October 21st, 2018
98 comments
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Poll – What Did You Think of Rosa?
Now that the third episode of series 11 has aired what did you think? Was it everything you had hoped for or not what you expected.
Montgomery, Alabama. 1955. The Doctor and her friends find themselves in the Deep South of America. As they encounter a seamstress by the name of Rosa Parks, they begin to wonder whether someone is attempting to change history.
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Arthurian2
October 24th, 2018 - 9:22amTotally agree. I’ve always been a huge Dr Who fan and always felt that criticism from many fans, was really negative. But now I find myself in that place, and I hate it. I don’t think Chibnail was ever a real fan of the show because, if he had been, we wouldn’t be getting the kind of show we’re seeing. Before the reboot started I revisited the early Torchwood series, and his stories were the least satisfying, dodgy plots, no conclusions and a cyber woman, all the warning signs were there. As for Broadchurch, if you had taken Tennant and Colman out, there was a simple whodunnit.
The Moffat Paradox
October 23rd, 2018 - 4:09pmNobody with any real intelligence has a problem with anti racism etc as such. It’s if “messages” are so in peoples faces that people can start to find this irksome and an impression created of their being too obsessive in trying to fill a diversity tickbox.It’s how it’s done more than if it is.
The Moffat Paradox
October 23rd, 2018 - 3:45pmAnd those that look like their causing these elements to be lost and split the fan base with their actions and seemingly weird sense of creative direction claim to be “fans” themselves. With friends like these……………
Sambot22
October 23rd, 2018 - 1:33pmThe Eleventh Doctor said it first in the big bang.
Mary Kings
October 23rd, 2018 - 12:19pmI am very disappointed by the new series. It seems as if the characters have no chemistry, the Dr. is just not alien enough (she may as well be an inter-galactic counsellor) and there is no excitement. I remember with nostalgia the excellent characters and enemies of the past, and am worried that the future may be a bit insipid and lack-luster in comparison (let’s not forget that Broadchurch took 8 drawn-out episodes to tell a story that could have been told in 3). I hope that is not going to be the new pace. It will be hard to take after the action-packed recent history. Perhaps we are going back to the original series, where a story that Moffat could tell in one episode was drawn out over five. Snore. Please let’s have some more pacey stories, and make the most of Jodie Whittaker – she’s a great actress. Dr. Who is not the girl next door – she is tough, unpredictable, feisty, a genius and ALIEN! And let’s have some more interesting dialogue, please! Where are all the clever quipps?
Doctor Stu
October 23rd, 2018 - 11:21amI don’t understand how being anti racist means something is ‘PC’
Richard Vandame
October 23rd, 2018 - 4:49amUnlike episodes 1 and 2, I did not like this one. It reminded me of suffering through the first couple of episodes of the Timeless series before abandoning that. There should be a clever story line, not a rehash of history. There’s also an underlying feeling the focus has been forcing inclusiveness by having such obviously diverse characters. Previous seasons demonstrated the worth of diversity with strong companions like Martha and Bill. The emphasis was story, not PC.
Tarsetburn
October 23rd, 2018 - 12:16amI think Jodie has heaps of potential as The Doctor….but….she is let down badly by the writing. Please keep the pc stuff for documentaries and serious drama and let the Doctor help us escape to a fantasy world. So far the writing has been poor, the ideas limp and the fantasy and action woeful. Give Jodie a chance writers! Less social commentary and introspection and more Dr Who please.
R1ch1e
October 22nd, 2018 - 9:04pm“Cheap and nasty time travel” from The Magicians apprentice
Rebecca Delph
October 22nd, 2018 - 8:33pmWhile I was not terribly excited about having a female Doctor (and I do like the actress), I hate to say that after 3 episodes I am completely unimpressed with the new series. I wasn’t fond of Matt Smith, but the story line and writing drew me in. Now I’m afraid it’s the writing and story line that is lacking.
Anonymous
October 22nd, 2018 - 7:12pmJust saying, Canton Delaware is fictional, created for the story.
the ergon
October 22nd, 2018 - 5:44pmThose were some of the funnier moments,i agree and also it was nice too see Yas’ character coming to the fore and starting to make her mark.
the ergon
October 22nd, 2018 - 5:39pmI was slightly taken aback by Yas’ use of the ‘P’ word on a primetime BBC show. I understand the characters are dealing with racist attitudes but do we really need these sort of connotations at this hour.
On the other hand as a ‘mostly’ straight forward historical I rather liked this episode. I prefer the pseudo historicals but it made a change.
P.s-That police officers accent tended to wobble. Was that an english actor? That was a drawl too far. Brought back thoughts of those dreadful Accents from ‘The Gunfighters’.
whovian
October 22nd, 2018 - 4:05pmR1ch1e, where was the reference to Missy? I didn’t spot it, I got the Stormcage reference.
The Moffat Paradox
October 22nd, 2018 - 3:37pmYou would think that whatever the surject matter this would/should be etched in tablets of stone:
“THOU SHALL ONLY PLAY WHO MUSIC AT THE END CREDITS!!”
Arthurian2
October 22nd, 2018 - 3:07pmSorry, the Sarah Jane Adventures, with the lovely Elisabeth Sladen, were more dynamic than this reboot. At least Liz commanded some presence, and kept her ‘gang’ involved with the story.
The Moffat Paradox
October 22nd, 2018 - 2:57pmMight have been an opportune moment as well to reintroduce post Master/Missy The Meddling Monk maybe with more blending garb assuming “The Doctor Falls” really closed the lid on that character.
Angie
October 22nd, 2018 - 2:42pmA very memorable and moving episode. I loved that we saw two sides to the Doctor, her strength of body and mind when she confronted the villain, and her uncertainty and doubt when she thought there weren’t going to be enough people on the bus which gave a note of vulnerability to her too. Great that Ryan had his moment to shine, Graham was on top form in this episode too. I was very much looking forward to Malorie Blackman’s writing and it didn’t disappoint. On a lighter note Jodie’s teasing about whether or not she might be Banksy and her comments about lending Elvis a mobile phone added just the right amount of humour
The Moffat Paradox
October 22nd, 2018 - 2:37pmYeah but historical themes are not new to Who and I think it’s been done in ways that were more interesting than a time travelling humanoid ex con from the 79th century with pre industrial revolution attitudes. Such as the Master trying to stop the signing of Magna Carta (how’s that for retarding enlightened development) or the presence of in seventeenth century London the Terileptils causing the great fire. Or how about portraying the Doctor having had a role in stopping the Cuban Missile crisis leading to World War 3 as an idea.
whovian
October 22nd, 2018 - 2:03pmAfter watching last week’s Ghost Monument, I was actually fed up already with Bradley’s Graham, but after “Rosa”, his dialogue on the bus after they realised that they were some of the white people on the bus genuinely moved me by saying he didn’t want to be a part of it. And when the Doctor realised that neither she or her friends could get off the bus as there would be more room for white people and Rosa wouldn’t need to move from her seat, Jodie really looked genuinely upset and guilty that as part of history, she couldn’t get up.
In my opinion, I don’t think the ending theme would have been suitable for the episode’s end due to the powerful storyline. But I do have to agree that the villain was indeed wasted. Yes, we got a reference to the Stormcage Facility, obviously that’s where River Song was locked up. For me, the best scene (although I enjoyed the whole episode), was on the bus where the Doctor and co have inadvertently become part of the timeline and Graham states he doesn’t want to be a part of this fixed event. I won’t lie, I did get emotional and I cried.
Jamie
October 22nd, 2018 - 1:57pmAbsolutely excellent!
The Living Shadow
October 22nd, 2018 - 1:19pmIt’s a show about Time Travel; of course they’re going to go back in time and explore history. And a lot of history was a living hell for any people and that’s kind of impossible not to address in a narrative that takes place in a time and place like America I’m the mid-20th century.
Exterminator
October 22nd, 2018 - 1:05pmI enjoyed this weeks episode and found it very moving. It was more like an episode of Quantum Leap though with the ‘evil leaper’ trying to rewrite history. The bad guy knew what the Tardis was when he saw it so why not make him another meddling monk style rogue time lord?
ADAM
October 22nd, 2018 - 12:58pmThis new version is very much aimed at a younger audience. It was like Horrible histories meets the sarah jane adventures. And again the regular cast fail to impress and are just bland…
If you took away the theme tune and the police box,you wouldn’t even know you were watching Doctor who.
Tim M
October 22nd, 2018 - 12:43pmWe will at least be able to do a Top Ten Jodie Whitaker stories at the end of only her first series. When I compile my top ten, I will mark each story out of 10 also. Just to see whether the overall series I regarded as poor, average or brilliant.
Judooning
October 22nd, 2018 - 11:54amI love the look of the new TARDIS and the colours, but I have to agree with you about them looking crammed in there. I can’t imagine them being able to do those shots too easily of the Doctor running round the console as things pop and fizz without the camera man running into one of the arches.
Still we’ve seen little of it yet so they may surprise us.
lorraine
October 22nd, 2018 - 10:41amI am not surprised Chibnall said we would not see much of the TARDIS this season as they have spent zilch on it. Almost looks smaller on the inside. The actors look claustrophobic and squashed in there and are they holding up those rather gaudy poles? Certainly you could not have a TARDIS based theme at the moment. Also see they all have clean tee-shirts etc. for each episode but poor Jodie is still stuck in her charity shop garb but guess she cannot change that because of the big hype on what she was going to be wearing and the merchandise aspect. I do think that if you did not know about Rosa Parks then the latest episode may have been more enjoyable but overall I feel Doctor Who has been hijacked by alien beings from Planet BBC. It has no soul somehow. Think younger fans are enjoying more but these standalone episodes are not hitting the spot for me. I will plod on though but it is no longer a big highlight of my viewing week which it always used to be and that makes me kinder sad
The Master
October 22nd, 2018 - 10:35amVery good episode indeed! This run is shaping up to be a very good series ! The doctor is strong and dynamic! Companions are excellent and this handled racism very well .
Arthurian2
October 22nd, 2018 - 10:11amWeek three, and after two weeks on the sofa I’m now behind it! This series has been heralded as a new era for Dr Who, but is it really? I can see Sydney Newman sitting at his desk telling Chibnail that he wants an educational adventure show with no bug eyed monsters. Back in the 1960’s the historical shows were eventually dropped in favour of more science fiction based stories, but when it was rebooted in 2005 historical characters started to make more regular appearances. Queen Victoria, Shakespeare, Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie, Elizabeth 1st and Canton Delaware were all portrayed. The difference was that those characters were part of the Doctors world, thrown into it, whether they liked it or not. Rosa was about Rosa Parks, and the Doctor was there to observe and the science fiction element of the story was tacked on to give a reason for the time travellers intervention. The villain was a bigot, simple, dressed in 20th century earth garb. All white people were rude, aggressive, and generally unpleasant. The villain had a suitcase with a cloaking device and some contents which looked like they’d come from a charity shop. After establishing they were in 1950’s South Africa, the gang were soon embroiled in it’s politics, but after the scuffle in the street, the point was hammered home again as the gang sat in a bar where they were told, very ungraciously, to leave. Knowing the political situation, was the Doctor that inconsiderate to put her friends back into another hostile situation? Did Ryan drive a left handed car?
Dyspraxia Symptoms:
Poor balance. …
Poor posture and fatigue. …
Poor integration of the two sides of the body. …
Poor hand-eye co-ordination. …
Lack of rhythm when dancing, doing aerobics.
Clumsy gait and movement. …
Exaggerated ‘accessory movements’ such as flapping arms when running.
Tendency to fall, trip, bump into things and people.
None of these symptoms have been apparent in Ryan so why set up a character with a medical condition and only use it when it suits a scene? This story was so, (forgive the metaphor), black and white, no greys to be seen. No lightness of touch in the writing, it was hammered home. Dr Who is a rare format in that it can be absolutely anything, but for me it was always an escapist show, somewhere I went to get away from the realities of life. This reboot comes straight from the W1A boardroom, where we laughed at the antics of BBC executives……
Doctor Stu
October 22nd, 2018 - 9:22amI never understand people who think Moffatt wrote the show exclusively for adults when his era had some of the most childish, cringy dialogue and over the top acting of the whole show