Be Excellent To Each Other

Really enjoyed that, lot of returning things, but all done really well. I'm liking Donna more and more every week. Saw the probic vent thing coming but still cheereed when it happened.

I laughed at one of the decorations on the Sontaran ship, which looked for all the world like a 360 power button complete with LEDs. If one of them goes red next week, I may die laughing.

I am also hoping for a Martha/EvilMartha fight, possibly in the goop.

Yartek is the smartest person on this forum. Especially the last bit.

A mini-series on the Time Wars would be excellent, and as it would be set some time between 'classic' Doctor Who and Christopher Eccleston's debut, it could feasibly star anyone. In fact, Paul McGann would be ideal, as he could regenerate into Eccleston at the end and provide a link. Or McGann could regenerate into whoever, and whoever could regenerate into Eccleston.

And the Martha Vs Martha goo fight is a great idea, but only if at least one of them is in a bikini. Now, how would you work that into the plot?

Yeah, we're all getting sick to death of him pulling the blasted thing out of his arse every time he's in a tight spot, but when a situation arises when he could logically use it, he keeps it in his pocket.

He could be one of these people (like me) who often spends ages thinking of a solution to a problem, and completely ignores the simplest way of doing things.

Yes but bear in mind that in the first 10 seconds of part two, he'll use the sonic screwdriver to feedback the Atmos processor into the Sontaran control satellite, reversing the polarity and causing the doors to pop open on the millions of affected cars, JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME.

Mark my words.

My prediction is that the gas is non-fatal and meant to do something else - either to do with terraforming or to somehow give the Sontarans a battlefield advantage. Perhaps the gas is designed to react with explosive yields and nukes? Perhaps they're going to try and force Earth into deploying nukes, and the new type of gas does something with it?

Hopefully not mind control gas though. That's been done to death.

Producer: "We've run out of budget!"

RTD: "Deploy the story-zombies!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3_YK5cKn0g - 52 seconds in. Best thing JNT contributed to the entire 1980's run IMO.

@Nervouspete: Oh yeah. Damn, you're probably right, it'll turn them all into zombies like the car workers in the factory.

Hmmm, good clip, I'd forgotten how effective the Terileptil's were as a monster / villain.

So what happened? Tell me.

Here's what the gas did, then:



Not bad episode in all. Glad to see UNIT kicking ass too.

So did anyone else spot a possible reference to the Terminus episode of the Davison era?

I thought the last two episodes were simply fantastic, and I can't fault them at all in terms of being hugely entertaining.

Also loving Donna - had my reservations about Tate at first, as did most people by the sounds of it, but I think she's superb. I'm still chuckling at that, "Back of the neck!" line.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I know the plot didn't make any sense, but it was definitely good fun!

You watch, they'll go somewhere else with him by series' end. Hopefully nowhere messianic again.

Was that a Red Dwarf joke? No, "Sontaaarans"..

If there is a list of cool things to do after mocking the aliens' catchphrase, what the dork did is very close to the top.

I'm still amazed about UNIT shooting the monsters, and the monsters... actually dying!

There was a very clever FX shot of the Doctor teleporting out and the geek guy teleporting in -- and grabbing the control box the Doctor just dropped. It was perfectly seamless even though it must, logically, have been some sort of digital composite. I bet some guys in the Mill sweated over that for weeks.

Another great episode. I laughed out loud at the whole thing. And young Ms Who? She's now in the gloop with Martha and Clone.

A quick google turns up that it is Georgia Moffett, Daughter of Mr Peter Davison.

Despite some slightly iffy plot elements this time, I still thought it was a decent effort. Funny to see some using it as an excuse for rantage.

He's got a point, in that it doesn't really hold together if you think about it too hard. The central concept was great, there were some wonderful moments but the pieces didn't fit, was less than the sum of it's parts.

I agree with that but surely the central issue here is when does Georgia Moffet get her spin off series?

Maybe her and Sally Sparrow could have their own consumer watchdog program where they test underwear?

I'm really enjoying this series (thanks to iplayer I can watch it I never stuck with the last) and I'm loving that the 'theme' of the series seems to be about pacifism/idealism and war.

I've always loved the fact that the Doc doesn't carry a gun, and just sorts stuff out without that resorting to violence. Gives the show it's legs basically.

He's right on a the majority of his points though.

I did like the Hath though. They were funny. Needed to be a bit more verbal though. A bit more "ARGLE BARGLE!"

My main quibble was with the bizarre feebleness of the military-spec'd cloning machine. Programmed to create humans and hath with military training, it spawns idiots who let their guns be taken off them, enable them to drown when their fish*, and create generals who literally lead from the front in a bit 'shoot me!' jogging mass like some cretinous team-building corporate paintball retreat. If they had everyone of a uniform age and held off with the instant product just a smidgeon with a clothes cladder then it would have been more plausible. Also, you could have written some better dialogue to explain it.

Doctor: "I say, you're all pretty cheerful for a warrior army trapped in a relentless struggle."
Clone: "Happy soldiers make good soldiers sir. And we're all filled with a can-do spunk!"
Doctor: "What do you know about spunk?"

Plus the combat scenes were feeble. The hath wave their guns about a bit randomly, some sparks and some extras fall over. If you're going to sell a bitter war, you've got to go a bit 2000AD with it. And though I really like Marth, did the script or plot actually need her?

Gngh. Annoying really, because the core conceit was a good one. Unfortunately it was desperately underwritten. So, not annoying like the still nadir Daleks in Manhatten, but definitely on a par with the 'ho-hum look at watch' run-around of '42'. Ie: One really good scene and a lot of meh. (Doctor talks about his kids vs Martha in escape pod.)

Ahh well. At least that Sontaren two-parter was fun, and you don't always get that with the early season two-parters. And I'm looking forward to that Agatha Christie one! Period Who usually = fun Who!

(EDITS:)

* Actually, I've just checked that one, and you can just hear the glass break of his breather - so that explains that. And quicksand would obviously clog the gills. Bit worried about how glibly Martha dismisses radiation though.

They really should have had disintegrator guns. That would explain the lack of bodies. And hold on - why wouldn't they start pondering about being surrounded by lots of obviously recent paperwork from the ship? And why was the map partly hidden? And why weren't they wondering about food supplies? And and and gngh.

I loved Gridlock because it was moving and clever. This was complete anti-biscuits.

It felt extremely short on budget to me. Which is the nature of the game, I suppose. Does Moffat have any episodes coming this season?

Such as that one in Manhattan!

I think Martha was involved purely as a means to write her out again. But, I thought they did it rubbishly - and if she's never in it again, that was a properly shonky way to write her out. So, I really hope she's back again later.

Yes -- a two-parter(!) starting next week(!!!).

Yeah, but budget doesn't matter on that count. The acting of your extras does. If they did a bit of Unit leapfrog fire and showed some cover-savvy then it would have worked more. Hell, even military terminology would have worked. Since the conceit was that they're too busy being military class clones to notice the truth of the matter, they should have had them more focused and blindly 'Gene Infantry' which would have more plausibly explained their ignorance, and made the Doctor's frustration and the happy ending more potent.

Oops!

Best Doc Who ever still that Human Nature two parter though.

Plus: Radically added bits to first post above.

Next year's theme: Shit off, Murray Gold.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NCfM8UGkq0

Sorry, but NO.

Let's face it, anything is better than Gold:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NetKc-7Owgg&feature=related

Actually I've just realised that Dimensions In Time is where the rot set in as it uses a classic RTD ending. Doctor rigs up some equipment and dispatches baddy with a shit explanation.

Why doesn't Nigel just buy a guitar and amp? He is very confusing.

Or buy some decent clothes. The guy must be minted yet he dresses like a tramp.

But if he knew about the terraforming thing then why did he go on about a religious, sacred device? Why wouldn't he just say to his clone army, "Wahey! I know where a top weapon is!" In fact, why did he think it was a weapon at all if he knew about it. And why didn't he know and make use of the tunnells?

Why need to speed up breeding initially if you have a machine? You can make enough to get the colony going and then breed. And if the race only lives ten days then why didn't the Doctor figure that out? Why would you bother colonising a planet using machines that guarenteed a ten day only lifespan? Wouldn't it mean that a crew would be determined to work together and not rely on the machines if there was such a flaw, meaning the problem would never have started?

Tchaw. A wrong episode. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

Ahh, right - misread you there. Yeah, a ten day lifespan story would have been good - Blade Runner for the kiddywinkles. I wish they'd made something of Doc Who's righteous anger thing at the end. I mean, if the guy *is* only a few days old, then surely its a bit harsh for berating him for wanting to kill if that's his entire existence thus far. Or is the Doc arguing Nature over Nurture for this particular human. I'm afraid plotwise it didn't work for me at all.

If he had invented it then I just can't see why he did things the way he did. Hmm. Maybe with the cloning machine they accidently flipped the dial to "Cornish Donald Sutherland" or something.

It was a big annoying bundle of wrong - but a frustrating sort of wrong that could have been right-ace with more care.

Maybe the machine just said: "right we need a leader, now we need some grunts"

Malc

But still why would the leader be old? Wouldn't you go for a leader young enough to fight in close combat, but still slightly old enough to engender paternal feelings? After all, the military information is ready planted in them, experience doesn't matter, so why would age be a factor?

Unless all the other commanders had been shot in action, and the terror of conflict had aged him. Or, as already suggested, the machine's 'stereotype' setting for officers/NCOs is fixed in the 'gruff vet' look, rather than the 'move the drinks cabinet closer to Berlin' mode.

You guys are discussing plot inconsistencies in Doctor Who on the internet.

I just wanted to mention this. Please continue.