If Dark Water was gentle and full of ideas and thoughts with little action, then Death In Heaven is the complete opposite and more than makes up for it. In fact, it too has plenty of ideas so it was quite a heady rush of explosive content (with it's share of literal explosions as well!) By the end of the story, the whole series had been wrapped up and shipped off to the archives with a glowing report and the gripes about the continuing drama and ties to Earth seemed almost irrelevant. Except, the very end had still left an open question along with a terrible teaser for the Christmas special and suddenly the concerns and displeasure at the poorer episodes came flooding back. Sometimes a tease is nice and makes you feel excited with anticipation leaving you wanting more, but sometimes it can leave you feeling violated, belittled and bullied, desperately wishing your tormentor would leave you alone... but I'm getting ahead of myself...
Being a two-parter, as Peter Capaldi delighted in saying during last week's Doctor Who Extra, the last episode ended with a classic cliffhanger and this one of course began with a reprise (albeit in the form of a "Previously..." highlights compilation). We are reminded that Missy is using a Gallifreyan Hard-drive and that Earth's weakness is the fact that the dead outnumber the living. In new content, we see Clara stand up to a Cyberman much as she stood up to the Clockwork Robot in Deep Breath by trying to negotiate, saying that alive she is a tactical advantage but dead she would be his biggest mistake. In a new innovation, the Cyberman scans her from the disk on his chest-plate and identifies her as Clara Oswald, an insignificant human. Quick as a flash and without blinking, Clara tells him that Clara Oswald never existed and was just a cover for the man that could hide from the Cybermen in plain sight by changing his appearance and ultimately leads into the title sequence with "I'm the Doctor!" As if to re-enforce her claim, the titles roll with Jenna Coleman getting top billing ahead of Peter Capaldi and even her eyes take the place of his peering through the swirling clouds!
Monday 17 November 2014
Friday 7 November 2014
Live Review: S8.E11 - Dark Water
Peter Capaldi's first series is nearly over. It's been a little turbulent with a mix of "Good, but could be better", "What were they thinking? At least it looks good", "Creative and innovative" and "Wow! That was a good one!" The transition to a new Doctor is always a bit of a bumpy ride but there was much hope for Capaldi with the expectation that the first episode would settle him in and he would be brilliant from the second... As I've said in the past, however, the Doctor is only part of the picture and liking or disliking a particular Doctor tends to actually mean liking or disliking the writers and producers more than the actor. Tom Baker, for instance, is generally regarded as the best Doctor, but I think a lot of fans would agree that while that may be true, his last few series were not so good and actually some in the middle were a bit ropey too... that's due to the changes in production team who chose to drive the show in a different direction. Unfortunately, I think the Twelfth Doctor has suffered by this kind of shift as well. Steven Moffat may still be at the helm, but his co-producers have changed more dramatically this year and the show has a different feel to it with more continuing drama and personal character arcs rather than narrative arcs and I think that is what has led to a drop in the audience Appreciation Index. New writers and directors also play their part of course so it is perhaps a good thing that the finale is a two parter written by Moffat himself... where we finally find out who Missy is and what the Heaven/Afterlife tease has been about all season...
Tuesday 4 November 2014
Live Review: S8.E10 - In The Forest Of The Night
Maybe it's just me, but Doctor Who set in the woods just feels right. There's something scary and spooky about the coverage offered by the foliage and the height of trees allow any assailant to drop down from above or spring out from below and from any angle. There is something very Earthly yet remote and removed from everyday town life. On top of that are the fairy tales and legends of Little Red Riding Hood, Peter And The Wolf, Robin Hood... adventure and danger, excitement and fear. You never know what you might find if you brush aside those branches or peep through the bushes and the unlikely contrast of technology and nature has a certain delicious appeal. From the title of this episode, it's clearly time to go down to the woods, and we could be in for a surprise...
We join the action as a young school girl is running through the trees. Is she running from something? She occasionally waves her arms about her head as if swatting mosquitoes away but there is nothing visible that we can see. She is wearing a red coat... is it too much to assume a Red Riding Hood association? She reaches a small clearing where she finds big blue Police Box, and notices the St. John's Ambulance sticker. She knocks on the door and when a tall grey heard man opens the door, she asks for the Doctor, explaining that she is being chased. The man ushers her in to his impossibly large room and she doesn't bat an eyelid...
We join the action as a young school girl is running through the trees. Is she running from something? She occasionally waves her arms about her head as if swatting mosquitoes away but there is nothing visible that we can see. She is wearing a red coat... is it too much to assume a Red Riding Hood association? She reaches a small clearing where she finds big blue Police Box, and notices the St. John's Ambulance sticker. She knocks on the door and when a tall grey heard man opens the door, she asks for the Doctor, explaining that she is being chased. The man ushers her in to his impossibly large room and she doesn't bat an eyelid...
Friday 31 October 2014
Live Review: S8.E9 - Flatline
After 50 years and more than 250 adventures, coming up with new ideas can be a little tricky and while there is something appealing and satisfying in reusing favourites, creating new monsters with similar appeal can be hit and miss. However, every now and then something truly original and creative graces out screens. The early days had plenty of these of course because everything was new - the TARDIS being bigger on the inside, the Daleks, telepathic communication, an insect filled planet, the travellers being scaled to half an inch tall, all within the first 13 stories - but the striking innovations tend to thin out after that and truly innovative ideas become somewhat scarce. Every now and then though, a story idea crops ups that makes you sit up and take notice and Flatline is one of them. In fact, there are three elements at play within the narrative that all have merits in their own right. Subtly woven through it all is the continuing drama with regards to Danny and Clara as well as the more obvious quest for Clara to identify with the more complex depths of the Doctor.
The episode opens with an establishing scene of course, and this time it's a man talking on his phone reporting that "they are everywhere... all around", the atmosphere is that of something very creepy and sinister which results in the man falling out of shot and appearing shortly afterwards as a stretched image on the wallpaper border strip - stretched to such an extent that it takes a very sharp angle from the camera to reveal it. Element one in place, roll titles...
The episode opens with an establishing scene of course, and this time it's a man talking on his phone reporting that "they are everywhere... all around", the atmosphere is that of something very creepy and sinister which results in the man falling out of shot and appearing shortly afterwards as a stretched image on the wallpaper border strip - stretched to such an extent that it takes a very sharp angle from the camera to reveal it. Element one in place, roll titles...
Saturday 18 October 2014
Live Review: S8.E8 - Mummy On The Orient Expres
A long time ago, way back at the end of Steven Moffat's first series, an idea was created. Amy and Rory had just got married, the Doctor had returned from the depths of their memories, danced the Drunken Giraffe at the reception and it was time to say goodbye... The episode (Big Bang ended wit the Doctor receiving a phone call in the TARDIS from an unknown caller that causes concern... There is an Egyptian Goddess on the Orient Express, in space! The Doctor is confused because, as he put it "I was there when she was sealed into the seventh obelisk. I was at the prayer meeting... Don't worry about a thing your Majesty, we're on our way"... It was assumed, by me at least, that this was a tease into the Christmas episode, much like the Titanic crashing through the TARDIS a few years earlier, but no. The Christmas episode took place during Amy and Rory's honeymoon and the Doctor was on his own dealing with flying sharks in A Christmas Carol and then time passed before the start of the next series and the Egyptian Goddess was forgotten about.
But not by Moffat. He gave the title to writer Jamie Mathieson and let him do the rest. Not surprisingly, the details of the Doctor's telephone conversation were a little overlooked after four years and a change of both companion and Doctor so the resulting episode doesn't mention it specifically. What is important to remember is that the last episode ended with Clara angry at the Doctor telling him she has had enough...
But not by Moffat. He gave the title to writer Jamie Mathieson and let him do the rest. Not surprisingly, the details of the Doctor's telephone conversation were a little overlooked after four years and a change of both companion and Doctor so the resulting episode doesn't mention it specifically. What is important to remember is that the last episode ended with Clara angry at the Doctor telling him she has had enough...
Thursday 16 October 2014
Live Review: S8.E7 - Kill The Moon
Moffat has done it again. He's given us an episode title that filled me with dread, and not in a good way. Let's Kill Hitler was bad enough, though the episode turned out alright, but Kill The Moon must surely be worse and it's followed by Mummy On The Orient Express which isn't much better - just like Dinosaurs On A Spaceship, though again that one turned out reasonably well... So here it is, the pre-title sequence tells us it is 2049 and Clara is on the moon with Courtney Woods, the school girl from the previous episode, the Doctor isn't around and Clara's making a plea straight to the camera "An innocent life versus the future of all mankind" and there are only 45 minutes to decide... so the length of an episode then! Roll titles!
We're then taken back to the beginning of the story as Clara tries to convince the Doctor to reassure Courtney, who has gone off the rails since he told her she wasn't anything special and she threw up in the TARDIS. They find her back on board with cleaning materials and travel sickness bracelets, ready to go off again and prove herself to the Doctor. Clara tells her she's not going anywhere but the Doctor offers her the honour of being the first woman on the moon and away they go...
We're then taken back to the beginning of the story as Clara tries to convince the Doctor to reassure Courtney, who has gone off the rails since he told her she wasn't anything special and she threw up in the TARDIS. They find her back on board with cleaning materials and travel sickness bracelets, ready to go off again and prove herself to the Doctor. Clara tells her she's not going anywhere but the Doctor offers her the honour of being the first woman on the moon and away they go...
Saturday 11 October 2014
First Doctor Reviews Completed
As the current series passes its half way point, I am happy to announce that I have finally reached the end of William Hartnell's episodes. Writing reviews for the new series along with the classics has proved a little troublesome so I have fallen further behind, currently five weeks. Hopefully, with the next three classics being missing stories followed by one on DVD and another three missing after that, I should be able to claw my way back on track since there will be no extras or commentaries to watch. That said, there are another five new episodes to work around so it won't be plain sailing just yet...
Meanwhile, I thought I would post a list of Hartnell's stories and order it according to how they scored. You may be surprised at some of the positions, I know I was, but I've tried to stay consistent with my scoring and just because I like something on the surface doesn't mean it's actually good. Ordering by Production and Content scores produce interestingly different lists.
Where episodes have equal scores, preference is given to content.
By way of comparison, when listed by Production scores the top five would be "The Romans", "Marco Polo", "The Reign of Terror", "The Time Meddler" and "The Sensorites" showing that historicals were by far the BBC's strong area. Conversely, when listed by Content scores the top five would be "The Daleks' Master Plan", "The Dalek Invasion of Earth", "The Time Meddler", "The Daleks", and "The Edge of Destruction" which clearly highlights the strength of the Daleks and the value of science fiction in a, well, science fiction series!
Perhaps unsurprisingly, at the bottom of the list in Production terms are "Galaxy 4", "Mission to the Unknown", and "The Smugglers", while Content puts "The Ark", "Mission to the Unknown" and "The Space Museum" at the bottom.
All this gives William Hartnell's stories a total score of 66.6% (Content 58%, Production 76%), though there is a strong bias towards the 70-75 mark and it's the bottom six that really drag him down so I'd be inclined, pragmatically, to score him 70% (+/- 5)
Meanwhile, I thought I would post a list of Hartnell's stories and order it according to how they scored. You may be surprised at some of the positions, I know I was, but I've tried to stay consistent with my scoring and just because I like something on the surface doesn't mean it's actually good. Ordering by Production and Content scores produce interestingly different lists.
| # | Title | Content | Production | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | The Romans | 71% | 100% | 85.5% |
| 21 | The Daleks' Master Plan | 81% | 86% | 83.5% |
| 17 | The Time Meddler | 74% | 90% | 82.0% |
| 10 | The Dalek Invasion of Earth | 77% | 82% | 79.5% |
| 11 | The Rescue | 73% | 86% | 79.3% |
| 7 | The Sensorites | 69% | 88% | 78.5% |
| 2 | The Daleks | 73% | 78% | 75.5% |
| 3 | The Edge of Destruction | 73% | 76% | 74.5% |
| 9 | Planet of Giants | 68% | 80% | 74.0% |
| 16 | The Chase | 71% | 74% | 72.5% |
| 27 | The War Machines | 68% | 76% | 72.0% |
| 13 | The Web Planet | 65% | 78% | 71.5% |
| 6 | The Aztecs | 59% | 84% | 71.5% |
| 4 | Marco Polo | 47% | 96% | 71.5% |
| 8 | The Reign of Terror | 48% | 92% | 70.0% |
| 1 | 100,000 BC (An Unearthly Child) | 61% | 76% | 68.5% |
| 29 | The Tenth Planet | 60% | 74% | 67.0% |
| 26 | The Savages | 68% | 64% | 66.0% |
| 20 | The Myth Makers | 47% | 82% | 64.5% |
| 24 | The Celestial Toymaker | 53% | 74% | 63.5% |
| 5 | The Keys of Marinus | 53% | 72% | 62.5% |
| 14 | The Crusade | 44% | 80% | 62.0% |
| 25 | The Gunfighters | 43% | 78% | 60.5% |
| 18 | Galaxy 4 | 36% | 80% | 58.0% |
| 23 | The Ark | 51% | 50% | 50.5% |
| 22 | The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve | 38% | 62% | 50.0% |
| 15 | The Space Museum | 42% | 38% | 40.0% |
| 28 | The Smugglers | 27% | 52% | 39.5% |
| 19 | Mission to the Unknown | 29% | 46% | 37.5% |
By way of comparison, when listed by Production scores the top five would be "The Romans", "Marco Polo", "The Reign of Terror", "The Time Meddler" and "The Sensorites" showing that historicals were by far the BBC's strong area. Conversely, when listed by Content scores the top five would be "The Daleks' Master Plan", "The Dalek Invasion of Earth", "The Time Meddler", "The Daleks", and "The Edge of Destruction" which clearly highlights the strength of the Daleks and the value of science fiction in a, well, science fiction series!
Perhaps unsurprisingly, at the bottom of the list in Production terms are "Galaxy 4", "Mission to the Unknown", and "The Smugglers", while Content puts "The Ark", "Mission to the Unknown" and "The Space Museum" at the bottom.
All this gives William Hartnell's stories a total score of 66.6% (Content 58%, Production 76%), though there is a strong bias towards the 70-75 mark and it's the bottom six that really drag him down so I'd be inclined, pragmatically, to score him 70% (+/- 5)
Saturday 4 October 2014
Live Review: S8.E6 - The Caretaker
The Caretaker is a good demonstration of how important the pre-title sequence is. It's a teaser for the whole episode, it sets up the situation and may introduce key characters, and it can signpost the problems that the Doctor is about to be faced with. It's these first few minutes that can determine a viewer's expectations and colour their judgement of the whole episode. Sadly, on this occasion it was a bad opener for me. Writer Gareth Roberts has now brought us six episodes and they are a slightly mixed bag. More importantly he has been responsible for seventeen episodes of "Sarah Jane Adventures" and four for its replacement "Wizards vs. Aliens" (though they are two part stories) so it is maybe not surprising to see him writing a school oriented episode that feels a bit cut down. With that in mind, it's an OK episode and if it's the season's worst then I'll not be complaining. However, my opinion was led astray by the opening... The first scene sees the Doctor and Clara in some alien desert tied up against a pair of pillars, exchanging desperate banter about their predicament. Cut to a shot of Danny as Clara meets him for another date... this looks like it will be a flashback and the episode will some how play out to reveal how they came to be tied up, but it is in fact the opposite and Danny remarks about the excessive tan that Clara has suddenly gained... we then see her arriving soaking wet, then exhausted after running down corridors (that look too much like TARDIS corridors when they are looking for the TARDIS itself). We are seeing Clara balancing her normal life with unseen adventures with the Doctor - my two pet hates! Maybe I'm a traditionalist, but I don't like companions to be tied to a normal life that they can dip in and out of and the Doctor should not be having adventures that we don't see. I was immediately, reminded of The Power Of Three and feeling let down and ready to be disappointed. On second viewing however, knowing what to expect, it wasn't so bad...
Thursday 2 October 2014
Live Review: S8.E5 - Time Heist
I seem to have fallen behind with my reviews again... I have just watched The Caretaker and come to write about it but found that I haven't written up Time Heist yet! Actually, getting ahead of myself like that is a bit like the opening to Time Heist because it starts with a couple of seconds of the title sequence but just as you think there won't be the now standard pre-title scene, the rotating spiral dissolves into a rotating picture of the Doctor and you soon realise the camera is inside a washing machine looking out at him watching the washing! Then it's a round fish bowl... The Doctor is at Clara's flat wanting to play but she's getting ready to go on a date... Until the TARDIS phone rings! The Doctor is naturally curious as to who has the number apart from Clara and the woman who gave it to her in the shop (as stated in Bells Of St John but Clara doesn't want him to answer it because "If you answer it, something will happen... a thing"... and so it does. Jump cut to the Doctor holding a memory worm in place of the receiver with audio playback of him and Clara, along with two strangers agreeing to a memory wipe, though each successive statement sounds a little less convinced. The two strangers are Psi, an augmented human (he's a hacker with computer implants) and Saibra, a mutant human (a gene mutation which makes her appearance change into any living creature that she touches) and they soon learn that they have also agreed to rob one of the most secure banks in the universe and the guards are already at the door saying they don't wish to hurt anyone before incineration!
Wednesday 24 September 2014
Live Review: S8.E4 - Listen
The main teaser for series eight consisted of a shot of the TARDIS floating/suspended above the Earth with its doors open. The camera then moves up to show the Doctor sat cross legged on the roof, he looks straight down the lens and says "Listen!"... It appears that this, the episode with that title, opens with this sequence then cuts to the console room as the Doctor paces around talking to himself (or it may be that the BBC chose to put the two together). He is talking as if giving a lecture, projecting with authority but pondering on the subject of why we talk aloud when they know we are alone. He suggests that it is because we know that we're not alone! There is a sequence to demonstrate his study of how different animals have evolved to best survive their respective habitat as a hunter or a defender - this includes a lovely shot of the TARDIS underwater as the Doctor stands in the open doorway observing a blowfish. We see him writing on his blackboard again, like a teacher, but he puts his chalk down to ask a question... If a creature evolved to stay perfectly hidden and undetected, what would it do when we start talking aloud for no reason... when he returns, the chalk has moved (it rolls on the floor) and the answer has appeared on the blackboard... Listen!
Interesting, clever and a little creepy... the pre-title sequence is a good indicator of what is to come, but there's plenty of suspense and surprise waiting to be uncovered...
Interesting, clever and a little creepy... the pre-title sequence is a good indicator of what is to come, but there's plenty of suspense and surprise waiting to be uncovered...
Saturday 13 September 2014
Live Review: S8.E3 - Robot Of Sherwood
When I first heard of this episode before the series began, there were two alarm bells that rang. First of all, the title sends a quick shiver down the spine with cheese and predictability, no prizes for guessing what it would be about. Secondly, it was written by Mark Gatiss which experience told me it could be either a good thing or a not so goo thing. I wouldn't say he has written any bad episodes, but they do have a tendency towards going too far and being a bit silly at times. When the episode came to be broadcast, I had forgotten it was a Gatiss episode so I watched with little preconception. Tit title, however, was unavoidable...
The episode opens with something which I forgot to mention in my last two reviews: The Doctor writing and working things out with a piece of chalk. In Deep Breath he found a piece of chalk (by smell, no less) and proceeded to scrawl all over the floor and walls of his bedroom. Into The Dalek featured a shot or two of a blackboard in the TARDIS covered in Gallifreyan calculations, and Robot Of Sherwood opened with a shot of the Doctor writing on it... suggesting that Into The Dalek was originally intended to come after Robot Of Sherwood, but that needn't be the case. He turns to Clara and tells her it is her choice where they go this time. She almost reluctantly suggests a meeting with her hero, Robin Hood... As he sets the TARDIS towards Sherwood Forest 1190AD-ish, the Doctor points out that heroes like that are never real, saying "You'll only be disappointed"...
The episode opens with something which I forgot to mention in my last two reviews: The Doctor writing and working things out with a piece of chalk. In Deep Breath he found a piece of chalk (by smell, no less) and proceeded to scrawl all over the floor and walls of his bedroom. Into The Dalek featured a shot or two of a blackboard in the TARDIS covered in Gallifreyan calculations, and Robot Of Sherwood opened with a shot of the Doctor writing on it... suggesting that Into The Dalek was originally intended to come after Robot Of Sherwood, but that needn't be the case. He turns to Clara and tells her it is her choice where they go this time. She almost reluctantly suggests a meeting with her hero, Robin Hood... As he sets the TARDIS towards Sherwood Forest 1190AD-ish, the Doctor points out that heroes like that are never real, saying "You'll only be disappointed"...
Friday 5 September 2014
Live Review: S8.E2 - Into The Dalek
As the title suggests, this epiode sees the return of an old enemy. The oldest, in fact. As stated in the accompanying episode of "Doctor Who Extra", it's hard to come up with new Dalek episodes after fifty years, but what we have here really is something new. Echoes from the past may be present, but like Journey To The Centre Of The TARDIS last year, Into The Dalek gives us plenty of new mysteries and does something that only dreams could conjure up before now. Like in Christopher Ecclestone's Dalek, the Doctor is presented with a captured and damaged Dalek and asked to fix it, only this time it seems to be a good Dalek. Captivated by this paradox, the Doctor wants to get inside its head to understand what has happened... and he explains to Clara that he's not talking metaphorically...
Saturday 30 August 2014
Live Review: S8.E1 - Deep Breath
And so it begins. The second half-century, the Doctor's second regeneration cycle, the Twelfth Doctor's era, Series 8 or Season 34... it all begins here with Deep Breath. Following the massive success of the world dominating anniversary special simulcast, Moffat and the crew wanted to capitalise on the show's new found audience and set off on a twelve day world tour to give the first episode of the new series a cinematic preview with Q&A sessions in six countries across all five continents. They were struck by the scale of the show's popularity and recent news that lax security on a server in Miami had lead to the first few episodes leaking and the dubbing delays this lead to for German viewers all seemed like a drop in the ocean. Who fans are loyal and dedicated the whole world over and we don't want spoilers, we want to enjoy the ride. That is why the world tour worked and they were able to screen the first episode each time - the less fortunate majority would be happy to wait a few more days for the television broadcast (again simulcast in several countries) The only disappointment was missing out on the little prequel which we will presumably get to see on DVD/Blu-Ray...
Hopefully, the prequel will fill in the gap nicely, because we last saw the Doctor leaving Trensalore as he completed his regeneration and told Clara he didn't like the colour of his kidneys, then asked if she knew how to fly the TARDIS... we first see them in Deep Breath arriving in Victorian London courtesy of a giant dinosaur...
Hopefully, the prequel will fill in the gap nicely, because we last saw the Doctor leaving Trensalore as he completed his regeneration and told Clara he didn't like the colour of his kidneys, then asked if she knew how to fly the TARDIS... we first see them in Deep Breath arriving in Victorian London courtesy of a giant dinosaur...
Friday 1 August 2014
Season Three Reviews Completed
The turbulent third season was made up of 10 stories across 45 episodes and came to an end with the reasonably high scoring The War Machines which had a score of 72% (matching the two previous season scores). However, even The Daleks' Master Plan's 84% wouldn't be enough to bring the Season Three average in line with its two predecessors because the lows were just too low...
The resulting final score for Season Three is therefore just 61%, 11 down on the previous two.
There will now be at least a two week break because I'm away on holiday!
| # | Title | Content | Production | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 018 | Galaxy 4 | 36% | 80% | 58% |
| 019 | Mission to the Unknown | 29% | 46% | 38% |
| 020 | The Myth Makers | 47% | 82% | 65% |
| 021 | The Daleks' Master Plan | 81% | 86% | 84% |
| 022 | The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve | 38% | 62% | 50% |
| 023 | The Ark | 51% | 50% | 51% |
| 024 | The Celestial Toymaker | 53% | 74% | 64% |
| 025 | The Gunfighters | 43% | 78% | 61% |
| 026 | The Savages | 68% | 64% | 66% |
| 027 | The War Machines | 68% | 76% | 72% |
There will now be at least a two week break because I'm away on holiday!
Thursday 19 June 2014
Summer Slowdown
As Summer arrived, it was perhaps inevitable that my watching/reviewing would slow down. Hot lazy days and warm breezes making the curtains 'breathe' are classic distractions from any form of activity. As Steven Moffat said a few years ago, the long warm evenings are a time to be outside having fun, not staying in watching dark scary television.
In fact, although this is all true, my slow down has been triggered by computer issues. Not problems as such, but upgrading first my parents' and then my own computer from Window XP, getting everything settled and replacing outdated software and getting used to the new. On top of this, the next story to watch was The Gunfighters which is quite possibly my least favourite so the pull to get back to it just wasn't there. Having eventually watched it, re-watched it with the commentary and again to read the production subtitles (which I think all happened on three separate days) I was in no mood to sit down and write about it as well. But I finally have and you can read it HERE
This does of course mean that I am now two weeks behind and with Wimbledon starting next week, I wouldn't be surprised if I drop another week before heading off on holiday (which will certain hold things up for two weeks). Returning from holiday could prove an interesting time as well with the new series due to start in August. I should be OK to review that at the same time but only time will tell how well I manage it...
While I'm here, I'd also like to express my joy at Julie Gardner receiving an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list on Saturday for "services to the Economic Development of the Television Industry in Wales", a pivotal point of which must surely have been her part in bring Doctor Who back. She was always a joy to watch on Confidential and in behind the scenes DVD extras and it was her passion along with Russell T Davies's that made it happen and enabled it to grow, much like Verity Lambert forty years earlier.
John Barrowman was also honoured with an MBE for his entertainment and charity work, while Peter Capaldi received an RTS Scotland Award for his outstanding contribution to television and the show itself won "Best Science Fiction, Action, and Fantasy" and "Best Scripted Programme" at the Banff World Media Festival. All within the last week!
In fact, although this is all true, my slow down has been triggered by computer issues. Not problems as such, but upgrading first my parents' and then my own computer from Window XP, getting everything settled and replacing outdated software and getting used to the new. On top of this, the next story to watch was The Gunfighters which is quite possibly my least favourite so the pull to get back to it just wasn't there. Having eventually watched it, re-watched it with the commentary and again to read the production subtitles (which I think all happened on three separate days) I was in no mood to sit down and write about it as well. But I finally have and you can read it HERE
This does of course mean that I am now two weeks behind and with Wimbledon starting next week, I wouldn't be surprised if I drop another week before heading off on holiday (which will certain hold things up for two weeks). Returning from holiday could prove an interesting time as well with the new series due to start in August. I should be OK to review that at the same time but only time will tell how well I manage it...
While I'm here, I'd also like to express my joy at Julie Gardner receiving an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list on Saturday for "services to the Economic Development of the Television Industry in Wales", a pivotal point of which must surely have been her part in bring Doctor Who back. She was always a joy to watch on Confidential and in behind the scenes DVD extras and it was her passion along with Russell T Davies's that made it happen and enabled it to grow, much like Verity Lambert forty years earlier.
John Barrowman was also honoured with an MBE for his entertainment and charity work, while Peter Capaldi received an RTS Scotland Award for his outstanding contribution to television and the show itself won "Best Science Fiction, Action, and Fantasy" and "Best Scripted Programme" at the Banff World Media Festival. All within the last week!
Sunday 13 April 2014
Season Two Reviews Completed
Exactly two months on from completing the First Season, the Second is now complete - 9 stories over 39 episodes. Frustratingly, I'm still four stories behind schedule and with Easter next week I expect that to increase. However, half the stories for Season Three are missing or partially missing and one of those is the twelve part The Daleks' Master Plan so in terms of episodes the percentage is much higher (68%). I will of course be watching the Loose Cannon reconstructions of these episodes but since there are no commentaries or production subtitles I won't need time to watch them three times!
So without further ado, here is the summary of scores for Season Two
This then gives us a combined over-all score for Season Two of 72% (the same as Season One!)
So without further ado, here is the summary of scores for Season Two
| # | Title | Content | Production | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 009 | Planet of Giants | 68% | 80% | 74% |
| 010 | The Dalek Invasion of Earth | 77% | 82% | 80% |
| 011 | The Rescue | 73% | 86% | 79% |
| 012 | The Romans | 71% | 100% | 86% |
| 013 | The Web Planet | 65% | 78% | 72% |
| 014 | The Crusade | 44% | 80% | 62% |
| 015 | The Space Museum | 42% | 38% | 40% |
| 016 | The Chase | 71% | 74% | 73% |
| 017 | The Time Meddler | 74% | 90% | 82% |
Thursday 13 February 2014
Season One Reviews Completed
So here we are, two and a half months into the epic project and I've just completed the first season - 8 stories over 42 episodes. For some reason, I've found myself writing up The Reign Of Terror a week late and when combined with the delay at Christmas, I'm currently 4 stories behind schedule! I don't mind dropping back because of holidays but dropping random weeks isn't good. Thankfully, like last time the next story should be a breeze - Planet Of Giants was originally a four part adventure but was cut down to just three before broadcast. The unedited version no longer exists but has been reconstructed for the DVD... it's interesting to watch but easy to see why it was cut down and I won't be watching again this time around.
Meanwhile, I thought I'd post a round up of my scores for season one since I've been including them in the reviews (something I hadn't originally planned). My scores are devised from various content and production categories (which I'll breakdown in another post at some point) which give me two percentages that I then combine for an over all score...
This then gives us a combined over-all score for season one of 72%
Meanwhile, I thought I'd post a round up of my scores for season one since I've been including them in the reviews (something I hadn't originally planned). My scores are devised from various content and production categories (which I'll breakdown in another post at some point) which give me two percentages that I then combine for an over all score...
| # | Title | Content | Production | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | An Unearthly Child | 61% | 76% | 69% |
| 002 | The Daleks | 73% | 78% | 76% |
| 003 | The Edge of Destruction | 73% | 76% | 75% |
| 004 | Marco Polo | 47% | 96% | 72% |
| 005 | The Keys of Marinus | 53% | 72% | 63% |
| 006 | The Aztecs | 59% | 84% | 72% |
| 007 | The Sensorites | 69% | 88% | 79% |
| 008 | The Reign of Terror | 48% | 92% | 70% |
Thursday 2 January 2014
Live Review: Christmas 2013 - The Time Of The Doctor
They say that event TV is dead and the days of friends and family all watching a show as it is broadcast (either together or individually) are over... Try telling that to the Doctor! Twice in one year, barely a month apart he has dominated the TV ratings (OK, so maybe not the most viewers of the day but certainly the most viewers in its time slot) Hot on the heals of The Day Of The Doctor, this year's Christmas Special (for it has become a tradition that feels like it's been around forever) promised to be a cracking end to the anniversary year. The Doctor was arriving at Trenzalore to face his last days, Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angels would be there and we knew, some how, despite the limits set in place during The Deadly Assassin we were going to meet a new Doctor as Matt Smith was due to regenerate into Peter Capaldi.
I had made two predictions ahead of the anniversary special. Whilst watching the prequel The Night Of The Doctor, which included the regeneration of Paul McGann into John Hurt, I predicted that the gap would finally be closed and we would also see John Hurt regenerate into Christopher Ecclestone in The Day Of The Doctor. My second prediction and hope was that Steven Moffat would do something a little different and not leave Capaldi's arrival until the end but instead have the Doctor regenerate two thirds of the way through and let the new Doctor finish things off... My first prediction was correct (though we didn't see the full regeneration sequence) so how would I fair on the second...
I had made two predictions ahead of the anniversary special. Whilst watching the prequel The Night Of The Doctor, which included the regeneration of Paul McGann into John Hurt, I predicted that the gap would finally be closed and we would also see John Hurt regenerate into Christopher Ecclestone in The Day Of The Doctor. My second prediction and hope was that Steven Moffat would do something a little different and not leave Capaldi's arrival until the end but instead have the Doctor regenerate two thirds of the way through and let the new Doctor finish things off... My first prediction was correct (though we didn't see the full regeneration sequence) so how would I fair on the second...
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