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.
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