The Doctor Falls

How many times have we known that we were witnessing the waning moments of the current Doctor’s term, regeneration was nigh, and that heartache was imminent, yet we were riveted to the screen? And in those moments, how much time was spent in the episode where the Doctor himself knew that time was at hand? With few exceptions, these exercises in loss (for both character and audience) have been graciously brief, relatively speaking. The quick-pull of the bandage, if you […]

World Enough and Time

We could not count the times over the course of the past five-plus years on GPR that we have come to the defense of Steven Moffat. His writing, his style of production, his casting choices, his vision for the series, his whimsical-bordering-upon-maddening way of talking about the program through vague words and red herrings. Through it all, we recognized that he is a consummate fan, like us in many ways, and he revels in putting forth stories and ideas that […]

The Year of the Woman?

Series Nine of Doctor Who was, in a word, groundbreaking. The broadcast format changed. The tone shifted dramatically (pun intended, of course). The stories grew in intensity and weight. The performances from both principal and supporting casts expanded exponentially. The series as a whole felt cohesive, focused, and full of the thrills, adventure, and emotion that marks a stellar season for the program. Over and above all these accolades, and in many ways directly feeding into them, was the rising […]

The Magician’s Apprentice

The advisement that “your patience will be rewarded” often sounds like something you’d tell a child who asks repeatedly how much longer they have to wait for a birthday, or allowance, or other anticipation. Why would it be any different for us as the groundlings at Steven Moffat’s feet, hoping against hope that this is the day we are given a tremendous gift, and that gift is not only all we hoped for, but perhaps even more for the sake of wanting? Could […]

The No-Longer-Impossible Girl

When she first appeared unexpectedly in “Asylum of the Daleks”, we were all shocked and left unable to form a proper opinion. When she then returned (in another form) in “The Snowmen”, we fell in love, only to mourn her inexplicable death. And when ‘Clara Prime’ finally joined us in “The Bells of St. John,” we reached the point of wondering what the hell was really going on. Now that we’re on the other side of a character-driven and well-structured Series 8, and we have a fully realized […]

The Return of…

The BBC has confirmed that both Missy and Kate Stewart will both be returning for Series 9, and this got us wondering; who else might we see return? More accurately stated, who is most likely to return in the season ahead? Then of course, being the rabid fanatics we are, we descend quickly into postulating who should-would-could-ought-to, and…well, you get the idea. This week, we start by putting concerted effort into predicting those characters who would make the most sense […]

There Are No Stupid Questions…

If there’s one thing Steven Moffat knows how to do exceptionally well, it’s how to leave a viewer exasperated and asking, “But…but…what about (this)?” While Series 8 certainly had a fair number of fascinating revelations and answers, there are still plenty of questions left untended. This week, we discuss some of the glaring omissions, some minor holes in our knowledge, and the minuscule things that shouldn’t bother us…but we can’t help but keep going over in our head. (For example, where […]

A Masterful Villain

It makes perfect literary sense. How do you create a villain who is legitimately threatening, an engaging and interesting match for the protagonist’s strengths, but is not over-powerful? Simple solution: You take the hero, and make them evil. If someone is so near to your intellectual and capable equal in nearly all counts, the “chess match” is all the more balanced, and victory that much harder to attain. So it makes sense that Doctor Who showrunners would nurture such a perfect foil, and […]

Our Series 8 Recap

For three months, we have journeyed with Peter Capaldi on his first series as the Doctor, and it has been every bit of the wild ride we had hoped for. Together, we battled clockwork droids, Daleks, and Cybermen. Side by side, we faced down new villainous threats like the Skovox, Blitzer and the hastily (poorly?) named “Boneless”. With his guidance, we found the hidden truths behind misunderstood monsters like the Teller and the Mummy. Spurred on by his relentless pursuit of adventure […]

Death in Heaven

With Missy’s identity revealed and the fate of Danny’s soul still in question, Whovians were primed and ready for Steven Moffat’s final offering for Series 8. But did he deliver? With the aforementioned nemesis in full madcap form, the triumphant reappearance of Kate Stewart and U.N.I.T., and a new twist on the a Cybermen invasion all vying for the viewer’s attention, there is likely more to discuss than we can possibly cover — But honestly, has that ever stopped us from trying before? […]