tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post5104911260542683274..comments2024-03-26T19:08:32.544-04:00Comments on That's alls I know: Doctor Who series 8Tommy Kraskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-9658107442664011802021-09-21T18:16:07.605-04:002021-09-21T18:16:07.605-04:00“A brilliant piece of criticism“ is about the nice...“A brilliant piece of criticism“ is about the nicest compliment I’ve ever received. Thanks so much, Bob! I confess, I’ve watched Series 8 at least half a dozen times, and individual episodes that I fancy many more than that, but it wasn’t until my latest rewatch, last month, that I realized how the Doctor/Clara/Danny dynamic flips the format of the storytelling. Before this latest rewatch, I had remembered Danny being absent from a few episodes once he and Clara have their first date — but no, he’s always there, and crucially so. I realized that if I had to summarize the final eight episodes, I would do so in character terms: “Kill the Moon” is the episode where Clara has her falling out with Doctor; ”Flatline” is the one where she subs for the Doctor and lies to Danny in the process. There’s no other season that’s character driven in that way, where the adventures provide “merely“ a backdrop for the character beats. I find it such an extraordinary and marvelous achievement.<br /><br />I do remember that “Last Christmas” was written (and filmed?) when it was unclear if Coleman was staying. I suppose if she’d decided to exit, it would’ve just ended with her having aged many decades — but honestly, I would’ve hated it. That’s not the ending I wanted for Clara Oswald. “Hell Bent” is very much the kind of ending I wanted for her. I remember at the time “Last Christmas“ aired, and there was the big reveal at the end that she was staying, even the biggest admirers of Series 8 were concerned that there was nowhere else for Clara’s story to go. Although I have some reservations about Series 9, it’s a series I quite like, and I think one of the most successful elements is where Moffat takes Clara after Danny dies, playing up her penchant for reckless behavior (because she has nothing to lose) — and of course, bolstering the Doctor’s devotion to Clara, to the point where he’s willing to risk everything to keep her alive. I think it’s wonderful how Moffat takes a partnership that feels like it’s reached a logical stopping point, and imagines so successfully what the next reasonable step for these two characters would be. It’s what I think he *didn’t* manage in Series 7 with Amy and Rory. They come back for five episodes, but they don’t seem to serve any purpose, and the episodes don’t have any real propulsion, and you feel like their story has already ended (at least *I* felt that way).Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-61501866409461117942021-09-21T15:41:31.780-04:002021-09-21T15:41:31.780-04:00Tommy, this was a brilliant piece of criticism. I ...Tommy, this was a brilliant piece of criticism. I agree that this series was superb. But I never paid much attention to the Doctor/Clara/Danny dynamic until I read this. Your comments opened a new outlook on the series that I had missed the first few times around.<br /><br />I vaguely recalled reading that Last Christmas was written before Coleman decided to return for another year. Do you think this story would have served well as a farewell to Clara?<br /><br />And as I mentioned before, your "her vanity or her vanity" line was hilarious!<br /><br />Thanks for sharing. As always, it was fantastic.Bob Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08064350802590956177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-45116002534220395442021-09-20T15:41:05.294-04:002021-09-20T15:41:05.294-04:00Thanks so much! Peter Capaldi created such an unbe...Thanks so much! Peter Capaldi created such an unbelievably rich and vulnerable character, it annoyed me no end at the time when people would refer to him as cold or grumpy. And I’m so happy to see some love for Danny! I don’t think he — or Samuel Anderson — gets his due. Series 5 takes such pains to ensure that we love Rory. He comes aboard the TARDIS, he’s charming and bumbling and funny, and then in the very next episode, Amy has to choose between her travels with the Doctor and a life with Rory, and she chooses Rory. It’s very precisely done. Moffat didn’t want to go that route again. He let us see Danny for who Danny is, flaws and all — just as he did with Clara and the Doctor. I find the character charming and admirable and well-drawn, and the actor flawless.Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-5084090769878161942021-09-20T15:39:22.858-04:002021-09-20T15:39:22.858-04:00I’m so glad you enjoyed! I thought Series 8 was ma...I’m so glad you enjoyed! I thought Series 8 was magical then, and I still think so. At the time it aired, my friend Paul and I agreed we were living in a “golden age“ of Doctor Who. And oh yes, I’m quite aware of all the people who dislike the season, some of them almost maniacally. I tried not to let that color my essay too much, or to spend too much time responding to the detractors, but obviously I had to bring it up in key spots. :) Mostly, I tried to get at the heart of *why* it seems to push some people‘s buttons so much: because it subverts their expectations for what Doctor Who should be. I love it all the more for doing that.Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-69986096933282468232021-09-20T11:55:27.511-04:002021-09-20T11:55:27.511-04:00This was a great read. I am so pleased to see app...This was a great read. I am so pleased to see appreciation for Series 8 and for the characterization of his Doctor. He was so much more than simply grumpy. Also, I loved what you have written about Danny. The Caretaker is one my favorites. It makes me laugh so much, but you have articulated perfectly what is funny about it. Great point about Last Christmas being the true finale. Again, great essay!tracyhepburnfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07353595811752669899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-88085050291916041152021-09-20T11:35:59.475-04:002021-09-20T11:35:59.475-04:00I loved this essay. The Peter Capaldi years is my ...I loved this essay. The Peter Capaldi years is my favorite era of Doctor Who and you have put it so beautifully. So many people diss it or say the writing was crap but it wasn't. The characters, plots, emotion, darkness and humor, are all on pointTempus Fugitnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-52011081441000647292021-09-19T20:06:24.819-04:002021-09-19T20:06:24.819-04:00Steven, I’m so glad you stopped by, and so gratefu...Steven, I’m so glad you stopped by, and so grateful you gave my (insanely long) essay a read. I’ve been rewatching Series 8 since it premiered in 2014 — and did so again last month. I figured it was time to put some thoughts to paper, and as always when I feel passionately about a subject, the thoughts just flowed from my pen. :)Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-60551924127029896642021-09-19T15:40:57.479-04:002021-09-19T15:40:57.479-04:00Steven Cates here --- this article and essay was t...Steven Cates here --- this article and essay was truly fascinating stuff - written by my go-to Dr. Who expert -- LOVED IT!!!Unemployment Blueshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01044249240047660705noreply@blogger.com