Davies' return: A mainstream success or a tired damp squib?

[Bernard Marx]

Nov 21, 2023 6:39:53 GMT zarius said:

The BBC's official review of The Star Beast

www.bbc.com/culture/article/20231120-doctor-who-the-star-beast-the-first-60th-anniversary-special-is-a-whimsical-affair.

Surprisingly scathing given their propensity for Doctor Who puff pieces:

Davies told GQ it was "more than I've ever had to work with". So can we see that money on the screen? Well, no, not really. Not yet. There might be a few more extras in the battle scenes but the special effects are unremarkable.

In fact, it's difficult to imagine even the most fervent fan being anything other than a little underwhelmed by this first special. If you can measure Who episodes on a scale that runs from "whimsical" to "terrifying", this is very much at the whimsical end of the range. There's a twist you can see coming from galaxies away, and the comedy consists mostly of Donna shouting "What the hell…".

…

… if you've been indifferent to Who, this won't be the episode to convert you. And if you're altogether new to the show, you'll probably wonder what all the fuss has been about.

And although the show has always been progressive – look at the number of stories over the decades about, for example, threats to the environment – this special is preachy, and by the end, little more than a delivery system for The Message.

Yep. This is going to be appalling.

If this is Davies at his most lightweight, imagine how insufferable he’ll be once he starts properly buggering with the lore. The calamitous and hugely divisive Davros change occurred via a trivial (albeit crap) Children in Need special coupled with a two minute clip- how awful will he be when writing for the series proper?

Still, if the mainstream media and audience are already skeptical, it means Davies isn’t being treated with kid-gloves anymore. Something he’s never has to endure before.

[iank]

Wow.
I think the mood for this crap may have altered, and RTD may find he is now wildly out of touch with the zeitgeist. Can't wait to see his apoplectic fits of rage if that does turn out to be the case...

[Bernard Marx]

Nov 21, 2023 8:50:04 GMT iank said:

Wow.
I think the mood for this crap may have altered, and RTD may find he is now wildly out of touch with the zeitgeist. Can't wait to see his apoplectic fits of rage if that does turn out to be the case...

Putting aside his appalling creative decisions of late, Davies feels downright tired now.

That Children in Need clip was unbelievably uninspired and braindead, not just in scripting but in presentation. Tennant was particularly awful in it, and those jokes about Kaled anagrams resemble the kind of piss-poor humour I’d expect from restrained schoolkids.

I hope this upcoming era continues to be scrutinised within the mainstream. Everything about it feels hollow, bereft of ideas and all around piss-poor, and there’s only so much one can take before one stops bothering to spin a blatantly damp squib.

[burrunjor]

Nov 21, 2023 8:05:25 GMT Bernard Marx said:

Nov 21, 2023 6:39:53 GMT zarius said:

The BBC's official review of The Star Beast

www.bbc.com/culture/article/20231120-doctor-who-the-star-beast-the-first-60th-anniversary-special-is-a-whimsical-affair.

Surprisingly scathing given their propensity for Doctor Who puff pieces:

Davies told GQ it was "more than I've ever had to work with". So can we see that money on the screen? Well, no, not really. Not yet. There might be a few more extras in the battle scenes but the special effects are unremarkable.

In fact, it's difficult to imagine even the most fervent fan being anything other than a little underwhelmed by this first special. If you can measure Who episodes on a scale that runs from "whimsical" to "terrifying", this is very much at the whimsical end of the range. There's a twist you can see coming from galaxies away, and the comedy consists mostly of Donna shouting "What the hell…".

…

… if you've been indifferent to Who, this won't be the episode to convert you. And if you're altogether new to the show, you'll probably wonder what all the fuss has been about.

And although the show has always been progressive – look at the number of stories over the decades about, for example, threats to the environment – this special is preachy, and by the end, little more than a delivery system for The Message.

Yep. This is going to be appalling.

If this is Davies at his most lightweight, imagine how insufferable he’ll be once he starts properly buggering with the lore. The calamitous and hugely divisive Davros change occurred via a trivial (albeit crap) Children in Need special coupled with a two minute clip- how awful will he be when writing for the series proper?

Still, if the mainstream media and audience are already skeptical, it means Davies isn’t being treated with kid-gloves anymore. Something he’s never has to endure before.

This is going to be hilarious, and yes this is pretty much RTD's entire career. 

I do worry about being surrounded by yes-men. You’re right, it happens. […] I don’t think it’s happened to me yet. In the end, just as good writers are hard to find, so are good script editors, good producers and good execs. When you find good people like Julie and Phil, their sheer talent cancels out the risk of them yes-ing. I suppose the danger is not RTD And The Yes-Men, but a triumverate of people who are so similar that contrary opinions don’t get a look-in.

What is going to happen to him if that bubble breaks? 

[Bernard Marx]

Nov 21, 2023 6:39:53 GMT zarius said:

The BBC's official review of The Star Beast

www.bbc.com/culture/article/20231120-doctor-who-the-star-beast-the-first-60th-anniversary-special-is-a-whimsical-affair.

I sent that review to my Dad earlier. He said this to me:

“Sounds like absolute dogshit. The BBC made it and are saying it’s crap. That’s the equivalent of a student writing a marked essay before scribbling “this is shite” at the end.”

[rushy]

I think it's going to be received far better than the Moffat/Chibnall eras, because regardless of recent events, RTD isn't a total incompetent at storytelling. He knows how to set up and pay off things.

Chibs put no effort into anything, and Moffat either got bored with his storylines halfway through or just took the piss. So as a showrunner, RTD towers over both of them.

That being said, TV standards have risen so much higher since 2010. There's no way that what we've seen previously from Russell will suffice now. If he doesn't show massive improvement, people will get bored and move on.

[Deleted]

Nov 21, 2023 8:05:25 GMT Bernard Marx said:

Nov 21, 2023 6:39:53 GMT zarius said:

The BBC's official review of The Star Beast

www.bbc.com/culture/article/20231120-doctor-who-the-star-beast-the-first-60th-anniversary-special-is-a-whimsical-affair.

Surprisingly scathing given their propensity for Doctor Who puff pieces:

Davies told GQ it was "more than I've ever had to work with". So can we see that money on the screen? Well, no, not really. Not yet. There might be a few more extras in the battle scenes but the special effects are unremarkable.

In fact, it's difficult to imagine even the most fervent fan being anything other than a little underwhelmed by this first special. If you can measure Who episodes on a scale that runs from "whimsical" to "terrifying", this is very much at the whimsical end of the range. There's a twist you can see coming from galaxies away, and the comedy consists mostly of Donna shouting "What the hell…".

…

… if you've been indifferent to Who, this won't be the episode to convert you. And if you're altogether new to the show, you'll probably wonder what all the fuss has been about.

And although the show has always been progressive – look at the number of stories over the decades about, for example, threats to the environment – this special is preachy, and by the end, little more than a delivery system for The Message.

Yep. This is going to be appalling.

If this is Davies at his most lightweight, imagine how insufferable he’ll be once he starts properly buggering with the lore. The calamitous and hugely divisive Davros change occurred via a trivial (albeit crap) Children in Need special coupled with a two minute clip- how awful will he be when writing for the series proper?

Still, if the mainstream media and audience are already skeptical, it means Davies isn’t being treated with kid-gloves anymore. Something he’s never has to endure before.

I'm not taking any pleasure in this.











I tell a lie, I'm taking IMMENSE pleasure in this. 

[Deleted]

He's a bit like José Mourinho. Years and years being called "the special one" and now he's bang average. Sorry Russell, but it ain't 2005 anymore. People are fully aware of your bullshit now.

[Deleted]

"I suppose the danger is not RTD And The Yes-Men, but a triumverate of people who are so similar that contrary opinions don’t get a look-in."

Isn't that the definition of yes-men? He's basically just admitted to being in an echochamber

[Bernard Marx]

Nov 21, 2023 13:00:35 GMT @kengrubshaw said:

He's a bit like José Mourinho. Years and years being called "the special one" and now he's bang average. Sorry Russell, but it ain't 2005 anymore. People are fully aware of your bullshit now.

If the BBC- the institution who created and who are meant to champion Doctor Who- are slagging off your work before your era properly begins, it's a definitive signal that you're f*cked.

[rushy]

Probably the most worrying part is Donna.

Davies managed to give her quite a bit of depth during series 4, yet everything I've seen in trailers and read makes it sound like she's reverted back to her over the top Runaway Bride characterisation

EDIT: Taking her amnesia into account, of course

[Deleted]

This first special sounds like a complete non-event.


People in 1983 could look forward to Troughton and Pertwee returning, the Cybermen, the Master, a Dalek (first appearance in four years), Gallifrey, Sarah-Jane, Susan, a flurry of other beloved companions and lastly a terrific script from a Doctor Who legend. Forty years on and what do we have to look forward to for the Star Beast? OK, Beep the Meep and a couple of old school stuff. The special is largely made up of a spunk haired Tennant, playing it the same way as he did in 2008, Donna "What the hell" Noble, more politics, UNIT characters we couldn't care less about...

If the BBC are essentially saying it's a bit shit (not in those words, but you can tell the author was hinting at it) then what hope is there? I was so excited for this last month because I thought that RTD would be smart and deliver something for all fans to enjoy over this special time, but that's obviously NOT the case.

[rushy]

Nov 21, 2023 14:30:55 GMT @kengrubshaw said:

People in 1983 could look forward to Troughton and Pertwee returning, the Cybermen, the Master, a Dalek (first appearance in four years), Gallifrey, Sarah-Jane, Susan, a flurry of other beloved companions and lastly a terrific script from a Doctor Who legend. 

In fairness, this could only happen because Terrance Dicks had the ability to deal with the insane grocery list of returning characters JNT thrust on him. Not even Robert Holmes could deal with that. 

As much as I dislike the story, "Three Doctors" is a much more reasonable anniversary story. 

[zarius]

Radio Times review

www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-the-star-beast-review/

All a glow about it...still give it three stars

[Bernard Marx]

Nov 21, 2023 19:03:44 GMT zarius said:

Radio Times review

www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-the-star-beast-review/

All a glow about it...still give it three stars

 Of course this is what Donna is like 15 years on. Of course that's how the Doctor would react when he met her again. Of course.

Did Davies ghost write this?