Doctor Who Discussion - Joy to the World Out Now!!

[Megadoomer]

I just found out about this thread - I've been getting caught up on Doctor Who, though I'm quite a bit behind, even if we're just limiting it to the modern era.

Over the past three years or so that I've been catching up, I've seen/read/listened to...

• the Ninth Doctor's season (I started here; I got a DVD set that covered the 9th and 10th Doctors)
• the Tenth Doctor's seasons
• roughly half of the Eleventh Doctor's seasons (I'm a little over halfway through the 11th Doctor's second season - I just finished "The Girl Who Waited")
• most of season 6 of the Fourth Doctor (I enjoyed what I've read of Douglas Adams's work, and I wanted to get into classic Who); all I have left are "The Horns of Nimon" and "Shada", though I read the novelization of Shada a while back.
• an audio-only (Big Finish) crossover between the Fourth and Tenth Doctors called "Out of Time"
• "The Five Doctors" (I wanted to get an idea of what most of the other classic Doctors are like - it got me interested in the Second and Third Doctors, though I don't think there are any full season box sets for the Second, which is how I've been watching this series)

I've ordered Tom Baker's first season, which should arrive in the next day or two. Beyond that, I'm planning to get 12 and 13's box sets once I've finished 11, and I might get the 3rd Doctor's second season at some point down the line. (since it introduces the Master)

Really enjoying the show so far - a bit hesitant to get into the classic Doctors (beyond 4, I'm not sure of the quality of their seasons), but I'm willing to give 3 a try, at least. As for the modern series, it's been interesting to go into the story of River Song spoiler-free - I've been right about some details and way off on others.

 

[fogbadge]

I just found out about this thread - I've been getting caught up on Doctor Who, though I'm quite a bit behind, even if we're just limiting it to the modern era.

Over the past three years or so that I've been catching up, I've seen/read/listened to...

• the Ninth Doctor's season (I started here; I got a DVD set that covered the 9th and 10th Doctors)
• the Tenth Doctor's seasons
• roughly half of the Eleventh Doctor's seasons (I'm a little over halfway through the 11th Doctor's second season - I just finished "The Girl Who Waited")
• most of season 6 of the Fourth Doctor (I enjoyed what I've read of Douglas Adams's work, and I wanted to get into classic Who); all I have left are "The Horns of Nimon" and "Shada", though I read the novelization of Shada a while back.
• an audio-only (Big Finish) crossover between the Fourth and Tenth Doctors called "Out of Time"
• "The Five Doctors" (I wanted to get an idea of what most of the other classic Doctors are like - it got me interested in the Second and Third Doctors, though I don't think there are any full season box sets for the Second, which is how I've been watching this series)

I've ordered Tom Baker's first season, which should arrive in the next day or two. Beyond that, I'm planning to get 12 and 13's box sets once I've finished 11, and I might get the 3rd Doctor's second season at some point down the line. (since it introduces the Master)

Really enjoying the show so far - a bit hesitant to get into the classic Doctors (beyond 4, I'm not sure of the quality of their seasons), but I'm willing to give 3 a try, at least. As for the modern series, it's been interesting to go into the story of River Song spoiler-free - I've been right about some details and way off on others.

i can advise you on the classic series if i may, having watched most of it. 2nd doctor's time is full of missing episodes so it's not surprising there's no box sets for him. however he is still a great doctor with many great stories my own personal favourite being Fury from the Deep. the 5 tom baker series that covers the the Key to time arch is worth a watch as well if you like douglas adamas as it's got one of his stories The Pirate Planet. the 3rd doctor is more action focused with jon pertwee playing the character as an action hero. his second series which introduces the master is worth it i'd say as roger delgado was amazing in the part

also big finish is great

 

[Megadoomer]

I made it to The Angels Take Manhattan when it comes to catching up with modern Doctor Who, which seems like a good point to switch things up and go to classic Doctor Who for a bit. (that episode was an emotional roller coaster)

I've mostly been watching the Fourth Doctor (I'm working my way through his first season; I haven't been watching that one in order, since I went directly from Robot to Genesis Of The Daleks, but I just watched The Ark In Space), but I found a box set for the Third Doctor's second season (the one that introduces Roger Delgado's version of the Master) on sale, so I decided to watch Terror Of The Autons (the Master's debut) last night.

The dynamic between Jon Pertwee and Roger Delgado is great, and while I'm worried that a full season of the Master might be overdoing it (one of the BluRay's special features says that the Master shows up in all of the serials in this season), I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes. (the Daemons is apparently a highlight of the season)

 

[fogbadge]

I made it to The Angels Take Manhattan when it comes to catching up with modern Doctor Who, which seems like a good point to switch things up and go to classic Doctor Who for a bit. (that episode was an emotional roller coaster)

I've mostly been watching the Fourth Doctor (I'm working my way through his first season; I haven't been watching that one in order, since I went from Robot to Genesis Of The Daleks, but I just watched The Ark In Space), but I found a box set for the Third Doctor's second season (the one that introduces Roger Delgado's version of the Master) on sale, so I decided to watch Terror Of The Autons (the Master's debut) last night.

The dynamic between Jon Pertwee and Roger Delgado is great, and while I'm worried that a full season of the Master might be overdoing it (one of the BluRay's special features says that the Master shows up in all of the serials in this season), I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes. (the Daemons is apparently a highlight of the season)

nice to hear you’re enjoying it. sounds like you’ve been watching some of the best stories of the classic series

 

[fogbadge]

so returning showrunner Russel T Davis put out a video saying that he feels that the character Davros portrays disabled people as evil and in future he maybe magically un-disabled. i imagine this will stir up the shall we say more lively parts of the fandom

 

[fogbadge]

Happy 60th whovians

 

[Megadoomer]

I just watched the special on Disney Plus, and I'm really glad that I was caught up on the Tenth Doctor's run going into this.

Also, the new intro is gorgeous.

 

[fogbadge]

i found the special a little underwhelming. although that's probably due to many of the circumstances surrounding it

 

[darkvortex]

special was pretty fun. A pretty straight adaption of the original comic, so thus I wasn't really surprised when the twists happened. I found some of the writing around the big reveal a little clunky, but far be it from me to put down such a strong pro trans message

 

[fogbadge]

special was pretty fun. A pretty straight adaption of the original comic, so thus I wasn't really surprised when the twists happened. I found some of the writing around the big reveal a little clunky, but far be it from me to put down such a strong pro trans message

i wouldn't call it a straight adaptation. more like a very streamlined version

 

[darkvortex]

Tennnet and Tate are great, as expected. Shirley is a great new character. Beeps mention of the boss is confirmed by RTD to not be the toy maker but someone who we'll meet during Nutci's era

 

[fogbadge]

Tennnet and Tate are great, as expected. Shirley is a great new character. Beeps mention of the boss is confirmed by RTD to not be the toy maker but someone who we'll meet during Nutci's era

Didn’t know that so makes it very curious

 

[Sucumbio]

I got the feels watching the special. I can't wait for the next episode. I feel like Jodi W and her show in general got snubbed a bit especially since she wasn't able to hand off to the new doctor directly. Ah well already I think this whole thing is going to be great regardless just kind of wish they'd been smoother with this transition.

 

[fogbadge]

I thought the latest episode was pretty good my favourite part was everyone in the build up to the release said it was like nothing DW had done before and then while watching it there was barely a moment I wasn’t comparing to another episode

 

[fogbadge]

well today we got our christmas special and the sad news of the passing of an actor from the classic series

 

[Megadoomer]

I just finished the 14th Doctor's run. I'm a little concerned with how it ended (the bigeneration concept, coupled with the 15th Doctor getting a copy of the TARDIS rather than the original, has me concerned that some racist segment of the Doctor Who fandom is going to use that as ammunition to claim that the 15th Doctor isn't "the real" Doctor), but Neil Patrick Harris and Catherine Tate were entertaining, David Tennant got a good send-off, and Ncuti Gatwa seems like he'll be entertaining as the Doctor.

(there was a part where I had to skip forward a minute or two to avoid spoiling myself - the "well, that's all right, then!" scene that became a meme)

Also, I got some Doctor Who books on Christmas and Boxing Day (a character encyclopedia, a 50th anniversary guidebook, and a novel called Scratchman that was written by Tom Baker), along with the DVD set for the 12th Doctor. (I ordered the last two on Boxing Day because the DVD was half price)

When it comes to my watch-through of the classic series, I've finished "The Mind of Evil" in Pertwee's run (the six episode stories feel kind of slow-paced from my limited experience), and for Tom Baker, I've finished his first season and I'm about halfway through his third. (I watched the last two Sarah Jane episodes and The Deadly Assassin, so now I'm on to Leela's introduction) Not sure if the Leela introduction episodes will live up to this sequence:

but I figure Tom Baker will be fun to watch regardless.

 

[darkvortex]

I just finished the 14th Doctor's run. I'm a little concerned with how it ended (the bigeneration concept, coupled with the 15th Doctor getting a copy of the TARDIS rather than the original, has me concerned that some racist segment of the Doctor Who fandom is going to use that as ammunition to claim that the 15th Doctor isn't "the real" Doctor), but Neil Patrick Harris and Catherine Tate were entertaining, David Tennant got a good send-off, and Ncuti Gatwa seems like he'll be entertaining as the Doctor.

(there was a part where I had to skip forward a minute or two to avoid spoiling myself - the "well, that's all right, then!" scene that became a meme)

Also, I got some Doctor Who books on Christmas and Boxing Day (a character encyclopedia, a 50th anniversary guidebook, and a novel called Scratchman that was written by Tom Baker), along with the DVD set for the 12th Doctor. (I ordered the last two on Boxing Day because the DVD was half price)

When it comes to my watch-through of the classic series, I've finished "The Mind of Evil" in Pertwee's run (the six episode stories feel kind of slow-paced from my limited experience), and for Tom Baker, I've finished his first season and I'm about halfway through his third. (I watched the last two Sarah Jane episodes and The Deadly Assassin, so now I'm on to Leela's introduction) Not sure if the Leela introduction episodes will live up to this sequence:

but I figure Tom Baker will be fun to watch regardless.

RTD said in the episodes commentary that an upcoming episode will address and confirm that this is still very much THE Tardis

 

[fogbadge]

I just finished the 14th Doctor's run. I'm a little concerned with how it ended (the bigeneration concept, coupled with the 15th Doctor getting a copy of the TARDIS rather than the original, has me concerned that some racist segment of the Doctor Who fandom is going to use that as ammunition to claim that the 15th Doctor isn't "the real" Doctor),

I’ve seen others with this same concern

a novel called Scratchman that was written by Tom Baker

there’s an interesting story behind that. back in the earliest days of his tenure Tom baker and Ian marter wrote the original version of this as a movie script. I believe they wanted Vincent price to play the titular scratchman

When it comes to my watch-through of the classic series, I've finished "The Mind of Evil" in Pertwee's run (the six episode stories feel kind of slow-paced from my limited experience), and for Tom Baker, I've finished his first season and I'm about halfway through his third. (I watched the last two Sarah Jane episodes and The Deadly Assassin, so now I'm on to Leela's introduction) Not sure if the Leela introduction episodes will live up to this sequence:

but I figure Tom Baker will be fun to watch regardless.

Mind of evil became one of my favourite 3rd doctor stories. As for mind of evil, well if it doesn’t quite live up to that scene there are certainly other stories with leela that do

 

[NintenRob]

Poking my head in here again to say I loved the specials and thought they were great.

 

[Megadoomer]

I've finished the four seasons of classic Who that I got on BluRay (Pertwee's second season, and Tom Baker's first, third, and sixth seasons). I'm still getting caught up on 12 (and I plan to get 13's DVD afterwards), and I plan to get Pertwee's fourth season at some point (largely because it has The Three Doctors, and I liked Patrick Troughton in The Five Doctors), but I had a question: out of the Doctors from 5-8, if I picked just one to watch, which would you recommend?

(also, in the trailer that I linked, the Doctor tells Jo "we've got all the time in the world", which is setting off alarm bells in my head given how that phrase is used in James Bond, which the Third Doctor's run was partially inspired by)

 

[fogbadge]

I've finished the four seasons of classic Who that I got on BluRay (Pertwee's second season, and Tom Baker's first, third, and sixth seasons). I'm still getting caught up on 12 (and I plan to get 13's DVD afterwards), and I plan to get Pertwee's fourth season at some point (largely because it has The Three Doctors, and I liked Patrick Troughton in The Five Doctors), but I had a question: out of the Doctors from 5-8, if I picked just one to watch, which would you recommend?

(also, in the trailer that I linked, the Doctor tells Jo "we've got all the time in the world", which is setting off alarm bells in my head given how that phrase is used in James Bond)

I would recommend 5. There’s nothing wrong with 6 & 7 but the writing lets them down in a few stories

 

[fogbadge]

we have our air date for Ncuti's first series. we are getting a double bill with the episodes being available at midnight on the 11th of May. at the same time it will be on disney + for other but it'll still be the 10th for you guys

 

[fogbadge]

fans of the 11th and 12th doctors may be pleased to know that the showrunner of that time, Stephen Moffat, has been confirmed to have written an episode for the upcoming series.

 

[fogbadge]

we've got our episode titles for the upcoming series. before i post them just wanna ask if anyone thinks i should spoiler them

 

[Yashichi]

we've got our episode titles for the upcoming series. before i post them just wanna ask if anyone thinks i should spoiler them

i don't know. i haven't seen doctor who sorry

 

[fogbadge]

Ok so here’s the episode titles for series 14

Space Babies
The Demons Chord
Boom
73 Yards
Dot and Bubble
Rogue
The Legend of Ruby Sunday
Empire of Death

 

[Megadoomer]

I was planning to pick up the BluRay set for Peter Davison's second season, but it keeps getting delayed for some reason. It was originally scheduled to come out April 2nd, roughly 7 months after the UK release, which already seems unusually long compared to other season sets, but now it was pushed back to June 4th.

I'll still get it when it comes out, but if I get near the end of Peter Capaldi's run before then, I'll likely go with the 8th Doctor's movie. I've heard mixed things, but I figure I'll give it a try. (I'd also be ordering the Jodie Whittaker collection at the same time)

Also, I finished Jon Pertwee's fourth season. The Three Doctors was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed The Green Death, though some episodes (Planet of the Daleks is the first that comes to mind here) kind of dragged. Roger Delgado made an appearance as the Master (his last one, apparently), where he continued to be a delight. (shame that the team-up between the Master and the Daleks was crammed into the final episode of a six-parter)

I found that the six-part stories dragged, so I'm a little concerned about going back to the First or Second Doctor's era where there are seven-parters, ten-parters, or in one case a twelve-parter.

For Peter Capaldi's run, I've started his second season; I've heard that he gets better as his run goes on, and he's already one of my favourite Doctors, so I'm looking forward to seeing his later episodes.

 

[fogbadge]

I was planning to pick up the BluRay set for Peter Davison's second season, but it keeps getting delayed for some reason. It was originally scheduled to come out April 2nd, roughly 7 months after the UK release, which already seems unusually long compared to other season sets, but now it was pushed back to June 4th.

I'll still get it when it comes out, but if I get near the end of Peter Capaldi's run before then, I'll likely go with the 8th Doctor's movie. I've heard mixed things, but I figure I'll give it a try. (I'd also be ordering the Jodie Whittaker collection at the same time)

Also, I finished Jon Pertwee's fourth season. The Three Doctors was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed The Green Death, though some episodes (Planet of the Daleks is the first that comes to mind here) kind of dragged. Roger Delgado made an appearance as the Master (his last one, apparently), where he continued to be a delight. (shame that the team-up between the Master and the Daleks was crammed into the final episode of a six-parter)

I found that the six-part episodes dragged, so I'm a little concerned about going back to the First or Second Doctor's era where there are seven-parters, ten-parters, or in one case a twelve-parter.

For Peter Capaldi's run, I've started his second season; I've heard that he gets better as his run goes on, and he's already one of my favourite Doctors, so I'm looking forward to seeing his later episodes.

glad to see you enjoying it

 

[Megadoomer]

I'm nearing the end of Peter Capaldi's second season. This speech alone (the clip doesn't cover all of it, but it's from the end of the Zygon Inversion) was amazing. I found the Zygon Inversion to be a really strong episode in general, between that and the scene where Clara talks to Bonnie (the leader of the villainous Zygons)

I just finished Heaven Sent and started on Hell Bent, which seems to be the season finale. (Going by the disc label, the next two episodes are specials)

Also, I ordered the Jodie Whittaker DVDs and the BluRay for Sylvester McCoy's final season. From what I could tell, the BluRay for the Paul McGann movie was only released in Europe, and I didn't want to risk getting a movie that I might not be able to watch.

 

[fogbadge]

I'm nearing the end of Peter Capaldi's second season. This speech alone (the clip doesn't cover all of it, but it's from the end of the Zygon Inversion) was amazing. I found the Zygon Inversion to be a really strong episode in general, between that and the scene where Clara talks to Bonnie (the leader of the villainous Zygons)

I just finished Heaven Sent and started on Hell Bent, which seems to be the season finale. (Going by the disc label, the next two episodes are specials)

Also, I ordered the Jodie Whittaker DVDs and the BluRay for Sylvester McCoy's final season. From what I could tell, the BluRay for the Paul McGann movie was only released in Europe, and I didn't want to risk getting a movie that I might not be able to watch.

good luck. jodie is really let down by the writing. but sylvetser's final series is probably his strongest

 

[fogbadge]

as we approach the launch of the new series I find at times my dread over takes my excitement. both Ncuti and Millie are probably going to be great but alas RTD is hovering over it and that's why. and I would very much like to discuss this with people but a lot of the fans seem to think if you don't think RTD is the best then you need to shut up. and a lot of the stuff he's said has got me worried like he's convinced dr who is his baby to do with what he wants and he's not going to let go this time. he's already made several daft decisions and given us some episodes with energy of a live action disney remake so i can't help but worry it's going to get worse. fresh blood is what dr who needs and not just in terms of actors we need some fresh writers.

i know most people on this forum probably don't care that much but this is one of the few places i can be sure i can critique the man without his defenders jumping down my throat with their imaginary accusations.

 

[Megadoomer]

I'm looking forward to the new episodes; I don't know much, if anything, about them, and it will be nice to not have details spoiled by osmosis. (a lot of the mystery surrounding Capaldi's first season wasn't as effective for me because I already knew who Missy was)

Also, I finished Sylvester McCoy's third season - it helped that the serials were 3-4 parts and there were only 14 episodes. The dynamic between the Doctor and Ace was great, and it was nice to see the Brigadier again. (if I had to rank them, I'd go Battlefield > Curse of Fenric > Survival > Ghost Light - it felt like a whole episode was cut from Ghost Light at the last minute, making a lot of details feel unclear)

I'll likely take a break from collecting classic Who for now - I might get Peter Davison's second season when that comes out in North America, but nothing I've seen of Colin Baker's run really appeals to me, and while Tom Baker is my favourite Doctor so far, his final season looks to be a huge departure in terms of tone.

Speaking of Colin Baker, I looked into his Big Finish material since I've heard he's supposed to be good there, and I was surprised to learn that this was a real storyline:

EDIT: So far, this is my current progress with Doctor Who:

Spoiler

And here's the Big Finish material that I've gotten so far. (though I haven't listened to all of them yet)

 

[fogbadge]

I'm looking forward to the new episodes; I don't know much, if anything, about them, and it will be nice to not have details spoiled by osmosis. (a lot of the mystery surrounding Capaldi's first season wasn't as effective for me because I already knew who Missy was)

Also, I finished Sylvester McCoy's third season - it helped that the serials were 3-4 parts and there were only 14 episodes. The dynamic between the Doctor and Ace was great, and it was nice to see the Brigadier again. (if I had to rank them, I'd go Battlefield > Curse of Fenric > Survival > Ghost Light - it felt like a whole episode was cut from Ghost Light at the last minute, making a lot of details feel unclear)

I'll likely take a break from collecting classic Who for now - I might get Peter Davison's second season when that comes out in North America, but nothing I've seen of Colin Baker's run really appeals to me, and while Tom Baker is my favourite Doctor so far, his final season looks to be a huge departure in terms of tone.

Speaking of Colin Baker, I looked into his Big Finish material since I've heard he's supposed to be good there, and I was surprised to learn that this was a real storyline:

I think Sylvester’s last series is his best and curse of fenric is his best story

Tom’s final series was under a different show runner but he still shines until the end

as yes Frobisher, the comic original shape shifting companion who often appeared as a penguin. I’ve not heard the holy terror myself but the Maltese penguin also starring him and Colin was amazing

 

[fogbadge]

well it's back on
right then here's some thoughts on the latest episodes

episode 1 - bit of a mixed bag
i think it actually a pretty good idea for a story. but it could have been better. also could have been a lot worse i suppose. there was something about the babies that didn't look right. i just didn't believe that the voices were coming from them. so that cgi couldn't achieve the muppets have been doing for years. it was nice to have an elaborate explanation for the monster, it just i've always been very squeamish when it come to that so i wont be watching it again. there was a lot of familiar ground with the doc and ruby so the start made me feel like we were right back at series one with 9 and rose. sigh so much for the start of a new era

episode 2 - wow! and actual good one
jynx was on fire! what a villain. disney hire her to play and big bad in an animated feature. a music version of the toymaker is a solid idea and i feel it was well executed here. glad we avoided to much of them saying the historical figures were so great as they've have done in the past. didn't like when they said that music was the only way someone could express themselves. music is just one form of art. and ending with that "musical" number was painful to watch

still feels like we're waiting on 15 and ruby to come into their own but it is still early days

 

[The Black Omen]

Boom was really, really great, and I hope the rest of the season maintains that quality. I think I enjoyed it as much as I did Wild Blue Yonder. It was almost (almost) as good as The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, which could mean something something Steven Moffat not the showrunner something or other. It was great to see the Anglican Marine guys again, which is not something I thought I'd ever say. The themes about religion and war put a smile on my face. The premise alone was brilliant, and the cast, ESPECIALLY Ncuti Gatwa sold it perfectly. I think this might go down as possibly one of the best episodes of the show, and by that I mean it's going to be severely overrated, but it won't be undeserving of that love, like, say, Blink. Coming after the season's bumpy start, which I disliked more than most (I didn't even like The Devil's Chord), this episode is a relieving return to quality that we haven't seen since, well, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances.

Meanwhile, I've gotta rewatch Paradise Towers before long, because I'm blogging a McCoy era rewatch on another forum. I remember it being really good, but a lot of McCoy stuff kinda blurred in my head. Like, Silver Nemesis and Battlefield blended into King Arthur versus the Cybermen, and I wouldn't be able to describe The Happiness Patrol if you put a gun to my head. Same with Delta and the Bannermen, come to think of it. I remember the bus exploding, and I remember the green baby, but that's about it.

I like Doctor Who

 

[fogbadge]

episode 4 was a waste of time

 

[Megadoomer]

I thought it was all right. It was a Doctor-lite episode like Blink or Turn Left (from what I read, Ncuti Gatwa was filming for another series at this point, so it was needed), and I thought it was a creepy (or at least unsettling) way of showing how magic is working its way into the Doctor Who universe in ways other than over-the-top theatrical villains like the Toymaker or the Maestro.

It also, in a way, showed the importance of staying informed when it comes to elections, and making sure you know the policies of the candidates.

 

[fogbadge]

I thought it was all right. It was a Doctor-lite episode like Blink or Turn Left (from what I read, Ncuti Gatwa was filming for another series at this point, so it was needed), and I thought it was a creepy (or at least unsettling) way of showing how magic is working its way into the Doctor Who universe in ways other than over-the-top theatrical villains like the Toymaker or the Maestro.

It also, in a way, showed the importance of staying informed when it comes to elections, and making sure you know the policies of the candidates.

I dunno. To me it just feels like they didn’t bother to explain anything. Just stuff happens and that’s it. Plus if you’re going to do the timeline reset thing you gotta find a way to make it feel like it was worth it. As for the election thing you do have a point but I feel like it was wasted as we were only told he was going to do something evil we never actually saw him do anything

 

[Qwerty UIOP]

I think that the episode was fine, the acting in it was great and the monster was creepy.

Spoiler: Episode 4 Spoilers

I feel like with the almost nothing being explained aspect of the episode is trying to emulate an episode from Russel's previous tenure "Midnight". However, I think "Midnight" pulled it off better whilst "73 Yards" fell flat on its face.

 

[Megadoomer]

I dunno. To me it just feels like they didn’t bother to explain anything. Just stuff happens and that’s it. Plus if you’re going to do the timeline reset thing you gotta find a way to make it feel like it was worth it. As for the election thing you do have a point but I feel like it was wasted as we were only told he was going to do something evil we never actually saw him do anything

I'd argue that things are scarier when you don't explain anything. Explaining something causes it to lose the mystique, and the explanation is often disappointing compared to what you build up in your mind. Take Hannibal Lecter, Darth Vader, Michael Myers from Halloween, or the Xenomorph from Alien, for example - when those series went into the backstory/creation of those characters, it was seen as disappointing.

As for the election, aside from Gwilliam clearly eager to launch nuclear weapons (with it outright being said that he'd do it at the first opportunity, possibly even at the moment that he got control), there was whatever it was implied that he was doing to Marti. There are presumably limits to what they can show, but I guess they're trying to say that politicians (or anyone, really) can be charismatic but hide darker sides to themselves. (EDIT: Alternatively, maybe some lines were cut. The replacement prime minister at the end was described as being more inclusive, which implies that Roger's government wasn't, so maybe some anti-immigrant rhetoric or racist dogwhistles were cut for one reason or another, possibly because it hit too close to home for some regions.)

For me, some of the most unsettling moments in Doctor Who (at least from what I've seen) have happened when the Doctor's response to something is "I don't know", and in this case, these new forces that are in play take that to extremes, removing the Doctor from the universe with little to no warning. It's kind of like the episode Midnight, where they're faced with a force that defies natural order.