
I thought that Silence in the Library was better than Forest of the Dead. FotD was still better than 90% of Who episodes, but it wasn't quite as good as the setup. I was a lot more interested in the Vashda Nerada than the Matrix stuff.
This thread is woefully missing kudos for this week's episode. I know AICN talkback, a traditional wasteland of uninformed commentary, was mixed on this week's episode, but I thought it was a well done filler'sode.
I am, however, excited to dig into the 2 part season finale next week.
The thing that made this episode great for me was that in the end it showed that the Doctor was actually, truly scared of this... thing.
I think the biggest problem was that it, being the episode "Midnight" (which won't air in the U.S. for a couple of weeks), felt more like an episode of The Twilight Zone than Doctor Who. I still dug it, though. And there are three episodes left, which means either one more standalone story or a three parter like last year.
I really liked 'Midnight', and I actually went into it thinking 'alright, brace yourself, this won't be as great as the last two episodes', but it was still pretty good. And yet another episode with a brief glimpse of Rose in the background: we'll probably get some light shed on that whole predicament next week!
I too loved "Midnight." Scared the crap out of me, it did.
Thanks to the wonder of YouTube, I peeked at Midnight a bit early (damned US tele schedule!).
As was previously mentioned, the paranoia angle did make it seem Twilight Zone-ish. But my big problem with the episode is that it leaves just about zero space for falling action. The Doctah is saved, but the audience doesn't get the release we're looking for. He doesn't lay into the idiot mom and pop, he doesn't dress-down the Professor, or prop up the little assistant for being genuinely clever.
We just see everyone sitting around, obviously uncomfortable with what they were about to do, confronting/reassuring themselves in an unheard internal monologue.
God, it's such a waste.
As for next week's episode... What if it isn't Rose that's supposed to be "coming back"? What if Donna gets into hot water and she's the one to unfix it all for us? Regardless, I'm definitely interested in how Ms. Tyler's making appearances here.
Holy Crap.
First Diablo 3 announced then tonights episode of who..what a day
I like how they got all the foreshadowing and setup done in the previous "Donna centric" episode and jumped straight into the action in tonights one. Unfortunately I don't think I can say anything about it that wouldn't be a massive spoiler :S
I certainly didn't anticipate the cliffhanger at the end...we normally get wind of things like that pretty quickly - either they did a bang up job of keeping the plot secret or things are not as they appear....
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In fact, on thinking about it things CAN'T be as they appear due to circumstances in the previous episodes...
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Now if RTD can just steer clear of turning anyone into Gollum or pulling some random Deus Ex Machina out of his backside this year then next weeks final episode should be well worth watching
And yet another episode with a brief glimpse of Rose in the background: we'll probably get some light shed on that whole predicament next week!
You'd be correct, that was all pretty much explained last week in "turn left".
Sweet Jesus, this week's ep, the first of the season finale two parter, is AMAZING.
SPOILERS LIKE YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE
[color=white]Jack Harkness, Ianto and Gwen, Sarah Jane Smith and her son, Rose, Martha and her mum, UNIT, the death of Harriet Jones, Former Prime Minister (we know who you are), Daleks, Davros, Judoon, the Shadow Proclaimation, where the bees went, the Medusa Cascade and THE DOCTOR REGENERATES!Unless the universal reset button is hit at the end of this season, the death of the Doctor will be a phenemonal snow job; Tennant and Russell T Davies have been talking about the 3 feature lengths that he had been filming since before this aired. [/color]
After a consistent, but not great start to the season, everything from The Silence in the Library on has been excellent. (Yes, I really enjoyed Midnight. And Turn Left is the missing bees' knees.) The first part of the season finale, however, is Doctor Who turned up to 11. I was blown away. And it's going to be a long week waiting to see what happens next.
Yes, I fully expect a Deus ex Donna ending, but The Missing Earth was so much fun that I can bask in the current awesome and let the finale attend to itself. A friend described the cliffhanger this way: "holy ****? Is that for real?"
Ah, stevenmack was clearly far more observant than I was last night!
re: 'that' cliffhanger (spoiler)
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Two reasons I think this regeneration is a fake-out:
1) The serving girl at the Shadow Proclamation said "there's something on your back" to Donna, suggesting she still has one of those time-altering bugs attached to her.
2)River Song (in the Library Two parter) recognizes the Doctor as a younger version of 'her' Doctor
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Actually this is interesting... (avoid if you dont want even *potential* spoilers for next week)
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A rumour going about is that the doctor regenerates but the regeneration is split (keeping his current appearance BUT a second doctor regenerates from the severed hand which was next to the console). Take with a pinch of salt, the internet being what it is but...it does make sense, what with the hand being fairly prominent in a couple of shots in that last episode.Then again, they've been quite good with spreading mis-information before, so who knows...
Can't wait for next weeks one though.
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My take is
[color=white]The episode was great, but prepare for Deus Ex Machina. It's a complete fake out. I'm certain.Donna is actually far more interesting to me. Sitting there on the stairs was she hearing ... the sound of drums? Two heartbeats?[/color]
Aha, re-watched the episode and actually...
[color=white]The girl that talks to Donna says "There *WAS* something on your back", not "there *IS* something" like I though before. Although clearly whatever is up with her is going to be what saves the day in the end. No doubt at the expense of her life.[/color]
one other fun thing i noticed...
[color=white]First time through I was slightly annoyed by Sarah Jane's 'overacting' at the final scene with her blockaded by the two Daleks...but when watching it back it occured to me this might be a deliberate attempt to reference the acting in her 'classic who' cliffhangers[/color]
I forgive Sarah Jane many things because I have such fond memories of her as Tom Baker's assistant. I was able to suspend disbelief by thinking - well, if anyone knows to be afraid of the Daleks, it's good ol' Sarah Jane.
Sci-Fi channel is too slow, and for that matter so is the BBC. Doesn't the BBC realize next weekend is a holiday? Oi! They should of aired it back to back with episode 12 this weekend. We should start a revolution or something... That'll show 'em! I want my season finale! Err, I mean parallel season finale!
Things I liked: Mad Dalek Caan, Davros, the Doctor being stumped, Harriet Jones's bow (The Mr Copper network is probably a clue to something), the pretty impressive vista in earth's sky.
Things I didn't like: I find Daleks boring. I also got quickly bored with shots of ex-companions bricking it at the prospects of Daleks coming.
The problem with apparently insurmountable odds (e.g. shedloads of Daleks) is that they can only be overcome in lame ways (e.g. Rose becomes a God, something sucking them all into The Void or whatever). I preferred it when there were only a handful of them left. Davies has done rubbish I Win buttons before more than once, and given that he's added a ready-made retcon device doesn't bode well for the following episode.
The Doctor Who Confidential afterwards showed Mickey and Jackie Tyler at the readthrough, neither of which I regard as good news for the following episode, unless it heralds the death of the wide-mouthed frog.
BTW, you can see a non-spoiler teaser trailer for the next episode here
This should be his last one before that bloke from League of Gentlemen takes over though right?
Actually I believe Moffat takes over in the next full season (2010), which leaves next year's "special episodes" still in Davies' hands I believe.
Just noticed on that same site where you linked the trailer clip it mentions that the next episode is 65 minutes long instead of 45...puts it slightly longer than the Christmas specials
Starts 20 min earlier and NOT at it's usual time (for us UK folks at least).
Glad I read that or it'd probably have caught me out...couldn't have that :shock:.
Starts 20 min earlier and NOT at it's usual time (for us UK folks at least).
Glad I read that or it'd probably have caught me out...couldn't have that :shock:.
I'm glad that you have a "usual" time; despite this being one of the most popular shows on TV over here, it bounces around Saturday evenings like Zebedee on a trampoline. They shift it for whatever "Celebrity Rollerblade Dancing On Ice" they have one that week.
Thank God for series link on Sky Plus.
Hmm...hadn't really noticed it jumping about (I've watched most of the episodes on Iplayer for the convenience of it), only really the last few I've tried to catch at their proper times.
I went from being completely enthralled, giddy at the Doctor's secret army, and then absolutely heartbroken at the end.
I mean, C'mon, it was a glancing blow!
I love season-long arcs, but this is really proving to be a series-wide arc. I'm just so mushy about the whole prospect.
Things I didn't like: I find Daleks boring. I also got quickly bored with shots of ex-companions bricking it at the prospects of Daleks coming...
Can never have enough Dalek's me
I agree though that RTD is a bit crap at digging himself out of "hopless odds" situations. This should be his last one before Moffat takes over though right?
unless it heralds the death of the wide-mouthed frog.
She DOES look a bit ...odder than she used to on these past two episodes.
BTW, you can see a non-spoiler teaser trailer for the next episode here
nice! was wondering how they could do a teaser without massive spoilers but they handled that quite well...
Not long now...
Also : baseless internet rumour of the week :
...Robert Carlyle as the next doctor? (or regenerated-duplicate doctor depending on how this last episode goes)
I hope this is all a ruse and Tenant stays on a bit longer but....wouldn't be a bad replacement in my humble opinion.
Find out in a couple of hours I guess
Something else I didn't realise while poking around a bit : The "Mr Copper Foundation" that created the sub-wave communicator thingy was founded by Bayldon Copper (the "Earthanomics" guy from the Christmas special who ends up staying on earth at the end). Doubt it's got anything to do with anything but it's a nice piece of continuity
Great finale.
[color=white] It would have been better if she had died. I had really grown to like the character as she developed.[/color]
That was actually pretty darned good
And nobody hit the reset button this year...hmm...wonder how that will affect the next series of Torchwood (a little bit harder to keep the knowledge of extra terrestrials secret now).
Overall, an excellent ending with the only blemish in my opinion being a rather....silly....bit near the end. You'll know it when you see it
Spoiler
[color=white] Her fate in the end seemed much more cruel than mere death.
And from the ending, does this mean that Martha will be in the next series of Torchwood permanently? What about (oh god please say no) Micky...?[/color]
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Oh and I liked the look of the little Christmas special trailer... (STOMP, STOMP, STOMP)
Yeah, that looked very nice!
[color=white]Pre-Doctor Donna is definitely a fate worse than death, especially for her grandad! I wouldn't mind Micky in Torchwood; better than season 1 Owen, anyway! And anything with Martha in it is fine by me. I'll miss Tosh, though.[/color]
Yea, Bernard Cribbins was excellent as always. One of the best characters added to this season I think.
One thing I will say on further thought, I think it's a good job Moffat is taking over - RTD's series endings all tend to write the Doctor & Co into dead-ends against seemingly unsurmountable odds which can only ultimately be beaten by "out of the blue" Deus Ex Machina.
It's not even remotely close to being as bad as it has been previously but still...
Lots of good stuff in the episode though (Dalek's gliding through the German forest screeching in German....actually slightly chilling).
GREAT finale, but poor, poor Donna. I cried. A lot.
spoiler wrote:[color=white] It would have been better if she had died. I had really grown to like the character as she developed.[/color]
[color=white] Ah, but with one notable exception from the old series, companions don't die.
Good lord it must have been tricky to cram that many names into the opening titles.[/color]
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