Doctor Who S33E15 "The Time of the Doctor" [Spoilers]

[Eternal_Freedom]

I think Moffat and RTD are roughly equal when it comes to individual episodes (Moffat having an advantage of writing several during RTD's run) I think Moffat and RTD can be best compared by looking at their "epic" episodes, and I suggest looking at just four sets of episodes, namely "stories featuring multiple versions of the Doctor" and "end-of-regeneration" stories, since those are suitably "epic."

For RTD this gives us "Stolen Earth/Journey's End" with the metacrisis Doctor comparing to Moffat's "The Day of the Doctor." No need to tell which of those is the better story. Mostly because for RTD the "multiple Doctors" was a goofy way out of the hole he'd dug whereas Moffat's episode was based entirely on the premise.

Then we have the "end of regeneration" episodes. For RTD we have "The End of Time" and for Moffat "The Time of the Doctor." And this is where the difference becomes most clear: RTD's episode was frankly awful, it took ages to get going and was tail-ended by a long repeat of the goodbye montage and had what felt like two different plots slammed together. Moffat's story, while far from perfect, was at least average, had just one plot (even if it was silly in places) and avoided the lengthy montage and drawn-out introduction.

[Tribble]

Don't forget RTD's "The Parting of the Ways", which I feel was a lot better episode than either of them.

I think that's the real difference between the two - RTD's episodes are either way above average or way below average, while Moffat is consistently good.

IMO, the best episodes of NU Who so far have been the ones where RTD was producer and Moffat was writer: "The Empty Child /The Doctor Dances", "The Girl in The Fireplace" "Blink" and "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead" respectively.

[Broomstick]

Who is Malcom Tuker?

Some character in a series that was popular in the UK but pretty much unknown outside of it, which always takes the Malcolm Tucker fans by surprise that, say, the American Whovians have largely never seen or heard of the character.

I know Capaldi from his earlier work... thirty years ago when he was about the age Matt Smith was when he got the Doctor role. The role I most remember him for was adorkable, and certainly wouldn't swear. Kind of 180 to Tucker. And most of the Tucker fanatics don't seem to grok that Capaldi played a non-Tucker character on Who already, in The Fires of Pompeii. Which, comes to think of it, was another somewhat dorky character.

I look forward to seeing what he does in the role of the Doctor. Hell, I just enjoy seeing him again, period.

[Havok]

I thought he looked familiar. Does that mean that the Doctor takes faces of people he has encountered from his past that have left an indelible mark in his memory?

[J Ryan]

Don't forget he also played a Civil Servant in Torchwood: Children of Earth.

[Eternal_Freedom]

It's hardly unprecedented, Six happened to look just like Commander Maxil.

This is why I hate people who say that Benedict Cumberbatch should be the next Doctor. Yes, he's an excellent actor and I'm sure he could handle the role, but those people don't want him to play the Doctor, they want Sherlock to play the Doctor,which would just end messily for all involved.

[Iroscato]

It's hardly unprecedented, Six happened to look just like Commander Maxil.

This is why I hate people who say that Benedict Cumberbatch should be the next Doctor. Yes, he's an excellent actor and I'm sure he could handle the role, but those people don't want him to play the Doctor, they want Sherlock to play the Doctor,which would just end messily for all involved.

Five years ago, he would have been the perfect choice for the role. Now, however, he is far too well known for his role in Sherlock and maybe Star Trek to have the same impact. Come to think of it, Peter Capaldi is the first actor to take the role that I've actually heard of beforehand, though the fact that I was 15 when Matt Smith began his tenure might have something to do with it.

[Enigma]

How did Tasha Lem know how to use the Tardis? Aren't Time Lords\Ladies the only ones allowed to operate a Tardis?

What happened to the New Paradigm Daleks? They went kaput?

[Tribble]

The Timelords significantly changed history by retconning the Doctor's death. Does that undo what Clara and the Great Intelligence did? Or were those events still remembered?

[mr friendly guy]

How did Tasha Lem know how to use the Tardis?

Yeah another one who knows how to fly the TARDIS. Becoming a little silly.

Aren't Time Lords\Ladies the only ones allowed to operate a Tardis?

You are most probably getting a few details mixed up. Newly made TARDISes have some "defenses" if you like to prevent anyone else using it. That is they need to scan for a certain sequence in the genes of Time Lords known as the Rassilon Imprimatuer. So if some alien race copied a TARDIS without understanding how it worked, and then tried to pilot it, it would do nasty things to the pilot. Like kill them. Or have them lost in time.

In other words, a TARDIS could be captured, but its harder to simply copy the tech like the Third zone worlds tried to do in the classic serial "The Two Doctors."

However once a TARDIS has been primed, ie used by a Time Lord, anyone can use it. But here is a caveat. It has to be reprimed after a while or else the same thing will happen. This usually isn't a problem because the Doctor continuously uses it. Oh, another neat trick is you can tamper with the system so that it needs to be reprimed sooner. Could create a neat trap as the Sontarons found out in "The Two Doctors."

[DaveJB]

How did Tasha Lem know how to use the Tardis? Aren't Time Lords\Ladies the only ones allowed to operate a Tardis?

Even in the classic series some of the companions were able to fly the TARDIS when the Doctor wasn't around - Adric could fly it almost as well as the Doctor could, and Zoe and Nyssa both knew the basics of TARDIS operation.

What happened to the New Paradigm Daleks? They went kaput?

Not completely, as they still appear in the background from time to time, but I think it's obvious by now that Moffat has realized the new design was a complete misfire and brought back the RTD-era design as the main one.

[Tribble]

You are most probably getting a few details mixed up. Newly made TARDISes have some "defenses" if you like to prevent anyone else using it. That is they need to scan for a certain sequence in the genes of Time Lords known as the Rassilon Imprimatuer. So if some alien race copied a TARDIS without understanding how it worked, and then tried to pilot it, it would do nasty things to the pilot. Like kill them. Or have them lost in time.

In other words, a TARDIS could be captured, but its harder to simply copy the tech like the Third zone worlds tried to do in the classic serial "The Two Doctors."

However once a TARDIS has been primed, ie used by a Time Lord, anyone can use it. But here is a caveat. It has to be reprimed after a while or else the same thing will happen. This usually isn't a problem because the Doctor continuously uses it. Oh, another neat trick is you can tamper with the system so that it needs to be reprimed sooner. Could create a neat trap as the Sontarons found out in "The Two Doctors."

The defences also work come in play when another species tries to construct their own TARDIS from scratch. Which would explain why the TARDIS from "The Lodger" didn't work properly.