Saw this episode last night. It was a pretty funny pastiche of American super-heroes. I liked Justin Chatwin and Charity Wakefield playing the "Clark Kent/superman" and "Lois Lane" roles, and their interaction with Peter Capaldi's Doctor, who was almost like a character form one subgenre of science fiction who had wandered into another subgenre, and had to deal with all of its different conventions.
I even liked Matt Lucas as Nardole. I hadn't been that wild about him in"The Husbands of River Song", but it seemed like they toned down his wackiness a bit, which helped make the character a bit mote likable to me. It looks as though he's going to be a regular, at least for a while, so we'll see where they go with him.
The joke about the Doctor just now figuring out that Clark Kent was Superman kind of irked the comics nerd in me - isn't that the one fact that everyone who's ever heard of him knows, even if they don't know anything else about him? I also cringed when the Doctor drew in Grant's comic: "No, you fool, you're ruining the value!"
Overall: An enjoyable little refresher while we wait to see what the new year brings.
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We recorded this one on Christmas day but didn’t watch it because we had plans to see it in the theater last night. I must say, I enjoyed it more than I expected to after I found out it was going to be Doctor Who’s take on the superhero genre. My favorite scene was probably the one that “irked the comics nerd” in you. I think the point is the Doctor has never heard of Superman; I’m okay with that. Lots of in-jokes in this one, right down to the “L.L.” of the Lois character’s name. Not very “Christmasy” though, was it? It was about as holiday themed as It’s a Wonderful Life, except the one scene set at Christmas time was at the beginning of the story rather than the end. I’m okay with that, too. I’m eager for the Doctor to return to television, but while I’m waiting I have plenty of Eighth Doctor audios to fill the time. We have plans to see “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” in the theater again on Thursday.
What are the odds that Moffat is enough of a Superman geek for "Lombard" to have been an intentional in-joke? (I would have given him bonus points if the baby's name had been Jessica, though.)
I was not expecting to like this one at all - having really disliked the silly-funny Doctor stories everyone seemed to set as the general tone for Capaldi's Doctor. With his one Companion being Matt Lucas I almost didn't even record this one.
As it was I liked it - a welcome return to Doctor Who stories where the Doctor and his ego are seconadary characters with the story having to shine through and stand on its own.
(I never needed to know Jon Pertwee's Doctor's name or Tom Baker's Doctor's family secret-history - but they lit the screen up when they illuminated the story-of-the-week.
That's what I want From Dr Who.)
We are promised something 'Different' - again - with the new companion Billie - but from the trailer she looks as wide eyed as many others but that's probably also a return to traditional greatness...I realty don't need every story to be about the mysterious/enigmatic/sassy/intelligent/beautiful companion only offset by the fool-Doctor for comedy.
that is where I feared we were going but ........just maybe....
“What are the odds that Moffat is enough of a Superman geek for ‘Lombard’ to have been an intentional in-joke?”
I wondered that myself.
“I really don't need every story to be about the mysterious/enigmatic/ sassy/intelligent/beautiful companion…”
Me neither. Having said that, though, Lucy would have made a great companion.
I really hope they mass market those little rubber toys she “tortured.”
With the character's name being,"Lucy (Lane)/(Steve) Lombard," I think the odds are very high
that Moffat (or at least a script editor) is enough of a Superman geek.
Jeff of Earth-J said:
I didn't wonder about whether or not it was an in-joke so much as the circumstances surrounding how it came to be an in-joke. Here's something else I wondered about: How is it Nardole is able to pilot the TARDIS?
River taught him during one of her "borrowing the TARDIS" escapades?
Jeff of Earth-J said:
Well, we don;t know exactly how long he's been with the Doctor, and he is from the far future. Maybe the Doctor taught him a few simple routines.
What do you think was the significance of all that talk about River Song at the end?
Makes me wonder if Moffett's planning to undo her death.
Jeff of Earth-J said:
I thought it was just to show that he's missing her. Last I heard from Moffat, he said that this completes her story. I hope he sticks to that.
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