This actually happened: [link]

This actually happened

Heh. Yeah, I thought Dr. Who was really fun tonight.

It was. Going back to last weeks episode, my take on the Doctor missing that repairing the Dalek would make it evil again: still damaged from the extra traumatic regeneration. When Clara was asked if the Doctor was mad or right and she replied 'both' I think that was one of the points. We can expect the Doctor to make lots of bad decision and then use his genius to recover from them. Which, now that I think about it, has always been a common thread that linked all the different regenerations.

We can expect the Doctor to make lots of bad decision and then use his genius to recover from them. Which, now that I think about it, has always been a common thread that linked all the different regenerations.

Thinking about that, it's mostly true, but I think the Third Doctor might be an exception to that. (For the most part, there may be one or two exceptions.) Pertwee's Doctor was the most action-hero incarnation, and typically presented an air of command and competence. In fact, on the second commentary for The Five Doctors, Terrance Dicks mentions that he deliberately had the Third Doctor getting the Master's intentions wrong, because Jon Pertwee played his Doctor as always being right, and apparently it got under Dicks' skin. (So to speak.)

(There's at least one exception, thinking about it; namely taking that crystal from Metebelis Three. That whole trip went pretty badly.)

It's certainly true of the First Doctor. In one of the commentary tracks (The Aztecs, I think), Verity Lambert mentions that Sydney Newman gave her the advice that the Doctor should be fundamentally unpredictable. That way, they could use him to push the plot in just about any direction they wanted it to go.

I think you are right. Three did make fewer bad decisions than most of Doctors. Skipping forward to the current episode, I did enjoy the current doctor fencing with a spoon. It has been a long time since we had a Doctor with a spoon obsession. The 7th was the last one, I think.

That was a pretty fun, silly episode, though I'm still not in love with Twelve. He's so cantankerous and prickly.

That was a pretty fun, silly episode, though I'm still not in love with Twelve. He's so cantankerous and prickly.

I, on the other hand, kind of love that. And seriously, Robin Hood was just so over the top, I'm not surprised that he gave Twelve the screaming irrits. (Which is not to say Twelve wasn't both predisposed towards it and immensely petty about it.)

I liked Clara quite a lot in this one too. Both this ep and the first one, she had to confront the villain without the Doctor and manage by her own wits, and did quite well.

My favourite bit with her was this exchange, which I'm no doubt misquoting:

"Why are you so sad?"
"Why would you think me sad?"
"Because the Doctor's right. You laugh too much."

That was my favorite episode so far. It's nice to see a Doctor who screws up like that.

I liked Clara quite a lot in this one too. Both this ep and the first one, she had to confront the villain without the Doctor and manage by her own wits, and did quite well.

I'm enjoying that too.

I, on the other hand, kind of love that.

He seems to be enjoying being the Doctor less. He's colder and more callous. I'm interested to see where it goes, and I'm sure I'll love him by the finale, but it's taking some time to get used to.

That was a LOT of fun. I agree wholeheartedly with everything billytea said.

Also loved the bit where the Doctor very slowly realizes Robin Hood's not part of the robots' plan. "Yeah that'd be a rubbish plan...yeah...it would...oh."