So... what did we think of Smile?

[miss_s_b]

I liked this week's episode. Again! Am now cautiously hopeful that this might be a pattern...

Am especially in love with Bill.

How about you lot?

Poll #18251 What did you think of Smile?

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 48

What did you think of Smile?

YAY!
39 (86.7%)

nay :(
4 (8.9%)

Other; please specify
2 (4.4%)

What do you think of Bill so far?

YAY!
47 (97.9%)

nay :(
1 (2.1%)

Other, please specify
0 (0.0%)

Comments

[cedara]

That "Wicked!" reminded me of Ace!

[miss_s_b]

I've seen a few people talk about Happiness Patrol parallels; maybe it was character as well as storyline?

[cedara]

Could be, especially as Bill dropped a "Professor" towards the Doctor in the previous ep.

[miss_s_b]

Ooooo yes, she did, didn't she?

[cedara]

Yep! And remember the badges on her jacket!

[miss_s_b]

Sorry to go all Henry Higgins here, but: By George, I think you've GOT it!

[cedara]

Shall I sing of "The Rain in Spain" now? *g*

[miss_s_b]

*segue to Flanders and Swann*

Contrary to what you may have heard, the rain in Spain falls almost exclusively in the hills and mountains...

[nonelvis]

I really, really liked this, which was especially nice given how meh I was about Cottrell-Boyce's previous episode. Sure, the ending literally just pressed a reset button, but I was enjoying it too much to care. Bill remains an utter delight, and she had better not leave, dammit. (Even though I think she will.)

[nostalgia]

i cant remember which was the writers previous?

bill should stay years

[miss_s_b]

In the Forest Of The Night

(I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To a river so deep…)

[promethia_tenk]

which was especially nice given how meh I was about Cottrell-Boyce's previous episode
When I first heard the guy who wrote the opening ceremony of the London Olympics was writing a Doctor Who episode and, moreover, writing a Doctor Who episode under Steven Moffat since their thematic concerns seem to be so well aligned (storytelling, etc.), I was over the mood with glee.

Sadly, the episode was only kinda pretty good : ( I think this one was better.

Sure, the ending literally just pressed a reset button, but I was enjoying it too much to care.
It earned it for me because Bill immediately took the piss out of him for saving the day by literally unplugging and replugging the misbehaving technology.

[nostalgia]

i liked it even if it did fall apart slightly once it had to actually deal with the killer emojibots instead of finding out what the plot was.

[miss_s_b]

Hypothesis: it would have been better had it remained a two-hander throughout, with no colonists?

[nostalgia]

Dunno, could have worked. But then would everyone be dead and so it's depressing?

[miss_s_b]

I think I mean they solve it and go away, and THEN the colonists wake up

[nostalgia]

Ooh could work

[miss_s_b]

Also I just rewatched The Happiness Patrol, and you are Right

[nostalgia]

:D

[promethia_tenk]

i liked it even if it did fall apart slightly once it had to actually deal with the killer emojibots instead of finding out what the plot was.
I am generally against plot for this very reason. It only gets in the way of important faffing about and character stuff and jokes.

And then people get angry because plot holes or ethics or something. No, best just to leave the plot alone.

[nostalgia]

true. i always assume that any story has a plot hole and i just haven't noticed yet.

[promethia_tenk]

Bill continues to be made of win and Bill and Twelve together made of even greater win.

Doubt it will be anyone's favorite of the season, but a solid episode two. Did what it needed to do while being delightful.

[momentsmusicaux]

I wonder whether second episodes typically a bit of a lull after the big opener.

[miss_s_b]

There certainly seems to be an Ep1: Look, here's a new companion Ep2: new companion gets first taste of SPACE pattern.

[momentsmusicaux]

Smile was definitely not as good as The Beast Below. But far better than The Rings of Akhaten (which is Clara's 2nd ep from the PoV of her character if not the audience's). But then the Doctor reading the phone book would be better than that.

[promethia_tenk]

I wonder whether second episodes typically a bit of a lull after the big opener.
I think that's practically their job. After I'd watched I was like 'that was almost a perfect second episode.' Which sounds like it's damning with faint praise, though I'm not convinced writing a great second episode is an easy task. The plot has to be interesting enough and still has to include a lot of important introducing the companion to how this all works stuff, but you can't detract from the larger job which is establishing a Doctor/companion dynamic that can carry you through the season.

It's not as glamorous as the flashy season opener or the mind-bending finale or the ambitious/arty/dark/genre-breaking one that happens 2/3 of the way through the season, but somebody's gotta write it *g*

[momentsmusicaux]

I felt a bit meh about it. Bill was great, and the Doctor was ok, but overall it seemed a bit dull.

[miss_s_b]

Fairy nuff! I'm glad that most of us seem to like Bill :)

[mengu]

I was expecting it to be cute and nice and character-y and it was but then there were also many think-y things.

C+

[ed_rex]

I enjoyed it, but without a whole lot of enthusiasm, as I did the opener - but I realized, as I typed the previous clause that the opener has already faded almost completely away in my memory.

I like Bill, but the episode felt rushed, and so went down like a thin broth instead of a hearty stew. The story felt like the outline of a story, not a story itself. We didn't meet a single character outside of our twosome to care about.

But despite all that, Capaldi is charming and Pearl Mackie's Bill has a charming enthusiasm that - now that others have pointed it out - does echo that of Ace, just a little.

[momentsmusicaux]

My 7-year-old is working her way through this season on iPlayer. Verdict on this one: 'the robots are really creepy!'