Dr. Who Series 9 - Sleep no more
Added 2024-03-09 15:00:05 +0000 UTC
Comments
I was watching your reactions to Dark Water/Death In Heaven, The End Of Time Parts 1 & 2 and The Eleventh Hour last night on YouTube. I loved your theories about the Woman that was talking to Wilf in The End Of Time. Russell T Davies hinted that the Woman was the Doctor’s mother. But then he said it was up to the viewers to decide. Because it was all very mysterious and ambiguous. Three more episodes to go…No spoilers!
James Gorman
2024-03-16 14:22:06 +0000 UTCI agree with your take on this episode. I appreaciate new directions and courageous attempts to do something different. And in my opinion they succeded :) I´m glad they didn´t air a sequel to this episode. It would have destroyed the impact the first part had. At least for me it owuld have. You´re supposed to feel all puzzled after watching the episode. :)
Nicologik
2024-03-14 11:14:58 +0000 UTC"Sleep is vital. Sleep is wonderful. Even I sleep.", "When?", "Well, when you're not looking.", The Doctor and Clara, "Sleep No More" This story suffers from the poor underlying plot, but I love the idea that they could present an atypical episode with no title sequence and the presentation of video found-footage allowing the characters to talk directly at us. And it also gives us the interesting point-of-view of the investigating squad discovering our TARDIS crew rather than they way it normally happens the other way around. I also appreciate the idea of the TARDIS crew just leaving rather than confronting the villain. We haven't seen that in an episode for a while. I also liked the words the film presenter used: the "Rip Van Winkles" and the "Wide-Awakes". This is a Mark Gatiss episode and he tends to give us different but not necessarily well-rated stories. BTW: Stephen talked above about another reactor wanting a sequel - there WAS a sequel idea for this story planned but it wasn't written - or at least hasn't been written yet. The idea that the crew "have to do the song" to get through the door reminds me - (or is it just a bit too similar to?) - the concept behind "42" when Martha had to get through doors because the crew got drunk one night and set up the door locks. And I like the "Aliens"-film vibe - with the squad wandering around. I always like a base-under-siege story. I just wish the underlying concept of Rassmussen's plot was more interesting. "When I say run - run!", The Doctor, "Sleep No More" That's a call-back to a catch-phrase of one of the Classic Doctors.
Andrew Vignaux
2024-03-13 20:18:23 +0000 UTCI love that Dr. Who does try new genres and is open to experimental stuff. The problem is you can easily disappoint many viewers if they are generally not into that kind of genre. Which is, what happened here. I personally love this eerie, mysterious found footage stuff, which is why I resonated so well with this episode. But I can see how others wouldn´t. :)
Nicologik
2024-03-11 09:51:20 +0000 UTCI get you. :) "An interesting failure" hahah that´s a really good take on this episode :D :D
Nicologik
2024-03-11 09:48:49 +0000 UTCAwww it´s so sweet of you to rewatch a really unliked episode, because you do not want to miss out on a reaction of mine. Thank you so much for telling. :) But I can see why you wouldn´t like it. I guess you are into a genre like this, or you´re not. Fortunately I like this kind of storytelling very much, but I get why others wouldn´t :) I´m glad it´s only one bad episode for you though, and hopefully you´ll have more fun again, next week :)
Nicologik
2024-03-11 09:48:04 +0000 UTCThat´s an interesting take, watching another reactors reaction even if you don´t like the episode, to hear wether they agree with you or not. I personally never do that. There are certain Buffy reactions that I never rewatch, even with the best reactor cause the episode is just too bad. I agree with your resoning about why the episode could have been rated that low. I think you´re probably right. It´s funny that you mention Black Mirror. Cause I really love that show, I´m into those kind of movies as well. I guess that´s the reason why I loved that episode. :) I can see how someone would think that this is a first part to a two parter, especially if you are not used to watching open end movies or shows. To me it was quite obvious that this was the ending and that it was supposed to be misterious and open. But I can see how someone else might think that´s just the beginning to a real story.
Nicologik
2024-03-11 09:45:44 +0000 UTCYeah I get that. I guess this episode is an either or deal. Either you like this kind of genre or you don´t.
Nicologik
2024-03-11 09:40:21 +0000 UTCWell, I get what you're saying. Strictly speaking it was a mistake since there was in fact no sequel. But, yes, it wasn't an unreasonable conclusion to draw, given the confusing plot, the ominous ending and the two-parter structure of the series up until now.
Stephen Males
2024-03-10 11:40:35 +0000 UTCIn regards to the YouTube reactor you mentioned. It wasn't really a mistake on their part. The episode and this entire series is set up that way to make the viewer think that.
Jade Ellis
2024-03-09 22:26:48 +0000 UTCI quite like the episode although I'd say it's only average. I think it's better than the Girl who lived. I give it a 3/5 and rank it 92nd/140. To compare with Fear Her that was a 1/5 and ranked 240th/140 so easy to see which one I'd rather watch again. The beauty of Doctor Who is it can kind of do any kind of story or genre. We've had disaster movie (Voyage of the Damned) fantasy (The Doctor, The window and the wardrobe) murder mystery (Unicorn and the Wasp) Here we get the found footage horror story and I think, for a one off, it does it quite well. The missing intro adds to it as well as the twist at the end. It's quite scary in places too.
Jade Ellis
2024-03-09 22:24:24 +0000 UTCIt's impossible for me to give a rating (or, really, much of an opinion) for this episode, because for me it's an 'only watched it once' story. Should Dr Who do experimental 'outside the box' stories? Absolutely! Nonetheless, I have this uncomfortable feeling that 1) Mark Gatis didn't have the creative ability to pull it off; and 2) it was given the green light simply because Gatis was Moffat's best writing mate. An interesting failure, nonetheless.
Ian Smith
2024-03-09 18:38:53 +0000 UTCI said in an earlier comment that this was my favourite series of the Capaldi era, except for one episode….this is it. Having said that I wouldn’t miss a reaction of yours. I look forward to my Saturday afternoon with you. I hoped that watching Sleep no more with you might make me love it a little. Sadly I was still left confused at the end and can’t really say that I would watch it again. I had the same issue with ‘in the forest of the night.’ But at that one went up a couple of notches in my opinion. Looking forward to next week. xx
Jenny Smyth
2024-03-09 17:03:56 +0000 UTC"If you didn't like the episode why would you watch the reaction?" Well, sometimes that's part of the fun. Seeing if the reactor agrees with you or has a completely different take. I think this episode was rated so low because it kind of disrupts the series and doesn't feel like it belongs there. In fact as you said it doesn't even feel like a Doctor Who episode. More like it belonged in Black Mirror or something similar. We have had at least three two-parters in this series. Four if you count the two episodes featuring Ashildr/Me. And each time there has been some development in the Doctor/Clara relationship and some references that may be part of a series arc (which I won't talk about). This episode stands out like a sore thumb. It is so unlike the others in its subject matter and its tone and it feels like it could have been placed anywhere in this or the last series, as we have no sense of what has already happened for the Doctor and Clara or what might come after. There is also the fact that the explanation at the end leaves people feeling utterly confused and even slightly cheated. I admit that, like last week, I have only watched the episode all the way twice before. Once when it was broadcast and once when I was re-watching every episode while I was waiting for series **. But on this third watch I am still not sure I really get it. At least one YouTube reactor was convinced that this was part one of another two-parter and looked forward to the next episode when all would be explained. Including why the virus didn't (apparently) get transmitted to the rest of the solar system and beyond. They were quite put out and embarrassed when they realised their mistake. I do agree with you about the good points (after all that). The story and the way it was told was very innovative (which I can't pronounce either) and experimental. The scary parts were genuinely scary and the found footage story-telling was a new thing in Doctor Who. Absolutely top marks for trying out new (or rarely used) ideas and for making us jump now and then. I certainly don't dislike the story. like some people do. And I enjoyed watching the whole episode again far more than seeing the edited YT reactions. It needs a proper viewing to follow, more or less, what is going on even if you have seen it already. But I still have no idea how to rate it!
Stephen Males
2024-03-09 16:49:08 +0000 UTCI understand the concept, but I don't like it... If I want to watch Doctor Who I should get it, not a "Space-Ringu" episode that has little to do with the Doctor Who series. You can do it well, for example I really liked your "Blink" episode. I hope that the creators have learned from this and don't do something stupid like that again!
monguru (Rose Tyler fan)
2024-03-09 16:38:44 +0000 UTC
