Following the highs of the first two-part adventure, could Toby Whithouse deliver more in the second? His previous work has been mixed, in my opinion, but despite its tendency to go a little off track it has mostly been good. Under The Lake delivered a few classics right off the bat but introduced its own twists and turns as the episode unfolded to make it another great adventure - his best in my eyes.
The episode opens with an establishing shot of a base under murky, green water and I'm instantly reminded of Warriors Of The Deep and The Moonbase (a tried and tested 'isolated base under siege' scenario). A caption tells us this is "The Drum: Underwater Mining Facility" and I'm reminded of The Silurians and Inferno to name just two (drilling never ends well in Doctor Who!) The year is 2119 and a craft has been found at the bottom of the lake that must have been missed in the initial survey 20 years earlier. The Drum's inhabitant are reluctant to call it a space craft but it seems like nothing from Earth. An alarm sounds, complete with a corporate identity message, and we see the episodes point of threat... ghosts!
Any long term viewer will know that in the Doctor's world there's no such thing as ghosts, yet as the TARDIS lands three days later, she isn't happy!
Sunday 18 October 2015
Monday 12 October 2015
Live Review: S9.E2 - The Witch's Familiar
For the first time since the seventies, Doctor Who received an unexpected omnibus repeat showing on 27th September, combining the first two episodes into one. The Rugby World Cup is having a painful effect on the viewing figures and England were playing on the 26th when The Witch's Familiar was originally shown. Although no reason was given for the Sunday afternoon repeat, it is a reasonable presumtion that it was to alleviate the pain of this conflict.
In the omnibus edition, the episodes flowed straight though with no credits or reprise and titles in the middle, just a fade to black a caption for the second episode title and on with the show. In the original broadcast, the story recap was all that preceded the titles, reminding the viewers that the Doctor had thrown away his sonic screwdriver to speak to the young Davros, Missy and Clara had teamed up to track him down and had ended up being exterminated by the Daleks on Skaro. The TARDIS had also been exterminated of course, and the Doctor was last seen brandishing a Dalek gun at young Davros. What a way to end the first episode of a new series! Could any of that be taken at face value though?
Cut to the first new scene and the world is spinning upside down... but wait, it's Clara you is spinning, tied by her ankles and hanging from a rocky outcrop with Missy sat beside her telling her a story that ultimate explains why they aren't dead...
In the omnibus edition, the episodes flowed straight though with no credits or reprise and titles in the middle, just a fade to black a caption for the second episode title and on with the show. In the original broadcast, the story recap was all that preceded the titles, reminding the viewers that the Doctor had thrown away his sonic screwdriver to speak to the young Davros, Missy and Clara had teamed up to track him down and had ended up being exterminated by the Daleks on Skaro. The TARDIS had also been exterminated of course, and the Doctor was last seen brandishing a Dalek gun at young Davros. What a way to end the first episode of a new series! Could any of that be taken at face value though?
Cut to the first new scene and the world is spinning upside down... but wait, it's Clara you is spinning, tied by her ankles and hanging from a rocky outcrop with Missy sat beside her telling her a story that ultimate explains why they aren't dead...
Saturday 3 October 2015
Live Review: S9.E1 - The Magician's Apprentice
The eagerly awaited Series 9 opened with a rip-roaring double like no other series opener. The reviews were strongly in favour and the world (of Doctor Who viewers at least) breathed a sigh of relief that Peter Capaldi's second series would be as good as, if not better than his first. It was tinged with a slight sadness and trepidation tough as Jenna Coleman had just confirmed the rumours that she would be leaving the show some time before the end of the series...
The episode opened on a desolate battlefield with a classic quarry-like appearance. A biplane flies over head firing lasers at gas-masked soldiers defending themselves with bows and arrows. This all feels strangely familiar, but could it be... A little boy wanders lost amongst the fighting and stumbles into a minefield, but these are no ordinary mines. These are hand-mines! Hands that thrust up from the ground to grab their victim's ankles and drag them under. But there is hope for the little boy as a device flies across the screen and lands at his feet. It's the Doctor's sonic screwdriver...
The episode opened on a desolate battlefield with a classic quarry-like appearance. A biplane flies over head firing lasers at gas-masked soldiers defending themselves with bows and arrows. This all feels strangely familiar, but could it be... A little boy wanders lost amongst the fighting and stumbles into a minefield, but these are no ordinary mines. These are hand-mines! Hands that thrust up from the ground to grab their victim's ankles and drag them under. But there is hope for the little boy as a device flies across the screen and lands at his feet. It's the Doctor's sonic screwdriver...
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