Doctor Who 2008: Sontarans cometh, RTD Ood 'ave 'im etc.

Exactly thats why I like her as opposed to Martha.

Ah right, I get you. Incidentally, this picture from the Christmas special looks pretty spoileriffic.

But not in the way you'd think.

Donna's grate.

yep, she's totally grown on me as a real character - though i hope we won't get more of the 'ooh this is all so amazing omg + where is your heart???' stuff, b/c ugh i mean i'd be super excited too for sure but still c'mon, be cool
also they should stop making her wear those wear tunic/dresses over pants by which i mean trousers - is there something abt the doctor who lighting that causes thighs to be offensive to viewers? i do not think so

i think she looks the best she's ever looked in the preview for next wk's ep, where she's in the flapper-style dress! perfect

Last night I was listening to Kylie Minogue on my headphones and suddenly realized..

Two hearts... beating together...

oh come ON

Never thought id say this but donna is great. Dr Who doesnt need Rose or Martha. Donna with the Dr and the occasional appearance of captain jack and jenny will do fine.

Sorry I AM a bit slow!! Was it written as a tie-in to the Xmas ep??

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I mean, "I've seen the dark of you" is clearly a reference to the Doctor destroying the Raknos progeny.

step back in time

they are still trying too hard to prove that donna doesn't wuv the doctor with all the "we're not a couple, what us, EEWWWW" thing, but I prefer that to doe-eyed girliness any day.

i am pleased to have been proved right about donna, i really liked her in the runaway bride and said even back then she'd be a good companion. yay me.

Ailsa, I bow before your wisdom. I was expecting to hate her, but now really like her.

Remember the knit Adipose babies?

http://io9.com/389647/bbc-destroys-cute-knitted-versions-of-doctor-who-monsters

http://cache.io9.com/assets/resources/2008/05/cuteood.jpg

^ the real villains

That wasn't too bad. Histrionics at the end had me hiding behind the sofa (squirming, rather than in fear), but the rest of it wasn't bad. The "7 days" reveal was actually rather clever, I thought.

This whole season's been quite poor compared to the last, I think, but it's still very watchable, so it beats Season 2 at least.

Close run thing though.

Most of the first half of last season was shonk of the highest order, this one is beating it so far. Last season really took off in the second half though.

Certainly the Sontaran two parter was better than the Daleks In Manhattan nonsense.

Yep, as far as season first halves go, 2 < 3 < 4 < 1.

I didn't like the "oh noes we are going to crash into the sun" one or the Shakespeare one or whatever it was with Mark Gatiss as the mad scientist AT ALL. Daleks in Manhattan at least had Daleks.

having said all that I think the Sontaran Mr Potato Head tie in will be less successful at Christmas than the dalek sek voice changing mask.

Radio controlled Davros 4 evah.

"oh noes we are going to crash into the sun"

this was the best episode of that half of the series.

wasn't it in the second half?

they took the 3 week break or whatever it was before '42'

when people slate 'Evolution Of The Daleks' is it just the cop out ending or other stuff?

i am wishing that the upcoming episode 'Forest Of The Dead' features the tree people from 'The End Of The World' (rewatched this the other day) as they were excellent - but it's Moffat's two parter so presumably not.

Cop-out ending.
Fuckwitted science, even by Dr Who standards.
Daleks meant to be big threat, but really just farting around in sewers.
Human/Dalek hybrid less scary than actual Daleks.
Unconvincing American-ness.

What I did like was the hybrid's natty suit and shoes, which remained surprisingly slime-free after the conversion process, and the pig-men doing their waiting-for-the-lift-to-arrive bit.

i liked the old-NYC bowery boys aspect of it, but i didn't like how little of that there was

Cop-out ending.
Fuckwitted science, even by Dr Who standards.
Daleks meant to be big threat, but really just farting around in sewers.
Human/Dalek hybrid less scary than actual Daleks.
Unconvincing American-ness.

sounds like most average episodes, give or take a few words

the americanness was very unconvincing, although i just saw "rabbi jacob" the other night (louis de funes' most popular movie) and that had new york jews speaking french the entire time so, you know...

I don't mind the americaness being awful as it makes up for innumerable crimes against englishness perpetrated by the american media.

sitcom butlers

It built a fabulous premise (human Dalek) and completely flubbed it. That entire second episode was as bad and pointless as the second episode of the Sontaran one.

Someone on this production feels the need to satisfy the Hollywood-obsessed contingent of the audience and I really wish they'd stop.

Someone on this production feels the need to satisfy the Hollywood-obsessed contingent of the audience wants to sell DVDs overseas and I really wish they'd stop.

fixed

Martha debut, Shakespeare one and traffic jammy-one all pretty good, I thought. Daleks in NY episode also fun, save for the now-traditional rubbish ending.

I think, perhaps, after the third straight season of not being as good as the Ecclestone season, my expectations have finally changed, and I'm enjoying the show as a fun piece of nonsense. I mean, it's never terribly good, but I always look forward to watching it.

(That's with the proviso that Human Nature and Blink were probably show highlights, from any era.)

So far, Season 2 had the strongest ending, which you never would have convinced me as being in the realm of possibility after seeing "The Idiot's Lantern" and assuming the rest of the season was as mind-bogglingly awful as that episode.

The last two eps of season three were more-or-less unwatchable, I thought.

I disagree, especially regarding the penultimate episode. It was the weakest season ending to date, though.

Whoever first used the phrase "Tinkerbell Jesus Doctor" to describe the end of season 3 ruined myability to enjoy it on rewatching, having rather liked it first time round.

No Daleks this year! I've only just realised. Yes I know they'll show up at some point.

Penultimate episode = cracking, apart from the Master dancing bit. Jacobi regenerates into Simm = cracking. Really bleak aftermath bit of final episode = great. Ancient Doctor = wank. Resolution = even more wank.

But also the canonised Ark In Space resolution "oh look there was a vestige of humanity in him all along" = also wank so shite endings apparently par the course with Who. I haven't seen any story that beats Blink as far as perfectly structured resolutions go.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7400268.stm

I kind of have to say, though, that if you don't like hippie love-in bullshit, most Doctor Who resolutions are going to drive you up the wall.

For all of its other flaws, "Warriors of the Deep" has one of the best resolutions in the entire series.

x-post

Instant unpopularity! Well done, BBC.

Thoroughly enjoyed that. Next week's looks wonderfully weird, shades of Borges and all.

Next week's looks wonderfully weird

Docter Who and the Eurovision Song Contest.

"Tinkerbell Jesus Doctor"

do you mean "flying magic space jesus"?

I enjoyed this one, a lot.