S00.E156: Resolution (New Year's Day 2019)

[ganesh]

It looked to me that the TARDIS expelled her for her own safety when she (TARDIS) caught on fire. I didn't get the impression that she was holding a grudge. 

[LoneHaranguer]

1 hour ago, ganesh said:

I didn't get the impression that she was holding a grudge. 

Not sure how we'd know. Nine, another Doctor who made his fair share of mistakes, said that what he could see was enough to "drive you mad", and, IIRC, Six started out somewhat bonkers, so it could just be that it sometimes takes a little longer after a regeneration for the Tardis to adjust how she moderates what she's passing along to the Doctor.

[Bruinsfan]

The TARDIS was baking the new Doctor cookies by the end of the second episode this season, so I don't see any evidence of a grudge.

[John Potts]

8 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

The TARDIS was baking the new Doctor cookies by the end of the second episode

Biscuits! None of your Americanisms on Doctor Who!

[DanaK]

Does anyone know the name of the narrator of the opening and closing sequences?

[TwirlyGirly]

Does anyone know the name of the actor who narrated the episode? My daughter swears she recognizes the voice, but can't place it. Neither IMDB nor Wikipedia list the name of the narrator in their cast lists for Resolution.

[DanaK]

34 minutes ago, TwirlyGirly said:

Does anyone know the name of the actor who narrated the episode? My daughter swears she recognizes the voice, but can't place it. Neither IMDB nor Wikipedia list the name of the narrator in their cast lists for Resolution.

I'm very much wondering the same thing

[ganesh]

I thought it was Ryan's dad

[DanaK]

10 minutes ago, ganesh said:

I thought it was Ryan's dad

That was my initial thought, but it sounds like the narrator has an additional accent besides the British one

[TwirlyGirly]

42 minutes ago, DanaK said:

I'm very much wondering the same thing

I apologize for posting the same thing you did. That will teach me to wait until I've read through to the last post in a topic before asking a question! I was in the middle of page 2 when I posted my question.

 

My daughter also thinks the voice of the narrator is different from any of the credited cast members for this episode. 

[DanaK]

3 minutes ago, TwirlyGirly said:

I apologize for posting the same thing you did. That will teach me to wait until I've read through to the last post in a topic before asking a question! I was in the middle of page 2 when I posted my question.

No worries

[DanaK]

A couple of things I noticed about Graham in this special. Even though he was a little short with Aaron when he showed up, he did bring out Aaron's childhood things that Grace had kept and shared them with Aaron. He showed a lot of understanding towards Aaron in that scene. I do wonder if Aaron's drifting through life is due at least in part to mental illness, like depression. He clearly can't seem to cope with life. It sounds like he couldn't cope with his wife's death and in this special, he made it clear he couldn't cope with his mom's death either

The other thing about Graham is he seemed quite annoyed at various times, including when he and Aaron were left behind when the Tardis took off after the Dalek and when he called the Doctor to come pick him up

[TwirlyGirly]

I found a way to contact the BBC to ask them who narrated the episode. It's a long way around to get to the form, but here's how to do it:

 

First, click on THIS link.

Then, select "Find information/ask a question"

On the next page, click "Continue"

Then click "A TV programme or series"

Now, select "Something else"

Then, "Continue"

At the bottom of the page, it will say "Did any of the above answer your question?" Select "No"

You will FINALLY be taken to a page that first describes the BBC Live Chat feature, and below that there is a form to contact the BBC!!!

BTW, I did try to copy & paste the link to just the form page to avoid having anyone else go through all the preliminary pages, but guess what? That page link opens to the first page, so there's no way to circumvent having to go through all the pages to get to the form.

Maybe if a bunch of us complete the form to enquire about the identity of the narrator, they'll realize this is information fans of Doctor Who want, and perhaps will remember to include it in any other episodes which have narration.

It does say enquiries will receive a response within 48 hours, so fingers crossed!

Edited January 5, 2019 by TwirlyGirly

[TwirlyGirly]

Received an email reply from BBC today, and the episode narrator is Daniel Adegboyega - Ryan's dad!

For those who guessed right - good for you!

[ganesh]

It wasn't a guess. I'm good with voices. 

[tv-talk]

On 1/5/2019 at 12:41 PM, DanaK said:

The other thing about Graham is he seemed quite annoyed at various times, including when he and Aaron were left behind when the Tardis took off after the Dalek and when he called the Doctor to come pick him up

I thought he was annoyed but also a bit concerned that he might get left behind. At any rate, Graham is by far the best thing about this season and I hope he gets many juicy bits next season. Also count me in the minority and maybe it's because I'm a father in my mid40s but I like Ryan's Dad well enough and I thought it was great that Graham didn't just write him off as "bad Dad" the way the Doctor and Yaz appeared to, well at least until he inexplicably knew better than the Doctor how to destroy a Dalek with a microwave.

[DanaK]

3 hours ago, TwirlyGirly said:

Received an email reply from BBC today, and the episode narrator is Daniel Adegboyega - Ryan's dad!

For those who guessed right - good for you!

Thanks! I kept thinking on rewatches it could be him, but I wasn’t sure. He’s certainly got the voice for it

[DanaK]

The final consolidated BBC ratings for the episode was 6.95 million. That’s below the last Christmas episode that was also a regeneration episode and the previous non-regeneration Christmas episode, so I don’t know if the BBC will consider returning to Christmas specials or has reasons to stick to New Year’s Day. I also don’t know what the ratings in general were like this past Christmas compared to New Year’s a week later 

[Pattycake2]

I’ve been putting off watching this episode because I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy it.  I was correct.  I actually hated it.  At first, I went along although the Ryan/Dad thing was too long and boring and I immediately thought the dalek would end up being microwaved.  And it didn’t make any sense that The Doctor didn’t scan Lin.  And UNIT being disbanded and never letting The Doctor know.  And The Doctor didn’t know from other travels?  And Torchwood?   And on and on and on with many a sigh and eye roll from me.  Everything was so simplified.    The lesson of the meaning of family.  And surprise!  This group is family exploring the universe together.  The bottom line - I’m not ten years old.  I didn’t make it past two episodes of Class and I’m very close to quitting this Doctor series.

[ganesh]

But the show is in fact intended for 10 year olds. 

[Pattycake2]

It may have been in the past, but I don’t agree that New Who has been directed at ten year olds.

[libgirl2]

12 hours ago, Pattycake2 said:

It may have been in the past, but I don’t agree that New Who has been directed at ten year olds.

I agree, they might say its for kids, but it doesn't much seem like its being directed solely at them. 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

I get the sick feeling it's BBC's new way of trying to indoctrinate society with their SJW  agenda.  

[Llywela]

There is no 'SJW agenda'. Saying it over and over doesn't make it true. Doctor Who has always attempted to be progressive, since its inception, encouraging viewers to think about wider issues than they may have previously encountered - why are you so angry about that?

Edited January 17, 2019 by Llywela

[AudienceofOne]

3 hours ago, Llywela said:

There is no 'SJW agenda'. Saying it over and over doesn't make it true. Doctor Who has always attempted to be progressive, since its inception, encouraging viewers to think about wider issues than they may have previously encountered - why are you so angry about that?

Honestly, at this point I just ignore them. The statement is meaningless. The repetition is almost cult like. I have no idea why these people would watch any form of science fiction since it's an entire genre devoted to critically examining the world we live in and asking hard questions about it. 

[tv-talk]

4 hours ago, AudienceofOne said:

Honestly, at this point I just ignore them. The statement is meaningless.

Eventually whining about things being "PC" got tired enough that people started whining about "SJWs." Though it's not quite meaningless because it's really just couching sentiments such as "I dont like females in any lead roles" and "I don't enjoy watching anything that might show the world from a perspective other than white male over 50."

[ganesh]

Much of what has been critical of the show within the context of SJW or whatever has been the show since it started. Honestly it a bit of fun riling them up on FB because they froth at the mouth proving their hate. It's like, dude. Look what you're doing. 

Edited January 17, 2019 by ganesh

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

12 hours ago, Llywela said:

There is no 'SJW agenda'. Saying it over and over doesn't make it true. Doctor Who has always attempted to be progressive, since its inception, encouraging viewers to think about wider issues than they may have previously encountered - why are you so angry about that?

The new Doctor Who writers are the ones who are angry it seems .  I'm not alone in my disappointment with the new DW, we have the option to boycott the show by not watching it. I have a feeling there's a lot more viewers unhappy with the new writers than those that are loving them . 

[Enigma X]

But you cannot assume that those who are unhapppy or not liking this season as much as others has to do with some strange notion that it is too "SJW" focused. That is not true for everyone.

[ganesh]

Most of the "criticisms" and I use that in the broadest definition aren't really SJW based, but just unfounded. The complaints are largely about the show being the show that it is. Someone here made the comment that "the current showrunner is always the worst one that ever was." It just seems so exhausting that people are hating so hard on the show. If it's that bad, then move on. Every show is going to be criticized, but you still tune in because you can roll with that. This is way beyond. 

It seems to be more egregious this time around, I think in part because the narrative direction was not the same as it has been for the last 5 years or so. Except, if it was, then the complaint would be 'it's the same thing over and over again, they should do something different.' I mean, they moved the special to New Years. "That's because they can't think of anything for xmas. I hate the show because they ran out of ideas." Or maybe they wanted to try some new ideas and free themselves of the constraints of telling an xmas story. 

Not seeing many of the episodes from One; it seems like they are taking a page from then. I think it makes good sense. 

[Sakura12]

I was unhappy with direction of the show when Moffat took over. An egotisical cantankerous Doctor was a big nope from me. This is the first season I have enjoyed in awhile and wanted to watch every week. It's going to be different for everyone. 

I guess we'll see what happens next season since this season did increase in ratings from the previous one, besides this New Years episode. Which I thought I was one of the best Dalek episodes in new Who.

[TheGourmez]

On 1/2/2019 at 7:28 AM, John Potts said:

1 Because in most cases, that's overkill? A lion can kill your cattle and family, but stab it with a few spears and it's dead. In fact, dismembering it is decidedly overkill. Yes, a Dalek is tougher than a lion, but they didn't know that. If dismembering it doesn't kill it, I doubt fire would have much effect, and given the year (800ish?), there was probably nothing they could do that was likely to be more effective.

Only laughing at this because yeah, if fire is overkill, then dismembering and setting a guard for 1100 years certainly is. LOL. I'd think fire less of an overkill if we're comparing options.

On 1/2/2019 at 11:12 AM, ElleryAnne said:

I liked the storyline with Ryan's dad.  I was wishing that at the end they all were trying to save Aaron, or forming more of a chain to pull on Ryan who was pulling on Aaron, but I guess they wanted the focus on Ryan's love being what saved his dad.  Whatever.  I'm glad Aaron didn't die.   Mostly, what I liked was Ryan talking with Aaron earlier in the episode and telling him that hey, you're expecting respect but we're not there yet.  

They were definitely going for human chain for a second there - I was disappointed when that didn't end up working out. Of course, I was laughing a second earlier at the idea that the Dalek would just hurl into space on its own, no danger to its host - what a good idea, Doctor! LOL.

On 1/2/2019 at 11:37 AM, Good Queen Jane said:

This. I kept wondering why the Doctor cared whether the Dalek got a message out. The Daleks already know where Earth is and most certainly know that it is protected by the Doctor. They ain't going to mess with another invasion, no matter what the scout told them.

This was my only big quibble with the episode, and because it kept coming up, it was a rather large quibble. I don't even know what Daleks are left out there to respond to a call! Haven't most been destroyed in various ways? I guess they could respond via time travel...

On 1/2/2019 at 7:40 PM, tv-talk said:

It's not just that they are there, it's that the Doctor seems to thrive on "fam" and "team Tardis." For me personally that is much different than any previous Doctor and the exact opposite of the recent "I've seen too much tragedy" storylines. I would say Whittaker is the least Doctor-y Doctor we've ever had- and it's not because she's a woman but rather how they wrote the scripts.

I still think this Doctor is making a choice to try and connect with people more because of how dark her last incarnation went when trying to be isolated and reject the need for companions because of his fear of himself.

On 1/3/2019 at 8:22 AM, Keely said:

Thatalso then begs the question why they are shying away from calling her a Time Lord. And when, exactly, is the Doctor going to get angry? Some of the Doctors bestmoments throughout the serieshappen when they hit that seething line of cross me and die. They've had multiple moments where she could have, or even should have, hit fury and yet nothing. This ep handed them the chance on a silver platter. That they, again, didn't take it is odd and becoming its own distraction - once you notice it missing anyway.

I would argue that this Doctor is specifically trying to avoid that anger -- she's checking herself, like she did in this episode when she was going on about "I gave it a chance, right, didn't I?" I think she's scared herself a little bit the past couple of incarnations. In a good writer's hands (I'm not sure Chibnail fits the bill for this show), she would eventual find a balance over a season arc, learning to rein herself in without sacrificing her power when that's needed.

[tv-talk]

On 1/22/2019 at 1:02 AM, TheGourmez said:

I would argue that this Doctor is specifically trying to avoid that anger -- she's checking herself, like she did in this episode when she was going on about "I gave it a chance, right, didn't I?" I think she's scared herself a little bit the past couple of incarnations. In a good writer's hands (I'm not sure Chibnail fits the bill for this show), she would eventual find a balance over a season arc, learning to rein herself in without sacrificing her power when that's needed.

It's easy to be an armchair show-runner but I would have taken the opposite approach of what they did. I'd have had the Doctor be reminiscent of the Mary Tamm version of Romana- a full on Time Lord who is utterly confident and fairly intimidating with the twist being she'd have needed to tone down and get off the high horse the Doctor has been on since the show restarted. Have her learn a few lessons the hard way, appreciate that a random human may have had an insight she didnt, etc etc. For me, having the very first female Doctor being so scatterbrained and seemingly dependent on her Companions (in a sense, not fully) was the wrong starting point. Intended or not she seems like a much lesser version of all the previous Doctors (tho I suppose many feel JW is similar to Troughton's Doctor). It'd be real shame if the first woman in the role misses out on the fullness and reality of who the Doctor actually IS. Yes New Who often went heavy on the god-like stature of the Doctor but when you consider all the Doctor has done and seen that take actually made sense for the character- Moffat just went a bit too far with it. I'd have liked to see Whittaker's take on the Doctor have been needing to ramp down the God-like aspects rather than start from zero and try to work up to being the Doctor which is what season felt like to me.

Edited January 23, 2019 by tv-talk

[DanaK]

13 may be pretty scattered but she’s still the smartest one in the room most of the time and figuring out the solution before anyone else can

I think the writers wanted to go with a more friendly and big hearted Doctor above an ”I’m pretty dangerous” approach to counter #12’s darker personality. They were trying to bring people back to the show with a lighter touch after some pretty dark seasons with 12 seemingly pushed viewers away

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Coming soon, Doctor Who SJW Universe.

[TobinAlbers]

Finally catching up and It never ever gets old when a new regeneration of The Doctor gets introduced to an old enemy who doesn’t recognize them and when that enemy does a scan and cross checks memory banks and realizes ‘ Oh, @*&$ it’s The Doctor!’ they sound the alarms, back waaaaay the hell up and raise their weapons. 

The Doctor especially making a Dalek figuratively pee itself is something. 

 

[Bruinsfan]

With the Daleks in particular you can see why she's their Boogeyman, though. She was right there when Davros first created them, has thwarted them at every turn, and when they were on the verge of winning the Time War against the most advanced civilization in the universe all of her past selves impossibly banded together and virtually annihilated the entire race.

I loved back at the end of Eccleston's season how the Daleks had a whole armada with nearly a half million troops ready to lay waste to the earth after 100 years of planning and one video call from the Doctor had them all flipping their lids and going to DefCon One.