[kdmorse]

I assume they knew they were scheduled against the SuperBowl, and deliberately put a 'meh' episode in there. Or at least, I hope so....

I mean, there wasn't anything wrong with it, but especially compared to last weeks episode, it was a massive letdown. Something implied to me that this week would be a semi-continuation of last week's plot (and that something clearly lied) - so I was expecting a lot more than a mediocre at best slightly preachy episode about plastic.

And on a related note, did they really just pull Doctor Who from Amazon Prime Video, to move to HBO Max, several months before HBO Max even launches? Now that's a dick move if ever I saw one...

 

[mattyro7878]

Yeah..basic weak episode. Have not heard about the move to HBO. Indeed a dick move if true.

 

[cheesesteak]

There were some stupid people inn this episode. The guy from Madagascar who volunteered to watch the angry birds decided to wander about 100 yards from his only shelter. Also, the two campers in Peru decided to camp out in the middle of a garbage dump.

A lot of civilians are getting TARDIS rides this season.

Nobody even noticed that Madagascar guy was killed.

I'm getting a little annoyed that the sonic screwdriver has become a deus ex machina that can do any and everything.

 

[Rob Helmerichs]

One thing I liked was the relationship of the companions to regular people, which was (fittingly) something like the relationship of the Doctor to the companions.

One thing I (intensely!) disliked was the environmental lecturing. While yet again I agree with what they were saying, I found them very off-putting. And very unnecessary...the story itself made that point well enough that we didn't need to stop the story for extended periods of time to be lectured at by the Doctor. But this seems to be part of the new showrunner's storytelling style. Did they have an Afterschool Special in England for him to grow up on? Seems like he's quite nostalgic for that form of "entertainment"...

 

[LoadStar]

One thing I (intensely!) disliked was the environmental lecturing. While yet again I agree with what they were saying, I found them very off-putting. And very unnecessary...the story itself made that point well enough that we didn't need to stop the story for extended periods of time to be lectured at by the Doctor. But this seems to be part of the new showrunner's storytelling style. Did they have an Afterschool Special in England for him to grow up on? Seems like he's quite nostalgic for that form of "entertainment"...

Agreed, the lecturing about multiple topics in the Chibnall run has been severely excessive. Nothing wrong with the points they are trying to make... it's just that instead of being a little subtle, it feels like they're beating us upside the head with all of them.

 

[tomhorsley]

Maybe next week they can lecture about drug companies rushing into distribution with only a single trial .

 

[TonyD79]

Funny. I didn’t hear any lectures. But people see and hear what they want to.

 

[Rob Helmerichs]

Funny. I didn't hear any lectures. But people see and hear what they want to.

Uh...no. There was definitely a lecture there.

But people don't see and hear what they don't want to.

 

[cbrrider]

I prefer my science fiction to not constantly remind me about how screwed up the real world is.

 

[Dawghows]

While we were watching my wife said, "I love how this Doctor is weaving in all these current topics this season." I laughed and said, "Don't say that on TivoCommuminty."

 

[Rob Helmerichs]

And again, I have nothing against the Doctor weaving in all these current topics. It's when the show stops so she can essentially turn to the camera and lecture the audience that they lose me.

 

[Dawghows]

I understand completely. Just thought it was funny.

 

[nirisahn]

I think it's very telling that what use to be pages and pages of discussion after each episode has become a page or two. Or maybe three. Maybe it's time for the Doctor to disappear for a while again?

 

[TonyD79]

There used to be pages and pages on a lot of shows. This forum is slowly dying.

 

[cstelter]

One thing I (intensely!) disliked was the environmental lecturing. While yet again I agree with what they were saying, I found them very off-putting. And very unnecessary...the story itself made that point well enough that we didn't need to stop the story for extended periods of time to be lectured at by the Doctor. But this seems to be part of the new showrunner's storytelling style. Did they have an Afterschool Special in England for him to grow up on? Seems like he's quite nostalgic for that form of "entertainment"...

I also think when they introduce aliens to make the point it really crosses the lines between science and fiction really muddling up the message. Do I think the plastic collections in the ocean is a problem, yes. Do I think it will lead to an alien induced pandemic?? no.... which leads me to wonder what other liberties did the author take to make their point? From the looks of this article, there is not a lot there other than speculation. On the face, they seem to quantify plastic intake in units of microplastic particles per year (perhaps 74,000 or more). But a single microplastic particle is any particle that is smaller than 5mm (size of a bb pellet??) while others are only visible under a microscope. So ingesting 74000 particles in a year may mean 4.8 L, or possibly only a cubic mm. No clear answer if they are filtered out from what we breath/drink/eat and passed through harmlessly or if they would collect in the body over time making us all at risk of raging plastic eating aliens.

In some ways, overselling the issues in this way almost has the reverse effect on societal concern. Then again, I probably wouldn't have bothered to read about microplastics if it hadn't been for the episode, so in some way it may raise understanding. IMHO they need much more realistic stories to raise public concern than alien infection.

 

[Dawghows]

I also think when they introduce aliens to make the point it really crosses the lines between science and fiction really muddling up the message.... IMHO they need much more realistic stories to raise public concern than alien infection.

Using some sort of future alien crisis to address a current-day issues is a longstanding tradition --one might even say trope-- in science fiction. I get that the preachifying can seem overbearing (although I haven't personally found it to be particularly bothersome), but pushing the message(s) is not at all out of place.

 

[Rob Helmerichs]

Using some sort of future alien crisis to address a current-day issues is a longstanding tradition --one might even say trope-- in science fiction. I get that the preachifying can seem overbearing (although I haven't personally found it to be particularly bothersome), but pushing the message(s) is not at all out of place.

Yeah, as I've said I have no problem with the message, and would probably feel the same even if I disagreed with them (which I haven't). It's just the blatantly preachy way the message was presented that really bothered me.

 

[Tony_T]

Stupid men, don’t know what a pathogen is, and stupid old men don’t know how to use tech, need a woman to show him he has it upside down

 

[Rob Helmerichs]

Does it change the equation if the woman used to be a man? And is way older than the man she's correcting?

 

[Tony_T]

It was Yaz I was referring to