Discussion for Into the Dalek

Gatefan1976

Well Known GateFan
I thought it was interesting from a character development POV, but I was not overly impressed by the storyline either.

I don't mind Capeldi in the role however, I think he is a much more grown up and "alien" Doctor than we have seen in NuWho so far, which may actually upset some NuWho only fans.
 

shavedape

Well Known GateFan
I thought it was interesting from a character development POV, but I was not overly impressed by the storyline either.

I agree about the character development. Personally I think it was far, far too early to jump back into a Dalek story. Honestly, I'm just so sick of them. This show needs new characters for the Doctor to work off of. As it is they could have had the Doctor do his introspection with just about any bad guy. Using the Daleks was just plain laziness on the part of the writers.
 

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
I have to disagree.

The story was not bad at all. Basically it was a different riff on a Classic Who plot titled "The Invisible Enemy". A Dalek was actually the right focus point for a story like this because it was about the Doctor's trying to come to grips with his past and the Daleks in this instance are the one group in the cosmos he absolutely hates.

Capaldi was still in fine form too, playing the Doctor in a much more mature and alien style than we have seen since NuWho came on the scene. Also, like the premiere it was decidedly dark in tone. This Doctor is not a clown or manic and the tonal shift is welcome.
 

Gatefan1976

Well Known GateFan
I did some research into it and apparently they are OBLIGATED to use the Daleks every season for contractual obligations :(

I only hope that this is the only Dalek story we get in this season as it is not really about them anyway, because I too am sick of seeing them all the time.
 

Gatefan1976

Well Known GateFan
I have to disagree.

The story was not bad at all. Basically it was a different riff on a Classic Who plot titled "The Invisible Enemy". A Dalek was actually the right focus point for a story like this because it was about the Doctor's trying to come to grips with his past and the Daleks in this instance are the one group in the cosmos he absolutely hates.
Perhaps I should have said "the story was trite" instead?
The way it seems to me was more still the overriding theme of "am I a good man"? With the question being asked of the doctor and the audience is "can a good man have hate in his heart"?
Yes, sure the Daleks are the right villain to invoke for the story to work, like the Borg were the right villain for the same concept to work in First Contact.

Capaldi was still in fine form too, playing the Doctor in a much more mature and alien style than we have seen since NuWho came on the scene. Also, like the premiere it was decidedly dark in tone. This Doctor is not a clown or manic and the tonal shift is welcome.
Agreed.
 

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
I'm not so sure I would say this was the same concept as "First Contact". It did share the idea of someone confronting their own deep seated hatred (Picard and the Borg - Doctor and the Daleks) but the plot flow and especially the outcome were decidedly different. Picard buried his anger and triumphed. The Doctor in a way was shown just how deep seated his anger at the Daleks is and it turned his attempt at making a "good" Dalek into a disaster of sorts. Instead of making what he thought of as a good Dalek he simply gave a Dalek a different motivation.

On a related note, this Doctor not only is not super emotional he also is not what I would call empathic either. Take for example the soldier who died near the beginning. He had him swallow what turned out to be a tracer (knowing the man was doomed) but his outward facing to the group came across as if the death was completely unimportant to him.
 

Gatefan1976

Well Known GateFan
I'm not so sure I would say this was the same concept as "First Contact". It did share the idea of someone confronting their own deep seated hatred (Picard and the Borg - Doctor and the Daleks) but the plot flow and especially the outcome were decidedly different. Picard buried his anger and triumphed.
Just because Picard succeeded and the Doctor failed, it does not change the story, it speaks to the character of the........Character, hence why I said it was good from a character development perspective.
The Doctor in a way was shown just how deep seated his anger at the Daleks is and it turned his attempt at making a "good" Dalek into a disaster of sorts. Instead of making what he thought of as a good Dalek he simply gave a Dalek a different motivation.
Sure, it also re-enforced the notion of why the Doctor is wondering if he is a good man, and what the Dalek said before leaving will make him question it even more.

On a related note, this Doctor not only is not super emotional he also is not what I would call empathic either. Take for example the soldier who died near the beginning. He had him swallow what turned out to be a tracer (knowing the man was doomed) but his outward facing to the group came across as if the death was completely unimportant to him.
Sure, we both agree his more "alien" this time around. If I were to guess, I think he will eventually not care if he is a "good man" or not, but weather he is a good -Time Lord-. He is not human after all.
 

shavedape

Well Known GateFan
I have to disagree.

The story was not bad at all. Basically it was a different riff on a Classic Who plot titled "The Invisible Enemy". A Dalek was actually the right focus point for a story like this because it was about the Doctor's trying to come to grips with his past and the Daleks in this instance are the one group in the cosmos he absolutely hates.

Capaldi was still in fine form too, playing the Doctor in a much more mature and alien style than we have seen since NuWho came on the scene. Also, like the premiere it was decidedly dark in tone. This Doctor is not a clown or manic and the tonal shift is welcome.

I would submit that they could have had the Doctor facing a completely new enemy, one that causes him to do some serious introspection, and then they could have simply used the Daleks as an example of the dark side of his personality without them being the main focus of the episode. The question of whether he's a good man or not could have been asked many, many, many ways without even invoking the Daleks. It all boils down to creative writing.

As for Capaldi, I don't have a problem with him at all. I like the more mature, darker take on the character he's playing. My fear is that interest will wane in the show (my interest in particular) if the writers keep rehashing the same crap over and over and over. Capaldi's talent really deserves to be coupled with something new and exciting. Of course they will always fall back on the old foes of the Doctor, but the writers have a whole new playing field with Capaldi and so far it looks like they are just phoning it in. That, to me, is very sad.
 

Bluce Ree

Tech Admin / Council Member
I agree about the character development. Personally I think it was far, far too early to jump back into a Dalek story. Honestly, I'm just so sick of them. This show needs new characters for the Doctor to work off of. As it is they could have had the Doctor do his introspection with just about any bad guy. Using the Daleks was just plain laziness on the part of the writers.

Haven't they done a Dalek story near the beginning of every regeneration in the new series thus far?
 

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
Yes, every regeneration has featured a Dalek story early on.

And next week is not an old enemy.
 

YJ02

Well Known GateFan
I thought it was interesting from a character development POV, but I was not overly impressed by the storyline either.

I don't mind Capeldi in the role however, I think he is a much more grown up and "alien" Doctor than we have seen in NuWho so far, which may actually upset some NuWho only fans.

I know it is made primarily for British consumption ,but something about Capaldi's dialect also makes him a bit harder to understand--used the CC for the show :smiley-laughing011:
 

Bluce Ree

Tech Admin / Council Member
I know it is made primarily for British consumption ,but something about Capaldi's dialect also makes him a bit harder to understand--used the CC for the show :smiley-laughing011:

Really? He has a Scottish accent. You can't be serious that you needed the CC to understand him. :icon_lol:

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
 

shavedape

Well Known GateFan
Really? He has a Scottish accent. You can't be serious that you needed the CC to understand him. :icon_lol:

Just to play Devil's advocate for a moment, I don't have a problem with Capaldi's Scottish accent, but I've always had a problem with the sound mixing on Doctor Who. They have the soundtrack gauged way too high against the dialogue. My dream is to design a TV that gives me the ability to turn down the soundtrack and increase the verbal ratio of the feed.

(And no, it's not just me or my TV as friends have made the same observation about watching it on their TV's. Granted, the problem seemed to be at its worst during the Tennant tenure, but it hasn't been completely fixed by any means.)
 

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
Some HDTVs have a limited ability to do that.
 

shavedape

Well Known GateFan
Some HDTVs have a limited ability to do that.

I'm sure the technology exists and will, eventually, make it to market.
 

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
Mine does it. I had to replace the set this year and the new one (a 32 inch Samsung Smart HDTV) has an audio setting that while not perfect does help.
 

Gatefan1976

Well Known GateFan
You could deal with the sound issues via running it through your PC couldn't you?
 

YJ02

Well Known GateFan
Just to play Devil's advocate for a moment, I don't have a problem with Capaldi's Scottish accent, but I've always had a problem with the sound mixing on Doctor Who. They have the soundtrack gauged way too high against the dialogue. My dream is to design a TV that gives me the ability to turn down the soundtrack and increase the verbal ratio of the feed.

(And no, it's not just me or my TV as friends have made the same observation about watching it on their TV's. Granted, the problem seemed to be at its worst during the Tennant tenure, but it hasn't been completely fixed by any means.)

perhaps that is it--his accent--tolerable under normal sound conditions--is exacerbated by this audio issue

-----

Make him speak Amurican damb it!
 
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