Doctor Who improving
After really not enjoying the first series of Doctor Who with David Tennant, I’ve liked this series a lot more. I thought that Freema Agyeman was pretty terrific as Martha Jones, and somehow the change of companion meant that I was making fewer unfavourable comparisons with the Eccleston/Piper pairing. Some of the episodes have been a little lame, but there have also been some cracking ones.
I thought that Blink in particular was really good — almost M. R. James quality shivers. I won’t give the plot away, but it involved statues of weeping angels (think of Victorian statues in Highgate cemetery), which moved only when you weren’t looking at them, but could move in the fraction of a second that it takes you to blink. It was really classically scary stuff, because all the horror was implied — you never even saw anything move, but the creepiness was outstanding.
Mr. Bsag phoned me half way through the episode, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. He then had to suffer a completely incoherent one-sided conversation from me, as I tried to explain the plot without taking my eyes off the screen or pausing for breath:
“There’sthesestatuesandthey’realiveandtheymovewhenyou’renotlooking… Raaahrgggh!!They’recomingdon’tlookaway!”
Great stuff.
The two-part Human Nature/The Family of Blood was also very good (and rather moving, but I’m a sucker for anything set at the time of the First World War), and the final two episodes were very dramatic. When Derek Jacobi said “I. Am. The Master”, it raised all the hairs on my neck. And Captain Jack was back - yay!
There was one odd thing though: was it just me, or did the last two episodes have very strongly Christian overtones? I suddenly thought, “Hey, they’ve stolen this plot from the Bible!” Again, trying not to give away the plot completely, there was a person walking the earth spreading the word about an individual who saves people without them knowing, there was a Judas character, and even a resurrection of sorts.
1
Ah, but she was lying.
by Jonathan Briggs @ 02/07/2007 7:10 pm • Permalink •
2
Bring back Eccleston!
by Brian Tanaka @ 02/07/2007 10:28 pm • Permalink •
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I loved Blink too.
When Jacobi brought out the watch, I realized he was The Master, and then I had to spend 10 minutes explaining The Master to The Wife (while paused)
by Tom @ 02/07/2007 10:47 pm • Permalink •
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Well, as a Christian I can safely say that the whole plot having Christian overtones completely passed me by. I'm not sure it's there any more than in a lot of films/TV shows/books where one person is out to save the world.
What's with the hand taking something from the pyre near the end of the episode though? That's what I'm interested in.
by Matthew @ 03/07/2007 8:58 am • Permalink •
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For the first couple of days after watching "Blink", my 10 year old son wanted me to come upstairs with him when he went to bed. I don't think that it is that Dr Who has changed much. Poor old David Tennant! He is a fine actor and has always been a pretty good Doctor, but you treated him rather like a heartbroken girl might who cannot help herself comparing subsequent men with her ex. Anyway I am glad you have stopped "grieving" for Christopher Ecclestone, who was admittedly just marvellous, and can now get on with the rest of your telly watching life!
Rather off topic P.S. Go and see Marion Cotillard as Piaf in the new movie "La Vie en Rose". One of the best pieces of acting I have ever seen.
by ThoughtBadger @ 03/07/2007 11:53 am • Permalink •
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This season has been my favorite.
I think there is a strong Christian theme in the show.
The Doctor is a Christ-like figure and The Master is the devil, anti-christ, or at least a demon. The other time-lords have an angelic hierarchy sort of feel.
There is a back story from the books that never really developed in the show with the time-lords being founded by three people, Rassilon, Omega, and the Other. The idea of the back story was that The Doctor was a reincarnation of the Other. Sort of a son of the maker sort of thing.
The Doctor rises from the dead and he can see into the heart of pretty much anyone.
Then there is the almost infinite power at the disposal of The Doctor. He can change anything if he really wanted to. When Rose cracked the TARDIS core she had the power of the universe and could grant life to the dead.
This leads to the obvious question of why The Doctor and the time-lords in general let bad things happen. Hand in hand with that is The Doctor's strong aversion to violence even though violence is often the only solution. These are basic Judeo-Christian questions and many of the shows are explorations of these issues.
So, no the show isn't veggietales but it does have a strong moral tone that is clearly Judeo-Christian.
by aloysius @ 04/07/2007 4:19 am • Permalink •
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Aloysius,
If they didn't, it wouldn't be nearly so much fun would it.
I see that Katherine Tate is to replace Freema Agyeman in the next series, personally, I'm not bovvered.....................
by Jonathan Briggs @ 04/07/2007 8:08 am • Permalink •
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I think that all this is bullship (sorry), but really... you think that it's true?!
by Antony @ 04/07/2007 12:18 pm • Permalink •
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Jonathan Briggs: Who was lying? Martha?
Brian Tanaka: Yay! Though I do think that Tennant has grown into it a bit.
Tom: Ooo, that was a great moment!
Matthew/aloysius: Some disagreement there.
ThoughtBadger: "heartbroken girl"? Tsk :-D Actually, even though he is quite a good actor, I didn't much like him in what I'd seen before. And I think that there was a bit too much gurning in the early parts of the last series, but he seems to be wearing the part more comfortably now. The 'John Smith' episodes were particularly good, as he had to be two quite different people.
Jonathan Briggs/Anthony: She was in the Christmas special, so perhaps she comes back for this Christmas special?
by bsag @ 04/07/2007 6:50 pm • Permalink •
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Martha said she was lying to throw the Master off track, she said she knew the Professor was a traitor - Pay attention at the back.
According to this morning's paper, she is to be his new assistant; remember, Martha stayed behind.
Grow up Briggsie, you're far too old for this sort of thing!
by Jonathan Briggs @ 04/07/2007 7:21 pm • Permalink •
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Personally, I really lost the will to live with this season. I got to about halfway through, and simply couldn't be chuffed with it any more.
It means I missed Blink, which all reckon is great, and the final half.
As for Catherine Tate being the new companion, for me it's just another reason to not be overly bothered again in the next season.
All very disappointing - the Eccleston season was fantastic, and the first one with Tennant was OK (even though silly). But I just couldn't find a path through this last lot at all. sigh
by Lyle @ 05/07/2007 9:27 am • Permalink •
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On a semi-related note, I was pleasantly startled to see Eccleston in the US show "Heroes" last season. I hadn't heard he was going to be on the show, so when I spotted him I thought, "Ah ha! The Doctor has arrived. Now THIS is an interesting twist!"
by Brian Tanaka @ 05/07/2007 7:29 pm • Permalink •
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Matthew: The hand taking was the masters girlfriend. The master always has an escape plan and in this case it was the "fake death" trick. He's used it before.
bsag: I don't know about disagreement. I might be reading more in and Matthew might be reading more out. And I'm looking at more than just the last 2 episodes.
I liked Martha better than Rose but the pining away got old. The show has jumped the shark if the TARDIS is just fancy sci-fi way to bag women.
by aloysius @ 13/07/2007 9:33 pm • Permalink •
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On a semi-related note, I was pleasantly startled to see Eccleston in the US show "Heroes" last season. I hadn't heard he was going to be on the show, so when I spotted him I thought, "Ah ha! The Doctor has arrived. Now THIS is an interesting twist!"
by Fake Doctor Notes @ 19/03/2008 7:54 pm • Permalink •
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