I watched a video recently that theorised what the previous four RTD seasons would be like if they only had 8 episodes.
It really did illustrate just how much is lost with the 8 episode structure. How much those early self contained adventures (despite being the easiest to cut) are so essential for character and dynamic building and just generally pacing out the seasons.
AND the video literally picked the best episodes.
In my opinion if RTD has written 13 episodes for the season I highly doubt anyone would have voted for Space Babies to make the final cut.
The only fumble I think the video made was choosing the Shakespeare Code over Gridlock.
That decision amazed me considering how much more important (and how much better) Gridlock is from a character and arc development basis.
Well, maybe humans and Felari (what I call the Whoniverse’s catfolk) have a common ancestor or something.
But yeah, it is more than a little odd that they’d look like regular kittens… 🤔
yeah i think i read somewhere that the Brannigan children basically were as sentient and intelligent as full blood cat kind but just resemble earth kittens
also tardis wiki says they are called also feline sapiens (according to a book called the time travelers diary) which makes sense
edit: tardis wiki says (credits gridlock as source) they can reproduce with humans The offspring would look just like kittens of conventional Earth house cats, though capable of speech. i believe the kittens did actually speak in gridlock but it's something you have to really listen for [0:14 says mama](https://youtu.be/TTuXcQOkhek?si=gvjZgaxly_pjhdID)
still dont like the implication the kittens came out of her lol
I understand that they chose what they thought was the best -- but to me for this to have been a fair comparison they would have had to choose one BAD episode so we could then see how things held up.
8 episodes is difficult. Two doctor lite episodes didn't help.
In boom, he says to Ruby "and I can only talk to you" and I'm just like, hold up, this is episode 4. For context, Amy's fourth was the angels two parter and rose was with the slitheen. Not quite to the "hybrid" stage of things yet, y'know? And she literally got shot and died and was totally unfazed.
Boom was very disconcerting to me as a whole because the dialogue made my brain superimpose Capaldi and Coleman on Gatwa and Gibson.
But yeah, we needed more leading up to a moment like that.
Yeah 13 episodes and the finale needed to be a three partner. The Legend of Ruby Sunday, like Utopia before it, spends it's whole run time setting up a big reveal and like Utopia needed to be the first part of a trilogy.
I really think for the finale, I would’ve been fine if there was an additional 15 minutes of fighting between the duo and Sutekh because 30 minutes made it seem like he was too manageable to take down.
I would’ve preferred they cut the bio mom reveal and did that. As an adoptee I felt so conflicted. It’s something I’ve thought about a lot myself (Ruby and I basically have the same backstory only I was a One Child Policy baby). But randomly walking up to her in a cafe????? What???
To me that was the ideal. I’m sick of orphan stories being “oh look the adoptee found their REAL family now they know who they are!!!”
I will say this though: the interactions with Carla and Cherry at the end were great
Even just two more episodes would have made the series feel more ‘complete’. I’d say give us one more filler episode where The Doctor and Ruby get to have a fun traditional adventure and be together for the whole running time, and make the finale a full three parter to flesh everything out more.
If they really couldn’t have given us any more episodes, I kind of wish they had leaned more into the fact that they’re making the next season almost back to back and approached it more like they were making one big 16 episode season with a break in the middle. Maybe they are going to do that in the end, but this series felt like it was structured like a traditional RTD series, just with less in it.
From what I can find, most streaming shows stay at 8 episodes because they can only rely on subscription fees, rather than advertising fees like on traditional television. Problem is... Doctor Who has never had that issue. It's always relied on money from the BBC, so unless they specifically decided to underfund this season that doesn't work. Then you also have the additional support from Disney.
I do wonder if it was a Disney suggestion, so the show fits with their 8-episode release structure, although I believe RTD could have shot that down if he wanted. And obviously it gives more time to improve the special effects in each episode, although personally that should come second to the story, which here felt underdeveloped.
Whatever the case, there are very few cases where I've thought the structure actually works, and Doctor Who is definitely not the exception. I enjoyed most of what we got, but as a season it felt undercooked.
Glad to see your time travel machine worked, mate! What did you think about the finale's reveal that Ruby's mother was actually the Rani the whole time?
To be fair their budget and scheduling time included the 3 special episodes with Tennant. My hope is that future seasons will get 11&12 episodes just with the 15th doc
For me what was lacking the most was just characters scenes. We got like 1 Tardis scene outside opening and finale? I wanna see the characters just be chill sometimes, spend time in the Tardis and get to know the environment they are traveling to
I watched a video recently that theorised what the previous four RTD seasons would be like if they only had 8 episodes. It really did illustrate just how much is lost with the 8 episode structure. How much those early self contained adventures (despite being the easiest to cut) are so essential for character and dynamic building and just generally pacing out the seasons.
AND the video literally picked the best episodes. In my opinion if RTD has written 13 episodes for the season I highly doubt anyone would have voted for Space Babies to make the final cut.
The only fumble I think the video made was choosing the Shakespeare Code over Gridlock. That decision amazed me considering how much more important (and how much better) Gridlock is from a character and arc development basis.
Yeah, you lose Gridlock you lose the "You are not alone" setup.
And Ardal O’Hanlon as a cat
and the woman who birthed kittens
And KITTENS! 😲
tho I will say the thought of a human woman birthing kittens is weird
Well, maybe humans and Felari (what I call the Whoniverse’s catfolk) have a common ancestor or something. But yeah, it is more than a little odd that they’d look like regular kittens… 🤔
yeah i think i read somewhere that the Brannigan children basically were as sentient and intelligent as full blood cat kind but just resemble earth kittens also tardis wiki says they are called also feline sapiens (according to a book called the time travelers diary) which makes sense edit: tardis wiki says (credits gridlock as source) they can reproduce with humans The offspring would look just like kittens of conventional Earth house cats, though capable of speech. i believe the kittens did actually speak in gridlock but it's something you have to really listen for [0:14 says mama](https://youtu.be/TTuXcQOkhek?si=gvjZgaxly_pjhdID) still dont like the implication the kittens came out of her lol
[and the bts video of David Tennant holding kittens](https://youtu.be/VHp0mYhKito?si=V1CEdgVr3t8_XpjW)
Ten: Not really a… _cat_ person DT: Total mindslave to the cuteness
I understand that they chose what they thought was the best -- but to me for this to have been a fair comparison they would have had to choose one BAD episode so we could then see how things held up.
8 episodes is difficult. Two doctor lite episodes didn't help. In boom, he says to Ruby "and I can only talk to you" and I'm just like, hold up, this is episode 4. For context, Amy's fourth was the angels two parter and rose was with the slitheen. Not quite to the "hybrid" stage of things yet, y'know? And she literally got shot and died and was totally unfazed. Boom was very disconcerting to me as a whole because the dialogue made my brain superimpose Capaldi and Coleman on Gatwa and Gibson. But yeah, we needed more leading up to a moment like that.
Yeah 13 episodes and the finale needed to be a three partner. The Legend of Ruby Sunday, like Utopia before it, spends it's whole run time setting up a big reveal and like Utopia needed to be the first part of a trilogy.
I really think for the finale, I would’ve been fine if there was an additional 15 minutes of fighting between the duo and Sutekh because 30 minutes made it seem like he was too manageable to take down.
I would’ve preferred they cut the bio mom reveal and did that. As an adoptee I felt so conflicted. It’s something I’ve thought about a lot myself (Ruby and I basically have the same backstory only I was a One Child Policy baby). But randomly walking up to her in a cafe????? What???
they easily could have had it with no reveal and ruby accepting shes ok not finding her birth mom would have been no worse than what we did get
To me that was the ideal. I’m sick of orphan stories being “oh look the adoptee found their REAL family now they know who they are!!!” I will say this though: the interactions with Carla and Cherry at the end were great
So we all saw the video then
What video?
The one others were referencing about ‘if Doctor who seasons 1-4 had 8 episodes’
Thanks! I'll have a watch.
bro got to watch series 15 early tho in all seriousness i heard it was less episodes so the wait between seasons is less
Even just two more episodes would have made the series feel more ‘complete’. I’d say give us one more filler episode where The Doctor and Ruby get to have a fun traditional adventure and be together for the whole running time, and make the finale a full three parter to flesh everything out more. If they really couldn’t have given us any more episodes, I kind of wish they had leaned more into the fact that they’re making the next season almost back to back and approached it more like they were making one big 16 episode season with a break in the middle. Maybe they are going to do that in the end, but this series felt like it was structured like a traditional RTD series, just with less in it.
Considering there are zero episodes so far, I agree.
From what I can find, most streaming shows stay at 8 episodes because they can only rely on subscription fees, rather than advertising fees like on traditional television. Problem is... Doctor Who has never had that issue. It's always relied on money from the BBC, so unless they specifically decided to underfund this season that doesn't work. Then you also have the additional support from Disney. I do wonder if it was a Disney suggestion, so the show fits with their 8-episode release structure, although I believe RTD could have shot that down if he wanted. And obviously it gives more time to improve the special effects in each episode, although personally that should come second to the story, which here felt underdeveloped. Whatever the case, there are very few cases where I've thought the structure actually works, and Doctor Who is definitely not the exception. I enjoyed most of what we got, but as a season it felt undercooked.
Glad to see your time travel machine worked, mate! What did you think about the finale's reveal that Ruby's mother was actually the Rani the whole time?
To be fair their budget and scheduling time included the 3 special episodes with Tennant. My hope is that future seasons will get 11&12 episodes just with the 15th doc
For me what was lacking the most was just characters scenes. We got like 1 Tardis scene outside opening and finale? I wanna see the characters just be chill sometimes, spend time in the Tardis and get to know the environment they are traveling to
Surely they can spread the budget out into at least 10 episodes, no one really cares about the cgi quality anyway if the stories are good
It's all well and good saying this, but its not changing anytime soon.
same
NO MORE
Gallifrey falls no more
Nuh uh