eaters of Light discussion boards are now online and ready to enjoy. Please see the first post in this thread regarding the disposition of next week's World Enough and Time discussion board. PLEASE NOTE: We warmly invite and encourage an open discourse and free exchange of ideas, but will enforce a strict zero tolerance policy regarding trolling, disrespect, or hate speak of any kind. Last weekend brought us The Lie of the Land, the conclusion (?) of a three episode arc also encompassing Extremis and The Pyramid at the End of the World. On the whole, I managed to enjoy TLotL...enough...but my support of it is tenuous and conditional. I found its ‘love will find a way’ conclusion a bit jarring - perhaps even disingenuous - given the tone and nature of the story which it was wrapping up. Additionally, as I previously mentioned on our discussion boards, the Doctor’s false regeneration…and the plot’s subsequent imperilment of Bill when she jacked into the Monk’s signal…rang as hollow, even gimmicky. Each played as an unnecessary bait and switch, and each was an affront to both the audience’s affections for these characters, and viewer’s investment in the dramatic tension this trio of episodes had legitimately earned until these points. Will The Empress of Mars smooth out this unfortunate, almost petulant, rough patch? Synopsized thusly by BBC... The Doctor, Bill and Nardole arrive on Mars, and find themselves in an impossible conflict between Ice Warriors… and Victorian soldiers. As the Martian hive awakens around them, the Doctor faces a unique dilemma – this time the humans, not the Ice Warriors are the invaders. When Earth is invading Mars, whose side is he on? ...Empress is scripted by Mark Gatiss, and helmed by Wayne Yip (who directed The Lie of the Land). Publicity images from the episode… …suggest that this installment will offer a hybridization of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Steampunk. A promising and interesting fusion on any show, especially this one. On the other hand, Gatiss’ last DW script was Sleep No More, which was one of the more poopy DW installments of the 2005+ DW era, if not the poopiest So…we’ll see. Personally, I kinda like the looks of this one - I get the same vibe from this material that I got from Gatiss’ Cold War back in S7, which I rather enjoyed. So, hope shines brightly. Unrelated to DW: Gatiss' prosthetic-heavy performance as 'Prince Regent' in TABOO is a blast... 
If you haven't had a chance to check its out, consider doing so. It's gorgeously shot and put together... ...and is, all in all, a helluva thing. Ready to talk about The Empress of Mars? GO FOR IT! Welcome, and...as always...enjoy! PLEASE NOTE: We warmly invite and encourage an open discourse and free exchange of ideas, but will enforce a strict zero tolerance policy regarding trolling, disrespect, or hate speak of any kind. |
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