Ahhh yes, which is wonderful 
. That wasn’t always the case though and doesn’t change the fact that I’d not been able to find a recon before I saw the animation, which I shall always love. I think the story really works as presented in that format.
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“The Invasion” is one of my all time favourite…
…Troughton stories,
…Cyberman stories,
…UNIT stories
Love it to bits! Tobias Vaughn is a truly exceptional villain and Stoney’s performance is, for me, pretty much flawless. The cybermen ate menacing in a way they seldom feel in orher storirs and venefit from being kept in the background for much of the story. When unleashed, we then get the iconic St Pauls scene. It’s fantastic TV. I’d give it a gold star, but the cybermen might not like that 
although this story was well before their weakness for gold became a thing. Here, it is emotion… which is thematically far more satisfying.
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This is a suitably nerdy response. One which I approve of immensely! 
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Ooh, I saw this at the cinema, glad you enjoy Capaldi as he’s one of my favourite Doctors 
He was in “Fires of Pompeii” before that 
I’m never really a fan of first episodes for Doctors because (maybe this should go in What is your most controversial opinion?), I dislike the whole “regeneration make the Doctor go crazy” stuff. I just roll my eyes at it all and wish they would fast forward that bit!
So this isn’t one I rewatch much because I don’t love the bits where he’s in bed spouting nonsense, but I do really enjoy the scenes with Clara and Madame Vastra, there are some beautiful lines, and the villain of this story - a return of the Clockwork Androids from The Girl in the Fireplace - is brilliant. Plus a tease from someone at the end
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I know what you mean. I think it works in “Power of the Daleks” because we effectively find ourselves on the same journey as Polly and Ben, learning that the Doctor is still the Doctor. I also think they get away with it well in “Spearhead from Space” (a traumatic forced regen) but, much as I love Tom, it is overplayed in “Robot”, deeply problematic in “Twin Dilemma” and frustrating in “Time and the Rani”.
The regen trauma is my least favourite aspect of “The Eleventh Hour” (although Matt Smith puts in a winning performance). I do love “Deep Breath” as a story though (although I happily concede it would still have been a great story without the regen trauma).
It’s interesting to note that RTD does not seem interested in regen trauma either. Eccleston is presented as a stable Doctor from the off (we don’t see him immediately post regen, excepting his comment about the ears), Tennant largely sleeps and when he is active in “The Christmas Invasion” is very much the Doctor for the most part. Then, with Ncuti, he just IS the Doctor from the start. I would say I prefer this approach.
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Honestly I prefer the “Twin Dilemma approach” over “The Giggle Approach”. A bit of “getting to know who you are after regeneration” is much better than just having a “fully fledged” personality from the word go. (But not completely, where did the “Someone tell me what the hell is going on here!” version of 15 go?)
Twin Dilemma did something completely different and I kind of love that.
(Not that I wo would want the Doctor to try to strangle every companion mind)
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See, I loved that 15 was able to get straight into the thick of things on “The Giggle”.
The balance probably lies somehere on the middle; some regens work more smoothly, others less so. It means writers aren’t saddled with the whole regen trauma if they don’t want to be and means every post regen is an unknown. I prefer the Doctor to get up to speed and into the groove relatively quickly, but either approach can be overdone (or done badly) I guess?
I suppose the downside of the “up-and-running” approach is that, if 'twere the norm, it leads to complacency. The downside of regen trauma is that it can distort early impressions and overshadow the debut story. In the case of “The Twin Dilemma” this then left a sour taste for the entirety of a season break (and I say that as someone who actually finds sonething to enjoy in Colin’s debut story).
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I quite liked The Eleventh Hour’s regen trauma because it’s a fun scene where we get to see Matt really play funny (it’s mostly funny), and then it’s all over with. Could have been a bit shorter I guess.
But it’s actually The Christmas Invasion where the Doctor is asleep half the time, Deep Breath, and some of the Classic episodes like Robot, The Twin Dilemma, and Time and the Rani where it’s really grating on me.
I just don’t think it makes for a good intro to a new viewer if it lasts too long!
I’m glad they have mostly stopped doing it now, RTD has skipped it with 14 and 15, and with 13 all we got was “half an hour ago I was a white-haired Scotsman” 
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I think I’ve said before about how I didn’t like Deep Breath at all on first watch. I loved 11 so I was always going to find 12’s arrival tricky.
But when I rewatched it years later, I couldn’t even understand what I disliked the first time round. I loved it!
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Sounds like you need a full Twelfth Doctor re-run and then you’ll finally see the light with Heaven Sent 
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Been making my way through a lot of 4 stories recently - watched Deadly Assassin (what a banger!), Full Circle (a pretty interesting concept in a pretty neat episode) and State of Decay (are we sure this isn’t a season 13 story with a fake moustache and glasses?) - and I’ve gotta say, the more 4 I see, the more he grows on me.
He’s just. The Guy Of All Time. One minute he’s seriously monologuing about the severity of the threat the monster of the week poses, the next he’s doing an extended bit with Romana. This creature is one of the most unhinged Doctors and I’m gradually begining to understand how Baker is so beloved.
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Well, it was supposed to open Season 15 until the BBC kiboshed it because they didn’t want it maing their big Dracula adaptation look silly.
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I adore “State of Decay”. Much as “Warriors’ Gate” is critically accaimed (rightly so), “The Keeper of Traken” is remembered for rich world building and the return of the Master and, of course, “Logopolis” for it’s funereal atmosphere and Four’s regeneration, I think “State of Decay” is an unsung highlight of the season. It’s rich, sumptuous and beautifully performed. The story is fun and the Three Who Rule are genuinely creepy with, for me, a villain-of-the season performance from Emrys James as Aukon (or should that be O’Connor? 
). (Honourable mention to Clifford Rose, of course). Yeah, love this one and it so often seems overlooked.
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Totally agree, State of Decay is utterly underrated. I think people think vampire and think it must be silly, and it is a bit but it’s also brilliant
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I think you just defined Doctor Who!
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I’m watching the Shada recon. It’s good fun, but I’m not sure I get the hype. Maybe I will when I finish.
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I unashamedly love it. The dialogue just sings, the settings are so perfect. I really think DW fits well with the aesthetic of Cambridge and Cambridge University. This is also a big part of my particular fondness for Capaldi’s Series 10. Again, a very traditional University setting.
Additionally, Dennis Carey was sublime as Professor Chronotis, the Sci Fi settings were creative and Skagra’s ship was an utter delight!
At the end of the day, however, I just adore Douglas Adams’ writing for Doctor Who. Too clever by seven eighths? Indeed he was!
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Agreed on all the above. It’s just too damn long. I feel like you could cut it down to a quick and pacey six-parter and it’d be a full 10/10. (Which would be astonishing for a six episode story in itself)
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It truly is a delight. Not perfect, but I accept imperfection gladly when it’s as fun as this!
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I love State of Decay! It might actually be my favourite Fourth Doctor story. It’s simply delightful.
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