A Hater Revisits nuWho
- Thread starter Bones2
- Start date
I also find it odd that they list "Human Nature" and "Bad Wolf" on their own but all of the other two-parters are listed together.
Because I was forced to type the episode names and so forgot to type in "The Parting of the Ways" and "The Family of Blood".
Either way these popularity polls involving significant numbers of voters show up more extreme online ranters as the irrelevances that they mostly are (I've had a very bad run in with some of them on another forum, some of whom came across as quite arrogant and abusive, so forgive the attitude).
But I personally think "Midnight" is better than "Turn Left" and "Doomsday" is better than "The Parting of the Ways". But that's my subjective opinion.
Well exactly, it's all just a bit of fun. I think broadly the results went along with my opinions, but of course I would rejigg the placings. But broadly the good stories are at the top and the rubbish ones at the bottom.
I'd rather watch Timelash than The Ark in Space though.
I'd rather watch Timelash than The Ark in Space though.
Seeing this is really a Star Trek Board, may I be the first to say, "Herbert! Herbert! Herbert!"
I can watch old Doctor Who episodes, but it does not really diminish most of the newer episodes - I've seen the E-Space trilogy and I thought "Full Circle" especially and "Warrior's Gate" to a certain extent felt padded.
The biggest problem with the RTD era is why RTD is trotting out villains like Davros - Davros was well cast, but I felt he was unnecessary and past his prime as an important character. Arguably the same could be said of the Master, although he was hamstrung by a slightly stupid plot and to be fair Jacobi was excellent.
Here are the demographic results from my Doctor Who Magazine:
The biggest problem with the RTD era is why RTD is trotting out villains like Davros - Davros was well cast, but I felt he was unnecessary and past his prime as an important character. Arguably the same could be said of the Master, although he was hamstrung by a slightly stupid plot and to be fair Jacobi was excellent.
Here are the demographic results from my Doctor Who Magazine:
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Wow, fans under 18 rated The War Games #7? That's quite impressive.
Ha, I can't believe I missed that! 
I would fall in the...
Fans since 2005
1. Blink
2. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End
3. The Impossible Planet/Satan's Pit
4. Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Timelords
5. Army of Ghosts/Doomsday
6. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
7. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
8. Badwolf/Parting of the Ways
9. The Girl in the Fireplace
10. School Reunion
Honorable mentions to "Dalek" and The Fires of Pompeii"
Fans since 2005
1. Blink
2. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End
3. The Impossible Planet/Satan's Pit
4. Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Timelords
5. Army of Ghosts/Doomsday
6. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
7. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
8. Badwolf/Parting of the Ways
9. The Girl in the Fireplace
10. School Reunion
Honorable mentions to "Dalek" and The Fires of Pompeii"
At least EVERYONE agrees that The Twin Dilemma is the worst that Doctor Who has to offer. We can all rally around that.
I bet Omaha disagrees on that count. 
Huh? What do you mean?"Inside the Spaceship"?
Did it really say that or have we been doing some editing?
Huh? What do you mean?"Inside the Spaceship"?
Did it really say that or have we been doing some editing?
The story is commonly known as "The Edge of Destruction", but some prefer "Inside the Spaceship" because it was the name given in I think the 20th anniversary special of the Radio Times among others. Some fans still prefer alternative titles for the early stories, such as "100,000 BC" or "The Tribe of Gum" for serial A, "The Mutants" or "The Dead Planet" for serial B, "Beyond the Sun" and the aforementioned for serial C, "The French Revolution" for "The Reign of Terror", and some more I can't think of at the moment.
"The Edge of Destruction" is very much the official title, found on the VHS and DVD release, so I find it hard to believe DWM would have printed anything else.
The Empty Child (***)
So the episode opens and it turns out that mauve is the universal colour for danger, humans aside. Comedy gold. Anyway, the Tardis is chasing a thing that's heading for London, while also weaving through time. Things seem to be attracted to London in this show.
So they land in wartime London. Rose wants some Spock (as did we all in 2005), and the Doctor isn't sure about her t-shirt. While the Doctor asks around, Rose somehow ends up climbing a blimp and an air raid starts. The Doctor then talks to a cat (raising Ninth in my esteem by about 200%), his Tardis phone rings even though it shouldn't be able to, and some woman appears then disappears.
As episode set ups go, this is good. It's dark, it's the war, things are weird. I hope nothing gay and irritating comes along to ruin it.
There are some fairly good effects of an air raid, while, somewhat less convincingly, we see Rose hanging on a rope in the middle of it all. We then meet Captain Jack, my least favourite character in all of fiction, and we immediately get the measure of him because he compliments both a girl's bottom and a man's. He's kind enough to save Rose, probably because he fancies her (she has a pulse after all).
Meanwhile, the Doctor ends up at some kids' table and eats some of their meat. Also, I notice the Doctor checks his watch to see it's 1941. Considering he's been to everywhere between the big bang and the year 5 billion, that's some watch.
Then the titular child starts knocking on the door, wearing a gas mask. Everyone runs off while the Doctor talks to it, and it disappears.
Rose and Jack are talking, and it seems psychic paper has become quite fashionable in the time traveling community. Those that are still alive at least. He's also got some handy nanobots. That may or may not be important later. He also thinks she's a time agent, probably not realising she's actually an idiot.
The Doctor gets some more mystery from Nancy. Seems like the thing that crashed started this empty child lark.
Jack and Rose then dance a bit on top on his spaceship in front of Big Ben (or strictly speaking, St. Stephen's Tower) while he (believing she's a time agent) tells her what it was that crashed into London (some kind of warship) and tries to sell it to her. She's falling for his charm instead though, so she isn't paying much attention.
Nancy tells the Doctor to talk to another doctor who would seem to know a bit more of the mystery, so he goes into the creepy hospital (sonic screwdriver: padlock) full of people in beds seemingly wearing gas masks. Turns out this other doctor is Victor Meldrew. I don't believe it! Err...sorry.
And then we get the sonic screwdriver as a medical diagnosis tool (read: trying not to say tricorder). Of all the uses so far in the new show, that's among the silliest. Anyway, everyone has exactly the same set of injuries. Weird. Turns out they're not really dead either. Weird. Then we get some good acting from Richard Wilson and a good bit of special effect as he grows a gas mask.
Just after, Rose and Jack somehow show up exactly where the Doctor is. I'm not sure if it's explained how they know where to find him, but if it is, I missed it. But yeah, the Doctor, who actually understands things, gets clued up on the thing that crashed. Turns out it's an ambulance and Jack is a conman, as he readily admits under almost no pressure. We get a good U Boat Captain gag, and then we get the cliffhanger ending as Nancy is trapped by the empty child and the Doctor, Rose, and Jack are cornered by the gas maskers in the hospital, all saying "mummy". Weird.
So yes, three stars. Only three stars. I nearly gave it 3.5, almost feeling I have to because of how acclaimed it is. It's all competently done, and the setting and atmosphere of wartime is well evoked, but at the same time, it's not as compelling as I expected, perhaps even underwhelming. And though this is where we first meet Captain Jack, he's already as likeable as influenza. So 5th best Doctor Who story ever? I certainly don't know about that. I think I enjoyed Father's Day more, even though this holds together better.
But this is, of course, a two parter, so let's see how the conclusion plays out.
Extraordinary screwdriver:
1. Stops plastic arm from receiving signal.
2. Disengages computerised lock on door.
3. Seems to be the only tool you need while fixing a time machine.
4. Even opens conventional doors.
5. Helps "patch in the radar [and] link it back 12 hours so it can follow the flight of that spaceship". You mean your screwdriver can't?
6. Helps steal money from a cash machine in the year 200,000. Maybe they should have kept chip and pin.
7. Helps open shackles in the year 200,000. For when you're not lucky enough to have them just fall off.
8. Opens a padlock. It's a different lock, so it goes on the list.
9. Manages to be a medical tricorder, with a readout only the Doctor can see. Streuth.
So the episode opens and it turns out that mauve is the universal colour for danger, humans aside. Comedy gold. Anyway, the Tardis is chasing a thing that's heading for London, while also weaving through time. Things seem to be attracted to London in this show.
So they land in wartime London. Rose wants some Spock (as did we all in 2005), and the Doctor isn't sure about her t-shirt. While the Doctor asks around, Rose somehow ends up climbing a blimp and an air raid starts. The Doctor then talks to a cat (raising Ninth in my esteem by about 200%), his Tardis phone rings even though it shouldn't be able to, and some woman appears then disappears.
As episode set ups go, this is good. It's dark, it's the war, things are weird. I hope nothing gay and irritating comes along to ruin it.
There are some fairly good effects of an air raid, while, somewhat less convincingly, we see Rose hanging on a rope in the middle of it all. We then meet Captain Jack, my least favourite character in all of fiction, and we immediately get the measure of him because he compliments both a girl's bottom and a man's. He's kind enough to save Rose, probably because he fancies her (she has a pulse after all).
Meanwhile, the Doctor ends up at some kids' table and eats some of their meat. Also, I notice the Doctor checks his watch to see it's 1941. Considering he's been to everywhere between the big bang and the year 5 billion, that's some watch.
Then the titular child starts knocking on the door, wearing a gas mask. Everyone runs off while the Doctor talks to it, and it disappears.
Rose and Jack are talking, and it seems psychic paper has become quite fashionable in the time traveling community. Those that are still alive at least. He's also got some handy nanobots. That may or may not be important later. He also thinks she's a time agent, probably not realising she's actually an idiot.
The Doctor gets some more mystery from Nancy. Seems like the thing that crashed started this empty child lark.
Jack and Rose then dance a bit on top on his spaceship in front of Big Ben (or strictly speaking, St. Stephen's Tower) while he (believing she's a time agent) tells her what it was that crashed into London (some kind of warship) and tries to sell it to her. She's falling for his charm instead though, so she isn't paying much attention.
Nancy tells the Doctor to talk to another doctor who would seem to know a bit more of the mystery, so he goes into the creepy hospital (sonic screwdriver: padlock) full of people in beds seemingly wearing gas masks. Turns out this other doctor is Victor Meldrew. I don't believe it! Err...sorry.
And then we get the sonic screwdriver as a medical diagnosis tool (read: trying not to say tricorder). Of all the uses so far in the new show, that's among the silliest. Anyway, everyone has exactly the same set of injuries. Weird. Turns out they're not really dead either. Weird. Then we get some good acting from Richard Wilson and a good bit of special effect as he grows a gas mask.
Just after, Rose and Jack somehow show up exactly where the Doctor is. I'm not sure if it's explained how they know where to find him, but if it is, I missed it. But yeah, the Doctor, who actually understands things, gets clued up on the thing that crashed. Turns out it's an ambulance and Jack is a conman, as he readily admits under almost no pressure. We get a good U Boat Captain gag, and then we get the cliffhanger ending as Nancy is trapped by the empty child and the Doctor, Rose, and Jack are cornered by the gas maskers in the hospital, all saying "mummy". Weird.
So yes, three stars. Only three stars. I nearly gave it 3.5, almost feeling I have to because of how acclaimed it is. It's all competently done, and the setting and atmosphere of wartime is well evoked, but at the same time, it's not as compelling as I expected, perhaps even underwhelming. And though this is where we first meet Captain Jack, he's already as likeable as influenza. So 5th best Doctor Who story ever? I certainly don't know about that. I think I enjoyed Father's Day more, even though this holds together better.
But this is, of course, a two parter, so let's see how the conclusion plays out.
Extraordinary screwdriver:
1. Stops plastic arm from receiving signal.
2. Disengages computerised lock on door.
3. Seems to be the only tool you need while fixing a time machine.
4. Even opens conventional doors.
5. Helps "patch in the radar [and] link it back 12 hours so it can follow the flight of that spaceship". You mean your screwdriver can't?
6. Helps steal money from a cash machine in the year 200,000. Maybe they should have kept chip and pin.
7. Helps open shackles in the year 200,000. For when you're not lucky enough to have them just fall off.
8. Opens a padlock. It's a different lock, so it goes on the list.
9. Manages to be a medical tricorder, with a readout only the Doctor can see. Streuth.
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