Doctor Who

[Davros sock drawer]

I really don't think some of you are getting this. In some respects it was a fanfiction story, with Elton as "The Fan". And surely the fanclub parody of LINDA didn't escape you?

This was a deliberate stylistic departure, an out and out comedy. It wasn't meant to be like The Satan Pit, it's a one off, deliberately designed to play with our expectations. Biglime nailed it earlier - if every Who episode was like that, it would just die again.

As a consequence, this was just really fresh. The jokes may have been corny, but they were still perfectly handled, especially the stuff about the Slitheen ("No! I spit on 'em!") and Clom. Just great timing, and it gave a real feelgood quality to all the dialogue. Kay may have been "himself" as the Abzorbaloff, but again, that was the gag. He was really different as Victor Kennedy, so the gag is all about how he reverts to what the viewer recognises as Kay when he transforms. It was just perfectly handled.

And I bet the kids, who are the ultimate arbiters of taste really, absolutely adored it.

[Jack]

Oh, I don't doubt it was meant to be a big departure. It was done terribly though. I think it's because it was filmed alongside "The Impossible Planet". They evidently got the B squad to do this one.

[Bluejam]

Last nights episode has split the fans but not as much as i thought. Some are saying its the worse Who ever (they obviously havent seen Monster of Peladon) but most people seem to have taken it for what it was.

[Davros sock drawer]

It was done terribly though.

Sheer bolloxxxx!

[Boyatsea]

That was awful, awful TV, and awful, awful Who.

Don't know what Russell was thinking. Terrible.

[Davros sock drawer]

It really wasn't. It just isn't what you'd expect from Who.

You wait, I reckon this will be regarded as a bit of a future classic.

[Popo]

I'm so glad to be siding with Davros for a change!

[Jumble Jumble]

This was a deliberate stylistic departure

That's fine, in fact that's great! I just felt that the acting really let it down. Mainly the acting, there were some other elements that I didn't like as well but the acting stood out for me.

The delivery of the line "we forget because we must" and similar was just terrible. It was like kids' TV in the worst possible way. The kind of kids' TV that thinks kids won't notice shit acting (they probably won't, but it's still a bit lazy and patronising).

[AllYourBase]

Was Nick Hornby anything to do with this episode!?

[Davros sock drawer]

Hey, I'm just glad I liked it. I hate that feeling of having sat through an episode of my favourite ever TV show and thinking "I didn't really like that". It's happened plenty of times, most recently with the execrable Cyberman two-parter, which I think time will be far less kind to.

I can understand why people don't like it, sort of. But I really think it just requires a bit of open-mindedness to see that RTD has executed something really rather clever, playful, and brave.

That's fine, in fact that's great! I just felt that the acting really let it down. Mainly the acting, there were some other elements that I didn't like as well but the acting stood out for me.

The delivery of the line "we forget because we must" and similar was just terrible. It was like kids' TV in the worst possible way. The kind of kids' TV that thinks kids won't notice shit acting (they probably won't, but it's still a bit lazy and patronising).

Again though, I think the tone was pitched deliberately at a kind of "Once upon a time..." style of story telling, and the acting reflected that perfectly. It was naive and childlike, these misfit characters looking for some meaning to their lives, and the performances were really quite charming.

And da kidz, according to the Fear Factor thingy, and Ste's earlier post, seem to have loved it. Take your adult head off Wurzel!

[Andsom]

Just listening to the commentary and Russel T Davies mentions an episode of another TV show (which I won't mention) which he says influenced this one. But it's obviously not the episode that actually influenced it.

The thing I do agree with is that the format of Who lends itself well to pretty much any scenario and format. As I've said before, I feel this is something they don't exploit nearly enough. I thought this was... well it was OK. A very mixed bag as usual. It was far from the brave, groundbreaking revolution that some are making it out as.

[Davros sock drawer]

A revolution, no. As I said, if every episode of Who was like this it would get very old, very quickly. But it was incredibly unique, and yes I think it was quite brave to do a comedy episode.

[Andsom]

A revolution, no. As I said, if every episode of Who was like this it would get very old, very quickly. But it was incredibly unique, and yes I think it was quite brave to do a comedy episode.

Why? I don't mean to sound like a dick just genuinely interested. Many other TV shows do the odd comedy episode and often those shows are generally more po-faced than Dr Who is.

[Davros sock drawer]

Why brave? Because RTD must have known how some fans would react. Because it came after such a serious episode. Because the Doctor pretty much wasn't in it. Because it was "about" Dr Who fans.

Lots of reasons.

[Harlen Quinn]

That was awful, awful TV, and awful, awful Who.

Don't know what Russell was thinking. Terrible.

I'm kinda glad you didn't like it, I'd got you marked down as one of the blindest people with regard to the flaws of new Who. I started off really wanting to love it. I didn't mind the fact that it was someone else's story, from their pov, including all the mugging to the videocam. I enjoyed the scooby doo homage, liked all the Linda meeting stuff, didn't mind Kay turning up as, erm, Victor? Then it all went a bit crap for me. Crap monster, crap motivation. Mildly funny cos of his accent but totally spoiling any small vestiges of believability. Quite enjoyed the emotion with regard to the main character's mum, Rose welling up was quite sweet. Thought the end was ok-ish, in what is admittedly a silly ep, ok, it was the blow job giving slab that did it.

Talk about marmite being love-hate, the ep was love-hate, that is for me personally. Great and shite in equal measure.

Yeah, that bloke, Elton, would make a good companion.

Why didn't Clive show up with all this internet Who group stuff going on?

Coincidence that the group was named Linda? After Linda Moss in that S1 ep? She seemed to be companion material til she died... I know Russel T pays homage to people he's known.

Anyhoo.

[Davros sock drawer]

Clive's dead baby. Clive's dead.

[Harlen Quinn]

Clive's dead baby. Clive's dead.

I knew there was something...

The fact that Elton had seen the autons sorted out any timeline confusion.

[Davros sock drawer]

Also, crap monster!? How dare you, that little nine year old Blue Peter winner had better not see this thread, there will be tears!

It absorrrrrrbed people! And you could see their faces, writhing about going "where am I!?". And he just wanted to chase and eat people, like a good monster should, like all the ones I ever used to have nightmares about. And the kids will have nightmares about being chased and absorbed, there will be a trace memory of this all their lives, just like there was with me and City of Death when I was 5 years old, and too young to understand that was played for laughs too.

What's not to like?

[Harlen Quinn]

Also, crap monster!? How dare you, that little nine year old Blue Peter winner had better not see this thread, there will be tears!

It absorrrrrrbed people! And you could see their faces, writhing about going "where am I!?". And he just wanted to chase and eat people, like a good monster should, like all the ones I ever used to have nightmares about. And the kids will have nightmares about being chased and absorbed, there will be a trace memory of this all their lives, just like there was with me and City of Death when I was 5 years old, and too young to understand that was played for laughs too.

What's not to like?

Davros, old buddy, I think the only Who monster that made me hide behind the sofa was the giant robot. Now, I haven't seen it in years but I'm hazarding a guess that it was a shit monster.

I still think the best Who monsters have the potential to scare everyone. The ood were really creepy...

I know you're half joking.

Still, Scooby Doo, I liked that.

EDIT: That kid's monster was actually better in concept than what they did with it. RTD said he had no idea it was supposed to be larger, yeah right, the kid didn't mess up the scale of it. I know it probably wouldn't have been easily workable as a giant monster but I still preferred the kid's concept.

[sweetdaddyg]

Thought kay was wooden in human form and a poor "fat bastard" imitation in alien form. Also really felt turned off by the whole thing of having peoples faces and thought the ending was crap (I mean comeon, how was she meant to survive as a paving slab?)

However it was an interesting concept totally wasted.

[Bad Ambassador]

the execrable Cyberman two-parter, which I think time will be far less kind to.

Damn right. The Cybermen episodes were only about a tenth as interesting as 'Love & Monsters'.

I watched it again this afternoon, and I think it might be my favourite episode of the second series so far. There's something special about it. In a way it's kind of sad that some people disliked it, because it's such a beautiful piece of telly.

Mind you, I'm not going to worry about it. As with 'Boom Town' last year, I'm just going to sit back safe in the knowledge that I've got a lovely, unique episode of Who to fondle in years to come.

[Meh]

So, I finally started watching these new episodes tonight, after hating the first Eccleston one. Good god, Aliens in London is probably one of the dumbest things I've ever watched. Ever.

"OH NOES ROSE, I BROUGHT YOU BACK 12 MONTHS AFTER YOU LEFT INSTEAD OF 12 HOURS!"

DOCTOR WHO, YOU HAVE A TIME MACHINE. FUCKING TOOL.

[MrPogo]

(I mean comeon, how was she meant to survive as a paving slab?)

That was explained in a 'not-explained, but didn't slip through unnoticed' manner when she said "at least I won't age" in the conversation to camera bit at the end, in that obviously everyday biology doesn't come into the equation at all.

[Davros sock drawer]

"OH NOES ROSE, I BROUGHT YOU BACK 12 MONTHS AFTER YOU LEFT INSTEAD OF 12 HOURS!"

DOCTOR WHO, YOU HAVE A TIME MACHINE. FUCKING TOOL.

The Tardis has been going wrong since 1963. It's a series staple, n00b.

And he's called "The Doctor".

PS - Harlen, I wasn't joking at all by the way. I thought it was a perfect Who Monster, in that it will lodge itself firmly in the minds of children everywhere.

[cassidy]

Damn right. The Cybermen episodes were only about a tenth as interesting as 'Love & Monsters'.

I watched it again this afternoon, and I think it might be my favourite episode of the second series so far. There's something special about it. In a way it's kind of sad that some people disliked it, because it's such a beautiful piece of telly.

Mind you, I'm not going to worry about it. As with 'Boom Town' last year, I'm just going to sit back safe in the knowledge that I've got a lovely, unique episode of Who to fondle in years to come.

Gotta agree with that whole post to be honest. To not enjoy and be touched in some way by sats episode, means your dead inside

I really thought it worked, the whole thing. had no problem with the acting in fact I thought Marc Warren was brilliant in the episode. We Forget because we must was excellently delivered. However as with DSD I can understand why some people didnt enjoy it, but it doesnt stop them being dead inside.

All I know is I'll never be able to listen to Mr Bluesky again without feeling a bit touched by the end of the song.

The scene when his mum walks off, just heartbreaking. Not just great Doctor Who but great Telly IMO.

[Jumble Jumble]

I konw I've been a bit negative from time to time but I just wanted to add that every time the theme music comes on I get a lttle thrill that I'm about to watch a brand new episode of Doctor Who and that I reckon it's about the best thing on TV at the moment.

It's certainly the only thing I ever bother recording, or downloading if I miss.

[cassidy]

I konw I've been a bit negative from time to time but I just wanted to add that every time the theme music comes on I get a lttle thrill that I'm about to watch a brand new episode of Doctor Who and that I reckon it's about the best thing on TV at the moment.

It's certainly the only thing I ever bother recording, or downloading if I miss.

I dont think anyone needs to apologise for any negativity, just as long as their willing to explain their opinion.

I can certainly find faults in the show and I know for a fact the Cybermen episodes of S2 wont be watched again for a good while.

So 3 eps left then, I'm really looking forward to the final 2 eps, now if someone can help me come up with an excuse as I'm in my sisters wedding on July 8th and thats Series finale day

[Zero]

Really liked Saturdays episode.

I was worried that Peter Kay would be a bit shit but he made a good badguy and was certainly better than Trigger in that robot episode. I thought Elton was a bit of a twat at first but he came good (about the time that he was dancing to ELO) and even Jackie wasnt so bad in this episode.

Really nice ep.

[Meh]

The Tardis has been going wrong since 1963. It's a series staple, n00b.

And he's called "The Doctor".

PS - Harlen, I wasn't joking at all by the way. I thought it was a perfect Who Monster, in that it will lodge itself firmly in the minds of children everywhere.

What's stopping them from trying again, though? They just go on as though they can't go back 12 months. Daftness.

[Sprite Machine]

Thoroughly boring episode. I just wanted it to end the whole way through.