Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special - 4 Parts

[Gary]

Part One is today!!

EW! Doctor Who 2023 - 60th Anniversary Specials Trailer | BBC

[Lupine]

I just wish it wasn't paywalled on Disney+.

[Gary]

I have Disney+ and was looking forward to watching it today. I had a sad when I realized I have to wait until Saturday.

[RJDiogenes]

I also lost track of the days a bit and I also won't be able to see it, unfortunately.

Speaking of Doctor Who, my Brother told me about this new 60th-anniversary mini series called Tales of the TARDIS, which presents some classic Who episodes with bookend sequences featuring classic Doctors and Companions. The bookend sequences alone can be found on YouTube. Here is the one featuring "my" Doctor.

Now I have to start figuring out how these fit into continuity.

[Gary]

Watched the special last night. Overall, it wasn't bad. Anyone familiar with Russell T. Davies's work from the reboot will recognize he is back at the helm. The new theme and intro sequence are really neat, plus the TARDIS has an all-new interior that we don't see until the end of the episode. I really don't care for the trans story that people are lauding (*Spoilers, sweetie) the show for including. The Sonic Screwdriver displays some never-before-seen capabilities that are definitely plot driven yet are fun to watch. We still don't know why Ten's face is back, plus I'm curious why the Doctor isn't experiencing the usual post-regeneration amnesia and other side effects. Davies is usually very good at the minor details, so I hope those aren't forgotten by the time this temporary regeneration transitions.

[RJDiogenes]

We still don't know why Ten's face is back, plus I'm curious why the Doctor isn't experiencing the usual post-regeneration amnesia and other side effects. Davies is usually very good at the minor details, so I hope those aren't forgotten by the time this temporary regeneration transitions.

Interesting that the first time we see the return of a "familiar face," there is no post-Regeneration disorientation and there is an unprecedented return of that face's wardrobe. I wonder if these things are connected or if it's just that their standards are slipping.

[Gary]

Part II, The Wild Blue Yonder, was on last night (I haven't checked the broadcast schedule).

The TARDIS takes the Doctor and Donna to the furthest edge of adventure. To escape, they must face the most desperate fight of their lives, with the fate of the universe at stake.

Not a bad episode as Russell T. Davies' touch of storytelling is evident. We see Wilf at the end of the episode, which is a nice payoff.

[RJDiogenes]

Wow, that's a very nice touch indeed.

[Gary]

Part 3, The Giggle.

The giggle of a mysterious puppet is driving the human race insane. When The Doctor discovers the return of the terrifying Toymaker, he faces a fight he can never win.

Neal Patrick Harris does a brilliant job as the Celestial Toymaker, and the presentation of The Doctor and Donna being trapped in a world of his making is almost as terrifying as the first time we ever met the Weeping Angels. This is the episode where the Doctor regenerates; however, I am not very keen on how RTD decided to handle it by allowing the Doctor to experience something called a (SPOILERS)"Bi-generation" of both himself and the TARDIS. The writers appear to be throwing out all of the rules for what makes The Doctor "The Doctor", because the newest incarnation doesn't suffer from the post-regenerative mental fuzziness. I also don't understand how the newest incarnation of The Doctor was able to come into existence without wearing pants -- and NO ONE ever says a word about it.

Also, we may see The Master return in the next season as we're treated to a hint of his existence.

[Lupine]

I've only been able to catch spoilers on YouTube, but they do seem to be making some odd decisions like the "bi-generation".

[RJDiogenes]

Wow, they have really made a mess of Doctor Who. What the hell was the purpose of this? It was interesting to see Tennant return briefly, but it's really time for him to go now. I guess he should consider himself lucky that he was able to coincidentally bigenerate the TARDIS as well.

Between this and the Timeless Child thing, DW is now as screwed up as Trek.

[Gary]

Wow, they have really made a mess of Doctor Who. What the hell was the purpose of this? It was interesting to see Tennant return briefly, but it's really time for him to go now. I guess he should consider himself lucky that he was able to coincidentally bigenerate the TARDIS as well.

Between this and the Timeless Child thing, DW is now as screwed up as Trek.

Tennant could have returned had The Doctor been able to open the portal where his non-Timelord clone and Rose are stuck. I agree, DW is a mess, and if the Christmas special is a disaster I will probably abandon the show.

[RJDiogenes]

Apparently the showrunner has commented that the Bigeneration was retroactive, creating duplicates of all the Doctor's previous incarnations, explaining why we've seen aged versions of them in Tales of the TARDIS.

So that means that there are fifteen versions of the Doctor out there in the universe all at the same time.

But wait! What about the Timeless Child revelation? The Doc's mom killed off thousands or tens of thousands or who knows how many Time Lord infants-- that means there are literally countless Doctors out there in the universe.

What the hell are they thinking?

[RJDiogenes]

Thinking about this further, I'm assuming that Time Lord infants need to be fed just like any other infant-- and if they don't then they'll starve to death and regenerate. So somewhere out there is a mountain of Time Lord babies constantly dying and regenerating like popcorn. I think we have reached the Jump-The-Shark moment for Doctor Who.

[Gary]

Thinking about this further, I'm assuming that Time Lord infants need to be fed just like any other infant-- and if they don't then they'll starve to death and regenerate. So somewhere out there is a mountain of Time Lord babies constantly dying and regenerating like popcorn. I think we have reached the Jump-The-Shark moment for Doctor Who.

I'm sorry, but that made me laugh, and it's sickeningly hilarious.