THE STAR BEAST | Doctor Who Honest Review (2023)
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- Опубликовано: 24 ноя 2023
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🍿 Doctor Who: The Star Beast (2023)
🎬 In the first of 3 special episodes to mark the 60th Anniversary of Doctor Who, David Tennant takes on the mantle of the Doctor once more, reuniting with his beloved companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate). But what does this first outing for the 14th Doctor have in store, and what does it set up for the show to come?
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What did you think of THE STAR BEAST? Share your Honest Review in the comments below Whovians! - Connor
You missed what the story's you talked were saying rose is Non-binary because of she's a Meta-crisis aka part timelord and they let the energy go I'm guessing similarly to expelling extra Regeneration energy but it's mostly so donna can keep her memory and for the last bit the doctor spent I can't remember off my head but like a year working himself into the psychic network the master set up and everyone thinking of the doctor at the same moment aloud him to focus all that energy into himself it's less preachy and more Science
Loved it and I got to see all 3 specials I will say it leads straight into **Spoiler**
the cliffhanger for “Xmas special” 2023
As someone who has watched Doctor Who for 40 years.........Honest Review..........It was Trash.
@@umecha1020 ok why was it trash I'll say it wasn't perfect but I thought it was still really good
Could do with not pushing a woke agenda so hard . We don't need to see a spectacle of box ticking exercises in place of good writing and acting.
The gender stereotyping of "a male presenting doctor wouldn't know how to just let it go".is really dumb. And excuse me, when has Donna Noble ever been able to just let something go? She had a delightful, completely in-character rant at having given away all her money so she could be like the Doctor not long before that scene. And I also was weirded out that the Doctor was so cavalier about Donna maybe remembering.
I agree. What they should have said is that "letting it go" wouldn't have ocurred to the Doctor *because he is full Time Lord* -- that for him, it would mean letting go of something essential to his nature, whereas for them, as humans, it actually felt more natural to do without it. Leave essentiazing gender stereotypes out of it. It might also have been more credible if the idea had come from Rose, and she would have explained it to both Donna and the Doctor -- which would get round Donna's 'not letting it go' aspect
Agreed, it is such a cop out how it was so easy to fix Donna as well. The Doctor made such a big deal about Donna dying and the solution was... Donna chooses to let it go ? She literally just needed to think and the problem was solved, that's insultingly lazy writing.
And she comes to this conclusion in like 3 minutes? If it was so easy to fix why didn't she think of this originally during the 10th Doctor's run? Even if you want to roll with this sexist "a man can't think of it" logic, Donna was still a woman 14 years ago. Also, the Doctor was a woman for good few years there, wouldn't she have thought about fixing Donna at some point and come to this same conclusion?
I just ignored that political bs but overall the episode was fantastic.
woman letting thing go? when they still use thing happen ages ago in every argument ever have and ever will be
@@samliu6872 hahaha yeah well we just cant say it out loud.
I didn’t like that they said that the doctor was better whenever they were female. It felt wrong and it’s a lie. Being female doesn’t make you better than males and being male doesn’t make you better than female. And I hated the 13th doctor.
How is that even acceptable?
I agree I was looking forward to see Tennant again but they had to ruin it by doing it. Am done with doctor who now
@@seanmann7278bye lol
its okay she's gone now.
It feels like they’re trying really hard to make people accept that Jodie was good when that’s not even the reason people disliked her Doctor
You know this was first time I watched a show where they almost pulled off portraying a trans character without making them seem self-absorbed and preachy. The initial indication when the kids in the street called her Jason and was taking the piss was ok I felt and even helped the viewer to feel empathy for the character and what they had to deal with. But then we had the part where Rose pulls the Doctor up about pro-nouns, it wasn't the time or place (if there is ever one) to bring something like that up and just served to make her look self-absorbed since there were far more important things going on at that moment.
The scene with saving Donna's life, I was almost able to buy into it, the sharing of the Timelord energy between Donna and her kid, makes sense, even linking Rose's gender identification to the fact that the Doctor is essentially neither male or female by human standards (basically saying Donna got the binary part, Rose got the non-binary part) fair enough I can accept that, but the end monologue and act of denigrating The Doctor because he was "male-presenting" and so couldn't understand, no sorry, he's been a woman, he's been more people and met more races than they could possibly understand, but can't understand that? No. That part was entirely unnecessary and just another case of belittling a man to make the woman seem strong. It was a shame, they almost pulled it off.
I think that Rose being non binary because of time lord magic was kinda... double edged aproach. First half they tried to portay her like normal human being and then they explained she is non binary, because Doctor made her mother faulty human. So it's normalising non binary end goal her or what?
Capaldi would’ve been like,”I don’t understand? Me? Are you kidding of course I understand” and cue a whole angry monologue lol
ok but she was actually correct to question The Meeps pronouns, seeing as they were actually all using the wrong pronouns.
I agree that the binary line being connected to rose being non binary made no sense and was the biggest issue for me in the episode. I had no problem with the character being non binary it just seemed preachy and to not make any logical sense
It really spoiled it for me, why shove this down our throats.?
This was the first time I unironically rolled my eyes like a cartoon character. Almost every one of her lines was fucking atrocious
@@janicekrieger1922 yeah I thought the stuff with her being dead named, sylvia being of an older generation and trying to get things right and even rose questioning the Meep’s pronouns fine and good succinct character building for the character but the binary non binary thing just seemed a step too far that made no sense to the storyline.
It feels like a mixed metaphor to me. Like on the one hand it sounds like the idea is supposed to be that as a single person its a binary issue like a computer unable to contain all the information, but with her daughter sharing it's effectively a tertiary or quarternary network that can hold all that data. Kinda like how time lords have 2 hearts which would multiply their cardiac efficiency. Then you have the non-binary part that doesn't really make as much sense since yeah, even if her being non-binary sonehow makes rose more capable, would that not still leave her mother at full risk? And given previous logic would it not simply be the case that rose is half human half timelord like River?
I dont really get this, non binary, in the sex definition, it means not identifying as eighter gender? But rose is a trans female, so how exactly is the non binary line about her being trans? Maybe you are getting stuff confused, I just thought non binary was meant to indicate a reversal of the metacrisis effect and had nothing to do with gender.
The first part felt like a filler episode, where the writers are still working on developing the main story. The only problem is this is an anniversary episode. I really hope that the last two won't be disappointing.
David is definitely different to 10 when playing 14
he's still coated in 10 but he's older, styled different, is a lot more emotionally open such as him saying he loved Donna and Wilf within an hour of life where as 10 couldn't say I love you to Rose after 2 Years
or how he's less arrogant, says Allonsy once, the squeal at the new Tardis, more quiet/humble.
and the biggest one the lower voice and listening to people and not being a smart ass
The Doctor has aged more than 11 hundred years since he was with Donna last, to your point, I would like to believe that he has matured a bit since then.
Think it’s him being older, he clearly remembers his past and he’s at least 700 years older. And if you take into account the growth over the next few doctors has to change him
@@rodneylandis6094 older people are wiser. not crueler.
The most egregious thing in this episode by far, is the moment when turning off The Space ships engine somehow fixed the Cracks and lava flows in the ground. DUMB!
It’s doctor who, you can easily explain it by reversing the time stream or something.
I get what you're saying about the magical use of emotions for dealing with physical problems.
Overall I liked this one but yeah that one plot one was pretty glaring. I didn't really buy that they could just choose to get rid of the metacrisis energy just because they are female. Sort of implying that a male presenting doctor couldn't conceive of the idea of giving up a great amount of power. Especially considering that the 9th doctor took the time vortex from Rose, which was a ton of power, and then returned it to the Tardis simultaneously sacrificing his life. So that was an example of a male presenting Doctor giving up great power willingly as a choice.
Also the timelord energy that Donna and rose let go is physical so it had to go somewhere right?
this was perfectly put! I couldn't agree more about 14's irresponsible carelessness about handling Donna in regards to things such as the whole "two hearts" thing or the sonic screwdriver! It felt like the episode couldn't make up its own mind about whether or not this was really a serious thing, which was a real let down to be honest, HOWEVER that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it! I actually think that my mixed feelings about The Star Beast have actually made me realize something really important about Doctor Who- and just life in general- which I owe a great deal to Doctor Who for helping me realize; and that is that *it's okay to feel complex and conflicting feelings about something or someone.*
So many aspects of life are so polarizing and so complex that it's often hard to pinpoint my own exact feelings on everything at once, and that's something I really appreciate about Doctor Who, even if the writers didn't intend on conveying that (which I don't doubt they didn't lol...) I've seen a lot of other people online not be capable of getting past the things in this episode that make it not the best, but one thing I think they're failing to realize is that Doctor Who is silly... Idk how else to word that, like it's not really even so bizarre and otherworldly that something ridiculous and silly would happen in Doctor Who that ends up saving the day, even if it has a genuinely well-intentioned and progressive message behind it! I think we can all agree that the "message" the writers intended to convey with the whole *"a male presenting time lord wouldn't understand"* probably didn't sit too well with a lot of people on EITHER side of the identity politics perspective, myself included, however it's so ridiculous to let something that silly ruin the entire experience! Just get on and enjoy the episode! It's something so easy to pass off and forget about, (if you're someone who doesn't identify with progressive ideals and gender identity or even just queer folks' entire existence...) I know that the weight of that one scene's implications (that all this time, Donna could've just let it go if she chose to because she has a non-binary identifying child etc.) is what people take issue with more than the actual less-than-30-seconds it was on our screens for, but even that is something easily move-on-able such as the examples you gave in this video of equally "silly" and "BS Disney magic" explanations for cop-out, last-ditch "get out of jail free card" solutions used in previous Doctor Who episodes from eras long past. Also, I'm sorry but that scene at the end with the TARDIS interior reveal was so wonderful, it really REALLY made this episode something special for me, I honestly can't fathom seeing that and then turning around and making a rage review online about how "Doctor Who is dead" and this episode was nothing but "woke brainwashing trash" (I'm talking about other "RUclipsrs" here, just to clarify sorry) ... The thing about Doctor Who is that it's all just for fun at the end of the day, and this episode was fun! For the most part at least, and that's it. That's all it ever has to be for me :)
My apologies for the rambling rant here, I know this wasn't even the right video to leave such a comment on, but I'd rather express these thoughts here (on a video that is actually weighing out the good and the bad objectively and seemingly not so biased based on political alignment or identity perspective) than engage with the channels and creators who usually express the views I'm trying to target here because it does nothing more than generate attention and channel engagement statistics for them ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
total mixed bag. Loved seeing 10 return as 14 and interact with Donna again. Some brilliant moments between the two. Personally found the meep twist hilarious. Bu that nonbinary ending was so forced and preachy. I'm not even saying keep politics completely out because new who never has kept it completely out but I miss when it was just a comment here and there that makes you nod your head and say "hell yeah" instead politics driving important plot points the way it did at the end.
I think you have a misunderstanding of what happened. Non-binary is very much associated with trans so it's understandable, and maybe there is an intentional allegory in there idk. But the way I see it the reason Rose says non-binary is in response to Donna, the problem appeared binary but is revealed not to be: non-binary.
8:02 I get the so-called bewilderment with the idea of human qualities resisting these sci-fi elements, but comparing the metacrisis removal to Craig resisting a cyber confusion is just plain silly. Emotions are the direct antithesis to the Cyberman order-they're the Cybermen's kryptonite.
Even though Craig is in a machine that is physically converting him into a Cyberman, fusing a helmet to his head, but 'love' is enough to deactivate the machine and defuse the helmet?
@@UnleashTheGhouls I get it, but these conceptual remedies feel at home for Who. I'm not a fan of the episode myself, but I don't see anything particularly wrong with it. It works enough.
If love can overpower Cybermen then why don’t more people get out before they get upgraded?
@@H2E47 The most likely answer? Plot convenience. But the fact remains that emotions overpowering the Cybermen's methods is very true to form.
@@H2E47 1. It was damaged machine. 2. It was love for your own offspring 3. Doctor was yelling at Craig to think about his kid.
So short answer is "plot convenience", but at least with cybermen lore we can (kinda) accept it. And yes it was bad idea, but it was specyfic type of episode (episode without companions) with no real consequences on "the lore".
While this is super duper adversided special episode, which is also anniversary episode, which is directly connected with very good ending of companion.
One silly (and probably stupid) idea is nothing compared with how the metacrisis was resolved
the only thing that bothered me is that line right at the end where they bash the doctor for being a male, but that doesnt ruin the whole special for me.
My honest thoughts? I thought the episode was absolutely dog sh*t. It would be bad enough if this was just an ordinary filler episode, but this was supposed to be a 60th anniversary special. The episode itself was just a vehicle for RTD to promote identity politics in a kids/family show, a propaganda piece meant to indoctrinate young children in this highly divisive and political era.
Their is actually a scene where the Doctor gets scolded for assuming Beep the Meep's pronouns.
Sylvia not knowing how to hand the situation with her Granddaughter I imagine would represent of a lot of people, yet she is portrayed as being in the wrong for being confused.
Then RTD pulled the non binary card and had that be an actual plot point to make Rose and even "Greater" character. By the way, did you know that she is beautiful? I think a lot of people might have missed that point, because RTD felt the need to have several characters validate her beauty repeatedly. Funny how RTD has to repeatedly tell the audiences to think this instead of being able to show it competently...
The Weaponised wheelchair felt like it belonged in a spy parody movie like Johnny English.
The Doctor really did nothing to save the day, that being the Job of the Doctor Donna and Non-Binary Doctor Rose. Granted, at least he was given somethings to do in the episode that gave him some agency.
It was poorly paced, so much so I found myself checking the clock at the 30 minute mark to see how much longer I had to watch because I was honestly bored during the shoot out sequence. After that, it became more and more of a chore to watch.
The Sonic Screwdriver has now become magic wand that does whatever the plot needs it to. It make force shields, holographic displays, breaks apart brick walls etc...
But the episode's biggest crime? It completely ruins the tragedy of the Doctor Donna and one of the best storylines of New Who. Donna's memories come back and she doesn't die because of some BS reasoning from RTD, and then she and her daughter is just able to just let it all go because they are women and a Timelord isn't a good as a Timelady human female. This all happen in the course of 5 minutes. There is no price to pay whatsoever for Donna regaining her memories. There are no stakes.
I'm done with new Doctor Who. This 60th specials should have been used to try and regain old fans who had walked away due to being tired of the BBC's bullsh*t, yet RTD used this first special as a statement. Nothing has changed. If anything, it's far worse than it's ever been if this is the path forward. Doctor Who now more than ever is going to be used as a vehicle to promote the writer's biased political opinions in an attempt to inform/indoctrinate young children in their political beliefs.
If there are fans who love this episode, good for you. It's all yours to enjoy, and I genuinely hope you do. I'm going to pretend the 50th anniversary special was the true ending to New Who, even though I did like Capaldi's Doctor (Though he still has a line in it that technically makes him canon in my mind).
Agree 100%, at it's best it was comparable to a mid episode from the RTD era, at worst it ramped up the tedious woke political messaging from the Chibnall era to 11. RTD is not the saviour of Doctor Who, he is hammering the final nails in the coffin
Idk why this post doesnt have more likes. Its so bloody disappointing what has happened to beloved characters of old and how they become a tool to project their woke agenda instead of leaving politics out of it and focusing on classic killer storylines wit ha hint of nostalgia to try and regain the old fan base the real fans. Yes who has always been progressive but this is a joke and if im being serious i went back to watch classic Tennant Who and I did not view it the same. It damaged old doctor who for me as well
I'm so sick of woke bullshit being forced into everything. Also, forcing this rubbish onto kids is immoral. Let them make their own minds up about this stuff later in life. Shows like Doctor Who should be fun rather than a political statement.
The most honest and accurate review I’ve watched so far. It’s a shame because I’ve tried to love it as much as I was expecting to but for an episode I was expecting to be flawless, left me very disappointed…
Nailed everything right on the head for me. As a mixed Asian male, the alienation that RTD has gone with that white men is bad still baffles me. This episode felt like RTD wrote the first half of the episode then asked Chibnall to finish the other half. I hope this is just writers rust as he havent wrote for DW for like 11 years. Hoping he gets back to form for Episode 2 & 3 and Gatwa's debut
Donna remembering The Doctor was played 2 totally different ways. At first, its played as if the mere sight of The Doctor would make her remember. As the episode gies on, it appare tly doesnt matter what he says to Donna, she wont remeber anything unless he says his code words to her. So... which is it? Its like the chNged the rules half way through because they didnt want to be bothered with The Doctor trying to hide his identitiy.
Also on the start of the episode we were informed that Donna is close to re-remember what happened even if Doctor won't show up (her having dreams). And then guy talks about her dreams and Donna is ignoring it? What is she thinking, that they do not have home insurance or what?
Personaly I think it was a good return to form unlike the trainwreck of Chibnals era, it felt more grounded and familiar yet new, I don't know quite how to explain it but I personally really enjoyed it. I don't particularly mind the whole progressive stuff as long as it is done the right way which in this case the majority of it was howerver some of it did feel a bit pushed and at the end it did feel a tad patronising and sexist towards men and I felt that just letting it go felt a bit lazy and could have been done better, apart from that I think it was brilliant. The music, the filming the characters and the relationship with the Noble family and the chemistry with the Doctor and Donna was fantastic. I have high hopes for the next two parts.
My feelings exactly!
The episode was great a real return to form. Tennant has more emotional range and pathos in one scene than Jodie had in her entire run. I agree about the sonic being over used to the point of insanity though.
Felt the same way about the binary/non-binary ending. It was just really clunky writing. They hadn't focused much on Rose being trans and for someone not familiar with the experience of being trans, all of the stuff about "deadnaming" and her grandmother not knowing how to handle it, it just didn't stick. I had to look it up and then watch it again to catch it.
They didn't focus enough on Rose to really give that ending any impact and it was completely out of left field for me.
If they had focused more on Rose being trans, there would now be even more backlash about "this progressive stuff being pushed down the audience's throats". People will always find ways to complain about progressive topics being covered if they want. If one has a little bit knowledge about these topics, one can understand the subtle hints very well. If not, it incentives doing what you did, looking it up and having a rewatch. That's a good thing.
Honestly, I didn't even realise Rose was supposed to be Trans up until the ending. When the kids were bullying her, I just chalked it up to kids coming up with dumb insults as they usually do
@@That_Random_British_Dude Yeah. And then obvious hint while talking in kitchen I understood at first like "I'm old. Are we still allowed to tell girls they are beatifull?"
While I too prefer doctor who being more close to science, it is more a science “fantasy” show, if I can follow what happens despite the techno babble, then I’m okay with it. I don’t mind the more “magical” moments in doctor who, though with exception (the cyberman one I thought was WAY too much) Simply Letting it go felt rushed, but you can argue because the power is shared between them it may be easier to control? Overall, a great, fun episode. ❤
The whole “male presenting doctor would never understand” bit is so unworthy. The doctor has been a woman for five years and just because she turned back to a he for a few short days doesn’t mean he’ll just lose all the knowledge and experience that she had. If the show still wants us to believe the Doctor is a singular being with many different faces, then this type of character writing would have to die. I’ve been pessimistic about RTD’s second run, and I’m sad to say that my pessimism has again, proven to be correct.
Absolutely, and this actually makes the Doctor into a bad person. Like once Jodie became the Doctor, by the logic the show presents, shouldn't she have realized "oh my bff who is at risk of dying if she ever remembers me can actually just 'let it go' and be safe!" Cause if she knew that then she's choosing not to save Donna's life, making the Doctor into someone who doesn't care about their friends and is willing to let them die because its an inconvenience to go back and save them.
People ought to remember that RTD...wasn't really all that great as a writer of doctor who. An overall showrunner, yes. At least he WAS...but a writer? Well, for every tense moment of "Midnight", there's a John Simm crazy eating montage.
It was the brazen teenager talking, and the Doctor just did not protest - let them all believe they were the only ones to know that...
The alien looks like a cross between Grogu and a gremlin.
Not very bright to have a coffee maker built into something ignited by coffee.
Doctor Who is science fantasy, not science fiction. The return of the RTD emotions-win-out endings brought a smile to my face. So much better than Chibnall's logical but boring resolutions.
❤ well said.
Sci-fi includes impossibles . Logic are not the core of science. All science giants brought impossibles to up front
This was a weird episode. I thought the performances were great; David Tennant and Catherine Tate once again just oozed wonderful charisma and chemistry. I thought Jacqueline King was wonderful, as was Karl Collins, and even though I found the comments that Yasmine Finney made when she was casted to be cringeworthy and misguided, she put in a solid performance. The narrative was formulaic, but I never thought of that as bad thing because I think the opening to this new era of the show needed a bit of simplicity.
I thought the special effects were decent offering a well balanced blend of practical effects and computer generated imaging. However, where the episode was almost completely compromised was in the dialogue; sometimes it would be beautiful and heart warming, like when the Doctor is talking about Wilfred, it was a lovely little tribute to such a beloved character and Bernard Cribbins himself. But then there was some cringeworthy and crude dialogue; the scene where the Doctor is discussing Beep the Meep's and his own pronouns, it was so out of place. And the concept that was implied at the end of the episode that the Doctor might've been better off as a woman because he would've thus understood how to "Let go" was so stupid, and dare I say misandrist.
It's evident that the show will still continue to be plagued by the same problems that it's had ever since Series Eight, and the constant references to the Thirteenth Doctor (who, let's call a spade a spade, is easily the worst incarnation of the character we've seen, due to how horribly she was written, as well as how poor Jodie Whittaker's performances were) were frustrating because I'm willing to bet most of Doctor Who's fanbase want to put the Chris Chibnall era completely behind us and treat it as though it were a bad dream, but Russell seems to have relished in how he wrote this episode, which is a shame; every time the Thirteenth Doctor was mentioned, regardless of how it was done left such a sour taste in my mouth.
Despite all of this though, I'm willing to see where this goes because I think the good just about outweighed the bad on this one.
Agreed on most counts. I felt like the pronouns bit would've been palatable with minor alterations-have the person to correct the doctor be donna or sylvia. That way, the impression is that they're just making a slightly cringeworthy but noble-hearted effort to look out for rose which is better than making rose seem like a stereotype of transgender people. Alternatively, if the bit was necessary, just have the doctor correct himself.
frankly, I don't really care if thirteen's era comes up again, as long as bs like the timeless child doesn't come back. Whittaker, I agree, put on a pretty poor performance for the most part, but I would chalk that up to bad direction more than anything-she's a perfectly capable actress in other roles. Guarantee in 5-10 years she'll start doing big finish and people will start thinking of her like six or eight.
I just wish RTD would remember DR Who is an adventure in SPACE and TIME not 2023 Earth.
Speaking as a transgender person the whole Binary/Non-Binary thing didn't make any sense considering Rose is supposed to be a transgender female. Non-Binary would be if Rose said "Oh, my name is Jason and I identify as they/them and like girls clothing but don't identify as one."
...Although, I am nearly 40 so maybe my ass is just too old to understand what being transgender has turned into.
ye and its a shame even bringing it up can get you labelled as a Nazi lol, but I hope the actress doesn't get a shit tone of hate for the forced & preachy stuff, she doesn't deserve that.
I think they are calling rose “non binary” because she isn’t a woman born as a woman and she isn’t man born as a man she’s a woman born in a Boys body so she’s a bit of both. Not that she identifies as non binary. I may be wrong but I think that’s what they were getting at.
That is actually at the bite to have about if he's the 10th doctor or if he's the 14th doctor I've heard reviews saying opposites I agree with you about the 10th doctor thing but I've seen most of you saying no he is the 14 and he acts slightly 14th but I disagree with them because the lottery ticket thing would annoy any doctor you don't have to be 14 to be annoyed by the ticket but then we discovered the reason for it later is actually the doctor was to blame inside Donna
My head canon is that two generations of the DoctorDonna were able to figure out how together to dissolve the energy - and the whole 'Let it go' was just covering up something that would take too long to explain to him. Almost like patronising The Doctor in the stereotypical way that The Doctor's done to his companions in the past. More bants than magic. As for the joke about Time Lord dudes not understanding - Would Thirteen really have understood? If she would, she may have over-explained and killed the joke as part of her awkwardness. Not hating on her for that though. I do the same
For the first time I've felt empathy for Sylvia - when one of my buddies came out as trans, I was as clumsy as Sylvia when working out what to say. Plus the look she gave her front door when she realised The Doctor was on the other side was glorious - almost invoking Winifred Sanderson energy
I'd love to see Fourteen and Ten to have more obvious character differences, however it's likely that if their bodies are near enough the same their neurology would be too. It would then only be their memories and experiences that would influence any difference in character traits. If there's not enough difference now, it's likely that we would need more time - maybe more than 3 episodes. If all we get is Fourteen being able to verbalise love more than Ten, then I can deal but I'll see what the next episodes bring.
I'm not transphobic or anti-gay whatever, but my main problem with this one, is that it's not so much a subtle thread in the background of the story, but rather that it reaches out from the plot and tries to strangle you with it.
We saw enough of it in Jodie's time as Doctor, and we all know how that went down - like a lead balloon!
When will these writers understand that nobody WANTS 'Doctor Woke'...We just want it like it was before; rip-roaring hourly adventures across time and space....but WITHOUT the politics!
RTD dosen't understand that nobody cares about this stuff except him.
Yeah Doctor Who. Famously apolitical show.
You're not transphobic or 'anti-gay', and yet you're clearly triggered by any reference to trans issues. Pmsl 🤣
Guess I'm "nobody".
Yes absolutely but I think in the majority of this it felt like they handled it quite well also showing different sides like how Silvia is trying her best to understand it and support her, however some of it did feel a tad pushed like the whole missgendering the meep like that felt a bit stupid, it's an alien 😂 And felt a bit patronising when they said that last bit and let it go. So yeah I understand where your coming from and frankly it gets a bit tedious but if it is done correctly I don't have so much of a problem with it whereas Jodies era was very pushed and forced and not subtle at all.
I don't think the Tenth Doctor and the Fourteenth Doctor are the same. Ten is definitely the base template (all the way down to starting with a "What? What!? What.") but so far Fourteen has been more considered, more affectionate and less self-centred. In short, he comes across as Ten if Ten had passed through Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen. Which he is.
The sonic screwdriver is Deus Ex plotting. Emotions trumping physics is Deus Ex plotting.
Donna's jeopardy with remembering is pure MacGuffin.
Then there is the real issue that has crept in. The reverse MacGuffin
Companion "We are trapped and going to die..."
Doctor "Hmmm,, Oh hang on, I remember I've got the "Thudrax of Thraa" in my pocket."
Companion "What's that? No one mentioned it in the plot before?"
Doctor "I know. I got it from the "Keepers of Gurnrod"
Companion "Who are they?"
Doctor "You remember. In that episode where someone gives me something... well turns out this was it all along"
Companion "Sort of, that was half a series ago and seemed entirely coincidental to... everything"
Doctor: "Ahh - but the super-dooper twist is... it wasn't. If I take it out press the button on the top...Yup.... problem solved"
All smiles - drama concludes, episode ends.
Audience..... sighs - That was the plot was it?
Is that really a plot?
I mean Star Wars did it with that cube thing. Marvel universe does it all the time. It's so darn unsatisfying.
I doubt I'll watch the next two.
I really liked everything. The one thing that I didn’t get was to “just let it go” with the meta crisis. They could have explained it a bit more because I don’t really get it. I like that rose inherited the meta crisis but I don’t get how they can just let it go like come up with something a lot better.
The Binary thing also bewildered me also, until I realised binary meant two. Rose saying non-binary is a double entendre for not only gender, but for their being three factors to the meta-crisis. Formally the DoctorDonna (two), now the DoctorDonnaRose (three), therefore it's non-binary now.
I actually didn't think about that, that's a good observation
It still doesn't make sense. "Binary" was just the word her brain started getting stuck in, it could've been any other world. It had no relevance whatsoever to the actual metacrisis.
I think they just got lucky they used the word binary all those years ago.
I wish the Flux was the reason why Meeps race became as dead as a dodo
I loved seeing David Tennant & Catherine Tate back, as well as all the callbacks! 🙌 Overall "Star Beast" was a fun first special, but they were some things I disliked & it Has itd problems. I love 2005-2017 Doctor Who! 💜
I'm so glad someone has finally raised this point. All other reviews I've seen have been at opposite ends of the spectrum - either bigoted hatred, attacking the representation and inclusion, or blind overly positive fan hype. You've echoed my sentiment completely here, well said.
As much as I liked seeing David Tennant return and pondering how they would fix the meta-crisis issue, I thought it came off as cheesy and over-the-top fluff. They used Enchanted as a reference to fixing the meta-crisis. How many people are sick of 'Let it Go'? WTAF? I don't care about the LGBTQ stuff. My neighbor is non-binary. I have a friend who is transgendered. I donate to help support the cause, and I hate the bigotry, and Dr. Who is supposed to be counterculture. It should support those that feel like they are in the minority. But I think RTD got carried away by trying to jam in so many of those different elements and making it too feel good, well, we don't get the emotion at all from Donna when the Doctor violated her. Her feelings of betrayal stemmed from giving away lottery money and that lasted ten seconds. I like the feel good but I like to have it come after some grittiness and pain, which was what made David Tennant's term so special because there was loss. He lost the girl he loved. He lost his best friend because he violated her wishes and took away her choice of bodily autonomy. And well, if you want to take on a hard-core issue affecting millions of women who were stripped of their bodily autonomy, that would have made remarkable introspection. He wouldn't allow her to have a choice over her own body. I'm okay with the passing down the Time Lord consciousness and splitting it. I speculated that it could be possible but I wouldn't have had them get rid of it in some Enchanted Disney moment. They could have reasoned a scientific solution to suppress that aspect or it would have been enough for me that since it was split, they could of carried it without their minds burning due to the 'whatever scientific reason'. At any rate, I remember watching when the Doctor stripped Donna of her memories. To me, it felt like the worst violation of bodily autonomy. And I waited a year hoping to have some real interaction and thought process about that. I felt let down. Instead we get some fluffy creature who will likely be sold as a souvenir and no solid character interaction or pain about the risks except for the two seconds it took for the Doctor to yell at a console about how unfair things are and why this always happens to him. I really hoped for more. Maybe I've forgotten the Tenth Doctor's era. Still at any rate, I don't think he's actually the same as the tenth Doctor. He admitted to loving Donna and questioned why he was saying those things aloud. I think on some level, the show was trying to say that being a woman previously changed his perception because the thirteenth Doctor was far more domestic. Something the tenth Doctor rather disliked. But now, at least that seems to have changed. Loving Donna. Wanting badly to see Wilf. How domestic.
I just rolled my eyes and ignored that left leaning nonsense other than that the show was fantastic.
@@purefoldnz3070 I just felt they should have paced themselves a bit on those issues over the three episodes. As I said, I'm supportive of the LGBTQ community but I didn't realize that Rose was TG because they didn't have time to get into it. Then they were onto non binary, etc. And I felt stupid for it as I know people who are TG. But then, I have supported and talked to them about their process for more than ten minutes.
@@emptyvoices31 yeah well RTD did write himself into a corner with meta crisis situation so any solution to it would come up a bit short. Anyway still loved the episode despite the overuse of sonic.
Well it kind of makes sense that with the cybermen love conquered them because their whole goal is remove love and fear. When the doctor opens that up again with his sonic and makes them aware they malfunction in past stories so it makes sense that you can fight against the cybermen programming using a strong emotion to keep a hold of yourself and not be taken over by the Cybermen protocols
Took the words right out of my mouth! Everything you said mirror my exactly feelings
There was so much "respectful" cringe in this episode.
5:41 I pegged it to him still cooking from regeneration and also 11 thru 13 influencing 14. 11 & 13 definitely would’ve slipped up a few times
This show can be reviewed & summed up with one word..... "Shit"
Yep utter Bum Wank
Ye I agree 😅
Could you elaborate on why you think it’s shit.
What makes this a nice episode is that it have a small dose of forced/non-organic lines, so you can just ignore and move on
Hate Russell for baiting us into thinking Wilf had died then making 14 get emotional about it only to pull the rug under from us and have Donna make him look like an idiot. Just felt like a cheap way to get a reaction.
Here’s the 2 things they need to do to fix this, Remove the imposter fake rose, and remove Disney.
So this has happened and because this is now on Disney+ I have missed it. Who can I sue?
Mickey Mouse
I don't think that the Doctor showing the sonic and talking about Wilf takes the danger way. 10 was always careless and that seems to be something that 14 is going to be a bit as well
I personally had a lot of fun with this one, and I get it’s a simple story and I understand your criticisms, but I felt in execution, the episode was super fun with a great sense of pace and energy
Top marks for this episode!
According to DEI and ESG metrics that is!
Content not that much 😂
I think you make an interesting point about the magical or emotional resolutions of stories. The idea that is all about how we feel apposed to what is scientifically understood. Isn’t that the trans debate in a nutshell ? I’m a classic fan and did enjoy the episode but do prefer messaging through subtext. A little less in the nose
Was it me or was there a Message they were trying to tell everyone with this episode? It was so subtle... I could barely notice it.
You're right about the binary thing because the binary is different you got binary in the way of digital and they got binary in the way of terminology they're not the same they totally different one's computer language
I agree with your review. I was having the same thoughts about both the good and the bad elements. I would have preferred that they didn't slap us in the face with the gender issues right away but rather dealt with them in their own time, with some deeper thoughts on the issues. I also found Donna to be demeaning in that she is telling the Dr that he doesn't get it because he is a man... He is not really a man, he isn't human, he just looks human and shares behavioral characteristics. I won't mention what I thought of the sonic...
Meep never rose to any real kind of a threat, He was a furry E.T. with a bad attitude and a ray gun. I was incredibly disappointed with Meep as a villain, I was bored. My fear is that this will be the course with Disney being Doctor Who's new "sugar daddy". I was happy with most of Netflix's portrayal of Marvel characters and then Disney took over and just cheapened everything for the sake of making quick money on their investment, I hope that does not happen to Who.
It was nice to see the cast together again, and you are right, it felt like old times, they didn't miss a step and Tennant is wonderful in the role. I am hoping that now that they have got all of their "issues" aired in the first episode, they will focus more on the story next week.
I really think it was a cop out bringing Tennant back to be honest and it certainly doesn't have a 60th anniversary feel to it unlike the 50th anniversary
I persobally cannot fully immersive myself, Im waiting uncomfortably for the bext "message". I've tried and failed to ignore this and find myself screaming hysterically at a screen.😂 It feels like a lecture and I'm lazy I like to be entertained.
I can see RTD sitting with his chums saying "this will rattle the righties". Which is fair enough. So write it better, dont preach it. That was bad writting. Hammer and hammer again. We are not laughing with you Russell.
Honestly I think that bringing back 10th and Donna was bad idea. For whole episode I was like "why 15th couldn't be here? At least it would make it somehow belieaveable that Donna isn't dead yet". Before episode aired I was thinking it can work, if we assume the Toymaker is making Donna not explode, but such ending destroy perfect ending of 4th series. For Donna not remembering was worse than death and now... it turns out she was suffering 15 years without any reason. Especially if it takes female time lord to solve the issue, because it would reduce Donna suffering by whole 4 years (or we are just to assume 14th is super sad about Donna, but 11th, 12th and 13th were "well it's the past, time to move on"?)
This was exactly how I felt watching this episode.
Great to see David back but this episode had too many “did they really do that?” Moments.
I’m hoping the next special will be an improvement with the production team finally hitting their stride. That being said, this episode is better than every Jodi episode combined. Just shows what a show runner that knows what he’s doing can achieve.
I don't think the writers didn't know how to write representation here. Shame. Stained a perfectly good character.
Thank you for being a reviewer who doesn't complain about "the woke leftists ruining Dr. Who."
RTD putting aside making a good story to more directly and bluntly pander to the audience is not the fault of "the woke left." It's the fault of a hack writer who should have stayed gone.
I think there's an ESG score involved too. As this channel is funded without advertising there's nothing to "pull". He can write whatever he wishes.
Thank you Sonic. I have no concerns with "woke" concepts in Doctor Who, it's always been a platform that has reflected parts of the real world, it's the application of those concepts that I'm more interested in discussing!
I FULLY agree with you!
It's OK rose is non binary but relating that to the other scenario "binary binary binary", 🙄
What about "Donna is incredibly strong and she endured it. She didn't die because she had things to do, like 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 and saving the day 🤬🤬🤬🤬
The doctor should have been like a more mature man... Since he was 10th, thousands of years have passed
This what's an absolute 10 out of Elizabeth Pinterest it was exciting it was thrilling you never knew what was coming next and there was no spoilers cuz I saw it pp that's how good it was did remind me a lot of Rick and Morty in that little star beast right I was right it was more like a star rat😊
Got to agree. Glad to hear someone noting the ridiculous emotional power crap - I felt it really undermined Rose’s representation.
Have subscribed and I’m looking forward to your next reviews!
I just rolled my eyes and ignored that nonsense.
Just wait till the rest of specials there pg13 instead of Pg I think you will see a change. 🤘🎥🤘 keep up the fantastic work.
You are far more polite than me. Good review.
Thank you!
There was points of this episode that felt like a parody.
Its really sad, it could have been so good. The intro really got me hyped.
Sylvia is Ace confirmed
hopefully they will bring back Dr Who.
I don't understand how Donna and Rose had the ability to dispel the time lord energy from their bodies. Was it truly because they are women, not men? Isn't Rose (Donna's now daughter) biologically male? Is it a nod to the Thirteenth Doctor? I haven't watched much since David Tennant left, so I was confused by that.
First off, gender doesn't exist in Timelord society. At least not how it does in human society. The 12th Doctor has stated that much. I'm intersex and NB. It's not my whole character profile. I'm also Autistic, A musician, a morally ambiguous person who will do anything to cause the right thing to happen. A Chaotic Good. I'm funny but traumatized.
Being gay or trans isn't a character profile, it's part of one.
Couldn’t have said it better myself
Sorry, but when Donna said "Just let it go" I couldn't help but think of that TV advert for a certain feminine urinary incontinence protection when the woman says, in the gym, "I'm letting it all go!" Says it all, really.
Eh. Whether you like it or otherwise, this *is* the setting where Craig resisted cyber-conversion through the power of love, and a parasite star feeds on souls which are also stories, and Carrionites have a word-based technology, and... and... and...
Doctor Who is a blend of both hard sf, and a very soft, whimsical sf. That's a deliberate style choice and it's not going to change.
Re: this specific thing: Regeneration energy is pretty close to magic as it is. It lets the Doctor change gender. If they want to say that some bits of it found their way to Donna and other bits to Rose based on how binary they are or aren't, I don't really have a problem with it.
It seems to be a lot of the talk around the special, is either stunning and brave praise, or seething hatred, so seeing to middle of the right ad review is nice, particularly because I'm also sort of in the middle of the road.
I didn't hate it, but I'm not excited for Doctor Who anymore, like I used to be. I just don't really care for it as it's turning into just another show for the Disney Empire (it's very Hollywood). Only reason I'll keep watching is because I can class it as family time.
8:42 How did the S3 Deus Ex Machina seem 'preachy' to you? I get 'weird' or 'implausible' - I thought they needed more of a foundation to support that moment (that is *not* what you told us the Archangel Network did!). But 'preachy' how? What specifically is it preaching?
I've been watching Dr. Who for over 50 years. It was fantastic when it was brought back after its long break and it seemed to just keep getting better. Unfortunately the 'woke' messages that the BBC (and Disney) insist on cramming down everyones throat, at the expense of a good storyline and characters, has ruined the programme. Viewers are treated like idiots - no more subtlety or good story telling, we're supposed to sit and be lectured. The first of the 60th anniversary editions was a shining beacon of everything that's wrong with the BBC (I could barely get through it). It's not representative, it has an activist agenda and it's insulting to anyone with a glimmer of intelligence or creativity. It's also incredibly short-sighted, with a total lack of business acumen, as Disney is discovering. We might have to wait a few years, but I see a glimmer of hope as more and more people are turning their backs on this woke messaging. The winners will eventually be the ones that make good quality programmes for their audience/fans and who take the time to understand the ethos of the programmes and what is wanted by the audience. I'm definitely supportive of evolving storylines and pushing boundaries, but the BBC (and Disney) seem to be devolving - serving up dollops of unsubtle 'woke' with every programme and treating their audience like pre-schoolers (take note BBC (and Disney) - many of your audience are equally, or more, intelligent than you). It would be far better if they took the time to understand the demographics of the country and their audience and be truly representative of their viewers. At least get back to good story telling ! Good bye Dr Who, the BBC and Disney.
I enjoyed The Star Beast for what it was. Great Review!😀
Thank you! I hope you enjoy the other specials also!
Good review
Short version of my comment but some people do believe that this is a different incarnation of the doctor
I didn't like the sonic screwdriver being a holographic projector, a shield projector and an everything else. It makes sense that it is a multi tool, but it also needs to have limits.
I also didn't like the new tardis interior, yes "It's bigger on the inside!" but I think it's gotten too big, we need to remember that this is a type 40 and it's ancient even by the Doctors standards. It should be dirty and limited in some ways same as the sonic screwdriver, the console room can be big sure but there needs to be a drawback of some sort like no more swimming pool. Or if they give some sort of cannon reason why suddenly the tardis has suddenly upgraded like a software update from galifrey.
To be fair the inside of the Tardis has always canonically been limitless. I don’t see why, with essentially infinite space, you’d have to trade in anything for a bigger console room - it’s not like it suddenly turned into a beach bar or anything
@@fredhasopinions what I mean is there there should be some sort of limit, like what would an advanced pre-time war tardis like a type 80 or a type 90 look like or a post time war tardis they could potentially be even bigger. Besides the console room a basically the bridge of the tardis, if he plans on decorating it over time then fine but otherwise it's just a big empty space.
@@james10o1 I agree on the design standpoint, yeah.
But size wouldn’t necessarily have to be the differentiating factor between “ours” and a fancy new tardis. Maybe it could have other advantages, like more advanced shape shifting technology both in its disguise and its interior, faster operation, more reliable controls, weaponry (not every time lord is a pacifist, clearly) etc.?
@@fredhasopinions fair point, but I still think there's wayyy to much empty spce.
Well it's fantasy as well, so that explains the strange elements in the show. Really enjoyed it myself. Especially Beep the Meep changing. There were the usual RTD get out of jail free quirks, yet on the whole i absolutely loved it.
I thought this was a good enough Doctor Who episode, standard but entertaining for the most part. That “let it go” scene is a legitimately terrible scene though, although it is, like, 2 minutes out of an hour-long episode.
I like the new UNIT scientific advisor. I hope we get to see more of her. Rose was good and the non-binary aspect of her was well-written up until it wasn’t, which makes me afraid that if she keeps appearing Davies will ruin what he has going with her and I’d rather not see that, so for that I hope we don’t see much more of her.
I’m excited for what’s to come, but I’m not really expecting it to go back to how it was at New Who’s peak, especially after this episode.
I didnt like the woke crap... The pro-noun scene was poor and to obvious, the rubbish at the end where the women lecture the doctor... OMG this BS about women being better...
If this is what passes for modern Dr Who I’ll stick to classic thanks.
I keep thinking that you sound like John Nathan Turner who wrote the screwdriver out because he said actually what you said. It gets over used
I actually disagree, I didn't feel like David tennant just re hashed 10s personality, I think he was different he was more emotional ally intelligent, slightly posher flamboyant, I lived ot
Donna returning to her "binary" state while Rose is "non-binary" is actually a play on the literal meaning of the word. While the Metacrisis was the DoctorDonna, only two were involved making it binary, however now there are three people involved it can no longer be binary and is therefore "non-binary"...
I know right
sure, but they should have indicated that rose was nonbinary rather than just a trans woman earlier on
Shepherd's Chapel Network !!!!!!! Stay Humble / It's Never Luck !!!!!!! Amen
I've watching Doctor who since the time of the second doctor . I can't remember the title of the first episode i watched but this will be the last episode i will ever tune into it just didn't work for me.
Did they bother to mention if they fixed the universe? Did the flux just not happen?
Way off topic : I Enjoy your stuff Alot, and with that said, I would love for you to watch Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King. ( the series ) Even if you didn't review it...... Its That Good ! but Im pretty sure you would..lol. You will be Hooked after One episode .PROMISE
I’ve been so excited for this episode and just for the show as a whole but I felt so disappointed
even within the first 15 minutes.
The goofy intro with David in front a green screen, the title sequence feels off and the logo doesn’t match it at all. The sonic is way too overpowered and Tony Stark esque.
I felt like I knew 90% of the plot from all the promotional material they’ve released. That’s partly my fault because it can be avoided ig.
Then Donna and Rose calling out The Doctor for not being a woman is unnecessary.
Can't say I disagree with anything you said here. It was alright, but I expected more, the writing was fairly bad, the trans stuff was handled poorly, and I agree about the emotions effecting real physical energy just not making sense. It felt like something a 13 year old would write.
Yep it felt like standard season 4 episode. Good enough to be own episode (especially if we have better ending), but... it's not aniversay episode. I'm glad I wasn't caught in "it's special episode" and was just expecting more Doctor Who
Lets be real the sonic screw driver has been around for awhile so I don't think its going anywhere anytime soon.
Here’s hoping they pull a Peter Davidson and have it destroyed next episode
I like The Star Beast
the let it go thing was a bit of bad writing. as a woman, i do NOT see that as a feminine trait. and if it is, its not one Donna has. i was waiting to see how and if they resolved Donnas issue, but shaking it off was a bit of a letdown. There were a few cringe moments in this, all of which were terrible lines associated with Rose. She was a cute person, I didn't really fall in love with but didnt hate. i kept wondering why she kept getting called weird as she was a very ordinary person other then the fact that she was very obviously NOT 15. i dont think that was the actor fault though. she just wasn't written to be anything more then what she was. i was puzzled at the non-binary. i thought non-binary was neither female nor male.. to be politically correct, They/Them. Rose presents both as female and is called by a female name with female pronouns. i found this slightly confusing. i didnt feel her subplot brought anything to the story. she simply was. I did like that donna was saved because of a sharing of the timelord energy with her child. that made some sense to me. I wish they had resolved that better, maybe the splitting of the energy caused an increase of knowledge in both but not to the same extent as the original doctor donna. . . maybe explaining WHY rose was such an odd child, because she might show some doctor traits.. she could have been a really fun companion child for an episode or two.. if she had been a touch more child like, have a bit of the doctor mischief or donnas sas.. but she was her fathers child and seem very ordinary. so much so that they spent half the episode TELLING you how weird she was.
Dr who as with all tv… you choose to allow stretch of belief as much as you would like. In a show where you accept that it it’s bigger on the inside and that a man can regenerate into whole new separate bodies… now, the idea of love changing things is too much… why is that he line? Did Dr Who change or move the goal post or did you?
Regeneration is given a scientifically-considered explanation. It's an evolutionary defence mechanism where every living cell dies and is replaced with new living cells. There's a biological reaction, that yes is not a thing in the real world, but there's a level of sci-fi plausibility
Craig is able to break off a welded-shut helmet "with love". That's the explanation, an emotion has a physical reaction when emotions aren't tangible things that can impact something on a physical level. That's more the core of my personal thoughts, that in sci-fi there's plausible fiction and implausible fiction, and that giving emotions and thoughts physical powers leans more towards implausibility