Doctor Who S11E01 - 'The Woman Who Fell To Earth' (SPOILERS)

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Seems like a good episode. Kinda get the "torchwood" vibe, something about the look and feel was very different from what I've come to expect but it's hard for me to nail down exactly.

Minor complaint: Given that the main weapon was a DNA bomb, and we made a big deal of the teeth-collecting, I was surprised and disappointment that those two elements didn't coincide for the ending. Wouldn't it have made more sense for the DNA bomb to home in on the multiple examples of human DNA lodged in the villain's face after a little tech-teching and been more satisfying?

I feel like crane guy was fully justified in shoving his would-be suspended-animation captor off to his death. Gives me the feeling that this doctor may be one of those unforgiving moral absolutists like 10 was.

I will say I liked the small stakes. It's not an intergalactic war, it's not a planet-destroying or universe-collapsing or timeline-unravelling threat, it's just a human life and that's good. Existential threats are good and fun and appropriate to the series, but not every outing has to be one and it's good to remind audiences of the human roots.

[clearspira]

@clearspira Why? Are you one of those idiots who think SJWs are taking over and ruining everything? Dax has had multiple genders. Why should the Doctor be different? They've wanted a female Doctor since the early 1980s, back when Classic Who was still on the air, and I'm only a casual fan. Besides, from the OP's descriptions, it doesn't seem as if they're making this about her gender at all in the same way that, say, Rey from Star Wars is a May Sue Feminist fantasy who can do no wrong at all.

I do like how you poo pooed the idea that SJWs are taking over and ruining everything and then admitted that they have done so to Star Wars. Very interesting.

[clearspira]

Personally I really enjoyed the episode and I like the idea of the first season being the Doctor trying to find the TARDIS and the new companions are rather interesting as well and the idea of having more then one companion is also a interesting idea an the group already have a pretty good dynamic. Also, so far I am LOVING Jodie Whittaker's Doctor as she reminds me a lot of the Second and Fourth Doctor's while still giving the character her own unique touch.

I've been wanting a Female Doctor for a while and Whittaker nailed it on her first take. I also like the fact that the episode was more horror based instead which is a nice contrast to Moffet's run which, as Chuck pointed out, more like a fantasy story like Peter Pan while here is more like Alien or Predator and yet still something the whole family can watch so while it's darker it's not to dark which is saying a lot given that the villain rips out people's teeth and wears them on his face.

Overall a good start and I'm looking forward to the next episode.

Of course, the last time that they regularly had three companions was the First Doctor and the Fifth Doctor - and they did so because they realised that these were an old man and a slightly built man respectively and thus needed someone else to do the physical work (and yes, that is the stated reason). And now they've done so to the woman... herm... very unfortunate implications.

[Yukaphile]

Because I find the idea the left has all the power, like those who scream "SJWs" are wont to do, laughable. There is an equal and just as aggressive push-back from right-wing reactionaries, and if that wasn't as equally strong or more powerful, then Trump never would have won. So it just seems as if you hate the idea of a female Doctor on principle, so that paints you as someone who's afraid of women going where they never have before. I mean, Dax. Dax had male and female hosts. What makes the Doctor different? Others have said they're not shoehorning in or calling attention to the new gender, so... what's there to complain about? BTW, they've wanted a female Doctor since the early eighties, long before the reactionary push-back against "the evil SJWs!" So, yeah. Can't agree. This is a development that's been decades in the works, and it sounds like they did a better job than Star Wars is doing with their main female lead.

[Winter]

Of course, the last time that they regularly had three companions was the First Doctor and the Fifth Doctor - and they did so because they realised that these were an old man and a slightly built man respectively and thus needed someone else to do the physical work (and yes, that is the stated reason). And now they've done so to the woman... herm... very unfortunate implications.

I don't think that has anything to do with it as while that was the reason for 1 and 5 the new Doctor has proven quite thoroughly that she is more then capable of dealing with the monster of the week just as well as any of the other Doctor's.

Her companions helped but the problem was solved with her just showing how clever she is as per usual for the Doctor. Had it been a case that one or both of the male companions were needed to solve the problem with strength and needed to Save the Doctor every 5 seconds then I would agree but as it stands the Doctor has done most of the work.

Take this in contrast with what happened in the 2018 Tomb Raider movie which took the accomplishments and contributions of Lara and her friend Samantha from the game and gave All of them to Lara's Father and had Lara making the situation worse because she didn't like being told what to do. And then had her only be useful when she finally did what she was told. Now That has plenty of Unfortunate Implications as the film took the achievements of two women, one of whom is a person of color, and gave them to a white guy who wasn't even in the story that film was supposedly adapting... God I hate that film.

But as for the Doctor, the first episode alone proves why she is the one who can save the day and beat the worst the Universe as to throw at her.

[MissKittyFantastico]

As far as intro stories go (I'm mentally comparing to 'Eleventh Hour' and 'Deep Breath' in particular), I felt like it was on a similar level. I will say the writing and performances for the companions was exceptional, they were real and I felt for them in a heartbeat, every one. That's a big, big positive.

The Doctor's always been best, I feel, in the past or future though (part of why I'm fond of 'Deep Breath' more than the others, likely) so anything set in the present was only going to feel like setup for me, not the main event. For now, I'm feeling good about our new Doctor.

(I did read that they're not going to be going back to the well of old monsters a lot, and that's something I need to wean myself off. When the ball of tendrils appeared on the train I was like 'is that a krynoid...?')

[clearspira]

Because I find the idea the left has all the power, like those who scream "SJWs" are wont to do, laughable. There is an equal and just as aggressive push-back from right-wing reactionaries, and if that wasn't as equally strong or more powerful, then Trump never would have won. So it just seems as if you hate the idea of a female Doctor on principle, so that paints you as someone who's afraid of women going where they never have before. I mean, Dax. Dax had male and female hosts. What makes the Doctor different? Others have said they're not shoehorning in or calling attention to the new gender, so... what's there to complain about? BTW, they've wanted a female Doctor since the early eighties, long before the reactionary push-back against "the evil SJWs!" So, yeah. Can't agree. This is a development that's been decades in the works, and it sounds like they did a better job than Star Wars is doing with their main female lead.

Can I have a citation on your claim that this has been in the works since the eighties? Because I can tell you right now that my love for Classic Who absolutely eclipses New Who and as such if John Nathan-Turner had ever come out and said something along those lines, I am certain that I would have heard about it. The ONLY on-screen reference to Time Lords changing sex I can recall is Romana trying on new bodies in front of the Fourth; and even then, she was clearly far more skilled at regenerating than the Doctor was so it wasn't 100% that he himself could change sex (at least at that point in time). This whole thing kicked into tenfold overdrive with Moffat, not Turner.

And as for Dax, A) She isn't changing sex. The worm is merely being implanted into other hosts who then gains the memories of being another sex. She is for all intents and purposes a completely different character. B) We were introduced to her as a woman and then she became a woman again when Terry Farrell left. I fail to see how the two situations are comparable.

[Yukaphile]

http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Thirteenth_Doctor

I've still yet to get into Who (downloading all the episodes) but are you saying Time Lords are stuck to their specific gender as they regenerate? Of course, they also said, and this is something even I know with my limited Who experience, that you can only regenerate twelve times. Yet the Doctor has gone past that. So if they're gonna break the rules for that, I'm fine breaking the rules to give us a woman in a role where no woman was allowed. I'm 100% down for female empowerment and I always will be. Honestly, that they can only regenerate twelve times upsets me more. From all accounts, it seems as if the Doctor should be dead already, but he/she sells, the same way nostalgia does for Trek with Kirk and Picard, or the original trilogy does with Hamill, Fisher (RIP), and Ford, hence why they were brought back. I honestly think that's something much more stupid.

[SSJGodGoku]

http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Thirteenth_Doctor

I've still yet to get into Who (downloading all the episodes) but are you saying Time Lords are stuck to their specific gender as they regenerate? Of course, they also said, and this is something even I know with my limited Who experience, that you can only regenerate twelve times. Yet the Doctor has gone past that. So if they're gonna break the rules for that, I'm fine breaking the rules to give us a woman in a role where no woman was allowed. I'm 100% down for female empowerment and I always will be. Honestly, that they can only regenerate twelve times upsets me more. From all accounts, it seems as if the Doctor should be dead already, but he/she sells, the same way nostalgia does for Trek with Kirk and Picard, or the original trilogy does with Hamill, Fisher (RIP), and Ford, hence why they were brought back. I honestly think that's something much more stupid.

The Doctor was given an extra regeneration cycle.

It's been established that Time Lords can change sexes as early as 2011 (in the show). If you go into the EU stuff I'm sure there are more examples from earlier.

[Yukaphile]

Then I don't see the problem other than blatant "Waaaaah! Women with all their girl parts don't belong! Waaaaaah! I want the all-boys club to be sacred!"