Doctor Who: Time Crash, Voyage of the Damned and Season 4 Discussion

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 11:45 am

Yeh, someone somewhere seemes to have been watching rushes and thought "Shit, we can't just have her playing Lauren...". That's the first time she's been halfway bearable and actually involved with the plot (e.g. she wasn't as bad in the Sontaran shitfest, but that was mainly because Martha got to do everything).

Once again, though, I hope the Library one brings a few realisations home for the production team - no sensationalism, no returning aliens who might as well have not bothered, hardly any pop culture references or running jokes, no Doctor being a pompous, lecturing cock-muncher = WIN.

Sadly, like the similarly triumphant Impossible Planet, the lack of Cybermen/Peter Kaye/BBC News 24 explaining the plot/tacky jokes about benefits probably means audience figures of seven people and a dog, wheras utter shite like TEH DR.'S TIEMSECS DORTER would have really called to the Inside Soap/heat crowd.

electro girl · Post by **electro girl** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 11:48 am

i dont want to be associated with the inside soap/heat crowd.

and the dog was mine

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 11:55 am

Cliffjumper wrote:Once again, though, I hope the Library one brings a few realisations home for the production team

I think it speaks volumes that the best "monster" of the season was never actually seen...

Ackula · Post by **Ackula** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 5:06 pm

Not much to say that hasn't already been said, but this two parter was the best of the season hands down. As a new fan to the series as of last year, even I have felt really let down with this current season for the most part. I surely hope they let/make Moffat write more of the stories in the future as he has a knack for it obviously.

I'm assuming Song was a lover, but I'm also speculating a possible wife, assuming timelords marry. Either way, it was a neat twist and I'm glad she didn't turn out to be any of the many possible recurring characters that every one seemed to speculate she might be. I do wonder why they kept dropping references to the two of them being at the "end of the universe" though.

A lot of whats been said here I mirror in my own mind. Tate wasn't as bad as usual, the baddy being invisible was brilliant, nice creepy touch to the first episode of the two parter, and snapping your fingers to open the Tardis was just too cool. I hope next weeks episode isn't as shitty as the few before this one, but my mind is having doubts.

Target · Post by **Target** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 2:34 pm

It's good we're all different, I've really enjoyed most of this seasons epp, although even I'm not overly looking forward to next week's after that trailor!! ha ha.

And I agree, lets have more Moffat scripts!!

Any one know what those missing bees are all about?

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 10:38 pm

SPOILERS

SPOILER! (select to read)
First new series Davos picture?

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/ ... te1ui4.jpg

Who else?

AndyTurnbull · Post by **AndyTurnbull** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 10:45 pm

Looks pretty decent.

Andy

Ackula · Post by **Ackula** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:23 am

Jetfire wrote:SPOILERS

SPOILER! (select to read)
First new series Davos picture?

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/ ... te1ui4.jpg
Who else?

SPOILER! (select to read)
Davros looks a bit too much like Grandpa from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Chromia · Post by **Chromia** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 1:05 pm

Halfshell wrote:I think it speaks volumes that the best "monster" of the season was never actually seen...

Sometimes...that makes it even creepier!

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 1:58 pm

Bit of a shame in that respect that Sapphire & Steel did it thirty years ago, but there we go...

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:02 pm

I meant it more in terms of recent monsters being a bit cack...

"We've spent shitloads on designing and realising this thing, so let's really get our design budget's worth out of its screen time."

Whereas, on the other hand, no monster actually designed = more time to concentrate on actual story, characters, etc.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:11 pm

Yeh, just making sure some of the Country House peeps know it's an old idea. To be fair, if you're going to steal, Sapphire &... er, Steel is a better place than The Boo-Bahs, Manta Force, etc, etc. and so on.

We're still waiting on a particularly good reusable monster from the revival, aren't we? The well's pretty much dry from good olden ones (maybe the Ice Warriors, but then maybe not as they're pitifully easy to defeat), and hopefully they'll come up with something before they re-bring back shit like The Master and the Cybermen, or Russ decides to go out with another tale of the fat, farting Slitheen...

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:26 pm

The Ood are decent, but not really monsters.

Wouldn't really object to Tony Head or the statues from Blink turning up again.

Beyond that, I think the shadows are the first genuinely inspired monster the series has produced. And of course the production costs means they're infinitely reusable. They would, naturally, get a bit boring after a while though.

The Slitheen (and their Peter Kay cousins) can **** right off, though.

AndyTurnbull · Post by **AndyTurnbull** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:29 pm

I thought Tony Head and the Krillitane were tosh. He put in a suitably creepy performance but as a monster they were pants. Generic winged demony type things. School Reunion was an average episode that thanks to the return of Sarah Jane Smith has been viewed more favourably than it should be.

The Ood and the Statues both seem to have had their time, I can't see much mileage in going back to them and if we did it would only diminish the earlier stories.

No more Slitheen EVER.

Andy

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:36 pm

Aye, my bad - I meant ones they could reuse without seriously screwing over the concept and/or the first story (which I think they did do to a certain extent with the Ood - the questions worked best as a largely unspoken debate in "The Impossible Planet", whereas having The Doctor wandering around in his geek chic designer gear while banging on about sweat
shops didn't so much hammer it hope as taken a sledgehammer to the audience's collective genitals)... For them there shadows, it would be manouvering another story into a shadowy, deserted building without it just being a retread - same thing with the Angels. Some monsters just work best as one-offs - Sutekh, the Fendahl, etc. - it takes real flexibility to be a proper returning monster.

And Sarah Jane can **** off... School Reunion was saved entirely by K-9 taking on the bat-things in the dinner hall. Sarah just looked thick - she should have remembered the plot from Downtime (no, not the one where Paul McGann's imprisoned in a lift by chavs)...

angloconvoy · Post by **angloconvoy** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:38 pm

Can I also say it was nice to see the switch from, "gunz r bad I h8s the armee" to the earlier tennant (I say earlier because I think it was season 3 but I can't be jacked checking) "I'm not totally up for it but if you look at my pint funny again I will wipe out the remains of your species".

Slitheen are awesome, they should get their own sitcom spin off. Imagine how awesome it would be with all the awesome fart gags.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:40 pm

It would make the number of spin-off series up to a nice, round 17,000.

angloconvoy · Post by **angloconvoy** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:50 pm

wait, even better idea, give the doctor's daughterclone a spin off, and give her a comedy slitheen sidekick. Wow, shame Russ is leaving the show, with gold like this and a bit of faking of armchair lefty ideals I could have gotten into his think tank.

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:52 pm

Can I just say that, having now watched Mark of the Rani, Colin's cheery "no thanks, I've given them up - bad for your health" remark to being offered a gun was 100000% times more effective than Tennant's angry "NOOOOO YOU EVIL RIGHT WING SCUM"?

AndyTurnbull · Post by **AndyTurnbull** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:56 pm

Anytime the Doctor in any incarnation gives the anti-gun bollocks I shake my head considering the amount of times he's either used one or casually wiped out an enemy through some other fashion.

Andy