Genius! Wish I’d thought of it!
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Alright two things
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During the scene where Lux is doing the whole giggle thing, did anyone else hear the sound of drums/heartbeat in the music or am I just insane? If so I think it’s a fantastic way to show the Doctor is scared, heart racing and all that.
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I absolutely loved the moment when Belinda is about to comment on segregation and the Doctor just turns around and snaps “Not now!”. It comes off like a parent telling off their annoying child who keeps asking too many questions
. I really did season 2 giving the Doctor more of these mean, darker moments.
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Hello all! I finally watched the episode a couple of hours ago and I’m about halfway through the comments here - there’s so much! I’m about to head to bed, so I decided to drop my initial reactions and catch up with the rest of the thread later.
So, what a wild ride! Easily one of the most original, playful and memorable episodes of DW ever. Love it or hate it - this is one that people will remember from 15’s era!
Loved the period setting and the perfectly fun yet creepy Mr Ring-a-Ding. Alan Cumming is such a superb performer!
Fifteen and Belinda are great together, and I like that they keep up Belinda’s reluctance to get carried away by his adventurous spirit.
The build-up to the reveal of Lux is great; the racism stuff was handled well but didn’t take up too much space, and then comes the wild second half. Seriously, the way they managed to mix live-action with animation in such a seamless way is impressive. The animators deserve all the praise they can get!
I loved the bit where they had to escape the animation by gaining more depth.
The fan stuff was fun - stereotypical fans but depicted with love and care. I can agree that the sequence went on for a bit too long and took away time from potentially other wacky scenes in this realm of TV and fiction - it could have made for an interesting chase scene. But I loved the idea and the fact that the fans were actually just made up was also a nice touch. And the line about knowing all of this because of leaks made me laugh.
The bi-generation bit did bother me a bit to be honest.
The solution was really tense. The way the Doctor’s regeneration energy is drained from him as Lux grows and turns more corporeal is brilliant stuff. And then the burning of the tapes felt like a nod to missing Who episodes.
Defeating a creature of light with light is similar to the “death to death means life” thing from EoD. Did anyone have a problem with it here?
I was almost convinced that RTD had lied about Mrs Flood being in every episode when she showed up at the end. The first thing I thought when she talked about the show ending on the 24th of May was, “is RTD joking about cancellation now?”.
Some small niggles aside a really strong, inventive, fun, memorable episode! I don’t have a rating or review yet; I’ll get back to that!
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Thinking about the fans. I loved that they survived at the end, but it also means that they have to live out eternity in that one room, with only a few friends for company, with nothing to do but watch Doctor Who…
Sounds like heaven!
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Or hell 
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I love Out of The Rain,i think that episode is basically Lux but darker.
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Loved the episode! Definently one of the highlights of RTD2. I have a question though…
Does anyone know what movie was showing in the cinema from 13:56 and until 14:45 (approximately)? Here’s a picture:
Did they shoot these scenes for the fake Rock Hudson film or did they take it from an already existing movie?
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This was a fun episode and definitely one of the best of Fifteen’s era so far, but I’m honestly more excited for next week’s The Well, Doctor Who and horror is my cup of tea and this one looks like it’s going full blown horror (not sure why everyone keeps claiming this’ll be a sequel to Midnight). Ya know what really exictes me about The Well, all those marines, that’s a loooooot of bodies, all coincidentally one day from retirement, for a cosmic horror story
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Something that Lux really reminded me of was one of my favourite scenes from, of all things, Batman The Animated Series, it’s the origins of the Clock King. After losing a $20 million lawsuit, the Clock King’s mind snaps and he looks directly at the fourth wall and lets out a scream. Obviously it’s not the case but I’ve always looked at that moment as his mind is so broken he’s gained a new level of conciousness and he looks, sees us the audience looking back at him and he realises to his horror he’s a fictional character. No particular reason this is relevant to Doctor Who, just came to mind when watching this, look up the Clock King’s origins on youtube, you’ll know exactly what I mean
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Just finished, I enjoyed that overall, could fairly easily be convinced to move my score up, much more-so than down (as with most stories upon just finishing). Love the creativity, animation, turning the Doctor and Belinda into an animation, good use of film as an enemy (I think I rather like making something come to life and turn evil like that), better song than in The Devil’s Chord.
Wish the time period had been explored more, but there’s only so much one episode can do. Wish Mister Ding (AKA Lux) had been in it, attacking a bit more, using more drawings and cartoon logic and threatening, rather than being trapped almost entirely in one room. The title now is less great than I thought it, since it’s just his name, bit dull. Oh and the Doctor’s going to cry again next week, tee hee.
Overall, more enjoyable than episode 1, more of a fun adventure. Oh and the bit with the pseudo-fake fans was sort of funny, great in a way but maybe should’ve had its own story instead of happening halfway through this. That kind of meta-narrative always seems to me a kind of defence against criticism, I was sort of aware of it via some leak-related activity, and likewise to the characters, I score it a 7.
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Happens a lot, using the same filming locations, in much of the Revived Series. Also with the Classic Series and certain power plants and quarries.
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I enjoyed this one a lot. Mr Ring-A-Ding is one of the best RTD2 antagonists so far. However, I am a little disappointed the Doctor and Belinda spent such a small amount of time in the animated world. They could have done more with the Doctor and Belinda as cartoon characters.
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Was expecting this one to be way more about animation, and instead it was just nuts, in the best way it could’ve been. Big fan of meta nonsense, me.
Haven’t seen anyone mention this, but that overwhelming light with light thing immediately reminded me of Tooth and Claw, and then the Doctor literally just quotes what he said in that episode:
DOCTOR: You’re seventy percent water but you can still drown.
Like hello?? There’s no way this is just RTD forgetting that he used clever line number 52 already years ago, this must mean something right? Second episode in the second series of Doctor Who saying the exact same thing? Especially in this episode. This is a hint to TV show theory right???
I also thought the part with the fans broke up the pacing, but I also thought that it was meant to, to make it feel out of place? Like to make us believe that the Doctor has genuinely stepped out of the show now, and the pace of the episode has been broken together with the fourth wall. And then the switch up reminded me of a certain Tim Foley story, which I did think did it better, because we had more time spend with the fictional character(s) who believed themselves to be real and the revelation came more naturally. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention, but I didn’t follow a thought process that had made them realize. Still loved the whole bit though, maybe a bit surface of me, but the simple fact it was here, that it was a thing, it made me smile so much.
Oh, this reminded me of Deadline, which I listened to yesterday, coincidentally enough. That’s a very meta story as well, though in a very different way. Would definitely recommend giving that a listen to anyone who liked Lux!
Edit: oh, and the uncanny valley-ness of 3D A Ding was brilliant too
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Deadline is really bleak
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It’s a bit messed up, but there’s worse from Shearman. Trademark for him, aside from really sad, it’s also really funny.
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I thought of that one as well! I also thought of the Sixth Doctor audio Legend of the Cybermen which I thought was a perfect fourth wall break. That story is also an absolute delight.
Deadline is possibly my favourite meta Who story, topped only by Nothing at the End of the Lane. Also here to recommend All Our Christmases for the Doctor interacting with fans!
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I rated it 5/5, I’m really glad it delivers for me, as I haven’t been that positive about Ncuti’s era yet.
(I don’t rate things out of 10 btw- too many choices lol)
I really enjoyed it. It was fun, creative. Felt like I was on a pretty fun adventure with Belinda and The Doctor. I found the jokes pretty fun too, not out-of-place. I think this was aided by the people around the theatre in 1952 also acting quite dream-like, which really helps with the tone when the story wants to be so meta.
I love when regeneration energy is used, in any context. A gentle reminder that The Doctor is a god-like being, with his life force reminiscent of star-dust. Fits with the whole idea that a doctor is supposed to heal, and help. Just as he demonstrated with his hand and what the villain perfectly exploits.
I also LOVE Mr. Ring-a-Ding wanting to harness the light from a nuclear bomb. That imagery is amazing to me, especially in the Cold War setting.
May have been mentioned earlier too, but the black and white movie with the horses at the beginning is the same sound effect used as what that shop-keeper guy was watching in Blink, mounted to the ceiling.
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