April 6th, 2013
306 comments
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What Did You Think of The Rings of Akhaten?
What Did You Think of The Rings of Akhaten?
Having found himself a new companion in the shape of Clara Oswald, the Doctor asks where she wants to go first – and her request for somewhere awesome takes the pair to the rings of the planet Akhaten, inhabited by all manner of amazing creatures.
Clara meets the young queen, who is about to take part in a ceremony called the Festival of Offerings – but what begins as a happy sing-song soon turns very grim. Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman star.
Now that the 2nd episode of series 7b has aired in the UK what did you think?, was it the best episode ever or just average.
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daleksean
April 7th, 2013 - 11:45pmi do not mean to be offensive to opera fans by this but i thought that this was aspost to be doctor who not songs of praise
Klyen565
April 7th, 2013 - 10:11pmI agree that the Doctor should be seen as unavailable. The idea, while romantic, that he could have ever fallen for Rose or even Amy and Clara is just very unbelievable. He’s a thousand years old – he’s not going to be interested in teenage girls. However I do think that the ocaisional (unintended) flirtation makes it more fun. Martha’s relationship with him was great. The ‘too sexy’ point of the article isn’t really appropriate. When Doctor Who originally aired there were very few sexual references on tv. The show has evolved as public attitudes have.
Klyen565
April 7th, 2013 - 9:48pmI think it’s a mistake to have a ‘special’ companion like Clara. Rose and Martha were amazing because they were SO normal when they met the Doctor. Clara’s identity plot is vaguely interesting but the whole point of the Doctor having a companion is to make the audience relate to them. After having Donna and Amy, it would have been nice to have a companion without the ‘attitude’ (and I’m sorry, but no human faced with this alien world would have just run off like Clara did. Rose and Martha were so much more believeable). Episode-wise, there were so many bits that were not explained! I am really disapointed, Smith and the Coleman are good actors but the plot was terrible.
Joanne D
April 7th, 2013 - 9:36pmAwful. The quality has really gone down since RTD left.
NigelM
April 7th, 2013 - 9:33pmMissed it yesterday, just watched on iPlayer. This was terrible, truly awful for an episode that seemed to have had a lot of effort put into it. Even the name Akhaten is a rip-off of the Egyptian pharoah Akhenaten who declared himself a living god. Not impressed.
Don’t diss the sonic!!!
April 7th, 2013 - 8:51pmThe Rings of Akhaten was an amazing episode; the numerous aliens you see in the market will make sci-fi fanatics happy. The look into Clara’s past before the title sequence was a good thing to do and was done well; one of the reasons being that we see her live a full life in modern day earth and yet she has somehow lived two other lives in two different time periods, so this intensifies the mystery of Clara. My only real complaint, was that the whole time spent wondering the market and the conversations they had that doesn’t affect anything in the story, took too long; if they had made it a bit shorter, they could have spent more time with the battle to save Merry. The CGI was first class, makes me realize how much i will miss the mill. The finest moment of the episode was the amazing speech the doctor made to “grandfather”, combined with the beautiful singing, music by Murray Gold and CGI made for a classic moment in doctor who. Also the moment when we truly understand how important the leaf is to Clara and when she finished grandfather off after the doctors memories made it “full”, and what this represents is quite big. Finally, it is in the first two proper episodes of a companions adventures with the doctor that they prove they are worthy to travel with him and we get a better understanding of their character; despite Clara’s big mystery that means we struggle to find out a lot about her, she still manages to pass with flying colours and I’m sure captured many peoples hearts. If i had to rate it, i would give it 8/10.
Anon
April 7th, 2013 - 8:19pmI love how the TARDIS wouldn’t let Clara in! I have three theories why:
1. River is married to the Doctor. River is the child of the TARDIS. Clara and the Doctor are a little too close.
2. The doctor mentioned visiting the rings of Akhaten with his granddaughter (called Susan, in case you wanted to know). This was in his first incarnation. That TARDIS belonged to him. It did not recognise Clara.
3. She didn’t have a key. But I thought the Doctor was in there.
Anonymous
April 7th, 2013 - 8:14pmI agree for the top 3. Definitely.
outnumbered
April 7th, 2013 - 7:58pmthe monsters were not used another the mummy should of hang on the bike as they were flying back
outnumbered
April 7th, 2013 - 7:56pmand no this ep was not that bad. gridlock and the doctors daughter were not that good and this ring of akhaten was better then them
booboo
April 7th, 2013 - 7:55pmhaven’t watched it yet, will do this evening
Anonymous
April 7th, 2013 - 7:54pmwhat did you think of the rings of akhaten booboo
outnumbered
April 7th, 2013 - 7:54pmno fathers day would be in my top 20
alex
April 7th, 2013 - 7:46pmI quite enjoyed the beast below, but apart from that I agree
ReleaseTheKraken
April 7th, 2013 - 7:41pmBlink is a Doctor-lite episode with some stupid flirting jokes, wonky timelines and some jump scares thrown in. Midnight and Amy’s Choice are genius works.
iPhil
April 7th, 2013 - 7:21pmThe best is obviously Blink
iPhil
April 7th, 2013 - 7:20pmWorst episodes sine 2005 return are…
1. Fear Her
2. Father’s Day
3. The Beast Below
4. The Rings if Akheten
In that order
iPhil
April 7th, 2013 - 7:16pmbecause it doesn’t like her
LS
April 7th, 2013 - 7:06pmSorry if I have missed something but if you take the fancy sets away (which we did not have when I started watching aged 6 in 1963)this story had no substance at all – this has to be the worst episode since the programme returned in 2005. It is as if the heart has gone out of the series. Is this how the story lines are going to be from now on in -wonderful visually but poor storyline! I watch episodes ad infinitum but never want to watch this one gain. Sorry.
Nom
April 7th, 2013 - 6:32pmBorn in 64, watching since 67. Blink & Girl in the fire Place were superb stories. I and my DW friends like Matt as Doctor, and agree that Moffat has to go. I personally feel I can’t just sit back and enjoy it any more. Change is one thing, but Moffat’s gone too far!
Rikki Krystal
April 7th, 2013 - 5:59pmI’ve watched Dr Who,since the very first episode in 1963,and last nights episode was TOTAL RUBBISH..
Anonymous
April 7th, 2013 - 4:32pmI think the remaining episodes will certainly not disappoint, at least hope not, but the look very good indeed! Also you could say about the people on the rock planet thing the pyramid was on has had breathing equipment , so maybe the whole of the planets and everything surrounding the star had air, but I think from the whole episode that is the least important thing, like you said about the leaf destroying the god!
A really OLD fan
April 7th, 2013 - 4:30pmI have watched virtually every single episode of Dr Who since the first was broadcast in 1963, with William Hartnell. I really loved Tom Baker and Peter Davisons’ Doctors but think that Tennant was the best, however the dynamic between Matt and Jenna-Louise could make them the most enjoyable ever. This episode, although vey different in style was tremendous.
Reob Worlandin
April 7th, 2013 - 3:35pmVery poor episode. Relationship between Doctor and companion becoming repetitive and unbelievable, where is the reality in their interaction? They banter like two young teenage girls. The Doctor companion relationship is now as real as Colin Baker’s costume. Painful.
Also how did the Doctor and Clara travel across space on a Matt Levine 1970′ s water ski with no breathing apparatus!!!
Also, why can a being be defeated by the infinite possibilities of a leaf. Every previous experience it had feasted on was one of infinite possibilities. So essentially it was defeated by having pointed out to it something that was true but had not occurred to it before!
Please, please don’t let Dr Who go rubbish again.
pathdw98
April 7th, 2013 - 3:13pmForgot to add wasn’t too sure about the singing and the mummy could have been better. but it was good.
pathdw98
April 7th, 2013 - 3:10pmI thought it was good, not the best but good anyway. Thought Matt Smith was amazing in the scene with his memories. And Jenna was just fantastic in this. The back story of the leaf and her mum I thought was brilliantly written.
Anonymous
April 7th, 2013 - 3:03pmClara wouldn’t be born, so she won’t have met the docotr and couldn’t have found where miss kizlet was in TBOSJ and the docotr couldn’t save the world! And that’s just one possibility!!!!
Anonymous
April 7th, 2013 - 3:02pmMoffat didn’t write it, so don’t blame him! Moffat is one of dr who’s best writers!
The Flying Shark
April 7th, 2013 - 2:59pmI was a bit dissapointed by this. I found Merry annoying, good monsters were overused, and Matt Smith’s acting was terrible, plus it was full of plot holes.
Dalek The Supreme
April 7th, 2013 - 2:46pmI beg to differ. Compared to previous episodes (by that I mean all of them) it had many great ideas that were underplayed or gotten rid of to early. 6/10. And this is me being honest.