One of the biggest things that always bugged me about this series was how often Moffat and the series went "we swear the Doctor's actually dead, this isn't a cop out or a fake Doctor or anything like that" and then it ultimately just turned out to be a fake Doctor that took the real Doctor's place to be killed. That isn't a clever plot twist, that's just lying to the audience and pretending it's smart.
I was never worried about him dying cuz they'd never kill The Doctor off just like that and end the show. I was more curious as to how it all fits together and how he gets out of it. But it did underwhelm me with how they explained it, Moffat is capable of better, and the finale does mess things up and like this video says, it would have been so much better as a two parter
so the same as "that" sherlock finale where he refused to admit that fans found out how he did it and then filmed an explanation SO BAD (and making fun of the fans in the episode) many people quit watching.
For me the worst part about season 6 is how easily Amy and Rory accept the fact that their daughter is kidnapped. Like they are not really depressed or anything. It's so unrealistic, it makes these characters seem like bland cardboard.
I never got that myself. Amy and Rory almost divorced specifically because of this. They missed out on the ability to have a child because of the Silence, and we're robbed of raising a child because of River. A lot of time passed after this, they specifically asked the doctor about the baby, and then they find out River is Mels. They find out this pretty quick, when you compare episodes, but at this time the Doctor isn't hanging out every day. Time does pass within the story.
The problem with Series 6 is that it doesn’t work as a overarching story but works well stand alone. Also this series definitely started Moffat's love for putting key plot points being in kept to minisodes.
It's ironic, the series could have used stronger serialisation, but the standalone episodes are some of the strongest in new who. Doctor's Wife is probably my favourite doctor who episode, and The Girl Who Waited and God Complex are some of the best too
But also those one-parters in the second half represent the series arc marking time which makes the pace of the serial feel odd. The first half up until A Good Man Goes To War is pretty good in terms of season arc (and I personally love The Rebel Flesh/Almost People two-parter which kind of serves the season arc as a red herring suspect in mystery A is the Doctor really going to die - i.e. it poses the question was the killed doctor really his ganger? No, as it turns out but you considered that it might be, right?), works well as a standalone story and further serves the season arc in advancing mystery B - Amy's weird phantom pregnancy mystery. It's a pretty solid contributor to the season. Then Let's Kill Hitler happens (which is a pretty stupid episode) providing everything needed to wrap the season up and because that is the beginning of the second HALF what remains of the second half is the series arc being totally forgotten! Not even mentioned let alone any further clues being dispensed. But series 7 was the true disaster. Series 6 has plenty to recommend it.
@@markpostgate2551 I totally agree with both of you. The individual stories are actually mostly really strong, even in the second half, but it feels that all the heavy lifting of the season’s arcs occur in Moffatt’s episodes, which are these big epics, while the rest feel more small-scale and quiet. It also wasn’t helped by the split in the middle. Six B was actually when I got into the show, so I’m sorta pre-programmed to be pro Series 6 and Moffatt, but I recently rewatched it all in on go, and it does feel like the series is kind of hollow beneath the big Silence arc.
@@ashleytuchin7693 To me, there seems a noticeable slouch in his upper back and shoulders and a slowness in much of the way he walks and presents himself in serious situations compared to in Series 5, which adds to the old man feeling.
"Series 6 is a weak series filled with great episodes" perfectly sums it all up. The highest highs of the Smith era are the standalone eps, but that ambitious serialised plot just didn't land that well. Some fond memories tho 😁
Series 6's problem is how inconsequential all the plot elements feel. No matter what happens, the characters just call it a day and move on to the next adventure. It undermines the season so much even though it had potential to be the best season of New Who. It's got the biggest most complicated story arc of any Doctor Who season and the opening Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon episode is one of the best in the show. Moffat does an amazing job setting everything up just to immediately sh*t the bed because he was making it up on the spot. The Silence are a wasted enemy and the reveals / twists make it harder to enjoy on rewatches compared to when it first aired.
One thing Davies understood was that part of making a compelling story is leaving parts of it to the audience's imagination, letting the characters' emotions tell us far more than what we are actually shown on screen. I get goosebumps every time 9 or 10 would vaguely reference the time war with horror in their eyes, and I almost feel guilty that I'm bored by Moffat's arcs when he has devoted so much more budget and screen time to actually showing us a supposedly epic tale. I feel like Davies' Doctor Who makes better TV, but if Moffat were in charge of conceptualizing a Doctor Who video game, it would be really awesome.
When I hear "It needs to be binged" as the best way to enjoy it, my brain translates to "Enjoy the ride and don't think about it." This season is just hits of drama, by the time one twist/reveal ends its replaced by a new one. You get swept up in it but by the end you realize none of the resolutions were satisfying. Also: Might as well made River a renegade timelord who ran from the time war or an alien. I always hated the River being their daughter and a pseudo timelord.
Clearly the Doctor was never meant to die, so that’s not the event that breaks time. If River isn’t believed to have killed the Doctor, that changes everything about her timeline, and it affects the actions of everyone and everything that thinks he’s gone - a lot of villains wouldn’t have made their move if they knew he was there to stop them. That’s why River not killing him breaks time, even though he keeps living either way
I love series 6 as individual episodes are very strong and the narrative connecting them is exciting. The Problem is that the finale makes all that excitement into nothing.
"It's full of random technobabble, and exposition, basically just relying on slick vibes and style over actual substance and rewarding storytelling." Sir, you just summed up Stephen Moffat's tenure on Doctor Who in a single sentence. I applaud your succinctness.
@mayotango1317 including deus ex machinas doesn't mean its style over substance, style over substance is when the story is utter nonsense but looks pretty, whereas deus ex machina is a way to get characters out of a tricky situation, and while they sometimes go together, in Davies' era there was little style over substance as things were explained and at least partially internally consistent. Sorry for the length
Man, this really makes me realize how much of an issue modern who has with messing up really good monsters. Weeping Angels and The Silence both start as incredible, iconic monsters that serve as legitimate threats, but a few more episodes of appearance, and they end up a mess. Damn.
I love season 6, but have nearly given up on making sense of it after a recent rewatch. Are we meant to understand that River's grand gesture of breaking time was irrelevant, only serving to foil/delay the doctor's master plan to save himself? How much of the season "actually happened" and how much was erased by the finale? Where in her timeline was River when she decided not to kill the doctor? Was that always her decision or did she go back and change it? So many questions.
22:39 "Closing Time feels out of place, wasting the Cybermen by prioritizing a baby... and Stormageddon." Damn, James Corden is going to need to regenerate from that burn!
I think the River Song identity reveal was so so underwhelming. SO underwhelming. “I’m Amy’s daughter.” I could’ve really cried that day I thought it was gonna be so epic they were building it up for 2 and a half damn seasons. By the way I loved how you said “slip the Dalek army 10 quid to kill the Doctor”😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
Hmm.. I dunno. A time lady, someone to do with the agency captain Jack was from. There's a lot of things they could've done if they were imaginative, but that's just me.
@@musayibghani3986 So you think it would've somehow been more meaningful or impactful in the story for River to be just some random person we've never heard of before instead of being directly tied to the Doctor's companions? OK...
Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon were pretty good but the explanation for how the Doctor didn’t die only needed one more episode at most. It was a three part arc at best but stretched out with convolution that made it even less believable than it already was. That final episode is painful.
Dalek army commander: "Yes! Yeeeess! Give me 10 quid and a confirmed location for the doctor. I have a good plan to fully kill the Doctor. It involves capturing him, taking the TARDIS and ejecting him at the end of the universe away from any remaining planets!" Dalek executioner: "Your strategy is sound, enjoy your time in the asylum." Dalek army commander: "Are you serious? This could actually work; we usually capture both the Doctor and the TARDIS." Dalek executioner: "I am and that's why you go to the asylum. We aren't allowed to kill the doctor." Dalek army commander: "Bugger."
16:17 Given the link between nazi scientists and the post-war US space programme (which Timeless explored the moral conundrum of in their Ian Fleming episode) the Silence being involved in Let's Kill Hitler would have made for a really interesting two parter. But I think Moffat was concerned that linking that series of historical events to aliens would be a trivialization of human evil... so... he made it a one-part farce instead! I'm not sure that's an improvement.
Series 6 is my sisters favourite season. I think it might be because Amy and Rory are her favourite companions and 11 her favourite Doctor more than the actual story. But she is also a more casual watcher so doesn’t spend enough time to think about the plot holes.
This series was always a bit of a weird one for me but I was young when I first watched so I was more just enjoying but I do remember series 6 being the first time I ever EVER missed an episode of Who on Saturday. I was slowly slowly losing interest by the finale
Series 6 was the last time I heard the general public give a damn about the actual story of a series of Doctor Who. The start of it anyway. The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon caught the public, "The Doctor DIES, no regeneration! How is this resolved?" However, the general public didn't seem to care about the ending that much. It also probably didn't help that the standalone episodes are far better than the ones to do with the overarching story. It either needed more serialisation or less serialisation. And, barring James Corden, I quite like Closing Time. I quite like seeing totally defeated Cybermen still trying.
I found it interesting, mostly because it seems obvious to me that Matt took the break from filming to really get into the Doctor. His performance goes up a big notch between seasons 5 and 6 and it's when I got really sold on his Doctor.
The only thing I like about this era is that the girl who played young river was a friend of my sister's when they were kids. She's actually really sweet, polite, and indulged my questions about being on the show before she went back to playing with my sister 😂
Tbh, beyond the 10th Doctor I just completely stopped being able to follow the Doctor Who lore. Before the 11th Doctor, time travel was something so difficult and impressive that the Time Lords were almost revered as gods because they mastered it. Even the Daleks struggled to get time travel capabilities, and even when they did it was inferior to Time Lord technology. But then suddenly in the 11th Doctor's era you have this mostly human organisation from not even *that* far in the future suddenly being able to set up and execute multiple schemes that not only take place across multiple points in space but multiple points in time, with their leader being able to seemingly appear wherever and whenever she wants. And then you have other things like the Daleks going from attempting the complete destruction of reality itself to being content to just be another evil species in the galaxy that occasionally commits vaguely nefarious plots, and they even go so far as to team up with other species that they'd normally despise just as much as humans or Time Lords, just because of... reasons. Honestly, part of the reason I gave up watching Doctor Who after the 10th Doctor is because they just made a complete mess of the surrounding lore, which meant that I was constantly confused about everything. Pre-Matt Smith Doctor Who may not have been the most fleshed out when it came to the extended universe, but it at least made sense to me. Every single location and period was structured and obvious before the 11th Doctor. I could visually tell if an episode was meant to be set in the past, present, near future or far future, and even if it wasn't so obvious they often gave clues if not outright told you. After the 10th Doctor though, every single setting outside of the present-day ones became a bit of a blur, not helped by the very confusing overarching plotlines that the episodes were presenting.
Agreed. People blame chibnal for ruining the show, but moffat was already digging its grave. So happy to hear RTD is back as showrunner - say what you want about his sci fi logic, the guy knows his damn story structure and characterisation
Sorry kid, but RTD sold you a glorified version of Doctor Who. In the classic series Time Lords were pompous politicians who were barely respected, there were already other races like gods such as the Osirians or The Eternals, and even humans develop time travel in "Invasion of the Dinosaurs" or by other races like Nostalgia Tours. Even the Daleks have already discovered time travel in "The Chase" and have allied with other races to exterminate them. It's not my fault you were fooled by RTD's melodrama, Moffat only did what was shown in Classic Who.
I think this is the best viewing order: Series 6A -The Doctor’s Wife (9/10) -Night Terrors (7/10) -The Impossible Astronaut/ Day of the Moon (8/10) -The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People (6/10) -A Good Man Goes to War (8/10) Series 6B -Let’s Kill Hitler (7/10) -The curse of the black spot (8/10) -The Girl Who Waited (9/10) -The God Complex (10/10) -Closing Time (7/10) -The Wedding of River Song (7/10) -The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe (8/10)
I havent watched the whole video but my consensus on series 6 is that it was a wild ride, a great opening two partner, a cool overarching story and some great standalone episode included. I feel night terrors is one of the weakest in this series, and mels bit in lets kill hitler is a bit hamfisted but i absolutely loved the reveals throughout the series, the way it concluded (everything happening at once is a bit weird) and i dont think moffat really went wrong here? Maybe over ambitous but thats moffat for you.
I feel the same about the series. Most of the critisism i heard was spoken at least 6 years after the release of series 6. At the time it came out some people said they saw the twists coming from a mile away and that spoiled it for them. And there were cola wars over who is better Moffat or RTD but the series popularity was high and the ratings were good. But since some video essayist said it sucks people got very critical about it online. Moffat loosing his popularity didn't help neither. I say online bc my friends liked it. People from convention didnt talked about it like it was a faliure. And recently my wife got interested in DW, and she also liked it. Compare to your avarge mistery tv show or even DW s03 where the Doctor from manga eyes Benjamin Button turned into space Jesus bc everybody made a wish on Earth at the same time, it is a fine story arc. I belive If Moffat had left showrunning Sherlock and Dw after 2 seasons and Chibnall would had take over from series 7, series 6 would be praised today as it would had been the perfect final season for Doctor Who.
A time traveller _probably_ doesn't experience events in a (from our perspective) strict, linear progression of cause & effect "binge-worthy" story arcs. Remember the X-Files? Each season's episodes varied between the "mythology" of the series (Mulder's sister's disappearance, Scully's abduction/alien impregnation, the CSM & government conspiracy), versus the usually fun "Monster of the Week" episodes. You know why? Because sometimes the audience needs something to cleanse the pallette. We are invested in these characters, & we love the over-arching storylines, but that doesn't mean that any episode that doesn't fit into that arc is a distracting waste of time. Sometimes you just want pirates in space, or a tattooed cannibal circus freak.
absolutely! I'm not a big fan of season 6, but this criticism is flat out stupid and makes me question if Harbo has ever watched similarly paced shows like The X Files, Supernatural etc. before. the problem is the over arching story isn't particularly good, not that it's paced out. if The X Files was only mythology episodes it would be nowhere near as iconic. no Squeeze, no Jose Chung, no Home etc.
tbh Series 6 was pretty good imo, the only big issue with it was as you say at the start, not being serialized enough, it falls off the overarching story too often imo
The story arc was way too intrusive and the audience were constantly being reminded about the doctors death. Yes we know moffat, we saw it last week...plus it was so obvious who river was, all the clues were in the opening two parter and it wasn't a big reveal. Plus the robot being Doctor in the beach...biggest cop out ever, and renders the whole season pointless...
in my opinion, the overarching story isn't interesting beyond the first two episodes and a good man goes to war. everything else about the overarching story is just meh. however, quite a few of the standalone episodes are incredible. on the blu-ray, we start off with a christmas carol, which is one of the best, if not the best christmas special in the revival. i like the curse of the black spot, though i don't know the public opinion, the doctor's wife is great, for rebel flesh and the almost people, it's the same for me as the black spot, the girl who waited is an awesome idea, the god complex is great and then there are just let's kill hitler, which is pretty meh, night terrors is fine, closing time is an episode of the hit british sci-fi show, doctor who and finally, wedding of river song, which is definitely there, as it so deafeningly screams at us that it is.
1 - The Impossible Astronaut 2 - Day of the Moon 3 - The God Complex 4 - The Doctor's Wife 5 - Night Terrors 6 - The Girl Who Waited 7 - The Curse of the Black Spot 8 - The Rebel Flesh 9 - A Good Man Goes to War 10 - The Almost People 11 - Closing Time 12 - Let's Kill Hitler 13 - The Wedding of River Song
The top 6 are equal in quality in my opinion; more 10/10s than any other series. It's just ranked in order of what interests me. The bottom 5 are unforgivable, sure, but you can skip Closing Time and Let's Kill Hitler. And most people love A Good Man Goes to War! So it comes down to the Series 3 conundrum, really, where it's the finale that's the unignorable point of contention. The more I look into Series 6, the higher it gets. Peak Smith, beyond doubt.
I think series 6 is a very difficult series to place in a rank but I do agree with your positioning, honestly it has so many brilliant concepts and ideas and some of the individual executions of things (the opening 2 parter, The Doctor's Wife, God Complex, etc) are done really, really well and are amazing stories, but I really do think your alternative structure you suggested would've worked a lot better as series 7 was also kinda hindered from the fact Moffat had to speedily wrap up Amy and Rory, gave them no time between Power of Three and their exit, as well as introducing Clara not long after. Both series 6 and 7 feel like sloppy attempts at stuff that on paper are great, and some individual things are great, but I think Moffat's ambition and ideas needed his full time and the focus being split between Who and Sherlock shows for sure
Of course in hindsight this series TWICE proves that the whole War doctor thing was added in last minute and never planned. In both the first episode, and in lets kill Hitler the doctor apparently has a regeneration available. First its aborted after it starts, then in the second instance he says to the TARDIS he better regenerate, only to be told by the TARDIS that his regeneration has been prevented by the poison, NOT that he has run out of those. You would think the TARDIS might have mentioned THAT rather than an effect of the poison making it currently unavailable. So when we get to the Time of the Doctor, and he says on screen he has always known he was out of regenerations, its a bit...eh what?
Not watched the review yet but I will say. I think the problem with this series is that the ideas (most of them) work on paper but in execution don’t really work my main problem is that the beginning story is directly linked to the last story. This therefore undercuts a lot of the more standalone episodes feel pointless because the audience is already invested in one massive storyline and then they’re expected to suddenly start caring for more smaller scaled storylines. Also the main story of the doctor dying was dragged on for way too long
Wait, Harbo - The Silence are actually in every episode of series 6, you just don't remember them 😂 (really like your proposed reordering of the episodes in series 6 and 7a btw)
I've always noticed flaws in the storytelling of Series 6 and always disliked that the finale felt so rushed, but I really quite liked the format and the overarching plot. I always found flaws in all the overarching plots for each season, except maybe Series 1 and 2's endings. For me, Series 5 and 6 had a certain vibe to them that crowns those seasons as "peak comfy" for me. Even though I came to love Capaldi's Doctor, I think the adventurous feel of the show waned some time during Series 7 onward (although I really really love Day of the Doctor, saw it in theaters when it came out). The flaws in Moffat's writing were always glaring to me, but the ideas he was messing with always seemed interesting enough for me that I felt what he was trying to do. And the whole 3-season arc of the Cracks, the Silence and Trenzalore were such an interesting and original idea for Who, to me. While RTD effectively used Who's most iconic villains, I dug how Moffat opted for original villains to his era and the creativity was so cool to me. Even the gimmick of River was so interesting to me, that I almost wish there were plenty of other characters constantly meeting the Doctor out of order.
Series 6 is and always will be my favorite. It has my favorite episodes, some of its darkest themes, and unique mix of stories. Just take the whole "the doctor is dying" thing and it makes it significantly better
@tvguy61 Glad to here it! This video explains many reasons why it isnt the best, but its rhe series i hopped on the show too, and the stories in it are rhe most riveting to rewatch. Every episode has a bit where i want to cry, and feel genuine fear in. Can't say it for any other series. I have the hottest take that I think Almost People/Rebel Flesh is the best 2 parter in Smith's tenure. Tbf he only has 6 two parters: angles, silurians, pandorica, rebel flesh, astronaut. I guess you could count name/day/time of the doctor as an overarching story if you wanted
Husbands of River Song is a hot mess, and Let's Kill Hitler just doesn't work (and I also found it weird that it came right after Good Man Goes to War, I was expecting a few episodes to pass before we found young Melody) but as a whole I think series 6 is very good. No Kill the Moon bad episodes in the bunch, and some really good episodes like Doctor's Wife and Girl Who Waited. Series 7 I would say is Moffat's worst. Lots of very meh episodes and a new companion who's a plot device instead of a person. Even finale wise I wouldn't say 6 is the worst. That definitely goes to 9 and Hell Bent.
I remembered loving this series when I first saw it. I was in middle school and it all seemed so exciting and bombastic and grandiose. I was so surprised when I learned that you and many other fans didn't like it!However, I did rewatch the season with a new viewer while watching your videos and I have to say.... C rank is so right. It has all those moments that stick in your brain for years but, by the time the finale comes along... what were those moments even for? Great video! Can't wait for nextseason! Please be nice to my and my friend's beloved (aka Dinosaurs on a Spaceship)
I saw season 6 opener in the cinema (NYC). It was a great experience and it was packed. My phone at the time, erased those photos and some with Paxton and rob paulsen ( last two wasn't the same day). I was so devastated.
I love your suggestion of combining s6 and s7a! Just one problem... S6 was not supposed to be split, I don't think. But they literally had to wait 3 months for wheat to grow in order to do the 'driving through wheat' scene in Let's Kill Hitler.
I’m gonna try watching the episodes in that order to see how it works when I get to those seasons cause I feel like it would almost feel like one of the old serials
I think the award for Moffat’s biggest failure goes to the disjointed mess of series 7. Or even series 8. Personally I enjoyed series 6. But each to their own.
for me, the big issue i have with this series (and moffats dw run in general tbh) is that the plot became too convoluted, and relied far too heavily on time being rewritten, often without consequence. this made it difficult to follow as a casual viewer, especially with episodes broadcast weeks apart, and after time was rewritten SO many times, i didnt know what events had and hadnt 'actually' taken place. it doesnt help that i think that changing the timeline is a lazy af cop out to writing an actual conclusion to a story. all in all i found it a very unsatisfying viewing expereince
I wouldn't say I'm really into the Doctor Who fandom or anything, but I know a lot of people (myself included) really like Matt Smith as the Doctor. So I'm surprised to find out that it's actually a common opinion to agree with me that this whole arc was baffling. I remember watching it, feeling like I was some sort of idiot because it was so hard to follow and I never remember half the plot points after watching it. I also usually just skip this entire season on rewatches except the Girl Who Waited because that's a banger. Really is such a weird season and I feel like it was foreshadowing Sherlock with Stephen Moffat being unable to write a compelling story, just a confusing mess that pretends to be smart because you don't understand it.
ON FIXED POINTS AND STILL POINTS: A fixed point in time is an event that is 1) documented and 2) witnessed. A still point is witnessed but its actual truth is not documented. Everybody in "TWoRS" saw the Doctor die, but they did not know that it was a clever fake. Also, the distinction lies with the Doctor: Have you ever gotten that sense of dread when you go near a place you're not supposed to be? That's what going near a fixed point feels like to him. The implication seems to be that you CAN rewrite all history, but can you live with the horrible, horrible consequences to come?
This was such an exciting time for a Who fan. The trailers showcasing America, the April release date being in the actual episode, it seemed like this would be the biggest season yet. I didn't know it was looked upon so poorly. But I can't disagree, there's a lot to keep up with. Loved the side characters in the america episodes too
It's so Moff to have great moments, episodes, and ideas with no clue how to make them into a beautiful solved puzzle. He is better as an episode writer than a show runner but he should get a lot of episodes to write.
I think another issue was how inconsistent the writing was. The random switch from dark tones in season 5 to light tones in season 6 also made it suffer, season 7 was more like season 5
I wasn't too keen on the Series Six story arc. I can watch it and like some of it, but I am one of those people who like the one-off episodes. Give me The Girl Who Waited (a classic!), The Doctor's Wife (another classic!), Curse of the Black Spot, The God Complex and Night Terrors and I'm happy.
Love how the Moffat era just rejects plot in favour of chaos 😂 I quite liked most of Series 6 because the story and character journey is just so fun and plot doesn’t matter anyway!
Personally, for me, Moffat's biggest mistake was stealing the (actual) 13th Doctor's story. Can you imagine how fandom would have speculated, how closely we would have watched, how the BBC could have advertised "The final incarnation of the Doctor!" Of course they would have found some way around it, but that's not the point. We would have been on the edge of our seats for all the seasons of that actor's run, to say nothing of how running out of regenerations would have affected the Doctor themselves (Is he more cautious now? Does he stop and worry after having just escaped death again?). But NOPE, Moffat can't trust that story to anyone else, so he *steals* it from whatever showrunner would have actually told the story of the Final Doctor...And he does this by not only counting a regeneration that we had explicitly been told on the show itself doesn't actually count as a regen, but he does it in the latter half of 11's final ep, so that we didn't even KNOW we were watching the last Doc until his final moments! Sorry for the rant, but as you can tell, I'm STILL mad about this!😤 Would love to see a video on this topic, even if it disagrees with me...
@@_MyNameIsAJ_ IKR? 12 would have made for a *great* Last Doctor! While we're speculating, I would have at least done his last season differently, tho it did have some stuff I liked. I don't hate Bill, but she never did much for me. Imagine if Moffatt had brought back *Susan*, tho! Carol Anne Ford actually was on set, and did express interest in coming back for an ep...Imagine if she showed up to reunite with the Doctor (who's not THAT diff from how she left him from her POV, haha) for an ep, then regenerates at the end of it, rejoining him on his journeys (if you really like Bill's actress, you can even use her for the next Susan if you like), so the show comes full circle, ending as it began...
@@mayotango1317 And did it? 10's did, and that particular incarnation is clearly what the prophecy referred to (didn't hear any knocking for any other Doctor since). And 11 lived for literally *hundreds* of years after that, taking the Doctor's stated age from 900 to over 2000! (Having said that, I *will* agree that Tennants' "I don't want to go" DOES actually hit harder with the idea that he knows this is the last time he will ever regerenate!) I really dislike "the Doctor will die soon!" attempts to ramp up drama, whoever the showrunner is. I'm looking very closely at this latest one, esp as it explicitly says that she won't be able to regenerate out of it...
on the point of series six being intended to be binged, I think series nine, and to a lesser extent series eight also work better when binged. which is kind of a shame when the dr who has mostly been a 'airs once a week' type of show
I really like series 7a because I like what it does with Amy and Rory as friends of the doctor and it’s just them having fun and bantering (I’m totally against bantering-12th doctor) btw angels take manhattan is my second favourite episode only to Vincent and the doctor And I believe that power of 3 is probably chibnall’s best (maybe second to cold blood 2 parter in series 5) apart from the ending
I guess so. But I feel like Rory is at some of his best in there (angels take manhattan) with no disrespect to girl who waited. And they just feel like old friends that we’ve known for so long which makes there leave so much more heartbreaking
There is for me the plot point of a Tardis being destroyed by the silence even though would take out the universe along with it which just feels like a cheap way to ramp up the tension as everything in the Doctor who universe has to threaten the Universe because reasons, it also does not make any sense as Tardis's have been destroyed before and everything was fine they just died, espcially during the time war as the doctor's Tardis is considered to be the last one left. The silence should have been an enemy that was stalking the doctor throughout his travels until the right moment to attack.
The main difference I’ve always said there is between RTD and Moffat. Moffat’s stand alone episodes are unbelievable and can do them better than RTD can. But RTD’s overarching storylines are far superior to that of Moffat’s. He knows how to keep the story relevant throughout a series, even if the episodes can be poor, and then wrap it all up at the end.
Season 6 mostly suffers from what I like to call “steven universe syndrome”, where the story relevant episodes are awkwardly split across stand alone or filler episodes, creating this feeling of “and important thing is happening and nobody cares (see the cluster arc of season two)
Can't stand AEW tbh. Tony Khan is a hack who hates women's wrestling (unless it's his crush Britt Baker) The storylines are all so cold and dull with terrible buildup. They never even bother to introduce anything or anyone to new viewers, you're expected to have watched every other promotion and multiple RUclips shows to understand it all. The matches are spotfests and Jeff Hardy is probably going to get himself killed there. It's also TNA levels of WWE's sloppy seconds and the fans are the worst part of it all. They're basically a cult with the lengths they'll go to defend AEW and act like it's the superior show when it's only geared towards obsessive smarks like them Oh yeah and there are so many scummy people employed like Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara
The Weeding of River Song was a disaster of an episode but what still bothers me is that they mess with the continuity of the characters. After seeing the Doctor "dying", Amy, Rory and River go and meet the younger Doctor and travel back in time to 1969. Why doesn't it happen in the finale? Why is Amy suddenly sadly drinking in her garden? Or when does it happen then? Also tricking the fix point in time with a fake Doctor felt as disappointing as Amy "tricking" the Angels walking with her eyes closed in Flesh and Stone, like wtf? It's a silly solution that disrespects the established threat.
Ultimately I can forgive a lot of the plot holes and inconsistency in Series 6 because, like…. It was actually FUN to watch. And the episodes were generally well-written with very strong characters and dialogue and pacing and overall high quality of production. And the episodes, again, were actually fun and enjoyable to watch. I mention this because I found most of the Chibnall era to be so unbelievably shoddy and awful in terms of writing and character quality, that it’s almost unbelievable to think that this was the same show.
But… some of my favorite stand alone-ish episodes of the era, episodes that I watch regularly because they’re just plain fun. (Or the other end, the sad ones like ‘the girl who waited’)
I like that Doctor Who can create story arcs that blend within episodic stories. It isn't always well balanced though and Season 6 is definitely the worst example of that.
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It worked far better then then season 13
love season 6
One of the biggest things that always bugged me about this series was how often Moffat and the series went "we swear the Doctor's actually dead, this isn't a cop out or a fake Doctor or anything like that" and then it ultimately just turned out to be a fake Doctor that took the real Doctor's place to be killed. That isn't a clever plot twist, that's just lying to the audience and pretending it's smart.
"That isn't a clever plot twist, that's just lying to the audience and pretending it's smart." *cough* Sherlock *cough*
Not unlike when he did the exact same thing when he baited the Doctor's death in Series 5.
I don't think it's pretending to be smart. Moffat knew he wrote himself into a corner.
I was never worried about him dying cuz they'd never kill The Doctor off just like that and end the show. I was more curious as to how it all fits together and how he gets out of it.
But it did underwhelm me with how they explained it, Moffat is capable of better, and the finale does mess things up and like this video says, it would have been so much better as a two parter
so the same as "that" sherlock finale where he refused to admit that fans found out how he did it and then filmed an explanation SO BAD (and making fun of the fans in the episode) many people quit watching.
For me the worst part about season 6 is how easily Amy and Rory accept the fact that their daughter is kidnapped. Like they are not really depressed or anything. It's so unrealistic, it makes these characters seem like bland cardboard.
Yeah and in the next season Amy's a model now like wtf
I never got that myself. Amy and Rory almost divorced specifically because of this. They missed out on the ability to have a child because of the Silence, and we're robbed of raising a child because of River. A lot of time passed after this, they specifically asked the doctor about the baby, and then they find out River is Mels. They find out this pretty quick, when you compare episodes, but at this time the Doctor isn't hanging out every day. Time does pass within the story.
The problem with Series 6 is that it doesn’t work as a overarching story but works well stand alone. Also this series definitely started Moffat's love for putting key plot points being in kept to minisodes.
that's Moffat's biggest issue as a writer
Also why the fuck aren't the minisodes on streaming????
Like they should put them in as after credits scenes when the whole catalog goes on Disney+
The problem with minisodes is that if you miss them (which is easy) it’s much harder to follow along
It's ironic, the series could have used stronger serialisation, but the standalone episodes are some of the strongest in new who. Doctor's Wife is probably my favourite doctor who episode, and The Girl Who Waited and God Complex are some of the best too
But also those one-parters in the second half represent the series arc marking time which makes the pace of the serial feel odd. The first half up until A Good Man Goes To War is pretty good in terms of season arc (and I personally love The Rebel Flesh/Almost People two-parter which kind of serves the season arc as a red herring suspect in mystery A is the Doctor really going to die - i.e. it poses the question was the killed doctor really his ganger? No, as it turns out but you considered that it might be, right?), works well as a standalone story and further serves the season arc in advancing mystery B - Amy's weird phantom pregnancy mystery. It's a pretty solid contributor to the season. Then Let's Kill Hitler happens (which is a pretty stupid episode) providing everything needed to wrap the season up and because that is the beginning of the second HALF what remains of the second half is the series arc being totally forgotten! Not even mentioned let alone any further clues being dispensed.
But series 7 was the true disaster. Series 6 has plenty to recommend it.
@@markpostgate2551 I totally agree with both of you. The individual stories are actually mostly really strong, even in the second half, but it feels that all the heavy lifting of the season’s arcs occur in Moffatt’s episodes, which are these big epics, while the rest feel more small-scale and quiet. It also wasn’t helped by the split in the middle. Six B was actually when I got into the show, so I’m sorta pre-programmed to be pro Series 6 and Moffatt, but I recently rewatched it all in on go, and it does feel like the series is kind of hollow beneath the big Silence arc.
God Complex seems to be incredibly underrated.
In Series 6, Smith seems much more the old man in the young man's body. I rarely felt that in Series 5.
I remember seeing a comparison between how he looked in Season 5 and 6; it's amazing how he somehow feels centuries older in the latter.
I feel the complete opposite personally
@@ashleytuchin7693 To me, there seems a noticeable slouch in his upper back and shoulders and a slowness in much of the way he walks and presents himself in serious situations compared to in Series 5, which adds to the old man feeling.
"Series 6 is a weak series filled with great episodes" perfectly sums it all up. The highest highs of the Smith era are the standalone eps, but that ambitious serialised plot just didn't land that well. Some fond memories tho 😁
Series 6's problem is how inconsequential all the plot elements feel. No matter what happens, the characters just call it a day and move on to the next adventure. It undermines the season so much even though it had potential to be the best season of New Who. It's got the biggest most complicated story arc of any Doctor Who season and the opening Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon episode is one of the best in the show. Moffat does an amazing job setting everything up just to immediately sh*t the bed because he was making it up on the spot. The Silence are a wasted enemy and the reveals / twists make it harder to enjoy on rewatches compared to when it first aired.
One thing Davies understood was that part of making a compelling story is leaving parts of it to the audience's imagination, letting the characters' emotions tell us far more than what we are actually shown on screen. I get goosebumps every time 9 or 10 would vaguely reference the time war with horror in their eyes, and I almost feel guilty that I'm bored by Moffat's arcs when he has devoted so much more budget and screen time to actually showing us a supposedly epic tale.
I feel like Davies' Doctor Who makes better TV, but if Moffat were in charge of conceptualizing a Doctor Who video game, it would be really awesome.
Or maybe your memory cheats. Because I never feel that the RTD era are subtle.
Id argue series 7 exaggerated his comical side.
Series 5, smith Doctor was less coddling and more blunt, not afraid to sugarcoat
Another thing that Davies understood was that the Meep has pronouns.
When I hear "It needs to be binged" as the best way to enjoy it, my brain translates to "Enjoy the ride and don't think about it." This season is just hits of drama, by the time one twist/reveal ends its replaced by a new one. You get swept up in it but by the end you realize none of the resolutions were satisfying.
Also: Might as well made River a renegade timelord who ran from the time war or an alien. I always hated the River being their daughter and a pseudo timelord.
River was interesting in 10s episode in the library. But then...season 6 happened
@@peaceunion5316 very well put.
Clearly the Doctor was never meant to die, so that’s not the event that breaks time. If River isn’t believed to have killed the Doctor, that changes everything about her timeline, and it affects the actions of everyone and everything that thinks he’s gone - a lot of villains wouldn’t have made their move if they knew he was there to stop them. That’s why River not killing him breaks time, even though he keeps living either way
I love series 6 as individual episodes are very strong and the narrative connecting them is exciting.
The Problem is that the finale makes all that excitement into nothing.
"It's full of random technobabble, and exposition, basically just relying on slick vibes and style over actual substance and rewarding storytelling." Sir, you just summed up Stephen Moffat's tenure on Doctor Who in a single sentence. I applaud your succinctness.
RTD did the same, also Chinball.
@@mayotango1317 shit-tier bait
@@mayotango1317 RTD did nothing of the sort, especially considering his era has like a significantly lower budget and was far less stylish,
@@thebasedgodmax1163 Cof David Ex Machina finales cof
@mayotango1317 including deus ex machinas doesn't mean its style over substance, style over substance is when the story is utter nonsense but looks pretty, whereas deus ex machina is a way to get characters out of a tricky situation, and while they sometimes go together, in Davies' era there was little style over substance as things were explained and at least partially internally consistent. Sorry for the length
Man, this really makes me realize how much of an issue modern who has with messing up really good monsters. Weeping Angels and The Silence both start as incredible, iconic monsters that serve as legitimate threats, but a few more episodes of appearance, and they end up a mess. Damn.
I love season 6, but have nearly given up on making sense of it after a recent rewatch. Are we meant to understand that River's grand gesture of breaking time was irrelevant, only serving to foil/delay the doctor's master plan to save himself? How much of the season "actually happened" and how much was erased by the finale? Where in her timeline was River when she decided not to kill the doctor? Was that always her decision or did she go back and change it? So many questions.
22:39 "Closing Time feels out of place, wasting the Cybermen by prioritizing a baby... and Stormageddon."
Damn, James Corden is going to need to regenerate from that burn!
I think the River Song identity reveal was so so underwhelming. SO underwhelming. “I’m Amy’s daughter.” I could’ve really cried that day I thought it was gonna be so epic they were building it up for 2 and a half damn seasons. By the way I loved how you said “slip the Dalek army 10 quid to kill the Doctor”😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
What else could it have been?
@@James.B.Russell anything else.
Hmm.. I dunno. A time lady, someone to do with the agency captain Jack was from. There's a lot of things they could've done if they were imaginative, but that's just me.
@@musayibghani3986 thank you
@@musayibghani3986 So you think it would've somehow been more meaningful or impactful in the story for River to be just some random person we've never heard of before instead of being directly tied to the Doctor's companions? OK...
Kovarian feels like what Missy could’ve been had the Master twist not been built up to throughout the Twelfth Doctor’s first season.
Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon were pretty good but the explanation for how the Doctor didn’t die only needed one more episode at most. It was a three part arc at best but stretched out with convolution that made it even less believable than it already was. That final episode is painful.
Youre not wrong about Night Terrors being forgettable because i genuinely do not remember this episode at all.
Dalek army commander: "Yes! Yeeeess! Give me 10 quid and a confirmed location for the doctor. I have a good plan to fully kill the Doctor. It involves capturing him, taking the TARDIS and ejecting him at the end of the universe away from any remaining planets!"
Dalek executioner: "Your strategy is sound, enjoy your time in the asylum."
Dalek army commander: "Are you serious? This could actually work; we usually capture both the Doctor and the TARDIS."
Dalek executioner: "I am and that's why you go to the asylum. We aren't allowed to kill the doctor."
Dalek army commander: "Bugger."
16:17 Given the link between nazi scientists and the post-war US space programme (which Timeless explored the moral conundrum of in their Ian Fleming episode) the Silence being involved in Let's Kill Hitler would have made for a really interesting two parter. But I think Moffat was concerned that linking that series of historical events to aliens would be a trivialization of human evil... so... he made it a one-part farce instead! I'm not sure that's an improvement.
Series 6 is my sisters favourite season. I think it might be because Amy and Rory are her favourite companions and 11 her favourite Doctor more than the actual story. But she is also a more casual watcher so doesn’t spend enough time to think about the plot holes.
I've always tried to pin down why this season never clicked with me and I think you've nailed it 👏
This series was always a bit of a weird one for me but I was young when I first watched so I was more just enjoying but I do remember series 6 being the first time I ever EVER missed an episode of Who on Saturday. I was slowly slowly losing interest by the finale
I think series 6 has the stronger overall narrative with the weaker structure, while Flux has a weaker overall narrative with a stronger structure.
Series 6 was the last time I heard the general public give a damn about the actual story of a series of Doctor Who.
The start of it anyway. The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon caught the public, "The Doctor DIES, no regeneration! How is this resolved?" However, the general public didn't seem to care about the ending that much.
It also probably didn't help that the standalone episodes are far better than the ones to do with the overarching story. It either needed more serialisation or less serialisation.
And, barring James Corden, I quite like Closing Time. I quite like seeing totally defeated Cybermen still trying.
No really, was to Series 10.
I found it interesting, mostly because it seems obvious to me that Matt took the break from filming to really get into the Doctor. His performance goes up a big notch between seasons 5 and 6 and it's when I got really sold on his Doctor.
The only thing I like about this era is that the girl who played young river was a friend of my sister's when they were kids. She's actually really sweet, polite, and indulged my questions about being on the show before she went back to playing with my sister 😂
Honestly series 6 and series 9 were those "oooh do I want to keep watching next year or not" kind of series
Tbh, beyond the 10th Doctor I just completely stopped being able to follow the Doctor Who lore. Before the 11th Doctor, time travel was something so difficult and impressive that the Time Lords were almost revered as gods because they mastered it. Even the Daleks struggled to get time travel capabilities, and even when they did it was inferior to Time Lord technology. But then suddenly in the 11th Doctor's era you have this mostly human organisation from not even *that* far in the future suddenly being able to set up and execute multiple schemes that not only take place across multiple points in space but multiple points in time, with their leader being able to seemingly appear wherever and whenever she wants.
And then you have other things like the Daleks going from attempting the complete destruction of reality itself to being content to just be another evil species in the galaxy that occasionally commits vaguely nefarious plots, and they even go so far as to team up with other species that they'd normally despise just as much as humans or Time Lords, just because of... reasons.
Honestly, part of the reason I gave up watching Doctor Who after the 10th Doctor is because they just made a complete mess of the surrounding lore, which meant that I was constantly confused about everything. Pre-Matt Smith Doctor Who may not have been the most fleshed out when it came to the extended universe, but it at least made sense to me. Every single location and period was structured and obvious before the 11th Doctor. I could visually tell if an episode was meant to be set in the past, present, near future or far future, and even if it wasn't so obvious they often gave clues if not outright told you. After the 10th Doctor though, every single setting outside of the present-day ones became a bit of a blur, not helped by the very confusing overarching plotlines that the episodes were presenting.
Agreed. People blame chibnal for ruining the show, but moffat was already digging its grave.
So happy to hear RTD is back as showrunner - say what you want about his sci fi logic, the guy knows his damn story structure and characterisation
Tennant merchant
This kinda sums it up. Just then feels as if chibnall came along and made things even worse.
@@drwfigureadventuresChibnall tried to course-correct but went too hard in the skid and flipped the car.
Sorry kid, but RTD sold you a glorified version of Doctor Who.
In the classic series Time Lords were pompous politicians who were barely respected, there were already other races like gods such as the Osirians or The Eternals, and even humans develop time travel in "Invasion of the Dinosaurs" or by other races like Nostalgia Tours. Even the Daleks have already discovered time travel in "The Chase" and have allied with other races to exterminate them.
It's not my fault you were fooled by RTD's melodrama, Moffat only did what was shown in Classic Who.
They dumbed down the Doctor compared to series 5. That's why it was not my favorite.
I think this is the best viewing order:
Series 6A
-The Doctor’s Wife (9/10)
-Night Terrors (7/10)
-The Impossible Astronaut/ Day of the Moon (8/10)
-The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People (6/10)
-A Good Man Goes to War (8/10)
Series 6B
-Let’s Kill Hitler (7/10)
-The curse of the black spot (8/10)
-The Girl Who Waited (9/10)
-The God Complex (10/10)
-Closing Time (7/10)
-The Wedding of River Song (7/10)
-The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe (8/10)
i really wish god complex was amy and rory's exit. it just worked so well that their appearances in season 7 feel wrong
I havent watched the whole video but my consensus on series 6 is that it was a wild ride, a great opening two partner, a cool overarching story and some great standalone episode included. I feel night terrors is one of the weakest in this series, and mels bit in lets kill hitler is a bit hamfisted but i absolutely loved the reveals throughout the series, the way it concluded (everything happening at once is a bit weird) and i dont think moffat really went wrong here? Maybe over ambitous but thats moffat for you.
I feel the same about the series.
Most of the critisism i heard was spoken at least 6 years after the release of series 6.
At the time it came out some people said they saw the twists coming from a mile away and that spoiled it for them.
And there were cola wars over who is better Moffat or RTD but the series popularity was high and the ratings were good.
But since some video essayist said it sucks people got very critical about it online. Moffat loosing his popularity didn't help neither.
I say online bc my friends liked it. People from convention didnt talked about it like it was a faliure. And recently my wife got interested in DW, and she also liked it.
Compare to your avarge mistery tv show or even DW s03 where the Doctor from manga eyes Benjamin Button turned into space Jesus bc everybody made a wish on Earth at the same time, it is a fine story arc.
I belive If Moffat had left showrunning Sherlock and Dw after 2 seasons and Chibnall would had take over from series 7, series 6 would be praised today as it would had been the perfect final season for Doctor Who.
"More holes than an overstaffed brothel"
O! M! G! BRILLIANT!!!!
Wait for Timeless Child.
A time traveller _probably_ doesn't experience events in a (from our perspective) strict, linear progression of cause & effect "binge-worthy" story arcs. Remember the X-Files? Each season's episodes varied between the "mythology" of the series (Mulder's sister's disappearance, Scully's abduction/alien impregnation, the CSM & government conspiracy), versus the usually fun "Monster of the Week" episodes. You know why? Because sometimes the audience needs something to cleanse the pallette. We are invested in these characters, & we love the over-arching storylines, but that doesn't mean that any episode that doesn't fit into that arc is a distracting waste of time. Sometimes you just want pirates in space, or a tattooed cannibal circus freak.
absolutely! I'm not a big fan of season 6, but this criticism is flat out stupid and makes me question if Harbo has ever watched similarly paced shows like The X Files, Supernatural etc. before. the problem is the over arching story isn't particularly good, not that it's paced out. if The X Files was only mythology episodes it would be nowhere near as iconic. no Squeeze, no Jose Chung, no Home etc.
@@tvguy61 well exactly. most shows have mysteries, the regeneration thing was a mystery to ponder on for the next few episodes and theorise over
tbh Series 6 was pretty good imo, the only big issue with it was as you say at the start, not being serialized enough, it falls off the overarching story too often imo
Feel like I’m on my own when I say I really did like series 6 .
you’re not
Its better than series 5, that's for sure
me to
YOU'RE NOT ALONE
Too even 😮 @@OmarCCLopes
The story arc was way too intrusive and the audience were constantly being reminded about the doctors death. Yes we know moffat, we saw it last week...plus it was so obvious who river was, all the clues were in the opening two parter and it wasn't a big reveal. Plus the robot being Doctor in the beach...biggest cop out ever, and renders the whole season pointless...
I like season 6 but one of my biggest problems is the silence,they were just so forgettable
I'll see myself out now
@@gracerigby361 bro💀
So true. So much hype for these new creepy monsters and they get thrown aside by episode 2.
in my opinion, the overarching story isn't interesting beyond the first two episodes and a good man goes to war. everything else about the overarching story is just meh.
however, quite a few of the standalone episodes are incredible.
on the blu-ray, we start off with a christmas carol, which is one of the best, if not the best christmas special in the revival. i like the curse of the black spot, though i don't know the public opinion, the doctor's wife is great, for rebel flesh and the almost people, it's the same for me as the black spot, the girl who waited is an awesome idea, the god complex is great and then there are just let's kill hitler, which is pretty meh, night terrors is fine, closing time is an episode of the hit british sci-fi show, doctor who and finally, wedding of river song, which is definitely there, as it so deafeningly screams at us that it is.
Paul McGann cardboard cutout is a flex.
1 - The Impossible Astronaut
2 - Day of the Moon
3 - The God Complex
4 - The Doctor's Wife
5 - Night Terrors
6 - The Girl Who Waited
7 - The Curse of the Black Spot
8 - The Rebel Flesh
9 - A Good Man Goes to War
10 - The Almost People
11 - Closing Time
12 - Let's Kill Hitler
13 - The Wedding of River Song
The top 6 are equal in quality in my opinion; more 10/10s than any other series. It's just ranked in order of what interests me.
The bottom 5 are unforgivable, sure, but you can skip Closing Time and Let's Kill Hitler. And most people love A Good Man Goes to War! So it comes down to the Series 3 conundrum, really, where it's the finale that's the unignorable point of contention. The more I look into Series 6, the higher it gets. Peak Smith, beyond doubt.
I think series 6 is a very difficult series to place in a rank but I do agree with your positioning, honestly it has so many brilliant concepts and ideas and some of the individual executions of things (the opening 2 parter, The Doctor's Wife, God Complex, etc) are done really, really well and are amazing stories, but I really do think your alternative structure you suggested would've worked a lot better as series 7 was also kinda hindered from the fact Moffat had to speedily wrap up Amy and Rory, gave them no time between Power of Three and their exit, as well as introducing Clara not long after. Both series 6 and 7 feel like sloppy attempts at stuff that on paper are great, and some individual things are great, but I think Moffat's ambition and ideas needed his full time and the focus being split between Who and Sherlock shows for sure
Of course in hindsight this series TWICE proves that the whole War doctor thing was added in last minute and never planned.
In both the first episode, and in lets kill Hitler the doctor apparently has a regeneration available. First its aborted after it starts, then in the second instance he says to the TARDIS he better regenerate, only to be told by the TARDIS that his regeneration has been prevented by the poison, NOT that he has run out of those. You would think the TARDIS might have mentioned THAT rather than an effect of the poison making it currently unavailable.
So when we get to the Time of the Doctor, and he says on screen he has always known he was out of regenerations, its a bit...eh what?
Not watched the review yet but I will say. I think the problem with this series is that the ideas (most of them) work on paper but in execution don’t really work my main problem is that the beginning story is directly linked to the last story. This therefore undercuts a lot of the more standalone episodes feel pointless because the audience is already invested in one massive storyline and then they’re expected to suddenly start caring for more smaller scaled storylines. Also the main story of the doctor dying was dragged on for way too long
Wait, Harbo - The Silence are actually in every episode of series 6, you just don't remember them 😂
(really like your proposed reordering of the episodes in series 6 and 7a btw)
They filmed The Impossible Astronaut in my state. It was a really big deal.
I've always noticed flaws in the storytelling of Series 6 and always disliked that the finale felt so rushed, but I really quite liked the format and the overarching plot. I always found flaws in all the overarching plots for each season, except maybe Series 1 and 2's endings. For me, Series 5 and 6 had a certain vibe to them that crowns those seasons as "peak comfy" for me. Even though I came to love Capaldi's Doctor, I think the adventurous feel of the show waned some time during Series 7 onward (although I really really love Day of the Doctor, saw it in theaters when it came out).
The flaws in Moffat's writing were always glaring to me, but the ideas he was messing with always seemed interesting enough for me that I felt what he was trying to do. And the whole 3-season arc of the Cracks, the Silence and Trenzalore were such an interesting and original idea for Who, to me. While RTD effectively used Who's most iconic villains, I dug how Moffat opted for original villains to his era and the creativity was so cool to me. Even the gimmick of River was so interesting to me, that I almost wish there were plenty of other characters constantly meeting the Doctor out of order.
Series 6 is and always will be my favorite.
It has my favorite episodes, some of its darkest themes, and unique mix of stories.
Just take the whole "the doctor is dying" thing and it makes it significantly better
@tvguy61 Glad to here it! This video explains many reasons why it isnt the best, but its rhe series i hopped on the show too, and the stories in it are rhe most riveting to rewatch. Every episode has a bit where i want to cry, and feel genuine fear in. Can't say it for any other series. I have the hottest take that I think Almost People/Rebel Flesh is the best 2 parter in Smith's tenure. Tbf he only has 6 two parters: angles, silurians, pandorica, rebel flesh, astronaut. I guess you could count name/day/time of the doctor as an overarching story if you wanted
Husbands of River Song is a hot mess, and Let's Kill Hitler just doesn't work (and I also found it weird that it came right after Good Man Goes to War, I was expecting a few episodes to pass before we found young Melody) but as a whole I think series 6 is very good. No Kill the Moon bad episodes in the bunch, and some really good episodes like Doctor's Wife and Girl Who Waited. Series 7 I would say is Moffat's worst. Lots of very meh episodes and a new companion who's a plot device instead of a person. Even finale wise I wouldn't say 6 is the worst. That definitely goes to 9 and Hell Bent.
I remembered loving this series when I first saw it. I was in middle school and it all seemed so exciting and bombastic and grandiose. I was so surprised when I learned that you and many other fans didn't like it!However, I did rewatch the season with a new viewer while watching your videos and I have to say.... C rank is so right. It has all those moments that stick in your brain for years but, by the time the finale comes along... what were those moments even for? Great video! Can't wait for nextseason! Please be nice to my and my friend's beloved (aka Dinosaurs on a Spaceship)
I saw season 6 opener in the cinema (NYC). It was a great experience and it was packed. My phone at the time, erased those photos and some with Paxton and rob paulsen ( last two wasn't the same day). I was so devastated.
I love your suggestion of combining s6 and s7a! Just one problem...
S6 was not supposed to be split, I don't think. But they literally had to wait 3 months for wheat to grow in order to do the 'driving through wheat' scene in Let's Kill Hitler.
We just gonna forget how there were specific arcs during seasons that went for like 6 - 10 episodes?
Your Season 6A and 6B sound like very good lists
I’m gonna try watching the episodes in that order to see how it works when I get to those seasons cause I feel like it would almost feel like one of the old serials
I think the award for Moffat’s biggest failure goes to the disjointed mess of series 7. Or even series 8. Personally I enjoyed series 6. But each to their own.
Series 8? The last half of that series is one of the best runs of the show
I agree with everything but series 8. It's my favourite season
Most of capaldis episodes are awful in my honest opinion
@@joelkanamuli227 not at all kid, take a rewatch
Series 8’s ok but it is nowhere near the worst Moffat season
I don’t agree it was a failure, I love Series 6.
for me, the big issue i have with this series (and moffats dw run in general tbh) is that the plot became too convoluted, and relied far too heavily on time being rewritten, often without consequence. this made it difficult to follow as a casual viewer, especially with episodes broadcast weeks apart, and after time was rewritten SO many times, i didnt know what events had and hadnt 'actually' taken place. it doesnt help that i think that changing the timeline is a lazy af cop out to writing an actual conclusion to a story. all in all i found it a very unsatisfying viewing expereince
I wouldn't say I'm really into the Doctor Who fandom or anything, but I know a lot of people (myself included) really like Matt Smith as the Doctor. So I'm surprised to find out that it's actually a common opinion to agree with me that this whole arc was baffling. I remember watching it, feeling like I was some sort of idiot because it was so hard to follow and I never remember half the plot points after watching it. I also usually just skip this entire season on rewatches except the Girl Who Waited because that's a banger. Really is such a weird season and I feel like it was foreshadowing Sherlock with Stephen Moffat being unable to write a compelling story, just a confusing mess that pretends to be smart because you don't understand it.
Watching the River episodes as part of a watch through from her perspective is much more enjoyable
ON FIXED POINTS AND STILL POINTS:
A fixed point in time is an event that is 1) documented and 2) witnessed. A still point is witnessed but its actual truth is not documented. Everybody in "TWoRS" saw the Doctor die, but they did not know that it was a clever fake.
Also, the distinction lies with the Doctor: Have you ever gotten that sense of dread when you go near a place you're not supposed to be? That's what going near a fixed point feels like to him. The implication seems to be that you CAN rewrite all history, but can you live with the horrible, horrible consequences to come?
This was such an exciting time for a Who fan. The trailers showcasing America, the April release date being in the actual episode, it seemed like this would be the biggest season yet. I didn't know it was looked upon so poorly. But I can't disagree, there's a lot to keep up with. Loved the side characters in the america episodes too
It's so Moff to have great moments, episodes, and ideas with no clue how to make them into a beautiful solved puzzle. He is better as an episode writer than a show runner but he should get a lot of episodes to write.
I think another issue was how inconsistent the writing was. The random switch from dark tones in season 5 to light tones in season 6 also made it suffer, season 7 was more like season 5
Just like Series 2 and Series 3.
I’d argue series 5 was lighter. Too light in certain areas
I wasn't too keen on the Series Six story arc. I can watch it and like some of it, but I am one of those people who like the one-off episodes. Give me The Girl Who Waited (a classic!), The Doctor's Wife (another classic!), Curse of the Black Spot, The God Complex and Night Terrors and I'm happy.
Love how the Moffat era just rejects plot in favour of chaos 😂 I quite liked most of Series 6 because the story and character journey is just so fun and plot doesn’t matter anyway!
Yo💀insane take
Personally, for me, Moffat's biggest mistake was stealing the (actual) 13th Doctor's story. Can you imagine how fandom would have speculated, how closely we would have watched, how the BBC could have advertised "The final incarnation of the Doctor!" Of course they would have found some way around it, but that's not the point. We would have been on the edge of our seats for all the seasons of that actor's run, to say nothing of how running out of regenerations would have affected the Doctor themselves (Is he more cautious now? Does he stop and worry after having just escaped death again?).
But NOPE, Moffat can't trust that story to anyone else, so he *steals* it from whatever showrunner would have actually told the story of the Final Doctor...And he does this by not only counting a regeneration that we had explicitly been told on the show itself doesn't actually count as a regen, but he does it in the latter half of 11's final ep, so that we didn't even KNOW we were watching the last Doc until his final moments!
Sorry for the rant, but as you can tell, I'm STILL mad about this!😤 Would love to see a video on this topic, even if it disagrees with me...
@@_MyNameIsAJ_ IKR? 12 would have made for a *great* Last Doctor! While we're speculating, I would have at least done his last season differently, tho it did have some stuff I liked. I don't hate Bill, but she never did much for me. Imagine if Moffatt had brought back *Susan*, tho! Carol Anne Ford actually was on set, and did express interest in coming back for an ep...Imagine if she showed up to reunite with the Doctor (who's not THAT diff from how she left him from her POV, haha) for an ep, then regenerates at the end of it, rejoining him on his journeys (if you really like Bill's actress, you can even use her for the next Susan if you like), so the show comes full circle, ending as it began...
Cof RTD song ending soon cof
@@mayotango1317 And did it? 10's did, and that particular incarnation is clearly what the prophecy referred to (didn't hear any knocking for any other Doctor since). And 11 lived for literally *hundreds* of years after that, taking the Doctor's stated age from 900 to over 2000!
(Having said that, I *will* agree that Tennants' "I don't want to go" DOES actually hit harder with the idea that he knows this is the last time he will ever regerenate!)
I really dislike "the Doctor will die soon!" attempts to ramp up drama, whoever the showrunner is. I'm looking very closely at this latest one, esp as it explicitly says that she won't be able to regenerate out of it...
I need to call RTD and ask him to make Kovarian an incarnation of Tecteun !!! Could explain why she is doing all of this
on the point of series six being intended to be binged, I think series nine, and to a lesser extent series eight also work better when binged. which is kind of a shame when the dr who has mostly been a 'airs once a week' type of show
I really like series 7a because I like what it does with Amy and Rory as friends of the doctor and it’s just them having fun and bantering (I’m totally against bantering-12th doctor) btw angels take manhattan is my second favourite episode only to Vincent and the doctor
And I believe that power of 3 is probably chibnall’s best (maybe second to cold blood 2 parter in series 5) apart from the ending
But Amy and Rory alway are friends of the Doctor since Series 5.
I guess so. But I feel like Rory is at some of his best in there (angels take manhattan) with no disrespect to girl who waited. And they just feel like old friends that we’ve known for so long which makes there leave so much more heartbreaking
There is for me the plot point of a Tardis being destroyed by the silence even though would take out the universe along with it which just feels like a cheap way to ramp up the tension as everything in the Doctor who universe has to threaten the Universe because reasons, it also does not make any sense as Tardis's have been destroyed before and everything was fine they just died, espcially during the time war as the doctor's Tardis is considered to be the last one left.
The silence should have been an enemy that was stalking the doctor throughout his travels until the right moment to attack.
I know im a year late but a point i never see talked about is how the hell did River drain the spacesuit weapons system anyway
More holes than an over staffed brothel might be the best line of 2022 😂
Wait for The Flux.
The main difference I’ve always said there is between RTD and Moffat. Moffat’s stand alone episodes are unbelievable and can do them better than RTD can. But RTD’s overarching storylines are far superior to that of Moffat’s. He knows how to keep the story relevant throughout a series, even if the episodes can be poor, and then wrap it all up at the end.
I just hated how much the ponds were exaggerated and like they waited decades for eachother and i can’t believe that it just feels dragged out
I'm sorry but did you actually say "more holes than an over staffed brothel" out loud from your mouth on the internet. I nearly choked on food.
The baby AND Stormagedon. Savage! I love it.
You talked about the minisodes!!
Ah I’m so happy!!
Season 6 mostly suffers from what I like to call “steven universe syndrome”, where the story relevant episodes are awkwardly split across stand alone or filler episodes, creating this feeling of “and important thing is happening and nobody cares (see the cluster arc of season two)
Unexpected CM Punk reference! I'd love to hear more thoughts from you on AEW or wrestling in general.
Can't stand AEW tbh. Tony Khan is a hack who hates women's wrestling (unless it's his crush Britt Baker) The storylines are all so cold and dull with terrible buildup. They never even bother to introduce anything or anyone to new viewers, you're expected to have watched every other promotion and multiple RUclips shows to understand it all. The matches are spotfests and Jeff Hardy is probably going to get himself killed there. It's also TNA levels of WWE's sloppy seconds and the fans are the worst part of it all. They're basically a cult with the lengths they'll go to defend AEW and act like it's the superior show when it's only geared towards obsessive smarks like them
Oh yeah and there are so many scummy people employed like Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara
@@HarboWholmes oh, I’ve learned today that I am in a cult.
Nice to know.
8:09 That honestly would have worked brillantly.
6:27 that feels like such a niche cross-over of fandoms and I love it
The Weeding of River Song was a disaster of an episode but what still bothers me is that they mess with the continuity of the characters. After seeing the Doctor "dying", Amy, Rory and River go and meet the younger Doctor and travel back in time to 1969. Why doesn't it happen in the finale? Why is Amy suddenly sadly drinking in her garden? Or when does it happen then?
Also tricking the fix point in time with a fake Doctor felt as disappointing as Amy "tricking" the Angels walking with her eyes closed in Flesh and Stone, like wtf? It's a silly solution that disrespects the established threat.
Great points but that garden scene is post 11 leaving. Its just not established.
what's with the spoilers from the following episodes? I've just watched season 6 finale and wanted to see a review to it.
I think it’s good to have stand alone episodes sprinkle don’t through a series, it gives the chance for the audience to have a fun adventure
Ultimately I can forgive a lot of the plot holes and inconsistency in Series 6 because, like…. It was actually FUN to watch. And the episodes were generally well-written with very strong characters and dialogue and pacing and overall high quality of production. And the episodes, again, were actually fun and enjoyable to watch.
I mention this because I found most of the Chibnall era to be so unbelievably shoddy and awful in terms of writing and character quality, that it’s almost unbelievable to think that this was the same show.
I always thought series 7 was the most controversial
Yeah I used to think a lot of the Moffit area went of the rails somewhat. Then I saw the Chibnall era now his era is like a fricken master piece.
Just like Blade Runner. Everybody hate it, now is a cult classic.
Not as satisfying, but at least Madame K is dealt with properly in the River Song audio 'The Furies'.
The title made me say "nahhh thats series 7". Can't wait for those reviews!
He loves Series 7.
Great video! Really like your restructuring and I look forward to watching the episodes in that order on my next Matt Smith era rewatch
I know they abandon the storyline, but some of the episodes in this season are really good.
But… some of my favorite stand alone-ish episodes of the era, episodes that I watch regularly because they’re just plain fun. (Or the other end, the sad ones like ‘the girl who waited’)
I wonder if the "America salutes you" bit when he accidentally breaks the model was scripted or something that happened by accident and they left in?
I like that Doctor Who can create story arcs that blend within episodic stories. It isn't always well balanced though and Season 6 is definitely the worst example of that.
My personal opinion is that series 6 isn't terrible or wonderful, it's mostly just meh.
(Except for "The Doctor"s Wife", which I absolutely love.)
Ive seen where the curse of the black spot was set its actually pretty cool
I like two partners because it's an excuse to make my family watch two episodes instead of one🌝