Posts Tagged ‘TARDIS’

Dr.Who-Review-S1ep13 – The Parting of Ways

Posted: December 7, 2013 in Dr.Who-Reviews
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Are these new teeth?

 

WOooOOOooOO! Well THAT was season 1! I have to say, about thirty minutes into the episode, when Rose is trying her hardest to open up the heart of the TARDIS, I was thinking to myself “wow, what a B+ episode this is.” And you know what? I would have given it a B+, I really would have, you know… until I realized that by the end I was both laughing and applauding with the dumbest grin on my face.

Was this episode good? No. It was fantastic. The doctor was fantastic, better yet, Jack the bisexual rogue was fantastic. Even Rose, who was having on and off performances throughout the season, she was fantastic! I finally got to see what the regeneration process is like, and I got to see what the hell Badwolf means!

I think my main, and only, gripe with this episode lies with the whole execution of “Badwolf” (not the episode), how Rose was just completely omnipotent, able to change whatever she wanted. I don’t know how I feel about this… it just felt slightly off.

Anyway! Apart from that it had a decent first half, which involved them setting up a way to exterminate (hehe) the Daleks AND the human race on accident. However, we soon figure out (as guessed) the Doctor really isn’t like the Daleks, he isn’t capable of destroying an entire race (or at least I think). Perhaps Rose changed him.

The fact of the matter is, we got plenty of campy and cheesy dialogue that never strafed overboard into the “ugh, what the hell?” territory, and I got a good chunk of laughs as well. The entire story between Rose being “stuck” on earth was slightly upsetting. The fact that she bluntly tells Micky (is he even her boyfriend anymore?) that she has NOTHING left for her… I don’t know how I feel about that, but it does seem like an understandable character choice so I let it pass.

So what exactly happens? Rose returns and kicks some Dalek ass, the Doctor smooches her, and then transfers all the energy back into the TARDIS. May I just say, THIS… THIS is how romance should be done in tv-shows. In a SUBTLE way for once, where it’s not banged over your god damn head every minute with longing stares and gasps. SCREW THAT, instead, please do what Dr.Who did, and make these characters grow through dialogue that isn’t just endless dumb flirting that makes me want to dip my face in acid.

I do hope they keep this trend going somewhat, if they want romance (which they don’t need at all, it really doesn’t add much), then they should do it in a subtle way, not address or talk about it in a serious manner either. Of course we got to see close-quarters combat between the humans and the Dalek, and that was majorly just alright, mainly because I know this show isn’t running on a high budget and they need to save it for the CGI goodness that occurred in the final ten minutes.

We had Jack die, sadly, and then get revived… only to be left on his own. Sad, but I really do hope they see him again. I honestly REALLY liked Jack as a character, and if in some alternate universe he turned out to be a permanent star on the show, I would be nothing but happy to see him. After all, his chemistry with the Doctor was addressed directly… with a kiss. Which was fantastic!

I really enjoyed this episode, if you couldn’t tell already. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a fitting conclusion to a very memorable character. Mr.Eccleston, you shall be missed! But it is time to move on to Tennant, whom had a fantastic character entrance.

OFF TO BARCELONA!   …………………… The planet.

Grade: A-

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Dr.Who-Review-S1ep11 – Boomtown

Posted: December 7, 2013 in Dr.Who-Reviews
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Guess who’s back? Back again.

 

I suppose it’s almost logical that after a stellar two parter comes a somewhat mediocre episode revolving around aliens that are too stupid and silly to be taken seriously. At one point the alien has a conversation (while it’s in the bathroom) with one of the women it’s trying to kill. It’s supposed to be an emotionally resonant moment, but instead it’s some half-witted schlocky attempt at character development… but what exactly is the character here? Some decently acted plump women that’s supposed to be a farting alien? No thanks.

However, I will say that the chemistry between the three characters is better than ever, and I have to say that I adore Jack’s presence in the group. He’s witty, fun, and he’s a great fit. I was happy to see him back. Unfortunately, this chemistry only lasts for a short period of time because before we know it they are all being serious in the face of a surfboard-planning alien criminal.

The plan was silly, the story was silly, and the execution was silly. However, I will give credit where credit is due, and the dinner scene between the doctor and the alien was riveting. It was an exciting and well-acted scene that both delivered on the comedy aspect, and the emotionally one too, bringing up some half-decent points at least.

The moment a story takes place in London, present day, it automatically seems dull compared to the ones where they go on bonkers adventures. So, I must cut this episode SOME slack, at least it was all about farting bullshit.

                So yes, she lied to the Doctor, he believed her, and of course, she ended up betraying him. Apparently the TARDIS have a soul or something… and she looked into it, causing her to revert back to an egg. This really did confuse me because the only thing they had to base this on was a small line in the second episode of this show… so I guess it works?

I can’t say I was disappointed with this episode, but I can’t say I was excited by it either. It wasn’t some high-concept well-acted masterpiece, but it wasn’t as terribly bad as the first entry of farting aliens. Overall, a somewhat decent episode is what I watched tonight, now… onto the next one.

Grade: C+ 

Dr.Who-Review-S1ep8 – Father’s Day

Posted: December 7, 2013 in Dr.Who-Reviews
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Fathers Day arrives with a blast

 

When this show focuses on something, it delivers its best episodes without a shred of a doubt. For the most part, this episode ditched the cliché and campy humor for a very human that was both emotionally powerful, and fascinating.

When Rose’s emotions overcome her, and she saves her Father from dying in the intended car crash, she literally screws up time, and these strange beasts (reapers) appear in London (and apparently the rest of the world) to quite literally kill everyone, to correct this malfunction. There were a few issues with this episode, firstly, why do these creatures not like “old” things? And it never quite felt like the end of the world.

But apart from these two things, this episode was mostly solid. We saw an emotional storyline involving Rose’s father, who was played brilliantly played by Shaun Dingwall. I will say right away that I loved her father’s personality, he was quirky and not in the least bit sardonic. Both of these traits are a pleasure to see, and he really did deviate from my expectations. We also found out how much of an absolute bitch Rose’s mother used to be, it may have been for a reason, but quite honestly, she did not gain any sympathy from me for the plain fact that her reason for her anger was not explained in full detail.

We also see the TARDIS stop functioning (for whatever reason) and we see a wedding get crashed. Everyone who attended were hiding in a church, and although this episode did not have some epic feel to it, it did have a personal one. I will easily admit that a few scenes in this episode were heartwarming and well-enough acted that I could overlook some of the clichés.

In the end, Rose’s father sacrifices himself for the sake of humanity. I was originally not enjoying this episode too much, it was slow paced for the first twenty or so minutes, however, it quickly began picking up to be one of the best ones of the show so far (if not the best). So I will freely applaud it’s deviation from the Dr.Who norm and hope that it’s not the only one that’s like this.

Although there were a few things that weren’t explained properly, the entirety of it was a solid forty minutes of emotional, and character developing goodness that I just had to re-watch. Rose, or Billie Piper, I should say. Has come a long way acting wise, she was much too stiff in the first few episodes, but now she has truly started to show her range as she conveyed true emotions through some of these scenes.

I am not sure if I like “Daleks” more than this episode, or if I enjoy this episode more than “Daleks”… all I do know is that it was an entertaining half hour of TV that I shall remember for the future seasons to come.

P.S- But really… what’sup with the TARDIS just randomly failing? Did I miss why?

 

Grade: B+