Okay, so after last week's post - and the build up potential h̶i̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶t̶ foretold by the respective AVC article I mentioned, I have to take some issue with "Before the Flood." Firstly, let be just say SPOILERS abound, so read no further if you haven't watched it yet. Seeing as how this is all text though - and will likely end up being one of my usual walls thereof - I think I can forego use of the tag.
So these are some of my thoughts. Now
Who seems to be all about the fans arguing with one another and overanalysing, so I expect reactions here to be no different.
Moving on then. Immediately opening up the episode, the prologue with the Doctor breaking the fourth wall I found hamfisted and awkward, as forced as any Deadpool quip, and pretty needless and ineffective. I feel like Moffat is treating the readers like simpletons (yes the show is also aimed at children, but that isn't what I mean either, because his 'explanation' of the paradox is really nothing of the sort, and doesn't do justice to what is the 'meat' of the episode), but more on that later. Just the whole 'let me explain the plot to you' thing, and then even barely succeeding in doing that. I wasn't a fan, but reading comments I see that there is a split, with reaction mostly being positive to it. I just don't think it was very 'Doctor-like' at all, a sly nod here and there is fine, but this was out of place (and character), didn't serve the function it should have, and cheapened the show. 4th wall breaking/dear reader motif can be done decently but was rather inappropriate for
Who. [quote=LexW]The question asked was also somewhat meaningless and uninteresting because the answer, if you think about it even briefly, is really still “Beethoven”, it’s just that you’re dancing around acknowledging the time-paradox.[/quote]
Clara - where to begin? I am rather ready for her to move on as a companion, as I think they used up what decent story arc they had for her, and set up a great exit as intended with the Christmas special. But now as a companion she is rather a bore, with Moffat bringing up the same tired old tropes playing off her, and making her a contradiction of strength and damsel in distress. I don't hate Clara as much as some; they have given her some strong development, and I don't blame Coleman either for the way it is coming off, it is just so all over the place. But the whole Miss Eternal Victim (I can't take credit for that one by the way) is played out. What was the line, "You owe me" or something to that effect? It is fine if he dies with another companion, just not her? Ech, please, spare me the trite rubbish. This after/before she delivers to the audience the tact about how cold she is, learning from the Doctor to do what needs to be done. As someone else put it, "she has repeatedly shown herself up in previous episodes to be self-righteous while also being utterly useless at everything she does." It just doesn't mesh.
Oh, and did we mention that the Doctor is dead. Ooooooooohhhh, the trepidation. What will come out next? how can he possibly solve this incredibly conundrum? is this the end of 12? Tune in next week. Seriously, enough with that. You can't treat the audience like morons and keep playing the Doctor Death Card whenever it suits you to build false - and ineffective - suspense into the episode. It is lazy writing and no one is buying it. There are a few occasions when it has been used effectively, but especially pulling it out now and using it so cheaply weakens all of the other appearances as well. Just move on, we know there is always going to be some conflict/struggle he needs to overcome. Just like the 'deaths' of Clara and Missy in the opening episodes, no one is feeling anything, other than wanting to move on to the part where they are back already.
The finale of the episode of course, after all this build up - was that suspense? - is yet another typical Doctor/
deus ex moment, that is barely explained, glossed over rapidly, and everyone moves on happily (not to mention throwing in the forced love angles). Oh, nevermind those people that died, because holograms. And sonic glasses. Yes, that is the new
thing now. I give
Who a lot of pull, and yeah, this is exactly what it does all the time, but in this case, it was especially bad, for one, being the conclusion to a 2-part episode that wasn't, and two, for building up this giant anticipation of a massive paradox, but then waving it away like it was really nothing, and duh, new adventure. Throw in a reference to Beethoven as an incredibly jarring wink to the audience, and the episode is done. Sigh.
Look, I know I am coming off across as tearing this apart, and my expectation weren't that high going in, but I think the weakness of the episode just tells us less that Moffat had something important to tell us and more that lazy writing and overstretched 2-episode plots are not working. They need to do some re-tooling or have some more critical analysis of their stories before they get to filming.
It is not that it was a terrible episode, it was an okay 45mins, if it didn't live up to the atmosphere and story of the first half. It just didn't need to be drawn out at all the way they did. It was a straightforward
Doctor Who story. And the second half, which I take it is what SM thinks he was so utterly clever in coming up with, and which was why this whole 2-parter was conceived, utterly fails to deliver on the promise of a deep conflict the Doctor has to solve and cheaply explains time travel paradoxes which should actually be an integral part of the show. It is just tiresome to see some potential squandered. They tried to build up too much, when there was never any evident risk, and thus the payoff at the end is a weak conclusion at best. Anyways, I could go on even more, but I guess those are some of my initial impressions. Happy to hear what others thought of it and discuss away.
Some parting thoughts:- the Fisher King was a great new baddie, and loved the design, but having him out in the light - and especially his 'saunter' towards his ship - really lessened the impact and showed the limitations of the costume; I am a strong believer in show less, imply more
- while it was interesting to see, as we were given all of the pieces up front, how they would come together during the episodes, it didn't effectively highlight this - again too much
deus ex/quick wrap-up (did anyone really believe anyone other than the Doctor would step out of the space coffin?)
- I like 12, but I wish they would lean a little back to the more serious, elder/knowledgeable (and snippy/grumpy) Doctor; pushing the new 'hip' look and appealing to the youth is fine ("Google it") but there are limits; we are seeing less and less of the Doctor's history in his appearances [Capaldi's axe playing aside]
- ultimately the episode, and the show recently, has become just too safe. Was there ever any doubt the Doctor would end up saving both himself AND Clara? And what about all the fixed points in time, not meeting yourself in the past, not changing history, etc., etc., and all that stuff we have been warned about through decades of
Who? Where was that in this timestream?
- the thing I mentioned earlier, about what I saw as the dumbing down and of the simplicity of the show, could be a good thing I guess (see the corresponding
AVC post for this episode), but for anyone not being a new viewer and who comes into it with some foreknowledge of the setup of the show, I don't feel it was all that great an example of
Who done right
- I hope this season's arc goes somewhere interesting, as four episodes in we are still waiting for the development; undoubtedly the War Minister is coming in
Wasn't Cage in Valley Girl and had a bit part in Fast Times At Ridgemont High? LOL
