Doctor Who: 2007

Even though I’m not letting it bother me too greatly, I do agree with you that RTD could have used the Archangel network better. For example, instead of the “lonely, floaty god” powers thing, the psycho-hypnotic effect could have simply worked in reverse with no special effects.

So, you have a scene where the Master goes to shoot the Doctor, then suddenly finds he can’t make himself do it, all while the video screens are full of people around the world shouting out “Doctor!”. The Doctor then calmly explains that he’s tapped into the network, rigged it to use the combined will of six billion people to go through him as a focal point, giving him the kind of hypnotic control over the Master that he enjoyed over others. The Doctor then commands him to reverse the aging effects, and the rest plays out normally.

Yes, I think he could have done it far better, I’m just not buying into the idea that The Last of the Timelords is worse than Love & Monsters.

I could buy the whole using-satellites-as-psychic-amplifiers deus ex thing (it didn’t strike me as any more ridiculous than many other things that have happened on the show), but what killed it for me, and had me feeling like it was a contrived cop-out was the timing: Martha set the time for the Doctor worship for the exact second that the Master was about to launch his attack on the universe.

It’s absolutely weak writing to hang the major reveal and twist in the episode on such a coincidence. I think I have a fairly high tolerance for deus ex endings, but they at least have to make sense within the framework that has been created.

I’m pretty sure The Master was broadcasting the countdown to everyone on the surface. Count down and rejoice!

But Derek, I liked Love & Monsters. You keep quoting it as the ultimate example of modern season infamy, but I’d say Boom Town, Fear Her, and this season’s Dalek two-parter were miles worse. Yeah, the cinder block fellatio wasn’t a high point for the series, but it had lots of ELO in it. I’d say that balances the scales.

Heh, I think we may agree more than we disagree. When I mean worse than Love & Monsters, I actually mean everything after the Absorboloff reveals himself fully.

I thought everything was going pretty well prior to that and really liked the idea of a story about normal people who’d been nothing more than bystanders to the kind of adventures the Doctor was having on Earth. Seeing them start to come together and begin to find lives outside of their Doctor obsession held so much promise.

But then you get the Absoboloff reveal, a chase scene with a fat, green alien in a thong and the eventual cinder block moments. The last ten or so minutes completely ruin the other 35 good minutes for me.

Does someone have a working torrent of the last episode?

Kylie Minogue to star in the Xmas special.

Catherine Tate is now officially the new companion for the entire next season.

And guess what? Martha Jones moves to Torchwood:

Agyeman, 28, is to play Martha Jones in three episodes of spin-off show Torchwood, which producers have said will “expand” her character.

So expect crying and humping.

Ew. Oh well. :P

How about some LolWho.

Also:

Spoiler warning?

I’m actually surprised Martha isn’t coming back - I thought that her departure was just a red herring. I wonder if there’s any truth to the rumour that the producers weren’t happy with her performance, but that seems unlikely since she’s going to make a return appearance in the next season, and is appearing in Torchwood (and more importantly, she was actually really good in the show).

If she has to leave, I like that substitution though - Tate was surprisingly great in the X-mas special, and definitely brings something new to the show as a loud, bossy female companion. The Doc’s never been browbeaten before, heh. Now if only they’d cancel the Sarah Jane show and bring her back to the main program.

Bring Back Turlough. And Romana.

Yeah, I figured she’d do a Mickey-like sabbatical where she goes away, gets her emotional baggage in order, and then returns for high adventure. As I said before, her unrequited love for the Doctor would have gotten stale since it was close to (or, rather, on) the surface, but I’d hate to see Martha go the guest-star route so soon.

Now if only they’d cancel the Sarah Jane show and bring her back to the main program.
Don’t tease.

You’ve been warned.

Tell it to the Beeb.

Tate was surprisingly great in the X-mas special, and definitely brings something new to the show as a loud, bossy female companion. The Doc’s never been browbeaten before, heh.

Say what now?

Wrong rumour. I heard that it was Tennant that doesn’t like her, and that’s why she’s gone(ish).

My source was just this gossip article: http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2001320029-2007240235,00.html

Tennant didn’t like her? Really? She pretty.

She’s good, but they were incapable of taking her in a direction that wouldn’t end being Rose Tyler two.

I don’t think that was all her fault. Having her fall in love with the Doctor after Rose wasn’t a good idea, and by the time they’d figured it out it was too late to do a reboot for the character.

And then, when they put her next to Captain Jack, she kind of started to disappear.

I was kind of hoping they would give the Doctor another companion that Martha could fall for. Since CJ is being exiled back to Torchwood, I figured it wouldn’t be him, but a romance between companions would be an interesting new direction (unless you count Barbara and Ian).

(Or Ben and Polly).

I’m glad the “new” season is finally playing on Sci Fi.

I’ve not read the latest posts to avoid spoilers, but I did see that The Master returns. I always liked the master.

Shame that Anthony Head couldn’t be used for The Master (though, using the same actor again would a little off, though Martha is an actor from another episode). I thought he was a pretty good villian in School Reunion.

Without wanting it to be a spoiler, the Master’s…

…a bit different.