Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp

Look, you know me, and therefore you know I enjoyed this episode. Didn't *love* it - it's no Tooth And Claw or anything - but there was some fun dialogue, nicely farcical, and some great performances. I've read a few reviews which have said that THIS IS MEANT TO BE SCI-FI DAMMIT WHAT'S GOING ON I CAN'T COPE WAAAAAHHHHHH (or words to that effect), but hasn't Doctor Who *always* been more than sci-fi? One-off episodes like this are what makes it more than a niche show and turns it into something special and unique. Basically, you can read Marie's review to get an idea of how I felt about it!

On a related issue, Paul Fuzz has written a piece about critical responses to Doctor Who which should get us all talking :)

Doctor Who - The Doctor's Daughter

Did anyone else feel their stomach flip when the Doctor pointed a gun at that guy? Because mine did, and the fact that I felt that shows just how far this episode came.

Cos, at first, I was completely underwhelmed. How could you fail to be, when you'd been told that an episode called The Doctor's Daughter did exactly what it says on the tin? I mean, c'mon Rusty, no it doesn't! Don't make a thing of it being exactly how it sounds because when we find out, with a rather dull inevitability, that it isn't, well that just engenders a big old case of... underwelm. So Jenny's a product of asexual reproduction and so "technically" she's his daughter. Whatever Greenhorn, she's essentially a clone. A very pretty clone, admittedly, and a feisty, really rather likable one, but a clone nonetheless.

At least, that's how it felt at first. And so it made the first fifteen minutes sit at the boring end of the 'meh' scale. Didn't stay like that, though did it? Ah, is there any more beautiful thing to be seen on screen in the early 21st century than David Tennant acting. Not shouting (not all the time, anyway), not making annoying faces - just acting. His conversation with Donna about losing his family in the Time War was stunning, and of course the scene at the end with a dying Jenny in his arms - and then a gun in his hands - was the first time DW has really punched me in the gut in a long time. That's a good thing, obviously.

And Jenny? Well I liked her a lot. I don't want to, particularly (because she looks too perfect, to be honest), but that little Moffett girl's got something about her. And it seems that we'll be seeing her again which I'd be very happy about.

Can I just point out one thing -the Doc's hand. It was focussed on in Utopia, but never referred to, and now it's been mentioned again apparently for no reason in particular. But with RTD at the helm, does *anything* happen for no reason in particular? Not usually...

My Top 5 Kids' Shows

I've done a Top 5 Kids' Shows from *my* childhood (ie circa. 1985-95) over on TVScoop, and your comments and suggestions would be VERY welcome!!

A little catch-up

Oh Em Gee as the youngsters say, I haven't blogged in ages, have I? Unfortunately that pesky real life has been getting in the way again, but now I'm actually pretty settled and know where I'm headed so that's all good. Specifically, I'm headed towards a magazine journalism course in London in the Autumn, to my temping job everyday (half days to keep up the old TVScoop-age), and to the Fringe in the summer. With a sprinkling of Simon Amstell, the Nottingham Dot To Dot Festival, Tim Minchin and even Mr David Tennant in the meantime - and maybe the Boosh, depending whether they get their act (and more importantly, acts) together for their festival.

So there you have it. My TVScoop review of The Poison Sky is a little long and involved for here, but suffice to say the episode was fine - very good (and actually very funny) in places, with a couple of wholly unnecessary scenes and overall very Helen Raynor-on-a-good-day-ish. An improvement, then, but can we stop with the Raynor two-parters nonetheless?

The Apprentice continues to be rather wonderful, and a joy to write about every week. Last night's was amazing, and I'm very happy with my review.

Over in DeanLand, there's a review of a Daniel Kitson gig which y'all should enjoy.

Oh, and, well, I bought fetching hat today:Nice, huh?

My Family's Nick, Peep Show's Jez and Gavin and Stacey's... Stacey. Live on stage!

Well there's a line up for ya!

Doctor Who - The Sontaran Stratagem

Well if Marie can admit to finding David Tennant rather annoying, then lord knows I can. Cos he *is* annoying at the moment, isn't he? Say a line straight, for goodness sake! Just one! Please? When he gets a decent dramatic scene he'll ace it again, I know that, but for now - just turn it down a tad, eh?

Anyway, as for the episode overall - well, it had Helen Raynor written all over it, didn't it? Painfully slow, dull as very old dishwater, and some lines that had me laughing out loud. Not the ones that were *supposed* to be funny, you understand. Just normal dialogue. Marie has already mentioned the scene with the two UNIT guards as being particularly bad, and she's absolutely right. And it went on for bloody ages. Just because you've got an hour and a half to fill, doesn't mean the audience wants to spend ten minutes listening to mind-numbingly boring speech being uttered by UNIT's answer to Dumb and Dumber. A serious low-point. As for the Sontarans, when they first emerged, I felt how I often feel - that I don't actually like Doctor Who at all. Not proper Doctor Who, with funny little aliens and no Jackie Tyler. But they grew on me, actually. They're not scary opponents in any sense - I quite warmed to them - but I can see why, with all their quasi-Viking devotion to honour and "glorious warfare", they've been brought back. Oh, and is it just me, or did their ship look distinctly Dalek?

The episode picked up, certainly, but it was as Helen Raynorish as I'd expected and that's not a good thing. But I have to admit that surely only Russell T Davies could have come up with the idea of WHEN SAT-NAVS GO BAD. So we'll forgive her that one.

Oh and Martha? Well, she was just... Martha, wasn't she? And that's about all you can say.

Googleblog salutes Tom Lehrer...

... and quite right too :)

Doctor Who - The Fires Of Pompeii

I'm still not entirely confident in my analytical skills for Doctor Who after being totally thrown by much of last series, but I'm pretty sure this was really good... wasn't it? At least the dramatic, emotional bits were really good, and Donna is proving to be a brilliant companion for this Doctor in particular, who "used to" have so much mercy, remember. He needs someone, and the someone he needs right now, when he's a bit confused, still grieving for Rose, and still feeling guilty over Martha, is Donna. He needs a strong hand, and he certainly gets that with her. I've got to say that I was *very* happy when she told him not to tell her to shut up. Damn straight.

There were a couple of brilliant scenes: when Donna and the Doctor's identities were revealed by the soothsayers; and when the volcano was erupting, and Donna begged Pompeii's citizens not to head to the beach - and the Doctor not to let them all die. In the first, everyone viewing the show must have been tripped up by the announcement that Donna has "something on her back", but - just as Derren Brown knows - it was forgotten as soon as it was said (though not by Scott). It's an odd, deliberate thing to say, and it must have significance in the future.

The Mill did a good job with the Magma Men (as I've decided to call them because I can't be bothered to look up their names), but the sci-fi part of this episode was, I think, weak in comparison with the drama, delivered wonderfully by Tate 'n' Tennant. They're one hell of a partnership, and what the show needs, as well as the little lost Doctor.