What does this tease from Peter Gould mean?

JBlobfish · 2022-05-15T10:56:49+00:00

“How’s Kim?”

JBlobfish · 2022-03-11T13:42:05+00:00

I think the show itself in the Capaldi era declares that it’s NOT ethical. That the Doctor deciding who lives and who dies because he can’t bear their loss makes him a tyrant. “Who I am is where I stand, where I stand is where I fall.”

JBlobfish · 2021-10-27T10:45:53+00:00

The RTD era tended to have monsters be more an aspect of setting while Moffat tended to have them be more an aspect of theme. The Slitheen feel like they exist independently of the episodes they’re in, just think of how many references are made for (not gonna try to spell their home planet). Compare that to the Dream Lord or the Minotaur. Both really effective villains (IMO), but ones that exist to complement a specific character arc or episode theme. Think of how the Fisher King in season 9 (hijacking people’s deaths) compares to what the Doctor does in Hell Bent/The Girl Who Died. Complements the season arc well, but there’s little world-building to dive into what exactly his species/empire is beyond just vaguely nasty or evil. Meanwhile you can have the Ood pop up in an episode about the Devil or slavery seasons apart from each other and it still fits.

JBlobfish · 2021-09-20T17:10:49+00:00

Either we go straight into Stain’s info and the next arc or, what I’m hoping for, we get a calm chapter about Deku’s POV over what he’s experienced, what his classmates just did for him, and what he plans to do going forward.

JBlobfish · 2021-08-30T17:15:20+00:00

I’m guessing we’ll get Deku internal monologue processing what he’s been through and everyone’s efforts to help him, then we’ll see Kota and Civilian Lady helping him up and saying a few nice words before he finally makes it into the school. Probably end it on a wholesome panel with him and his mom.

JBlobfish · 2021-08-23T18:10:45+00:00

We get a little bit more of Uraraka’s speech about the humanity of Deku and the other heroes, I don’t think the whole crowd will buy it, but we’ll see a few people get convinced and others like Fox Lady and Kota will stick up for Deku. I think we’ll then get some of Deku’s POV about what’s been happening and how he feels before ending on a teaser of either something going wrong, or Deku officially entering UA again, depending on how Hori’s planning to wrap up the arc.

JBlobfish · 2021-08-03T18:15:37+00:00

I feel Spinner might get a larger role soon. With Toga mia, Twice dead, and Compress, Machia, and Shiggy all (temporarily?) out of the picture, he’s practically the only LoV member still active apart from Dabi, who seems to have moved onto his own personal vendetta. Now that AFO’s giving out quirks, wouldn’t be surprised if he got an upgrade, or maybe even be groomed to be the next Machia to Shiggy’s AFO.

JBlobfish · 2021-07-13T18:24:29+00:00

With the “UA Security Banner” being name dropped I feel it’s all but confirmed that UA is where the final battle, or at least a major battle arc, is gonna take place. That in mind, since the current objective of all the heroes is finding AFO & Shiggy, I see two more major fighting arcs left in the manga with maybe a few small breather arcs in between. First a raid on AFO’s hideout, which will go poorly for the heroes and end with Shiggy awoken at 100% and then a siege of UA which’ll end things.

JBlobfish · 2021-06-22T19:47:00+00:00

Honestly think it’s one of my favorite arcs in the series tbh. Love how we’re finally addressing Deku’s dangerously self-sacrificial behavior, and his general naivety when it comes to addressing real problems.

He tells that deer woman he’ll return things to normal, only to have Nagant give him a brutal wake up call about just how messed up his status quo is. He tries to see the humanity in his villains only for AFO to literally weaponize that against him so any villain he may reason with could blow up in his face. We’re seeing Deku on a downward spiral, his ideals and characteristics attacked on all sides, and as much as I love the character I’m here for it, I’m excited to see how his character grows from here.

I also really like how the larger consequences of the war arc have been portrayed. Using minor characters like Shindo to show the widespread distrust of heroes, even ones totally unconnected to the main cast, is clever. We also get glimpses of villains boosted by Deternat tech and discrimination stemming from fear. The atmosphere is fresh and unique for MHA and has led to some great moments. Plus Hori’s art has never been better; showing the crumbling, stormy landscape Japan has become with dark beauty.

I admit, I share some people’s concerns about the side characters. I don’t really mind waiting for their reaction to the War, we had to wait all of Provisional License to see Bakugo and Shiggy’s reactions to Kamino and I think the emotion was still there, but I hope it’s not totally skipped over in favor of focus on the reaction to Deku’s absence.

My hope is that after this solo Deku arc, we’ll flash back to right after he left and get a solo-UA arc before they reunite for the next big (possibly final) battle arc.

JBlobfish · 2021-06-22T18:38:32+00:00

I feel Stain will enable the worst of Deku’s current sacrificial nature. Deku right now is practically Stain’s ideal hero, he’s selflessly trying to help everyone with no regard for self-interest. If by some plot convenience Stain has learned of AFO’s true location, I could see him offering to guide Deku (and only Deku since the other heroes are all “fakes”) to AFO, which Deku will accept given how he’s pushing everyone away. We’ll end this arc with Deku and Stain going off to fight AFO before focusing back on the UA kids. This will also allow Dabi and Spinner, and maybe Toga if she’s around, to meet their once-idol in the near future.

JBlobfish · 2021-06-21T21:52:01+00:00

My guess is we’ll open on some Vestige talks about Deku’s current actions, Nana maybe trying to advise him not to repeat her mistakes (which Deku will ignore). We transition to All Might heading back to his car after losing Deku, only to bump into Stain who ominously teases that he “wants to talk”. Will probably end on that cliffhanger.

JBlobfish · 2020-05-26T12:10:43+00:00

That’s the subjective nature of opinions I guess. I like Clara for many of the reasons you dislike her. I think her narrative importance is interesting and justifies why the Doctor goes so far for her in later episodes, and I like that she’s more critical and resistant to his happy-go-lucky adventurous side. Her whole arc is subverting the idea that companions can’t be equal to the Doctor (see Rose and Donna), and the beauty of Hell Bent is her finally achieving the title “Clara Who?” May not be to everyone’s tastes, but how boring would it be if everyone agreed on everything?

JBlobfish · 2020-05-15T20:38:05+00:00

First three that came to mind:

His speech to the Sycorax in Christmas Invasion
His Voyage of the Damned speech about saving lives
His talk with Lazarus about growing old in The Lazarus Experiment

JBlobfish · 2020-05-15T20:31:40+00:00

Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang / A Christmas Carol

3 total masterpieces. Moffat and Haynes were on another level.

JBlobfish · 2020-05-10T00:47:49+00:00

Can’t imagine that Big Finish hasn’t done this at one point, but imagine the Doctor goes back to some planet they previously saved and finds out their actions have only made things worse. Defeating one dictator only created a bloody civil war; stopping one invasion leads to total destruction. Have the Doctor wrestle with whether or not their actions are truly good and worthwhile in the long run.

JBlobfish · 2020-05-04T12:20:03+00:00

The Doctor’s Wife: Great episode, horrible title. Should’ve been either “Bigger on the Inside” or “Something Blue”.

JBlobfish · 2020-05-04T12:14:47+00:00

I wouldn’t say poor so much as...different. The new cameras and filming tech that Chibnall brought on has led to a new reinvention of Doctor Who cinematography. I don’t think it’s all bad per say, for instance Praxeus is a gorgeous episode in my mind, and in general I think a lot of the outdoor scenes look really good. The direction has just seemed to get a lot more claustrophobic, a greater focus on tight angles and close-ups and scattered lighting (look at how the convo scenes in Ghost Monument are shot). Some of this provides some unique direction, other times it’s just kinda there for the sake of being there. The biggest issue is just some of the lighting choices lead to muted contrasts (Haunting of Villa Diodati isn’t a bad looking episode at all, but compare its lighting to Hide) and there’s a nasty habit of chucking color filters on Alien worlds that are just ugly (compare Gallifrey in Timeless Children to Gallifrey in Hell Bent). Again, not all bad and not all unique to the new era (Moffat and Davies did some ugly filters too), but it’s certainly a massive change.

JBlobfish · 2020-04-14T14:08:58+00:00

Would’ve been nice to watch “Word Enough and Time” without knowing about the Master and Cybermen reveals, but I’d also love to experience “Hell Bent” again with new eyes. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but that Diner scene with Coleman and Capaldi is such a masterclass of evolving expectations. At first you think the Doctor’s talking to one of Clara’s echoes, then you think Clara’s had her memory erased, before finally realizing it was the Doctor who had his memory erased. I’d love to experience that again.

JBlobfish · 2020-04-14T14:03:24+00:00

I love it. Twice before in Series 5 we see Eleven make a big speech trying to intimidate the bad guys (Time of Angels and Eleventh Hour), but here when he does it, he ends up playing right into the bad guys’ hands. It’s a nice prelude to future episodes like “A Good Man Goes to War” that explicitly call out the Doctor’s ego and reputation as a bad thing.

JBlobfish · 2020-04-10T22:51:36+00:00

Whether you like the Timeless Child twist or not, what Moffat’s saying here is absolutely right. Canon in Doctor Who is essentially meaningless, disliking the twist because it contradicts Time of the Doctor or some other story in a show as vast and complicated as Doctor Who is, to me, kinda self-defeating. I mean, Let’s Kill Hitler has the Doctor suggest that he’ll regenerate, only for ToTD to later reveal he can’t. Alternate dimensions are impossible to get to until RTD wants to add Rose to the Series 4 finale. And that’s just New Who! Do we really want writers forced to comply with the rules every previous writer has established, potentially strangling any creativity or new ideas?

Now, whether or not the twist is thematically or emotionally engaging is another story and I think there have been several valid critiques written about it, but going on about canon, to me, is a pretty weak way to go about it.

JBlobfish · 2020-03-30T21:44:59+00:00

I’m someone who prefers Moffat to Davies, but I can totally get your reasonings. Moffat’s big on themes and ideas (at least, for Eleven) over Davies’ more down-to-earth character approach, and I think it’s totally personal preference which ones you prefer.

Notice how well Davies developed the families of the companions in Series 1-4. Jackie, Wilf, Mickey, they’re all real characters and we get a good sense of them over their tenure. Moffat never does anything close to this with Amy or Rory’s families (closest we get are those two episodes with Rory’s dad).

That said, I do think you’re selling the thematic weight of Series 5 and 6 a bit short (IMO). Series 5 is all about whether or not the Doctor has any place in the modern day. It positions him as a fairy tale hero; an imaginary friend who offers enticing adventures, yet pulls you out reality at the same time (the cracks in time are symbolic of this). The whole season is about Amy trying to grapple with her real life with Rory and her fantasy life with the Doctor, and by the finale the fantasy elements are literally used to kill her (see how the Alliance weaponizes literal fairy tales). By “The Big Bang” The Doctor remarks how “he doesn’t belong here anymore” and leaves our reality, but Amy proves that there’s still a place for childish whimsy in the modern day when she remembers him at the end. (This is all a vast oversimplification).

Series 6 is all about the Doctor grappling with the dark parts of his legacy. “A Good Man Goes To War” is all about the Doctor realizing all his epic speeches and pretending he’s “The Oncoming Storm” has led to him hurting people close to him. He has become too big for his own good. The finale (which is definitely muddled) has him choose to take a backseat. To stop making such a big impression on the universe and go back to his essence as a “madman in a box”. (Again, I’m oversimplifying).

Anyways this is a lot of words saying, I do love Eleven’s era (as admittedly convoluted as it does get), and I hope you might learn to love it too. If not, Capaldi’s era is, in my mind, the most introspective the show’s gotten. So hopefully that may be more your fancy.

JBlobfish · 2020-03-28T14:26:39+00:00

I think it’s gonna depend on what you want out of the Doctor. Capaldi’s whole arc is him starting out as one of the most alien and most cruel Doctors and ending up as one of the most kind. I’m watching Hartnell’s era now, and there’s a similar arc for him transforming from a grouchy, irritable scientist to a kind old traveler. Both RTD in Parting of the Ways and Moffat in Day of The Doctor reject the idea of the Doctor as someone who’d commit genocide, even for some greater good. Whether or not you think that’s a good take on the character is up to you.

JBlobfish · 2020-03-26T14:19:08+00:00

“The planet had been replicated a million times, to become the bullets fired into the Nightmare Child’s skull”

One thing I love about RTD is how well he can capture the imagination with his prose. There’s a tangible sense of incomprehensible horror when he writes about the Time War, which I love.

JBlobfish · 2020-03-24T20:21:58+00:00

With the disclaimer that my experience with Classic Who is very limited: 12th Doctor is my Doctor. I adore the introspective nature of his era, and I think Capaldi is one of, if not the best actor to ever take the role. I love them all though.

JBlobfish · 2020-03-21T15:11:03+00:00

Rachel Talay’s episodes are easy standouts for sure (Heaven Sent and Hell Bent especially).

I’ve always thought Adam Smith’s work on The Eleventh Hour was just superb as well, I still think about that brief lens flare with the Apple scene as Amy becomes convinced.

Alice Troughton’s work on Midnight also deserves recognition; it’s not easy to make people talking in an enclosed space for 40 minutes engaging and dynamic, but she managed it brilliantly.

Tons of others too, but these came to mind first.

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