h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I think you also have to realise that TV shows are written differently nowadays. I mentioned this in the Torchwood thread. The series had the feel of being written for someone who had bought the DVD box set. I think the same thing can be said about the latest Doctor Who series. The series arc works if you have the DVD/BLU-Ray and watch them in turn. The casual 'dip in for an episode' viewer doesn't seem to be catered for much anymore. It's understandable, they are trying to get people to buy the collectors box sets, that's what brings the money in.

Going back to Babylon 5 that really kick-started multi-series story arcs this was done in pre-DVD days and that worked.

There are more story arc based shows these days but there is also a prevailing trend that audiences don;t expect to have to think about things passed an episode...everything being tied up with no loose ends hence when there is something on Saturday night BBC which requires some thought people moan...ironically, Merlin also has a story arc but it is one where there is less to remember...basically: Morgana bad, Merlin good, Arthur doesn;t know Merlin's a magician...fairly easy set-up with no unanswered questions...very good series too!

I tend to watch each episode with no attempt at understanding as I go along. I kind of assume that, eventually, everything will become clear. So the bouncing around of this episode was no problem at all. I didn't see the "solution" coming but once it happened, I felt I should have. When I clicked, I actually laughed out loud. I haven't been so pleased with a conclusion since Ashes to Ashes ended.

I'm not a Who so if there are any glaring inaccuracies, chances are I won't spot them. Although sometimes I feel I might be missing out on some of the more subtle points, on the whole I think it makes it easier to watch. I don't have to shout at the telly "But that can't happen, not after such and such happened in 1975!" or whatever.

Altogether I've thoroughly enjoyed this series (let's forget about last week's episode, shall we?) and this last episode has cherried the cake very nicely.

Deb

"Firstly, if someone can;t be bothered to watch the whole a series then they can;t moan that they don;t understand the story."

If I recall correctly the series restarted back at Easter ... about a week before those back-to-back bank holidays ... I guess you're right, those people who elected to take a week holiday can't moan if that meant they missed them episodes.

But equally Who viewers can't moan if the series gets shoved to a less primetime slot or eventually canned if/when viewing figures are down because it doesn't pick up viewers late in the season.

How are ratings doing these days? Didn't I see that it only managed about 6 million the other week ...

<"If I recall correctly the series restarted back at Easter ... about a week before those back-to-back bank holidays ... I guess you're right, those people who elected to take a week holiday can't moan if that meant they missed them episodes.">

Video recorders, Sky+, DVD recorders, iPlayer, friends to record the episode...you'd have to try really hard to miss an episode of anything these days

Yeah and not to mention the "free counter" on t'interwebs. Not that I would ever endorse such dastardly behavior.

FB

BTW, is Arthur Davill one of the talky bit guys form the Trainline Advert?

Hope not.....

FB

It did occur to me part way through this episode that possibly the Teselecta could replace the Dr and get shot at instead. I am bit puzzled though about how/why the Teselecta should start to regenerate half way through being shot at.

The one thing I find a little unsatisfying is when the narrative skips part of the story so the audience thinks its going in one direction only to find out through flashbacks they've been misled, such as when the Dr goes back into the roomm to say the Teselecta can help him, and when we're disceived into believing the Dr whispers his name to River. In terms of story writing this seems a bit clumsy.

I remember Moffat saying that the Dr Who episodes were more fairytales than sci-fi, so I guess this leaves more scope for bending storylines as above.

I agree with those who have said that the Dr being more ignognito in future may make for more interesting episodes. The stories where the whole world is put at risk tend to ask for more suspension of disbelief from viewers, especially considering how often this has happened in previous episodes.

Ah, the new h2g2. You've had the place done up a bit. Don't like...hang on, it looks exactly the same.

Didn't the Doctor whisper his name to River? My memory is pretty awful, but I don't remember that ever being contradicted. Except ... wait ... he had to whisper a hint as to his plan then, right? Are you saying there was no time to fit the name in as well? River certainly knows his name later: she whispers it 'back' to him in one episode.
I suppose the "regeneration" could just be a convincingly staged light-show on the part of the Tesselecta.

SPOILER ALERT!!!
Can't remember whether I mentioned this before, but at the time I was a little bothered that the big question turned out to be "Doctor Who?" when it was referred to at least once as "the First Question". Surely there'd be lots of questions asked before the concept of a 'doctor' was ever invented.
I was starting to think it must be a tease to future Who stories, or possibly a reference to some spin-off story or old-school episode, whereby the Doctor ended up being present at the moment of the Big Bang with someone who uttered the immortal words.
Then my flatmate referred me to an idea he had come across elsewhere on the interwebs: that it is far more meta than that. You see "Doctor Who" is the 'first question' you see at the START OF EVERY EPISODE on the title card...
I'm not sure whether it's mind-boggling or facepalming.

"Didn't the Doctor whisper his name to River?"
I think the conceit is that he hasn't done *yet*. Clearly she knows it. Whether through her training (unlikely), some sort of wibbly-wobbly time lord thing (she has seen his time lord cot after all and can read old high gallifreyan and it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume his name was on it) or, as Alex Kingston herself hinted, through some future (to us and him) interaction. The clear thing here is that the Doctor and River's interaction is not yet over for us or him, even if it is for her.

" "Doctor Who?" when it was referred to at least once as "the First Question""
Well, that rather depends on who he is doesn't it? I mean, there's been scant regard for existing tales of his origins shown so far. And he does seem, in classical terms, to be more of a demi god than a super human. And 'who' doesn't just included questions of the individuals personality and own identity, but also incorporates ideas of parents. There's all sorts of Whoniverse mythology that could play into it.

It is certainly a tease, and Moffat has effectively rebooted the character from being a celebrity to being a force in the shadows. Knowing of Moffats long term thinking I am sure he has all sorts of explanations for all this. Whether we ever get to see them before someone else takes it in a new direction I dunno.

I just caught up (no TV or web for the last fortnight)

I REALLY liked it. That is all.

I think Doctor Who? is a really interesting question and it gives scope to go right back into the mythology of the programme. Every time the Doctor regenerates we see a different personality as well as the different look: we've had survivors guilt Doctor, superstar Doctor and the nutty professor Doctor but who is the core personality under that?

Is he really just a mad man in a box, or the one who ran away/was stolen, or is there something more to him? The answer to that question could be very powerful, the answer to that question could bring down everything. The possibility to go right back to the origins of the show would also be appropriate as a run-in to the 50th anniversary.

I don't think the Doctor told River his name at that point, I think that's still to come and he whispered something telling her to look in the Tellselectors eyes so she could see him.

I adored it by the way - topped off a near-flawless season.

Though given that the question will be asked when no man can speak falsely or fail to answer (which are the Doctor's two usual tricks when asked a difficult question) his name would appear to be the obvious answer, and so that, presumably, is when River actually learns it.

This is the first chance I've had to comment here on the ep, and I must say that I liked it. The solution was neat and tidy. Well, okay there's the odd unexplained thing like: Could the Teselecta re-generate? Well, no, it couldn't because it isn't a timelord, but the Teselecta is all about appearances, and with the Doctor on-board he could tell them what re-generation looks like, and how to simulate it. So it could appear to start the re-generation process, but it wouldn't be able to go any further than that. Thankfully, at that point it would be shot again, so no further simulation would be necessary.

Interesting that the majority of the ep was actually a digression from the plot, wherein the Doctor had to resolve other people's plans so that his own could continue.

Another thing that occured to me - has the Doctor wearing a bow-tie for the last two years because Moffat has had that wedding scene in mind all along?

Oh, and the Doctor trying to convince Amy to remember him whilst holding a model of the Tardis was a nice moment. And "She didn't get all of it from you, Sweetie!". And "I'm the Doctor's mother-in-law!" followed by shudder and ashen look. Anybody fancy a game of Live Chess?


Geggs

the last I enjoyed but felt somehow unfulfilled. It wasn't in anyway bad, just seemed a bit superficial. As I say, I enjoyed it but felt it could have been more. Prob like half season end due to a 2hr story crammed into 45 mins.

My problem with the tesselector was that they picked up the body and put it on a raft to send it out burning in the lake. We've already seen that it neither feels nor weighs like a human so they should have noticed the whole very heavy metal thing-ness of it.

Doctor Who? He's more than just a Timelord. Any chance of next series opening with Ace as the captain of a spaceship?

<BB<

Ooh, should we call Sophie Aldred? What is she doing these days, anyway?


Geggs

I think "Dr Who?" was just a hint at the first question.

I think the actual question is "Who's there?".

Deb

Not "knock, knock"?

Ah, but "Knock, knock" isn't really a question.

But definitely all the same.

Deb