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

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.

Oh yes, that was rather good. Don't know what order they were shot in, but that was the best chemistry between the Doctor and Donna yet. I love them! Like Ailsa, I can feel smug for being a Tate supporter from the off.

I guessed the "toilet" thing too!

Fenella Woolgar was marvellous as Christie. And I liked the music for once. And the wavy dissolves. It was a blast.

Next week's "How can a shadow be infected?" [bristles with excitement]

It appears to have been one of the frst, i not the actual first, to have been filmed.

I was disappointed watching it, but after I immediately wanted to watch it again. The first half seemed overly hasty and a few things like the reveal of the Unicorn (ie the sudden gor blimey guv'nor accent) and the lengthy bit of slapstick business I didn't much like, and it was too obviously going to be the vicar who dunnit.
But any of the moments with Agatha or Donna were great. And Gordon Henry Jago!

damn keyboard

Good ep, finally. Wasp thing a bit jarring, but otherwise great.

Stay out of the shadows?! God I love Moffat.

I thought that one was absolutely terrific, best in the series so far. Which considering it was by the guy who wrote The Shakespeare Code is saying something. I loved how the whole Unicorn thing was a massive red herring.

Also, there is nothing scarier than a giant wasp. Except an enormous creepy empty library with shadows that kill people. There's no way the next couple won't be awesome.

it could've been scarier/more exciting somehow but it was a good romp

Yes, a good romp. Even the dodgy bits (like the sudden gor-blimey accent) seemed like pretty accurate piss-takes of the way alleged "genius" Christie wrote.

Also liked...

"It says 'maiden'."
"MAIDEN!" (Christie jumps in startlement) "What does that mean?"

and the detox bit was fun.

I liked all the references to Christie book titles, not to mention the Lady Chatterley's Lover joke near the end. The end was slightly spoiled by the rather rubbish "yes we really are in Harrogate, honest" scene.

Was slightly disappeointed by the lack of references to archaeology - although, yes, I know it was her second husband who was the famous archaeologist - but am looking forward to next week's archaeologists in a library! Archaeologists! In a library! How could it possible go wrong?

it's not on til the Saturday after next but apparently there's a special preview of the rest of the series (as they did last year) just befoer EuroViz

also i dunno where The Stolen Earth title came from for the penultimate episode but this episode's title seems to be unconfirmed still with the only clues being it's three words and one of those words is a planet (but not necess Earth). hmm.

Oh, good - because if it was on this Saturday, I'd miss it anyway.

it's three words and one of those words is a planet (but not necess Earth)

Pff, Skaro then.

maybe BARCELONA

London

the Doctor treats Davros to a slap up feed at Planet Hollywood

If Davros does show up, I'm kind of excited about the inevitable Daleks.