*Spoilers*
Armed with my retro sausage sandwich, I snuggled down on the sofa for a 1970s-style Doctor Who experience, and it didn't disappoint.
Evil businessman, toxic waste down a coal mine, giant creepy-crawlies: this was The Green Death for the 21st century. I'm not a huge spider fan, so this episode was definitely scary. It may be a while before I can face having a bath again.
There were some echoes of the Russell T Davies era as well. The suspicion of Yasmin's Mum Najia about her daughter's new 'friend' was very similar to that of Jackie Tyler, Francine Jones and Sylvia Noble. 'Why is it always the mothers?' the Tenth Doctor wondered, after having his face slapped by Francine in The Lazarus Experiment. There was also an Aliens of London/World War Three moment with Chris Noth's evil businessman who seemed extremely like a certain American president. It didn't come quite as close to the bone as the 'massive weapons of destruction line' as it was made clear that he intended to challenge Trump (perhaps the lawyers made them put that bit in) but the reference was hardly subtle.
I have a few niggles though.
I spent quite a lot of time worrying about Yas's dad and his terrible pakoras. He'd gone to all that trouble and the guests had vanished. How rude! I hope the food wasn't wasted.
The resolution seemed rushed. The final scene in which 'Team TARDIS' signed up was good, but we never learned who is going to clear up the spider web and carcass, to say nothing of the toxic dump in the mine. What happened to the spider in the flat?
Still, 10/10 for the title.
Sunday 28 October 2018
Doctor Who Day
Sunday 28 October 2018
The clocks have gone back, I have had a lie-in to celebrate my extra hour, it's cold outside and the evenings are getting dark. It feels like a proper 'Doctor Who' day like we used to have in the 1970s.
So much so, that I watched an episode of Inferno earlier - the news stories about small earthquakes caused by fracking somehow brought it to mind, as did an interview with John Levene in Doctor Who Magazine.
To round off my 1970s Doctor Who experience, I'm making sausage sandwiches for tea, to be consumed whilst watching the Doctor battling with spiders. I just hope we don't experience that other feature of early 70s TV watching - the power cut!
The clocks have gone back, I have had a lie-in to celebrate my extra hour, it's cold outside and the evenings are getting dark. It feels like a proper 'Doctor Who' day like we used to have in the 1970s.
So much so, that I watched an episode of Inferno earlier - the news stories about small earthquakes caused by fracking somehow brought it to mind, as did an interview with John Levene in Doctor Who Magazine.
To round off my 1970s Doctor Who experience, I'm making sausage sandwiches for tea, to be consumed whilst watching the Doctor battling with spiders. I just hope we don't experience that other feature of early 70s TV watching - the power cut!
Sunday 21 October 2018
Settling In
Sunday 21 October 2018
Three episodes in, it's time to reflect on the new series and team.
Firstly, broadcasting on a Sunday is inspired. I went to see Troilus and Cressida (with Martha's Mum Adjoa Andoh playing Ulysses brilliantly) last night without having to catch up on Doctor Who on iPlayer.
The series has followed the Russell T Davies template of a trip to the future in episode 2 and a celebrity historical for episode 3 and is eschewing the more complicated timey-wimey plotting of the Moffat era.
The Ghost Monument had a refreshingly straightforward plot: essentially Doctor Who meets a Top Gear Special as the crew gatecrash the final stage of a rally. No prizes for guessing what the 'Ghost Monument' at the finishing line turns out to be. All they have to do to find the TARDIS is cross an inhospitable planet that is trying to kill them, whilst allowing time for some character development along the way.
Rosa had something of the feel of one of the Hartnell episodes, but was none the worse for that. The subject was handled sensitively. As last week, the plot was straightforward - all the team had to do was foil the attempts of the villain (a meddling monk equivalent) to change history. Not quite as easy as you might think, and the question of whether or not there would be enough people on the bus provided a surprising amount of tension. There was also a nice nod to more recent Who with a reference to the Storm Cage detention facility.
I like this new simplicity.
Three episodes in, it's time to reflect on the new series and team.
Firstly, broadcasting on a Sunday is inspired. I went to see Troilus and Cressida (with Martha's Mum Adjoa Andoh playing Ulysses brilliantly) last night without having to catch up on Doctor Who on iPlayer.
The series has followed the Russell T Davies template of a trip to the future in episode 2 and a celebrity historical for episode 3 and is eschewing the more complicated timey-wimey plotting of the Moffat era.
The Ghost Monument had a refreshingly straightforward plot: essentially Doctor Who meets a Top Gear Special as the crew gatecrash the final stage of a rally. No prizes for guessing what the 'Ghost Monument' at the finishing line turns out to be. All they have to do to find the TARDIS is cross an inhospitable planet that is trying to kill them, whilst allowing time for some character development along the way.
Rosa had something of the feel of one of the Hartnell episodes, but was none the worse for that. The subject was handled sensitively. As last week, the plot was straightforward - all the team had to do was foil the attempts of the villain (a meddling monk equivalent) to change history. Not quite as easy as you might think, and the question of whether or not there would be enough people on the bus provided a surprising amount of tension. There was also a nice nod to more recent Who with a reference to the Storm Cage detention facility.
I like this new simplicity.
Sunday 14 October 2018
The Doctor Has Landed
14 October 2018
It's a week now since Jodie Whittaker made her proper debut as the Thirteenth-ish Doctor. I was ready, with my edible ball bearing cakes, for a teatime treat.
Overall, I enjoyed the episode, though I was sad about Ryan's Nan. I would have liked to see more of her. The new style seemed to fit into Sunday evening viewing so well, that at one point I did wonder whether I was still watching The Bodyguard.
I do have a few queries though:
1. The Doctor fell out of her TARDIS in flight, through the roof of a train and was all right afterwards? The Fourth Doctor regenerated after falling of a radar array which was nowhere near as high. The Tenth Doctor fell through a roof in The End of Time Part Two and sort of survived for a bit, (at least until Wilf accidentally irradiated him), but at least he looked damaged. OK - I know she was still in her regeneration cycle, when minor injuries such as losing a hand or being gunned down by the Gestapo aren't fatal, but even so.
2. If Ryan gave 'consent' for the hunting ritual when he touched the shape in the air, how come the quarry had already been lined up with enough time for 'Tim Shaw' to rig up his cheating device? He came through almost immediately afterwards.
3. Why was Ryan trying to learn to ride a bike on uneven, muddy ground? Wouldn't an empty car park have been easier - and have they never heard of stabilisers?
4. Is it just me, or did the new Doctor's sonic screwdriver look like it might have another function?
Looking forward to finding out how the new crew cope on a different planet.
It's a week now since Jodie Whittaker made her proper debut as the Thirteenth-ish Doctor. I was ready, with my edible ball bearing cakes, for a teatime treat.
I do have a few queries though:
1. The Doctor fell out of her TARDIS in flight, through the roof of a train and was all right afterwards? The Fourth Doctor regenerated after falling of a radar array which was nowhere near as high. The Tenth Doctor fell through a roof in The End of Time Part Two and sort of survived for a bit, (at least until Wilf accidentally irradiated him), but at least he looked damaged. OK - I know she was still in her regeneration cycle, when minor injuries such as losing a hand or being gunned down by the Gestapo aren't fatal, but even so.
2. If Ryan gave 'consent' for the hunting ritual when he touched the shape in the air, how come the quarry had already been lined up with enough time for 'Tim Shaw' to rig up his cheating device? He came through almost immediately afterwards.
3. Why was Ryan trying to learn to ride a bike on uneven, muddy ground? Wouldn't an empty car park have been easier - and have they never heard of stabilisers?
4. Is it just me, or did the new Doctor's sonic screwdriver look like it might have another function?
Looking forward to finding out how the new crew cope on a different planet.
Saturday 6 October 2018
Deletion
Saturday 6 October 2018
Only one day to go until Jodie Whittaker is properly introduced as the new Doctor. I have been so busy lately that I haven't really had time to get excited yet, but I'm definitely working up to it now.
I recently blogged about the feminisation of the audience for Doctor Who. There was another good example of that at work this week. It was at the start of a meeting of a university committee that approves new degree programmes, and someone mentioned that an obsolete programme was going to be deleted. 'That sounds like something the Cybermen would do' said the chair (another lady of a certain age like myself, who looks absolutely nothing like the traditional image of a Who fan.) She then went on to mention that an old friend of hers had been in a Cybermen episode. From the description of the character I immediately identified Mrs Moore from Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel played by Helen Griffin. By this time one or two of our (male) colleagues on the other side of the table were looking bemused, but that did not stop the chair from adding that another friend used to run a shop where they did occasional Who-related signings and once arranged for Tom Baker to phone her at work.
I didn't have the heart to ask whether she was sure it wasn't Jon Culshaw.
 |
| Cyberman |
I recently blogged about the feminisation of the audience for Doctor Who. There was another good example of that at work this week. It was at the start of a meeting of a university committee that approves new degree programmes, and someone mentioned that an obsolete programme was going to be deleted. 'That sounds like something the Cybermen would do' said the chair (another lady of a certain age like myself, who looks absolutely nothing like the traditional image of a Who fan.) She then went on to mention that an old friend of hers had been in a Cybermen episode. From the description of the character I immediately identified Mrs Moore from Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel played by Helen Griffin. By this time one or two of our (male) colleagues on the other side of the table were looking bemused, but that did not stop the chair from adding that another friend used to run a shop where they did occasional Who-related signings and once arranged for Tom Baker to phone her at work.
I didn't have the heart to ask whether she was sure it wasn't Jon Culshaw.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
Since its return in 2005, Doctor Who has provided viewers with an ever-growing list of commands. Quite are few are prohibitions - mostl... -
It's the first year for 14 years that there has not been a Doctor Who Christmas special on 25 December. To someone who lived throug... -
1 November 2014 Today is the start of the season finale, and we will (I hope) find out the identity of the mysterious Missy. There are m...