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

Pompeii episode looks gangsta. 'I Cladivs' meets the fruitier bits of BSG in the CGI bits of a Vesuvius doco.

i didn't expect to see Wose in the first episode

I much prefer the historical episodes when ignore the lure of big historical events and figures. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen very often.

"When they ignore," I mean.

when did that last happen? all recent historical stories have involved famous figures and events no?

Human Nature/The Family of Blood

I know it had the impending first world war as its backdrop, but it wasn't like "OMG LOL Lord Kitchener".

Er, World War I was a pretty famous event, I thought. YMMV, obviously, haha xpost

while Martha kind of always had that puppy dog attraction from the start

No, in her first ep she made a big song and dance about how she didn't do aliens etc, which makes me surprised that he fell for Donna saying the same thing.

Overbearing mothers = a reason to not feel bad for bailing on them (even though Rose frequently did, which was one of her more redeeming features and made her probably the most realistic companion - I'm figuring Bernard Cribbins may fulfil this role for Donna rather than Donna's mym though).

I'm guessing RTD may have some issues with his mother?

'The Unquiet Dead' did the Historical Figure Hangin' Wit' The Doctor thing with some degree of subtlety, I think.

Didn't like that. Read somewhere that Mark Gatiss's original script got changed significantly.

Wikipedia comes to the rescue:

Mark Gatiss stated in the Radio Times that the original script was more bleak and frightening, but that he was advised by Davies to "make it more of a romp."

Fucking romps.

No, in her first ep she made a big song and dance about how she didn't do aliens etc, which makes me surprised that he fell for Donna saying the same thing.

It was a sheepish lie/joke on her part, after she was flirting ("You're the one who kissed me!"), and when he turns away she looks sadly down. Watch it again, it's pretty clear even from that point that she wanted him.

I do think the writers want to set up Donna as a non-romantic companion, just one who wants that thrill and adventure, but I'm afraid once all the others come in it's going to be a madhouse between all of them. Though you do have to wonder why with the exception of snap-pop-open-head guy from S1 all his companions want to sleep with the old Doctor. (Man, that dude was a random pickup.)

Overbearing mothers = a reason to not feel bad for bailing on them
Yeah, you're probably right about this. And wo yea, I think RTD's got some mommy issues.

I didn't know about the '08 X-Mas special/Bank Holiday stuff coming up, that's cool to hear.

Martha's intentions might be clear to the viewer, but it wasn't clear to him, so why believe Donna when she says the same thing?

(especially when she's been stalking him with all her clothes in the back of the car ready to move in)

Ok, that's a good point. I guess... Catherine Tate full-on snark power means no falling in love? I'm just gonna have to go with that.

Fucking romps.
LOL, romps with the Doctor.

Believe me, I *want* Donna not to fall in love with him and just be his "mate". I just don't get how he seems to believe it's not going to happen when all the evidence points to the opposite.

Because... the only other Time Lord is dead, he's just lost another companion and the Doctor is very, very lonely and will probably take anyone at this point? It's a shame cause I think she'd be more fun as an annoyingly pesky, non-romantic companion but yeaa I also think Donna will deffo fall for him.

I liked that opener though... No fireworks, just felt very familiar. Loved the mouthing-through-the-windows bit, hilarious.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7333321.stm

have discovered problem with earlier timeslot does not factor in going for a pint on the way home from the football. This doesn't matter though because I have means of watching it not at 6.20. Do the people who axe shows for shit ratings take into account that people are recording them/watching them on iPlayer?

(I realise I could google this info, but thought I'd ask the people worried about the timeslot on here)

What IS the deal with all the annoying, overbearing mothers?

RTD did say in the Confidential that one of his favourite things in drama is the bickering mother/daughter set up. He didn't say why exactly, though he did hint that he believes that that's just what mothers and daughters do.

The time slot didn't result in low ratings, as RTD and others feared. About 8.9 mill or something. The higest opener since "Rose", anyway.

8.4 according to the article I linked to above

You should maybe indicate what your links are if you want people to click on them.

OH MY GOD SOMEONE HAS ALREADY KNITTED AN ADIPOSE BABY

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3270/2391380337_87e3acd43c.jpg?v=0

GAHHR! It's so cute, I want one!

But I don't want the ones that are clinging to my bod. :(

omg
i thought they were all going to cling together and form the staypuff marshmallow man

What IS the deal with all the annoying, overbearing mothers? (re: russell t davies) haha the other question, pos related, is What is the deal with all the fatness?

at this point it's more of a rhetorical question

Adipose babies looked like pokemans.

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/funny-pictures-cat-dr-who-bbc-budget.jpg

I thought it was kind of ropey - the plot felt really thrown together, Tennant didn't get a chance to shine, and there were several annoyingly protracted emo scenes. The silent shouting bit was funny, but again went on too long. Didn't help that I watched it with my girlfriend, who has enjoyed Who in the past, but was all like "What the fuck is this, why are we watching this shit".

Much as I'm anti Rose returning, her cameo did raise the old goosebumps a bit, I have to admit.

That moment was just too hair-raisingly awesome.

I'm curious to see how long Donna sticks around, and how they handle her character arc. I don't know if I can take her bellowy thing for an entire season.

Have finally caught up with the show(finished the new ep & kylie minogue christmas ep at 5 this morning).

Next week's ep looks proper.

The Adipose deserved better once they were out and all running about. That episode could have got away with being a lot more like Gremlins.

What's up with Rose just vanishing though? Surely that's a faux Rose of some kind? And she never used to be so slinky and sultry.

That's Rose drifting between the universes innit.

Also is there a Bad Wolf/Torchwood/Saxon for this series that anyone's noticed yet?

The Doctor vanished in a similar way when he briefly accessed Rose's dimension at the end of S2. So my theory is she was beaming a trans-dimensional image of herself for some reason.

xpost - bees disappearing

which apparently is a true thing and we're all going to die in 20 years

It's a good guess. I just put it down to RTD throwing in a topical thing for laughs, but I'd quite like a bee-related arc, as long as it doesn't culminate in a giant CGI bee romp.

So my theory is she was beaming a trans-dimensional image of herself for some reason.

But didn't Donna tap her on the shoulder? (I could be wrong here)

And can ayone explain why the sonic screwdriver didn't work on the 'lock down'? Then did work further down the building?

Because the sonic screwdriver is RUBBISH SCIENCE of course.

starring jerry seinfeld?

Solid start to the series, I want the adipose back, mainly to find ut what the parents are like, could be a good monster epecially with hordes of tribble like cute children.

Presumably If Rose can project herself across the dimensions this leaves and opening for the cybermen/daleks/whatever else might be in her universe to come through as well?

Wasn't Bernard Cribbins a companion to a previous doctor and if so, is he playing the same character?

bbc budget even more slashed

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2162/2390330596_b4c2e3da6b_m.jpg

cribbins was in one of the cushing movies i think

dalek invasion earth

Bernard Cribbins was in one of the films I think. He was also in the 2007 Christmas special, right? Is that meant to be the same character?

"He was also in the 2007 Christmas special, right? Is that meant to be the same character"

yes cos he says 'that's him' when he sees donna waving from the tardis

as long as it doesn't culminate in a giant CGI bee romp.

Didn't they show Donna having a giant CGI bee romp on the Jonathan Ross show?

(or was it a wasp?)

if the giant wasp is in the Christie story then do we get a giant unicorn as well?

Though you do have to wonder why with the exception of snap-pop-open-head guy from S1 all his companions want to sleep with the old Doctor.

This is known as Russell T. Davies Syndrome (read Damaged Goods and you'll see what I mean; dude had his Mary Sue character fuck the hot young male companion during a stakeout for no discernable reason).