The Official Doctor Who

[Savage Henry]

.. did anyone notice that the Doctor called Mickey Ricky in the last series? I can't believe no one here picked up on that...

I kinda think that dialogue reference throwback to the last series was so telegraphed that it was a given round here ...

 

[0098386]

So no one else noticed the old doc called Micky Ricky?

 

[~Shard~]

I hate you both.



Yes. it could definitely have been a play on what happened last season, a little inside joke for the viewers, but I still thought it would be cool if there was some significance to it. Ah well, whichever...

 

[Queso]

Hey chaps, I had a thought this morning. Back on my theme about the Face of Boh being the controller of reality etc. What if The Face was the one that pushed the TARDIS into the alternative universe? And if so, are there Time Lords in the alternative universe that would have become aware of The Doctor's presence and now come looking for him?

The Doctor was very forthright with his "That's not your parents" language. Is he going to have to face a similar situation himself shortly?

 

[Savage Henry]

Mickey/Rickey

but I still thought it would be cool if there was some significance to it

I think it was a moment for closure for the character, who had been given an inferiority complex for persistently being called the wrong name, but, since the Doctor knows best (ep3 s1... "You think you know your own name? How stupid are you? ...") the Doc praps knew he was Ricky in another world and would eventually find his real place in life and be able to be a bigger man because of it .. thus anihilating the worthlessness he felt since his grand mother slipped and died ... and thus make both Rickey and his nan much better for it .... he is The Doctor afterall.

Or maybe something else entirely ... Who knows

 

[~Shard~]

Hey chaps, I had a thought this morning. Back on my theme about the Face of Boh being the controller of reality etc. What if The Face was the one that pushed the TARDIS into the alternative universe? And if so, are there Time Lords in the alternative universe that would have become aware of The Doctor's presence and now come looking for him?

The Doctor was very forthright with his "That's not your parents" language. Is he going to have to face a similar situation himself shortly?

Yeah, it definitely makes you think about what the significance might be behind the final episodes titled "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday". But even if the Timelords did still exist in that alternate dimension, and somehow crossed the rift, they still wouldn't be "the real thing" as far as the Doctor is concerned, and it wouldn't truly be the return of the Timelords. I suppose it's all relative though....

Or maybe something else entirely ... Who knows

Indeed, "Who" does know - he's a Timelord after all...

 

[0098386]

On a side note I called myself "Doctor Who" on Half Life 2 and ran around painting Tennant on the walls. The reactions of some people were brilliant

"so wheres the Tardis?"
"I see no darlecs" < spelling! mwhahaha.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

Yeah, it definitely makes you think about what the significance might be behind the final episodes titled "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday".

I'm still convinced that the Doctor will find himself in a position where he is able to save the Time Lords, but will only be able to do so at a terrible cost. It's just the sort of emotive drama that RTD loves, and the repeated mentioning of the Doctor's loneliness suggests to me at least that we're building up to something like this. Maybe it's the end of season cliffhanger? Who knows indeed?

And just to follow up on what I mentioned earlier about the Cybermen returning before the end of the series – I remembered today seeing a sequence in the pre-series trailers with a Cyberman obscured behind plastic sheeting (there was a girl about to get pounced on and everything). We've not seen that footage in the past two episodes so the fact that it exists at all would add some credibility to the suggestion that we've not seen the last of the Cybermen just yet...

 

[~Shard~]

I'm still convinced that the Doctor will find himself in a position where he is able to save the Time Lords, but will only be able to do so at a terrible cost. It's just the sort of emotive drama that RTD loves, and the repeated mentioning of the Doctor's loneliness suggests to me at least that we're building up to something like this. Maybe it's the end of season cliffhanger? Who knows indeed?

Yes, I could definitely see things playing out that way as well.

I also wonder when Rose will officially leave the series. Companions usually stick around for 2-3 years on average, so I wonder when she is planning on calling it quits, and then who will replace her. If I recall corrrectly, Tennant is signed on for 3 seasons....

And just to follow up on what I mentioned earlier about the Cybermen returning before the end of the series – I remembered today seeing a sequence in the pre-series trailers with a Cyberman obscured behind plastic sheeting (there was a girl about to get pounced on and everything). We've not seen that footage in the past two episodes so the fact that it exists at all would add some credibility to the suggestion that we've not seen the last of the Cybermen just yet...

Yes, good catch! You're right, I do remember seeing that footage in a preview of some sort, and no, we never did see that in the past 2 episodes! Yes, all signs are indeed pointing to a 2-part Cybermen finale this season!

I believe after this week's epsiode there is another 2-parter scheduled as welll, isn't there? I think "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit" have the same episode number...

 

[Jaffa Cake]

I believe after this week's epsiode there is another 2-parter scheduled as welll, isn't there? I think "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit" have the same episode number...

That's right, as I understand it those two episodes make up another two-parter.

 

[Queso]

How about last night's then? I think Maureen Lipman was just brilliant. "Feeeeed meeeeee!!!"

 

[Jaffa Cake]

How about last night's then? I think Maureen Lipman was just brilliant. "Feeeeed meeeeee!!!"

Hull's finest actress.

Not a bad episode, all in all. A few thoughts...

"Are you sitting comfortably? Good. Then we'll begin…"

I thought the origin of The Wire was left a little vague – we know it was an alien executed for it's crimes but that was all we found out really. I would have liked to have found out a bit more – and for me at least it immediately brought to mind the Master, who was executed for his crimes at the start of the TV Movie. It clearly wasn't going to be the Master (for one thing, Maureen Lipman would have been an odd casting choice, I can't imagine her in a goatee ), but that's what popped into my mind anyway.

But all things said it was a decent episode. A few scares, faceless people and a menevolent alien sucking our souls out through our TV screens. Quality Saturday teatime viewing for the whole family!

And as a plus, next week's episode isn't set in late-twentieth/early-twenty-first century London, so that'll be a treat.

 

[Queso]

We're back on the white text again are we? OK, here goes:-

I also immediately thought of The Master, and the owner of the TV shop did actually say that the image we saw was not the alien's true identity, but one that it had assumed temporarily. But if it was, why did it not recognise The Doctor? The Master always could in the past. Maybe the producers don't want to give the game away too early.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

~sneaky white text~

Followed with some more of my own...

Yep, if it had of been the Master then he would definitely have recognised the Doctor. Plus, he's already come back from his own execution and ended up getting sucked into the TARDIS. Or summat.

Mind, I did also think that the name 'The Wire' has a Time Lordy ring to it (The Doctor, the Master, the Rani, and so on). But I don't think it was a Time Lord (or Lady) they were dealing with. They'd surely all know of the Doctor.

 

[0098386]

On the surface I found that to be a very poor episode. Maybe it was just me. But there was little substance to it, nothing about anyone's history too. It was a self contained episode really. Didn't hear the typical Who music either, seems like BBC Wales Orchestra just took the day off.

Overall the worse episode of the new series yet in my little opinion.

 

[0098386]

well that was very, very good. Best episode of Doctor Who yet, IMO. They played with religion and the presence of god/devil. I LOVE that. Thats why I love Doom.
Anyone else think it was following Doom a little too much though? Even down to the EXACT SAME Door sound effects. Funny... they made a better representation of Doom than the Doom film! even funnier that this actually includes references to the devil etc and not some disease! Pathetic Hollywood. BBC Wales just pwned you.

hidden from our good friend Shard

 

[HydroMan]

raggedjimmi

I agree that was a very good episode, can't wait for the conclusion........
I hope it doesn't fizzle out by using the big guns first,I thought it was very Doom-esque and as you say it was done better than Hollywood and was quite chilling for what is purportedly a children's show, if I was a kid now I'm sure I would of **** myself, definitely a hide behind the sofa job , well done auntie Beeb.

 

[0098386]

when I joined my family back downstairs for Casualty (oh come on! progressive scan LCD digital EyeTV versus interlaced tube TV?!) my mum was ranting about that episode. I could have cried.
It was definitely a darker, and more close to home Who though. What with the religious overtones. I mean my folks aren't religious but they probably believe more in a god than an alien!

I told myself I wouldn't watch the trailer... but I did. and nothing happens! haha. thank you BBC. we'll just have some running shots and call it a day. probably too busy editing the Peter Kay episode to make him slightly funny.


^bet that looks like an episode of Blankety Blank.

 

[~Shard~]

Thanks for the white text guys.

Unfortunately I have been away on business this whole past week and have not even had a chance to watch The Idiot's Lantern yet, so I hope to catch up in the next couple of days. Sounds like I should set my expectations lower for The Idiot's Lantern, and high for The Impossible Planet.

 

[Benjamin]

The Impossible Planet is probably one of the best eps for the new serises... however one huge problem with it.... i have to wait 6 more days to watch the end. yarg !>!>! oh and I couldn't help laugh after that first door sound effect.. classic, lol.

 

[~Shard~]

Well, I am thankfully caught up once again!

I agree with some of the sentiments on The Idiot’s Lantern - it definitely wasn’t the best episode I’ve ever seen – probably the weakest this year in my opinion. It just seemed to be a rehash of elements of previous stories, and too similar to Empty Child but not as good...

As for The Impossible Planet though, talk about the opposite! I thoroughly enjoyed this episode, and am looking forward to next week’s conclusion.

To me, this is what great sci-fi Doctor Who is all about. An awesome plot and story premise, and lots of action as well. I also like how they have tied in some religious aspects as well. I think it’s cool to not be focused solely on the “science” all the time. I think it adds a compelling element to the story, and this is also one of the reasons I absolutely love Battlestar Galactica – it just adds so much more depth to things when done properly.

 

[~Shard~]

Further to the above, I also liked this episode because it reminded me of the good old serials back in the day. I have always been a fan of the serials over the single 1-hour episode format, but I understand things have to be done differently these days. But this story really had that “serial feel” to me, which was great. The cliffhanger was great, and I could even see where the TARDIS getting lost could have been a cliffhanger as well in the old 30-minute format of the classic serials.

This is one thing I didn’t like about Rise of the Cybermen. The TARDIS is essentially dead, seemingly beyond repair, but then instead of drawing out that desperation and suspense, the Doctor essentially resolves that dilemma in a matter of minutes. “Oh no, the TARDIS is dead”... “Oh wait, there’s one power source left so we’re okay!”

In this episode though, they didn’t resolve that right away, which adds to the drama in my opinion, and is a good thing.

Lastly, I like the whole “Doom” and “Event Horizon” themes which have been incorporated. It will be very interesting to see how things play out in The Satan Pit. Can’t wait!

So to sum up, definitely my favorite episode of the year so far, although I reserve the right to change my opinion depending how part 2 plays out this week.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

Well, I've not seen The Impossible Planet yet – we were away at the football on Saturday and we weren't back to see it. However, we made sure that someone taped it for us (actually, we got a couple of people who taped it in case of any technical problems ) and we're getting our hands on the precious tape tomorrow. Can't wait – every report I've heard about it has been very, very positive.

We're just going to have to see if the BBC's World Cup coverage will affect any Doctor Who broadcasts over the next few weeks...

 

[~Shard~]

Well, I've not seen The Impossible Planet yet – we were away at the football on Saturday and we weren't back to see it. However, we made sure that someone taped it for us (actually, we got a couple of people who taped it in case of any technical problems ) and we're getting our hands on the precious tape tomorrow. Can't wait – every report I've heard about it has been very, very positive.

Ah, sorry Jaffa, I should have white-texted my comments for you, I had just assumed you had seen it as well! Well, you're right, it is indeed very good, so let us know what you think of it once you've watched it.

We're just going to have to see if the BBC's World Cup coverage will affect any Doctor Who broadcasts over the next few weeks...

Ah yes, never thought of that. Hopefully it won't mess with things too much. On a side note, I'm really looking forward to the World Cup as well.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

Ah, sorry Jaffa, I should have white-texted my comments for you, I had just assumed you had seen it as well!

No worries, I've not seen anything that I'd class as a massive spoiler. Suffice to say my appetite has been whetted rather than ruined!

I'll be sure to report back with my thoughts.