Doctor Who

[Hexx]

I didn't understand it

Bug feeds on Time - for some reason it makes people change their lives (so it eats their "normal" time line?)

In Donna's case in turns out her timeline was pretty important.

She goes back and stops it. Rose's knowledge of what was going on was the only odd point.

[El Pibe]

Was that the sound of a Dalek laughing at the end of the next episode trailer? If not, it sounded a hell of a lot like it. If so, awesome.

The episode wasn't quite the tour de force for Catherine Tate as RTD and some reviewers have said, but it was still quite enjoyable.

I imagine that was

Davros

[Venice Cull]

The Doctor-free episodes have been pretty strong (from the ones I've seen). No reflection on the actor or anything, but purely from a story telling perspective they have always pulled something interesting out of the bag. This ep was no exception. (Edit: 'Blink' was the other one I was thinking off).

But yeah - what was up with Piper's voice? I don't recall it being like that in the first series.

[Hexx]

Um...The other Doctor light episodes have been Blink (so pretty good) and Love and Monsters (shite on a shite plate)

So it's only averages 2/3 for awesomeness.

[Boyatsea]

I enjoyed that. Thought the bug was pretty crap and they could have spent a bit more money on the CGI, but overall it was entertaining. Reminded me of Father's Day.

The last three minutes were amaze. Love that theme.

What was up with Billie's mouth?

[JBD]

Great episode. Bits of that had a Threads-like vibe.

I thought that was excellent.

The only fault I can find is that why A GOD DAMN BEETLE

Yeah, didn't that Pompeii guy say it was a spider? SEASON RUINED

[Ste_S]

Was that the Cloister Bell in the Tardis going off at the end ?

[DoctorK]

Was that the Cloister Bell in the Tardis going off at the end ?

Yep.

Wonder if Billie had some teeth work or something, she talks properly in Confidential now.

[Hexx]

Speaking of TARDIS:

'It's dying, but it's still trying to help.'

[Not Thread Owner]

What the fuck is wrong with Billie Piper's mouth? She sounds like she's lisping or something.

Yes this. She looked like she had comedy Chinese dentures in.

[Made of Ghosts]

Why didn't it make sense? (Rose's ability "to know things" was a bit Mary-Sueish, but I'll accept it).

And also her ability to teleport? And her presence in general, come to that?

And why did Donna have to die? It seemed to just turn out that way cos she couldn't get there in time, but it was presented as her unchangeable destiny.

And basically why did half the stuff in the episode happen? The plot of Donna getting trapped in a parallel universe because of a time-eating beetle made sense (there's a sentence I never thought I'd say) but there seemed to be all sorts of extra details that weren't tied up. I just didn't know what to make of it.

[Not Thread Owner]

but there seemed to be all sorts of extra details that weren't tied up.

Yet.

[Hexx]

I assumed Rose's teleportation was her coming from the other side, or using the device they sent Donna through - although then it wouldn't be guess work.

Your spoilered bit

I'm not convinved that was the death Rose meant.

What other stuff?

[Venice Cull]

Um...The other Doctor light episodes have been Blink (so pretty good) and Love and Monsters (shite on a shite plate)

So it's only averages 2/3 for awesomeness.

Not sure I've seen 'Love and Monsters'. Maybe the exception proves the rule.

Thing with Doctor Who (and I'm only a fairly recent viewer) - and maybe the Trekkers amongst us will get this - is that pretty much most of the episodes are like 'Shades of Grey', but every once in a while they drop a 'Yesterday's Enterprise'.

It's such a weird show for me, I can't really grasp why its so inconsistent - often appallingly cheesy, badly written and patronising - and then suddenly an extremely credible high concept sci-fi show. It's like a series that hasn't found it's feet yet - but shows incredible potential when it gets it right.

I guess that comes with trying to balance the needs of a mainstream BBC audience, with the needs of the hardcore nerd (I include myself in that), but it does make it a bit of a lottery for me when I tune in each week.

[Beta]

I imagine that was

Davros

It could be, but it didn't sound too different from a regular Dalek. Unless Nicholas Briggs is voicing Davros this time around (although a glance at Wikipedia says that the main bad guy from that circus Torchwood episode will be voicing him).

As for next week though, holy crossover Batman! I knew we'd being seeing Captain Jack and Sarah Jane, but I was surpised to see Gwen in the trailer. Does this mean we'll be getting Ianto and the gang from the SJA too? Would it be too much to hope to see K-9 nose-lasering a couple of Daleks next week?

[mdn2]

I didn't really like it. It felt like a good idea poorly executed.

And I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed Billie's teeth.

[Made of Ghosts]

I assumed Rose's teleportation was her coming from the other side, or using the device they sent Donna through - although then it wouldn't be guess work.

Your spoilered bit

I'm not convinved that was the death Rose meant.

What other stuff?

It's hard to say now that I come to think of it, but throughout the episode I was waiting for a proper explanation that never came. I think it was basically Rose's presence that really wrong-footed me, and the way she seemed to know everything that was going on. And the way it was a parallel universe, but back in time as well? So Rose came through because something's happening in her world... and she visited the real world in Partners In Crime, but she was in Donna's world just then... why? How?

Edit: I liked the way they killed off the entire cast of The Sarah Jane Adventures in one sentence.

[Hexx]

Not sure I've seen 'Love and Monsters'. Maybe the exception proves the rule.

Thing with Doctor Who (and I'm only a fairly recent viewer) - and maybe the Trekkers amongst us will get this - is that pretty much most of the episodes are like 'Shades of Grey', but every once in a while they drop a 'Yesterday's Enterprise'.

It's such a weird show for me, I can't really grasp why its so inconsistent - often appallingly cheesy, badly written and patronising - and then suddenly an extremely credible high concept sci-fi show. It's like a series that hasn't found it's feet yet - but shows incredible potential when it gets it right.

I guess that comes with trying to balance the needs of a mainstream BBC audience, with the needs of the hardcore nerd (I include myself in that), but it does make it a bit of a lottery for me when I tune in each week.

Personally it's about 2/10s cheesy childish rubbish, 3/10 good family fun, 3/10s very good, 2 10s outstanding.

I think it's the fact it's got to appeal to wide audience that makes it so hard, and the various writers.

Was this another RTD one?

[JohnC]

As for next week though, holy crossover Batman! I knew we'd being seeing Captain Jack and Sarah Jane, but I was surpised to see Gwen in the trailer. Does this mean we'll be getting Ianto and the gang from the SJA too? Would it be too much to hope to see K-9 nose-lasering a couple of Daleks next week?

They did show one of the SJA kids. Everything flew by so quickly, I'm not sure who else I may have missed. There were Torchwood interior bits too.

[Hello Goaty ♥]

Why was Rose in the first episode of the new series?

has she been monitoring everything user her time machine?

[JohnC]

This compilation of deaths on Confidential makes the show look surprisingly violent.

[Campfire_Burning]

I didn't really like that. It seemed a bit of a nothing episode - Donna changes her mind, then she changes her mind again: The end. Certainly not a patch on the episode of The Sarah Jane adventures it referenced. The plastic toy beetle was rubbish, and Rose's new lisp was distracting.

Not to say that there weren't some good points, mind. The end bit with the cloister bell, the foreshadowing of the finale, Cribbins, of course, and the bit where Clyde and Maria were found dead - that was the most upsetting moment of Doctor Who so far for me, very dark to kill off a couple of kids in a throwaway sentence, even if they weren't dead dead.

It also undid all the good work the Moffet two-parter did as to Donna's character. Her yelling all the time and calling the Italian bloke Mussolini really didn't endear her to me.

I'm stoked about the final, though. I just hope they can pull all the characters from the Whoniverse together without it becoming an overcrowded hodge-podge.

[Venice Cull]

Personally it's about 2/10s cheesy childish rubbish, 3/10 good family fun, 3/10s very good, 2 10s outstanding.

Actually, yeah - I'll go with that. This series has been fairly consistent. I think it was the run of duffers at the start of it that tried my patience, but the last batch (the last 5 or 6 episodes?) have all fallen somewhere between 'good' and 'truly excellent'.

Now, I've just got to go find out what 'Bad Wolf' is.

[SeanR]

another episode of what-ifs?

and yes, I also mentioned the teeth thing to the GF. She couldn't see it herself.

[Mortis]

It also undid all the good work the Moffet two-parter did as to Donna's character. Her yelling all the time and calling the Italian bloke Mussolini really didn't endear her to me.

I suppose it makes an interesting point as to the development of the character with the doctor and how she would be without him.

[JohnC]

I wonder what this other special thing about Donna they were alluding to is? It is more than just the time change in this episode, right? The Doctor even started to go down that line before being interrupted outside of this incident.

[Mortis]

Now, I've just got to go find out what 'Bad Wolf' is.

Didn't you watch season 1?

[Not Thread Owner]

Does this mean we'll be getting Ianto and the gang from the SJA too?

Ianto was in the trailer too.

[SeanR]

stuff.

I had a proper post, but forum issues meant it was lost...

[Hexx]

Actually, yeah - I'll go with that. This series has been fairly consistent. I think it was the run of duffers at the start of it that tried my patience, but the last batch (the last 5 or 6 episodes?) have all fallen somewhere between 'good' and 'truly excellent'.

Now, I've just got to go find out what 'Bad Wolf' is.

Bad Wolf is from series 1.

It was a message/word that kept popping up throughout the series (viewers noticed it, Doctor/Rose didnt).

It's explained in the last 2 episodes of season 1.

I'd explain but it could ruin Season 1 for you (which you should go watch)

(Think of it as a message that only Rose would know to tell the Doctor)