6x03 The Curse of the Black Spot (Grading/Discussion) (SPOILERS!!)

[TigerOfDarkness]

There didn't seem to be anything in it that would require it to be at any particular place in the series.

 

[Guartho]

Something I find interesting here in this poll is the results of the poll so far. Even with the concerns voiced, 85% rate it average or better. My take? That's not bad at all, nowhere near say... "Fear Her".

Well, pirate Amy DOES have the best booty. That could be skewing results.

 

[Count Zero]

Also, I didn't think Fear Her was that bad so the comparison of this episode with Fear Her seems very apt to me.

 

[Cutter John]

There are much worse things than Fear Her, true. I just didn't find anything particularly noteworthy about it is all. I find with episodes I really like I'll rewatch then several times.

 

[tomalak301]

Can someone remind me which episode we saw the Tardis sickbay. It's been brought up a few times and I do not remember it.

 

[Starkers]

I doubt it was seen, just referenenced, but I can't remember which episode it was in.

 

[DAK]

^ "Cold Blood", Elliot and his parents were directed there after they escaped the Silurian's lair.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Maybe it was 12 stories down and three blocks over and they didn't have time to get there. Seriously, is something that was referenced what's getting people up in arms?

 

[Psion]

Maybe it was 12 stories down and three blocks over and they didn't have time to get there. Seriously, is something that was referenced what's getting people up in arms?

The Doctor said, "Ambrose? Sickbay upstairs, left, then left again ..." So not quite that far, but still perhaps too far to drag an unconscious Rory in time?

I'd be more concerned if they had let Rory die, but this was just supposed to be a simple heart-tug moment ala The Abyss. Sure, it was ill-conceived, but the problem isn't major. It made no difference to the characters other than a little schmaltz. I do think the issue with characters standing around doing nothing while extras walked to their apparent doom was a problem, though. Not enough to make *me* hate the episode, but it does look awkward.

 

[Deckerd]

We've started calling Rory Kenny in the office.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

The Doctor said, "Ambrose? Sickbay upstairs, left, then left again ..." So not quite that far, but still perhaps too far to drag an unconscious Rory in time?

I'm personally surprised they wasted time bringing him inside the TARDIS at all. They could be really long hallways if we want to rationalize it to make it seem really far away. Also, who knows if there's a defibrillator.

Yes, this doesn't explain why they didn't cure the kid. Then again, the pirate is a real pirate who historically disappears. If the Doctor made it so the kid could return to London, the father would do so as well and that would alter history.

 

[Starkers]

We've started calling Rory Kenny in the office.

Hmm, if Arthur starts wearing an orange hoddie soon we know why!

 

[wamdue]

We've started calling Rory Kenny in the office.

Hmm, if Arthur starts wearing an orange hoddie soon we know why!

no fanart based on that then?

 

[ITL]

A quick Googling turned up this. Not fanart as such, though.

 

[Guartho]

I'm personally surprised they wasted time bringing him inside the TARDIS at all.

That's what I said! "Just do it right there if that's all you're going to do!"

 

[The Lensman]

I think everyone has gone mental, this was one of the best episodes in a while, much more fun and less confusing than the premier. Classic Doctor Who that, and I'm impressed. I wish more episodes were like this one. I complained about the the premier episodes because they were too cluttered, and all over the place. This episode brought sanity back to the show, much more simple, perfectly Doctor Who in every which way. This really was a top notch episode, I can't rave about it enough. I just don't get the negative vibe /shrug If threads are gonna keep being this depressing I may just stop posting in them all together. Reading this thread has rather ruined my Doctor Who fun.

Emphasis mine.

And no, it didn't. The Doctor ditching the TARDIS was anything but sane, logical, or sensible. The EMH was almost as bad. Everyone just standing around, watching, and just letting the extras/plot drivers get "killed" while the important characters were saved from such a fate time and again, was even worse. They didn't even make an effort to stop them from being poofed out of existence. And giving a band of murderers and thieves an advanced spacecraft rather than just ditching them on an inhabited island or other safe place was probably the worst.

Terrible story, terrible storytelling.

Yeah, agreed. This is the first time I've ever been massively disappointed with an ep of nuWho on first viewing. It was a joke watching the Doctor make only the slightest of effort to stop people going to their "death". And it's not like the "victims" were screaming maniacs trashing anyone who tried to stop them. They just walked forward and shrugged around the half assed attempts to stop them.

This did not feel like an ep of Classic Who. This should've been more like "Horror At Fang Rock" and less "hey, we're cool and hip and we don't even take this threat seriously....oh and pirates on a spaceship!"

So in a twelve episode season, which is supposed to cut down on the "filler" episodes of the traditional longer season....we get a fucking filler episode.

 

[Jax]

So in a twelve episode season, which is supposed to cut down on the "filler" episodes of the traditional longer season....we get a fucking filler episode.

Season 6 is 13 episodes not 12

 

[Starkers]

And in fairness I don't see what's wrong with the filler episodes, often they can be surprisingly good. Blink was a filler episode after all...

 

[Psion]

Nor do I have a problem with filler episodes. They're often more original and provide a break from the arc story and can often inspire new episodes later ... like "Blink" did.

But while I liked this episode more than Checkmate or The Lensman, it had clear flaws that should have been easy to fix. If the Siren Song dulled everyone's reactions, then it would have been easy to let the extras go to their doom. If the Doctor ran to sickbay to get the crash cart as soon as Amy had trouble reviving Rory, they could still have shown her tearfully struggling to revive her true love ... even succeeding just before the Doctor got back. He'd have been just as superfluous without actually looking so and there'd be no trouble with continuity with last season.

 

[The Lensman]

And in fairness I don't see what's wrong with the filler episodes, often they can be surprisingly good. Blink was a filler episode after all...

Oh, I agree. I guess when I say "filler", I mean episodes that feel half-assed, and this episode felt half-assed. I guess this is the first truly bad episode for me. It just felt rushed with absolutely no sense of danger at all, and the "pirate-son" thing went exactly as I thought.

For me the good has always outweighed the bad on nuWho, but not with this ep. Looking forward to to night's episode.