British Comedy Guide

Doctor Who... Page 79

Mr Bean is favourite at 3-1

It was a plot-building episode for better things to come but in it's own right the episode was hardly awesome

Quote: zooo @ June 22 2008, 11:54 AM BST

:)

Everyone I know loved it, even the ones who haven't been so keen on this series. I don't know what you few didn't like about it...

Yep, my girlfriend generally wanders off half way through an episode, but she was gripped by this one.

Quote: Alan C @ June 22 2008, 11:56 AM BST

Mr Bean is favourite at 3-1

You seem to have an unhealthy obsession with Mr Bean! Im sure youve mentioned him several times recently! Are you his agent?

Quote: Matthew Stott @ June 22 2008, 11:57 AM BST

You seem to have an unhealthy obsession with Mr Bean! Im sure youve mentioned him several times recently! Are you his agent?

Nope just think he will make an hysterical Dr Who

Quote: Alan C @ June 22 2008, 11:56 AM BST

It was a plot-building episode for better things to come but in it's own right the episode was hardly awesome

I found it really exciting all the way through.
Have you been watching the whole series? Maybe it was one of those ones where you needed a lot of previous knowledge for it all to hit home?

Quote: zooo @ June 22 2008, 11:54 AM BST

Everyone I know loved it, even the ones who haven't been so keen on this series. I don't know what you few didn't like about it...

Just nothing happened. Well, it did happen. But we were being shown what happened. There was no drama to it, no choices being made. It was as "this, then this, then this" rather than the usual "this .. OH MY SWEET JESUS FUCKING CHRIST WHAT SHALL WE DO?! ... this".

Like Alan said, and I at least tried to last night, it was laying down the plot for the next epsiode(s). Which should round it up to be a corker, one would hope. As an isolated episode, it wasn't all that special.

Quote: zooo @ June 22 2008, 11:58 AM BST

I found it really exciting all the way through.
Have you been watching the whole series? Maybe it was one of those ones where you needed a lot of previous knowledge for it all to hit home?

Yes I have and I recognised all the differences to episode 1 and why she was being coerced to do the opposite and the consequences, etc. I just didn't find the episode as powerful as you

Quote: Aaron @ June 22 2008, 12:00 PM BST

Just nothing happened. Well, it did happen. But we were being shown what happened. There was no drama to it, no choices being made.

It was all about choices being made though, wasnt it? Turn left or right and the whole world changes. One choice changes everything. It was showing the importance of the Doctor to the whole world. But yes, it was also a big set up for the next two episodes. I cant believe, if any of you watch Confidential, that they actually more or less showed you the upcoming big bad guy though; seems a bit like a spoiler to me. Though I suppose most fans know whos coming, and those who dont know who he is wouldnt know from the brief glimpse. But still.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ June 22 2008, 12:03 PM BST

It was all about choices being made though, wasnt it? Turn left or right and the whole world changes. One choice changes everything. It was showing the importance of the Doctor to the whole world.

Yup, that plotline was front and centre and definitely not difficult to grasp.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ June 22 2008, 12:03 PM BST

It was all about choices being made though, wasnt it? Turn left or right and the whole world changes.

One choice. And hardly loaded with drama. By the time we got to the point of them actually showing the choice as being anything other than an every day thing, we knew more or less what was going to happen! It wasn't like the Doctor or Donna was face-to-face with a giant monster or something. Compare it to the suspense of them not knowing what the f**k was going on in the library. Literally worlds apart.

Quote: Aaron @ June 22 2008, 12:14 PM BST

One choice. And hardly loaded with drama. By the time we got to the point of them actually showing the choice as being anything other than an every day thing, we knew more or less what was going to happen! It wasn't like the Doctor or Donna was face-to-face with a giant monster or something. Compare it to the suspense of them not knowing what the f**k was going on in the library. Literally worlds apart.

It possibly might have had more impact if it had been the last episode of the series - the Dr is pronounced dead at the beginning, Donna somehow has to remake her initial choice, etc but as we knew there were 2 more episodes to come the tension was taken out of the story.

Scifi isn't always about choice, some times it's out telling a story, in which you get to change the rules, and just see what happens .

This one was highly reminisent of some of the more thoguhtful character based pieces that SNG did so well, or maybe Survivors. A question asked, e.g. what would a world with the Dr be like? Seen through the eyes of minor characters.

Lots of lovely little character acting, and Catherine Tate actually did alright. Like the kid with Asthma completing the cross country, it's not a win, but good enough. Supported by Cribbins, that Italian bloke, and a surprisingly good Billie Piper it worked.

To dislike this episode, is to dislike a very rare example of intelligent scifi on UK TV. This was considerably smarter than Battlesstar, or Lost.

Quote: Alan C @ June 22 2008, 12:20 PM BST

It possibly might have had more impact if it had been the last episode of the series - the Dr is pronounced dead at the beginning, Donna somehow has to remake her initial choice, etc but as we knew there were 2 more episodes to come the tension was taken out of the story.

True, yes, very true. It'd have had to change a lot if it was the last though, so would have been a different feeling and plot curve to it altogether.

I thought it was good how they neatly killed EVERYONE off, Martha, Torchwood, the lot. It was good because of that actually. There were a few major plot holes though (ie. Wouldn't the volcano monsters have destroyed the earth thousands of years ago if the Dr had died?)

Quote: zooo @ June 21 2008, 1:37 PM BST

Oh all right then.

Cool

Quote: Charly @ June 22 2008, 12:27 PM BST

I thought it was good how they neatly killed EVERYONE off, Martha

Yes, that was dreamy.

Quote: Charly @ June 22 2008, 12:27 PM BST

There were a few major plot holes though (ie. Wouldn't the volcano monsters have destroyed the earth thousands of years ago if the Dr had died?)

No. The Doctor only died then, in that episode. Not in the past. Not that he never existed. We saw him die. Remember?

(Well, we saw him being carried off on a stretched anyway.)

Quote: Aaron @ June 22 2008, 12:30 PM BST

No. The Doctor only died then, in that episode. Not in the past. Not that he never existed. We saw him die. Remember?

(Well, we saw him being carried off on a stretched anyway.)

Yeh but the Lava creature were after the draining of the Thames so they should still of happened.

Maybe they just got bored and wandered off.

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