DOCTOR WHO (2007): Episode Reactions

Chat about stuff other than Transformers.
Post Reply
Cliffjumper
Posts: 32206
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2001 5:00 am

Doctor Who - New Series [Probably spoilers]

Post by Cliffjumper »

(felt the other thread was a bit cluttered, likely to put off people who just tune in on Saturdays and that's enough...)

2007 general Doctor Who chat and upcoming show spoilers:
http://tfarchive.com/community/showthre ... adid=38521


* * *

That wasn't bad, actually. A couple of very silly bits (expelling the gas [though at least there was no farting] and the usual families = soap opera, uniform = wankers RTDisms), but generally really not bad. Martha was alright - not quite as bouncylicious as Billie, and a bit generic character-wise (drop the occasional medical banter and transplant in the Tylers, and that could have been Rose), but at least she wasn't moronically insulting (see the 1970s... and the 1960s... and most of the 1980s...). Nice plot, too, if a little unexciting. As per usual, Tennant was the best thing on display (even if he struggles with bad comedy), and any doubts I had that he's the real deal (and the best piece of casting since McCoy) are now gone.

I was really hoping they were writing the sonic screwdriver out, though. Been a bit too useful over the past couple of years, that thing.

Worst bit, actually, was that Globe set for next week, which looked about as real as Jordan's chest, and the prospect of another historical celebrity turning up next week.

7/10
User avatar
Denyer
Posts: 33033
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2000 4:00 am
Location: Perfidious Albion
Contact:

Post by Denyer »

I loved it. Chemistry. Heck of a lot packed into the script, felt longer than forty-five minutes (rather than feeling rushed, or feeling drawn out.)

Only fly in the ointment is the 2D family. Could be more annoying as the series progresses.

But great new character who doesn't set my teeth on edge like the last one.

8 or a 9. Favourite new Who ep so far.
Cliffjumper
Posts: 32206
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2001 5:00 am

Post by Cliffjumper »

Personally, I'm hoping the family don't have such a central role as the Tylers. I'm guessing I'll have to live with occasional visits because apparently family soap opera is what people watch Who for now or something... Girl's got potential, though, it's whether they'll act on it (IMO, after a couple of episodes of shaving off the edges, Rose didn't so much develop as have stuff happen to her).

The plot was better the more I think of it, though, nicely explaining most of it and pulling the elements (hospital on the moon, plasma vampire, police force) together pretty well.

And like the McCoy days (if not to that extent) I'm loving the more proactive Doctor. He doesn't just land somewhere where there's an invasion once a month, he thinks "Hmmm, that looks odd, I'll go and check it out".
User avatar
Ice Shard
Protoform
Posts: 358
Joined: Tue Dec 19, 2006 6:37 pm
Location: liverpool

Post by Ice Shard »

i quite liked the new episode. It was spellbinding to me. I sometimes forgot where i was just watching the tv.

8 or 9
User avatar
Denyer
Posts: 33033
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2000 4:00 am
Location: Perfidious Albion
Contact:

Post by Denyer »

Thought it was apt what was said in the Confidential afterwards about whatshername giving energy to the situations. Billie Piper never did much of that (likely mostly the scripts, but I get the feeling the scriptwriters play to personalities a bit.)
Cliffjumper
Posts: 32206
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2001 5:00 am

Post by Cliffjumper »

Nah, I gave watching Confidential a shot for once (any making off program made by the people making the program that comes out at the same time as the program is just PR bull****...) and about a minute in Mr. ****EatingGrin 2005-2007 turned up so I stuck Gobots on instead...

Hmmm, I think too many writers gave Billie a bit too much to do - gave her very generic parts thinking "She's Billie and she's playing herself". They've got to try a bit more with Ade Akinbiyi because she doesn't have a media persona.

It'll be interesting to see how Martha goes along... the first two episodes of the draft season were basically about Rose, and yet by season 2 basically nothing was done with her, in spite of her and/or her family being central to the plots, if you get what I mean - we never really find out anything new - she loves, in one way or another, the Doctor, and is gutted she doesn't get to stay with him, and that's about it, she just gets crap thrown at her - a bit like Captain America in the 1980s. All this stuff keeps happening to him, but he's exactly like he was forty years before. So we've got a first visit to history lined up, and I'd guess a first trip to the future (and I'll find out in the trailer at the end of next week's episode thankyouverymuch - avoiding finding out anything beyond the name/actress of the new companion before broadcast was probably one of the things that really made it enjoyable), and then they've got to keep it up and not think "well, she's a character now, things can just stand still".

EDIT: Actually, would it be possible to have a thread largely for episode reaction with a little speculation, and another one for "oooh, in three episodes it's the Daleks/Stephen Fry/Torchwood episode" one? :)
User avatar
Denyer
Posts: 33033
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2000 4:00 am
Location: Perfidious Albion
Contact:

Post by Denyer »

Yeah, can do, otherwise the episode talk tends to fade off after a while...
Cliffjumper
Posts: 32206
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2001 5:00 am

Post by Cliffjumper »

Originally posted by Denyer
Yeah, can do, otherwise the episode talk tends to fade off after a while...


Also I for one consider a lot of stuff "spoilers" even if it's relatively well-known... I dunno, knowing a fair bit of the make-up fo the last season spoilt it a little for me, so I've basically avoided just about everything for this one, and found it that bit more fun.

Random thought: successive season openers set in hospitals and featuring parasites (and no sexy nurses! booooo!). Mmmm, patterny.

EDIT: Yay! Important people listen to me!!! Now, about my admin graphic that's still not showing up...
User avatar
StoneCold Skywarp
Posts: 6300
Joined: Sat Sep 16, 2000 4:00 am
Custom Title: Best Served Chilled
Location: UK

Post by StoneCold Skywarp »

y'know, I watched this out of curiosity and was pleasantly surprised.

I didn't find too slap-stick & the 'comedy' elements that were there were to well-done in a throwaway style that I wasn't put-off by them.

Might actually watch this series.
User avatar
Lambda prime
Protoform
Posts: 1137
Joined: Sat May 24, 2003 7:08 am
Location: North East UK
Contact:

Post by Lambda prime »

I wasn't too keen on the appearence of the Judoon they were basically Sontarrans with Rhino heads stuck on, reminded me of that horrible 'loan shark demon' from and episode of Buffy.
Alphadog
Check out Ebay store for Armada, Energon, Alternators, 20th Anniversery figures:
Jil sells all
Undeaddan/
Friends site
Tacticalunderground
Cliffjumper
Posts: 32206
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2001 5:00 am

Post by Cliffjumper »

Originally posted by Lambda prime
basically Sontarrans


They had black costumes and head-covering helmets, let's not get too carried away here...

Oh, and a point for self-awareness on the Zovirax thing... I actually said that to the Maltby when they first showed up, and Martha's comment at least showed they aren't too up their own arse.
User avatar
Halfshell
Posts: 19167
Joined: Sat Sep 16, 2000 4:00 am
Location: Don't complain to me. I don't care.
Contact:

Post by Halfshell »

Really liked it. Was expecting it to be rubbish from the moment I saw it was written by RTD, but I possibly enjoyed it more for knowing it was by somebody who normally cranks out [relative] crap.

Points for Martha having an actual brain and not being useless. Makes a change to have somebody who actually points out the things that don't make sense, rather than questioning it in order for the Doctor to explain it.

Where did the new sonic screwdriver come from? Is there, like, a shop or something?
Image
User avatar
optimusskids
Protoform
Posts: 6981
Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2004 11:24 am
Location: UK

Post by optimusskids »

Maybe he's got a boxed set in the Tardis
Image
User avatar
Denyer
Posts: 33033
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2000 4:00 am
Location: Perfidious Albion
Contact:

Post by Denyer »

Originally posted by Brendocon
Where did the new sonic screwdriver come from? Is there, like, a shop or something?

The dozens of rooms just for wardrobe space in the TARDIS suggest there's probably a few of most things...

Zovirax? Other than being a mouth-ulcer or spot type thing?
Cliffjumper
Posts: 32206
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2001 5:00 am

Post by Cliffjumper »

Originally posted by Denyer
Zovirax? Other than being a mouth-ulcer or spot type thing?


That was the thing... advert was, for a few years (typical "we don't have the money for a new one" thing) a courier rider who was so ashamed of her coldsore she wore her opaque biker's helmet at all times (cue shots of biker helmet being worn by swimming etc), taking it off at the end to show a slightly horsey posh bird to show how well Zovirax works (well, providing you want to be a slightly horsey posh bird, I suppose). The appearance of the slabs was right out of one of those, and to give credit, about 10 minutes in Martha says something about Zovirax.

I probably could have just said "Yeh", couldn't I?

Personally I found it a much nicer "She's a modern-day human" indicator than someone banging on about Big Brother and benefit fraud for the first six episodes (best thing about this episode=no Camille Codhuri).

EDIT: And no chance of her ever showing up again, either.

Let's all just take that in for a minute.

NO MORE JACKIE TYLER EVER.

****, the world can rock sometimes, can't it?
User avatar
Heinrad
Posts: 6281
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2001 5:00 am
Location: Riskin' it all on my Russian Roulette!

Post by Heinrad »

I liked it a lot. Although I had this horrible theory before it came on that the Juhoorn(Judhoon? Whatever) were actually Sontarans, and the reason they looked like this now was that the Rutans had, somehow, managed to mess with the Sontaran clone banks.

Which would be both a good and bad thing for the Rutans, I gather.

Rutan 1: "Humans will now hunt them for their horns! Ha-Ha!"

Rutan 2: "Unfortunately, they are now stronger than they used to be, and our weapons are less effective. And we still look like large balls of marshmellow fluff."

I also want Martha's cell phone. Any idea who makes it? Thing looks like there's a TV in the flip plate......

Yes, my current cell phone is on the brink of total technological collapse.
As a professional tanuki (I'm a Japanese mythological animal, and a good luck charm), I have an alarm clock built into me somewhere. I also look like a stuffed animal. And you thought your life was tough......

3DS Friend Code: 1092-1274-7642
User avatar
inflatable dalek
Posts: 24000
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 3:15 pm
Location: Kidderminster UK

Re: Doctor Who - New Series [Probably spoilers]

Post by inflatable dalek »

Originally posted by Cliffjumper

Worst bit, actually, was that Globe set for next week, which looked about as real as Jordan's chest,


That'll be the Globe set that actually wasn't a set but the actual acurate reproduction Globe down in London that the RSC use?

A very good episode, I'm still convinced it was going to be Sontarans chasing a Rutan at one stage, but generally very well done (though the Vampires first victim being called Stoker was a bit rubbish).

Whilst I'd have liked to see the sonic screwdriver gone, from a story viewpoint it would have been hard to come up with a reason to explain why he doesn't build another one when it's so insanely useful. A line along the lines of "The place that makes the parts isn't there any more" perhaps?
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
Cliffjumper
Posts: 32206
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2001 5:00 am

Post by Cliffjumper »

C'mon, Dalek! You typing an extra-long review in another window or something? Give us the good word!!!

Best thing I thought about the ol' Jadoon is they're actually a respectable race of reusable aliens that have been turned up by the new series, and that's a good thing, because so far, excluding one-offs like the gasmask child, the beast and the Reapers, the best beasties have been the Daleks , the Cybermen [g i a n t g a p x 14] and then RTD's rtd inventions... Sure, they've not much scope as primary villains, but like the Ogrons could make impressive muscle for others.

EDIT: Fine, type your reply while I'm typing mine, you bubbling lump of hate!
Cliffjumper
Posts: 32206
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2001 5:00 am

Re: Re: Doctor Who - New Series [Probably spoilers]

Post by Cliffjumper »

Originally posted by inflatable dalek
That'll be the Globe set that actually wasn't a set but the actual acurate reproduction Globe down in London that the RSC use?


Well, the lighting's ****ing terrible, then :o
Originally posted by inflatable dalek
A line along the lines of "The place that makes the parts isn't there any more" perhaps?


Now, that would work - in a sense, the Doctor has a finite stock of anything Gallifreyan (possibly huge, but still finite). I like that (ties into the fact his people are a fading memory in a way), but another angle could also be that he might not know how to - regardless of what's been said in the past. It'd perhaps be nice, like the TARDIS, if he didn't really know precisely how the thing worked.
User avatar
inflatable dalek
Posts: 24000
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 3:15 pm
Location: Kidderminster UK

Post by inflatable dalek »

I was confused by the fact we now have two Who threads. I couldn't stand the confusion in my mind!

RE: The sonic screwdriver (and was this the first episode to use the crews nickname of "the sonic" on screen?) perhaps have it so that all he can put together is a more primative version, something that still opens locks and can be sold as a toy but not so insanely powerful as it's become (on a personal note I'd love the old design back simply because I prefer it, and the BBC should listen to me as the voice of fandom).

The new girl worked well I thought (though what does it say my first thoughts on the episode were about the screwdriver). The family's a pain, but the fact she's an older character should mean she isn't so reliant on them. I can definately relate to her more than Rose.

Ogrons are actually a good analogy for the Judoon, and they do have more reuse value that anything we've seen so far (the cost of the anamatronics probably guarentees a return) And I'm still beting SAXON equals AXONS.

I liked how he wore the old suit at the begining and end, even if it was probably just to keep the big reveal of the new costune in the hospital (I doubt we'll see the original again, according to the making of book the outfit was so flimsy- the jackets made from a spare pair of the trousers- that nearly all the copies were destroyed over the course of last year).


Oh, and we'll never be completely safe from the return of Jackie, it is a time machine after all.
REVIISITATION: THE HOLE TRUTH
STARSCREAM GOES TO PIECES IN MY LOOK AT INFILTRATION #6!
PLUS: BUY THE BOOKS!
Post Reply