Deep Breath, Gallifrey Gals Get Wibbly Wobbly! S8Ep1

I absolutely love The Vicar of Dibley one of my favorites Dawn French as The Vicar is so fun she is a great comedian:) I'd love to see a reaction not many do reactions to The Vicar of Dibley it has many cameos like Johnny Depp and Kylie Minogue. unless you already did it and i can't find it lol

Krissie 83

After many, many months after I rewatched The Angels Take Manhattan/watched 7B with you guys I am finally getting around to watching Capaldi/Clara. I have read the comments of pretty much all of the series 8 and 9 episode reactions so I pretty much have a clue on where your opinions of Clara go, but I have to say that I absolutely adore this episode. I liked Clara well enough in 7B, but I really adore her scenes in this episode. I really enjoyed the interactions between Paternoster Gang and Clara. I have only seen Peter Capaldi as the Doctor in scenes, but watching this fully made me realize why people love him so much. This will definitely be a new feel for the Doctor (from what I have seen), and I am looking forward to it.

Kbex

@kat and @paula you are right and i am sorry it was wrong of me to get mad and pop off like that you guys have a great channel and do an amazing job again i am sorry

Kenzi

However, the War Doctor has done more atrocities than just the double genocide in the Time War. I imagine that there is still plenty to be ashamed of, even when he found out Gallifrey is saved.

Steve Combs

I should have added that it only confirms to me* (and apparently a BUNCH of people in the comments, but don’t read those if you don’t want to be spoiled).

Steve Combs

Yeah…. I’ll chip in here as a person who has seen the minisode: If your interpretation from that minisode is that she is definitely not in love with the Doctor, that’s fine, but understand that the minisode is nowhere NEAR as clear as you might believe it is. Watching it, it only confirms that she IS in love with the Doctor. The way she says it, and the actions of her through the series only feed into the narrative that there are very strong feelings from her, and from the Doctor. I don’t think it’s fair to accuse anybody of them not watching a 3 minute video that doesn’t prove what you think it does in an attempt to further some agenda.

Steve Combs

It's interesting you think my opinions are misguided and stupid while apparently yours are the end all be all and 100% correct? This is the purpose of opinions, we're all going to have different ones. And if you've watched this entire reaction you'll see there are multiple moments where Paula tells me, "Kat, idk Clara is REALLY growing on me. I'm liking her a lot more this season already." That's an opinion that Paula formed on her own without my doing whatsoever. I have owned up to and admitted quite a few times now that I had a very hard time with series 8 and 9 because I disagreed with a lot and didn't like Clara as a companion one bit. I have also admitted that going through this series again with Paula's fresh eyes and the different opinions of our viewers (that they choose to share with us, kindly) have really opened my eyes and started to give me new views on Clara as a character. Also, I understand that I'm the fan of the show but I'm sure as hell not perfect. Therefore, yes, there are some missed minisodes, not because I purposely want to hold them out from Paula but because BBC has an overwhelming amount of minisodes. I haven't even seen them all myself because some flew under the radar in comparison to others. If you'd like to join our discord community that you have access to as a patron, please be my guest! You'll see that there have been LOTS of discussions about these series in particular and you'll also see that I love getting to hear other people's perspectives on this show while they also respect mine. A lot of us have grown and seen new things or accepted different aspects of the show because of sharing our opinions with one another. I'd like to remind you to be kind in this community and remember that Paula and myself are just as human as the rest of you. We are going to have different and conflicting opinions sometimes and that's more than okay. But please don't ever try to accuse me of controlling the way Paula thinks about this show, she is more than capable of making her own opinion and we have had different opinions PLENTY of times throughout watching this. Best Regards - Kat

Time Lord

I don't know that opinions can be misguided or wrong, they're opinions. You can disagree (as clearly you do) but opinions can't really be wrong. And I don't like that you are accusing Kat of intentionally withholding information in order for Paula to agree with her. Paula is quite capable of forming her own opinions, and missing one promo video wouldn't really make THAT much a difference. Why don't we let Paula make up her own mind, rather than assert she should agree with yours?

Firefly24601

I do believe Kat has been open about not really caring for Clara in the past, but is keeping an open mind this time around. The Gals form their own opinions on things, and don't blindly clone the other's feelings.

Firefly24601

Kenzi

Kenzi

"ran the Scottish Doctor Who Fan Club when he was 12" ha! it took me a moment to realize you were talking about his age

tal goren

Yes! They're definitely one of my fave couples ever! They've been together since the 80s and are still super happy. Hell, they even had to give Peter's Doctor a signet ring to cover his wedding ring because he refuses to take it off in devotion to her. <3

Nicole Mazza

Something that doesn't seem to have been mentioned - the doctor says "I'm sure I've seen this face before" when talking to the tramp. This is a reference back to the 10 and Donna's Pompeii episode, where Peter Capaldi played the father. This also plays to the line at the end of Day of the Doctor where Tom Baker says "You may find yourself revisiting a few faces later on." Though the doctor doesn't consciously choose a new appearance there has been an implication that the new form is relevant to where he is in his life.

Bill Roland

i agree!

Chayse (@AGuyNamedChayse)

Katrina, if you're a fan of Michelle Gomez, I recommend The Flight Attendant! An eight-episode series starring Kaley Cuoco on HBOMax. Thanks for the great reaction and discussion!

Joshua Gosdin

OH MY GOD I NEVER PUT THAT TOGETHER. WTF NOOOOOOOOOO - Kat

Time Lord

I would say with Clara and the regeneration. Knowing about Regeneration and experiencing it up close are two different things and Clara was very clear not ready for what it actually meant and just how much of a different person the doctor would become as a result. A bit similar to the button in the 50th. She knew the doctor destroyed his people but wasn't ready when 11 was gonna be the one doing it.

The0therSyde

I don't know about anyone else, but when I watch the Gals' content, as someone who's seen what they're reacting to, I'm usually doing one of three things: 1) watching the episode they're reacting to, because its good stuff 2) watching The Newb™ to see how they react to The Thing™ (a major reveal, surprise, call back, etc) 3) watching The Fan™ to see how well their poker face is holding up with something that is meant to be innocuous at first airing but with knowledge of what's to come has much importance. I feel like I've picked up at least some of the tells that they each have for the third one, which I'm not going to mention in case I've picked up something that the other Gal hasn't yet. I feel like I don't need to employ nearly as much subterfuge about that stuff in this episode as I would for others. AND I LOVE IT!

AJ

With this regeneration, there is a lot going on that i think has to do with the Doctor's subconscious. This is my headcanon: It's been three Doctors since the Time War, where an old and beaten up War Doctor could finally close the book on his most terrible time. But 9, 10 and 11 do not remember that they tried to save Gallifray rather than burn it. The War Doctor asks 10 and 11: "What is it that makes you so ashamed of being a grown-up?" It is guilt and awful memories. The War Doctor was the last "grown-up" Doctor until 11 realised that Gallifrey actually was saved and trapped in a pocket universe. We've had three young and dashing Doctors because 9, 10 and 11 subconsciously were distancing themselves from the War Doctor. But 11 got to put the pieces together. He learned the truth of what happened to his home. 12 is a Doctor liberated from carrying the guilt of double genocide.

Opti_Frog

Well here we are, at the Capaldi era. I'll admit that series 8 is my least favourite new Who season and S8 Capaldi is my least favourite Doctor, even though overally 12 is my second favourite Doctor (behind 11th), but that is solely because of S9 and 10 when Capaldi got the free reins and did not have to adhere to Moffat's ideas...But I am happy to watch this season with the gals and reconsider my opinions. I am certainly looking forward to seeing Jamie Mathieson episodes, which definitely are a highlight of S8 for me. Also it was stated in one of the comics that it was the 9th Doctor that discovered Vastra....so she certainly knows and understands regenerations

Ekkarin22

Also, I love that my two fave Doctor (Seven and Twelve) are Scottish and that they even called out Vastra's Scottish accent in the beginning of this (when she put him to sleep), as Neve McIntosh -- the actress who plays her -- is Scottish. As for Tennant not using his accent, RTD famously didn't want it, because we'd just had Eccleston with his Northern accent and he didn't want Doctor Who to become 'a tour of the regions'. 😡 So, sadly, we only get Scottish-Ten in 'Tooth and Claw'.

Nicole Mazza

No one mentioned the hot air balloon made of human skin! 🤮

Nicole Mazza

They did mention, but it was super-quick. Katrina was probably too in her feels to notice. (Which I don't blame her -- as I was feeling the same)

Nicole Mazza

I think everyone's hearts were in their throats when they first saw that scene!

Nicole Mazza

It’s such a pleasure to see reactors for once immediately enjoying Capaldi as the Doctor. So many others I’ve watched haven’t been able to get over the fact that he’s not young, nor warm and cuddly. To me he’s very much the Doctor, drawing on classic representations like that of Hartnell and Pertwee (his red lined coat is also a nod to the 3rd Doctor). This makes perfect sense, as Capaldi is a lifelong card carrying fan of the show, and in fact ran the Scottish Doctor Who Fan Club when he was 12. Doctor Who is partly why he got into acting in the first place. The themes about masks and identity woven through this episode are also quite clever, from Madam Vastra’s veil to the Doctor donning one of the android’s masks (which rumor has it was actually a face mask of Matt Smith). Incidentally the homeless bloke in the alley scene was played by Brian Miller, husband to the late Elisabeth Sladen ( Sarah Jane Smith). As to what this Doctor’s catch phrase is - “Shut up!” (or occasionally “Shutity-up-up”)😀.

Lloyd B

YESSSS. My whole day just came to a screeching halt to carve out a full watch of this. So excited for the Capaldi era to begin, and psyched to see Paula taking to the soft re-boot of Clara. She really comes into focus as a character when paired with 12, and it's a really engaging (sometimes dark) storyline for them this season.

ScotchBeard78

Though I've always been a Clara fan, I remember back when this came out, I thought it was a little odd how they made her so upset about the regeneration -- but then I also remembered that there was a big chunk of the audience saying things like: 'I don't like this new guy as the Doctor, because he's old/ugly' (which...um, nope. CAPALDI IS SO HAWT). But now, I've softened on that, because I understand her confusion a little more. It's not just that he looks older, but that she can't understand WHY he looks older when he's just regenerated. In her mind, old-man Matt Smith reverted back to being young when he was about to regenerate, so it would make sense that she would think that 'regeneration' would keep him young, like clearing any injuries and de-aging or whatever. So, for him to already have all these 'un-earned' lines on his face in her mind, that doesn't make sense to her. And I mean, yes, she's seen older Doctors in the past (though it's vague how much she remembers of that), but she saw them in the middle of their lives, so she doesn't know if they started out looking young and then just got old in the lifespan of that incarnation or whatever. I mean, for example, even with the War Doctor, he started out fairly young, but she meets him after he's spent countless years fighting the Time War and has aged. So, again, basically it makes sense that she'd think the Doctor would revert to being young again with each regeneration. And adding that on top of him getting a new regeneration cycle from the Time Lords, she thinks something might've 'gone wrong' this time. And I totally get that from an in-universe perspective. Clara doesn't have all the info that the audience has, so she's trying to figure things out from what she knows. Also, speaking of regeneration, the broom bit gets me every time -- 'You are a broom. Question. You take a broom, you replace the handle, and then later you replace the brush, and you do that over and over again. Is it still the same broom? Answer? No, of course it isn't. But you can still sweep the floor. Which is not strictly relevant, skip that last part. You have replaced every piece of yourself, mechanical and organic, time and time again. There's not a trace of the original you left. You probably can't even remember where you got that face from!'. SOOOO GOOD. When I first watched this one, I was a bit underwhelmed about the clockwork droids returning, but as Paula pointed out, they're actually used so well here with all the parallels with regeneration and that really shows the more you watch it. There's just so many layers going on AND I LOVE IT! Plus, as a first episode of this Doctor, the villians should be somewhat background payers -- a threat that helps the Doctor remember who he is again, but doesn't dominate the plot too much. Like in 'The Eleventh Hour', the Atraxi are a threat, but they're not focused on the entire time. Anyway, such a great story and one that seems to grow on me more and more as the years pass and with every rewatch. Onward to my fave Doctor's journey! <3

Nicole Mazza

I think what is so difficult off the cuff in this episode with that is that we've had Moffat write Clara in this way where we were supposed to just accept her as the impossible girl and love her character no matter what. "She was born to save the Doctor" and then we see her with different versions of himself just before this episode. Yes I understand that maybe she doesn't "fully remember" but that's honestly never confirmed neither here or there. Then all of a sudden in this first episode of the series she's almost written in the same way Rose was written when Eccelston changed into Tennant. Which for me, does not work with how her character had been written previously in series 7. It's very jarring and hard to empathize with, not to say I haven't slightly re approached those feelings and I have and they've definitely eased up from the first time I watched this. But, I hope I explained this well and maybe shed a little light on where we were coming from on those thoughts! - Kat

Time Lord

I think what is so difficult off the cuff in this episode with that is that we've had Moffat write Clara in this way where we were supposed to just accept her as the impossible girl and love her character no matter what. "She was born to save the Doctor" and then we see her with different versions of himself just before this episode. Yes I understand that maybe she doesn't "fully remember" but that's honestly never confirmed neither here or there. Then all of a sudden in this first episode of the series she's almost written in the same way Rose was written when Eccelston changed into Tennant. Which for me, does not work with how her character had been written previously in series 7. It's very jarring and hard to empathize with, not to say I haven't slightly re approached those feelings and I have and they've definitely eased up from the first time I watched this. But, I hope I explained this well and maybe shed a little light on where we were coming from on those thoughts! - Kat

Time Lord

Just got home from work. Grabbed an entire pumpkin pie to sit down and munch on while watching my 2 favourite reactors. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the best days of the week.

Scott Archibald

I really don't get the criticism about Moffat writing Clara a certain way so that the other characters can judge her. Main characters may behave as egomaniacs and self-centered a******s and be called out for it. The Doctor certainly does and he has duly gotten shit for it throughout the series.

0kCupCake

Don't really get the complaint about Moffat writing Clara a certain way and then writing characters to react to how she was written, that's what writers do

Grelk

Love this opener. Looking forward to more grumpy 12. I call him My snarky Doctor.

Daryl

I love capaldi because he reminds me of the first doctor in a way. The first doctor was largely in my view an arrogant patronizing grumpy old man. Still saving people but very arrogant in his time Lord superiority. However that doctor was very young compared to capaldi' s doctor. Now he has the age and experience to be as you said "I am done with this, I have no time for this" about the petty silly issues humans have about things. Capaldi is my favourite up until the next companion change then I feel the series starts to dip down for me. But until then it will be fantastic.

Alex Parnell

Attack Eyebrows

Dazzy

I realllyyyy enjoyed this reaction. I loved how Paula just understood immediately everything that it took me SEVERAL re-watches to understand. Happy brain chemicals!!!

Firefly24601

I love Capaldi, and I enjoyed the Chibnall series. In fact, I enjoyed them more than I enjoyed series 1 and 2. There's a wide variety of Doctor Who for everyone.

Stephen Ray

Great reaction, and I'm glad that you enjoyed it. It's not my favourite Capaldi episode, but I loved how he was so different to the "boyfriend" Doctors. He can be grumpy, curt, and fail to consider people's feelings, but he's definitely the Doctor. By the end of his second episode, he took the crown as my favourite Doctor. And if he seems angry as the Doctor, I enjoy watching "Malcolm Tucker" compilations on youtube (lots of swearing).

Stephen Ray

Don't watch the scenes from next time! The BBC loves spoilers, and trained us all out of watching the next time. Imagine the biggest finale surprise you can, then picture it being spoiled in the "Next time" at the beginning of the series.

Stephen Ray

A bit that I love but didn't notice is that when the doctor's translating for the dinosaur in his sleep, he ends by trailing off "doesn't see me... can't see me..." which, of course is not him translating, but his own thoughts and fears regarding Clara, and his own uncertainty. Just seeding the ideas of the episode in there early.

Arek Schneyer

Barney the tramp was the late Liz Sladen's husband. Couldnt wait to see your reaction, esp to the phone call. Was it cruel of me to enjoy the tears? Probably. Hope you enjoy Eyebrows - my favorite Doctor of the all, Classic & New combined. Oh. I think Capaldi had the Scottish accent all along, he put it on harder in the alley scene to emphasize to himself and to Barney that he was Scottish as opposed to English. I had a Scottish friend who used to do that, when the subject of Scotland and Scotland vs England came up he purposely put on a heavier affect.

Mark Ten

Don't look in that mirror, it's furious

Sufyaan Kazi

I think in this period were about to enter, Jenna's acting just went up a level too, she was given much more if a chance to stand on her own feet and not just be the incidental companion plot point 👍🏼

Sufyaan Kazi

I'd say there is a noticeable improvement in the writing in series 8. There's a strong narrative arc throughout that I think is only rivalled by series 4 & 5. I think Moffat struggled juggling the 50th and Sherlock. In season 7 the emphasis was just on fun and Clara was a much more vague standard companion. But here there's so much emphasis on theme and both Clara and the Doctor are very clearly defined.

George Baxter

Valkyrie

The homlessman actor was married to Elizabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane Smith. She had passed at this point. RIP

George Baxter

Off to a good start!

0kCupCake

PAULA! I am agog, I am aghast! Watching the credits, tsk tsk. Consider your wrist slapped! :D

Firefly24601

Right at the end: Whatever does Kat mean by "they didn't say her name yet..."?

Patrick Armbruster

Who smiled me this face? Me, watching this reaction...

Brendon Waldron

Fun fact, the face that Capaldi wore when he rejoined with Clara was a mold of Matt Smith's face.

DarkLadyofSilver

Also, he missed Amy in that moment because Clara is tiny, therefore has short legs. Amy has very long legs and thus would have no problem getting it. It's meant by Moffat as a dig, but the Doctor himself just wished for someone with long legs to catch the sonic.

Scribbles

Katrina, here's a glimpse of Capaldi in his younger days. It's a scene from a low budget film that he wrote,produced and starred in. The young woman he's dancing with is,in real life,Mrs Capaldi. I think they're adorable! https://youtu.be/i5L5rmya3fg

Ian Smith

Trigger’s broom 😃,

WhoIamisme

Oh I love Consulting Detective!

Arek Schneyer

Peter Capaldi is my favorite Doctor. Has been since I first watched this episode. That said: I have problems with how both he and Clara are written in his first season. IMO Moffat was so keen to distance the Doctor from Matt Smith and Tennant, that he overcompensated a bit in certain places. But its still brilliant, and going forward it gets better and better.

Jonny Moonsliver

PETER CAPALDI !!!!!!!! Here we go, och aye. Minnie trivia, the old homeless man in the corridor was married to .... Ok I'll let someone else mention it ❤️

Sufyaan Kazi

Love Paula’s reaction to Clara being left behind in the cellar

WhoIamisme

Poor Clara. She's confused and traumatized, and Madam Vastra just turns her nose up at her at treats her like garbage because she doesn't have the advantage of knowing about regeneration. I'm so glad Clara gave Vastra a verbal smacking AND that Jenny backed her up on it. I never liked Madam Vastra after this. And Vastra's comment about the Doctor choosing his face is BS. He's never chosen it. This has been explained more than once in the long history of the show. The Doctor NEVER choses the face. That's why he always has to look at it and check it out to see what happened. Hell, Eleven thought he was a girl for a moment when he first regenerated.

Scribbles

I will say while Peter Capaldi is not my favorite Doctor, he does have some of my favorite episodes. Matt Smith was my introduction to the series, so he, Amy and Rory have special places in my heart. After him it's a tie between Tennant and Capaldi. I haven't watch a lot of classic Who, so I don't dare weigh in on their quality.

DarkAshtar

Love the reaction. I do worry that I won't see eye to eye with Katrina moving forward though. Watched the chibnall seasons twice?! I hope she explains why she's so into those episodes when we get there because I am baffled. Most of all I hope we focus on Capaldi however. He was overshadowed in his time by an ageing show trying to find relevance but he will always be MY Doctor!

George Baxter

I am super excited for this, Capaldi is my fav and I really hope that Paula agrees with us! I really had a hard time with Smith, as it is my least favorite era, but he ofc had his good moments, especially series 7b and the whole 50th in my opinion.

Einar Sigurðsson

Who frowned me this face?

Arek Schneyer