Series 7

Matt Smith's final series tends to be quite divisive. Some view it as a capitulation to the backlash against Series 6 by RTD fans, feeling disappointed by Moffat's abrupt abandonment of the Silence arc, while others welcome the return to more self-contained stories. Some regard this early version of Clara as an underdeveloped blank slate, while others see her as a welcome departure from NuWho's soap opera tendencies. It also has the distinction of being the last "normal" series of NuWho before the SJW agenda started to creep in. What's your stance on it?

I think it’s fucking awful, to be honest. As convoluted and spuriously structured as series 6 was, it at least had some semblance of direction and a few decent episodes. This seemed to lack any direction at all, instead reverting back to RTD’s style, and completing Matt Smith’s transformation into an irritating Tennant clone. Not only was Clara’s character very nondescript and often smug from the outset as most have already acknowledged, but overall tone of the season and era seemed to deteriorate back to the moronic and frenetic style of RTD’s era, and I can’t think of a single episode that I’d describe as genuinely good, with most settling for pure shite.

It’s not as bad as what would follow, and I do actually prefer it to RTD’s earlier seasons in retrospect, but it’s still mostly shrill and crap from what I remember. That being said, I’ve not gone back to it for years.

I’ll give the usual episode by episode rundown review summaries later.

Better than Series 6, but fairly mediocre to boring for the most part.

"Asylum Of The Daleks", "The Angels Take Manhattan", "The Snowmen", "Cold War", "Journey To The Centre Of The Tardis" and even "The Crimson Horror" had fleeting moments of merit mixed with annoying moments of fucktardery.

I think "Snowmen" and "Journey to the Centre Of the Tardis" were my favourite two, if you can call "can't be arsed to watch them again any time soon" to be "favourite"

At least Claras "revelation" of fucking up the whole canon of the series hadn't come to pass by this point.

This was the point NuHu really collapsed, and never really recovered from, despite a few positive signs in series 10.

In no universe is it better than series 6.

I remember finding the first half to be quite dull in all honestly. Asylum Of The Daleks was a poor slogfest that I remember being hyped up just because we'd see some of the original series Dalek models which only appeared in brief cameos. Dinosaurs On A Spaceship-The God Complex was a rather weak, uninspired run and The Angels Take Manhattan was a rather unnecessary threequel that made me wish they'd been left after Flesh And Stone. I'd argue that Series 6 was the more crushing to watch as it felt like a massive stepdown after how wonderful most of 5 was but with 7, it was just diminished expectations really.

Then with the 2012 Christmas special, I actually enjoyed that, shit ending aside and it briefly reignited my interest in Remake Who and I remember actually looking forward to seeing the second half with the 50th celebrations upcoming as well.

Sadly, although there was some decent episodes in there such as the Cold War episode and the Crimson Horror one. Most of the second half left me feeling quite hollow. I didn't really care too much for the modern Clara and felt disappointed over her Victorian counterparts death as I felt she would've made a more interesting companion. The Cyberman episode was arguably the most underwhelming, especially as I hoped it would reinvent them after the rip off Robocop models we'd had since 2006 and have more of a resemblance to their original series ethos.

Long story short: Series 7 is a tale of two halves. An rather dull first halve that was less of a comedown than 6 and an initially interesting second half, only to degenerate into RTD era 2.0. bollocks. I haven't seen most of it (Snowmen aside) since its original transmission and I was willing to give it (And 6, to see if my opinions had mellowed on that) a rewatch. But after this years nuke of a season, I'm just done.

This was the season where I gave up watching NuWho.
I think I watched the first 3 stories and then thought Fuck it.
I did have a look at Capaldi when he took over, but again after about 3 stories I thought Nah it's still shit.
Last thing I saw was The Magician's Apprentice 2 parter, 'coz I was curious about Davros/The Daleks. That was my one and only encounter with Missy, and I've never been back since. Even though I heard Jodie did a Dalek story, I've never bothered checking it out.
Yet.
Anyway sorry to go off topic, but needless to say that by Series 7 I'd had enough of Moffat/Nu Who.

Ludders wrote:Even though I heard Jodie did a Dalek story, I've never bothered checking it out.
Yet.

I wouldn't bother, the Dalek looks retarded, like something a load of special needs children cobbled together in a Blue Peter studio with recycled rubbish.

After Muppets Fatleks the NuWho abortionists appear to have given us Chinballs Spazleks.

It's only Briggs tiresome modulations which are any degree close to being Daleks.

Woeful series. The first five episodes held together fairly well because of the Ponds, but as soon as it switched to Clara it fell to bits. No time to bed her in at all. Crimson Horror was a rare triumph for Gatiss, and Name of the Doctor through to Day of the Doctor really should have been where they threw in the towel for a couple of years.

2013, the last time I enjoyed current DW.

Series 7 was a good solid series overall for me, though admittedly one with big problems.

The self contained nature was a welcome relief after all the big story arcs, though as it was the GI was still a better villain than Madame Kovarian.

His motivations felt a bit rushed. I still say there should have been another episode in betwee Bells and Name that showed him going nuts. Still at least his motives make sense unlike Kovarian, and Richard E Grant is far, far better than Frances Barber. (As was Sir Ian McKellan.)

I'm surprised to see series 6 having a better reputation personally. River was at her worst that year. She's thankfully only restricted to 2 stories this year, and she isn't as annoying in either.

Furthermore series 6 had some absolute stinkers like Lets Kill Hitler, and the clones two parter was poor. Also Wedding of River Song is surely one of the worst finales of all time. Its the ultimate fanwank bullshit with the entire universe saying they are going to help the Doctor.

I also found The Doctors Wife an absolute trainwreck too. The TARDIS becomes a sexy woman who wants to shag the Doctor? UGH typical New Who, horny, teenage, mind in the gutter, lets reduce every relationship to being about sex, revisionist bullshit.

Series 7 had some stinkers, but nothing as bad as that.

Furthermore its best stories like Hide, the Western episode, Cold War, The Crimson Horror, Bells of Saint John, The Snowmen even Name of the Doctor are all better than anything in series 6, (or 4, or 3 for that matter.)

They also all feel like proper attempts to carry the original series on in style at least.

The focus is back on sci fi, horror and monsters. Clara's homelife is thankfully kept to the background. There is a mix of stories, from gothic horror, to westerns, to base under siege, to space opera, to comedy, to techno fear.

Also the Paternoster Gang are great. Strax is likable, and I feel that far from ruining the SOntarans and the Silurians they bring something new to them.

The Silurians suffered from the fact that after their first appearance, they were always depicted as monsters. It got tiresome watching the Doctor defend them when they always were the ones torturing and killing humans for being different.

Vastra however showed that actually they could have lived in peace with us after all. It makes the Brig's actions even more questionable. Strax meanwhile I don't see as undermining the Sontarans, as he is meant to be defective.

My only problem with Strax was that we didn't explore MORE of his backstory. Found out why he was defective, and showed a story where he had to choose between the SOntarans and the Paternoster Gang, and chose them. Such a story could have helped to flesh him out.

I would also love to see Vastra fight an evil Silurian, like the one from the first Pertwee story. He could have been her Moriarty (if she was meant to be Sherlock Holmes.)

The of the Doctor trilogy was great too. In hindsight yes there are problems, but come on here the ALL 13 scene was brilliant, and I agree with Zarius that it would have been the best place to end New Who.

In real life meanwhile 2013 was the best year to be a DW fan. People go on about Tennant being the highlight, but this was it for me. Far more people I knew LOVED the show during this time, and there was also such love for the Classic era too with An Adventure in Space and Time, the 5ish Doctors, and the two Troughton holy grails.

Its sad that it would all collapse in just one year. Fandom should have told the SJWs and the Claudia Boleyn's to fuck off in 2013. I did, as Tanman will attest. I complained about the SJWs and their treatment of Moffat all the way back then. Sadly I wasn't listened too, and well you know what happened.

burrunjor wrote:Also the Paternoster Gang are great.

Yeah, I like the Paternoster Gang too. I really can't understand why Muppet didn't spin them off into a separate series instead of dropping that outright turd "Class" on us instead.

Something along the lines of The Sarah Jane Adventures with half hour episodes of "The Paternoster Gang investigates..." would've been superb!

Even better if they had a TARDIS-grounded 8th Doctor to join them.

Rob Filth wrote:

burrunjor wrote:Also the Paternoster Gang are great.

Yeah, I like the Paternoster Gang too. I really can't understand why Muppet didn't spin them off into a separate series instead of dropping that outright turd "Class" on us instead.

Something along the lines of The Sarah Jane Adventures with half hour episodes of "The Paternoster Gang investigates..." would've been superb!

Even better if they had a TARDIS-grounded 8th Doctor to join them.

I remember my jaw dropping in disbelief when I heard that they had chosen to do a DW spin off about coal hill school of all places.

Not Romana, not the Dalek empire, hell even a spin off about their version of Robin Hood would have been a hoot. They guy they got to do him was a laugh, and Ben Miller is always welcome on my tv. (He would have been a great Ainley style Master.)

Instead they chose to do one about fucking coal hill school? That's like doing one about the airport Teegan worked for.

It was just an excuse to rip off Buffy again of course, but UGH the Paternoster Gang would have been fun.

Another plot thread Moff abandoned that was great was the Zygons living on earth, though I think I'll start another thread for that.

burrunjor wrote:I remember my jaw dropping in disbelief when I heard that they had chosen to do a DW spin off about coal hill school of all places.

Not Romana, not the Dalek empire, hell even a spin off about their version of Robin Hood would have been a hoot. They guy they got to do him was a laugh, and Ben Miller is always welcome on my tv. (He would have been a great Ainley style Master.)

Instead they chose to do one about fucking coal hill school? That's like doing one about the airport Tegan worked for.

That'll be the one Chinballs is preparing at this very moment.

I always thought the idea of the Paternoster gang sounded good on paper. The idea of a Silurian putting aside their differences with humanity and the Doctor to help sounds interesting and could be good if well handled. Sadly, it got subsided with the gay agenda crap and dumbed down comic Sontarans.

Jenny was cute though.....

I think it might actually be my favourite season of the three.

It takes time to get going but it has the least soap elements and feels like a proper return to the adventures.

Also I'm probably the only fan who really likes Rings.

I rather liked it. The last season I enjoyed. Matt Smith was very settled, and they simply got on with telling a variety of adventures without any obvious vanity (the Chibnall era always seems to scream “Aren’t we clever!” and series 7 is simply getting on with the business of adventures). There’s nothing as dull as the Silurian 2-parter here - and no James Corden either! I also like the Paternoster gang, and it has the 50th anniversary vibe to it.

One thing I’m also glad about in Matt Smith’s era is that The Master is not there... A cartoony villain who flattens plots into cliches. I thought Amy and Rory were superb, and Matt Smith is easily my favourite of the new bunch.

So, for me, series 7 (and 2013) was the last “hurrah” before the collapse that followed.