So the universe may be safe, but Saturdays have become boring again. No more Doctor Who until Christmas. So to conclude the last few weeks of entertainment here are my answers to the DWM readers survey.
Story marks:
Again you’ll have heard them already but, if like me you have forgotten, here they are again:
The Eleventh Hour - 8
The Beast Below - 6
Victory of the Daleks - 7
Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone - 9
Vampires of Venice - 8
Amy's Choice - 9
Hungry Earth/Cold Blood - 7
Vincent and the Doctor – 6.5
The Lodger - 8
The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang - 10
Best Writer: It has been a year that we’ve seen scripts from acclaimed writers, Simon Nye and Richard Curtis, as well as Doctor Who die hards Mark Gatiss, Toby Whitehouse and Gareth Roberts. However the award has to go to Steven Moffatt.
Why, well this series has been so complicated and each episode was so important to each other that the award has to go to him. Also his writing has been brilliant, with a slight dip with The Beast Beneath, he has been on top form.
Best Director: With a whole crop of new directors giving us their approach I have to give the award to Catherine Morshead, director of The Lodger. She made what could be a filler episode into a fantastic story. Every where it could go wrong, she took into the right direction to make a fantastic story.
Best Actor: Matt Smith. Is there any doubt. This season has depended on him and his ability to be the Doctor. He has got it spot on. There have never been a moment where the Doctor was not the Doctor. There were several impressive male actors including Tony Curran.
Best Actress: It’s got to be Karen GIllan. She played the role of Amy brilliant. Outstanding moments include the sequence where Rory dies and the entire of the finale. The fact that she is also very fit helps as well ☺
Best Monster: There have been lots of interesting monsters this season. From old favorites like the Daleks, Silurians, and the Weeping Angels to new creatures like the Vampire fish creatures in Vampires of Venice and the sinister smilers. I think it has to be the Daleks. I love the new design and looking forward to seeing where they go on.
Best Villain: It has to be the Dream Lord. It was great to see the dark side of the Doctor’s psyche. Played well, and written well. For a single episode he was brilliant and intresting. Though I would not like to see him come back.
Best Male Supporting Character: Rory Williams, it has to be. He is a welcome addition to the cast and unlike, when we had a Tardis full of the companion’s family, he worked. I am looking forward to seeing where we go next.
Best Female Supporting Character: It’s a hard one this one. River Song or Amelia Pond are obvious strong contenders. But I could go for Liz 10 or the mum from the Silurian story. I think it has to be River though. At the end of the Silence in the Library, we thought we knew here. But’s she back, more mysterious and interesting than ever. I am also quite happy to see her return next year.
Best Special Effect: I like the fact that we have moved away from throwing everything CGI on the screen but used sparing and well. From the dogfight over the Dalek Spaceship to Venice, to every single Doctor Who space ship. My winner, Venice.
Best Music: Murry Gold has done wonders with the music this year and it’s hard to name just one piece.
Greatest Contribution: Steven Moffat, it has to be.
We’ll be back, soon. Maybe.
Sunday, 25 July 2010
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
DWM 2010 Season Survey
Ok, so how can we finish this series' blog? Turns out there is a handy way sat in front of us courtesy of the good folk at DWM! So following their format here's some thoughts on the series that has just gone:
Story marks:
We've already covered this in the blog but to recap:
The Eleventh Hour - 8
Beast Below - 6
Victory of the Daleks - 7
Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone - 9
Vampires of Venice - 8
Amy's Choice - 7
Hungry Earth/Cold Blood - 7
Vincent and the Doctor - 9
The Lodger - 7
The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang - 9
Best Writer: It really was great to get Richard Curtis and Simon Nye on board, their input was refreshingly and good to watch. Tony Whithouse's Vampire romp was a really fun mid-series tale but for the finale, the Angels' superb return and a very solid curtain raiser (leaving aside the disappointment of ep 2) this has to be Steven Moffat's award doesn't it??!
Best Director: Toby Haynes' finale looked the partand the Silurian two-parter should earn Ashley Way some credit but I think, for the clever use of location and fantastic look of both of his stories (Vampires, Vincent), I have to go with Jonny Campbell.
Best Actor: Matt Smith. Cannot be any doubt who is number one here, in fact it really is a stupid question isn't it?! Matt returned the character to the type of other-wordly unnerving alien not seen since McCoy at least and added splashes of Hartnell and Troughton to a "modern" Doctor. Second would have to be Arthur Darvill, Rory could have been annoying but wasn't and Arthur delivered a full array of funny, scary, action and emotional scenes. Third has to be Tony Curran for a sensitively handled showing as the mentally troubled Vincent Van Gogh.
Best Actress: Again silly question. Karen Gillan settled perfectly into the companion role. I wasn't always sure about Amy, sometimes her character's super confidence grated slightly, but for the main part she was a stellar addition to the Tardis team, with Karen handling the role very well indeed for such a young actress. Alex Kingston's performance as River Song shouldn't be under-estimated though. River remains a mystery tantalisingly waiting to be unravelled. Alex Kingston's cheeky-but-guarded portrayal has been spot on and won me over after a few doubts surrounding the first outing. Third for me would be Caitlin Blackwood, who was excellent as the young Amelia in the first and last episodes.
Best Monster: If anything the monsters haven't been overly strong this series. The "iDaleks" were ok but seemed more about new toy-selling opportunities than anything else while the SMilers has masses of potential but didn't deliver. The Autons were a shock addition to the finale and outshone the "bigger names" with their part but I reckon this one has to go to the chillingly superb Weeping Angels who were marvellously menacing on their return.
Best Villain: To some extent we don't even know the villain behind the finale yet do we? Aren't there some tantalising unanswered questions about who tried to blow up the Tardies etc? Or was that the "monster team's" doing? Anyway, with no real stand out choice I think i'll back Helen McCrory's Rosanna who had a depth that took the character beyond just sinister.
Best Male Supporting Character: Rory Williams. Others had flashes but Rory's character meant more to the story of the series as a whole.
Best Female Supporting Character: River Song. For all the reasons above really. River adds adventure, action, mystery and intrigue to a story and that's never a bad thing. It will be interesting to see what's next in her and the Doctor's "wibbley-wobbly, timey-wimey" relationship.
Best Special Effect: Hmm, not really too fussed about effects in general but the splash of wizardry involved to make the Silurian city a reality deserves a mention.
Best Music: Not sure I paid enough attention to pick out an episode on this score but as a whole the standard of music seemed high and strayed away from the over-the-top stuff of the Donna series finale.
Greatest Contribution: Steven Moffat, Matt Smith, Karen Gillan.
Story marks:
We've already covered this in the blog but to recap:
The Eleventh Hour - 8
Beast Below - 6
Victory of the Daleks - 7
Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone - 9
Vampires of Venice - 8
Amy's Choice - 7
Hungry Earth/Cold Blood - 7
Vincent and the Doctor - 9
The Lodger - 7
The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang - 9
Best Writer: It really was great to get Richard Curtis and Simon Nye on board, their input was refreshingly and good to watch. Tony Whithouse's Vampire romp was a really fun mid-series tale but for the finale, the Angels' superb return and a very solid curtain raiser (leaving aside the disappointment of ep 2) this has to be Steven Moffat's award doesn't it??!
Best Director: Toby Haynes' finale looked the partand the Silurian two-parter should earn Ashley Way some credit but I think, for the clever use of location and fantastic look of both of his stories (Vampires, Vincent), I have to go with Jonny Campbell.
Best Actor: Matt Smith. Cannot be any doubt who is number one here, in fact it really is a stupid question isn't it?! Matt returned the character to the type of other-wordly unnerving alien not seen since McCoy at least and added splashes of Hartnell and Troughton to a "modern" Doctor. Second would have to be Arthur Darvill, Rory could have been annoying but wasn't and Arthur delivered a full array of funny, scary, action and emotional scenes. Third has to be Tony Curran for a sensitively handled showing as the mentally troubled Vincent Van Gogh.
Best Actress: Again silly question. Karen Gillan settled perfectly into the companion role. I wasn't always sure about Amy, sometimes her character's super confidence grated slightly, but for the main part she was a stellar addition to the Tardis team, with Karen handling the role very well indeed for such a young actress. Alex Kingston's performance as River Song shouldn't be under-estimated though. River remains a mystery tantalisingly waiting to be unravelled. Alex Kingston's cheeky-but-guarded portrayal has been spot on and won me over after a few doubts surrounding the first outing. Third for me would be Caitlin Blackwood, who was excellent as the young Amelia in the first and last episodes.
Best Monster: If anything the monsters haven't been overly strong this series. The "iDaleks" were ok but seemed more about new toy-selling opportunities than anything else while the SMilers has masses of potential but didn't deliver. The Autons were a shock addition to the finale and outshone the "bigger names" with their part but I reckon this one has to go to the chillingly superb Weeping Angels who were marvellously menacing on their return.
Best Villain: To some extent we don't even know the villain behind the finale yet do we? Aren't there some tantalising unanswered questions about who tried to blow up the Tardies etc? Or was that the "monster team's" doing? Anyway, with no real stand out choice I think i'll back Helen McCrory's Rosanna who had a depth that took the character beyond just sinister.
Best Male Supporting Character: Rory Williams. Others had flashes but Rory's character meant more to the story of the series as a whole.
Best Female Supporting Character: River Song. For all the reasons above really. River adds adventure, action, mystery and intrigue to a story and that's never a bad thing. It will be interesting to see what's next in her and the Doctor's "wibbley-wobbly, timey-wimey" relationship.
Best Special Effect: Hmm, not really too fussed about effects in general but the splash of wizardry involved to make the Silurian city a reality deserves a mention.
Best Music: Not sure I paid enough attention to pick out an episode on this score but as a whole the standard of music seemed high and strayed away from the over-the-top stuff of the Donna series finale.
Greatest Contribution: Steven Moffat, Matt Smith, Karen Gillan.
Friday, 9 July 2010
Confusing and wonderful in equal measure!
I've just got around to watching the Big Bang for the second time and it was just as enthralling as the first watch. Mr Moffat has managed to serve up an end of series special that is baffling, exciting, funny and intriguing all in one go. From the moment Amy stumbled out of the Pandorica this was always going to be a weird and wonderful ride, and so it proved.
Refreshingly there was no place or need for the "token baddy behind it all" aspect. Yes, we had a Dalek or two but they played a small and entertaining cameo in their cool stone look.
Instead of a finale filled with special effects and characters we had a proper story. The Doctor was at his mischievious best flitting between time streams with the plot linking into itself in a number of fun ways in the build up to orchestrating the second Big Bang.
This "flitting" included the excellent addition of the Doctor's Fez. He'll have to pop one on again in the future surely?!!
The museum setting was probably an undervalued part of the story but proved the perfectly creepy battldrop for the events that unfolded and the Pandorica prop.
For those who think Smith doesn't do the serious and emotional with quite so much panache as his predecessor however should take a look at the Doctor's speech to the sleeping young Amelia as his own time stream begins to reverse. It's a moving and superbly scripted moment up there with Hartnell's classic "One day I'll come back" speech to Susan.
The story also leaves us wanting more. Who was behind the explosion of the Tardis? Where did River land? How did she appear at Amy's wedding? Who is River? Is Rory still an Auton?
Strangely with so many questions left at the end of the series this still felt like the fitting fairytale end. It solve one big problem but whetted the appetite for a whole host more.
Top class. 9/10
Refreshingly there was no place or need for the "token baddy behind it all" aspect. Yes, we had a Dalek or two but they played a small and entertaining cameo in their cool stone look.
Instead of a finale filled with special effects and characters we had a proper story. The Doctor was at his mischievious best flitting between time streams with the plot linking into itself in a number of fun ways in the build up to orchestrating the second Big Bang.
This "flitting" included the excellent addition of the Doctor's Fez. He'll have to pop one on again in the future surely?!!
The museum setting was probably an undervalued part of the story but proved the perfectly creepy battldrop for the events that unfolded and the Pandorica prop.
For those who think Smith doesn't do the serious and emotional with quite so much panache as his predecessor however should take a look at the Doctor's speech to the sleeping young Amelia as his own time stream begins to reverse. It's a moving and superbly scripted moment up there with Hartnell's classic "One day I'll come back" speech to Susan.
The story also leaves us wanting more. Who was behind the explosion of the Tardis? Where did River land? How did she appear at Amy's wedding? Who is River? Is Rory still an Auton?
Strangely with so many questions left at the end of the series this still felt like the fitting fairytale end. It solve one big problem but whetted the appetite for a whole host more.
Top class. 9/10
Friday, 2 July 2010
The best bang since the big one.
So we come to the finale, The Big Bang. The Doctor is trapped, Rory is an Auton, Amy’s dead and River is in an exploding Tardis. That’s how we were left at the end of last week’s episode. I had put lots of thought in how the Doctor was going to escape from the box.
So once we get past the obligatory recap we find ourselves right back with an identical opening to episode one, which I had finished watching scant moments before the start of The Big Bang. However, things are slightly different, Amelia is not saved by the Doctor, but subjected to a session with a therapist because of a painting with stars in.
It was a nice twist to hear mention that the well known atheist, Richard Dawkins, was not the leader of a cult, believing in something that did not exist. The plot suddenly changes track when a fez wearing man puts something through Amelia’s door and we are led to the National Museum where we find the Pandorica, a mystery objects surrounded by nice other objects including Stone Daleks, Nile Penguins and the Pharaohs of the Himalayas. We are then given a nice twist as Amelia opens the Pandorica to find Amy inside and the credits come crashing in.
The plot for this story was very clever. I have described the opening scenes in quite some detail but don’t fully give it the justice that it deserves. Steven Moffatt takes all of the questions that we had going on answered them brilliant. The Doctor get’s himself out of the Pandorica by jumping back in time and getting Rory to open the box with his Sonic Screwdriver. Amy is nearly dead and so by putting her into the Pandorica she is revived.
It all could be so confusing, but the Doctor’s time jumping back and forth in a fez (and I’ll sign the petition to get him wearing one in season 2) is over pretty quickly and brings the opening act to a close with a dying Doctor appearing.
Steven Moffatt once described writing TV as, asking as many questions as you can and then answering them. It works for Lost and it worked here. We want to know how the Doctor ends up in that state and we soon find out, a Dalek, previously stone has been rejuvenated by the Pandorica. We have a chase around the museum and we discover the explosion of the Tardis.
We soon have a quick rescue of River from inside the Tardis. It has crossed my mind that all of these characters have been rescued so quickly from death, or life ending situations as a bit of a kop out. Russell T Davis did that when he rescued The Doctor, Martha and Captain Jack from the future so easily at the beginning of the Sound of Drums. But here it works. We don’t want complicated explanations, there is enough in the plot already.
The Doctor comes up with a plan and he is going to sacrifice himself and kick start the whole of the universe. It’s an emotional moment and Matt Smith and Karen Gillan play their final scene together beautfilly well. A tear was in the corner of my eye. The Doctor saves the universe and then wakes up with the line.
“I’ve escaped. I love it when I do that”
Brilliant. However the emotional rollercoaster carries on as the Doctor is soon heading back wards through his time line. He knows he needs to step behind the crack and leave the world forever and so he makes his goodbye to young Amelia and then he goes.
The concept of the Two Doctors running through the story has been mooted since episode 5 and we finally see its realisation here. This shows how much planning Steven Moffatt has put into the whole series and unlike the words that Russell T Davis we get a sense of relief as we realise what all of those different things that we hadn’t fully understood means.
So we get to Amy’s wedding and she remembers the most unforgettable man she’s ever met, the Doctor. With a big tease for Christmas, and the universe saved, were done.
So what did I think? I loved it. The plot is deceptively simple but brilliantly clever at the same time. The dialogue is on top form, comedic when needed, but retains the seriousness of the story.
Matt Smith, Arthur Darvill, Karen Gillan, and Alex Kingston were all on top performance and though I still feel that Alex Kingston was underused in this story she still gave a cracking performance. We are still no closer to understanding who River Song is; but yet we still like her. I don’t feel that she is the Doctor as has been touted.
The episode was wonderfully shot and the museum was a brilliant set. I don’t think I have anything bad to say about this episode. 10/10
And for both parts 10/10
Stay tuned to see what we review next.
So once we get past the obligatory recap we find ourselves right back with an identical opening to episode one, which I had finished watching scant moments before the start of The Big Bang. However, things are slightly different, Amelia is not saved by the Doctor, but subjected to a session with a therapist because of a painting with stars in.
It was a nice twist to hear mention that the well known atheist, Richard Dawkins, was not the leader of a cult, believing in something that did not exist. The plot suddenly changes track when a fez wearing man puts something through Amelia’s door and we are led to the National Museum where we find the Pandorica, a mystery objects surrounded by nice other objects including Stone Daleks, Nile Penguins and the Pharaohs of the Himalayas. We are then given a nice twist as Amelia opens the Pandorica to find Amy inside and the credits come crashing in.
The plot for this story was very clever. I have described the opening scenes in quite some detail but don’t fully give it the justice that it deserves. Steven Moffatt takes all of the questions that we had going on answered them brilliant. The Doctor get’s himself out of the Pandorica by jumping back in time and getting Rory to open the box with his Sonic Screwdriver. Amy is nearly dead and so by putting her into the Pandorica she is revived.
It all could be so confusing, but the Doctor’s time jumping back and forth in a fez (and I’ll sign the petition to get him wearing one in season 2) is over pretty quickly and brings the opening act to a close with a dying Doctor appearing.
Steven Moffatt once described writing TV as, asking as many questions as you can and then answering them. It works for Lost and it worked here. We want to know how the Doctor ends up in that state and we soon find out, a Dalek, previously stone has been rejuvenated by the Pandorica. We have a chase around the museum and we discover the explosion of the Tardis.
We soon have a quick rescue of River from inside the Tardis. It has crossed my mind that all of these characters have been rescued so quickly from death, or life ending situations as a bit of a kop out. Russell T Davis did that when he rescued The Doctor, Martha and Captain Jack from the future so easily at the beginning of the Sound of Drums. But here it works. We don’t want complicated explanations, there is enough in the plot already.
The Doctor comes up with a plan and he is going to sacrifice himself and kick start the whole of the universe. It’s an emotional moment and Matt Smith and Karen Gillan play their final scene together beautfilly well. A tear was in the corner of my eye. The Doctor saves the universe and then wakes up with the line.
“I’ve escaped. I love it when I do that”
Brilliant. However the emotional rollercoaster carries on as the Doctor is soon heading back wards through his time line. He knows he needs to step behind the crack and leave the world forever and so he makes his goodbye to young Amelia and then he goes.
The concept of the Two Doctors running through the story has been mooted since episode 5 and we finally see its realisation here. This shows how much planning Steven Moffatt has put into the whole series and unlike the words that Russell T Davis we get a sense of relief as we realise what all of those different things that we hadn’t fully understood means.
So we get to Amy’s wedding and she remembers the most unforgettable man she’s ever met, the Doctor. With a big tease for Christmas, and the universe saved, were done.
So what did I think? I loved it. The plot is deceptively simple but brilliantly clever at the same time. The dialogue is on top form, comedic when needed, but retains the seriousness of the story.
Matt Smith, Arthur Darvill, Karen Gillan, and Alex Kingston were all on top performance and though I still feel that Alex Kingston was underused in this story she still gave a cracking performance. We are still no closer to understanding who River Song is; but yet we still like her. I don’t feel that she is the Doctor as has been touted.
The episode was wonderfully shot and the museum was a brilliant set. I don’t think I have anything bad to say about this episode. 10/10
And for both parts 10/10
Stay tuned to see what we review next.
Saturday, 26 June 2010
Moffat's mission to finish with a flourish
So here we are, the grand finale - and the first chance for Stephen Moffat to get his teeth into the shows end of series bonanza. And what a way to start!
From a slighlty self-indulgent if thoroughly fun and frantic opening right through to the dramatic and utterly fantastic cliffhanger, the Moff has served up a real treat.
Stonehenge seems the perfect setting for a blockbuster slice of Who, more iconic, eerie and dramatic than any alien landscape - and backed up superbly by the creepy Underhenge.
The setting gave a spooky cinematic backdrop for yet another brilliant performance from Matt Smith. He combined the enigmatic genius of the Doctor with a nagging sense of not quite being in possession of the full facts for a change wonderfully.
That all built up well to a thrilling climax. Throughout the fast-paced 45 minutes we'd been teased into thinking the mystery of the story was what was going to lie inside the Pandorica, so it was an excellent twist that the whole tale, and the presence of numerous "baddies", was acutally about putting something, the Doctor, in. He was revealed as the dangerous, deadly being of folklore that it was built for, playing on the dark reputation the Doctor has used to his advantage in his last three guises.
The complex plot also tempted us into thinking we had some answers about Amy's unfathomable past yet you still feel there are a host of twists to come.
Those multiple baddies didn't jar either. When I first heard a Dalek voice my heart sank slightly - "not another series finale that uses the Daleks for effect" - but the addition of Cybermen (who provided a memorably sinister moment with Amy and brought them back to their evil best as a foe), Sontarans and goodness knows what that was lying around the prosthetic department, the monsters instead added to the intrigue.
The best of all the returning foes was surprisingly the Autons. I never guessed that the Romans would turn out to be plastic fakes and it led to another strand of the big cliffhanger with the copied Rory killing his beloved Amy.
River Song too was on top form - played with a cheeky charisma but underlying mystery that has made her a fascinating addition to the Tardis team.
The only worry now is how to follow this. Amy's dead, the Doctor is locked away in the Pandorica and River Song has just exploded in the Tardis. Quite how they get out of this one I don't know. I only hope Stephen Moffat avoids falling into a twee and unsatisfactory ending that sometimes plagued the RTD era - most notably with the Davros/Dalek finale which started so brilliantly but ended in disappoinment for this reviewer.
On this evidence there's plenty to make you believe that won't happen.
9/10
From a slighlty self-indulgent if thoroughly fun and frantic opening right through to the dramatic and utterly fantastic cliffhanger, the Moff has served up a real treat.
Stonehenge seems the perfect setting for a blockbuster slice of Who, more iconic, eerie and dramatic than any alien landscape - and backed up superbly by the creepy Underhenge.
The setting gave a spooky cinematic backdrop for yet another brilliant performance from Matt Smith. He combined the enigmatic genius of the Doctor with a nagging sense of not quite being in possession of the full facts for a change wonderfully.
That all built up well to a thrilling climax. Throughout the fast-paced 45 minutes we'd been teased into thinking the mystery of the story was what was going to lie inside the Pandorica, so it was an excellent twist that the whole tale, and the presence of numerous "baddies", was acutally about putting something, the Doctor, in. He was revealed as the dangerous, deadly being of folklore that it was built for, playing on the dark reputation the Doctor has used to his advantage in his last three guises.
The complex plot also tempted us into thinking we had some answers about Amy's unfathomable past yet you still feel there are a host of twists to come.
Those multiple baddies didn't jar either. When I first heard a Dalek voice my heart sank slightly - "not another series finale that uses the Daleks for effect" - but the addition of Cybermen (who provided a memorably sinister moment with Amy and brought them back to their evil best as a foe), Sontarans and goodness knows what that was lying around the prosthetic department, the monsters instead added to the intrigue.
The best of all the returning foes was surprisingly the Autons. I never guessed that the Romans would turn out to be plastic fakes and it led to another strand of the big cliffhanger with the copied Rory killing his beloved Amy.
River Song too was on top form - played with a cheeky charisma but underlying mystery that has made her a fascinating addition to the Tardis team.
The only worry now is how to follow this. Amy's dead, the Doctor is locked away in the Pandorica and River Song has just exploded in the Tardis. Quite how they get out of this one I don't know. I only hope Stephen Moffat avoids falling into a twee and unsatisfactory ending that sometimes plagued the RTD era - most notably with the Davros/Dalek finale which started so brilliantly but ended in disappoinment for this reviewer.
On this evidence there's plenty to make you believe that won't happen.
9/10
Thursday, 24 June 2010
It has opened.
Oh my goodness. What a great penultimate episode, The Pandorica Opens, tuned out to be. We start out with a very quick montage of various people, who the Doctor has met over the last series, getting a message to the Doctor. We even see inside the Stormcage and watch as River Song escapes.
I was slightly worried that seeing Liz 10, Vincent, and Winston Churchill again would have the same effect as when Russell T Davis through Martha, Mickey, Rose etc… in Stolen Earth / Journey’s and the End The End of Time. They were all thrown in to create an emotional journey. However, the characters passed the painting on and the Doctor, Amy, and River Song meet at Stonehenge.
An impressive start to the story and it only get better from there. We soon discover an impressive hidden chamber underneath Stonehenge, called by the Doctor Underhenge, and a Roman legion outside. Were soon inside the chamber and looking at the Pandorica itself, another impressive prop from the prop department.
The use of Stonehenge gave the story a unique feel to it. It is so wrapped up in British mythology it felt right for the Doctor to have a story set around it. Also the set design team have out done themselves there. The Pandorica chamber has a very Indiana Jones feel to it and it works.
The tension is built up by Steven Moffatt. We soon discover that there are thousands of ships come to release the creature inside the Pandorica. We soon finds that Rory has been resurrected as a Roman Legionnaire, which led to a clever comedic moment.
And at this point we are only halfway through the story. Amy and the Doctor are soon attacked by a broken Cyberman. In one of the most brilliant moments we see inside the cyber helmet and of course it tries to take Amy to replace its organic parts.
I liked the way that Murray Gold worked the Cybermen signature tune into the score in subtle, understated ways. In fact his score throughout the series, something I have not commented on over the last twelve weeks, has been a lot better than a lot of the stuff he has produced for Doctor who over the last five years. I, for one, and looking forward to the soundtrack album being released.
Matt Smith is on fine form as the Doctor. He had a rock star arrogance as he proclaimed to all of the spaceships that he has the Pandorica and would like to see who would like to take it from him.
Then we come to the conclusion. The Pandorica is for him, the Doctor. The realisation that this was a trap was brilliant. It came out of nowhere and left us all stunned. The who universe villains have all teamed up to entrap the Doctor because he threatens to destroy the universe. A great idea, even though by the fact that by entrapping the Doctor inside the Pandorica, they themselves destroy the universe.
But this is not the only cliff-hanger. At the point we see Amy remembering who Rory is and how important he is to her and then he, like the entirety of the Roman Legion, becomes an Auton. He tried his best to fight his programming, but despite his best attempt, he kills her. River Song is also killed in an exploding Tardis which is being controlled by someone else.
Arthur Darvill and Karen Gillan gave a fantastic performance, especially in the death sequence and I hope some awards are coming there way. Alex Kingston, once again, was fantastic as River Song but she was pretty much consigned to the Tardis. I enjoy seeing her in stories, but she was reserved to the back ground and could all most be left at home for another story.
All in all this episode is fantastic. I’ve only got one major worry about the following episode, The Big Bang, and that is how everything is going to be concluded. Steven Moffatt has opened the Doctor Who toy box and thrown it all on the screen and destroyed the universe in the process, so where do you go from there.
10/10
I was slightly worried that seeing Liz 10, Vincent, and Winston Churchill again would have the same effect as when Russell T Davis through Martha, Mickey, Rose etc… in Stolen Earth / Journey’s and the End The End of Time. They were all thrown in to create an emotional journey. However, the characters passed the painting on and the Doctor, Amy, and River Song meet at Stonehenge.
An impressive start to the story and it only get better from there. We soon discover an impressive hidden chamber underneath Stonehenge, called by the Doctor Underhenge, and a Roman legion outside. Were soon inside the chamber and looking at the Pandorica itself, another impressive prop from the prop department.
The use of Stonehenge gave the story a unique feel to it. It is so wrapped up in British mythology it felt right for the Doctor to have a story set around it. Also the set design team have out done themselves there. The Pandorica chamber has a very Indiana Jones feel to it and it works.
The tension is built up by Steven Moffatt. We soon discover that there are thousands of ships come to release the creature inside the Pandorica. We soon finds that Rory has been resurrected as a Roman Legionnaire, which led to a clever comedic moment.
And at this point we are only halfway through the story. Amy and the Doctor are soon attacked by a broken Cyberman. In one of the most brilliant moments we see inside the cyber helmet and of course it tries to take Amy to replace its organic parts.
I liked the way that Murray Gold worked the Cybermen signature tune into the score in subtle, understated ways. In fact his score throughout the series, something I have not commented on over the last twelve weeks, has been a lot better than a lot of the stuff he has produced for Doctor who over the last five years. I, for one, and looking forward to the soundtrack album being released.
Matt Smith is on fine form as the Doctor. He had a rock star arrogance as he proclaimed to all of the spaceships that he has the Pandorica and would like to see who would like to take it from him.
Then we come to the conclusion. The Pandorica is for him, the Doctor. The realisation that this was a trap was brilliant. It came out of nowhere and left us all stunned. The who universe villains have all teamed up to entrap the Doctor because he threatens to destroy the universe. A great idea, even though by the fact that by entrapping the Doctor inside the Pandorica, they themselves destroy the universe.
But this is not the only cliff-hanger. At the point we see Amy remembering who Rory is and how important he is to her and then he, like the entirety of the Roman Legion, becomes an Auton. He tried his best to fight his programming, but despite his best attempt, he kills her. River Song is also killed in an exploding Tardis which is being controlled by someone else.
Arthur Darvill and Karen Gillan gave a fantastic performance, especially in the death sequence and I hope some awards are coming there way. Alex Kingston, once again, was fantastic as River Song but she was pretty much consigned to the Tardis. I enjoy seeing her in stories, but she was reserved to the back ground and could all most be left at home for another story.
All in all this episode is fantastic. I’ve only got one major worry about the following episode, The Big Bang, and that is how everything is going to be concluded. Steven Moffatt has opened the Doctor Who toy box and thrown it all on the screen and destroyed the universe in the process, so where do you go from there.
10/10
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Corden-t fault it
James Corden really is everywhere at the moment isn't he? Which is a shame because I'm sure alot of people who get annoyed by his grating personality might have chosen to give this one a wide berth, and will have missed him at his best.
Corden may well annoy in "real life" but his performances, and writing, in Gavin and Stacey were actually very good and he showed his talents again in The Lodger in a decent little tale.
This week the Doctor had to pass as a human as flat mate to Corden's Craig. The two proved a fun foil for one another and once again allowed Smith to build on his strong show as a very other-wordly Doctor.
Similarly to last week (although I saw this first so is it next week??!) the underlying plot was pretty basic, and was much along the same lines as the Girl in the Fireplace - the machine operating to instructions which turn out to be harmful to humans.
Still the mystery of the flat upstairs was enough to hold the attention while Smith had his Black Orchid moment (if Davison can pause for cricket i'm sure ex Forest trainee Smith can show off his silky skills.....in fact on this evidence sign him up!!) and plenty of fun to boot.
Craig's love story was also carefully handled so not to edge into soap opera territory. With no Doctor-lite element to this series this felt like a relatively cheap-ish story with fleeting glimpses of Amy. If it was a budget episode though it did it well and, once again brought something fresh and different to the much-varied menu served up in Moffat's era so far.
In some respects the resolution and revelation were a bit underwhelming but nevertheless another week goes by with another entertaining 45 minutes in the bag. Now it's Moffat's turn to try to amaze and thrill with a big finale.
We're told that everything has been leading to this moment so the pressure is on somewhat. I'm sure i'm not the only one who felt RTD's "big event" stories were sometimes a let down (certainly the final part of the Donna season). The series has been great fun so far so here's hoping the next two stories cap it off in a fitting fashion....
7/10
Corden may well annoy in "real life" but his performances, and writing, in Gavin and Stacey were actually very good and he showed his talents again in The Lodger in a decent little tale.
This week the Doctor had to pass as a human as flat mate to Corden's Craig. The two proved a fun foil for one another and once again allowed Smith to build on his strong show as a very other-wordly Doctor.
Similarly to last week (although I saw this first so is it next week??!) the underlying plot was pretty basic, and was much along the same lines as the Girl in the Fireplace - the machine operating to instructions which turn out to be harmful to humans.
Still the mystery of the flat upstairs was enough to hold the attention while Smith had his Black Orchid moment (if Davison can pause for cricket i'm sure ex Forest trainee Smith can show off his silky skills.....in fact on this evidence sign him up!!) and plenty of fun to boot.
Craig's love story was also carefully handled so not to edge into soap opera territory. With no Doctor-lite element to this series this felt like a relatively cheap-ish story with fleeting glimpses of Amy. If it was a budget episode though it did it well and, once again brought something fresh and different to the much-varied menu served up in Moffat's era so far.
In some respects the resolution and revelation were a bit underwhelming but nevertheless another week goes by with another entertaining 45 minutes in the bag. Now it's Moffat's turn to try to amaze and thrill with a big finale.
We're told that everything has been leading to this moment so the pressure is on somewhat. I'm sure i'm not the only one who felt RTD's "big event" stories were sometimes a let down (certainly the final part of the Donna season). The series has been great fun so far so here's hoping the next two stories cap it off in a fitting fashion....
7/10
Good actually
Ok, firstly, apologies for the Richard Curtis headline pun, couldn't possibly resist.
The Rom Com specialist added a star name to this year's writing crew and certainly lived up to his big billing in my book, adding yet more variety to this glorious pick and mix of a series.
The underlying story - of an invisible monster seen only by Van Gogh which was actually left behind and alone and scared - wasn't exactly ground breaking but added a sound base for some fantastic character-led screen time.
The Doctor and Amy were once again on top form, dovetailing well for comic effect in a formidable double act. Vincent meanwhile was a brave portrayal of a complex and slightly sad figure from history. It was brave in the sense that this was someone troubled with mental health issues, not easy for a 45 minute family TV romp. It was handled perfectly and well played by Tony Curran, adding depth to the tale that complemented the fun the story's principal trio enjoyed.
It was that touching combination of fun and emotional depth that made this such a good watch. I loved the bit where the Doctor, Amy and Vincent laid on the ground and watched the sky as it turned into the famous Starry Night - and the heartwarming ending - showing Vincent how loved he was to become, worked well without drifting into soppy.
The beginning and end also brought a cracking cameo from that old Richard Curtis favourite Bill Nighy, an understated but glorious little starring role.
This week may have evoked memories of Tom Baker's gallery visit in City of Death but the educational aspect this week also took us straight back to the early days of Hartnell - and the aim to educate. In fact its just one of a few ways Hartnell's days in the Tardis have been brought back to life for me - an other-worldy portrayal of the Doctor, a clutch of wildly different stories (people forget under Hartnell was where Who was at its most experimental, eg Gunfighters through to Web Planet to Inside the Spaceship) and now a strong educational under-current.
Hats off to everyone involved in this one, it was funny, interesting, well scripted and acted, beautifully set (what an advert for Croatia this and Vampires have been!!) and downright entertaining.
9/10
The Rom Com specialist added a star name to this year's writing crew and certainly lived up to his big billing in my book, adding yet more variety to this glorious pick and mix of a series.
The underlying story - of an invisible monster seen only by Van Gogh which was actually left behind and alone and scared - wasn't exactly ground breaking but added a sound base for some fantastic character-led screen time.
The Doctor and Amy were once again on top form, dovetailing well for comic effect in a formidable double act. Vincent meanwhile was a brave portrayal of a complex and slightly sad figure from history. It was brave in the sense that this was someone troubled with mental health issues, not easy for a 45 minute family TV romp. It was handled perfectly and well played by Tony Curran, adding depth to the tale that complemented the fun the story's principal trio enjoyed.
It was that touching combination of fun and emotional depth that made this such a good watch. I loved the bit where the Doctor, Amy and Vincent laid on the ground and watched the sky as it turned into the famous Starry Night - and the heartwarming ending - showing Vincent how loved he was to become, worked well without drifting into soppy.
The beginning and end also brought a cracking cameo from that old Richard Curtis favourite Bill Nighy, an understated but glorious little starring role.
This week may have evoked memories of Tom Baker's gallery visit in City of Death but the educational aspect this week also took us straight back to the early days of Hartnell - and the aim to educate. In fact its just one of a few ways Hartnell's days in the Tardis have been brought back to life for me - an other-worldy portrayal of the Doctor, a clutch of wildly different stories (people forget under Hartnell was where Who was at its most experimental, eg Gunfighters through to Web Planet to Inside the Spaceship) and now a strong educational under-current.
Hats off to everyone involved in this one, it was funny, interesting, well scripted and acted, beautifully set (what an advert for Croatia this and Vampires have been!!) and downright entertaining.
9/10
Twist caps off solid two-parter
Ok so i'm a bit behind on the blog front but circumstances have meant watching the episodes later than broadcast and, in perfectly timey-wimey Moffat style - out of order!!
In the post for part one of the Silurian two parter I said I thought the first episode was either a perfect set up for a great finale or would turn out to be too slow and leave too much for the next 45 minutes to cram in.
Turns out I was wrong since neither happened. The second part, Cold Blood, felt in some ways like a completely different story to the first. That's not necessarily a criticism though.
The Silurians themselves were pigeon-holed quite neatly into a range of pro and anti "apes" groups, setting up that excellent moral dilemma this foe brings up and the superb way that Doctor Who can show that no conflicts are a "black and white" good-versus-evil. Both sides had their bad eggs and even the human who "did wrong" had motivation for her actions. It's this sort of thing that lifts Doctor Who beyond the categories of "just for kids" or "just sci-fi".
The episode also looked fantastic. The design team once again excelled themselves with a pretty superb looking underground world for the Silurians.
If anything then the ending did feel rather too simple. The friendly Silurian simply hit the pause button againand we returned to the status quo....
....and then came THAT ending. In some ways the death of Rory over shadowed what had come before it, but equally it added a nice twist to an otherwise formulaic end. Amy's reaction and subsequent "recovery" was powerful and not over-played and the Doctor pulling a fragment of the Tardis out of the crack was a suitably tantalising set up for what is to come.
Overall then, plenty of good things here. Not a classic but certainly one to warrant further viewings.
7/10
In the post for part one of the Silurian two parter I said I thought the first episode was either a perfect set up for a great finale or would turn out to be too slow and leave too much for the next 45 minutes to cram in.
Turns out I was wrong since neither happened. The second part, Cold Blood, felt in some ways like a completely different story to the first. That's not necessarily a criticism though.
The Silurians themselves were pigeon-holed quite neatly into a range of pro and anti "apes" groups, setting up that excellent moral dilemma this foe brings up and the superb way that Doctor Who can show that no conflicts are a "black and white" good-versus-evil. Both sides had their bad eggs and even the human who "did wrong" had motivation for her actions. It's this sort of thing that lifts Doctor Who beyond the categories of "just for kids" or "just sci-fi".
The episode also looked fantastic. The design team once again excelled themselves with a pretty superb looking underground world for the Silurians.
If anything then the ending did feel rather too simple. The friendly Silurian simply hit the pause button againand we returned to the status quo....
....and then came THAT ending. In some ways the death of Rory over shadowed what had come before it, but equally it added a nice twist to an otherwise formulaic end. Amy's reaction and subsequent "recovery" was powerful and not over-played and the Doctor pulling a fragment of the Tardis out of the crack was a suitably tantalising set up for what is to come.
Overall then, plenty of good things here. Not a classic but certainly one to warrant further viewings.
7/10
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Doctor Meets Smithy
So with two weeks left and a rumour that every single thing in every single shot has a relevance to this season, what did I think of episode 11, The Lodger. I loved it.
Gareth Roberts has written two stories, one good and one poor. However his adaptation of his own comic strip was superb. The plot is simple, the Doctor has to survive living on planet earth for a few days. Matt Smith rose to the challenge. His portrayal of the Doctor over the season has the right hints of alienness about him. However here he is right out of place and Matt Smith hits the portrayal perfectly.
Matt Smith's football talent is obvious when you watch this episode and we have to be thankful that his injury lead him into acting. It could have been a silly sequence, but it was short and to point and moved the story on.
James Cordon is also a good piece of casting. His ability is intermittent at best. He's great as Smithy in Gavin and Stacey and poor in everything else. However he gets the role of a late twenty something who's happy perfectly. His character is something we relate to. The concept of Pizza, Booze, Telly, is something I like to do and we are able to relate to the character, quickly.
The story moves along with a few hints to the third Doctor and we come across the Tardis upstairs that is the villain of the story. Again the idea is simple, the Tardis is trying to find a pilot to sort it out, but is slowly killing people. A simple little set, but it looks amazing and we get the emotional and narrative pay off in there. The Alien Spacecraft may look like a jaggeroth craft, but who cares.
All in all this story is brilliant. Its silly and fun and I like it because of that.
8/10
Gareth Roberts has written two stories, one good and one poor. However his adaptation of his own comic strip was superb. The plot is simple, the Doctor has to survive living on planet earth for a few days. Matt Smith rose to the challenge. His portrayal of the Doctor over the season has the right hints of alienness about him. However here he is right out of place and Matt Smith hits the portrayal perfectly.
Matt Smith's football talent is obvious when you watch this episode and we have to be thankful that his injury lead him into acting. It could have been a silly sequence, but it was short and to point and moved the story on.
James Cordon is also a good piece of casting. His ability is intermittent at best. He's great as Smithy in Gavin and Stacey and poor in everything else. However he gets the role of a late twenty something who's happy perfectly. His character is something we relate to. The concept of Pizza, Booze, Telly, is something I like to do and we are able to relate to the character, quickly.
The story moves along with a few hints to the third Doctor and we come across the Tardis upstairs that is the villain of the story. Again the idea is simple, the Tardis is trying to find a pilot to sort it out, but is slowly killing people. A simple little set, but it looks amazing and we get the emotional and narrative pay off in there. The Alien Spacecraft may look like a jaggeroth craft, but who cares.
All in all this story is brilliant. Its silly and fun and I like it because of that.
8/10
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Art for Art's sake
We are now approaching the end of Matt Smith’s first season with episode number ten, Vincent and the Doctor. At the start of this review I have to applaud the use of Croatia to represent Southern France. It didn’t feel at all like they were pretending to be somewhere else. This really helped the episode.
I must also say I enjoyed the little nods to Vincent van Gogh’s painting. His bedroom, the church, the café, and sunflowers all made appearances in one way and another. It was a little self indulgent but also quite nice and I feel a little more cultured because of it.
Also casting Tony Curran as Vincent van Gogh was an inspired piece of casting. Not only did he portrayed the artist superbly, his moment of depression being a fine example of his portrayal, it was his uncanny resemblance to the real life artist that made him the perfect piece of casting.
The storey was simple. Their is an invisible alien, who is lost and alone, on the loose in southern France. The Doctor and Amy teams up with the only man who can see it, Vincent van Gogh. I must admit though the story flowed naturally and Richard Curtis’s dialogue was, at times, fantastic. It was the fact that it was so simple that had a negative effect on the episode. Sometime’s a simple story works well but here it felt it lacked the meat of the episode.
In summing up; I enjoyed this episode, however I won’t be racing back to view it again. It’s the only episode so far this season that I’ve been left feeling like this.
6.5/10
I must also say I enjoyed the little nods to Vincent van Gogh’s painting. His bedroom, the church, the café, and sunflowers all made appearances in one way and another. It was a little self indulgent but also quite nice and I feel a little more cultured because of it.
Also casting Tony Curran as Vincent van Gogh was an inspired piece of casting. Not only did he portrayed the artist superbly, his moment of depression being a fine example of his portrayal, it was his uncanny resemblance to the real life artist that made him the perfect piece of casting.
The storey was simple. Their is an invisible alien, who is lost and alone, on the loose in southern France. The Doctor and Amy teams up with the only man who can see it, Vincent van Gogh. I must admit though the story flowed naturally and Richard Curtis’s dialogue was, at times, fantastic. It was the fact that it was so simple that had a negative effect on the episode. Sometime’s a simple story works well but here it felt it lacked the meat of the episode.
In summing up; I enjoyed this episode, however I won’t be racing back to view it again. It’s the only episode so far this season that I’ve been left feeling like this.
6.5/10
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
Are you as cold blooded as a Silurian.
So who is this Rory chap then?
The ending to Cold Blood was fantastic and I am going to start here. Within the final ten minutes we get to see Rory permanently erased from time but the cause of the crack in time that has been haunting the Doctor and Amy. The destruction of the Tardis.
I have said over the last few weeks that Rory’s inclusion in the stories have felt right and not forced as some have been. For example Donna’s Mother Sylvia and grandfather Wilf in series 4 Sontaran double episode the Sontartan Stratagem and the Poison Sky. You can land anywhere on Earth and your within a quick driving distance of your Mum and Dad.
Rory’s death brought him into a small group of 4 companions who have died. Katerina, Sara Kingdom (Both in the 12 part Dalek masterplan) and Adric (Earth Shock). Rory died well; being a hero by saving the Doctor. Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill played the scene and my heart cried out when Amy sat up and had forgotten poor Rory.
Finding the fragment of the Tardis was a beautiful thing. The Tardis is the one thing you know will survive and we now have an agonising four week wait to find out what causes it and will the Doctor will be able to wait.
The ending of the episode was great, however the main body of the story was a bit of a let down. Though all of the cliff hangers from last week were nicely resolved the episode seemed to contain all of the talking that was missing from last week episode.
The concept of the Doctor trying to negotiate between the two races has happened in all of their encounters. However this was the main point of the story whilst last week was pure action, action, action. I think spreading the action over the two parts would have helped as it would have made some of the themes more lasting and character driven than an immediate response.
Stephen Moore, better known as Marvin the paranoid android, was superb as the leader of the Silurians. However both his and the Leader of the Warrior Caste seem a late addition to the cast and left me a confused as where their motives are coming from.
However this story still contains moment of brilliance. Matt Smith is still playing the Doctor exactly right. A bizarre mix of Alien mystery and human kindness (considering his parentage this is apt). The Silurian city looked fantastic and I, for one, would love to visit there.
All in all this half of the story was enjoyable but could have been better. A solid 7/10 for this story and a 7/10 out for the story as a whole.
The ending to Cold Blood was fantastic and I am going to start here. Within the final ten minutes we get to see Rory permanently erased from time but the cause of the crack in time that has been haunting the Doctor and Amy. The destruction of the Tardis.
I have said over the last few weeks that Rory’s inclusion in the stories have felt right and not forced as some have been. For example Donna’s Mother Sylvia and grandfather Wilf in series 4 Sontaran double episode the Sontartan Stratagem and the Poison Sky. You can land anywhere on Earth and your within a quick driving distance of your Mum and Dad.
Rory’s death brought him into a small group of 4 companions who have died. Katerina, Sara Kingdom (Both in the 12 part Dalek masterplan) and Adric (Earth Shock). Rory died well; being a hero by saving the Doctor. Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill played the scene and my heart cried out when Amy sat up and had forgotten poor Rory.
Finding the fragment of the Tardis was a beautiful thing. The Tardis is the one thing you know will survive and we now have an agonising four week wait to find out what causes it and will the Doctor will be able to wait.
The ending of the episode was great, however the main body of the story was a bit of a let down. Though all of the cliff hangers from last week were nicely resolved the episode seemed to contain all of the talking that was missing from last week episode.
The concept of the Doctor trying to negotiate between the two races has happened in all of their encounters. However this was the main point of the story whilst last week was pure action, action, action. I think spreading the action over the two parts would have helped as it would have made some of the themes more lasting and character driven than an immediate response.
Stephen Moore, better known as Marvin the paranoid android, was superb as the leader of the Silurians. However both his and the Leader of the Warrior Caste seem a late addition to the cast and left me a confused as where their motives are coming from.
However this story still contains moment of brilliance. Matt Smith is still playing the Doctor exactly right. A bizarre mix of Alien mystery and human kindness (considering his parentage this is apt). The Silurian city looked fantastic and I, for one, would love to visit there.
All in all this half of the story was enjoyable but could have been better. A solid 7/10 for this story and a 7/10 out for the story as a whole.
Saturday, 29 May 2010
Incredible Hulke's boys are back
Silurians, Eocenes or Homo-reptilia - whatever they are they made an impressive return in Chris Chibnall's Hungry Earth.
I've always been impressed with this "monster" and the unique moral dilemma they offer. They're excellent to explore in a show aimed at children and perfectly bring up issues of tolerance in a non-preachy way. With them we get to see the Doctor at his most "non-human" looking for peace and deals where humans look for conflict and aggression. All the more relevant with Matt Smith's incarnation - the most alien for a while.
Smith's performance was agin the highlight this week - ranging from the cocky "the monsters are scared of me" to his aggressive "don't pretend to be the last of your race" face to face with Alaya he really has made this part his own.
The story itself was classic Who and "classic Silurian" too - with events sparked by a big drilling project which had forced our homo-reptilia friends into attack.
The only real problem of the episode was its pace. It felt a little ploddy after four perfectly timed 45 minutes of Who in a row and the cliffhanger didn't quite feel right. It's almost as if Amy falling through was ready made for that music to then kick in but just happened far too early.
All of that will be forgiven if the following installment fulfills the excellent potential laid down here and it's what makes rating this episode so tough. Either it's the perfect set-up for a belting 45 minutes or it is wasted time that would have been better spent dealing with the action to come next.
For now though a harsh 7/10
I've always been impressed with this "monster" and the unique moral dilemma they offer. They're excellent to explore in a show aimed at children and perfectly bring up issues of tolerance in a non-preachy way. With them we get to see the Doctor at his most "non-human" looking for peace and deals where humans look for conflict and aggression. All the more relevant with Matt Smith's incarnation - the most alien for a while.
Smith's performance was agin the highlight this week - ranging from the cocky "the monsters are scared of me" to his aggressive "don't pretend to be the last of your race" face to face with Alaya he really has made this part his own.
The story itself was classic Who and "classic Silurian" too - with events sparked by a big drilling project which had forced our homo-reptilia friends into attack.
The only real problem of the episode was its pace. It felt a little ploddy after four perfectly timed 45 minutes of Who in a row and the cliffhanger didn't quite feel right. It's almost as if Amy falling through was ready made for that music to then kick in but just happened far too early.
All of that will be forgiven if the following installment fulfills the excellent potential laid down here and it's what makes rating this episode so tough. Either it's the perfect set-up for a belting 45 minutes or it is wasted time that would have been better spent dealing with the action to come next.
For now though a harsh 7/10
Thursday, 27 May 2010
The beast from beneath
So the Silurians are back in Doctor Who. Ever since I first read Malcolm Hulke's adaptation of his tv show Doctor Who and the Silurians, I fell in love with them. I love all three stories especially Warriors of the Deep. So was their re imaging going to disappoint.
It didn't. Chris Chibnall who's previous scripts for Torchwood and his sole Doctor Who Script 42 were highly disappointing. So my expectations were low. However the script was solid. It moved along pretty sharply. The script had hints of several of the classics from John Pertwee.
It was nice to see Amy removed and the Doctor having to work with Rory. Rory has potential to get boring however he is a major part of the scripts and he is getting a decent amount of action and so I don't resent him being there. In fact the presence of a third crew member is a welcome change to recent years where we get companions mum, fella, mate etc... along for a ride. He is holding his own and how it all pans out we have yet to see but for the moment Rory you can say.
The Silurian redesign was amasing. The production team have done a great job in updating them and though I miss the third eye (perhaps that is only for the scientist) they work and look fantastic.
I don't really have any negative points about this story. It's a good solid start with what may not be the best cliff hanger but I am looking forward to seeing how it concludes.
8/10
It didn't. Chris Chibnall who's previous scripts for Torchwood and his sole Doctor Who Script 42 were highly disappointing. So my expectations were low. However the script was solid. It moved along pretty sharply. The script had hints of several of the classics from John Pertwee.
It was nice to see Amy removed and the Doctor having to work with Rory. Rory has potential to get boring however he is a major part of the scripts and he is getting a decent amount of action and so I don't resent him being there. In fact the presence of a third crew member is a welcome change to recent years where we get companions mum, fella, mate etc... along for a ride. He is holding his own and how it all pans out we have yet to see but for the moment Rory you can say.
The Silurian redesign was amasing. The production team have done a great job in updating them and though I miss the third eye (perhaps that is only for the scientist) they work and look fantastic.
I don't really have any negative points about this story. It's a good solid start with what may not be the best cliff hanger but I am looking forward to seeing how it concludes.
8/10
Saturday, 22 May 2010
Daring to be different...
After two stories that went along the blueprint of classic Who tales from yesteryear Simon Nye's Amy's Choice gave us a refreshing romp from left field.
The previous three weeks stories were right up there with the best of "New Who" but it was good to see the team trying something creative for a splash of variety.
The episode felt a bit like a Doctor-lite story - i'm not sure they're doing one this year? - in that it was less about special effects and action and more about character and storytelling.
The dream idea worked well as a polt device and while an interesting bit of fun on one hand - had more depth that developed all three main characters if you wanted to scratch the surface, with echoes of Hartnell's "Inside the Spaceship".
The Dream Lord too was an interesting creation. A Valeyard-cum-Toymaker character who was revealed, far less "fanw***y-ly", to be the dark side of the Doctor's mind.
It was that underplayed and sinister reveal that added to the interesting development of Smith's Doctor. Tennant handled the emotional portrayal well, even if it was overdone by the writers, so it is important that his incarnation was different. Those who feel Smith hasn't taken to the role have massively missed the point. If you think he feels far-off, unsettled and "not at home" then that means Smith has nailed it. He seems to be returning the Doctor to a time when the role was that of an alien who was at times unfeeling and irascible as well as dynamic and magnificient.
Amy's Choice was well-paced and thought provoking but, in spite of the praise spilled out above still lacked something for me.
I can't put my finger on it but when I'd finished watching it I felt it had been enjoyable but wouldn't necessarily lead to repeat viewing, especially once you knew the big twist. I felt the same after Midnight, but maybe it's just me.
7/10 (but probably worth more for the addition of variety and experimentation!)
The previous three weeks stories were right up there with the best of "New Who" but it was good to see the team trying something creative for a splash of variety.
The episode felt a bit like a Doctor-lite story - i'm not sure they're doing one this year? - in that it was less about special effects and action and more about character and storytelling.
The dream idea worked well as a polt device and while an interesting bit of fun on one hand - had more depth that developed all three main characters if you wanted to scratch the surface, with echoes of Hartnell's "Inside the Spaceship".
The Dream Lord too was an interesting creation. A Valeyard-cum-Toymaker character who was revealed, far less "fanw***y-ly", to be the dark side of the Doctor's mind.
It was that underplayed and sinister reveal that added to the interesting development of Smith's Doctor. Tennant handled the emotional portrayal well, even if it was overdone by the writers, so it is important that his incarnation was different. Those who feel Smith hasn't taken to the role have massively missed the point. If you think he feels far-off, unsettled and "not at home" then that means Smith has nailed it. He seems to be returning the Doctor to a time when the role was that of an alien who was at times unfeeling and irascible as well as dynamic and magnificient.
Amy's Choice was well-paced and thought provoking but, in spite of the praise spilled out above still lacked something for me.
I can't put my finger on it but when I'd finished watching it I felt it had been enjoyable but wouldn't necessarily lead to repeat viewing, especially once you knew the big twist. I felt the same after Midnight, but maybe it's just me.
7/10 (but probably worth more for the addition of variety and experimentation!)
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Amy's Choice
Choices are the theme for this week’s episode. When I first heard about the concept for this episode I was sceptical. How could they pull this off without it falling flat on its face and to my surprise they have. It is this humble reviews opinion that the seventh episode of the last four series of the revamped Who have fallen flat on their face.
The Long Game was fine for a single showing but it had two main stories that muddled and overlapped each other poorly. Mark Gatis’s Idiot Lantern had a lot of interesting concepts but I found it dull due to the central plot revolving around Tommy’s family.
42 was rubbish. I’ve seen it once and that’s how I am going to keep it. I am not usre what I don’t like about it. Chris Chibnal scrip was weak. The concept of being in real time does not work with Doctor Who. It all felt very rushed and undeserving of being a Doctor Who story. Which means were left with The Unicorn and the Wasp which after Gareth Robert’s brilliant debut story, The Shakespeare Code, I was sorely disappointed with an attempt at a murder mystery with Agatha Christie. I love a good murder mystery; regally watching NCIS, CSI, Marpe, Morse, Lewis and so on. But this is was more of a Carry On film romp than a Doctor Who story or murder mystery.
So did Amy’s Choice fall flat on it face. Not even once. From the opening moment to the closing scenes this story did not disappoint. The plot is simple, the Doctor and his two companions Amy and Rory have to decide on which reality is real; the Tardis or Upper Ledworth.
Simon Nye, a writer who I’ve not really read or seen, has taken this simple plot and produced a wonderful little story. We are faced with two disasters. On one hand we have the Tardis slowly getting colder. On the other we have the elderly members of Upper Ledworth hosting an alien invasion force.
The story was so well crafted that the jumping between the two realties was not even a problem and I find myself eagerly wanting to get back to the other reality to find out what had happened to them.
The Dream Lord was a brilliant creation. An omnipotent being who likes to play games. He was played superbly with hints of not only the Master but the Celestial Toymaker as well.
The only negative point to the story is that it was all wrapped up very quickly again. I find that after spending forty minutes of the story, sitting on the edge of my seat to have it resolved in a few minutes, instead of gradually over the last ten minutes or so highly disappointing.
I enjoyed this story. It had a lot of potential to being dull and falling flat on its face. However it rose to the challenge and stood up proudly. I even joyed the quick reference to William Hartnall story, the Space Museum. All in a very well made story where special effect and fancy graphics took second fiddle to the story.
9/10
The Long Game was fine for a single showing but it had two main stories that muddled and overlapped each other poorly. Mark Gatis’s Idiot Lantern had a lot of interesting concepts but I found it dull due to the central plot revolving around Tommy’s family.
42 was rubbish. I’ve seen it once and that’s how I am going to keep it. I am not usre what I don’t like about it. Chris Chibnal scrip was weak. The concept of being in real time does not work with Doctor Who. It all felt very rushed and undeserving of being a Doctor Who story. Which means were left with The Unicorn and the Wasp which after Gareth Robert’s brilliant debut story, The Shakespeare Code, I was sorely disappointed with an attempt at a murder mystery with Agatha Christie. I love a good murder mystery; regally watching NCIS, CSI, Marpe, Morse, Lewis and so on. But this is was more of a Carry On film romp than a Doctor Who story or murder mystery.
So did Amy’s Choice fall flat on it face. Not even once. From the opening moment to the closing scenes this story did not disappoint. The plot is simple, the Doctor and his two companions Amy and Rory have to decide on which reality is real; the Tardis or Upper Ledworth.
Simon Nye, a writer who I’ve not really read or seen, has taken this simple plot and produced a wonderful little story. We are faced with two disasters. On one hand we have the Tardis slowly getting colder. On the other we have the elderly members of Upper Ledworth hosting an alien invasion force.
The story was so well crafted that the jumping between the two realties was not even a problem and I find myself eagerly wanting to get back to the other reality to find out what had happened to them.
The Dream Lord was a brilliant creation. An omnipotent being who likes to play games. He was played superbly with hints of not only the Master but the Celestial Toymaker as well.
The only negative point to the story is that it was all wrapped up very quickly again. I find that after spending forty minutes of the story, sitting on the edge of my seat to have it resolved in a few minutes, instead of gradually over the last ten minutes or so highly disappointing.
I enjoyed this story. It had a lot of potential to being dull and falling flat on its face. However it rose to the challenge and stood up proudly. I even joyed the quick reference to William Hartnall story, the Space Museum. All in a very well made story where special effect and fancy graphics took second fiddle to the story.
9/10
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Style and substance from Venetian adventure
Following on from a rip-roaring two-part adventure story came Toby Whithouse's wonderful romp around 16th century Venice.
Whereas episodes two and three seemed to struggle with the 45 minute format this story excelled - perfectly paced with a decent splattering of serious, laugh out loud and eerie bits.
The whole thing looked great and, importantly, had a story to match the visuals. When the team re-created Pompeii a couple of years ago there was no doubting that the story looked the part, but the plot just didn't quite do it for me. This, while was not exactly displaying groundbreaking storytelling, used the setting and characters to make for a very entertaining show.
Vampires are certainly in fashion at the moment and made for an effective villain of the piece - with a suitable leader for the Doctor to play moral table tennis with.
Matt Smith was the real star though - coming over well whether in popping up from a cake and gatecrashing Rory's stag do or saving Venice from its doom.
And those cracks in the Universe continue to loom. More of this and we're in for some gripping stuff.
8/10
Whereas episodes two and three seemed to struggle with the 45 minute format this story excelled - perfectly paced with a decent splattering of serious, laugh out loud and eerie bits.
The whole thing looked great and, importantly, had a story to match the visuals. When the team re-created Pompeii a couple of years ago there was no doubting that the story looked the part, but the plot just didn't quite do it for me. This, while was not exactly displaying groundbreaking storytelling, used the setting and characters to make for a very entertaining show.
Vampires are certainly in fashion at the moment and made for an effective villain of the piece - with a suitable leader for the Doctor to play moral table tennis with.
Matt Smith was the real star though - coming over well whether in popping up from a cake and gatecrashing Rory's stag do or saving Venice from its doom.
And those cracks in the Universe continue to loom. More of this and we're in for some gripping stuff.
8/10
Thursday, 13 May 2010
Vampires and no dodgy Southern American Accents
So the wedding of Amy and Rory is on the rock and there is only one man who can save them is in a cake. That’s how the Vampire in Venice starts. It’s a great start and we are soon back in time in Venice and it looks beautiful. Well done for the production team and the CGI team on merging the Czech location and the footage shot in Venice. It looked fantastic.
So the story moves on and the Doctor soon discovers that the city famous school has something mysterious is going on. Creepy girls with an aversion to sun light. With my love of vampires was I disappointed with this story. No.
It was nice to see Rory come into the story. He’s the love of Amy’s life or maybe. However unlike the RTD era he’s an integral part of the story, not just a stopping point to get the story moving. We kept coming back to Jackie and Micky. Martha’s family or Donna’s Granddad, Wilf. They rapidly became annoying. However Rory, is not that and long may he continue.
Toby Whithouse has come out with a simple story. Aliens using the school as a cover to convert women into aliens, however this story rattles along. The fact that the Aliens are not vampires is revealed quite late on in. The suspense is kept and we have a nod back to State of Decay and William Hartnell in a library card.
The only downside is that the machine that would destroy Venice is switched off with a simple switch. It’s a downside, but it’s bearable. All in all a great solid story, memorable but not nessacrily a classic like Blink or Talons of Weng Chiang.
8/10
P.s. I have also missed the fact there maybe 2 different versions of the Doctor running around
So the story moves on and the Doctor soon discovers that the city famous school has something mysterious is going on. Creepy girls with an aversion to sun light. With my love of vampires was I disappointed with this story. No.
It was nice to see Rory come into the story. He’s the love of Amy’s life or maybe. However unlike the RTD era he’s an integral part of the story, not just a stopping point to get the story moving. We kept coming back to Jackie and Micky. Martha’s family or Donna’s Granddad, Wilf. They rapidly became annoying. However Rory, is not that and long may he continue.
Toby Whithouse has come out with a simple story. Aliens using the school as a cover to convert women into aliens, however this story rattles along. The fact that the Aliens are not vampires is revealed quite late on in. The suspense is kept and we have a nod back to State of Decay and William Hartnell in a library card.
The only downside is that the machine that would destroy Venice is switched off with a simple switch. It’s a downside, but it’s bearable. All in all a great solid story, memorable but not nessacrily a classic like Blink or Talons of Weng Chiang.
8/10
P.s. I have also missed the fact there maybe 2 different versions of the Doctor running around
Friday, 7 May 2010
Angel's delight
After last week I was braced for the second part to not quite match my high expectations but Flesh and Stone was another cracker from the pen of Steven Moffat.
The plot trundled along nicely while setting up a host of high points - such as Amy's "blind walk", her chilling countdown during the excellent chase through the Byzantium, and the Doctor and Octavian's final chat - as well as adding lashings of intrigue into the mystery melting pot surrounding both the season "story arc" and the tale of River Song.
River could have proved a cumbersome piece of baggage but, handled in this way it greatly improved my views towards her character and the ending left us crying out for the next installment of her and the Doctor's adventures. Does she kill him?! What exactly is the nature of their future relationship? How does she know his real name?!
The story looked great too. The Angels themselves are a fantastic monster that must become a regular feature but the ship, forest and last week's Maze of the Dead looked great and added to the wonderfully eerie atmosphere.
Yet again it is a tad frustraing that events at the end have dominated much of the "post match" discussion. This week it wasn't Graham Norton but Amy's advances on the Doctor that raised a few eyebrows. It did grate a little bit for me but the Doctor's wonderfully slapstick awkward-ness in those moments was amusing and, like it or not, it does not take away from a top-notch two-parter.
I thought the story as a whole did well at evoking some of the classic elements of old school Who, with the right blend of the modern day thrown in for good measure. I hope that, after a couple of stories that lacked a little depth, this proves the blueprint for things to come.
Episode 8/10
Story 9/10
The plot trundled along nicely while setting up a host of high points - such as Amy's "blind walk", her chilling countdown during the excellent chase through the Byzantium, and the Doctor and Octavian's final chat - as well as adding lashings of intrigue into the mystery melting pot surrounding both the season "story arc" and the tale of River Song.
River could have proved a cumbersome piece of baggage but, handled in this way it greatly improved my views towards her character and the ending left us crying out for the next installment of her and the Doctor's adventures. Does she kill him?! What exactly is the nature of their future relationship? How does she know his real name?!
The story looked great too. The Angels themselves are a fantastic monster that must become a regular feature but the ship, forest and last week's Maze of the Dead looked great and added to the wonderfully eerie atmosphere.
Yet again it is a tad frustraing that events at the end have dominated much of the "post match" discussion. This week it wasn't Graham Norton but Amy's advances on the Doctor that raised a few eyebrows. It did grate a little bit for me but the Doctor's wonderfully slapstick awkward-ness in those moments was amusing and, like it or not, it does not take away from a top-notch two-parter.
I thought the story as a whole did well at evoking some of the classic elements of old school Who, with the right blend of the modern day thrown in for good measure. I hope that, after a couple of stories that lacked a little depth, this proves the blueprint for things to come.
Episode 8/10
Story 9/10
Sunday, 2 May 2010
The crack has opened.
So Flesh and Stone, the concluding episode to last weeks Time of the Angels, was show last week and I enjoyed it. The story carried on from where we left off last week and we had a simple resolution to the cliff hangers. A good cliff hanger can be spoiled by a silly way out, an example of this is the way the Doctor escaped the clutches of the Cybermen in Age of Steel.
The story moves on at a quick pace as the survivours attempt to elude the Weeping Angels until, one by one, they get picked off. I loved the fact that we found out a bit of the story arc so early on in the season. Before it has just been a word, or a phrase. Now we know all about it. There is a crack in time and space, caused by the Doctor taking Amy away on the night before her wedding.
However, more of that later. The story had some high points. I loved Matt Smith at the Doctor. He is portraying him incredibly well. The Docotr is normally one step ahead of everyone else and Matt Smith is pulling this off incredibly well. He is also bring the emotions of the Doctor off very well. His love, maybe, for River Song. The way he cares for Amy Pond. Bravo Matt Smith.
The story ends well and we are teased with the fact River Song will return. When? Who knows, but she will be back. I also loved the fact that we are finding out lots of little bits and bobs about her. I really want to know what the Stormcage is.
The last scene inside Amy's bedroom, was a downside to the whole episode. I do feel that sex is not something that should be really touched on in Doctor Who, it is after a family show. However the scene did remind me of the last chapter of the New Adventure Book Dying Days, which you can read online at the BBC website.
So all in all another good episode. 7 /10 and for the story as a whole. 9/10.
The story moves on at a quick pace as the survivours attempt to elude the Weeping Angels until, one by one, they get picked off. I loved the fact that we found out a bit of the story arc so early on in the season. Before it has just been a word, or a phrase. Now we know all about it. There is a crack in time and space, caused by the Doctor taking Amy away on the night before her wedding.
However, more of that later. The story had some high points. I loved Matt Smith at the Doctor. He is portraying him incredibly well. The Docotr is normally one step ahead of everyone else and Matt Smith is pulling this off incredibly well. He is also bring the emotions of the Doctor off very well. His love, maybe, for River Song. The way he cares for Amy Pond. Bravo Matt Smith.
The story ends well and we are teased with the fact River Song will return. When? Who knows, but she will be back. I also loved the fact that we are finding out lots of little bits and bobs about her. I really want to know what the Stormcage is.
The last scene inside Amy's bedroom, was a downside to the whole episode. I do feel that sex is not something that should be really touched on in Doctor Who, it is after a family show. However the scene did remind me of the last chapter of the New Adventure Book Dying Days, which you can read online at the BBC website.
So all in all another good episode. 7 /10 and for the story as a whole. 9/10.
Monday, 26 April 2010
Angels, thousands of em.
“Don’t Blink.” scary words muttered the Tenth Doctor to Sally Sparrow via the medium of DVD. He was trying to protect her from perhaps the best monster that has been devised for Doctor Who, if not ever. They are the perfect killers, as they move when you do one of the most basic of bodily actions, blink. Blink is one of my favourite episode of Doctor Who, ever.
So did their return disappoint me? No. The Time of Angels was the first of a two parter. Written by Steven Moffat we get the return of the Weeping Angels and River Song. Who, unlike her previous appearance in Silence of the Library/ Forest of the Dead, was different. She was younger and more adventurous; not unlike a certain Lara Croft. A refreshing change in my opinion. When you bring back character they need to be different.
The story was quickly paced and the 45 minutes rattled along and unlike the previous two stories that did not fit the time slot, this one did. Perhaps it was because the story was over two parts we got to know the characters a little better.
The fact we were expecting a single Angel to do a lot of damage and then it did very little was a good twist as we hardly saw it. His was a great way of building up tension as we sit at the edges of our seat, waiting for it to appear out of the darkness. But we were not given this, as we discover its motive for crashing the Byzantium, to reawaken its army. A great little twist there.
If I had one problem with the story is that they do have problems getting the sound levels right. The music does seem to drown out various bits of the dialogue, though by being away in London and watching the episode on the Iplayer I did not have to put up with Graham Norton reappearing.
All in all I enjoyed this episode. More comment will follow after seeing the second episode. However a good solid 8/10 for this story.
So did their return disappoint me? No. The Time of Angels was the first of a two parter. Written by Steven Moffat we get the return of the Weeping Angels and River Song. Who, unlike her previous appearance in Silence of the Library/ Forest of the Dead, was different. She was younger and more adventurous; not unlike a certain Lara Croft. A refreshing change in my opinion. When you bring back character they need to be different.
The story was quickly paced and the 45 minutes rattled along and unlike the previous two stories that did not fit the time slot, this one did. Perhaps it was because the story was over two parts we got to know the characters a little better.
The fact we were expecting a single Angel to do a lot of damage and then it did very little was a good twist as we hardly saw it. His was a great way of building up tension as we sit at the edges of our seat, waiting for it to appear out of the darkness. But we were not given this, as we discover its motive for crashing the Byzantium, to reawaken its army. A great little twist there.
If I had one problem with the story is that they do have problems getting the sound levels right. The music does seem to drown out various bits of the dialogue, though by being away in London and watching the episode on the Iplayer I did not have to put up with Graham Norton reappearing.
All in all I enjoyed this episode. More comment will follow after seeing the second episode. However a good solid 8/10 for this story.
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Norton didn't outshine the outstanding Angels
Graham Norton made a second, equally unwitting and unwelcome, appearance on Doctor Who last night but I hope that does not outshine the fact that The Time of Angels was fantastic.
After two weeks of stories packed full of good ideas, but not enough plot to expand on them, this gave me the "meat" I was craving for.
River Song, a character who dangerously veers towards irritating at times but just about stays clear, was a well-rounded and enjoyable addition that immediately added intrigue to the tale.
Matt Smith continues his new age-Troughton Doctor routine superbly while Karen Gillan gets to handle the key "frights" this week.
The Maze of the Dead was absolutely classic Who - as indeed are the wonderfully sinister and genuinely scarely Angels. This episode developed along nicely at a tense pace - with the predictable loss of a couple of characters that had their fate written all over them as soon as they appeared on screen.
The Doctor's sadness at the lack of "vworp vworp" was a highlight and I even enjoyed the cliffhanger - which borrowed from the Eccleston "I'm coming to get you" style. That's destined for the Smitt-era highlights reel already.
This was exactly what I'd wanted to see from Moffat-era Who. It looked great, contained fleshed out three-dimensional characters and benefitted from the chance to build up the tension steadily across the episode. Here's hoping for a similarly superb 45-minutes to polish off the story.
9/10
After two weeks of stories packed full of good ideas, but not enough plot to expand on them, this gave me the "meat" I was craving for.
River Song, a character who dangerously veers towards irritating at times but just about stays clear, was a well-rounded and enjoyable addition that immediately added intrigue to the tale.
Matt Smith continues his new age-Troughton Doctor routine superbly while Karen Gillan gets to handle the key "frights" this week.
The Maze of the Dead was absolutely classic Who - as indeed are the wonderfully sinister and genuinely scarely Angels. This episode developed along nicely at a tense pace - with the predictable loss of a couple of characters that had their fate written all over them as soon as they appeared on screen.
The Doctor's sadness at the lack of "vworp vworp" was a highlight and I even enjoyed the cliffhanger - which borrowed from the Eccleston "I'm coming to get you" style. That's destined for the Smitt-era highlights reel already.
This was exactly what I'd wanted to see from Moffat-era Who. It looked great, contained fleshed out three-dimensional characters and benefitted from the chance to build up the tension steadily across the episode. Here's hoping for a similarly superb 45-minutes to polish off the story.
9/10
Friday, 23 April 2010
The Doctor vs the iDaleks!
For the second week running this was a stroy chock full of elements that are absolutely "up my street". The historical setting, Churchill and devious Dalek seems the perfect recipe for a Doctor Who story.
And once again it had its very strong points. The first 15 minutes or so were fabulous. Matt continues his form as a galloping, cheeky but passionate Doctor, Karen is a successful foil and Ian McNeice was fabulous as the cigar-smoking war leader of legend. Yes it was a slight caricature but this is Who and, for me, he absolutely nailed the role without ever becoming a camp imitation.
The wasn't anything essentially wrong with the next 30 minutes either. The re-birth of the Daleks in bold colours is excellent for the marketing team - but also gave a fresh start to the oldest of old foes - and secure their place to come back to haunt the Doctor.
The fact they "won" and the fact that Amy does not recognise them also leaves a chilling background thought to add to yet another "crack" in the universe.
The Star Wars with Spitfires section also added a suitable splash of action and adventure.
The problem for me was not the first 15 or the last 30 but the fact that they did not have anything in between. The beginning set the scene beautifully and I loved the close up shot of the Doctor leaning in to the camera in which the Dalek passed the door way behind. But there simply wasn't enough deviousness and scheming for me - virtually as soon as the Doctor confronted them they were off to re-boot and we were denied extra Churchill and Dalek screen time.
Just like last week there was a superb set-up but barely no "middle" before the story passed into the end.
I enjoyed this story, and even more so on second viewing it has to be said, but I think I would have absolutely loved it if it were expanded to include more period intrigue over the two parts (with the Daleks turning bad again as a cliffhanger).
Thankfully next week's two-parter may just provide that meaty middle that these last two have lacked.
7/10
And once again it had its very strong points. The first 15 minutes or so were fabulous. Matt continues his form as a galloping, cheeky but passionate Doctor, Karen is a successful foil and Ian McNeice was fabulous as the cigar-smoking war leader of legend. Yes it was a slight caricature but this is Who and, for me, he absolutely nailed the role without ever becoming a camp imitation.
The wasn't anything essentially wrong with the next 30 minutes either. The re-birth of the Daleks in bold colours is excellent for the marketing team - but also gave a fresh start to the oldest of old foes - and secure their place to come back to haunt the Doctor.
The fact they "won" and the fact that Amy does not recognise them also leaves a chilling background thought to add to yet another "crack" in the universe.
The Star Wars with Spitfires section also added a suitable splash of action and adventure.
The problem for me was not the first 15 or the last 30 but the fact that they did not have anything in between. The beginning set the scene beautifully and I loved the close up shot of the Doctor leaning in to the camera in which the Dalek passed the door way behind. But there simply wasn't enough deviousness and scheming for me - virtually as soon as the Doctor confronted them they were off to re-boot and we were denied extra Churchill and Dalek screen time.
Just like last week there was a superb set-up but barely no "middle" before the story passed into the end.
I enjoyed this story, and even more so on second viewing it has to be said, but I think I would have absolutely loved it if it were expanded to include more period intrigue over the two parts (with the Daleks turning bad again as a cliffhanger).
Thankfully next week's two-parter may just provide that meaty middle that these last two have lacked.
7/10
Thursday, 22 April 2010
And here come the Daleks
So, episode 3 and here are the Daleks. From the early rumours of the similarity to the Patrick Troughton debut story Power of the Daleks I was looking forward to this episode. My eagneress was increased when I heard that Mark Gatiss would be writing this episode.
Did they let me down? Yes and No. I loved the new look Daleks. I loved the Spitfire attack on the Dalek Ship. Every thing about this story was great. Ian McNiece was brilliant as Winston Churchill. He portrayed him as a man who will do anything to make sure that Britain survives.
The Doctor was, as he should be, in the centre of this story. He had to stop the Daleks once and for all and failed. But yet, when he attacked the Dalek, we saw the scarred sole survivour of the time war. A man who has to carry the burden of being the last of the Time Lords.
However it did have one major flaw and that flaw is that it need to be longer. Since 2005, Doctor Who stories, I felt generally needed to be ten to fifteen minutes longer to carry the story a little better. the only exception to this is Blink.
So my score for the Victory of the Daleks. 7/10, a good story but let down by the fact it need to be longer.
P.S. Also Daleks with Webbing. Brilliant.
Did they let me down? Yes and No. I loved the new look Daleks. I loved the Spitfire attack on the Dalek Ship. Every thing about this story was great. Ian McNiece was brilliant as Winston Churchill. He portrayed him as a man who will do anything to make sure that Britain survives.
The Doctor was, as he should be, in the centre of this story. He had to stop the Daleks once and for all and failed. But yet, when he attacked the Dalek, we saw the scarred sole survivour of the time war. A man who has to carry the burden of being the last of the Time Lords.
However it did have one major flaw and that flaw is that it need to be longer. Since 2005, Doctor Who stories, I felt generally needed to be ten to fifteen minutes longer to carry the story a little better. the only exception to this is Blink.
So my score for the Victory of the Daleks. 7/10, a good story but let down by the fact it need to be longer.
P.S. Also Daleks with Webbing. Brilliant.
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Amy first trip.
So here we are, the first trip in the Tardis and we are taken to New England (that's in the future and not America) This story had a lot going for it. The Smilers, Steven Moffat, and a space whale and that's before I even mentioned the Demon Headmaster, a man who helped terrify me in my childhood.
This story should have been about a society in decay, worshiping the great unseen monster that slumbers in the depths and to an extent we got this. However the story lacked something that would push it into the truly terrifying. As my esteemed reviewer has already commented on, Terrance Hardyman was a wasted opportunity. It may have been typecasting, but he should have been in a role where he was the baddy, controlling the country.
However despite the story's failings there were two highlights. Firstly I thought Amy Pond was brilliant. The crux of the story rested on her and she made it work. She saw the Space Whale as she saw the Doctor, a benevolent old guy who came to rescue crying children. Karen Gillan was, on the basis of this episode alone, the perfect cast. She's brilliant and I expect more from her in the future.
The second was Matt Smith as the Doctor. I loved the moment where he proclaims the only thing he can do is kill the space whale and then have to find a new name as he won't be the Doctor. He knew what he had to do was not the Doctor and if he did it, he would have to become something new.
Also the ending was great. Winston Churchill calling the Doctor and the shadow of a dalek/ ironside on the wall. All in all an episode of missed chances, but still enjoyable. 6 / 10
This story should have been about a society in decay, worshiping the great unseen monster that slumbers in the depths and to an extent we got this. However the story lacked something that would push it into the truly terrifying. As my esteemed reviewer has already commented on, Terrance Hardyman was a wasted opportunity. It may have been typecasting, but he should have been in a role where he was the baddy, controlling the country.
However despite the story's failings there were two highlights. Firstly I thought Amy Pond was brilliant. The crux of the story rested on her and she made it work. She saw the Space Whale as she saw the Doctor, a benevolent old guy who came to rescue crying children. Karen Gillan was, on the basis of this episode alone, the perfect cast. She's brilliant and I expect more from her in the future.
The second was Matt Smith as the Doctor. I loved the moment where he proclaims the only thing he can do is kill the space whale and then have to find a new name as he won't be the Doctor. He knew what he had to do was not the Doctor and if he did it, he would have to become something new.
Also the ending was great. Winston Churchill calling the Doctor and the shadow of a dalek/ ironside on the wall. All in all an episode of missed chances, but still enjoyable. 6 / 10
Friday, 16 April 2010
I'm still on board, but.....
The Beast Below, by Steven Moffat
This was an odd one for me. All the signs said I should have LOVED this. The Orwellian undertones of the society that choses to forget, the Smilers, the ruddy Demon Headmaster!
But somehow it just didn't quite "click". Liz 10 was cringeworthy, the Smilers didn't really do anything, and Terrence Hardiman was sadly wasted in a largely irrelevant role.
This was one tale that could have done with being a bit longer for me. Maybe use Hardiman as more of a red herring "baddy", get more frights out of the fantastic looking Smilers and just generally add lashings of mystery.
There were other high points though - Matt Smith continues to impress, Karen Gillan was excellent and the "cracks in the universe" thing is suitably intriguing.
So don't worry Steve (although I'm sure you won't!!) - I wasn't quite with you on this one but next week's looks mouth-wateringly good and the signs are still there for a brilliant series. I guess with this one I just felt that, with such strong ideas and cast, it could have been so so much better...
6/10
This was an odd one for me. All the signs said I should have LOVED this. The Orwellian undertones of the society that choses to forget, the Smilers, the ruddy Demon Headmaster!
But somehow it just didn't quite "click". Liz 10 was cringeworthy, the Smilers didn't really do anything, and Terrence Hardiman was sadly wasted in a largely irrelevant role.
This was one tale that could have done with being a bit longer for me. Maybe use Hardiman as more of a red herring "baddy", get more frights out of the fantastic looking Smilers and just generally add lashings of mystery.
There were other high points though - Matt Smith continues to impress, Karen Gillan was excellent and the "cracks in the universe" thing is suitably intriguing.
So don't worry Steve (although I'm sure you won't!!) - I wasn't quite with you on this one but next week's looks mouth-wateringly good and the signs are still there for a brilliant series. I guess with this one I just felt that, with such strong ideas and cast, it could have been so so much better...
6/10
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
The Eleventh Hour
I liked the Eleventh Hour, a lot. Perhaps, a little too much. As I sat down to watch it for the first time, I was nervous. Not because I thought Steven Moffat was going to ruin Doctor Who. I was wondering if I was going to like it. Since Russell T Davis brought back Doctor Who in 2005 there have been four season openers. Two of them have been good (Smith and Jones and Rose) and two of them, which I thought, had been a little average and could, have been just another story and not a season opener (New Earth and Partners in Crime). However, my fears were soon put to one side.
Doctor Who came back with a bang and almost destroyed Big Ben, again. Steven Moffat gave us a superb season opener. We met the new Doctor, a little unhinged by his recent regeneration. In Matt Smith portrayal of the Doctor we got flashes of the kindness of the fifth Doctor, the action hero that was the third doctor and of course the bizarreness of Tom Baker’s forth Doctor. Matt Smith is definitely the Doctor.
Moffat’s plot was simple and this is what I like about it. A monster has escaped to Earth (through a crack in a wall) and the Doctor has to stop it. We have our running down corridors. We have a beautiful alien creature and even the CGI space ships were nice. Something, which I felt, that Doctor Who in recent years has not been very good at.
I won’t mention Karen Gillan as the wonderful Amy Pond as, having seen The Beast Beneath; I’ll discuss her more there. However she gives a strong performance and I am happy with her as the new companion
To sum up my opening review; I enjoyed this episode. It had a great plot that rattled along, not once did it feel as if it was dragging. It was silly when it needed to be, but that was put to one side when it was time to get to business.
8/10
Oh and unlike my esteemed colleague I loved the new title sequence and music.
Doctor Who came back with a bang and almost destroyed Big Ben, again. Steven Moffat gave us a superb season opener. We met the new Doctor, a little unhinged by his recent regeneration. In Matt Smith portrayal of the Doctor we got flashes of the kindness of the fifth Doctor, the action hero that was the third doctor and of course the bizarreness of Tom Baker’s forth Doctor. Matt Smith is definitely the Doctor.
Moffat’s plot was simple and this is what I like about it. A monster has escaped to Earth (through a crack in a wall) and the Doctor has to stop it. We have our running down corridors. We have a beautiful alien creature and even the CGI space ships were nice. Something, which I felt, that Doctor Who in recent years has not been very good at.
I won’t mention Karen Gillan as the wonderful Amy Pond as, having seen The Beast Beneath; I’ll discuss her more there. However she gives a strong performance and I am happy with her as the new companion
To sum up my opening review; I enjoyed this episode. It had a great plot that rattled along, not once did it feel as if it was dragging. It was silly when it needed to be, but that was put to one side when it was time to get to business.
8/10
Oh and unlike my esteemed colleague I loved the new title sequence and music.
Saturday, 10 April 2010
Back with a bang...
The Eleventh Hour, by Steven Moffat
And we're off! Ok, so I'm not immediately fond of the music or titles but I always did think they'd struggle to change the last one for the better. And while we're at it the in-episode music was far too loud! As much as I like Murray Gold's work I'd rather here the dialogue!
Right, that said (and I wouldn't be a-British, b-a Doctor Who fan, without a good old moan) this was a barnstorming good start for the Matt Smith/Moffat era. Series openers can be hit and miss but Smith's incarnation brings instant other-worldly appeal and edge-of-your-seat excitement to the role.
Bringing the Doctor in as the companion's "imaginary friend" was a master stroke, offering a new and interesting take on the Doctor-companion relationship that wouold appear to have good mileage for forthcoming adventures. The look and feel was refreshing too - the good-old English village green a welcome change from the London bubble of previous years.
The alien threat, albeit not always the sole focus of the episode, was decent fare - giant eyeballs chasing shape-shifting lizard/snakes, menacing things in the corner of your eye, an unnerving crack in the wall - all classic Who-style elements that Moffat does very well.
I also enjoyed the slightly more "pat on the back" stuff when the Doctor warns the Atraxi that Earth is defended. It was a long-ish sequence that can only be done in a first episode but gave Matt chance to win us over once more and set the tone for the series to come.
On this evidence it could be a thrilling few weeks ahead...
8/10
And we're off! Ok, so I'm not immediately fond of the music or titles but I always did think they'd struggle to change the last one for the better. And while we're at it the in-episode music was far too loud! As much as I like Murray Gold's work I'd rather here the dialogue!
Right, that said (and I wouldn't be a-British, b-a Doctor Who fan, without a good old moan) this was a barnstorming good start for the Matt Smith/Moffat era. Series openers can be hit and miss but Smith's incarnation brings instant other-worldly appeal and edge-of-your-seat excitement to the role.
Bringing the Doctor in as the companion's "imaginary friend" was a master stroke, offering a new and interesting take on the Doctor-companion relationship that wouold appear to have good mileage for forthcoming adventures. The look and feel was refreshing too - the good-old English village green a welcome change from the London bubble of previous years.
The alien threat, albeit not always the sole focus of the episode, was decent fare - giant eyeballs chasing shape-shifting lizard/snakes, menacing things in the corner of your eye, an unnerving crack in the wall - all classic Who-style elements that Moffat does very well.
I also enjoyed the slightly more "pat on the back" stuff when the Doctor warns the Atraxi that Earth is defended. It was a long-ish sequence that can only be done in a first episode but gave Matt chance to win us over once more and set the tone for the series to come.
On this evidence it could be a thrilling few weeks ahead...
8/10
Thursday, 8 April 2010
Welcome!
Welcome to the Phantom Piper - a blog set up by two fans who promise to offer an honest appraisal of each of Matt Smith's new adventures in the Tardis. Although largely growing up in the dusty wasteland of the non-Who TV world we've both immersed ourselves in the good Doctor over the years, through countless hours of VHS, UK Gold, CD and now DVD. But how will Matt measure up to messers Hartnell, Troughton et al? Can Steven Moffat sustain his magic as show runner? We'll give you our brief, digestable take on each of this series' screen outings - and feel free to argue furiously, agree entirely or anywhere in between with a comment!
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