Call the Space Midwife

10 November 2018

It's nearly a week since The Tsuranga Conundrum was broadcast. I watched it again today to see whether it was as bad as I originally thought.  It was.


Last Friday I had lunch with my former colleague, who told me he really wasn't enjoying the new series. I tried to convince him that it was better than he thought.  On Sunday evening, I texted him to concede that this particular episode was bad. He hadn't even bothered to watch it.  On the basis that our opinions of the new series were diametrically opposed, he then decided to see it after all.  He can't say I didn't warn him.

For me, nothing about the episode really worked.  It was never made clear what Team TARDIS were looking for on the planet of the dumps in the first place.  Then the whole concept of the Tsurunga seemed weird.  Why would a society that is civilised and caring enough to create automated emergency medical transport vessels include a protocol to self-destruct when remote sensors suggest something is wrong. Wouldn't quarantine be a more usual response?

The plot felt like one of the lesser Star Trek episodes and the tone was all over the place. The P'Ting  seemed like a sort of cross between the cuteness of an Adipose and the menace of thing from Midnight. It also reminded me a bit of Yoda, as Luke Skywalker first encountered him in the Dagobah system. The pacing was also off.  One minute there was an urgent threat as the ship is being devoured by an unstoppable creature, and the next everything stopped for clunky exposition, a lesson on antimatter or an episode of Call the Space Midwife. 

Ronan was not the only one experiencing a comprehension deficiency by the end.

I hope for more from Demons of the Punjab.

May 2007: the Doctor becomes ubiquitous

5 May 2007

Back to modern day England for an encounter with a dangerous monster – but enough of Mrs Jones; what about Professor Lazarus?  Mark Gatiss was excellent, as was his prosthetic ’76 years old’ make-up. The CGI monster also worked well, and moved more convincingly that the Reapers and Krillitanes. The episode looked good, and there was some ostentatious clue-dropping by one of Mr Saxon’s henchmen. Maybe too many false climaxes for perfection, though.  Saw a bit of David Tennant on Parkinson later.  Parkinson clearly hasn’t watched it and was not very well briefed, but DT managed OK.

18 May 2007

Watched Jonathan Ross show as John Barrowman and Andrew Lloyd Webber were due to be on it, with clip from John Barrowman’s return to Doctor Who. For once, JB was totally upstaged by Ross’ previous guest, the completely insane Janice Dickinson. Oliver Reed was nothing compared with her.  God knows what she was on.

19 May 2007

42  was set in real time, on a space ship hurtling towards a sun.  It looked wonderful, and there was real tension, but I didn’t actually enjoy it that much.  I think it reminded me too much of Star Trek TNG.

23 May 2007

To the doctor’s surgery for pre-holiday vaccinations.  Now I know Doctor Who is ubiquitous – they had a couple of the ‘quick reads’ books in the waiting room.  Makes a change from last year’s magazines, anyway. 

According to London Lite, Kylie Minogue is taking acting lessons so she can play a Cyberwoman.  I really hope not!

26 May 2007

Human Nature was much better than I feared. The scarecrows were particularly creepy.

 

December 2005: A Christmas present

25 December 2005

Wow! 

The Christmas Invasion was definitely unsettling, particularly if, like me, your blood is A positive and you don’t care for heights!

Forget the gimmicky killer Santas and Christmas tree. 

David Tennant, brought to life by a cup of tea, saves the planet by playing Luke Skywalker whilst dressed as Arthur Dent in a setting from Star Trek: TNG.  Then goes home to his turkey dinner.

What could ever improve on that?