A second step into the Tardis

[davejames]

I don't understand the Fear Her hate myself. It's certainly not one of the strongest episodes of the show, but it's still got some decent stuff in it.

Even at it's worst, I've yet to see an episode of New Who as bad as some of the worst episodes of, say, TNG. Some of those were so dull and lifeless they threatened to put you into a coma.

 

[Turbo]

I dunno...Evolution of the Daleks was pretty damn bad.

 

[davejames]

I dunno...Evolution of the Daleks was pretty damn bad.

True, but at least it had a cool setting, and moved at a fast pace (and I thought the end with the Doctor on top of the Empire State Building was kinda fun).

It wasn't people standing around delivering deadly dull technobabble for an hour.

 

[Neroon]

Did you enjoy Fear Her, Neroon?

I actually enjoyed every single episode. A few times, I felt as if the Torchwood references were too obvious. A couple were suitably subtle, such as hearing it in the background on a news report, but most seemed a bit "too obvious". Case in point, "Tooth and Claw" and the way Queen Victoria presented her idea to establish the Torchwood Institute. Just a gut feeling, but perhaps merely the n00b influence.

I have to reiterate how interesting that they always manage to work in compassion in some way. There is always some interesting additional bit to the story that reminds us these are stories about humanity and not just technological wonders. Even Cassandra has a simple little bit of sympathy added to her.

"Fear Her" is another interesting example. At first I had a sort of bristling reaction to Chloe, even though you know something's wrong with her that is likely not her fault. But as the episode resolves you see a frightened little girl ... and a frightened mother. A mother who is willing to face her own fears in order to protect her little girl. This episode to me in a wya to those who know me well can confirm. Stories about a parent and their child, especially when it entails a parent standing up for that child grab me because I am myself a parent. A father of the three most wonderful children you will ever know. Overall the episode is probably one of my least favorite of the nuWho series. But being fresh and new I am willing to look beyond such things to see what is working.

After all, the huge ranks of enthusiastic nuWho fans have to be seeing SOMEthing right?

I intend to go back and re-watch a few episodes: "Father's Day" and "The Girl in the Fireplace" for certain because I loved them perhaps the best of the first two series. Also, I need to see "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit" just for philosophical reasons. Religion is an interesting sub-topic in this show.... and of great import to me personally

 

[DWF]

Also, I need to see "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit" just for philosophical reasons. Religion is an interesting sub-topic in this show.... and of great import to me personally.

Gabriel Woolf was the voice of Satan in that two parter he was also the voice of Sutekh in the classic series Pyramids Of Mars. The Satan Pit was the last ep. of the season to be filmed and the last to be filmed at that studio so there's some edited out tears in the final scene. Silas Carson was the voice of the Ood, he voiced several characters in the Star Wars prequels. And Shaun Parkes who played Zack was also in The Mummy Returns. And I hope you noticed the Firefly like music used in a couple of scenes. The first part was transmitted on 6/03/2006 as close to 6/06/06 as possible and they played Revel's Belero which was used by Torvel And Dean to win the Ice Dancing at the 1984 Olympics where they received a perfect score of all 6s.

This was also the first of the new Dr. Who stories to be filmed in a quarry a classic location shoot of the original series. I loved all three of the two parters of the second season.

What's your opinion of the new Cybermen? Personally I thought they were far more menacing then they had been for a LONG time.

 

[the Dagman]

^ so Bones being in the first episode was not enough for some people?

Oh, Bones was thrown in for fan-service. He had a cameo that never really impacted the story.

you are not wrong about that, besides I always wondered how he even survived that long ( I was never any good at star dates to years). Hell I was surprised when Sarek was still alive on TNG, however that is something that was put right later on.

I believe the answer to why McCoy was able to survive the 75 year break between TOS and TNG can be found in the TOS episode from the third season For The World Is Hollow, And I have Touched The Sky. In that episode's beginning McCoy is diagnosed with a fatal unnamed illness and has only a few months to live. Then towards the episode's finale he is cured using the advanced technology held within the asteroid ship. They explained it as restoring his cellular structure or along those lines.

I contend that that cure restored the cells of his body to a newborn state, while maintaining their current form. So while he appeared to still be in his mid-40s and had the wrinkles to prove it, the age of his body got to start over from day one. So that when he tours the Enterprise-D, his body's actual age is around 75 even though he was well into his hundreds.

Just thought I would try to give you an answer since it was brought up. It was a little something I pieced together some 10 or 15 years back. So it's not actually canon, but it may as well be since it fits what was on screen and no other explanations were ever given.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

But people living well in to their 100s isn't uncommon in the Star Trek universe. Didn't O'Brian say in one episode that Keiko had gone to celebrate her mothers 100th? I know it's not canon, but Vaughn in the DS9-R is over 100 and treated like he's only just middle aged, or slightly older. Picard was 60 when he took command of the Enterprise D, so I don't think you need an explaination, beyond he's long lived.

 

[wamdue]

^ you are not wrong, with the much improved medical treatment of the time, its not overly surprising people live in to there 100s.

 

[Starkers]

Yeah, I think there will always be limits to longevity but you only have to compare lifespans now to 100 years ago to see the difference.

Re the OP, for me Season 2 is on the whole good, though it does have some clunkers New Earth is poor IMO, and I hate Fear Her.

For me Fear Her has several problems. Firstly its way too similar to The Idiot Lantern (I do accept it was a short notice replacement but still...) secondly some of the acting is woeful, especially the child and her mum...it felt like a CBBC show (except Sarah Jane would have done it better) finally there was the vomit inducing bit of the smug Doctor carrying the Olympic torch. Not New Who's finest hour!

On the whole my main problem with S2 is the whole Doctor/Rose giggling schoolgirl dynamic--but it doesn't detract from some very good episodes (Tooth and Claw, School Reunion, The Satan Pit two parter, Doomsday/Army of Ghosts and to some extent TGITFP.)

 

[wamdue]

not to get distracted but if the dates on wikipeida are correct.

McCoy was born 2227, and according to wikipedia Encounter at Farpoint was 2364, making him 137 at the time, even when you consider that people can live as much as 110, still seems like a bit of a leap, medical technology can only help you so far, the human body will just give up one day.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

not to get distracted but if the dates on wikipeida are correct.

McCoy was born 2227, and according to wikipedia Encounter at Farpoint was 2364, making him 137 at the time, even when you consider that people can live as much as 110, still seems like a bit of a leap, medical technology can only help you so far, the human body will just give up one day.

Sure, but think about how and why people die, a lot of "dying of old age" is really multi-organ failure, if they can repair them then that could give you extra years. I mean now they're talking about cell therapy that can help heal lungs, and reverse damage to kidneys, it wouldn't be inconceivable.

 

[captcalhoun]

according to the Shatner novels, McCoy is still alive post Dominion War, but "he's more machine than man now"

 

[wamdue]

according to the Shatner novels, McCoy is still alive post Dominion War, but "he's more machine than man now"

thats a good point, and whilst it is a novel, we dont know how biological McCoy was on the inside, it didnt really come up. I wonder if he lived to have an opinon on the EMH.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

according to the Shatner novels, McCoy is still alive post Dominion War, but "he's more machine than man now"

thats a good point, and whilst it is a novel, we dont know how biological McCoy was on the inside, it didnt really come up. I wonder if he lived to have an opinon on the EMH.

I believe it was in another Shatnerverse novel, but he lived long enough to be and EMH...

 

[wamdue]

according to the Shatner novels, McCoy is still alive post Dominion War, but "he's more machine than man now"

thats a good point, and whilst it is a novel, we dont know how biological McCoy was on the inside, it didnt really come up. I wonder if he lived to have an opinon on the EMH.

I believe it was in another Shatnerverse novel, but he lived long enough to be and EMH...

if I recall the "bring back kirk" trailer correctly they bought him back via EMH technology

 

[captcalhoun]

yeah, there's a McCoy EMH in that shit pile.

 

[Turbo]

The McCoy EMH was a creation of Kirk - he replaced the EMH Mark I's physical template with that of a hologram of Bones.

 

[wamdue]

^ I assume he also added some of McCoys personality, no point having it look like McCoy if it acts like a generic EMH.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

^ I assume he also added some of McCoys personality, no point having it look like McCoy if it acts like a generic EMH.

I seem to remember McCoy was one of the 1000s of Doctors who were programmed in to the EMH, so they just switch to his personality. But it's been a while since I read that book.

 

[wamdue]

I would have thought that the EMH would have been programmed with aspects from thousands of real Doctors personality's (& some of the creators), rather than the 1000 personality's.

Creating a generic hologram with someone's personality isnt do difficult, look what Geordie did with the Leah Brahms hologram, so if Kirk was to mix the programming of a EMH with McCoys personality & visual records he should create a fairly decent McCoy EMH, however he would never be the (& I cant believe im going to say this) real McCoy.