Family of Blood
What did we think? Would we invite this family around for tea?
Mo - That’s one scary family, they should be in Eastenders. A nice dysfunctinal bunch of characters.
Al - Classic Who villains, normal people just twisted. I particularly liked Mother Of Mine being able to access her host body’s memories and Baines’ speech to the headmaster and the constant, mocking use of ‘Sir’ was chilling. At the very least on a par with last year’s Clockwork robots.
Russell - Yes, Baines’ performance was a joy, especially his conversation with the headmaster. At heart, his character was still the same as he was when human - a bullying older boy.
The entire family were marvellously creepy, and it almost seems a shame they won’t be back.
Mark – I was gobsmacked that Baines was played by the guy who plays Will Scarlet in the BBC’s Robin Hood. I’ll be good and not comment on how much better he was in this than as one of the bland Merry Men in that. Oops sorry.
James – Another budget saving move, methinks, but that doesn’t belittle it in anyway. The lovely mix of types of people makes it all the more creepy. Particularly the little girl. Just seeing the balloon creeps me out.
The Doctor - did he have a choice? Punisher in the making?
Mo - It’s a strange notion, running away from the Family to be kind to them. Not sure where it stands for those that died because the Doctor chose that particular place and time to hide. I’d say the dark elements are surfacing again, as in The Runaway Bride.
Al - Yes he did. He had a choice to go anywhere else and didn’t and as a direct result, people are dead and lives ruined forever. I agree with Mo there’s a real sense of the dark elements and the ALIEN elements in particular coming out. After a season and a bit, Tennant’s ‘OHHHHHH! SPACE!’ style boyish enthusiasm is starting to be revealed for what it is; a very thin veneer getting thinner all the time. Someone mentioned the ‘I used to have so much mercy’ line from last year and it, along with ‘No second chances’ and the Plasmavore’s line about ‘laughing in the darkness’ are the triangulation points for this Doctor.
Case in point; John Smith kills himself, essentially, so the Doctor can come back. His reaction to this? Offering the nurse the chance to spend eternity travelling with a man wearing her lover’s face. Tennant’s inability to react when she asked whether people would have died if he’d not come and the incredibly manipulative Martha hug at the end tell us a lot about this doctor. He’s a nice guy until he isn’t and once he isn’t then you don’t want to be anywhere near him. It’s going to be fascinating to see where this goes.
James - I think there were choices here, but realistically whatever was decided was never going to be the “right” choice, and that’s what makes a character. The decision John Smith makes is such a human choice, to sacrifice for the greater good despite all that he will lose. Plus there’s his fear. It’s something we can never see in the Doctor. But again, that’s what makes the character. The Doctor we get out of the other side of this adventure is a better and scary person than we knew before. Such a well constructed story. He does go a bit psycho with his punishments though.
Russell - This is not just the Doctor that flushed the Racnoss and dropped the Sycorax - this is the Doctor that used the Hand of Omega to destroy Skaro. This is the “Darker Doctor”, and I’m a little bit scared.
On the other hand, the punishments were rather wonderful, and I imagine there are many children out there either terrified or obsessed with mirrors for the next few days.
Good.
Mark - That’s the difference between this version and the novel. I always saw the novel as him trying to get back a bit of humanity after all the game playing and deviousness that the Seventh Doctor exhibited. Here we’re seeing that he tries to be merciful and they still rip at his soul. Given the rumours for the last few episodes him confronting some darkness is definitely coming. The punishments were beautifully conceived – real flashes of genius in an already great script.
Martha - How did she fare?
Mo - Quite good, settled as a companion. I might’ve missed it but I never saw the bit from the previews where she says, ‘Save us’ and John Smith replies, ‘I am NOT the Doctor!’
Al - Okay. She’s still a bit of a vacuum of a character but she had some nice moments here, especially ‘God you’re rubbish as a human!’. Also, top marks to Cornell for being one of the, I think, TWO writers this season to remember she’s a Doctor! The love angle is still a desperate mistake though but aside from that, a good showing from Mrs Jones’ favourite daughter this week.
James - Have to agree I don’t really buy the whole love angle with the doctor, it seems a little forced or dropped in. But maybe it’s because once again we have a number of writers trying to write a character they hadn’t really seen at the time of writing. She was good here though, as strong as she could be, and using what she knows. I like her.
Russell - Very well. With a better script and a bigger role, Freema Agyeman proves that she has the chops to be a great companion - as soon as the ongoing subplot of her unrequited love for the Doctor runs its course. (Please be soon, please be soon!)
CGI - Explosions, explosions etc
Mo - The slow-mo battle with the scarecrows was nicely done, but thanks to an invisible spaceship and landlocked scenes I didn’t see a lot of CG. Maybe it was all subtle stuff - the tricking of ‘Mother’ was good fx work though.
Al - Loved the scarecrows, very creepy. Also liked the sense of how close the danger was (And the echo of World War II) with the Family shelling the valley. Plus, the final punishment of the family was nicely handled.
James - Again, CGI kept to a minimum, it really came into it’s element with the punishment of the family at the end. The physical effects are great, the scarecrows were a brilliant idea.
Russell - I stand by what I said last time - this will forever be remembered as “The one with the scarecrows”.
Overall - did it live up to Human Nature?
Mo - It balanced out very well as a two-parter, considering the amount of characters, events and story threads.
Al - Absolutely. Baines’ speech, John Smith breaking down when he realises what he has to do, the final scenes between Tennant and Jessica Hyne, the ‘He’s like fire and ice and rage…’ speech (which is essentially everything that’s great about the character in thirty words) and the impossibly moving final scene mean this is crammed full of more high spots than the rest of the season put together. Superbly done. All involved should feel very, very proud of their work here.
James - I was worried that the second part of the story would be a let-down after such a strong opening the previous week. I really shouldn’t have worried, this was a truly great episode and is easily one of my top Who episodes of all time.
Russell - Lived up to, and in some places even surpassed. Standout performances from all of the main cast, which will doubtless be ignored come awards season. Last time I offered to buy Paul Cornell a drink - with this second episode he can also take his pick from a wonderful selection of savoury bar snacks, such as nuts, crisps or pork scratchings.
Mark -Utterly brilliant. When I first heard that this was going to be done for television I hoped it would be great, but Paul surpassed himself and the Family just made it all the more special.
Blink - were you scared?
Al - Yes I was. Every now and then SF throws up an idea so utterly mad and utterly perfect that it sticks in your mind and quantum locked stone assassins who can only move when you can’t look at them is one of the best I’ve seen in YEARS. This was just spectacularly creepy and looked like no other episode to date. I especially loved the moment where Sally sees the two angels on the church across from the police station, looks away and they’re gone.
Mo - They might have over-hyped the ’scariest episode’ but it was unsettling, the end shots of statues with the Doctor’s warnings a nice touch also.
Russell - 31-year-old Russell was watching with glee. However, inside his head, 7 year-old Russell was watching through his fingers. Last time, we had “The one with the scarecrows”, this week it’s “The one with the statues”. The final scene really drummed it in for anyone who might have felt safe - Kids! there are statues everywhere! Start screaming NOW.
Over the three seasons, Steven Moffat has made kids scared of statues, ticking clocks and even the word “Mummy”. Above all those, there is one thing that kids should be scared of - Steven Moffat.
James - It was quite frankly one of the creepiest Doctor Who episodes ever, the changes in expressions on the statues as they come after you was rather terrifying. If I could still fit behind the sofa, I would have done.
Mark -Good strong concept from Moffat, but for me the scariest bit was one of the worst attempts at a Hull accent ever. James is so shocked by it that he failed to mention it.
Sally Sparrow - better than the Doctor?
Al - As good as. She was great, sensible, calm, smart and utterly bewildered by what she was experiencing. Loved the very pragmatic, down to Earth approach, loved the feeling of a normal person being swept up in extraordinary events and her flirting with the cop was very funny, very realistic and given what happened to him, actually rather poignant.
All in all, a great character and whilst I can understand the calls for her to be made a companion or a Blink spinoff set around her and Lawrence, I desperately hope they don’t happen. What made this work was the fact that Sally was a normal person whose life was dropped into the weird and to do this week on week would cheapen that vital character trait. Like I say, I can understand why people are saying it (Especially as somehow Martha managed to grate here despite being on screen for two minutes) but hopefully, Sally gets an easy life after this.
Mo - She’d be the perfect companion, but then the Doctor tends to encounter companion-esque humans a lot.
James - She was a great character, once again showing Moffat’s skills of characterisation. As has been noted, hopefully this is the end of her story as it is the character’s interaction in the Doctor’s world that drives the story forward. Revisiting her place in that world would be a mistake.
Russell - Not better, but still good. As “The episode without the Doctor”, the central performance had to be a good one, and she definitely didn’t disappoint. A believable and entertaining performance.
CGI - Did you see them move?
Al - I could barely tell they were people. Incredibly creepy and beautifully realised aside from the slightly dodgy shot of them rocking the TARDIS. Moffat is now 3 for 3 on creepy villains and I think the Weeping Angels outcreepy even last year’s splendid clockwork robots.
Mo - I only saw some subtle CG work, but the fact that the statues were mainly guys in prosthetics, its very good work.
James - The massive surprise here was the fact that the statues were actors. A masterpiece of make-up and costume.
Russell - Barely. I can only echo the comments of my fellows here as to how wonderful the effects on the statues were - especially when watching Doctor Who Confidential and finding out that they were costumes!
Overall - Steve Moffat 3 for 3?
Al - Yes. Incredibly creepy, horrific without once having to rely on gore and powered by a glorious central conceit. Also, Moffat is one of the writers who really gets Tennant’s doctor, with the superb DVD conversation and ‘This is my timey-wimey detector. It goes bing when there’s stuff.’ ranking as some of the best 10 moments so far. Glorious episode which, along with the previous two, ranks in the top five best stories the show, old or new, has ever produced.
Mo - Yep, seems like its a good season when Moffat goes up against Cornell.
James - Absolutely. I still thought Cornell’s episodes were stronger because they tackled the possibility of an emotional core for the Doctor. This was a great episode that managed to not have the Doctor in it very much, and also managed to benefit from that absence.
Russell - Very much so. Both Moffat and Cornell are proving themselves to be unbeatable. This is definitely the best run of three episodes since season one’s Father’s Day/The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. Coincidence?
The three episodes remaining will have to be pretty damn spectacular to equal them, let alone beat them.
May I also say at this point that this episode was accompanied by the best Doctor Who Confidential yet, David Tennant making for a very good interviewer.
Mark - Another great episode from Moffat, but he has to raise his game even more if he’s going to trounce Girl in the Fireplace. Both Moffat and Cornell show the benefit of a strong central idea, which you would hope other Who writers would pick up on.
Utopia
The end of the line?
Al - Actually the beginning of the end. Given the BBC’s Tourette’s Syndrome with regard to spoilers this year (HEY LOOK! A DALEK HYBRID! JACK’S BACK! THE ENTIRE PLOT OF THE PENULTIMATE EPISODE!) it’s nothing short of miraculous that this being the first part of a three part story went under the radar. Bloody good job too as this was a top episode even before the last fifteen minutes.
Want to know why? Davies is an incredibly tidy writer - he never, ever introduces something which isn’t going to pay off later. Look at how many episodes, without making a big deal of it, have been set in Jack’s home century, look at how the two New Earth episodes tie together, how well defined that setting became in just two episodes. Whether or not we see the last humans left or Utopia this season, we’re going back to the end of the universe. And I for one, can’t wait.
James - Well, we’re heading into the last few episodes of the series with what appears to be a Mad Max type episode. I honestly thought the entire episode would play out the whole “let’s get to Utopia” angle, but it then throws a curveball in the last third. Brilliantly so, and effectively setting up a three-part end to the series.
It seems to me that a lot of the episode was explained better in the Who Confidential than it was in the episode, such as the reason why the TARDIS flew so far into the future. But even so, this was probably RTD’s finest episode so far, the dialogue was excellent bringing out great performances from almost everyone.
Russell - Well, maybe not everyone. The Futurekind seem to have escaped from Duran Duran’s Wild Boys video. I’ll be polite and not ask why the guns, fences, trucks etc from the far future looked like they were from contemporary Earth, as they were not really that important to the story. I really do hope we get to actually see more about Utopia, it seems such a waste otherwise. Chan it would have been nice to see more of Chantho, but that doesn’t seem too likely now tho.
Mo - For some reason the actual story turns out to be the weak than average for an average RTD episode, but it contain the best moments and character-specific events. Utopia is a prime example, with the stereotypes (Futurekind, rocket trouble etc..) present but only really there to serve those moments that have building up since the second season.
David who? Let’s talk about John Barrowman.
James - Ah, the proper Captain Jack, not the crap effort from Torchwood. I hope they sit the writers from Torchwood down and make them watch this episode over and over again. Still flirting with everything in sight, the pinnacle of the episode comes when the Doctor and Jack get to hammer out there mutual mistrust and respect for each other through a blast door. Only in Who could this be carried off. Barrowman exudes energy and humour, but can still pull it in when needed. I look forward to seeing if anything will happen to his character that may affect Torchwood. Not that I will watch it, but it’d be nice to know they tried to emulate the character we get here.
Al - Where the hell was this Captain Jack for thirteen weeks of Torchwood?! He’s genuinely fantastic here and not just with the running flirting gag. The moment where Martha, Jack and the Doctor are sprinting down the hill to help the Futurekind’s prey, with Jack grinning all over his face is pure geek joy. Barrowman made an interesting point in interview that Jack’s actually very uncomfortable as a leader and with someone else taking responsibility, he’s far happier. Regardless, this Jack is fun, authorative and cheerfully lecherous in exactly the way Torchwood Jack ISN’T. If we get this guy in Torchwood, I’m cautiously optimistic. If we don’t, don’t hold your breath waiting for Torchwood Year Three.
Oh and given the endless bleating about Doctor Who’s gay agenda, I’m delighted that the ‘So you’re prejudiced then?’ comment passed under everyone’s radar.
Mo - Captain Jack seems to have had a personality bypass in Torchwood but is now back to cheeky charm once more. Though all that ‘taking the shirt off’ business gets a bit repetitive. There also seems to be more explanation for what Captain Jack has been doing since becoming ‘the man who can’t die’ than in the entire first season of Torchwood.
Russell - Ah, John Barrowman. Great to see him back, and back to normal. I really hadn’t realised how much I had missed Captain Jack until he turned up, but he was a joy to watch right from his first scene with Martha – not to mention the Doctor’s reaction to it.
I very much doubt that this is the Jack we’ll be getting in Torchwood season two, unless there is a very big shake-up behind the scenes.
CGI - was that really a rocket?
James - I wonder if we will actually get to find out, I dare say it was more of a missile than a rocket, maybe subconsciously the Professor has sent the last of humanity to its doom. Some of the scenes where the humans were queing up to get on the rocket were shockingly bad, the green screen really not matching up well at all.
Mo - A bit of a throwaway story element but done ok.
Al - Rockets are good, ergo this was a good rocket. My one gripe this episode was oddly not that the Futurekind were Mad Max-alikes with fangs but that ‘Ninja Futurekind’ bared her teeth at the camera every ten minutes from the moment she was introduced. We get it, she’s evil. Move on.
Russell - I think we might have been better off with some guys in monster masks, to be honest. The Futurekind were the main thing that stopped this episode from being perfect for me, like the giant rat in The Talons of Weng-Chiang.
The rocket effects were acceptable. Chan I was more impressed with Chantho’s prosthetics tho.
That end and that regeneration.
James - Brilliant. Jacobi was excellent throughout this episode, and using a connection to Human Nature misleads you enough to think you might be looking at a future regeneration of the Doctor himself. Obviously, this makes the release of the Master even more dramatic, and to top it all off we get John Simm out of it as well! Everyone just looks like they are having fun, I know I am.
Al - The moment back in Doctor Dances where Eccleston, desperate joy etched across his face yells ‘JUST THIS ONCE, EVERYONE LIVES!’ is to my mind the single best scene New Who has delivered to date. This ties with it. I’ve never seen an extended sequence pitched so utterly perfectly. The moment you see Professor Yana softly crying in the background, the sense of doom is palpable and the way that it builds and builds and builds is nothing short of magnificent.
I’ve ragged on Martha, and indirectly, Freema Agyeman a lot this season and I stand by my comments but here she delivered perfectly. The contrast between Rose, who saved humanity and Martha, who has just given the Master the keys to his life back is perfectly done and I’m only sorry that ‘Oh God, I know that voice’ was lost in the churn. Martha has cocked up and cocked up hugely. What price she’ll have to pay for that is going to be fascinating to see.
Derek Jacobi makes it look easy and his cheerful, quietly heroic old man was so sympathetic I’m firmly predicting Professor Yana fan fiction any minute now. The only hint you get of what’s to come is his offhand comment about how he would have liked some admiration and the affection with which the Doctor praises him makes what follows all the more chilling. The moment that the light goes out in Jacobi’s eyes is utterly chilling and surely one of the series’ finest achievements.
There’s something the production team have mentioned more than once (And was even cut from Christmas Invasion) about how Time Lords imprint on whoever is nearby when they regenerate. Simm’s energetic, flamboyant, psychotically cheerful Master proves this conclusively and heightens the danger everyone’s now in. This is the Doctor with the handbrake off, a brilliant man with absolutely no morals who views the universe as his personal toybox. For the first time, the Doctor is facing an equal and the Master knows it.
However, for all the excellent work those two turn in, the last fifteen minutes of Utopia are all David Tennant’s. From the moment Martha tells him about the watch on, this is the 10th Doctor running to catch up and failing to do so. He suspects who it is from the moment she mentions the watch and his increasingly frantic, terrified approach to Yana is Tennant’s best work in the role. His delivery of ‘IT’S JUST THE TWO OF US NOW, EVERYTHING’S CHANGED!’ has such desperation in it that it only heightens the sense of doom and by the time Simm gets to ‘Use my name’ everything is clear. The Master is back, he’s more dangerous than ever before and if the rumours are to be believed, we’ve only seen half the story so far. Saturday can’t get here fast enough.
Mo - Not a bad way of bringing back ‘The Master’, and explaining both his absence and why he’s stayed of the Timelord radar. For anyone who’s seen the Doctor Who Movie (’The Enemy Within’) with the Paul McGann Doctor, there will no doubt be some confusion as to how the Master goes from being (apparently) destroyed as Eric Roberts in the TARDIS to ending up as Derek Jacobi at the end of the universe.
The fobwatch business was also nicely done, and the transformation from Professor Yana to the Master also. It was also inevitable that they would have to ‘youth-enase’ the character to make him more relevant for the new series, and John Simm seems like a very interesting choice. The Doctor’s desperation as he realises who the Professor really is and the Master hijacking the TARDIS with some grand plan already conceived are the best bits of this season.
Time to vote Saxon.
Russell - Back in February, in an interview with The Independent, it was leaked that John Simm would be playing the Master… but even going in knowing that, the whole Professor Yana/chameleon arch thing came as a complete surprise. Like James, I thought that we might have been looking at a potential future Doctor, and the set up with the complicated science and the loyal female assistant seemed to reinforce that – or maybe even just another surviving lost Time Lord. Just goes to show how good I am at predicting plot twists.
From the moment we saw the watch however, it all became clear in a flash, and from then on the episode just kept getting better and better. The former Professor Yana turning on his loyal assistant Chantho was heartbreaking, and the first use of his old title was near-perfect (Although I still wish he had said “I am the Master, and you will obey me”, because I love old series throwbacks like that.)
Tennant’s desperation worked well. As he continues to grow in the role, the scripts seem to be growing with him. This second half of the series, from Human Nature onward, is the best run of episodes yet, and I really don’t think it’s necessarily just the scripts or his performance (or Freema Agyeman’s, which is also coming along in leaps and bounds), there is a real coming together of all the individual elements.
The regeneration, and John Simm’s first moments afterwards were a very deliberate reference back to the Eccleston/Tennant regeneration, a very clever touch for those viewers who might not quite have got it. I feel that Simm’s take may have been a little too manic in those last few moments, and I hope that in the next two weeks he takes a leaf out of Derek Jacobi’s book and tones it down a little bit.
Sound of Drums
What’s that we hear?
Al - And lo, foreboding music did break out across Doctor Who and we watched and saw that it was…forebode-y. And also remarkably like the bass line on the show’s theme tune which is a nice touch. Whilst not quite as fan-servicetastic as several rumours had claimed (Sarah Jane Smith imprisoned with the Jones family! The Brigadier turns up and dies! Jack remembers the same things the Doctor does!) it was still remarkably well plotted especially the explanation for how Mr Saxon has been around for eighteen months already and the clear comparison between the Doctor/Martha and Master/Lucy relationships. Also top marks for not only addressing the fact that you have a villain who can work backwards in time but also tying the Lazarus Experiment in. Oh and the world ending to ‘Voodoo Child’ complete with Crazy Lucy dancing to it was great.
Mo - A deep breath as everything tries to get explained in the first three minutes before the titles. I suppose it had to be done and done economically and you have to just go with it - if only to see the Master as Prime Minister addressing the nation.
James – Luckily, it’s the sound of drums and not the sound of pan pipes. I hate pan pipes. Loved The Master’s wife, so had a wonderful perplexed/elated look about her for most of the episode.
Russell - Sounds like happy fanboy squealing to me, from old-school and new school Whovians alike. This episode was great even from the pre-credit sequence - great touch to have them find their way back to now so easily, and loved the whole “What this country needs, right now, is a Doctor” thing – effectively “Are you out there Doctor? Try and stop me!” A wonderful mixture of old and new Who, with wonderful performances all round and some nifty plotting. Glad they actively debunked the “Master as Doctor’s brother” concept though.
David Who? John Simm for PM.
Al - There’s been some criticism of Simm as over acting and, well, he is. But it works and does so for two reasons. Firstly, there’s the very clear decision to make this Master the 10th Doctor’s counterpart just without any of his morals and secondly, there’s the fact that when it comes down to it, the Master is insane. He’s an immensely intelligent, massively gifted sociopath and the end result, as Simm plays him, falls somewhere between your average house cat and Blackadder with all the cards, for once, on his side.
This Master views the universe as his own personal toybox, this Master imprints on everyone around him and this Master just wants to have some fun because if he has some fun then the drumming might, just for a moment, stop. Interestingly as well he seems to be being set up as suicidal, the embodiment of death in the same way the Doctor is the embodiment of life, or at the very least life’s refusal to quit. The conversation between the pair of them was one of the series’ highlights and the way the tone shifts from two old friends catching up to outright hostility to the Doctor pleading with him was beautifully handled. However, it was really the highlight of a collection of phenomenally impressive scenes. The extended death of the journalist and the increasing OTT reactions to was wonderful as was what must surely be the most informal end of the world speech in the show’s history. However, his finest moment, for me, in this episode was gassing the Cabinet. Both extremely funny and utterly chilling as it becomes clear exactly how dangerous he is.
Here’s a thought to conjure with as well. Six billion homicidal marbles have just dropped out of the sky and are in the process of killing one in every ten people at the command of the English PM. What if this is the one? What if this is the invasion that finally wakes the world up, finally drives home the point that we’re not alone? To see both Who and Torchwood address this would be fascinating and I really hope they do.
James – Simm is a brilliant actor, and here he gets to act like a gleeful lunatic. It works, his exuberance outdoes Tennant, who appears to be raining it in this episode in an attempt to amplify the threat that The Master is. He’s like an even more deranged Tony Blair.
Russell - Gleeful lunatic is about right. There were a few moments in this episode where it seemed like he should have been facing off against Batman rather than the Doctor. Loved the little reference back to The Sea Devils with the Master watching Teletubbies, and the not-so-subtle comparisons between him and the Doctor (I didn’t notice his referring to his wife as his companion on the first viewing though).
Alasdair is right. The phone call between him and the Doctor is the stand-out moment of the episode, and one of the high points of the series.
Mo - I can understand the thinking behind an unhinged Master acting all ‘Joker’ but I prefer the moments when he’s dark and intelligent and bitter, as opposed to a Saturday morning kids show presenter. And yes, I still want to see a goatee beard. It’s not much to ask is it? The conversation between Master and Doctor concerning the Time War as also good, more hints and references to ponder over. (The Cruciform?)
CGI - here come the drums, here come the drones…
Al - Cloudbase! All kids love Cloudbase! The Valiant looked gorgeous and just to buy into fan speculation for a second, the theory that with the TARDIS effectively spandrelled and the Doctor earthbound it would be fantastic to see it again as UNIT’s central HQ and home to their scientific advisor. However, the really nice touch here was the Toclafane. Simple, iconic design, incredibly nasty looking and as someone else pointed out, if you look closely when they warp in, they’re affected by gravity. Nice touch and the six billion strong swarm of them looked the business.
Mo - The majority of the effects were very good - Gallifrey and the TimeLord stuff done well, although (overly) ambitious I think with such things as the Captain Scarlet-esque (skyship) ‘Valiant’, and some of the later shots of the Toclafane spheres inside the ship looked a little ropey but all in all ok.
James – The Valiant screamed dodgy CGi, but its design is delightful, a lovely nod to old British stalwarts like Dan Dare and Captain Scarlet, and also tips a nod of the hat to the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier.
Russell - Gallifrey! Actual Gallifrey! And it looked wonderful. The Valiant was also a great touch, and it seems incredibly unlikely to be used just the once. The sky opening up for the “Toclafane” to fall to Earth worked very well.
Mark -Gallifrey was the highlight for me. Collars and everything, even the first coloured Time Lord.
Torchwood - half a dozen people and set up to honour the Doctor. Discuss.
Al - One of the things that dragged me out of the episode, to be honest. Firstly, let’s get the cheap shot out of the way. Torchwood are set up to honour the Doctor?! Five over sexed cretins stuck under the Milennium Centre in Cardiff is an honour? And I thought Jack liked him. That aside, this was really a no win situation. Don’t mention them and undoubtedly some stripe of Who fandom will demand to know why they didn’t turn up to save the day. Or fall over. Or cry. Or screw. Whichever. Mention them and you get people like me who are mystified as to
A)Why Torchwood could POSSIBLY be considered a threat to the Master.
and
B)If they were, why he didn’t just kill them.
That being said, I’m looking forward to seeing how they pass the Brecon Beacons off as the Himalayas. Yetis, anyone? Bueller?
Mark - It’s a great line for Doctor Who, but Torchwood itself has to buck its ideas up if it wants to live up to the notion. Given there are multiple offices of Torchwood according to the last series then some of them must have no one in them. If Jack comes out of this with his head sorted out then I have hope.
James – To be honest it would have been better if Torchwood didn’t exist. I mean that in this context and every other context you can think of.
Mo - I think most people will ignore Torchwood until they can judge the next season of it.
It might’ve been an idea that the Torchwood team were cleverer enough to work out that they’ve been duped and turn up to help the Doctor and Captain Jack but it seems unlikely.
Russell - Don’t bring them up, please. I’m having such a nice time, do we have to talk about them? I’d rather discuss begonias. Lovely flowers, begonias…
Yes, Jack’s Torchwood is meant to honour the Doctor. It’s not his fault that he’s a crap leader of a crap team in a crap show. Not much of a tribute to the man he loves, is it?
What did we think? What do we hope will come in the finale?
Al - Bit of a curate’s egg this week but then three part stories are always very difficult to pace. The weak spots (The A Team montage for what amounted to putting keys on string, the wandering about, the suspiciously Torchwood-esque chips moment) dragged but the high points (The electric, almost friendly conversation between the Doctor and the Master, the ‘gas mask’ scene, the apocalyptic closing moments) made up for it. Not as good as ‘Utopia’ but a hell of a set up for ‘The Last of the Time Lords’.
James – I enjoyed the episode, although something seemed a little off to me and I can’t quite figure out why. Maybe it’s the relative ease at which The Master has taken power alongside the floating plot device that are the aliens. I’m hoping the finale will explain a little more what the heck is going on, because the sudden arrival of 6 billion killing golf balls was rather unexpected (not a bad thing I suppose). I’d love to know the origin of the little blighters and how The Master knows them. I guess The Master will be bumped off as I can’t see Simm returning to the role.
Russell - Five great episodes in a row. It’s such a shame the Dalek two-parter dragged things down so much, this could have been the best series so far. It still could, but not by quite so wide a margin. I know that the secret of the Toclafane is staring me in the face, I just wish I could work it out. My hopes for the finale are simple - the Doctor saving the day, the Master escaping to come back and face the Doctor again, and another great episode to cap off the run. Basically, I want it to be good. Not too much to ask, I hope…
Mo - A better story than Utopia, and well executed.
I still want to see a goatee beard. I just do.
Next Month: We finish off Season 3 and look back at the last Season and announcements for next.