Doctor Who

[Mogster]

The only really decent one is Androzani though.

I love Logopolis and POTW too, although I have all of those and Androzani already. I love the last half hour of The End Of Time too, even if the rest is a bit naff. I haven't seen the rest although I'd really like to, with the possible exception of Time And The Rani.

[cassidy]

I really liked the last episode. Part of me is a bit ROLLEYES at the whole lovey-dovey angle, but it was very entertaining for the most part.

High praise indeed.

[Cthulhu Steev]

The Sontaran Experiment

(Blog has pictures)

The Sontaran Experiment is an interesting detour, following on directly from the previous serial, but telling its own self-contained story. Human colonists who arrived on the deserted Earth have been attacked and experimented on by a Sontaran scout, in preparation for a galactic invasion. Big story, wrapped up in two parts. It's refreshing!

[Picture: The Doctor stands in the circle of transport beacons on an unspoilt new Earth.]

What it shows is that you don't need to spread a plot thinly over six episodes to make it good – brevity is often a virtue. The only reason most serials spread themselves so thinly is because of budget requirements. But I think The Sontaran Experiment also shows that you don't need a big budget to tell a compelling sci-fi story either. This takes place entirely on some hills (no sets), and reuses some old costumes. And yet, it's a compelling tale of human survival, Sontaran wickedness and Time Lord cunning.

[Picture: The Sontaran's robot scout captures the colonists.]

I could have done without the Doctor's Miraculous Escape From Death™, but for the most part he outwits the Sontaran, Styre, with skill and intelligence. He also gets angry, calling Styre an unspeakable abomination as he tries to throttle him one, which adds believability to the Doctor's character. He gets some funny lines too, explaining to Harry how you should never throw anything away and then moments later telling him to never clutter his pockets with stuff. Meanwhile, Sarah Jane gets captured again. Sigh.

[Picture: Styre examines his captives.]

The Sontaran head prosthetic looks a little different from the last time it was used (despite Sarah mistaking Styre for Lynx) – more rubbery, but I think it's an improvement. There's also an excellent effect when Styre is killed and his head deflates like a balloon, which is wonderfully freaky. Sontarans are good villains, inhuman, remorseless, but bound by routine and procedure. His experiments on the human colonists are not malicious or evil, he simply does not care about them, blithely describing the procedures in his log, which makes them all the more frightening.

I made a Top Trump of my favourite Sontaran:

[Meh]

High praise indeed.

The ice warrior episode was gobsmackingly-terrible, however. So predictable and dull.

Yes, like my Dr. Who posts, etc.

[Sarlaccfood]

Just caught up with the latest ep. Two things really bother me at the moment: When the doctor scans everything with his screw driver, he looks at it like he's looking at readings (like a tricorder), BUT THERE'S NO FUCKING SCREEN for him to look at. He's just looking at grey metal. It's a bit stupid I know but if he's gonna do it all the time, put some glowing bits that he can look at. Also at the end of the title sequence, the blue doors of the Tardis open to "reveal" the episode kind of thing. Fuck me they look so cbbc and cheap, how can anyone look at that and think "yep great", it completely undermines any kind of classy look they try and give to the show.

[Meh]

I really wish they'd ditch the magical screwdriver. It's such a shitty excuse for shitty writing.

[Mr Cochese]

Those are definitely the main two things keeping Doctor Who from being on a level with The Wire.

[jonamok]

Oh indeed.

[Mogster]

Just caught up with the latest ep. Two things really bother me at the moment: When the doctor scans everything with his screw driver, he looks at it like he's looking at readings (like a tricorder), BUT THERE'S NO FUCKING SCREEN for him to look at. He's just looking at grey metal. It's a bit stupid I know but if he's gonna do it all the time, put some glowing bits that he can look at.

He's looking at the green glowy bit that pops up. I don't know how that's supposed to work either, but there you go. Glowing bits.

[Swainy]

Also at the end of the title sequence, the blue doors of the Tardis open to "reveal" the episode kind of thing. Fuck me they look so cbbc and cheap, how can anyone look at that and think "yep great", it completely undermines any kind of classy look they try and give to the show.

Plus the doors open the wrong way.

[Space Gibbon]

Just caught up with the latest ep. Two things really bother me at the moment: When the doctor scans everything with his screw driver, he looks at it like he's looking at readings (like a tricorder), BUT THERE'S NO FUCKING SCREEN for him to look at. He's just looking at grey metal. It's a bit stupid I know but if he's gonna do it all the time, put some glowing bits that he can look at. Also at the end of the title sequence, the blue doors of the Tardis open to "reveal" the episode kind of thing. Fuck me they look so cbbc and cheap, how can anyone look at that and think "yep great", it completely undermines any kind of classy look they try and give to the show.

The screwdriver talks to him. Next season features an episode by Neil Gaiman called "The Doctor's Willy" in which the soul of the sonic screwdriver is extracted and placed in 13-inch dildo.

[Cthulhu Steev]

Just caught up with the latest ep. Two things really bother me at the moment: When the doctor scans everything with his screw driver, he looks at it like he's looking at readings (like a tricorder), BUT THERE'S NO FUCKING SCREEN for him to look at. He's just looking at grey metal. It's a bit stupid I know but if he's gonna do it all the time, put some glowing bits that he can look at. Also at the end of the title sequence, the blue doors of the Tardis open to "reveal" the episode kind of thing. Fuck me they look so cbbc and cheap, how can anyone look at that and think "yep great", it completely undermines any kind of classy look they try and give to the show.

It must be like that psychic paper he uses, but instead of fooling people it tricks wooden doors into opening, starts a Dalek's wheels spinning backwards and makes Yetis feel too hot.

[Davros sock drawer]

I really wish they'd ditch the magical screwdriver. It's such a shitty excuse for shitty writing.

It really is just a magic wand now, and as you say an excuse for bad writing. Doctor waves Sonic Screwdriver, problem solved.

It's not like it's a new problem mind you:

And one that they tried to get rid of once already:

[Cthulhu Steev]

Yeah, it's more of a Doctor Who trope, but it's never really sat right with me even as a kid.

[Sarlaccfood]

He's looking at the green glowy bit that pops up. I don't know how that's supposed to work either, but there you go. Glowing bits.

Ah that was true until recently, he's definitely been looking at the middle of the screwdriver in the last couple of eps.

[Sidewaysbob]

Yeah, it's more of a Doctor Who trope, but it's never really sat right with me even as a kid.

You obviously never had one as a child ... It explains a lot

[Space Gibbon]

I heard they initially came up with the sonic screwdriver because the Doctor would inevitably be imprisoned at some point in each serial and they needed a convenient way to get him out. Repeatedly.

[Hexx]

Awesome fan trailer for tonight

[Sarlaccfood]

I heard they initially came up with the sonic screwdriver because the Doctor would inevitably be imprisoned at some point in each serial and they needed a convenient way to get him out. Repeatedly.

They've obviously been told to give it more screen-time to get some of that toy shop dollah!

[Cthulhu Steev]

You obviously never had one as a child ... It explains a lot

I had a bump n go Dalek and that excellent Dalek board game, I didn't need a screwdriver!

[Hexx]

Is it me, or did that not make a single lick of sense?

[Made of Ghosts]

Nice to see some Tardis innards. But I'm so over reset button endings and some of the acting from the brothers was terrible. And just what was going on with that twist? Seriously.

[HarMGM]

I quite liked it. Loved seeing some more of the TARDIS for a change.

As for the twist:

Both the Doctor and Clara would have been turned into one of the zombies that were stalking them if they stayed any longer within the room with the Eye of Harmony

The only thing that has me a little bit 'what' is the ending. Guess a second viewing is in order then. Fantastically shot as well I might add.

The hart of the TARDIS looked fantastic

8 out of then for me then.

[Made of Ghosts]

I meant the "guess not, I'm not a robot" twist.

[HarMGM]

Ah yes, that was shit.

EDIT

As for the ending, it seems as though Steve Thompson more or less wrote himself into a corner when he established that the Doctor couldn't save the ship anymore. The 'reset' was pretty much the only solution possible wiithout resorting to the Sonic Screwdriver. Speaking of which, was it me or was the Sonic a little bit absent in this episode?

[Hexx]

Particular since they fly off and leave the poor deluded chap at the end

[Made of Ghosts]

While we're on the subject though, is the idea that the heart of the Tardis wouldn't have burnt them to death but instead turned them into zombie things and made them want to attack past versions of themselves? Huh?

[HarMGM]

Erm, aren't we supposed to use spoiler tags in here?

EDIT: Ah, nevermind.

As for the monsters:

Seems to me as though the heart was supposed to burn them to a crisp but the budget just ran out for the effects team. Hence the brothers being "transformed" instead of burned to a crisp. In any case, the mutilation just drives them insane it seems. Hence their attacks.

[JohnC]

Didn't they jettison the pool a little while ago?

[Alex W.]

Morally ambiguous alien blackmails scavengers into a dangerous rescue mission through the heart of his living starship?

Lovely opening, otherwise solid.