Short reviews: Partners in Crime/the Fires of Pompeii

Warning: episode spoilers ahead!

Partners in Crime
Welcome season 30!! ;)
Overall, I found Parnters in Crime to be a fun episode-I have to admit, I wasn't sure I'd like Donna as a full time companion, but this first episode helped put to rest any doubts I might have had. I loved the way Donna and the Doctor just kept missing each other-and their conversation through the windows was hysterical-especially after they got caught.

I have to admit, though-the pace was a little slow for a season opener-as my "partner in crime" Jerm put it-the pace was more like one you would find in a mid-season episode. Not that that's a bad thing-not every season opener has to be fast-paced-it was still good.

Hey, would you think I'm weird if I said I want an Adipose to put on my desk? ;)

I'm notorious for spoiling episodes for myself. This season I have been working really hard to ignore spoilers, and, for the most part, have been pretty successful. Jerm always give me a hard time for knowing what's going to happen ahead of time, and didn't believe me when I said I was completely spoiler free for this episode...until the end...there was no way I could've faked my reaction. Jerm's was pretty good too: "I don't think my jaw can drop any lower!!"

Fave quote of the episode: "You're not mating with me, Sunshine!!" :-D

The Fires of Pompeii
Ahhh, the perils of time traveling. Changing history-when does it matter? When doesn't it? What is considered a 'fixed position in time?' It's enough to make your head spin. When the Doctor was explaning this to Donna, the first thing I thought of was the scene from the Aztecs when the First Doctor told Barbara: "You can't rewrite history!! Not one line!!" Not something we see very often, but it's nice to see it resurface.

Prophecies, foreshadowing-enough here to make fandom run wild with theories and predicitions. Ahh, I love it. ;)

I've often wondered, with the TARDIS translating, what would happen if someone was to actually speak the language being spoken. Now, thanks to Donna being just as curious, we know! "Me no speak Celtic". Donna: "Celtic?" the Doctor: "Welsh". (nods to both the Masque of Mandragora(yay!) and the Christmas Invaison). Also, I think I watched Mary Poppins just a few too many times as a kid-when the earthquake hit and the father yelled, "Positions!" the first thing I thought of was the Banks family yelling "Posts!" everytime the Admiral would set off his cannon in the morning and evening. ;)

Since the first two episodes were a bit longer than the standard 45 minutes, SciFi had to cut out alot more than usual with the first two episodes. One of the scenes I remembered they cut out was the last scene from this episode. We see the family the Doctor rescued a year later, going about their lives as usual (the daughter looked much better now, and acting like a teenager). They still have to remember to give thanks to the household gods-and you see that the household gods are in the shape of the Doctor, Donna, and the TARDIS. ;)

Another enjoyable episode for me. So far, I think this season is getting off to a good start.