Doctor Who "The End of Time Part 1" [spoilers]

[Gramzamber]

As an aside, will we find out who is uplifting the Ood?
I'm thinking it may have been the Time Lords at this point.

[Revy]

As an aside, will we find out who is uplifting the Ood?
I'm thinking it may have been the Time Lords at this point.

I thought that was just because time 'broke', allowing them to magically see through time with their joining-hands vision thing. After all, if you can see the future then you can basically cheat when it comes to invention and innovation. Not to mention that they can apparently see other worlds as well, so they could develop faster by observing more advanced aliens.

[NecronLord]

There's a clip from part 2 on youtube, I'm not sure about the legality (it's branded, mind, so perhaps it's a preview off a website or something) but it's a big damn spoiler...
Spoiler

The President marches into a council chamber, and consults with his advisors. The Doctor has absconded with something called 'The Moment' and he plans to use it to purge Time Lords and Daleks. One of them says is that a bad thing? They're on the outer edge of the Time War, and at its center, millions will die per second only to be ressurected by 'Time' over and over. He murders her for this dissention.

It is perhaps his plan to 'End Time' in order to both survive, and prevent this happening, somehow. Unfortunately, I suspect this means they're going to be cast back into the abyss or something, at the end of the story; come on RTD, impress me, don't do that.

[Gramzamber]

I don't think I could handle yet another season of lonely Doctor angst Spoiler

Especially if he's the one to kill off the Time Lords.. again

.
To me it got old after Eccleston left anyway.

[Stark]

I'm not sure I can handle another RTD season bombas... finale. I'm glad to see everything stupid and shit about the last three years is now a critical plot point, everyone is still retarded, and the 'paint by numbers' approach of throwing out kewl-but-terrible developments continues. Have we ever found out more about anything episodes had hinted at without it being shit?

[NecronLord]

Oh please. As per usual, this really wasn't bad at all. It's part two that will be an abomination against Time itself.

[Stark]

I can't separate the episode from it's stupid roots (he even claimed to have put the ring in so someone else could bring him back later) and that it's a terrible setup for another repeat of the One RTD Finale. I'll have to force myself to look, since then he'll be gone. I don't think any nDW has been technically bad; the writing is just fucking horrible. Combining a bunch of stupid things into a stupid setup for something stupid isn't good television.

At least this time it is possible it won't be a reset button and the Time Lords will remain. However this will likely involve resetting the entire series because someone locks him in a prison with an 'avoid time war' button.

[NecronLord]

Yeah, RTD didn't have plans to do this, but it was fucking obviously a soul jar. I'm not really seeing the problem with the Master surviving. Randomly getting superpowers, that's a bit odd...

[Stark]

For sure; he was obviously going to return. It's just a sign of his decline that he deliberately wrote in an out for later writers and then ended up using it himself.

[Gramzamber]

I'm just amused that the woman who is finally revealed to be the one who took the ring turns out to be... nobody. A flunkie. An extra. Who dies all of 2 minutes after appearing.
There go all those Rani/Lucy/Evil Master Donna theories.

[Darksider]

It looks to be an excellent opening to a two-parter, but I can't help but wonder how the guy in charge is going to fuck it up, given that just about every finale to the new Dr. who series had a strong first part and subsequently went to shit faster than a meteor falling to earth. It seems like whoever's running the show knows how to do decent set up and cliffhangers, but has no idea whatsoever as to how to bring it to a successful conclusion.

[mr friendly guy]

First thing, goddamn this particular youtube video which failed to load up, so I missed 10 minutes in the middle. However given the description from wiki I don't think I missed much.

1. RTD seemed to be channelling the Wachavski brothers man. The Master doing this jump seemed like Neo from the matrix while his taking over humanity is just agent smith in movies 2 & 3. That being said the Master Race line was hilarious.

2. Timothy Dalton as the head time lord looks cool. Also makes a good narrator. The Time Lord background looked pretty neat too. Oh those James Bond is a time lord jokes which used to go around the net just took on a whole new meaning.

3. For some reason before Timothy Dalton was revealed in full TL regalia, he reminded me of Valentine Dyall as the Black Guardian from the old series with the shot from sideview.

4. The master, Harold Saxon, Skeletor whatever you call him. Ok, its a pop culture reference, but I found it amusing.

By itself this story was ok, its how it sets up for the next story that is promising. That being said DW recently has had 2 parters which set up nicely only to fall short in the second part. RTD has been a bit of a hit and miss, more misses recently. That being said I will see what happens and go from there.

A few random musings

1. The Master could be used to oppose the Time Lords, but that would suck as it sounds cliche to me. Seems unlikely since Timothy Dalton mention the Master had a role in things, and it seems ridiculous it will be to just oppose the TL.

2. If the TL go back into Limbo, just like the Daleks, that would show RTD's creative bankruptcy.

3. If the TL become bad guys next season it could be interesting. TL society scarred by war and no longer the passive observers and intervening for the "greater good" could be interesting. Its pure speculation at this point on my part what RTD wants to do with them. That being said, if they are the bad guys how the hell is the Doctor supposed to beat them in a head up confrontation, unless he someone powers up the TARDIS, or the TL themselves are weaker than the planet moving, forcefields over planet, Time Loop entire worlds wank of the past.

4. Ok, the reset button is guaranteed for the humans, especially with the end of time forshadowing. But seriously, if the reset everything else it would be.. well lets not go there .. again.

5. Does this mean the Time Lords won the time war? Or rather the Doctor won it for them after defeating the rejuvenant Emperor, Davros and the new Dalek supreme and the cult of skaro.

[mr friendly guy]

Found the youtube clip showing the first 2 minutes of the second parter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erR_rKwhd0Q
Spoiler

I liked the down dalek ships outside the capital. Timothy Dalton manages to look sinister, and what is with this time itself is resurrecting victims from the time war. Does it mean that history keeps on being changed so that people who died the first time round return only to die the second time round again and so on?

I will say this for new Who. They have never been short of epic ideas. However great ideas can be let down by so so writing.

[Bounty]

Timothy Dalton manages to look sinister

That thing he's wearing -
Spoiler

is that the Resurrection Glove from Torchwood? Or just a prop that looks similar?

[NecronLord]

5. Does this mean the Time Lords won the time war? Or rather the Doctor won it for them after defeating the rejuvenant Emperor, Davros and the new Dalek supreme and the cult of skaro.

The war, it would seem, never ended.

[NecronLord]

Timothy Dalton manages to look sinister

That thing he's wearing -
Spoiler

is that the Resurrection Glove from Torchwood? Or just a prop that looks similar?

Spoiler

I don't think so, it's the same kind of look, but his is bigger. Of course, that wouldn't preclude the Torchwood thing being Time Lord.

[NecronLord]

Found the youtube clip showing the first 2 minutes of the second parter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erR_rKwhd0Q
Spoiler

I liked the down dalek ships outside the capital. Timothy Dalton manages to look sinister, and what is with this time itself is resurrecting victims from the time war. Does it mean that history keeps on being changed so that people who died the first time round return only to die the second time round again and so on?

I will say this for new Who. They have never been short of epic ideas. However great ideas can be let down by so so writing.

I've taken the liberty of slapping spoiler tags around the spoilery bit, even if it is in the next episode.

[mr friendly guy]

5. Does this mean the Time Lords won the time war? Or rather the Doctor won it for them after defeating the rejuvenant Emperor, Davros and the new Dalek supreme and the cult of skaro.

The war, it would seem, never ended.

Well that would depend on what big threat the Time Lords are worried about. Unless the threat to creation turns out to be the Time Lords.

BTW NecronLord. That quote in your sig from the Gallifrey chronicles - what is this Gallifrey chronicles.

[Big Orange]

On that Ep. 2 preview:
Spoiler

The Time Lords seem to have their own equivalent of Dalek Caan in the ruins of their Citadel; a wild haired elderly woman with googly eyes who can predict the future.

That gauntlet that Lord President 007 uses looks pretty similar to that damn gauntlet from Torchwood; they were only intended to be used by Time Lords, not humans, hence why he used it on a subordinate with such effective deftness.

[Drooling Iguana]

Yeah, wrong phrase. I wonder what you'd call eating another sentient species... that looks just like you to boot.
And yeah the whole self-eating Master thing.. more images I don't need. Maybe that's his plan. Put Masters on a conveyor belt and feed himself with his clones for uber energy! Yeuck.

Could be.

[Gramzamber]

On the ep 2 preview.
Spoiler

Seems like a flashback to the Time War to me. And oh good, the President is a psycho. There goes any semblance of "greater good".
Still, could it mean that Gallifrey is still gone, and the President and his fellows are Time Lords-in-a-can like all the varius Daleks-in-a-can that have come and gone?
If so I'll be disappointed. I assume they'll at least have a TARDIS or two though.

[Insane Inquisitor]

Good episode overall, although I do have to ask...
Spoiler

When The Doctor was trying to disable The Gate, why did he not try to cut the power? Alien tech and all, it probably still requires electricity...

Just my two cents

[NecronLord]

5. Does this mean the Time Lords won the time war? Or rather the Doctor won it for them after defeating the rejuvenant Emperor, Davros and the new Dalek supreme and the cult of skaro.

The war, it would seem, never ended.

Well that would depend on what big threat the Time Lords are worried about. Unless the threat to creation turns out to be the Time Lords.

I imagine it is, from RTD's comments in Confidential

BTW NecronLord. That quote in your sig from the Gallifrey chronicles - what is this Gallifrey chronicles.

There's actually two books by that name, but this one is the last novel in the Eigth Doctor series, where Gallifrey has been destroyed, and the Doctor discovers another surviving Time Lord, who at one point says that to his human 'assistant.' It was somewhat written to reconcile with the new series, so it sets up an offscreen rebuild of Gallifrey.

[TC Pilot]

Good episode, but if Journey's End is any indication....

Poor Obama. If he survives the next two years, he's only going to be booted out of office by van Stanton.

Always good for there to actually be new aliens and alien settings, even if they're treated only in passing. What exactly did they expect to do? If they were going to take the device back with them, why not just take it and fix it on their own time?

Anyone else think Season 4 would have been far better with Donna's grandfather as the companion instead of Donna?

What is it with recent Doctor Who and rich black people? Maybe it's just me, but it seems like every time there's a wealthy British black character in the show, they have exactly the same snobbish/arrogant personality.

Not knowing anything about the episode going into it other than that the Master was coming back, I was hoping he regenerated into Dalton. I can't stand Simm's character, least of all comapred to Jacobi's version, even if it lasted all of a minute.

[NecronLord]

Poor Obama. If he survives the next two years, he's only going to be booted out of office by van Stanton.

Heh. I'd not thought about that... nifty. Though of course, we don't get it confirmed, and the demise of Van Statten might stop that happening.

What is it with recent Doctor Who and rich black people? Maybe it's just me, but it seems like every time there's a wealthy British black character in the show, they have exactly the same snobbish/arrogant personality.

Martha's dad was rich (did you see his motor?), and while annoying, wasn't some kind of Dick. And the PotUK was awesome - not arrogant. He was the President. His only failing was ignoring a waiter he'd never met who claimed to inexplicably know about cybermen.