A Hater Revisits nuWho
- Thread starter Bones2
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Some people have looooong memories!
Ah, too bad, not that I can't blame him.Moffat has puled back from the fans altogether, you won't be seeing him posting anywhere 'til his run is over with.Oh, wouldn't that be awesome? Not going to happen because we're primarily a Star Trek board, but I would still love it.Someone should ask the Moff to post h here. We're much nicer than the OG guys.
I'm surprised to see it's only been 4 days since the previous review; it feels like longer. I see that after this episode there's 5 left before The Christmas Invasion, so I'll try and stagger it so I'll be able to make that the first one after The End of Time airs on New Year's Day. Then the whole Tennant era will be over before I start reviewing it.
The Long Game (**)
I usually need to put aside over 2 hours for each review of this, because it's not just watching the episode, it's also the writing up of the notes and trying to make it entertaining. But really, how can you make a review of this entertaining? When something's good you can gush about it, and when it's bad, you can criticise and nitpick. But this? It wasn't even boring as such, just almost ok. Mediocre.
So, they land in the year 200,000. The Doctor and Rose get out first, and the Doctor tells Rose where they are, so she can pretend to Adam that she's deduced it herself. Why? Why would the Doctor go along with that? In fact, the only in-universe reason I can think of for why the Doctor keeps acting like Rose is something special (because clearly, she's not) is that he fancies her. There. That's it. Dozens of human companions over the years, and now he's found one he fancies, and this makes him act like she's the greatest thing ever, to the detriment of whoever else happens to be around. Which is an immense disservice to a character with over 40 years of history before RTD and Julie Gardner came along.
Where was I? Oh yeah, then there's a comedy fainting which, no doubt, children will laugh at. I laughed when I first saw the TV Movie years ago, and the guy in the morgue faints. Maybe kids these days will laugh at that.
So, err, some fast food joints open on the space station they're on, the sonic screwdriver is used for theft, we see that Mr Scott (the new one, not the proper one - this isn't Knight Rider after all) appears to be the villain, only it's actually a big slimy ceiling mouth who has to live in a fridge and has been manipulating humans for 91 years.
Humans at the time all receive information through a hole in the head. A new hole that is, not like through your ears when you listen to an iPod. Adam wanders off on his own, and the Doctor doesn't really care because he doesn't fancy him.
There's just not much to say. Well, ok. The ending was a bit daft. If you're meant to only get to go to Floor 500 when you get "promoted", then how does the woman manage to just get in the lift and go up there to sort of save the day? If it's somewhere people aren't meant to go unless they're invited, then surely you'd seal it off. And then, when things start heating up, the way Rose and The Doctor being in shackles is solved is...Rose's shackles fall off. And they escape. Meh.
It was also irritating how easily and for how long the Doctor got away with pretending he's management, just because he had the psychic paper. At least have him need to do a bit of talking. Between the paper and the wand, it's just another excuse for lots of lazy writing.
But the worst thing is the treatment of Adam. He sees the future and faints, which isn't a good sign. So what does the Doctor do? He lets Adam wander off on his own. And then, when Adam, who seems to be a bit of an introvert nerd, is seduced into getting a head hole - because he does love information after all - rather than the Doctor thinking "what have I done, I shouldn't have left you alone", he just leaves him back in the past with a head that'll open up when someone clicks (though at least he'll never have to clear up his own sick again). And adding insult to injury, when Adam asks to carry on traveling with the Doctor, we get the line:
But whatever. There's just not much to say about this episode. Easily the most forgettable so far. I almost gave it 2.5, which would put it on a par with The End of the World. That episode has a lot of plot flaws, but it was more memorable. This has fewer (though still some) plot flaws, but isn't memorable, and the treatment of Adam is enough to shave off another half a star.
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.
The Long Game (**)
I usually need to put aside over 2 hours for each review of this, because it's not just watching the episode, it's also the writing up of the notes and trying to make it entertaining. But really, how can you make a review of this entertaining? When something's good you can gush about it, and when it's bad, you can criticise and nitpick. But this? It wasn't even boring as such, just almost ok. Mediocre.
So, they land in the year 200,000. The Doctor and Rose get out first, and the Doctor tells Rose where they are, so she can pretend to Adam that she's deduced it herself. Why? Why would the Doctor go along with that? In fact, the only in-universe reason I can think of for why the Doctor keeps acting like Rose is something special (because clearly, she's not) is that he fancies her. There. That's it. Dozens of human companions over the years, and now he's found one he fancies, and this makes him act like she's the greatest thing ever, to the detriment of whoever else happens to be around. Which is an immense disservice to a character with over 40 years of history before RTD and Julie Gardner came along.
Where was I? Oh yeah, then there's a comedy fainting which, no doubt, children will laugh at. I laughed when I first saw the TV Movie years ago, and the guy in the morgue faints. Maybe kids these days will laugh at that.
So, err, some fast food joints open on the space station they're on, the sonic screwdriver is used for theft, we see that Mr Scott (the new one, not the proper one - this isn't Knight Rider after all) appears to be the villain, only it's actually a big slimy ceiling mouth who has to live in a fridge and has been manipulating humans for 91 years.
Humans at the time all receive information through a hole in the head. A new hole that is, not like through your ears when you listen to an iPod. Adam wanders off on his own, and the Doctor doesn't really care because he doesn't fancy him.
There's just not much to say. Well, ok. The ending was a bit daft. If you're meant to only get to go to Floor 500 when you get "promoted", then how does the woman manage to just get in the lift and go up there to sort of save the day? If it's somewhere people aren't meant to go unless they're invited, then surely you'd seal it off. And then, when things start heating up, the way Rose and The Doctor being in shackles is solved is...Rose's shackles fall off. And they escape. Meh.
It was also irritating how easily and for how long the Doctor got away with pretending he's management, just because he had the psychic paper. At least have him need to do a bit of talking. Between the paper and the wand, it's just another excuse for lots of lazy writing.
But the worst thing is the treatment of Adam. He sees the future and faints, which isn't a good sign. So what does the Doctor do? He lets Adam wander off on his own. And then, when Adam, who seems to be a bit of an introvert nerd, is seduced into getting a head hole - because he does love information after all - rather than the Doctor thinking "what have I done, I shouldn't have left you alone", he just leaves him back in the past with a head that'll open up when someone clicks (though at least he'll never have to clear up his own sick again). And adding insult to injury, when Adam asks to carry on traveling with the Doctor, we get the line:
I really question why anyone would prefer the Ninth Doctor to any of the others, let alone the Tenth.
But whatever. There's just not much to say about this episode. Easily the most forgettable so far. I almost gave it 2.5, which would put it on a par with The End of the World. That episode has a lot of plot flaws, but it was more memorable. This has fewer (though still some) plot flaws, but isn't memorable, and the treatment of Adam is enough to shave off another half a star.
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.
Weirdly I have a soft spot for The Long Game, which is odd as I realise most people don't like it.
Maybe its the fact its the future, maybe it's because Simon Pegg's in it, maybe it's because neither the Doctor nor Rose save the day, maybe it's because Adam gets a hole in the head? It isn't just for the gorgeous Suki or Tamsin Greig being a very sexy nurse (seriously she can plonk a hole in my head anytime!)
^^ One point re Rose. Now I'm not the biggest fan of the 'isn't she the most wonderful companion ever' thing, nor that the Doctor adores her so much...but...the one and only reason I think it works is this; the doctor met her immediately after the Timewar, immediately after the destruction of his race, at a time when he was vulnerable, wrakced with survivor guilt, devoid of hope...anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I can probably forgive him obsessing over the first bit of skirt he comes across
Maybe its the fact its the future, maybe it's because Simon Pegg's in it, maybe it's because neither the Doctor nor Rose save the day, maybe it's because Adam gets a hole in the head? It isn't just for the gorgeous Suki or Tamsin Greig being a very sexy nurse (seriously she can plonk a hole in my head anytime!)
^^ One point re Rose. Now I'm not the biggest fan of the 'isn't she the most wonderful companion ever' thing, nor that the Doctor adores her so much...but...the one and only reason I think it works is this; the doctor met her immediately after the Timewar, immediately after the destruction of his race, at a time when he was vulnerable, wrakced with survivor guilt, devoid of hope...anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I can probably forgive him obsessing over the first bit of skirt he comes across
Am wondering do you plan to watch all of Doctor Who 2005-2009 ? or just some of it because so far you seem to dislike the show heavily though don't get me wrong, I find all of this self torture as funny as the next guy
I don't think it's self torture, really. The guy doesn't like nuWho but at least he's making a concentrated effort to discover why that's the case. In some ways, it's a lot like Bao Phi at the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, who recently wrote why he's a loyal-but-critical fan of LOST.
I plan to watch it all. Doing this is a handy substitute for real lifeAm wondering do you plan to watch all of Doctor Who 2005-2009 ? or just some of it because so far you seem to dislike the show heavily though don't get me wrong, I find all of this self torture as funny as the next guy
But looking over the list of episodes, I think Series 1 seems uniquely poor. Whereas looking at Series 2, there should be quite a lot there to enjoy.
Yeah, I mean that's the rationalisation we have to employ, but even so, I think it's a disservice to the character on the part of the writers (or, so I gather, Rusty and Gardner specifically).^^ One point re Rose. Now I'm not the biggest fan of the 'isn't she the most wonderful companion ever' thing, nor that the Doctor adores her so much...but...the one and only reason I think it works is this; the doctor met her immediately after the Timewar, immediately after the destruction of his race, at a time when he was vulnerable, wrakced with survivor guilt, devoid of hope...anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I can probably forgive him obsessing over the first bit of skirt he comes across
Yup, that kind of thing.
Here are excerpts from issue 413 of the UK's Doctor Who Magazine, where nearly 7000 people voted for their favourite DW story of all time, and here are the results:
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cont...
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Of course Moffat and Cornell come out better than Davies, I don't agree with all of the results ("Love & Monsters" is vastly underrated, as is "The Runaway Bride"), but RTD has written episodes that are perceived to be as good as many of the older classic DW serials from the 60s, 70s & 80s.
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Of course Moffat and Cornell come out better than Davies, I don't agree with all of the results ("Love & Monsters" is vastly underrated, as is "The Runaway Bride"), but RTD has written episodes that are perceived to be as good as many of the older classic DW serials from the 60s, 70s & 80s.
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I suspect that's mainly due to the fact that they are fresh in people's minds.
Take that same poll again in 10 years and see what happens.
Take that same poll again in 10 years and see what happens.
That is a factor, but either way online fandom heckling Davies' stewardship of Doctor Who is pretty much in the minority.
He's also the executive producer and head writer, so he no doubt had input into those scripts, as well as in the general tone of the series and creating the principle characters.
If he only wrote one story a year, they would probably be of a more consistent higher quality. Moffat is certain to write some lemons during his time in charge, it's just how TV works.
And thanks for the scans Ted, I'd not seen that before.
Another thing that soured Bad Wolf for me was that the Bad Wolf we'd been building up to all season turned out to be future echoes from God-Rose. Talk about a let-down!
Loved Midnight though.
Loved Midnight though.
I agree. I watched Midnight again last night. Classic drama using words and actors. Just wonderful stuff, I felt.
Refer to and quote from the article if you like. However, it's not kosher to scan the material in and post those scans when said material is copyrighted.
Deus ex machina. I remember when watching it the first time that my head seemed magnetically attracted to my hands.
I remember not being all that impressed with Midnight when it was first shown, but I don't really remember much of it at all, so maybe that's one I'll especially look out for when I get to it. I remember he left Catherine Tate behind that episode, so there's a reason to like it at least.
Father's Day (***)
So, we find out that Rose's dad is dead. Which is a traumatic thing for any child. She wants to go back and see him, and the Doctor obliges because he fancies her. To begin with, they go back and see Jackie and Pete's wedding. You think you'd notice two strangers at your wedding, but...I dunno, psychic paper or something.
I'd also note that the Tardis is deciding to work perfectly this episode. Anyway, Rose then says she wants to go back and be with her Dad when he dies. Being 900 years old and portrayed as the wisest being in the entire universe, the Doctor doesn't seem to think there's anything wrong with this idea. Or maybe he's not thinking straight because he fancies Rose.
So they stand there and watch Pete get run over. Great idea. Only, after it happens, Rose can't bring herself to run out to him, so they have to do it again. We get a bit of fun with there being two sets of the Doctor and Rose, but then the first set disappears, because that's how time travel works this week. Anyway, Rose runs out and saves her Dad from getting run over.
All three of them end up back at Pete's flat, but it seems during all that time going there, the Doctor hasn't actually bothered saying anything. Now that the camera's on them though, it seems he's quite angry with Rose. He talks about how he's thought about going back and saving those he lost in the Time War. Which is a little disappointing; I'd have hoped a Time War would have been more complicated than that. But that aside, he should be angry with himself. I mean, what did he expect she'd do if he took her to see where her father dies? Also, when Rose points out that the Doctor changes history all the time, the best explanation for that plot hole we get is that he knows what he's doing. A bit weak, that.
Anyway, the Doctor starts to leave, and Rose, being an idiot, insults him as he's walking away. Good thing he fancies her, or there's a danger he might actually leave her stranded in the past.
And people start dying. By an unseen menace!
Now there are quite a lot of ideas as to how the grandfather paradox is solved. Would you disappear? Would the many worlds interpretation come into play? Well, this isn't quite the same situtation, but this episode has its own way of dealing with time anomalies nonetheless.
Back at the episode, we get a fun scene between Rose and Pete, and the Doctor discovers that the Tardis has become an empty box. Oops.
Off to the wedding then, and there's all sorts of weirdness on the go. Phones keep playing a weird message, the car that would have killed Pete keep disappearing and reappearing (weirdly), the soundtrack is playing weird music...clearly something's not right.
I also think the arguing between Jackie and Pete and its effect on Rose works. Things aren't always how...you, err, think I suppose...is the message. Yeah. Works for me anyway. And "I'm not listening, it's the duffle coats all over again" made me smile. The way people have these strange things that happen between them and...yes. Melodrama to some, but I buy into it.
Anyway, the Reapers appear, and they're quite cool looking. I've been playing Metroid Prime recently, and they remind me of Ridley. Anyway, they kill people. That'll sort time out. So, everyone gets in the church. Big safe church. Apparently "The older something is, the stronger it is". Of course, all the atoms and whatnot are the same age, but...what do I know.
And it turns out the message on the phones was the very first call by Alexander Graham Bell. I like that. And Pete's cottened on who Rose is, though I'm not sure how believable that is. After all, it's quite a leap to think that because you've met a stranger with the same name as your baby, that your daughter's come from the future and saved you from getting run over.
And there's another nice scene, this time between the Doctor and the marrying couple. It's not very important to the episode, but it's nice. Then we get little Mickey, which I must admit, also made me smile. And the Doctor talking to baby Rose made me smile. A lot here is working for me. But then Rose nearly touches her younger self, which you're not meant to do. Well, the Brigadier once got away with it, but we all liked him.
Anyway, the Tardis key is glowing, so now we have the gibberish necessary to resolve the situation. Or so we hope. Meanwhile, Rose lies a bit, and the Tardis seems to grow back. Or something.
Then Rose holds herself (doesn't actually touch her baby self though, but...), a Reaper gets in, the Doctor gets eaten, the Reaper flies into the Tardis, and the world is doomed. So we get a tearful goodbye when Pete realises he has to go and get run over, he dies, Rose cries over him, everything's resolved. That he died in the wrong place at the wrong time doesn't seem to make a difference, but...whatever.
I don't see this episode get mentioned very often here, and when it is, it's not in a positive light. But I quite like it. Yeah, it's flawed: the Doctor shouldn't have taken Rose to watch her Dad die, the resolution and all the sci-fi elements don't necessarily make all that much sense, and so on. But this episode's about the characters. Not being a big fan of any of the characters, it shouldn't work for me on that level, but it does.
Whereas Rose (the episode) seemed to say "here's a character with a pointless life like you the viewer, but she can go off with the Doctor and get some meaning. Be sure to tune in and watch every week", this instead says "Normal people have normal lives, but there's a beauty and diginity in that". Maybe that's just me reading too much into it, but I get that vibe.
What's more, on a screwdriver note, I think we only see it once, and it doesn't seem to be doing anything. Fantastic.
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Yeah Donna is easily my fav companion of the new series. Like many, when I heard Tate was cast I wasn't very optimistic but she ended up great. No stupid love interest like Rose, and not as wooden as Martha.
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