Doctor Who [9]

firstly not everyone has studied the classic Doctor so many references will go over peoples heads, I mean who really does that apart from fanatics? secondly meta conversation? srsly   thirdly the episode was a rehash of Blink and other episodes like 'fireplace', it was very self referential without the payoff because nothing really interesting happened. They are stock villains, but the plot isnt important, its the Doctor and Clara

Doesn't matter if it goes over their heads if it has the desired effect, which I think the structuring did here whether you recognise its use form the 3rd/4th regen story or not, the fact Moffat sprinkles little clues all over the place for those of us who do know classic Who just adds an extra layer of delight and discovery to episodes. And thats a good thing for your long term fans and it doesn't get in the way of watching it for those who dont get all the references as they just go over their heads as you say.

I dont think you can say its a rehash of Fireplace when its clearly a sequel to that episode. Thats like saying Wrath of Khan is just a rehash of Space Seed.

As to meta conversations- I think its not exactly hidden in this episode that the character are also a cipher for the audiences acceptance of this older, doesn't do hugging, Doctor.
Its always obvious that Moffat has been doing a three series long rebuilding project of Who, returning it ever closer to classic Who, but with new twists that should keep it going into the future.

I do agree that the plot is entirely secondary to the Doctor and Clara, I said that in my review haven't you read it yet?!    

well I skipped over the Moffatagasms   mostly though I think people are interested and intrigued by the new Doctor, like Clara having a personality, but think the episode itself, the villains and the plot were a bit dull and a bit predictable. It didnt feel fresh, too much harking back to older episodes.

I think it was too reassure rather than hark back.
You have to remember Who really went international not with 10 but with 11. 10 laid all the groundwork, but it was 11 that played to packed cinemas in other countries. And the BBC really, really want to hold onto that.
There is a lot of that audience only know 11 as their Doctor. And he was very user friendly to the youth market, he was internet friendly with his geronimo, bow ties are cool, I speak baby now, meme friendly phrases and gif friendly physical antics.
I dont think this will be typical of this series in that way, and Moffat just went out his way to make this one familiar to reassure that audience against the more drastic changes he was undertaking to both the Doctor and Clara.

"You've developed a fault, you all sound so English"

"Don't look in that mirror, it's furious!"

"Who frowned this face?"

Clara-"Nothing is more important than my egomania!"
Doctor- "You actually said that."

Strax - Ah Clara, your looking well.
Clara- Really?
Strax - No, sorry, trick of the light you stiil look awful.

"You called the police? We never do that. We should start."

"They're independently cross! They probably want to secede from the rest of my face and set up their independent state of eyebrows!"

"Destroy us if you will; they're still going to close your restaurant".

"I am Scottish. I can complain about things. I can really complain about things now."

"I used to have a lot of round things. I wonder where I put them."

I laughed at the 'blame the English' (thought he mumbled quite a lot...) and thought of you, Petty. It's a good thing you've been rambling on here for years so that I too can get the joke.

Of course I did like that scene with Smith's doctor over the phone-call. It was clever writing and it made the new doctor feel nice again.  Which is what I've always liked about Doctor Who. The whole angsty space-god may be the reality involved, but I love charismatic simplicity in his character.

This ship was called the Marie Antoinette, a sister ship to the Madame du Pompadour.

Tin- "Capaldi is a bit hard to understand"

This one is a bit hard for me to judge as I am a west coast Scot and whilst my accent is not Glaswegian I hear it all the time, so I didn't have any problems with the dialogue.
From reading on Who forums its an interesting one- the bulk of US fans who have commented non this tend to not have had a problem with the accent, whereas many english fans did (I am tempted to note here that a Scot can understand English spoken in all the major regional languages, but that after hundreds of years of Union the english still cant understand Scotland's most commonly spoken dialect! ).
I also found it interesting many people missed a joke- where after the Doctor tells Clara and Jenny they sound wrong, because they sound too english, and Vastra comforts him, to which the Doctor responds, "Finely someone who can talk properly".
Vastra is played by fellow Scot Neve MacIntosh, and has played Vastra with a hint of her Scots accent since the start- but many people dont seem to have ever picked up on that fact.


Now onto Azriel!

'I wanted to know how the Dr got inside a T-Rex, it seemed to me to be silly to have that little plot in this episode if you weren't taking it further ? '

We are told that happened but its was really just there to give a nice visual opening, and to place the story in classic 11 territory with a dinosaur.

'Im sure but new fans might think "Er ?" especially with the lovely lizard lady !'

Not sure what to make of that. NuWHo has had many character sof a mixture of sexualities since it came back, from lesbian and gay couples to Captain Jack describing himself as omnisexual. If folk aint with the program by now on that regard then I dont think this will put them off now.

'Lesbian scene ? new fans might again think "Aye ?"'

The only thing bothered me about that scene was they still felt the need at the BBC to disguise the kiss as something else- in this case Vastra providing extra oxygen for Jenny.
Had that been Amy and Rory, another married couple, in exactly the same situation, and faced with their apparent imminent death and they had simply kissed each other out of their love for one another, no one would have batted an eye lid.
That it can still cause a fuss, and have to be excused, in this day and age, in a Britain which has the right of marriage to all couples regardless of gender, that disappointed me.