Well, I finally have the time to sit down and put my thoughts together on Series 2. Overall, it was quite good, with more gloss than Series 1 but lacking its cohesion. David Tennent was erratic at times, but like most new Doctors settled into the role as the season progressed. The character of Rose was a little annoying this year, but that's down to how she was written rather than Billie Piper's performance, which was top notch yet again. She'll be missed, but it is time to move on.
As for the individual stories, I will rank them bottom-to-top as I did with my mid-season review. Also, two-parters are counted as one story. Remember, what follows is my opinion on these stories; if your opinion differs please feel free to let me know by leaving a comment.
10)Tooth & Claw- I know this is a popular story, but I found it a bit of a mess. And the pre-credit sequence is just embarrassing.
9)New Earth- A weak and pointless story that goes nowhere. The ending's not too bad, though.
8)Fear Her- Another weak story but a bit stronger than New Earth. Not bad as such, but lacked any real punch.
7)The Idiot's Lantern- A shame that this blog's namesake wasn't better, but so it goes. Definately gets points for attention to detail, but knock a few off for a silly villian.
6)The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit- Another fan favorite that I don't rank as high. A strong basic plot that is nearly ruined by too many holes, but the pluses definately outweigh the minuses.
5)Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel- Too much running around in the first part, but ends strongly. Seems better after watching Army of Ghosts/Doomsday.
4)Love and Monsters- Most fans have this one at the bottom of their lists, but for me it was pure fun. The ending feels tampered with, but otherwise a nice change of pace.
3)School Reunion- I was afraid that this one might not live up to the hype, but there was no reason to be worried. Sarah Jane, K-9, and Anthony Stewart Head. Enough said.
2)Army of Ghosts/Doomsday- I though last year's finale was the be-all-end-all of DW, but apparently not. Army of Ghosts was the best first episode of the 3 two-parters and Doomsday was edge-of-your-seat excitement beginning to end.
1) Girl in the Fireplace- For me, DW is all about the writing and this one trumps them all in that department. Hats off to Stephen Moffat.
The Idiot's Lantern
Monday, July 31, 2006
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Army of Ghosts/Doomsday Review (Slightly Spoilerish, Perhaps)
From our British Correspondent
Probably no 2 episodes of Doctor Who have ever been asked to do as much as these, the closing story of series 2. Not only does it tie in with the earlier Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel 2-parter, it also brings to a close the 27 episode story of Rose Tyler. And it does both (and a great deal more) with great style.
Army of Ghosts sets the story up with the introduction of the mysterious titular ghosts and an even stranger sphere housed in the basement of much referred-to Torchwood. By the cliffhanger the ghosts have revealed their true form and the sphere opens and out comes... well that would be spoiling what is probably the best cliffhanger since episode 3 of The Caves of Androzani back in 1984. Army of Ghosts is also the strongest part-1-of-2 episode yet of the six we've seen so far in the new series.
By the end of Army of Ghosts, you realize that Doomsday must be crammed full and wonder if it can pull off what it needs to in 45 minutes. Well, it takes closer to 47 minutes but amazingly gets the job done. Without giving anything away for those out there who have yet to see it, let's just say that this episode has pretty much everything but the kitchen sink, with moments that will have fans talking for years to come. If there is any complaint, it is that some elements seem to cater a bit too much to the fans, but it's done in such a brilliant way that the average viewer will enjoy it just as much as us Whovians. Hats off to Russell T Davies for managing to top last year's finale.
And now the long wait for Christmas.
Probably no 2 episodes of Doctor Who have ever been asked to do as much as these, the closing story of series 2. Not only does it tie in with the earlier Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel 2-parter, it also brings to a close the 27 episode story of Rose Tyler. And it does both (and a great deal more) with great style.
Army of Ghosts sets the story up with the introduction of the mysterious titular ghosts and an even stranger sphere housed in the basement of much referred-to Torchwood. By the cliffhanger the ghosts have revealed their true form and the sphere opens and out comes... well that would be spoiling what is probably the best cliffhanger since episode 3 of The Caves of Androzani back in 1984. Army of Ghosts is also the strongest part-1-of-2 episode yet of the six we've seen so far in the new series.
By the end of Army of Ghosts, you realize that Doomsday must be crammed full and wonder if it can pull off what it needs to in 45 minutes. Well, it takes closer to 47 minutes but amazingly gets the job done. Without giving anything away for those out there who have yet to see it, let's just say that this episode has pretty much everything but the kitchen sink, with moments that will have fans talking for years to come. If there is any complaint, it is that some elements seem to cater a bit too much to the fans, but it's done in such a brilliant way that the average viewer will enjoy it just as much as us Whovians. Hats off to Russell T Davies for managing to top last year's finale.
And now the long wait for Christmas.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Doctor Who news
Hello fellow Whovians!
It's been awhile since I last posted-I'm sorry-I didn't have much time while I was away to be online. Too much goes on at my sister's to tie up the phone line for very long. LOL.
Series One (season 27) in the USA:(recap)
Current episode:
Series 1 has finished it's current run. *patiently awaiting news on when series two will air...*
SciFi will air The Empty Child on Sunday, July 16th at 11pm.
The Doctor Dances will air the following week (the 23rd) also at 11pm.
I don't see Doctor Who in anywhere in the schedule for August-boo!
Previous episodes:
13. The Parting of the Ways
12. Bad Wolf
11. Boom Town
10. The Doctor Dances
9. The Empty Child
8. Father's Day
7.The Long Game
6.Dalek
5.World War III
4.Aliens of London
3.The Unquiet Dead
2.The End of the World
1.Rose
Series Two (season 28) in the UK: (recap)
Current episode: Series 2 has finished it's current run on the BBC. Doctor Who will return in December with the Christmas special, the Runaway Bride. Note: If you click on the link, there is a possible spoiler if you haven't seen the end of series 2.
Previous episodes:
13. Doomsday
12. Army of Ghosts
11. Fear Her
10. Love & Monsters
9. The Satan Pit
8. The Impossible Planet
7. The Idiot's Lantern
6. The Age of Steel
5. The Rise of the Cybermen
4. The Girl in the Fireplace
3.School Reunion
2.Tooth and Claw
1. New Earth
Season 1 now on dvd! As of today, the first series was #9 in Amazon's dvd sales. I saw it as high as #3-but I've only been online since Monday-did anyone else notice if it was higher? I hope this bodes well for us who would like to see series 2 come to SciFi. :)
Speaking of dvds, the Fourth Doctor story, the Hand of Fear and the Sixth Doctor story, the Mark of the Rani will be coming to dvd on November 7th. I like this apparent trend of the dvds coming out in Britain, and then shortly after coming out on this side of the pond. Grant it, it would be much cooler if they came out at the same time, but waiting a few months is better than waiting a year or more. I hope this means the Invasion will follow shortly. :) :)
BBC7 will start a repeat season of the Eighth Doctoraudios, starting this Sunday (July 16th) with Shada. Also included are Storm Warning, Sword of Orion, The Stones of Venice, Invaders from Mars and The Chimes of Midnight. These stories will run through August 27th.
TAFN-still trying to catch up!!
It's been awhile since I last posted-I'm sorry-I didn't have much time while I was away to be online. Too much goes on at my sister's to tie up the phone line for very long. LOL.
Series One (season 27) in the USA:(recap)
Current episode:
Series 1 has finished it's current run. *patiently awaiting news on when series two will air...*
SciFi will air The Empty Child on Sunday, July 16th at 11pm.
The Doctor Dances will air the following week (the 23rd) also at 11pm.
I don't see Doctor Who in anywhere in the schedule for August-boo!
Previous episodes:
13. The Parting of the Ways
12. Bad Wolf
11. Boom Town
10. The Doctor Dances
9. The Empty Child
8. Father's Day
7.The Long Game
6.Dalek
5.World War III
4.Aliens of London
3.The Unquiet Dead
2.The End of the World
1.Rose
Series Two (season 28) in the UK: (recap)
Current episode: Series 2 has finished it's current run on the BBC. Doctor Who will return in December with the Christmas special, the Runaway Bride. Note: If you click on the link, there is a possible spoiler if you haven't seen the end of series 2.
Previous episodes:
13. Doomsday
12. Army of Ghosts
11. Fear Her
10. Love & Monsters
9. The Satan Pit
8. The Impossible Planet
7. The Idiot's Lantern
6. The Age of Steel
5. The Rise of the Cybermen
4. The Girl in the Fireplace
3.School Reunion
2.Tooth and Claw
1. New Earth
Season 1 now on dvd! As of today, the first series was #9 in Amazon's dvd sales. I saw it as high as #3-but I've only been online since Monday-did anyone else notice if it was higher? I hope this bodes well for us who would like to see series 2 come to SciFi. :)
Speaking of dvds, the Fourth Doctor story, the Hand of Fear and the Sixth Doctor story, the Mark of the Rani will be coming to dvd on November 7th. I like this apparent trend of the dvds coming out in Britain, and then shortly after coming out on this side of the pond. Grant it, it would be much cooler if they came out at the same time, but waiting a few months is better than waiting a year or more. I hope this means the Invasion will follow shortly. :) :)
BBC7 will start a repeat season of the Eighth Doctoraudios, starting this Sunday (July 16th) with Shada. Also included are Storm Warning, Sword of Orion, The Stones of Venice, Invaders from Mars and The Chimes of Midnight. These stories will run through August 27th.
TAFN-still trying to catch up!!
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
DW Columbus Cookout-July 8th
We will be having a cookout and grill party at Jarrod's house on Saturday July 8th, starting at 5:00 pm. We will also be viewing Army of Ghosts and then the final episode of the second season, Doomsday, as close to 'live' as possible. Please check the DW Columbus Yahoo group for more information.
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