Wild Blue Yonder: A Terrifying Return To Form | Doctor Who Review
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- čas přidán 4. 12. 2023
- Today we're taking a look at Wild Blue Yonder, Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special 2. Starring David Tennant as The Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble with Rusell T. Davies at the helm! This is one of the scariest episodes of Doctor Who since Blink or Midnight! So much body horror and existential dread! Amazing practical effects.
My arms are too long!
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What got me was the Doctor saying he'd never traveled that far before. How DARE you forget "The Doctor's Wife" and Idris, good sir! That planet was JUST outside the universe!
Ooh yeah that's a great point 😅😅
I saw that as more of an orbital, relativity close to the universe, he has travelled to similar realms like the Land of Fiction and the Celestial Toyroom (relevant) before, this was far outside that in the complete void of nothingness.
Ooh interesting! I admit with how wild and extensive some of the adventures are I don't keep track of smaller canonical elements like that very well 😂
Idk. The end of the universes timeline is pretty far out
In spite of your very good explanations, what Donna and the Doctor were saying in the brief scene bits was often unintelligible to me. I think that I need a longer passage to start to catch what they were saying. The episode with the moving statues was very upsetting to me. I don't remember much from this one but the one where he says no one is going to die today springs to mind as one that I liked very much. But it may be a different one from the Pompeii episode. I don't think that it is Forest of the Dead, either. It doesn't sound like the Wedding of River Song, either. I think it involves a young girl destined to dies but doesn't. It's been ages since I've watched any Dr. Who show and most were viewed only once. Mostly the same with TNG, DS9, Voyager and Enterprise. Some of the Torchwood episodes were very sad. The one where the pilot lost in time came back was one. And Owen and Toshiko's deaths seemed unnecessary to me. Thank you.
Sorry about the clips! I have to speed them up to keep them from getting copyright flags, I'm sorry it hurts your viewing experience 😭
I think the episode you're thinking of is a two parter, The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances :) it features a little boy who dies in a bombing and gets put back together wrong by stray technology and the doctor sorts it out and he survives!
The statue episode is Blink! It's one of my faves too :)
@@renrants Yes, that’s the one. Thank you. And tears came as I read your description. I get emotional in my old age. Don’t worry about my not catching what was spoken. It was a comment on my dwindling ability to understand spoken British English and not a criticism. And your explanations are more than enough to follow the clips. It is only Dr Who that is hard to catch most of what is spoken. And I’m not complaining and appreciate your great effort. Thank you very much.
Thank you so much for your kind words ❤️
That episode makes me emotional too! I also cried during both of these specials 😂
He should've given Donna the non-sonic screwdriver and had it pay off later when she used it at a critical moment. That would've been a nice touch.
Oh wow yeah that would have been great! Missed opportunity for sure
Midnight? An episode written by Russell T Davies where David Tennant's Doctor is stuck without the TARDIS, dealing with an alien that copies him? Seems very familiar all of a sudden...
he's great at existential, unknowable horror, you gotta give him that lol
@MarkBonneaux definitely!
Honestly a bit shocked to see so much hate for this episode in the Doctor Who groups etc. I thought everyone would see how good it is 😭
That was an excellent ep. Thanks for your review. I'm still terrified by Tom Baker eps like Horror of Fang Rock. I spent a lot of time hiding behind the couch.
Glad this video popped up in My feed . I appreciate Your intelligence and communication style. I Loved this episode , as well as Star Beast (Meep Meep). Very excited for Toymaker Madness (tomorrow , Yay!) . I am verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry Excited to see The Sublime and Uber-Multi-Talented Jinkx Monsoon guest appear once Ncuti Gatwe #EricForever takes over as DocWho. ps. That will be Bernard's only scene in the specials, I saw David Tennant mention it in an interview. rip to a Fantastic Man
Thanks so much for your kind words! ❤️
I'm also so excited for tomorrow's episode! :)
Yeah! She "spilled" the coffee!
Right?! Right?! No way that was an accident 🤣
I thought the story idea was average but I LOVED it! Oh my goodness. On the Loved it scale Wild Blue Yonder was a 10. A nit pick: My understanding of the Flux was that it destroyed the universe so learning that it didn't was a step forward but I'd consider it a retcon none the less. :)
I admit the stuff with the Flux was all a bit of a blur for me anyways because I haven't done a rewatch of those episodes yet 🤣
I was surprised how many of the "horror"stories from Who kind of fit into this. I'm wondering if there is a deeper tie with all of these "unknowable" beings. I would say maybe the doctor released pandora's box... but they kinda did that story lol
Hahaha true 🤣
Yeah, one thing that struck me about Midnight is we never learn what the creature was or what it wanted and here there's also a lot we don't know by the end
Nope. It could have been a "formless one" which is definitely not what they're called, I'm just going with it, who was trapped on the planet. Oh that's also interesting. Because of how that planet worked it would have NEVER encountered a living thing. Only heard transmissions. So that could explain why it was more intent on vocal transformation. @@renrants
Oooh that's a great point!
It would be kind of fun if there was a connection because the thing in Midnight was also very sinister and gave off evil vibes
Right? I also kind of like the idea that the Time War is the reason for them being so evil. The constant fighting between Time Lords and Daleks across time and space is the reason they only got "war and hate" 'broadcast' to them. @@renrants
@windgraceproject ooooh now that's a fantastic point :o that would be so good!
I dont think Wilf is in the next one, because they didn't shoot much more than this before Bernard Cribbns died.
I saw an article about that after I made the video 😭😭 either way it was wonderful to see him again
There is a stand-in in his weel-chair, who has to be rescued by Unit while the Doctor and Donna a brought to the "new tower" - heli-pad on the 55th floor
I'm glad we at least get closure to his storyline even if we don't get more of Bernard Cribbins 😭🥺
I still believe that Night Terrors might the scariest but this was very close. I don’t know if I like the 2nd or 3rd special more.
Night terrors was definitely scary! It's hard to pick between 2 and 3 for sure, they're so different but both so good
Didn't the Darleks go further than time??? So further than space time... I find it funny that anything could be more scary more than the Darleks other than the Borg which are about the same!!!
The Daleks are too funny to be as scary to me, even though they absolutely wreak havoc and destruction 😂 menacing little salt shakers
Great review the creepiness it was weird but it’s what doctor who best
It definitely had me shouting at the screen 😂
Definitely liked this episode more than the star beast episode. This one is Doctor Who cheese done right. I agree the effects were good (I'd like to see that behind the scenes video you used as b roll), but still sort of obvious like in star beast, like not super clean? The difference for me is that this episode seemed like it was intentionally a bit cheesy. I felt maybe to offset the horror theme... which I agree had some very unsettling moments. I found the changing ship a bit of a nod to Alien v Predator. While I really don't understand that aspect of the ships self destruct process (I mean why is the ship reconfiguring?), it of course supported the shows story line very well. Helped us really see that the not things were evolving.
I didn't catch you touching on 'mavity' vs gravity except for the first scene with Newton. The Doctor said mavity once in the cockpit and it just went by. Later, the Doctor first said gravity, to which Donna said 'what?' Then the Doctor said mavity and Donna suddenly understood. I thought that was quite neat. They changed history resulting in gravity being named mavity, as Donna only knew it by the latter, but of Doctor knows both terms.
I suppose I might agree with this as the best standalone episode of the 3 specials... but I really appreciate the 3rd for introducing the 15th Doctor!
Thanks for the video!
I think I touched on it briefly, but not the implications, which are still interesting!
@@renrants Sorry, yes, you mentioned it at the beginning with the Newton scene for sure. Maybe you revisited later and I missed it. So much to cover in this one though too! It was a great episode, lots of different feels!
@ekconley6429 it definitely had a lot going on! :)
I'll definitely be revisiting these specials often, because they're infinitely rewatchable
I actually look forward more base under siege stories
They are a lot of fun!
So bad travels faster...or further...than good? I'd always hoped there was as much good as bad in the universe, but the Not-Things turned out bad.
Yeah, I find that to be a bit perplexing and almost counter to the messages we often get from Doctor Who, my interpretation is that the creatures chose to be bad
as a commenter elsewhere on this video pointed out, the "bad" these things might have been picking up could have been The Time War. not much else bigger than the ultimate conflict between two ultimate, time travelling races across all of time, space, and beyond to spread "bad" faster than "good"
@MarkBonneaux very true, that is an excellent point. Maybe the heard what the Flux did too
They had the Doctor's brain to pick too - all his terrible experiences AND whatever the former captain's people had in THEIR specific heritage@@renrants
@LisaBeta-42 very true, there's a lot of love and goodness in the Doctor too though, and seemingly in the horse people as well since the captain sacrificed herself, so that also makes it feel like they're bad because they wanna be
I wish I could watch these episodes.
Hopefully they get a wider release soon!
The DVDs will be released on December 18 - just in time for x-mas - pre-order is already possible OR you are able to watch Disney+ (but without the special features)
@LisaBeta-42 ooh I love physical media that's so good to know!
You thought that CGI twaddle was scary? No. Compare Bill becoming a cyberman, or Empty Child, or Blink or Pyramids of Mars or ... actually just about any decent Who. This episode was dull.
It wasn't CGI. They actually made the giant hands.
There were some moments that were CGI, but they did a lot of it practical and there were numerous chilling scenes
Let's compare with the episodes I noted and rate horror out of 10 - you tell me where I'm being unfair:
World Enough And Time: 8/10
Empty Child: 9/10
Blink: 9/10
Pyramids of Mars: 8/10
Wild Blue Yonder: 3/10
As to making giant hands, that's not a problem. The badly CGI-ed faces are problematic. The fact that all the set dressing is just red herrings is problematic. The fact that the only thing so scary the Tardis ran away was Donna flirting with herself ... is problematic. The fact that nothing the Doctor did changed the outcome is problematic. The fact that the Doctor perved on a random passer by is problematic. The idea that Sir Isaac Newton, who wrote all his papers in Latin, from whose word gravis we get gravity ... that this fluent Latin scholar would start talking about "mavity" is problematic. And editing a gratuitous humor scene into the middle of a cliffhanger is problematic.
Apart from all that ... well, this special was better than the first one I guess ...
@@renrants
There were some shots that were CGI for sure, and as I said in my video, some of the scenes were a bit hokey, but that's pretty standard for doctor who.
For me, the terror came from the idea of being alone and isolated with no immediate means of escapes, while something that looks like you tries to hunt you down. The fact that the Not-Donna was able to fool the doctor not once, but twice is honestly pretty terrifying. And for me, the weird body proportions and sound design were spine chilling.
I personally don't think it's a problem that the doctor didn't ultimately influence the outcome beyond fixing what their presence messed up. In Midnight, another acclaimed Who horror episode, the doctor also has very little influence over the outcome. The creature possesses him and them tries to convince the other passengers to throw him out the airlock. He's incapacitated and only saved by the hostess sacrificing herself to take the creature away.
The set dressing wasn't red herirngs either, we had a mystery set up for the beggining that was paid off in a detailed and interesting way.
For me this was a classic Who horror episode I'd rate about an 8 or 9. It had a creepy atmosphere, monsters that genuinely scared me, and amazing practical effects.
It's okay if you didn't like it, I can see how the CGI giants chase scene might have turned some people off the episode, it did make me laugh out loud, but those moments were almost a nice little break from the tension and existential dread in the scarier scenes.
As for the stuff with Isaac Newton, Doctor Who has always taken silly liberties with History, it's never been particularly accurate, it's all in good fun. Doctor who is not really a show that lends itself well to being taken super seriously. 😅
There are many ways to enjoy DW, and a great deal of it is no more serious than pantomime. And taking panto seriously is inherently silly. But dramatic tension, arc significance, narrative consistency and the ability to provoke thought - those qualities elevate DW to something else entirely.
Now the idea of antagonists that look and act like protagonists has been explored by the show a great many times - Zygons, Autons, Tesselecta, camouflaged Daleks, Gangers ... to name just a handful. Along with the great many timey-wimey tropes.
The Midnight monster is in rather a different category of antagonist, a psychological predator with built-in predestination powers. And I can imagine that an antagonist that crosses these categories could be effective in DW.
The problems in this episode, however, have to do with the four qualities I listed before.
Dramatic tension is interrupted by gratuitous humor at the outset, and then resolved by the dull machina trope at the end. If the HADS can swoop in to save the day simply by being turned on, who needs the Doctor?
Arc significance is completely lacking. We will never see the Not creatures again because they are clearly OP - undefeatable except by the writer wishing them out of existence. They don't build on any existing DW lore, nor can they affect any.
Narrative consistency fails when the show stops playing by the rules it establishes at the outset. It's not just that the Not creatures can change their form arbitrarily like The Thing, but suddenly they can arbitrarily increase in mass and strength too. Then they're no longer psychological predators, but physical ones too. At that point there's nothing to stop them turning into Anything, and since there's no way to fight or flee Anything there's nothing for the audience to be scared of.
Finally there's no thoughts provoked here at all. The episode devolves to a basic ticking timebomb, no puzzles to solve or tangled relationships to unwind. Dull.
@@renrants
@user-ns6rc4eu9r I thought the Not-Things were incredibly effective as they became more and more sophisticated copies. The way the episode played around with mass and matter was weird and interesting, and it did seem like as they got more solidified in the doctor and Donna's forms, their abilities to transform were also somewhat more limited, for example we don't see them get giant again after that first time.
I thought it was very thought provoking, the fact that the Doctor almost let Donna die is HUGE. it's wild that the impersonation fooled him so effectively and that made it so much scarier. Also the part where he talks about The Flux and is vulnerable with Donna only to realize he's been tricked by one of these creatures and the he has a little breakdown afterwards is really great emotional storytelling for the character.
I'm also not sure what you mean about the HADS. Here, it was inconvenient because it prevented Donna and the Doctor from just being able to leave. The HADS didn't really save the day, the doctor is still needed to do all the things he does to save the day.
I also disagree that there was no interesting mystery. A totally deserted ship with a slow walking robot and an airlock that opened and closed three years ago is a good mystery, and the fact that it subverted our expectations about the airlock by revealing it was someone going out rather than coming in was excellent.
The silly stuff with Newton at the beginning was definitely dissonant in time, however doctor who often juxtaposes comedy with horror and it didn't bother me.
Another filler episode tbh
I suppose that's kind of true, I personally love a good filler episode though 😅
@renrants i like shows having a broader purpose. This doesn't seem to. A few nostalgic episodes to bring back viewers for the new doc, seems to be the only purpose, and special episodes should be...well, special. Not meh. It wasn't bad. For 15 years ago...
The giant epic overarching plots are actually my least favorite part of Doctor Who 😂 I think it's at its best as an episodic scifi adventure story, which was my highest gripe about the Moffat era.
I thin the first episode was definitely a bit of a let down, but this felt like a return to form and I think it's going to culminate in an epic finale, though
@renrants I'm talking OG WHO. Classic WHO. Where the whole season could be one story. An actual story, not a throwaway nothingburger. Not epic overarching. Just the story.
No irrelevant side quests.
Bad Wolf was fine, but bad wolf is done.
What season long plot lines did you enjoy the most?
Two episodes of below mediocrity is not what I signed up for ....couldn't invest in this so so dull - empty child, midnight, listen, blink, world enough and time, Flatline, night terrors, time of angels, under the lake, Satan out, waters of Mars for me get under my skin ....almost people also freaked me out so much ....this was just dull
I definitely agree the overarching plot of the first special was mediocre, I wasn't impressed with The Meep.
I personally disagree that this episode was dull, but I'm also easily creeped out by Uncanny Valley Horror, so the scares really worked for me.
@@renrants I won't be rewatching it again sadly compared to a decade ago doctor who was THE thing ...these "specials" have nothing about them imo so gutting
I'm sorry it didn't work for you! I can definitely see how it's a bit underwhelming compared to some of the previous specials.
For me it felt like a return to form in terms of classic Who horror episodes, so that's enough for me to consider it a great episode even if it isn't necessarily a great special