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Me again and sorry for being lightyears behind on all the theories and loose ends…

So Sutek – the god of death – is the “boss” of this whole pantheon of other gods, including Maestro as god of music and the Toymaker as god of games? Is he “the one who waits”? And does that also make him the boss of Beep the Meep? How does that creature fit into the picture?

And has Sutek now been destroyed forever? Or was that just this particular physical form and he now just needs a few million years to recover?

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Hm. After all this hoo-ha, and the absolute gripping last episode, I found this one rather anticlimactic. Or at least not what I had expected. It did have nice moments and twists – I liked Mel becoming “evil”, for example. Regarding the plt, I got a bit lost. The Doctor, Mel and Ruby travelled in… what exactly? A Tardis materialising from the memories of all timelord incarnations? I loved that set, I have to say, even if I only recognised a few very iconic bits and pieces. I loved how Mel reacted to the costumes of “her” Doctors, up to the point of cuddling with the sweater. And even though it was rather cramped, I actually liked it a lot more than the current modern Tardis.

Other than that… hm. That big Death Cloud wiping out all of the universe (or whatever is left of it after the Flux (?) ) offered some nice scenes, yes – like the Doctor once again screaming and crying about the devastation he has brought over everyone he meets, and I also liked Kate Lethbridge-Steward’s “signing off”. But overall that whole bit didn’t captivate me at all, because it was clear that the episode would not end with everyone being dead. I also found it rather unrealistic that everyone is desperately trying to escape that cloud, all roads jammed, etc., but the litte orange scooter just miraculously escapes. Sure. (Also, where did that second helmet come from? Mel opens the seat and hands one to the Doctor – but is suddenly wearing one herself?). When I saw the Death Cloud in the trailer, I have to admit I was a bit sceptical how they would plausibly keep the Fourteenth Doctor out of it. I mean, I am very happy for him to be in retirement, but if he were aware of imminent destruction of London, there is no way he would stay in Chiswick with Donna (neither would her, especially not with Rose at Unit). But it seemed to be a rather quick and sudden development, so I’m good with that.

I don’t know much about the time vortex yet, so I didn’t really get that “dragging Sutek on a leash” through it. But whatever that was, it was cancelling out the Death Wave. And after the “leash” was cut, Sutek sort of exploded… because he wasn’t connected to the Tardis any more? Can you kill a God of Death? You certainly can’t kill Death. (Okay, Sutek wasn’t Death itself, I guess, because people were still dying while he was exiled. I’ll have to rewatch, I guess).

Ruby’s mother was an ordinary person and Sutek only didn’t kill Ruby because in her mind, her mother was such a big mystery? I think I got lost somewhere along the way. I didn’t really get that memory/reality thing anyway. Also that mother who gave the Doctor the spoon – how did the Doctor find her? And how has she been surviving all on her own in that devastation? That whole subplot didn’t make much sense to me other than “okay, now the Doctor has obtained a metal object”. I smiled a bit when – after the grand finale – all the planet started to come back and the Doctor mentioned some of them (the Ood sphere! I love the Ood!) but actually not Skaro. But I guess it came back just like everything else.

What else was there… We still don’t know who Mrs. Flood is, and she predicts that the Doctor’s story will end terribly (or whatever her exact words were). The Unit soldier and Kate were holding hands. What was that thing with the lamppost?! Ruby is named Ruby because her mother pointed to the roadsign? That made no sense to me whatsoever, because… who saw her pointing? If I remember correctly, she was found by someone from the Church and was then named because it was the Church on Ruby Road. How could whoever named her know that her mother had ever pointed to that sign? Did I miss something? Anyway, her poor father is in for the shock of lifetime now, I guess, if Real Mum never even told him she was pregnant.

And next season we’ll get a new companion – and I do hope we get more storylines like 73 Yards and Boom and The Legend of Ruby Sunday, and less singing and goblins and babies. Let the adventures continue!

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Wow. What the hell was that?! I almost forgot to breathe in between.

Anyway. Nice to see Mad Auntie Mel again, and Rose and Kate Lethbridge Steward. Also the scene where Ruby was introduced to her confused me a bit, as I thought they did already meet in 73 Yards. But I realised that was a different timeline and an older Ruby, and I guess they never met because the Doctor never stepped on that fairy ring. Isn’t Rose a bit young ot work for UNIT? Although, if they employ 11-year-old geniuses, they would probably also employ the space babies if necessary. But it was nice to see the Vlinx again!

That time window thing… is that basically what Star Trek calls a holodeck? And this Sutekh thing… was kind of hiding in/around the Tardis? What is it?! Is that an old villain from Classic Who? Maybe even connecte to Susan? Well, I guess I will find out in the next episode. I think I’m currently exactly where RTD wants me to be – utterly confused and wanting answers to a thousand questions.

I have to admit I’m not really used to parallel storylines like this, so I was almost as torn as the Doctor who was needed in two places at once. I kept thinking: get your a** back to Unit, but part of me also thought: well if this IS his long-lost granddaughter (which he had without ever having a child?! I understand that things get complicated with timetravel, but didn’t Ten say to Donna that HE had a child once?! I guess we will find out.) this might be very relevant too!

And who the heck is Mrs. Flood?! An evil twin of River Song? Probably the third elment of that whatever they called it… triumvirate of mischief, madness and whatever -together with Harriet and Susan Twist?

What an episode – I’m really glad I finally came to terms with this season after struggling with the first episodes. So now I can’t wait to see the finale!

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And another one – great episode! I’m sure there was lots of detail in there that I missed, but I liked it anyway. Shapeshifting bird aliens, nice! And a fascinating new character named Rogue who went from villain to hero. It would be a pity if he didn’t re-appear.

Lots of emotional drama for the Doctor – “can you lose your friend if it means saving the world?” Quite the dilemma. I didn’t really understand how that trap-triangle-thingy worked and how it was possible to exchange the captives, but what do I understand about alien technology.

I wonder how often the Doctor has been in this situation before. He saved Ruby (or rather Rogue did it for him) but at the price of losing Rogue. And the bit at the end reminded me a lot of 14: don’t ever slow down and think too much about what just happened, because it is too painful and you wouldn’t be able to keep going. But Ruby wasn’t having any of that (which in a way reminded me of Donna) and just hugged him. Which he didn’t return for quite a while, but eventually gave in (which then reminded me of the scene shortly after bigeneration, when he gave 14 that kind of “I got you” hug).

But my favourite quote from this episode is most certainly: “We will cosplay this planet to death!” I don’t cosplay myself, but I know some people who do, and I just loved that cosplaying in itself became such a central part of the episode.

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Wow. That was quite an episode. It felt a bit weird as the Doctor and Ruby only seemed to play a minor role as we see everything from Lindy’s POV. And what a dystopia! White rich kids whose parents pay a fortune so they kids can party undisturbed. Not able to find their way anyway without being told by the bubble where to put their feet. It reminded me a bit of the people in Wall-E, who were so pampered they became physically unable to walk.

I don’t even know what to say. I can’t remember ever seeing an episode where the Doctor was not able to save anyone – I mean, quite often he can’t save everyone, but at least someone. And normally, that someone is sort of a decent person (at least as far as I can remember, and yes I still have a lot to catch up on.) But this here? People who flatly refuse to be saved because the person saving them has the wrong skin colour?! That’s a new one (at least for me). Then again, I don’t feel sorry for them at all. If they’re so ignorant, they deserve what they get. (Which, however, reminds me of Gandalf: “Some people who live deserve to die. Some people who are dead deserve to live. Can you give it to them?”) Then again, we don’t know what exactly it is that awaits them beyond the river, but given that the homeworld population is dead, and how ego-centred at least Lindy is, they won’t last three days. I couldn’t believe how Lindy, after everything Ricky did for her, ratted him out without any hesitation! Oh boy.

Well I guess the universe is better off without Finetime anyway… but I still feel sorry for the Doctor. He didn’t deserve this.

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And straight into the next one. I loved it! Although I’m still not sure what actually happened. If I understood it correctly, the woman who stays 73 yards away from Ruby is her own older self. Or her ghost, after dying? And the reason she was there was to stop the Doctor stepping on that fairy ring setting free (?) Mad Jack. Who then became the most dangeours Prime Minister. Which the Doctor remembers, but nevertheless vanishes. But why did he vanish? I mean, if he does remember that very dangerous PM, then he obviously survived meeting him. Oh well, maybe he got erased from the timeline at a later point. Timetravel gives me headaches, really.

Anyway, I liked Ruby’s story and desperation (yes, I do like a good whump) when everyone turned away from her after coming into contact with the mysterious woman. And Katherine Lethbridge Steward was back, I loved that!

I also loved that Ruby comes back to visit the Tardis, which (who?) is still standing on that clifftop. Overgrown and dead, or at least seemingly dead, but people bring flowers there even if they don’t know why. A dead Tardis is really such a heartbreaking sight, like lost hope. Although in this episode, I wasn’t really sure whether the Tardis was really dead, it felt like a dog lying on their master’s grave waiting for him to return.

So, it was sort of a weird episode, but I loved it! (And I really need to go on holiday to Wales, I think. I’ve never been there!)

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Here we go. I think this is my favourite episode of 15 so far! I loved the tension and “simple” setting, almost the entire episode took place in one place.
There was a lot in it: the Doctor trapped and not able to work his usual magic (apparently the Sonic Screwdriver is no good for defusing landmines). The cruelness of landmines in general and the pointlessness of war. The economic background of it all – who benefits from a war?

I loved the Doctor in this desperation. I loved the tension that even the slightest change could trigger that mine. I mean, I obviously knew that both the Doctor and Ruby would survive, but there was so much action and running/falling/driving towards him, that I was really wondering wether someone would set it off. Brilliant. Although I was a bit surprised that these hooks from the “ambulance” had no effect here.

What else was there… faith and what effects it can have. You believe what your faith – and the algorithms – tell you. So you can fight a war on a deserted planet with an enemy no one has ever seen because it isn’t there. “And suddenly you need proof?!” What a sentence.

When the hologram kept repeating that simple phrase when first appearing – I forgot what it was, sort of “Hey, what just happened” – I was immediately reminded of the Vashda Nerada (“Hey! Who turned off the lights?”) Which I thought fitted in quite nicely, because the things you are afraid of are the things you cannot see. The enemy in the mud, or the fog. On the other hand, believing that someone is not dead, but just gone to heaven was quite a positive view on the “faith” subject. A bit like Gridlock, maybe.

So Ruby is how old exactly? Several thousand years? Well she has been a bit of a mystery so far, so I’m curious what we will find out about her. I didn’t really get the bit with her being almost dead – or actually dead? – and what were the two soldiers trying to do? Keep her alive enough that she doesn’t get scooped up by the ambulance, which will only “heal” her if the quota needs to be fullfilled? I’m not entirely sure how or why she came back to life either, but I’ll just “blame” the brilliant hologram dad who finally put an end to the madness. Lovely. I generally liked the “Dad” theme in the episode. Talking to the hologram “Dad to Dad” – and I guess from the Doctor’s POV, that was not restricted to biological children. I liked that.

I also loved the “fish fingers and custard is my favourite” reference (even though I haven’t seen any 11 episodes yet). And the opening image of the episode, with the injured and blindfolded soldier. Says it all, really.

Looking forward to the next one!

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Finally managed to continue with this series. Not entirely sure what to make of this episode – I loved a lot of it, especially MAestro and the general concept of what would happen to the world without music. And the idea (and meansto use that as a weapon! I had also been looking forward to some Beatles music, but the end felt more like High School Musical.
I loved the beginning with the piano teacher (who probably was historic figure I should actually have recognised?) and “the chord banned by the Church”, and Maestro suddenly appearing out of the piano. And the kid being his, sorry their harbinger. And the kid appeared again at the end, does that mean we will see Maestro again? I very much hope so.
What I also loved was the Doctor*s vulnerability. I don*t think I have ever seen him run away from something like that – except for the Bogeyman of course, but that was different. This was real, true panic in the face of an opponent he feels he cannot face. Okay, I haven’t seen that many episodes yet, but it struck me as very un-doctorlike. Which is kind of interesting. I loved the bit about the Giggle and the Toymaker, all that “he ripped my soul and I will not survive going through that again”. It made me wonder whether he was referring literally to the bigeneration, or whether he means all the devastation caused by the Toymaker? Or maybe both?
(If he did mean the bigeneration, and if according to RTD all previous regenerations also suddenly became bigerations, then the Doctor’s soul must have been ripped in half quite a number of times…. which quickly brings me into Harry Potter Horcrux territory. So I better not go there unless I know a lot more).
I also liked the reference to – apparently – an earlier incarnation of the Doctor which existed at the same time, I presume the first Doctor? And he has a granddaughter who may or may not have been killed in the time war, did I understand that correctly? Anyway, I love a bit of emotional angst and drama, so right up my street.

So that was all great. However I still felt I wasn’t really the target audience for this, and with all the music and singing in between I felt like the story could have been told equally well in about half the time. People suddemly bursting into song is not my cup of tea, although it did suit Ncuti and Millie very very well. And the bit with Ruby on the roof playing that song she wrote for a friend was just wonderful and really touching.
The other thing I really still struggle with is the new Tardis interior. I know it’s all fancy and modern, but to mee it is just way too sterile and lacking any kind of personal touch (except the jukebox). I mean… it’s the Doctor’s home, isn’t it? It looks like he’s living in a lab! Or maybe I’m just old and need to be more open to modern desings.

Anyway, from the previews I’ve seen the next episode will be right up my street, so I’m looking forward to it!

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This one wasn’t really my cup of tea. I didn’t really like Adam, who so very clearly had his own agenda and seemed to be exclusively focused on his personal gain. I kind of liked the end when his mother (?) came in and snapped her fingers – good luck explaining that, sunshine! I also was somewhat irritated when Rose quite happily gave him her phone AND the Tardis key (which she herself only got quite recently) – at that point I was halfway expecting Adam to sneak into the Tardis all by himself and either try and fly it somewhere else or otherwise wreak havoc with it.

I think the rest of the storyline was somehow lost on me, probably because I stopped paying too much attention so I wouldn’t be annoyed by Adam. It seemed a bit weird that everyone was so keen to get “promoted” to floor 500 when no one has ever come back from there. That MUST raise some suspicions…? Then again, with news uploaded directly into your brain, you only think what you’re supposed to think. The makeup of the people on floor 500 was great!

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And here we go again. I’m not really a fan of Daleks, so I was kind of dreading this episode, but it turned out much better than expected. Possibly because there was only one Dalek involved, and that was robbed of its usual state of being. I definitely did not expect ever to feel sorry for a Dalek!
The Doctor being chained up and tortured was a nice change too – I do like suffering heroes (at least occationally 😉 ). It was – for me – also a new thing to see him almost panic and trying to get out of that sealed chamber once he realises what he’s facing there. Until he realises that his enemy is powerless.

It was also interesting that the time war played an important role here, and it became rather obvious how much it traumatised the Doctor. And then there’s Rose, who embodies all the goodness and kindness in the world. It’s amazing that her DNA is even compatible to a Dalek. I think the way it ended was the best for everyone involved, including the Dalek.

The Cyberman head was creepy, even as a simple exhibit without a body. With the exception of the Slitheen arm I don’t think I reconised anything else, but it was still quite a creepy exhibition.
I was also quite impressed by the resourcefulness of the Dalek, once fully restored. It can fly, it patiently lets the soldiers fire and I thought “oh, it’s just waiting for them to run out of ammunition” but then it rose and triggered the fire alarm, so everyone would be wet and could be exterminate in one, okay two, strikes.
And then there was that point where the Doctor had to make the impossible choice of sealing the Dalek off so it can’t kill all of humanity, and trapping Rose with it. A part of me was wondering whether the Tenth Doctor would have made the same decision – or at the same time – but I guess you cannot really compare them. And in the end, yes, I’m sure he would have as there wasn’t really a choice.
I also liked the end of the van Stratten character. I was sure he wouldn’t survive the episode, but what he got was probably far worse for him.

Nice episode!

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I finally managed to continue my adentures with Nine. I liked it very much, especially “Aliens of London”. One reason was probably that I finally seem to have gotten used to different incarnations, but I also just loved the idea of aliens putting humans on like suit, and trapping all the alien experts in a meeting to get them out of the way. And Harriet Jones shows up, the first time she introduced herself I almost expected someone to say “Yes, we know who you are” 😉
I felt sorry for the poor pig (what kind of weird costume was that?!) and also for Jackie and – even more – Mickie. I do not really like Micky, but being accused for murder is not what he deserves. Jackie – whom I love very much! – also annoyed me somewhat in this episode, but then again her reactions was only too understandable. And if Jackie had reacted any other way after her daughter went missing for a year, I would probably not have been happy either.
The bit with Mickie hacking into some missile launch systems was a bit far-fetched for my taste – maybe I’m too used to modern internet but I halfway expected the police to arrest him mid-episode.
The only thing I didn’t like was the Doctor at the end, when he wasn’t willing to even pretend he’s interested in anyone else but Rose, and put her in a terrible position to decide on the spot where she belongs. What I did like though was his facial expression after he hung up the phone, as if he was halfway expecting her to decide against him. What I did like, though, was the bit when Jackie asks him whether he can promise to keep Rose safe, and he avoids answering that. And Rose notices that, but choses him anyway.
Looking forward to new adventures.

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I admit I haven’t been here for a while, and am still in the process of adapting to “other” Doctors. Ncuti and Millie are doing a great job and I’m sure I will adjust to their style soon. At times, it felt a bit too hyperactive for my taste, and reminded me of a character in a different show that I don’t like. And I guess Ten was just as hyperactive as Fifteen at times, so I better get used to it.
I liked the opening bit, it was a good way to introduce new viewers to who the Doctor is and other basics. So first they went to see the dinasours – very Jurassic Park – and I smiled when Ruby asked about stepping on a butterfly, because Martha asked the same thing many seasons ago (I don’t know yet how many other companions have enquired about it?). And then she actually does step on one and turns into whatever alien creature prehistoric butterflies are made of. I wonder if these kind of “minisodes” will become a regular feature? I mean this brief visit to history before the actual story begins, as in WBY with Isaac Newton and the mavity of the situation. Maybe it all feeds into a larger scheme later. (Or RTD just had script pages to fill. Or both.)

The Space Babies were kind of strange, and I was basically waiting for them to turn evil, or being just a diguise for the bad guys. Same as the Nanny – I was halfway expecting here to be in league with the bogeyman! It was a bit confusing seeing the Doctor run away like that, and after the Church on Ruby Road had already heavily featured babies I could have done with a different emphasis this time. But I’m sure we’ll get there.

I liked the “Nanny Filter”, and I also liked that the Doctor managed to save the Bogeyman. Because it’s not like the Doctor to watch one-of-a-kind species die, at least as far as I can tell with my rather limited expertise. However, how does that creature continue? He now lives happily in the airlock howling to scare the kids when needed? What fate does it face when they all seek refuge at that planet below? Oh, but I liked the Star Trek-like uniforms of the crew when they signed off. And the not-so-subtle hint about the refugee situation.
That whole bit with the “we’re propelling the station with six years of nappy-generated methane” was somewhat ridiculous, though. And I guess I better don’t think about babies growing up with no human interaction. That doesn’t bring my headspace in the right direction. It all felt a bit weird and very Disney-ish, but I guess that was partly due to the fact that it took place on a toddler-inhabited space station. And plenty of “baby language”.

So, what do I think of it… not entirely sure yet. I could relate to it more than to the singing goblins from last time, so I’m confident they’ll all grow on me. And next time it seems there won’t be any babies!
Now I’m better off to bed… good night everyone.

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And here we go again. Still feels weird with this Doctor, but I guess I’ll get used to it eventually. And it’s interesting to see how he IS the same character. All that time-lordiness, the not explaining, occasionally almost arrogance. Although this incarnation seems to be somewhat less emotional and emphatic – he didn’t seem to consider even for a second that seeing her home planet explode might be somewhat upsetting for Rose. For him, this has been everyday life for centuries (I guess – how old was he when the time war happened?) But of course it served as a great opportunity to introduce the Doctor and the fate of Gallifrey. I think my favourite bit was the scene with the tree lady, when she confronts him and tells him she knows who he is, and puts her hand on his arm. Generally the scenes with the tree lady were fantastic.
The little alien spiders were interesting, I was kind of expecting them to actually attac people, but that never happened. Also interesting that the “repeated memes” (?!) actually didn’t even really exist.
I loved the tree people, and it was nice to see Cassandra and the Face of Boe! Oh, and the “gift” from the Doctor… “I give you air from my lungs”. It could be considered insulting, but for a tree I guess might count as a gift…

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@dentarthurdent Yes, finally 😉 Thanks for the explanation about the Nestene Consciousness and the link – although I think for now I will be fine without additional background. But I absolutely love that it’s there – and that Doctor Who is a show that appreciates its fanbase’s enthusiastic attention to detail (probably because a lot of the people running it are proper nerds themselves?) In my other fandom the writers even struggled to maintain a logical timeline for the main character over 15 years, and matters there were not complicated by time travel 😉

I basically don’t know anything about Old Who (or whatever you call it) and I don’t think I’ll ever watch it, but I like that – apparently – there are references for those in the audience who grew up with it and can appreciate them, but at the same time you can come in as a new viewer without this background and still enjoy the episode.

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@devilishrobby I may have expressed myself a bit unclear – I liked the new Doctor and will certainly see what future episodes bring for him. I certainly didn’t mean to criticze Ncuti’s performance as the Doctor, I’m sure he will be brilliant!
It was just this particular storyline that did not “click” with me. I didn’t really get the connection between the goblins (which weren’t my cup of tea anyway) and the thing with the coincidences/bad luck/accidents. And what that lady who interviewed Ruby in the beginning (the one who was later hit by the Christmas tree) had to do with it all. But some of it may simply be because I didn’t watch it too closely.

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@ps1l0v3y0u Yes I have seen the previous three episodes – this episode was my start to watching Doctor Who episodes that do not have David Tennant in it 😉 I loved all three of the specials with Fourteen and thought the bigeneration scene was brilliant. So I was quite sure I’d like Ncuti as the Doctor, I was just almost disappointed about the storyline. Not sure what I had expected, though. Well I’ll see what happens next – in May (?!) if I’m not mistaken?Until then, I will continue to catch up with the other Doctors, starting with Nine… so far, so good! 🙂

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And here we go again – as I am finally out of Tens, Fourteens and Fifteens I guess I might as well start at the beginning. Okay, relatively. Maybe because I’ve seen so many episodes with the Tenth Doctor recently, I connected a lot better with this episode than with the Church on Ruby Road. It was of course a lot more familiar – the Tardis, Rose, Mickey, Jackie, and generally the filming style, I guess.

I liked the episode a lot  – especially the mannequins coming to life! I love it when they have this kind of “real life monsters” that you see every day and that keepy you wondering if maybe they did move, just in the corner of your eye?

The Doctor took a bit of getting used to, his charm is a bit different to Ten, but I liked it more than I had expected. I loved seeing Jackie Tyler again, especially her bit with the “there is a strange man in my bedroom” bit. Reminded me of “Love and Monsters” (I think). Mickey surely still has a lot of room for growth left,  which he will fill in future seasons but here I felt I knew where the “Mickey the idiot” nickname came from. Not that he was an idiot in this episode, he was just… not as witty and open-minded as rose was. And I kind of disliked the end, when she kissed him goodbye to run off with this time-travelling alien. I mean, I’m glad Rose travelled with the Doctor and I’m very happy for her, but I felt quite sorry for Mickey there. I don’t think he deserved to be dumped like that.

I admit I didn’t really get who exactly the aliens were in this episode – apparently a conciousness that inhabits plastic? I loved the bubbling mass that the Doctor talked to, and also that Rose had to save him and he was clearly out of his depth at some point. And how he almost panicked when the Tardis suddenly appeared in that scene. At first, I thought the aliens were going to drop into the bubbling mass to destroy it, but then discarded that thought fairly quickly as obviously the Tardis was still around and “unharmed” for another couple of seasons. I also liked the bit with the London Eye, “a large ring of metal in the middle of London – it must be invisible!”

There were two points in the episode where I thought “Seriously?!”. One was Rose getting in the car with PlasticMickey without noticing that he was quite different both visually and in terms of behaviour. If my boyfriend suddenly looks like a lot like a shop mannequin and can no longer drive in a straight line, I think I would make sure to get out of the car as quickly as possible… especially if I were as quick-witted as Rose usually is. The other scene was Jackie in the shopping mall, standing at the foot of the escalator staring at the enfolding chaos in front of her – but without any attempt of getting back up where she came from? Okay, maybe that was just me and she was coming down from a higher floor so made straight for the exit. It just felt a bit weird to me.

So overall a nice start to a new series, I’m curious as to what’s to come!

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So I finally managed to watch my first episode with a “new” Doctor that is not Ten/Fourteen. Which was weird, but I liked the character. However I really struggled to click with the storyline and the singing goblings and all that. One reason may have been that I was doing something else while watching it, but I found myself wondering what the whole point of the story was (as it was clear from the beginning that neither Lullubelle nor BabyRuby would be eaten by the goblin king). I liked Mrs Flood and the gloves, and I am slightly confused about the new sonic screwdriver, which seems to have lost all resemblance to any kind of screwdriver I’ve ever come across. ^^

The other thing that confuses me at the moment is not related to the episode itself but to the current hooha about the companion. As far as I understand, she shot all her episodes for the current season, and next season there will be a new companion, is that right? Which seems not particularly unusual to me, but is this always such a big deal? I mean, we haven’t even seen more than one episode with Ruby?

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So this is it. The end of an era. I am so overwhelmed right now that I can’t really recapture much of anything. The Master was never one of my favourite villains though. So I focused on everything else, and boy, once again they seemed to have brought everyone back! (I guess they filmed those scenes together with the DoctorDonna episode?) We went back to the Ood sphere. We saw the green “counterparts” to Bannacaffalatta from Voyage of the Damned. Martha and Micky, married (I still wonder what happened to that paediatrician…). Sarah Jane and her son. The descendent of Joan the matron. Captain Jack and Midshipman Frame, in a bar with the rhinos and the fishbubble aliens from the Doctor’s daughter and an Adipose! (And possibly many more I don’t remember or didn’t recognise). Rose and Jackie. Donna and her mum. And of course Wilf, so much Wilf. He made me so happy during this episode, and at the same time he almost made me cry. He is so truly wonderful had such great moments with the Doctor.

And timelords. Oodles of them – not sure if we’ve met them before, possibly, but for me this was the first time. I didn’t even know they still existed, I always thought the Doctor was the only one left. So once there was a time war and now Gallifrey and all timelords except the Doctor (and the Master, apparently) are imprisoned (?) somewhere outside of time and space, or something like that, at least somewhere where they can’t do any harm to anyone else. I guess I’ll find out more eventually. And I have to be honest, I didn’t really understand what happened during the climax here. The Master, realising that his plans have failed, sacrifices himself so Rassillon kills him instead of the Doctor and the connection closes. Gallifrey disappears from the sky again. (Slight anachronism here: Earth is apparently so happy about this that forsythia bushes are in full bloom – in December?!). But where did it go? Back to that time pocket or where/whenever it was before? I didn’t really understand that bit. Or was it destroyed? Can it come back? That female timelord that had eye contact with the Doctor – was she his mother? Or a younger version of that seer lady scribbling on the parchment? If I am not mistaken, she was the one who appeared to Wilf all the time, right? (At first I thought that was a reincarnation of Harriet Jones, late Prime Minister…)

When the Doctor and Wilf landed the Tardis in Joshua Nesmith’s estate, I was a bit confused at first, because it looked pretty much like that horse stable in The Next Doctor, so for a moment I thought he had gone back a lot further than I expected! (Or maybe another horse stable previously used by Ten for Tardis parking, but I’m fairly sure we’ve seen it before).

I couldn’t help but sadly smile when the Doctor jumped to crashland through the glass ceiling (excellent plan, please do not try this at home), as I think that “dangling on wires” bit was the last scene David filmed during his regular run. I had seen footage of it before and was wondering whether I would spot it in the final episode. Not sure if this was really it, but it looked close enough.

Well, there was so much more… I will have to rewatch this, I guess. I possibly will rewatch every single episode at some point. But this is it. This is the end of the Tenth Doctor. No more unknown adventures with that incarnation, and I will have to face the fact that yes, there are other Doctors out there, too. And they will be good. Even if they do not look like David Tennant. I guess my next stop will be The Church on Ruby Road…

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@dentarthurdent : thanks, I’ll go and find out more there. Regaring the bus not pulling over etc.: well, I wasn’t really unduly worried either – it IS a heist movie and if he does pull over it would be a very short and rather boring episode – but I can’t help wondering about such little “errors”.

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What an episode… but let’s start at the beginning.

I’m confused. The Doctor decides to take a trip to Mars, we see the return of the red spacesuit (and I was halfway expecting Donna to follow him out of the Tardis until I remembered she’s no longer there), but why does he land the Tardis in the middle of nowhere and takes a hike over to the base? Why not land right then and there? Would make escaping considerably easier if things go south (which of course never happens to the Doctor, I know). Or is he trying to sneak in unnoticed? If yes, why? In any case, I guess being arrested for trespassing was not on his list!

I love that first scene in the Marsian base. The captain takes no nonsense and keeps pointing a gun at the Doctor’s head. The Doctor, in turn, is almost bored and does his usual charming spiel until he realises where he is. And when. And what will happen. Which in a way makes me wonder how he ended up there in the first place. Did he just randomly land on Mars to take a stroll?! But back to Bowie Base and its crew. And the Doctor’s dilemma that he cannot tell anyone, and knows he should leave but can’t… And of course, none of the crew is stupid, especially not the captain, and they KNOW he’s not telling them all he knows.

This is such a brilliant episode, it has it all – creepy monsters, water as the ultimate enemy (nice reminders of what water can do), a tad claustrophobia, action scenes, emotional turmoil… and then there’s of course the Doctor. Pompeii all over again, but this time, there is no Donna, neither for moral guidance nor support. Instead, there’s the captain, who was incredibly good. It was so great how she tried to stay in control at all times – even locking the Doctor in the airlock until she gets him to confess.

The water monsters were fantastic, too, such a brilliant idea. And so creepy. They don’t kill you right away. There’s no screaming, no fireworks. Just jets of water. Everywhere. And water always wins. I loved that. The one thing that confused me, though, was how the crew was planning to survive the way home without water. Did they have some secret stash that they could be sure wasn’t contaminated? Especially when the captain said “We need those protein bars, we don’t have enough yet” or something like that, I thought: they are not going to get you home if you don’t have any water to drink…

For what follows, I think @arbutus said it all:

“When he is finally free to go, it is heartbreaking to watch him slowly walk away, leaving these people he so admires to their doom, the sounds of their destruction in his ears. Really, really heartbreaking. And we watch him slowly go mad.

When he bursts back in to help them, we feel that familiar triumph– the Doctor is here, he will save them! But that typically Tenth Doctor energy he brings doesn’t ring quite right in this; it feels not triumphant but desperate. Because what he’s doing is wrong. And the whole final scene with Adelaide is brilliantly done, right up to the look on his face as he realizes that she has stolen back her destiny, that he is not after all victorious over time.”

There was one thing I wondered about concerning the Doctor’s decision to save whom he could. It felt to me as if he had sort of learned a lesson at the end of Pompeii, as if Donna – or at least the whole experience there – had indeed changed him. He can’t bear listening to their despair. But I wondered: once he DOES decide to save them, fixed point in time or not, wouldn’t the best way be to head back to the Tardis and set the coordinates to a few days earlier? Maybe just early enough to make sure the tap with the broken was taken offline, or even to Earth before the Mars mission leaves and make sure they have proper replacement filters that fit? Then none of it would have happened and they would have lived on Mars happily ever after. Of course, then we wouldn’t have had this wonderful episode either, but still… Oh well, I guess plot necessities beat effectiveness 😉 (Or maybe it’s so against the fundamental rules of time travel that the Tardis would refuse to cooperate or something…)

The ending was heartbreaking. The Doctor turns into an almost arrogant Timelord Victorious with absolute power. That was rather chilling. And then there is the captain – in a way, she is happy to have been saved, but she knows she cannot stand in the way of what her granddaughter will achieve. So she does the only thing possible for her. Consequent to the bone. What a character. I really liked her!

We finish off with the harbingers of doom… Ood Sigma appearing and the Doctor – suddenly not victorious at all any more – wonders if his time has come. He can feel it coming and so can we. It’s time for him to rest. (Yes, I know, it will take another 15 years until he can properly do that… but maybe a new body and personality will help at least a little bit 😉 )

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Not quite sure what to make of this episode – the setup reminded me of “Midnight”, which was probably intentional as the Doctor made a similar comment at one point. I liked how they played around with the giant fly aliens, which initially appear to be the bad guys but actually aren’t. What I absolutely loved here was that the Doctor was without the Tardis, and thus without the automatic translator. Which is no problem for him, of course, but we as the audience get the undubbed version of clicks and hisses, which sounds pretty creepy to human ears. Except when spoken by a Timelord, of course. Brilliant.

For some reason this Kristina lady was not really my cup of tea, but as I knew she wouldn’t end up as the next companion, I wasn’t too bothered either. She was good fun and brought lots of nice energy to it, but somehow we didn’t click. Although initially I thought that this grail she stole contained some mysterious aliens who were behind all the trouble. But apparently it was really just a historical artefact. What I found a bit confusing in the first place is that after the robbery, wouldn’t she be on the roof of the museum? Why was she suddenly next door when the alarm went off? And why did no one stop her from getting onto the bus, and even more: why didn’t the bus pull over when chased by a fleet of police cars?

The swarm aliens were nice. I loved how the Doctor admires their perfection irrespective of the fact that they are about to kill him. Or at least the people on the bus, or the bus itself (which would have the same effect). I also think this is the first time I’ve come across metal-devouring aliens. Very interesting concept! I was wondering to what extent the Unit weapons would actually affect them, or whether they would simply digest the bullets. But apparently it worked. And I liked that the Doctor recruited two of the passengers for Unit right away 😉

What else was there… the Doctor stole the Tardis? I’ll put that on my “things to find out more about” list, I thought every Timelord had one. The psychic lady (whose name I forgot) tells the Doctor that his song is ending and that “he will knock four times”. Well, not just yet.

My favourite quote of the episode was “I’m charging you too! Aiding and abetting!” – “Yes, I’ll just step inside this police box and arrest myself.”

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@ps1l0v3y0u  I am not sure what you mean with the unquestioning worship of The Oncoming Storm (is that a specific event?), and as far as eye candy is concerned I have been perfectly satisfied with Ten/Fourteen 😉

And just to avoid any misunderstanding – what I wrote was simply my personal opinion about the episode, not a statement of fact. Regarding mourning Donna: I didn’t expect him to do that for the entire episode, but considering how long it seemed to take Ten to mentally let go of Rose, and that the whole DoctorDonnaMetacrisisMindwipe seemed to have haunted him so much that he came back to her some 15 years later, I simply didn’t expect such a cheerful start.

Regarding Christmas specials, I  can’t compare much of anything here, as I haven’t seen anything from another era, but I didn’t even know this was a Christmas special so I certainly did not have any expectations for a “bombastic special”. Until Christmas was mentioned I thought it was a normal episode.

So I’ll see what the next one brings!

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Now this feels weird… I guess there was a bit of time between the episodes, but for me the Doctor has just lost Donna, but steps quite cheerfully out of the Tardis as if nothing ever happened. Well that all right then! Anyway, it looks like he’s landed right in the middle of a Charles Dickens story. And then there is… another Doctor?! Okay, to be expected given the title of the episode, but still weird as neither seems to remember the other. Which would make the other Doctor a different timelord? That can’t really be either, can it? Especially since they both say Allons-y at the same time. (I hope this is not some very beloved old incarnation of the Doctor that I simply don’t recognise…?!) And what is it that comes out of that barn? A cyber-bull?! Okay, not quite. But if they slide across the floor like that, they shouldn’t have any bottoms of their trousers left.
So the other Doctor isn’t actually the Doctor at all but the result of some backfired Cybermen assimilation? I didn’t really get this timestamp thing at all, but apparently, he ended up with everything the Cybermen know about the Doctor in his mind. And a sonic screwdriver, which is sonic because it makes sounds. And a Tardis that is a hot air balloon. I loved that.
Cybermen are not really my favourite monsters so far, although they seem to appear relatively frequently. But what on Earth does that Dalek-style thingy there? I possibly missed it the Doctor’s explanation to it, or it’s just background of Dalek technology basics that I’m missing but to me it felt a bit like “oh, we’ll just throw in a pinch of our other main villains to make it sound more threatening”). Although I did like the “Cybermen in the closet” bit. Why do the Cybermen need all the children as a workforce? Adults don’t do? Hm. And this lady with her super-strong mind becomes Cyberking, which is not what she had expected but she adjusts quickly. Maybe it’s because times have changed since this was filmed but I somewhat expected her to claim the title Cyberqueen, and wanting to create an army of cyberwomen. But okay. So then this meta-cyber-robot comes out of the Thames and the Doctor gets the balloon Tardis to fly. I kind of liked that – I actually loved that it got to fly – but I felt that plan had a few flaws… I mean if any of the Cybermen, aboard this thingy or otherwise, would have taken a shot at the balloon before he was in position, the Doctor would have been an easy prey for them. I also couldn’t help but smile when that giant robot emerged from the river and started to descend on the city of London like Godzilla or so. I was very much reminded of Voyage of the Damned, when everyone except Wilf had left town over Christmas because it had become quite a dangerous place to be at that time of year. There seems to be a history to that! 😉
I liked the ending, though, when Jackson convinces him to come to the Christmas dinner in honour of “those we lost”, and the Doctor realises it’s not just the cybermen victims that were lost. “Sometimes… they forget me. And…. they break my heart.” I wonder if that’s one of the reasons a Timelord has two hearts? So he can cope with all the loss around him better? I mean, traumatic events such as in the case of Donna set aside, he IS nine hundred-odd years old and had his heart broken more often than he bothered to count, I guess.
But anyway… nice episode. Not my favourite one (too many Cybermen and no Donna) but still okay.

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Part 2 – Journey’s end
And here we are with the second part. Regeneration into the hand, that’s… handy. Rose and the Doctor finally united, and Donna looks at Jack saying “You can have me. No really, you can have me.” LOL. And now we get Mickey and Jackie too, how cool is that! I always loved Jackie! The Tardis being towed off, not so cool. I find it such a sad sight when it is all dark and dead. Once again there’s this Dalek that looks like an exploded squid – is that the evolution of that Dalek-Human crossover we saw in the Daleks take Manhattan? I can’t remember what happened there, just that there was this weird creature with very disturbing flesh-coloured, carrot-shaped moving tentacles.
Martha lands in… Germany?! Of all places?! I can’t believe it! And the Daleks are speaking German! God that sounds weird… “Exterminieren, exterminieren… Sie sind jetzt ein Gefangener der Daleks..” Oh my god. (I don’t think the word “Exterminieren” exists in the German language…?)
Poor Doctor has to watch how both his Tardis and his best friend are destroyed. And Jack getting exterminated. Only they aren’t because Jack can’t die (which Rose doesn’t know?) and there’s 10.5 who is half human. And very… post-regeneration bonkers. I love how they manage to make him look like a very distinct person even though it’s the same actor.
Back to Martha in Germany, speaking German, with a very cute accent. Love it! 😉 So the Osterhagen code is to destroy Earth if there is no hope. Interesting. Lots of action and world saving and Dalek destruction, and it’s DoctorDonna who saves the day, and actually the whole universe. Which means this is the last episode with her?! I thought she would be along for Tenth remaining episodes, or until shortly before the end. So I guess I better prepare myself for what happens next. Well, not just yet. Finally everyone’s back in the Tardis towing good old Earth back in place. Even K9 gets to play his part. The really brought EVERYONE back for this one, didn’t they? Brilliant. The Tardis is designed to be flown by six people, no wonder the Doctor is running around like mad all the time and using all hands and feet available. Hey, and why does Jackie have to stand back? Is she such a famously bad driver? Did I miss something? Anyway, all one big happy family now, at least for a brief moment.
Sarah Jane returns to her son. Martha and Jack go to continue saving the world together, I guess – wait, what actually happened to Martha’s fiance? Wasn’t she engaged to that paediatrician last time we saw her? Mickey is joining them and will hopefully not be playing third wheel. Rose and Jackie have to go back to Pete’s world, so that Rose can look after 10.5? Oh man, that’s not fair to her, but then again, what is? I hope they grow old together, happily, eventually, even though he isn’t the real deal. But to look on the bright side: he won’t run away and she doesn’t have to share him with anyone.
And there it is. The end of the DoctorDonna. She knows what’s coming and is pleading that he doesn’t do it, and you can see his heart breaking that he has to do this to her. Man, I am so glad to have seen The Star Beast before seeing this. So utterly, utterly heartbreaking. The Doctor, alone, in the rain. Which is probably still better than being around a Donna who doesn’t recognise him. (And I admit I am a bit confused why Wilfred had to wait with his final words until the Doctor was out in the lashing rain, getting sopping wet. He could have simply said that while the Doctor was still under the roof at the door. But I guess it added to the dramatic effect.)
I think I now have to go and watch the Star Beast once more before I continue with this series…

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Part 1 – Stolen Earth
The end of the universe is imminent, but everything looks normal. Except that the Earth suddenly vanishes – good thing both the Doctor and Donna were in the Tardis at that point. The next bit was very interesting for me as we see a lot of people who I probably should be knowing but don’t really. There’s Martha and Unit, so far, so good. Then there’s John Barrowman at Torchwood, which I only remember seeing at the time it was founded by Queen Victoria (if that was her). Fancy entrance. I recognised Sarah Jane but neither the boy nor the fancy computer. I guess that it because I have never seen the Sarah Jane Adventures. And then there’s Wilfred and Silvia. I have to admit I’m still confused when they mention Chiswick, because my brain has stored that as the home of David Tennant rather than the home of the Noble family (I got even more confused in Wild Blue Yonder, but that’s a different story). But anyway. Everyone staring in in the sky at something impossible. And last not least we see Rose Tyler again with a big, fat gun looking at a sky full of lifeless other planets. And that’s all just before the opening credits – which seem five times longer than usual just so they can fit all the names in.
The Shadow Proclamation! Maybe I’ll finally find out what that actually is. Oh, and that one lady looks like the lady from Broadchurch Season 3, but here she works for Torchwood. Okay. Spaceships approaching… Daleks?! A whole fleet? Where did THEY come from, I thought there was only three left? And why do they abduct the Earth to exterminate everyone? Can’t they do that in the solar system?
So the Shadow Proclamation is actually a planet… oh, and there’s the Rhinos again, from the platoon on the moon! Speaking in a language not translated by the Tardis, but the Doctor seems fluent in it. Brilliant! And who is that weird lady with the white hair and the red eyes? So it’s not just Earth but other planets as well… why? Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister! (Yes, we know who you are….) They really brought everyone back for this episode, didn’t they?! What’s next, an Ood? So everyone is working together to send a signal to the Doctor, and the only one who can’t get in is Rose, because Wilf wasn’t allowed to get a webcam 😉 And it works, and the Doctor and Donna and the Tardis can find Earth. (For now I’ll ignore the bit with the bumblebees and the Medusa cascade… there is just too much for one episode! What on earth IS the medusa cascade?! I still have so much to learn about the Whoniverse!) And suddenly everyone abandons their loved ones – even Sarah Jane – to find the Doctor. Who finally, finally is almost reunited with Rose, only to be shot by a Dalek on the way. And going into regeneration. I had almost forgotten that Donna doesn’t know what that is. But at least she’s not alone with him, nor is he alone, but rather in the company of trusted friends.
In terms of storyline, they’re really going for the big drama here, aren’t they? Anything less than the end of the world wouldn’t do. So I’m curious to see how they’re going to save everyone in the second part!

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Phew. And another brilliant episode. I have to watch that again at some point. At the moment, I don’t even have words for it. I mean I had heard about the episode before, so I knew the Doctor wasn’t “really” dead but only because Donna never met him. (Okay, in the middle of a series it is rather unlikely that he’s properly dead, but still it was a heartbreaking thought. That screwdriver falling out of his hand. The Tardis dead, or slowly dying while waiting for their master. (Or whatever you call that relationship?) It was so fantastic how they wove the events of the past seasons in there, although I probably missed half of them. But of course the Doctor would have died in the Runaway Bride if Donna hadn’t stopped him. He had just lost Rose and didn’t really care anymore. There was the Titanic crashing, this time without a last minute miraculous escape. The Adipose breeding in America (possibly the best breeding ground for them on planet Earth…?!)
The scene that almost made me cry was when Wilf and Donna say goodbye to the Italian landlord when he’s hauled off the labour camp. Being German, that struck a particular nerve with me, and seeing the tears in Wilfred’s eyes I thought “He must know…” and he did. And then Donna realised it too. It was so great to see so much of the wonderful Wilf in this episode. He really keeps it all together.
And then there’s Rose… not telling anyone her name, and being pulled over from her parallel universe. I thought that wasn’t possible? I mean… if it WAS possible the Doctor would have probably fought heaven and hell just to make that happen? And even the Doctor is beginning to wonder if there’s more to him meeting Donna Noble than just coincidence. Why he keeps running into her, and Wilf. (With the Star Beast in mind, this made me smile even more.) I think this episode needs some time until I fully processed it…
PS: I love how they managed to shoot two episodes in parallel, with only one of the characters carrying the plot, and yet they are both just amazingly brilliant!

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Oh, what a brilliant opening. Donna and the Doctor take a break from saving the world and almost getting killed in the process and go on holiday. Ish. Donna relaxing by a completely deserted pool and the Doctor is eager as usual to marvel at the wonders of the universe. Or in this case the planet. Yes, I wonder, what could possibly go wrong?! LOL
The beginning is obviously quite smoothly, the Doctor’s charm turns what would otherwise have been an ordeal for everyone involved into a nice social event. And just when we learn that no one has ever touched the surface of the planet, the vessel stops. And Sky gets possessed by something that according to Mr Know-it-all cannot exist. Nice claustrophobic setting, I like that. And what on earth is Rose Tyler doing on that screen? And apparently she only showed up that one time. Weird.
Wow, that was a close shave. So that whatever-it-was stole the Doctor’s voice, so she could speak and he couldn’t? Not sure I fully understood that. But it was certainly unexpected that the hostess would suddenly commit suicide to save the passengers – and get it right It was creepily fascinating to see the group dynamic here, first the fear brings out the worst in all of them, and then – encouraged by the whatever-it-was – they actually try to throw the Doctor out. Seeing him so helpless and panicked was incredible. And then there’s silence…
I’m glad we got to see the reunion with Donna in the end. What an episode! My favourite lines (from before it got busy): “Ladies and gentlemen and variations thereof…” – I have to remember that 😉 and “Sorry, I’m the Doctor, I’m very clever.” I think that’s a pretty accurate description…

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@janetteb and @winston: Thanks! I admit I enjoy exploring this world of the Tenth Doctor and going on a journey into the unkonwn with him. I mean with some episodes I have been spoilered and vaguely know what happens, but seeing it is just so captivating!
I admit that these two episodes (SitL/FotD) are currently not on the top of my list (although they are certainly very good). But that might be because a) the Vashda Nerada are kind of the wrong kind of creepy for me to be confortable with, and b) I haven’t seen anything of the other Doctor’s yet, so I haven’t seen his relationship with River blossom. In my head, it’s just him and Donna, and to an extent Rose and Martha in their own ways.

And yes, I forgot about Donna losing her memories of her life with the kids and her husband. That was so sad. I guess it’s a little taste of what’s coming for her?

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This seemed less creepy than the first one, maybe because it had more Donna in the “fake” world in it. Or because we already knew about the Vashda Nerada and there was less shadows. I got a bit confused in between but I loved the scenes with the Doctor and River Song, whom I assume is his future wife? And she knows the Doctor’s name, which I guess is something we’d all like to know (but I guess we’d die in the process, so maybe not.) And we see Donna in a wedding dress – again!
When that Vashda Nerada thing in the suit with the tinted windows said “you have one day” I was at first confused about this “long” deadline, but when all the people re-appeared I realised they of course also had to be brought off the planet.
I liked the end with the “spoilers” – both the scene with the diary and Donna’s question about her fate, and subsequent decision not to look, and then the Doctor coming back realising that his future self would have thought of a way to save her. And of course that scene with River’s last words to the handcuffed Doctor (did I mention I do like handcuffed Doctors?) who cannot do anything but watch her die. That was quite heartbreaking. For the first time, it felt to me like this was where things started to build up to what we end up seeing with the Fourteenth Doctor. “Is “all right” Timelord code for “really not all right at all?” Yeah, I’m really happy with how “The Giggle” ended.
The one thing I still don’t really understand is how the Doctor actually got out of there. River dies, all the saved people appear, and he’s still down there in handcuffs unable to do anything. But I will simply assume that Donna came and looked for him and someone had keys for the handcuffs.

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Silence in the Library
This was not really my kind of episode – a tad too creepy for me. But definitely an interesting concept, just like “Blink”. “Almost every culture on every planet fears the dark – and not without reason…” Thank you Doctor, that will certainly help me to fall asleep tonight!
River Song was interesting, she sounds like she’s his future wife. And another time traveller, but apparently not a Timelord? I’m sure the Doctor would have reacted very different to that. And I loved her reaction to Donna, apparently (well, of course) she knows Donna’s future. And whilst it would be completely logic that the Doctor has a future with River Song without Donna eventually, as he is virtually immortal and Donna isn’t, her silence said more than a thousand words. Not sure how much of Donna’s storyline was planned at this time, but it certainly gave weight to Donna being the most important being in the whole universe for a moment. And seeing her as that face was downright creepy, poor Doctor! The scenes with the dying memories were also very good and touching, I liked that.

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Okay, this seems like one of those threads that covers a number of episodes… so I’ll do my best. (For some episodes, I wrote down thoughts while I was watching or immediately afterwards, for some I just summarised what I remembered. But I loved them all and will most likely watch them again anyway)

Partners in Crime
I had seen scenes from this episodes plenty of times so I was very glad to finally be able to watch the full episode. And even though I had seen it at least 50 times already, I still laughed so much at this “Donna does a little mime” bit! But I loved the rest of the episode too, it was just nice to have Donna back. Although I was a bit confused by her character, it seemed so wrong seeing here so lethargic while Mum keeps bossing her around. Donna never struck me as a character shy of talking back to anyone, so that was just weird in my eyes. But it was so great to see Wilf, especially now after “The Star Beast”. This was where it all began…
The storyline itself was somewhat bananas – I was fully with Donna’s “I can’t believe I’m waving at fats…!” The Adipose are probably the cutest monsters ever seen on Doctor Who? And it seemed such a logical and – for many people – desirable combination. Humans lose weight and the Adipose can reproduce. How convenient not having to worry about a healthy lifestyle any more, right? (Except for when things go wrong, of course.) It seems an almost obvious idea for a story yet I would never in my life have come up with it. Brilliant!
When she’s not with her mother, Donna seems a bit louder than in later episodes, I’m glad they turned that down a bit. I really love that she has her own mind and is not afraid to talk back to the Doctor – he needs that! I liked the bit with Donna having all of her bags readily packed in the car – apparently at all times? And the Doctor’s face when she’s sort of moving in. “I just want a mate.” – “You’re not mating with me, spaceman!” Well, you did find your mate, Doctor…. (well, at least in my head and for this incarnation!)

The Fires of Pompeii
It’s been a while since I watched this episode but I absolutely loved it. I loved the set, I loved Donna being excited and loud and trying to save the population. She is downright annoying at times and hellbent at not letting this happen. And I also love her later on, when she sees the choices the Doctor has to face, and despite everything she said before, she does not let him bring this over them all by himself. I loved her desperation, that this is not what she had come for, that she never wanted to see this. But even within that, she makes sure the Doctor saves at least those he CAN save. And she does not leave.
And of course I loved the Doctor, first in a tight spot having to put up with Donna and then – possibly neither the first not the last time – faced with the most horrible decision possible. Bringing death and destruction over the people he just shook hands with. Fantastic episode. Definitely one of my favourites so far.

Planet of the Ood
Also a lovely episode, also watched a while ago. I can’t remember all the details, but it was sweet and terrifying at the same time. This cruelty against the Ood is so incredibly human – it was frightening to think that this would most likely actually happen.
When I saw that guy with the hair tonic drink whatever Ood Sigma gave him, I couldn’t really decide whether he was just downright stupid or naive. But I guess he was simply too arrogant to even think of the idea that an Ood could harm him. He got what he deserved in the end.
I do like the Ood, they are so almost ethereal and peaceful. But as the Doctor said: a species that carries their brains in their hands cannot go for conflict. I hope we will see a lot more of them!

Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky
So now I finally meet the famous potato-headed Sontarans! And then there’s Martha again, now working for Unit. Good to see her back and so much potential in her meeting Donna (“Don’t fight!” – “Oh, I wish you’d rather be fighting” – always fun to watch). And whilst the Doctor despises all the military protocol and is so annoyed when people salute, Donna (being new to such reactions) quite enjoys the attention – “I’m Donna, and yes, I would like a salute!”
And poor Martha was captured and cloned – I was wondering when the Doctor would figure out that she’s not the real deal, or rather when he would do something about it. It looked to me as if he recognised the fake right away, but as with Rose being possessed by Cassandra in New New Earth he played along for a bit. Although in this case… quite a bit!
I have meanwhile probably forgotten half of what I wanted to say about the episode, but I liked it. Donna’s mum is a bit too annoying for me, but we also get Wilf which makes up for it. That whole atmosphere converter thing was a bit over the top for me – one shot from that thing and the whole atmosphere of the whole planet ignites in a few seconds? Just to leave clear air behind a few seconds later? Hmmmm…. but okay, it’s television. And then there’s this fictional version of Elon Musk going nuts – I was a bit confused that these geniuses he recruited were actually going along with his military organisation style. But at least they kept their brains and left him when they found out what he had done. And he was smart indeed – outsmarting the Doctor who is hellbent on his plans is quite a feat, I guess. And I also guess that it was the only thing left for him to do, as he couldn’t live with what he’s done – and/or continue to live in this world that does not appreciate his ingenuity to the extent he wants. I liked that bit. I also liked the bit with the Doctor rambling about being stuck without a Tardis “like an ordinary human – no offense”. And then there is Donna being abducted within the Tardis, left on her own, only to be told by the Doctor that there is a phone, but with no further instructions as to whom she should call. Reminded me a bit of Human Nature/Family of Blood, when Martha is left with instruction but none of them involve the arrival of aliens. But like a true companion, Donna managed it all brilliantly. And I like that she asks Martha if she wants to come along again – and then the Tardis flies off all on its own – even without anyone spilling coffee! Interesting…

The Doctor’s Daughter
Finally the famous daughter! I couldn’t help but laugh when I read the description on the BBC IPlayer “The Doctor meets the most important woman of his life” – with the benefit of hindsight, so very true in so many ways 😉
Great opening –“Where are we going?” – “I don’t know, but my hand seems very excited about it!”
That tissue sample taking machine looked properly impressive, although given the sounds from the Doctor while his hand was in there I expected slightly more damage than that scratch. But it looked good, and it WAS quite impressive how quickly that was processed into a fully-grown lifeform. Although I’m a bit confused, why only the Doctor? Why don’t they take samples from Donna and Martha too?
Martha gets abducted and Jenny blows off half the tunnel. I like that the Doctor is only worried about Martha in this situation and not about his Tardis being potentially destroyed too. Also interesting aliens with these bubbly green things! I loved how they were all touching Martha like some sort of new pet puppy.
The Doctor is slowly warming towards Jenny – and once again, it’s Donna who keeps an open mind and makes it possible. As I generally like this particular Doctor getting emotional, I very much liked the scene where he explains what a Timelord is. And yes, I know at the time this was shot David and Georgia weren’t even dating yet, but watching this some 15 years later I find it just amazing knowing what is to become of it. Okay, back to the story. Jenny certainly knows the tricks of the trade, seducing the guard to steal his gun and get him to open the door. And of course there’s Donna… “I’d like to see you try that…” I’m with you on that one, Donna, I’d quite like to see that too 😉 And the Doctor has a Mr Clicky in his pockets?! Just in case, or what? LOL. Seems to be quite useful, though.
Martha is meanwhile trying to make her way across the surface with her new fish friend. And he sacrifices himself to save her. What a scene – wonderful.
And here we go again, the Doctor mentioning that he once had a family. Hard to imagine for me, but I found it very touching when he admitted that having Jenny around would remind him of what he has lost, and of that part of him that died with them. And Donna consoling him like only she can. This certainly felt like an early version of Fourteen. I loved that scene.
What I didn’t really get was the solution to the conflict. So…. It’s only been a week? I mean since apparently one party was human, I can accept that they write the date as we do on earth. But if they – as the Doctors said – go through I don’t know how many generations in just one week, how long is a week on that planet? And if they go through so many generations in such a short time, how come we don’t really see a generation change in the full hour that we spent there? The only new arrival was Jenny, as far as I could see. And these two groups of about a dozen each are all there is? That seemed rather strange.
And then of course comes the heartbreaking scene when Jenny dies. And the Doctor goes through losing a family again. Absolutely heartbreaking. Brilliant. And he hopes for a regeneration that never comes. However her death is not in vain and humans and Haths seem to be able live in peace now. Although… that was a bit too kitschy for me – oh yeah, one moment we’ve been enemies for generations and the next moment we all live happily ever after. Hm.
Wow! So Jenny does regenerate in the end and is still out there?! (I had wondered how Martha would know that there are no signs of her regenerating, as far as I know she never witnessed the process/signs? Anyway…) That was certainly a surprise, I love that! And my fanfiction mind has just exploded with possibilities….

The Unicorn and the Wasp
This episode felt somewhat weird – maybe I haven’t seen enough Agatha Christie movies to fully grasp it? (I admit I’m only familiar with Ms Marple anyway). I liked the Mousetrap-like setting of it and that everyone had a secret but it wasn’t being the wasp. I got a bit lost as in why the wasp was trying to kill in the first place – risk of exposure, I assume.
I liked the bit with the Doctor being poisoned and “detoxing” – “I need a shock!” and Donna kissing him! I laughed so much! (Also because I just very recently came across one of those fan question panels where DT referred to this scene. I can’t remember the exact question, it had something to do with the number of takes for kissing scenes, and he remembered this one specifically because he felt so sorry for Catherine Tate having to kiss him covered in this relatively unhygienic food-covered state and with a mouth full of walnuts and anchovis, or something like that. Why exactly did he pour that ginger beer over his head? Does it work externally as well?! But it was fun to watch.)
There was a lot more in this episode that I liked, but I can’t remember it right now.

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@dentarthurdent Thank you – yes, I am currently making my way through the adventures of 10 and 14, but have meanwhile become fascinated enough that I will take a peek at other Doctors too. (As already mentioned in another post: I fully admit that I’m mostly here because of David Tennant, but I am by no means a member of the “DT-must-stay-forever” club. I am very happy he passed the baton on to Ncuti and may his character recover in peace offscreen). Also thank you for the suggestion with the transcript – so far I haven’t needed them but it’s always good to know where to find such things. (PS: Nice username! 😉 )

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@winston (again 😉 ) I fully agree! It’s absolutely awesome that this show is so beloved by people all around the world! And I also like it that life in the Whoniverse isn’t always fair, it would be pretty boring if it were.

@ps1l0v3y0u Thank you for the recommendation – another episode to put on my list once I’ve made it past the Tenth Doctor. Still haven’t made it to the goblins yet, actually. But I’m very curious about Fifteen!

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@winston Thank you for the info about Jack – I am looking forward to exploring the other Doctor’s adventures at some point and it’s always good to know where to look!

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What an episode! The Titanic, but a spaceship. Crashing into the Tardis. These golden angels smelled trouble right from the beginning, at first I thought they were maybe a variety of Weeping Angels. But later I laughed when they used their halos to kill, mostly because it reminded me of a scene in Good Omens involving a halo 😉

What I also found fascinating was how much the characters in the episode reminded me of the characters in the Titanic movie from the 90s – there was the unsinkable Molly Brown with the hairdo, and the pain-in-the-neck rich guy who survives while so many of the nice ones die, and for some reason even midshipman Frame reminded me of an officer in the movie. Although that may simply have been the costume.

I loved the little twists and turns in the episode. That little spiky readhead – how on earth do you come up with a name like Bannakaffalatta?! – suddenly being a cyborg. Kylie Minogue was okay, although I never really clicked with her character. I loved Mr Copper and his weird “knowledge” of Earth. There were so many things I can’t remember them all… The UK being at war with Turkey every year, feasting on their victims?! I almost fell of the sofa giggling. The Doctor finally meeting someone named Alonzo, just so that he can say “Allons-y, Alonzo!”?! Brilliant. And we meet Wilf, camping out in London while everyone else has left town – nice reference to the two previous Christmas specials. Of course, he is not the only person who decided to stay – the Queen of course is also setting an example. And the one thing on the Doctor’s mind when he finds out where the ship’s going to crash is make an emergency call to Buckingham Palace to make sure she’s evacuated to a safe place (and the Corgies, of course). Me being German, I will probably never be able to fully understand how it feels to have a monarch, especially such an iconic one. That was so….. British to make sure she does not perish on television. And then we see Her Majesty in curlers and slippers?!! Isn’t that considered lese majesty or something?! I couldn’t help but laugh – so much that the cat go quite annoyed with me. I liked the reminder about what it would make the Doctor if he were to decide who lives or dies. Reminded me a bit of Gandalf in Lord of the Rings.

There was probably a lot more that I’ve simply forgotten by now, but I loved the episode!

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Time travel without a capsule?! Jeez. But at least they made it back from the end of the universe, and I’m confident the Doctor will eventually get his Tardis back too. Ah, and now I finally know who Harold Saxon is! The guy who monitors the telephone of Martha’s mum! (And Prime Minister. And the Master of the Time Lords, apparently. Unhealthy combination, I would say). It is a bit weird to watch this so many years after it was made – that line “What this country really needs, is a doctor” couldn’t be more up to date. Although it’s more like “the world” rather than just one country. And whether a virtually immortal Timelord-Doctor would be suitable I don’t know. Anyway, on with the episode.

The Master is controlling everyone and everything and killing along the way. And cannibalised the Tardis, poor thing! You’ll be all right again, I promise! Interesting thing with the Tardis keys making the three…. Not invisible, but unnoticeable. Reminded me a bit of Neil Gaiman’s “Neverwhere”. And Martha is a good girl and quietly watches her family being transported off. And the Master brings the Doctor forward a hundred years – that’s a first, at least for me. Nice look! Does a timelord in a very old body still have his normal powers? I was wondering a bit, as he initially wondered how he could get close enough to the Master to put the key thingy around his neck. And when the Master was right in front of him, he didn’t. But maybe that contraption doesn’t work anymore, or that plan at all, or he simply didn’t have enough strength left. It was very weird seeing him there next to the Master, forced to watch all the destruction. With I don’t know how many layers of makeup on, it felt rather lifeless. (Which was probably not unintentional, as 100-something year-olds are usually not exactly bursting with energy either). And as I was wondering when the conclusion would come, it turns out it’s a several-episode arc! So I’ll have to wait and see – Martha teleporting somewhere else, but promising to come back, and Jack just staring. I assume Martha is not the only one who has a crush on the good Doctor?

On to the next part then. I admit I got a bit lost in the events with all this time paradox thing – I found that VERY paradoxical at times. But the episode of course still had plenty of interesting bits. The Doctor aged 900 years. Captain Jack shackled up and later entering the Tardis Rambo style. And of course the scenes where the Master is dying and refuses to regenerate. That was a great scene. Despite everything the Master has done to humanity and also to the Doctor himself – and would do again in a heartbeat – the Doctor cannot let him go. He is so desperate not to be the last one of his species left… But if I understand the end correctly (which had a sort of déjà vu effect on me with these red fingernails) refusing to regenerate and being burnt on a pyre still doesn’t kill a timelord properly? And does the Doctor know that, and if yes, why doesn’t he stay around to make sure the Master is fully gone? Okay, he doesn’t really want him to be gone, and I guess whatever it was that was left of him and picked up by this mysterious hand is not really the Master any more.

I also loved the ending of the episode. Jack – whom I like very much so far and hope to see him again – is sensible enough not to stay with the Doctor but go back to Unit. And he… is to become the Face of Bo?! Seriously? I can’t remember how he ended up immortal, but I hope the ego of this charming fellow evolves sufficiently with him to cope with being a head in a glass jar than a dashing young man willing to mate anything. Interesting thought! But what I loved most is that Martha finally came to her senses and did the right thing – get out before she gets hurt. The Doctor will never be able to give her what she wants and needs, and doesn’t even seem to be willing to pretend he wants to. (I’m still sort of mad at him for the way he returned to Martha after that school matron Joan turned him down.) But I am looking forward to finally getting to the Donna Noble episodes! (No, it’s not that I didn’t like Martha. She was brilliant. And at least of the Ten’s companions she clearly was the one that the Doctor was least interested in. Of course he cared for her, in the way he cares about anyone he feels responsible for. But it seemed clear to me that the only reason he was taking her along was so he wouldn’t have to pass all that time on his own.)

[VickyMallard @replies]

So this is my first episode with the famous Captain Jack – charming! 😉 I liked the episode, although it did get a bit confusing at times. That the professor was not who we think he is was clear from the beginning. But him being another timelord?! The “Master”… okay? Master of what? All timelords? The universe? But nice to see that fobwatch playing a role again. If they hadn’t had that last scene with the veteran soldier in The Family of Blood, I would have thought that young kid from WW1 somehow became immortal. Also nice to see was the severed hand from The Christmas Invasion – and Martha’s reaction to it. Oh, and the Face of Bo from that cat-run hospital in New New York!

I should have guessed that this is a two-parter – way too many unresolved issues shortly before the end. And the Doctor (plus Martha and Jack) left without a Tardis at the end of the Universe – somehow reminds me of The Wild Blue Yonder now 😉 So we’ll see what the second part has in store.

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The Doctor becomes… human?! Like really, physically human due to this Chameleon Arch? Interesting! Also interesting that there is this… family that can chase him through time and space and there is nothing he can do about it if they find him? Also interesting! And then of course there is the whole plot about human John Smith falling in love with the matron, and poor Martha has to stand aside and watch. “Of all things, you had to fall in love with a human… and it’s not me.” I really feel sorry for Martha, she seems to be the most unwanted companion ever (okay, I’ve only known Rose and Donna, but still.) I admit I’m not really a fan of “admiring girlfriend” types, but I nevertheless can’t help to feel sorry for the way her character is written. I do like her and she deserves something better than being second choice. But anyway, here we are now, and the Doctor doesn’t remember a thing. Which is probably good. I wonder if that young boy will survive the next episode, though. And I also wonder… he has already opened the watch and some of the content seems to have found its way into him. So does that mean the Doctor’s “essence” in the watch is now incomplete?

Hm, second part was downright creepy and I’m not sure I understood it all. So the person suddenly appearing in the alien ship was indeed the Doctor? How did he fool the aliens that he’s still John Smith? If he can mask that smell that they use to trace him so well, why didn’t he do that in the first place?

Personally, I was quite impressed by the acting here of John Smith being scared about changing back. If it was over the top, than I didn’t notice, but I haven’t seen much of other actors being the Doctor, and I admit I am not really neutral here 😉 Apart from all the actual horror on John Smith’s face, I loved that bit when Martha tells him about how he is as a Doctor: lonely and restless. “And that is what you want me to become?” I also loved how Matron Joan stood her ground in the end. John Smith was in love with her, but for the Doctor she wouldn’t have been more than a convenient adventure. And he doesn’t give cahoots about what this would mean for Martha, whom he would probably have dumped in the next possible nanosecond.

Another fantastic thing was how they managed to portray the differences between the two characters. John Smith, terrified as a human being can possibly be, changed into the Doctor to save Joan and the village. The Doctor, being asked to change back into that being he so much wanted to be, didn’t dare. And I also loved her final sentence: “Tell me: if you hadn’t landed here in a whim, no one would have died – right?”

The young boy was also excellent – and I liked that he survived and lived a long life. That was a positive conclusion of all this horror of kids having to prepare for war and going into war.

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And another great episode! The beginning reminds me a bit of that episode with the Ood in series 2 – The Impossible Planet? Okay, that ship was falling into a black hole, not the sun. Do I assume correctly that this emergency lockdown mode means the Doctor can’t get back to the Tardis? I hope it’s heatproof… but if it survives on that impossible planet, I’m sure it survives impossible heat as well. And once again a nicely creepy episode with crew members being killed off one after the other. And an interesting concept that a sun can be a living being – at least for me that was a new one!

And the Doctor is finally warming up towards Martha. Although a part of me wished she had simply stayed with her “No” – just to underline that No means No, even if you’re a charming timelord. And Mum now has visitors from “Mr Saxon”, whoever he may be, who try to backtrace the universal roaming to find the Doctor. I’m curious to see where that will lead us.

And there were so many nice bits in this episode. I loved the “pub quiz” bit… “Don’t they teach happy primes anymore?!” (Or whatever that was – I admit I have no idea what a happy prime is, it certainly wasn’t taught in my classes at school 😉 )

For this episode, my favourite bits were Martha and the other guy in the escape pod, the Doctor climbing out of the airlock – although when the pod came back, for a minute I thought it would be docking to the same airlock, squashing the Doctor in the process – and then of course that whole scene in sickbay when the Doctor is burning up. Screaming in agony, scared of what he might become if that sun thing in him is winning the battle, trying to explain regeneration in between but not getting a word in, and facing being frozen to -200 degrees. That was right up my street…

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Sorry for posting twice, but I cannot find a thread for Lazarus and can’t seem to edit my previous post either, so I’ll continue here…

Nicely creepy episode! The Doctor is finally beginning to warm towards Martha, although I’m not entirely convinced if that’s a good idea, at least for her. Anyway, nice creepy monster – did I understand correctly it was basically all the errors eradicated by evolution come together? But I also loved that it wasn’t entirely a monster. It was a human that went through terrible things no kid should ever endure. I loved his dialogue with the Doctor about whether living basically forever is a blessing or a curse.

Interesting solution to the problem – why exactly did the music from the organ make Lazarus fall to his demise? I must have missed that. Watching him play made a tiny part of my brain wonder whether David Tennant, being the son of a minister, actually has some experience in playing the organ, but I guess not and in any case, that’s not really relevant here. I loved the bit with “hang around Beethoven long enough and you learn a thing or two”.

And that message on the answerphone in the end… who the hell is Harold Saxon?! Was that the man warning Mum that the Doctor is dangerous? But who is he, an old enemy of the Doctor?

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And another  thread that seems to cover several episodes 😉

So I’ll start with Gridlock. Great start – I liked the beginning when the Doctor describes Gallifrey, but the way he says it makes it clear something’s not right. However we’re back in New New York – seems to become almost a standard for a first trip, hm? And even the sisters with the cat faces are still there, and that face of… Bo? That face that appeared to be dying in that first episode with Rose Tyler? Quite an interesting storyline. The traffic jam of the universe, I guess. And just when you think how on earth is the Doctor gonna solve this one… he does! And the feline nun with the gun wasn’t out there to kill him, but to get him to help. And then there is the end, which I also really liked. Apart from the fact that it made clear that the good Doctor can be quite a jerk at times, lying to Martha just because he can.

What did Bo mean with “You are not alone”? Another item for my ever-growing “Things to investigate” list. (I vaguely remember reading he actually isn’t a timelord, and thus potentially also not the last of his kind? But we don’t know what he really is, and neither does he?). Nevertheless I liked the ending, when the Doctor finally tells Martha the truth, and the sadness over what he has lost becomes almost tangible. I loved that.

The next two episodes with the Daleks in Manhattan I found somewhat more difficult to connect with. Maybe it was simply because I have a cold and my brain just wasn’t willing to connect properly, but I found found the storyline somewhat less fascinating than the rest of what I’ve seen so far. So there are four Daleks who survived the events of Doomsday and are now trying to create a Dalek-Human hybrid? I have to admit I found the prostetics of the “Prototype” somewhat disturbing… these, ehm, flesh-coloured, carrot-shaped tentacles that kept moving. As I’m not an expert on anything in the Doctor Who universe yet: if the Doctor is the number one enemy of the Daleks, why don’t they simply exterminate him right on the spot? The Doctor says of himself he doesn’t commit genocide, but at least so far my impression of Daleks is that they are less scrupulous about such things.  And what does it actually take to kill a Timelord? Lightning strikes are apparently insufficient – it knocks him out, but he shows no signs of starting to regenerate and is none the worse for wear just a couple of minutes later. And genius enough to find a cure for Lazlo on the spot…? As much as I liked the happy ending for him and Taloola, that was a bit “too much” for my taste. The other thing that confused me – or maybe I just misunderstood something – was that the Daleks were waiting for huge solar flare – I’m not a scientist, but do solar flares manifest themselves in a single giant lightning strike?

Another thing that occurred to me was the situation of Martha. The Doctor still doesn’t really seem to enjoy her company, she’s just there to fill the void, sort of. Initially, he promised her “one trip, and that’s it!” Since then, he hasn’t even really given her the chance to go back – I know she wouldn’t have gone anyway, but he didn’t even ask, it was just “oh, I guess one more won’t hurt” and off they went. And apart from Martha being potentially killed by the Daleks, there was a moment when I thought “If the Doctor gets killed now, that leaves Martha stuck in the 1930s…

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So is this a joint thread for both Smith and Jones and The Shakespeare Code? Thought I would continue my “commentary” with the more recently viewed episodes. This was my first episode with neither Rose nor Donna – having watched the 14th Doctor in between, I guess I’ve already joined “Team Donna” and was quite surprised to find that there is a whole series with Martha after the “Runaway Bride”

For some bizarre reason, I have a pretty soft spot for my heroes being poked and prodded in hospitals. And while it was quite intriguing to see Martha listen to the Doctor’s two heartbeats, I wonder what clues they hold for finding the cause of abdominal pain. (And another question from the newbie: how does that actually work with the two hearts, I mean if anyone is trying to take his pulse… do they get a double one? A different one on each side? And why didn’t anyone notice when he checked into the hospital – does the Doctor have some sort of built-in cloaking/metamorphing/whatever design that makes his vital signs appear human, maybe like that psychic paper thing?) Then things start getting weird and the whole hospital ends up on the moon – very nice! In comes the intergalactical police, shaped as scary rhinoceroses, but actually not harming anyone unless provoked. And the salad-eating elderly lady turns out to be the real monster. I knew there was a reason I was suspicious of that “I am eating salad for dinner every night” answer! Brilliant.

But so far, the Doctor is the only apparent non-human… then again, he wouldn’t be the Doctor if he wouldn’t get out of it (especially in the first episode of a whole season). That radiation thing I didn’t really understand – Timelords can absorb radiation and then just dispose of it? Anyway, whatever that was, it brings me the treat of a barefoot Doctor, another thing I have a soft spot for. And why exactly did he kiss Martha all of a sudden?!
That scene with the alien old lady was absolutely awesome. I loved it that she doesn’t recognize him as an alien, sometimes my brain seems to assume that any member of any alien race would automatically and immediately know who he is. But not this one – and that scene with the straw and her starting to drain his blood was also right up my street. Finally, the Jedoon rhinoceroses barge in, but too late, he’s already out cold. Again, although I certainly approve Martha’s rescue efforts: if someone has been drained of blood, how much use is CPR then, especially if he’s already been out for several minutes? CPR certainly doesn’t replenish any blood…? And if the oxygen level has run so low that Martha passes out after administering it, what is the Doctor breathing then? Can timelords make do without or considerably less? Okay, yes, I know. It’s television, not a reality show. And it’s science fiction. Which is good. However, this scene brings me to my next question… can the Doctor actually die? Why doesn’t he go into regeneration? Or does he need the Tardis to regenerate? Anyway, I loved the makeup in this scene, they really made the Doctor look like he just came back from the dead.

That “Jedoon Platoon on the Moon” thing made me smile – to me it sounded funny and I didn’t notice any slips in accent, but then again I’m not a native speaker. What was it supposed to sound like?

I liked Martha, although she didn’t really seem to “click” with the Doctor. Not because of bad acting or anything, it seems to have been planned like that. Which was weird and kind of felt unfair to the character. On the other hand, personally I’m not interested in the “girlfriend”-part of the Doctor’s companions, and I’m sure that’s what Martha is heading for. But we shall see.

 

And then there was the Shakespeare episode. I have to admit that personally, I have yet to achieve a reasonable understanding of his works, but of course I am aware of David Tennant’s enthusiasm for it. So apart from feeling like a kid in a toyshop anyway as he’s playing the Doctor, he’s now reciting Shakespeare in the Globe while playing the Doctor – like a kid in a Shakespearean toyshop?! Are there any superlatives to a toyshop? Anyway, I also liked the episode 😉 – it was so funny! I felt very sorry for Martha though that the Doctor is so not interested in her (yet, I guess?), but I am glad he’s hasn’t forgotten Rose yet. Shakespeare, on the other hand, was more than interested in the young lady! I liked the way he was portrayed, and I also liked the witches and the voodoo. And… does Martha seriously scream “expelliarmus!” during that scene when they improvise the ending?! I almost fell off my sofa laughing!

What else was there… the witch stopping the Doctor’s heart without knowing that he has a spare one (“Ouch, how do humans run about with only one?!”) and I laughed all along the way when he tried to give Martha directions on how to get the second heart working again (“Further left! Up!” “Other side!”). Brilliant. Also brilliant ending with Queen Victoria at the end – “Off with his head!” She certainly does not lose any time. So, I am very glad the world didn’t end in the 16^th century, and am willing to pay the price of never reading “Love Labour’s Won” for that 😉

[VickyMallard @replies]

This was my first full episode of Doctor Who, after having watched tons of BTS stuff on YouTube, and followed a day later by “The Star Beast”. So it’s been a couple of weeks and I’ve forgotten a lot of the details, but I loved it from start to finish.

• The Doctor out cold in bed was right up my street, I don’t think I’ll ever get fed up with strong heroes having their weak moment. And lying in bed sweating with fever and being cared for by the Tyler family was just what I needed (plus David Tennant in pyjamas looking rather Arthur Dent-ish – perfect!)
• I absolutely loved how Rose took up all her courage and tried to do “the Doctor thing” on the Sycorax ship. Being completely new to the show, I have no idea how much of that actually made sense and how much was made up (at least the Shadow Proclamation seems to be a “real” thing?) but it was brilliant
• The Santas with their flamethrowing instruments were nice, and I was very intrigued by the attacking Chrismas trees! I thought they would also start shooting baubles or bullets or something, but I had never in my dreams imagined that Christmas trees could turn into that kind of weapon, sawing through walls and everything. I absolutely loved it!
• And while I do like weak moments, I also love watching a nice swordfight (or any other physical fight, actually).
• Oh, and I loved the bit about the tea! First, the Doctor being unable to get further than “I need…”, and later that spilled tea which finally woke him up again! I laughed so much – for me this was just such a British thing! (I am German, I might add. 😉 )

So this episode basically had everything I wanted, and I loved it! I also likes the Doctor still trying to find out who the current incarnation actually is – I was a curious as he was 😉

[VickyMallard @replies]

Hello everyone from the newbie – both to this forum and DW. Guess I picked the perfect time to join, there was so much stuff in these three episodes where I thought “I presume there is a background to this that I don’t know about…” – in other words, there is a whole universe that wants to be explored! I admit I started watching because of David Tennant, so for now I’ll focus on 10 and 14. That being said, I loved 15 and his energetic positivity – quite a force of nature in his pants! And I am very happy with Tennant being parked for the next ten/twenty/whatever years.

There are so many things in this episode that I feel like my head’s exploding, but I guess I have to just rewatch it and write that down one by one. For now, one of the things I’m trying to get to grips with is this bi-generation (I’m probably not alone in that.) I do love the concept, and I’m really happy that 14 – who appears to have carried the weight of the universe on his shoulders since his return – gets a happy ending and doesn’t have to say goodbye to Donna once again. However, if 15 is the same person as 14, wouldn’t he also have “inherited” (or however you call that) all this feeling of guilt, etc.? Was he simply able to leave those bits behind in 14?

The other thing (okay one of the other things) that confuses me is this concept of “retrospective bigeneration”, that all the previous incarnations are now also running around again. That fact in itself I find quite intriguing, but how does that practically work? Do they all just get up and pick up where they left? At the same spot? I mean, if 9 had still been around after regeneration, I am fairly sure Rose Tyler would not have run off with 10 in the first place? Or did 9 simply wake up in an equally regenerated Tardis all by himself? Wouldn’t he then simply go and look for Rose? And 10, who really didn’t want to go – wouldn’t he have returned at least to Wilf? (Okay, maybe it would have been too painful for him to be anywhere near Donna, always risking she might remember him and die – and to be there without ever being able to go near her). And even now… will retired 14 one day simply run into a 15 year older version of 10? Do they all still share memories, or does everyone make their own memories after regeneration that the others no longer share? Will 9 then ever know that Rose Tyler is actually still alive in Pete’s World? In the “normal” world (if such a thing exists in Doctor Who) she has been declared dead, if I remember correctly.

And to these bi-generated Doctors continue to regenerate? Or do they just grow old and die? That would probably be a reason for them to settle down rather than saving the universe and getting killed in the process. If they continue to regenerate, or bi-generate, there would soon be quite a number of timelords running around….?

Long story short, I guess RTD has achieved his goal – he set my mind spinning with questions!

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