Terribly scientific survey

[royalmarriage]

I come asking a simple question - if you've seen the latest Doctor Who, Curse of the Black Spot, what did you think of it? 'Cos I really enjoyed it, found it great fun - I'd probably give it an 8 out of 10. But out there in Flist land, there seems to be a lot of negativity towards it. So yeah, just tell me if you liked it, or if you didn't like it. Like can include love, didn't like can include loathing, hatred, etc.

(I'd just like to know how much of a minority I'm in here...)

Comments

[annephoenix.livejournal.com]

I really disliked it!
I thought it was poorly scripted, cliche and uninteresting ... So many plotholes, I actually turned my attention to do something else at one point, which I normally never do!

[entorien.livejournal.com]

I loved it! The 'monster's was fantastic, the plot twist of the two ships was brilliant, and the Captain was excellent.

That said, it still only gets 8/10 from me, mostly because Toby smacked a bit of 'young Will Turner' and also because the people who installed the revolving door on SG1's Daniel Jackson's coffin will be getting a call from Rory sometime soon.

[davidbrider.livejournal.com]

...also because the people who installed the revolving door on SG1's Daniel Jackson's coffin will be getting a call from Rory sometime soon.

In an ideal world, someone will start marketing a range of "Oh my God! They killed Rory!" mugs and T-shirts...

*g*

[zoeiona.livejournal.com]

I liked it till the spaceship-reveal part, despite the gigantic plot hole surrounding how and when the captain's son had got on board. Not so stoked with how they did the transition to the spaceship or what happened afterwards (till the payoff shot on the starship bridge. That was great), but I kind of understand that that's likely to be a recurring plot device through the series - it just annoyed me. I like pirates and wanted more of them!

[lonemagpie.livejournal.com]

I thought it was good fun. unoriginal and full of holes, but a decent standalone giving us a refreshing breather from the arc-heavy previous episodes.

[myfirstkitchen.livejournal.com]

6 out of 10. Strong performances from the leads, but writing dreadful, direction worse and pacing all over the place. Plot holes made worse by the aforementioned pacing issue. A romp is fine. A ropey romp is not.

Basically, it looks like Moff farms out all the mid-series stories he thinks he should include but has no great interest in writing or editing to people he gets on really well with in real life, rushing the script edit and spending less money, with dodgy results. See also: RTD, who was prone to this too. Thompson, Chibnall, two Gatiss episodes so far, everything by Helen Raynor, Fear Her (Graham may pull it out of the bag with his two-parter this time). Some of these writers do very well outside the Whoniverse, but Steve Thompson wrote the rubbish episode of Sherlock, too, which indicates either he should stick to the stage or stay well away from Moff's franchises.

[serriadh.livejournal.com]

Steve Thompson wrote the rubbish episode of Sherlock, too, which indicates either he should stick to the stage or stay well away from Moff's franchises.
We've been trying to work out what hold Steve Thompson has on the Moff? Kidnapped his kid? Compromising photos?

I mean, Gatiss can't plot for toffee, but he (generally, IMO) has good ideas and writes dialogue, etc. really well. He just needs someone to script-edit his plotting.

[myfirstkitchen.livejournal.com]

Yep, basically Gatiss is great when other people commit to making his scripts work. Which he got in series 1 of New Who and never again. Whereas in Sherlock, he and Moff work on each other's stuff, you can tell.

[beren-writes.livejournal.com]

I thought it was a lot better than the first eps of the season - at least it made sense and didn't have a whole ep of build up that was entirely unnecessary before actually getting to the plot. It was entertaining and enjoyable, but lacked depth ::g::.

I enjoyed the episode, it was fun, but the ending was just a little bit meh.

Also, did I blink and miss where the pirate that Toby injured and gave the black spot actually got got?

So far I'm not overly impressed with this season though - I think they are way too worried about the arc they are building. Have I mentioned that I hate arcs?

[pomkeygeekange.livejournal.com]

Also, did I blink and miss where the pirate that Toby injured and gave the black spot actually got got?

Toby was the kid yeah?
If so he was a sick kid and so The Siren wanted to look after him to. He had the black spot already before he was found.

[beren-writes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know about his own black spot, what I'm wondering about is the pirate that he got with the sword to stop the guy leaving (we'll call him pirate 1). I have no recollection at all of what happened to him. I remember him getting the black spot, then I remember the Doctor, the captain and pirate 2 who abandoned pirate 1 when he was injured, with the whole TARDIS incident and then when the Doctor and captain get back to the powder room pirate 1 is gone.

I don't remember what happened to him, I think I must have missed it. I was just wondering when he got got by the siren.

[pomkeygeekange.livejournal.com]

Ah right. I am going to go with not a clue, one of them plot hole things I think.

[davidbrider.livejournal.com]

Also, did I blink and miss where the pirate that Toby injured and gave the black spot actually got got?

I think jblum has theorised that possibly his getting got was deleted to make room for some arc stuff (e.g. Schroedinger's pregnancy, etc). Whether he's correct or not, time will tell.

[serriadh.livejournal.com]

I quite enjoyed it, but I thought it was a very poor episode in terms of scripting, plot, etc. Also I thought Hugh Bonneville was either woefully underused or was completely phoning it in - I can't quite decide what caused the lack of impact his character had (for me).

The bits I liked were, I suspect, put in by Moffat/guided by Moffat as a series continuity thing: all the stuff about universes existing in the same space and people slipping between them, and Amy's Schroedinger pregnancy.

I like Rory and Amy together, and Matt Smith was brilliant as ever. I think perhaps I was just disappointed because I think it could have been so much better.

[davidbrider.livejournal.com]

I quite enjoyed it, but I thought it was a very poor episode in terms of scripting, plot, etc. Also I thought Hugh Bonneville was either woefully underused or was completely phoning it in...

Actually, despite enjoying the episode as a whole, I kind of agree with you there. I mean, he was okay, but the character didn't really come alive for me.

[davidbrider.livejournal.com]

Not *quite* as bad as Love and Monsters but... very nearly...

Now that's an interesting point, 'cos I loved Love and Monsters. I wonder if there's much of a correlation there - i.e. people who loved L&M loved Curse, and people who hated L&M hated Curse?

[myfirstkitchen.livejournal.com]

Nah, I love large chunks of L&M (basically, when the Absorbaloff isn't in it, and loathe the paving slab oral sex gag). Hated large chunks of Curse.

[davidbrider.livejournal.com]

Bang goes *that* theory!

[entorien.livejournal.com]

You have just named the only episode I refuse to watch...

[davidbrider.livejournal.com]

Really? Why is that - the paving slab/oral sex "joke", or something else?

[entorien.livejournal.com]

Ummm... worst monster *ever*, terrible plot, bad acting, didn't like the main character... I just plain hated it! There are other episodes I consider sub-standard, but that's the only one I skip when going through the DVDs.

The oral sex joke was a bit crude for DW, but that I can live with, just once.

[pomkeygeekange.livejournal.com]

I liked some bits (Topless Rory-More please) and disliked some other bits (They killed him again, Just call him Kenny and have done with it!) .

It was not the worst episode ever but it was not the best either. It was fluffy and light and I think aimed towards the kids. It could have been a great episode but it just did not really work.

[davidbrider.livejournal.com]

For me, I think the fluffy and lightness of it was one of the lovely things about it - Amy swordfighting just rocked!

I don't think you're alone in wanting more topless Rory!

[pomkeygeekange.livejournal.com]

Not according to my Twitter feed on Saturday night I ain't!

Or More Rory in general tbh.

[ghyste.livejournal.com]

It looked pretty but I expected more from an episode with pirates and Hugh Bonneville. I kind of lost interest part way through and stopped paying attention to the plot - which may have been fortunate if what I hear of the plot holes is true.

[the-willows.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed it.

It was what it was, a romp. Pirates are always cool, some great Rory/Amy interaction and consolidation of their epic love (which is sorely needed after all the ridiculous speculation that she's pregnant with the Doctor's child), and some beautiful bromance between Avery/Eleven.

I don't know what people want from the show, because it doesn't seem to matter what is served up, someone always finds fault and badmouths it. And frankly, if people are so quick to pour scorn on it, then why do they watch at all?

[davidbrider.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about the naysayers, but the negative response to this episode seems to transcend the usual few folks, and I'm a bit bemused by that.

Still, like you, I enjoyed it, for the reasons you gave and others (it had Amy being all kick ass with a cutlass. And Eleven saying, "yo ho ho!". And loads of other cool stuff. :o) ).

[kharma2815.livejournal.com]

I was a little ticked off at Amy's pathetic attempt at CPR but other than that I thought it was quite good. I mean, it's the Doctor and pirates! The only thing that could have been better is if they were ninja pirates.

[thisissirius.livejournal.com]

IT HAD RORY IN IT.

but he died. so, idek. i can't decide if i liked it or hated it. then again, i feel that way about most episodes because i'm only watching dw right now for rory and river!

[besanamo.livejournal.com]

Neither really, I didn't hate it or actively dislike it but I wasn't impressed either. I did quite like parts of it for instance pirate Amy, Rory being great, them sailing off into space together etc. but in terms of the actual meant to be pirates and the plot etc. it fell rather flat / did absolutely nothing for me, and the siren was =/ as well, the whole turning red thing etc. I dunno she never actually seemed like a threat to take seriously in any way, it was just "lol ok then" for me. But yeah 4 or 5 out of 10? Maybe even 6, but no actual feelings of "THIS SUCKED" or anything.

[besanamo.livejournal.com]

*all the pirates and the kid sailing off into space together, I meant, not Amy and Rory ;)

[cu-sith.livejournal.com]

My household's twopenneth:

Fun, but in dire need of tightening up. Exhibit A: the Amazing Vanishing Pirate. Did his leaving scene get cut or did the writer just forget him?

Also, they need to stop killing Rory. Damselify him so Amy can be a BAMF? Fantastic! Just stop offing the poor bugger.

Offing his clothing, on the other hand...