Doctor Who (40) 14:03: BOOM

nixie

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I enjoyed this one, even with the Doctor standing on a landmine for most of it and Ruby nearly dying. The little girl was annoying, Mundy apparently will feature in the next season.
 
I've been really enjoying this series so far. I wasn't sure about Ncuti just from the Christmas special, but the recent episodes have let him bust out his dramatic skills more, and he portrays the Doctor's caring side brilliantly.
 
This was an excellent episode. Two thumbs up for Ncuti's Doctor, excellent acting by all cast members, five stars for the messaging in the episode, and I have to forgive 'Mundy' and the little girl for portraying grief so unrealistically because this is children's programming.

Reaction in The Guardian has been rather mixed, with some people loving it and others saying they have "had enough", "my wife walked out on it after nine minutes", "Dr Who should be cancelled now", etc. etc, along with some flame wars; but it reads like the usual antisocial media guff - peurile poison.
 
I've never understood the mindset that states "I didn't like it, so nobody should like it, so it should be banned/cancelled/taken off the air." And the Grauniad has always looked down a bit on 'popular' culture - just try to find any SSF in their book review pages.

I rather enjoyed it - it was refreshingly different to have a plot where the Doctor didn't do any of his signature running about in all directions.
 
I've never understood the mindset that states "I didn't like it, so nobody should like it, so it should be banned/cancelled/taken off the air."
I don't understand that mindset either, but I do have a problem with a lack of choice. For instance, if you turn on the TV on a Saturday morning then you will get 3 different "foodie" programmes, or else The Simpsons. And the problem with Doctor Who being popular again is that it consumes all of the BBC science fiction budget (if they have one) so not allowing for anything both more adult and science fiction. So, where is the choice there? However, if Doctor Who is all that is ever going to be on offer then I'll take it, and a few years ago, for quite a while, I didn't watch it (my choice!)

But I haven't even seen this episode yet. Will catch up sometime.
 
It may be that the BBC isn't receiving any decent scripts for SF. Perhaps Chrons members could help them out there?
 
... the Grauniad has always looked down a bit on 'popular' culture - just try to find any SSF in their book review pages.

Here is a link to a recent set of SF book reviews in The Guardian.

 
A significant improvement on the last two episodes. Good acting all round (apart from the young girl).

The "message" was done well - not too heavy-handed. Some interesting ideas/concepts (especially the ambulance).

However,
the girl thinking the hologram was her father was unrealistic - he clearly wasn't solid

By the way, I wonder
if someone calculated (or found out - and if so, how?) that the average human compacted down to the basic components really would weight 6.7kg (or whatever it was?) :)

Oh, and @Pyan -
the Doctor did do some running - at the beginning. So phew!! ;)
 
I found the last few minutes of the soldier supposed to be sorting out the "ambulance" (so they wouldn't all be vapourised at any moment), more than irritating. He was pouring his heart out, with no one shouting at him to stick to the task in hand and telling the other soldier to shut up. The only saving grace was that it turned out that this was not the reason he died (not that anyone knew this beforehand).

Oh, and the way the situation was, well defused, was no better than the other weak resolutions we have seen so far.

It's a shame, really, because most of this episode was rather good, with a real sense of tension and danger (which would probably have had the 1960s me cowering behind the sofa). Oh, and it was good to have people being told that they were being stupid (or admitting, that had been stupid)... although it would have been far better if they had not been stupid in the first place, as the episode would have worked perfectly well without the stupidity.
 
However, the girl thinking the hologram was her father was unrealistic - he clearly wasn't solid
I can't recall the relevant dialogue, but
couldn't she have believed that this was how those in heaven communicated with those in this world? Either that, or he was an angel... and when she too became an angel, they'd be together again?
 
I can't recall the relevant dialogue, but
couldn't she have believed that this was how those in heaven communicated with those in this world? Either that, or he was an angel... and when she too became an angel, they'd be together again?
Fair point, except
I had the idea that she was trying to hug him.
 
Fair point, except
I had the idea that she was trying to hug him.
To be honest I would try even if I knew.
Incidently the Skye Boat song harks back to the 2nd Doctor who played it on his recorded during Web of Fear. Also it refers to Bonnie Prince Charlie escaping after the Battle of Culloden, which is where jamie was from I believe.
 
To be honest I would try even if I knew.
Incidently the Skye Boat song harks back to the 2nd Doctor who played it on his recorded during Web of Fear. Also it refers to Bonnie Prince Charlie escaping after the Battle of Culloden, which is where jamie was from I believe.
Nice catch!
 
I've caught up. A Stephen Moffat story, which might account for the improvement. Moffat is very good at getting just the right pacing.
The "message" was done well - not too heavy-handed. Some interesting ideas/concepts (especially the ambulance).
There always has to be a "message" with Nu-WHO, but as far as computer-simulated wars, computers-gone-wrong and "allegorically powerful, common sense implausible scenarios" go, I think Kirk's Enterprise has been there first, on several different occasions, and quite a long time ago too.

At least the Doctor didn't have to defeat the mainframe and murderous AI algorithms with "Pure Logic" though, but here it was "parent power" and a father's love that achieved it - aw shucks!

More "Snow"! Yes, I think the "snow" is certainly going to be a story arc this season.
 
Classic Who also had some episodes with a message. The difference is that it was never A MESSAGE. It was given (told actually) in a much more subtle and intelligent way than New Who tends to do - and much less often.
 
Classic Who also had some episodes with a message. The difference is that it was never A MESSAGE. It was given (told actually) in a much more subtle and intelligent way than New Who tends to do - and much less often.
I guess the audience is different today.
 

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