Series 7 vs Series 8

[Cherry Pepsi Maxil]

Pitting what some consider the worst series of the Smith era against Capaldi's rocky debut series which all but confirmed that the Doctor Who you loved wasn't coming back.

I think Series 7 is better and far less hostile. I find Series 8 too angsty with Capaldi yet to find his feet as the Doctor and a Clara who is as far away from the sweet bubbly Clara of the previous series as you can possibly get. The Danny Pink stuff is cringe and the finale is the ultimate middle finger to the show's history. If it wasn't so irritating I could maybe laugh at the idea of Cyber Brig flying through the sky and saving his daughter. It's all a bit pants. Series 7's first half isn't all that bad, but it isn't the Pond's finest hour. Asylum of the Daleks is perfectly serviceable. I think it gets going when Clara becomes the companion. Every episode, even the shit ones, are self contained and don't really link to anything which make them far more easy to revisit. There's references throughout and the build up to the anniversary (which was disappointing, but still) is quite exciting with episodes like Name of the Doctor.

[rushy]

Series 8 has much bigger lows, but it's also got much more memorable highs. Series 7 is sort of samey for me the whole time. It's the New Who season I remember the least.

[iank]

I went for 8, though it's tough to find much to wank over in either.

[Ludders II]

Nov 19, 2024 7:05:44 GMT iank said:

I went for 8, though it's tough to find much to wank over in either.

On the other hand, both are utter wank. 

[Bernard Marx]

Nov 19, 2024 9:51:14 GMT Ludders II said:

Nov 19, 2024 7:05:44 GMT iank said:

I went for 8, though it's tough to find much to wank over in either.

On the other hand, both are utter wank. 

Agreed. I don’t see any meaningful difference between either of them. 8 might have marginally higher highs, but the lows are unprecedentedly low.

7 is easily Smith’s worst series. 6 is riddled with problems- not least the ghastly arc which discredits itself mid-season (Let’s Kill Hitler being the nodal point of this abhorrence)- but there’s a modicum of effort put into its better episodes. 7 is utterly vacuous and lazy from beginning to end. Some episodes rise above the category of “dismal” to “mediocre”, but I can’t call any of them “good”. The tone is considerably shriller than ever before, with Smith at his most caricatured, and the contrived producer-anointed “blockbuster” quality of each episode means that every narrative feels markedly rushed and half-baked. The lack of two-parters hinders it completely.