TV Gold

by **Sarah Tarrant** on Tue May 16, 2006 9:08 am

Well I'm going to come off merely 'sitting on the fence' and offer up some comments to 'set the ball rolling' as it were, so here goes...

Visually I feel that 'New Earth' offered a perfect start to the 2006 season with the stunning initial shot filmed on the windswept Gower Peninsula with our duo looking across the sea to the CGI rendered city beyond, replete with occasional flying craft overhead. I was similarly impressed with the external appearance of the rather imposing futuristic hospital on which the story is centred around. 'New Earth' afforded both Tennant and Piper a good opportunity to temporarily step out of their recognised roles when possessed by returning 'piece of skin' villainess Cassandra. Admittedly the make up design for both the Cat people nurses and Cassandra?s cringing assistant Chip (Sean Gallagher's character embellished with a body tattoo similar to Star Trek : Deep Space Nine's Jadzia Dax) were impressive but apart from the cryptic conversation towards the end between the Doctor and the Face of Boe that rather, for me, finishes the plus points of 'New Earth'. On the negative side of things I rather felt that the ?infected patients spreading their disease? premise rather echoed Star Trek adversaries the Borg?s intention to assimilate other technologically advanced species to add to their collective. Now personally I was a little disappointed with the frankly pathetic 'sterilisation lift' sequence and ultra corny 'I'm the Doctor and I've cured you all' line and in the final analysis rather thought that New Earth was rather 'gloss over substance'.

Second story 'Tooth and Claw' was, using an appropriate metaphor, an 'entirely different beast altogether' with a distinctly dark, edgy 'isolated settlement under threat' quality to it. Right from the start the sinister, determined Father Angelo (played with menacing conviction by Ian Hanmore) leads his hooded religious followers into the rural courtyard and straight away (from an excitingly realised, tightly edited fight sequence) establishes that they are a force to be reckoned with. That initial tense build up of the caped figure in the cage results in a suitably impressive transformation sequence which really kicks the story into high gear in a very effective manner. The majority of 'Tooth and Claw' is played out within the confines of the darkened rustic setting which helps to heighten the claustrophobic tense situation feel of the piece. Although at times rather overpowering in its relentless pace there are moments of character and plot development along the way. I loved the Scottish setting, period costume clothing detail and of course the most welcome return to Doctor Who of actress Pauline Collins (last seen in the Patrick Troughton 'Faceless Ones' 1967 story) whom conveys an impressive regally detached persona that so typifies her Royal Majesty Queen Victoria. Credit must also go to the impressive observation room dominated as it is with a recreation of a large period telescope, something that is all the more impressive when you see the pre-production sketches and photos depicting the rooms original design prior to shooting. This set is used to great effect, in the exciting impressively realised dramatic finale which led me to punch the air in delight at the inventive manner in which the Doctor finally defeated the beast. Personally I find very little to fault 'Tooth and Claw' although I did cringe a bit at the inferred link between this rustic residence and the 'Torchwood' organisation by Queen Victoria towards the end in a rather shameless in-story plug for the forthcoming spin-off series. Also I guess I, like others, are a bit puzzled about Father Angelo and his followers whom inexplicably disappear mid way through the story, however overall this is good well rounded escapist entertainment in a tale of 'good versus evil' which fills out its forty-five minutes duration admirably.

Obviously the main viewing draw of third episode 'School Reunion' is the inclusion of returning 1970's companions Sarah Jane Smith and K-9 and indeed there are some great dramatic scene moments between Elisabeth Sladen and David Tennant (Sarah's discovery of the TARDIS, talking in the cafe as the Doctor repairs K-9 and then the emotional leaving scene outside the TARDIS at the end) plus Sladen's scenes with Billie Piper's 'Rose' (particularly where they try to top each other regarding the monsters they have encountered and then later comparing notes on the Doctor's behaviour). 'School Reunion' offers up a pleasing 'K-9 to the rescue' sequence with the robotic mutt using its laser to protect the quartet from flying monsters but putting the high 'nostalgia quotient' on offer to one side for a moment I personally felt the 'alien threat' plot rather weak and undefined in comparison. Now I know that some school children will get a great thrill out of the school location which might be familiar territory in their own weekly lives however it just further typifies the 'rooted in reality' remit that Russell T Davies prefers in pursuing with this new version of the series. Admittedly Anthony Head's evil 'headmaster from hell', Hector Finch is a strong foe (exemplified in his poolside conversation with the Doctor) but I personally didn?t really register the danger of situation facing our heroes.

The first thing that struck me about 'The Girl In the Fireplace' was the majestic splendour of the period costumes and settings of Eighteenth-century France together with the impressive skull framed polished bronze interior workings of the clockwork androids. Now if you are expecting a typical danger and excitement tale that you will undoubtedly find in other entries of the 2006 season you will ultimately feel a little disappointed by this particular tale. The link between this location and an abandoned spaceship 33 centuries in the future is indeed intriguing and harks back to some of the best 'past/future mix' plot stories the classic series ever created ('Talons of Weng-Chiang' and 'The Visitation' to name but two). Due to the unique 'passing of time' nature of both 'The Girl In The Fireplace' and format of the series we get to see a lifetimes relationship between the Doctor and Madame de Pompadour. Such is the (unusually?) impassioned affection the Doctor has regarding this ladies safety he risks the possibility of being trapped in historic France (through the use of, it has to be said, an impressive 'horse jumping through a large mirror' sequence) which makes her ultimate fate, and the Doctor's reaction, all the more poignant. Now personally I couldn't initially see the objective of the clockwork robots and the connection between the spaceship and period France. Rose and Mickey (whom I feel didn't have a great deal to do other than get captured) find a human heart fused into the ships circuitry part way through the story which makes me wonder whether they needed this lady to power their ship but why this particular person? Now I recognise that this will undoubtedly be regarded as one of the strongest stories of the 2006 run, mainly due to the high regard that Steven Moffatt is held in, but for me personally I remain rather ambivalent regarding it. After action/adventure tales found elsewhere this season the more restrained thoughtful piece offered up here is a bit of a jolt with the main threat feeling less immediate and overtly obvious however at least it can certainly be considered a unique and original premise. In my opinion 'The Girl In The Fireplace' is not without its merits and certainly has strong aspects to it however in the final analysis this is not enough to raise it above other entries in this second season.

I've got some things I want to say about 'Rise of the Cybermen', which I was most impressed with, but will hold fire on that until I see how things play out in the second 'Age of Steel' part.

Speak to you guys soon
B)

by **Sarah Tarrant** on Mon May 22, 2006 12:07 pm

Back with some Cybermen talk I guess <_< ..., no it was rather good trust me!

Paragraph one is all about 'Rise of the Cybermen', paragraph two I turn my attention to 'The Age of Steel' whilst paragraph three I'm considering the overall merits of both parts...

The fifth episode to be transmitted heralds the first two-part story of the 2006 season and wisely we are presented with another plundering of the classic series rich heritage of monsters for a worthy adversary for the Doctor, Rose and Mickey to combat. Although titled ?Rise of The Cybermen? this opening part sees the implacable foes rather relegated to a minor role in proceedings with writer Tom MacRae wisely using the majority of the time to establish surroundings, plot and character history. With the TARDIS stranded on a parallel Earth for twenty-four hours the temptation to explore this alternate reality is obviously too strong for the two youngsters and, in true Doctor Who tradition our trio are split up to have ?mini adventures? on their own. Obviously for the Doctor, Rose proves to be of greater concern with Pete (her Dad) alive as a successful businessman married to a wealthy Jackie. Her interaction with them, particularly Jackie certainly proves interesting and rather unexpected both for the viewer and Rose herself. Things prove a bit more complicated for Mickey whose touching reunion with his gran is suddenly cut short by the appearance of so-called ?committed-to-a-cause friends? of his together with a second parallel reality Mickey! Even on its initial transmission of this first half of the story I would conject that one of these would ultimately die towards the end of the second part leaving the other feeling obligated to remain to look after his favoured relative. As the central character, Roger Lloyd-Pack?s deathly haunted John Lumic imbues this two-part tale with an unnerving, uneasy human persona to the all powerful ?Cybus Corporation? who rule the planet earth from a fleet of armour clad zeppelins circling the globe. There is indeed a majestic splendour to these craft which certainly echoes those of the Nazi party of the 1930s and help to effectively symbolise the power this organisation holds over the people of the Earth. John Lumic?s objective of genetically improving the human race through cybernetic ?upgrade? surgery could be likened to Adolph Hitler?s ?genetic purity? implementations although Lumic?s agenda is far more wide ranging and frighteningly contemporary. This is best illustrated by the populations extensive and (seemingly) compulsory use of blue tooth ear pieces which together with extremely popular and deemed essential mobile phone use certainly has strong parallels with our own daily technologically advancing lives. Although attempting a ?Genesis? type tale that typified the Daleks back in 1975 you could indeed liken Lumic to Davros however unlike the Kaled scientist whom was only concerned with the survival of his own race Lumic initially creates his ?Cyber force? from people sleeping rough on the streets before extending his agenda to the entire population of the planet. This initial rounding up of people is, in a charming nod to the 1968 eight-part Cyberman story ?The Invasion?, conducted under the cover name of ?International Electromatics?. Certain similarities can be drawn between Lumic and Tobias Vaughan however Kevin Stoney?s smooth relaxed style in dealing with the invading Cyber force is in direct contrast to Lumic?s own personal self-motivated objectives. There is indeed a similarity between ?Rise of the Cybermen? and the Big Finish audio play ?Spare Parts? by Marc Platt (the writer of which gets a worthy on screen credit) however due to its ?family viewing? timeslot, MacRae?s script has by necessity to be more restrained and toned down in the horror content it can convey compared with Platt?s double CD story. We are spared the touching Hartley family unit split apart by enforced Cyber conversation (namely Yvonne who tearfully returns home post operation) however echoing the audio character Sisterman Constant?s terror at finding herself on the processing table, ?Rise of the Cybermen? has a group of earpiece wearing controlled men entering a factory chamber, their screams (later drowned out by, following on from last year (?End of the World?) more ?ultra-camp? 80s music (on this occasion Tight Fit with ?The Lion Sleeps Tonight?)) intercut with a brief ?lasers and blades going into action? sequence cutting to Battersea Power Station corridors replete with pipe work adequately conveying the terrifying aspect of what has befallen them. This is indeed a far cry from the more subtle and believable ?Cyber-conversion? that befell Commander Lyton towards the end of 1985?s ?Attack of the Cybermen?. The entire piece is well balanced and as we head towards the end of the episode, with the Doctor and Rose undercover as waiting staff of a swish party thrown by Pete and Jackie Tyler the Cybermen finally make their eventual and entirely appropriately timed appearance. Smashing through the windows their heavy footed approach coupled with height and bulk reinforces their unstoppable might and power. With disabling or eliminating electronic charges from their hands and a more effective vocal arrangement this twenty-first century incarnation of the metallic giants may not be an established offshoot of the Mondas/Telos breed of Cybermen replete with hierarchical structure that the ?classic series? offered but they do nevertheless present the same totally emotionless element that so typifies this adversary. It is certainly a dramatically unsettling first part with no obvious resolution foreseeable from the established pattern of terror laid down by the Cybus Corporation and its new breed of Cybermen.

After the wealth of ?establishing plot? detail lavished over ?Rise of the Cybermen? I rather felt that although not entirely without merit, ?The Age of Steel? was a bit of a let down. Admittedly you had the reasonably convincing Cybermen pursing the inhabitants of London in preparation for ?Cyber-conversion? I found the processing chambers themselves to be less believable and more comic than other Cyber processing procedures witnessed during the ?classic series?. It seemed obvious that John Lumic would eventually become a Cyberman but the sight of him ?post-processed? sitting on an elaborate life support-like throne as the new ?Cyber Controller? again brought comparisons between him and the Dalek creator Davros. The only significant character background history came during the Doctor?s conversation with the ?Preachers? resident ?techi?, Mrs Moore (played by Helen Griffin) in one of the cold darkened dormant Cybermen infested tunnels below Battersea Power Station where we discovered that she was a former Cybus Industries employee whom became a hunted outlaw having witnessed some secret files. Thanks to an electromagnetic bomb (created by Mrs Moore) there is a touching dramatic scene with a fallen Cyberman and the revelation of the figure?s former identity. In an effective nod back to the ?Spare Parts? audio story the figure identifies herself as Sally Phelan, a young lady who was Cyber-converted the day before her wedding! So ?The Age of Steel? is ultimately a reasonably enjoyable second half to the story which adequately resolves outstanding plot points without, for the most part, being overtly memorable.

So, looking at both ?Rise of the Cybermen? and ?The Age of Steel? together is this two-parter an effective nod back to the original creations of Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis? Well, considered as Doctor Who?s second best monster, the Cybermen certainly come across with the same level of menace and emotionally detached resolute evil and it has to be said that Nicholas Briggs has indeed does a fine job with vocalising this foe. There are indeed chilling moments when they ?crash the party? towards the end of the first part and then during the second part are seen well choreographed and rendered step marching through the darkened streets of London. Their 2006 makeover is effective, contemporary and chilling and I feel certainly meets what audiences of today expect to see from these emotionless adversaries. The parallel Earth concept is indeed a favourable one in the genre of Science Fiction, Doctor Who itself having successfully used it to great effect back in 1970 with the all-time seven part classic (and June 2006 DVD release) <a href="http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/905191/-/Product.html?searchstring=Doctor+Who+Inferno" target="_blank">Inferno</a> and this 2006 take on this theme is, for me quite effective. Tom MacRae does a commendable job by playing on our fears regarding increased reliance on technology and the use of zeppelin airships perceptibly ties the fictious organisation of Cybus Industries to something akin to the German Nazi party. On the negative side of things I felt that the instrumentation used in the ?processing machines? was rather comic strip in realization however the use of a revived, fully working Battersea Power Station was reasonably convincing. For some reason although rather impressed with the ?establishing plot? outline of ?Rise of the Cybermen? I personally felt that ?The Age of Steel? was somewhat lacking, maybe due to the fact that I didn?t get the perception of scale to Lumic and the Cybermen?s plan at global Cyber-conversion of the planets population although of course I agree that this is effectively impossible to render on merely a television budget. In the final analysis it is indeed great to have the Cybermen back, in all their glittering twenty-first century finery however I personally miss the ?Telos?/?Mondas? backstory continuity that was so endemic of their ?classic series? appearances. A reasonable renewal for the creations of Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis which hopefully will lead to more impressive future encounters with this legendary race of super beings. Although there is much to admire and enjoy here over these two linked commendably entertaining episodes I rather feel there will be other more stronger thought-provoking scripts elsewhere in this second season.

I wonder where the second season will take us next and will I be back to talk about it...

Come back soon and find out! Wink

by **Sarah Tarrant** on Tue May 30, 2006 8:37 am

Going back to the 1950?s was always going to bring memories of 1987?s much derided (possibly unjustly?) classic series story ?Delta and the Bannermen? however writer Mark Gatiss deftly crafts a tale imbued with equal amounts of dramatic and comedic elements in the delightfully entertaining ?The Idiot?s Lantern?. Matched to the obvious recreative period-specific skills of the BBC the Doctor and Rose effectively blend in both through costume touches and the suitably authentic royal blue coloured lambretta scooter. Of course interior set detail (as covered in the corresponding ?Confidential? behind the scenes show) is entirely convincing however credit is also due to the latter exterior ?street party? scenes, replete with trestle tables, bunting and all manor of appropriate consumables. Now I?m guessing that most of us would not have first hand knowledge of these celebrations however I can vaguely recall the time of ?Silver Jubilee? when, living near Croydon in Shirley, I attended a similarly laid out event near to where I was living at the time. Praise is due to the slick way in which our duo gain entry to the Connolly?s home under an ?official pretence? cover story again making use of that most marvellous of inventions, psychic paper. This once again affords David Tennant an excellent opportunity in showing the range of his acting talents when during this scene he switches from a light comic performance to entirely serious as he authoritively enquires of the homes residents what is going on. The initial big reveal of Gran Connolly in the darkened upstairs room, her whole facial features replaced by a smooth blank covering was chilling and effective heightening the viewers interest into wondering what exactly is going on. Of course this is a direct throwback to the fourth adventure of sci-fi television classic ?Sapphire and Steel? when, in that particular tale our heroes encounter ?the landlord? standing at the bottom of the stairs, his features similarly missing. However whilst in that tale this figure was the main protagonist here in ?The Idiot?s Lantern? people so afflicted are merely victims rather than the cause. The principal enemy of this piece is a female being inhabiting television screens known only, and enigmatically, as ?The Wire?. Well known actress Maureen Lipman renders an excellent and occasionally chilling performance as the ruthless lifeform whose physical appearance likens her to the ultra posh and well-educated BBC announcers of the period. Whilst the Sapphire and Steel story character captured people via photographs, Gatiss' script more graphically uses the forces that ?The Wire? has at her disposal to literally pull people?s features from their faces directly into the television screen that they are watching, their features stored on television screens down at Magpie Electronics, the coordinating point for ?The Wire?s? ruthless scheming. To make matters worse this particular fate later befalls Rose! Tying up the story with the historic event of people?s interest in watching the televised coverage of Queen Elisabeth II?s coronation of 1953 was an inspired move and the period clips of ?Muffin the Mule? and archival footage of the event effectively reinforced the authentic atmosphere of the surroundings. The strongest aspect for me and I suspect a great many people, however, has to be the impressive and exciting climactic sequence use of the tower of Alexandria Palace (shades of classic series ?Logopolis? and maybe the Nestine Consciousness at the end of ?Terror of the Autons?) which coupled with those black and white television footage clips and Maureen Lipman?s recreation, through her character, of an early 1950?s announcer provided us with the greatest homage to those early BBC broadcasting days. The entire feel of ?The Idiot?s Lantern? is indeed endemic of a confident series routed in its British identity and offering up a bold fresh new Science Fiction outlook for the twenty-first century.
B)

by **Sarah Tarrant** on Mon Jun 19, 2006 11:28 am

At the outset Russell T Davies and writer Matt Jones indicated that this second two-parter drew influences from movies like ?Alien?. In ?The Impossible Planet? it certainly shows as I personally had that feeling that I had indeed ?seen it all somewhere before? when glancing around the setting for this introductory eighth episode of the new season. I?d agree that it does certainly convey that space is a hazardous place however with so much ?cheery yellow? on show in the metallic framework the station for me failed to entirely convey a dirty rundown environment. The visuals on offer maintain the Mill?s high level of impressive realisation of the writers script particularly looking out of the roof of the base towards the nearby black hole. Therein lies the first mystery of how can a planet resist the pull of such an immensely powerful stellar phenomena which relates well to the scripts title. The extremely ancient undeceiverable alien writing which later infects base Archaeologist Toby, replete with red contact lenses, certainly links well with the perceived beast that exists below ground under the locked trapdoor that the space-suited Doctor would later seek out. The strongest sequence of ?The Impossible Planet? is undeniably that of the possessed Toby?s exit from the base (without spacesuit) and his subsequent murder of fellow crewmember Scooti Manista. This lead neatly into her being found effectively and rather beautifully realised floating high above the base, which is all the more impressive when you realise that it was filmed in a underwater tank at Pinewood Studios. Admittedly credit is certainly due to the bases worthy alien lifeform, the bald-headed fish-like spaghetti faced subservient Ood whom were apparently inspired by the Sensorites way back in William Hartnell?s first season. I personally felt that ?The Impossible Planet? did not present as much plot and character establishment as was found during ?Rise of the Cybermen?. However whilst perceptibly conveying a level of unoriginality in certain aspects of its premise (e.g. the Doctor going down in the left to a cavernous lower level (echoing ?Alien? movie)) this particular opening episode did present enough of a mystery about what lurks below the station and how the Ood are linked to it to make it worth tuning in for the second part.

Undoubtedly ?The Satan Pit? does an entirely commendable job of upping the excitement quotient established in the first ?The Impossible Planet? however I personally found it not without its faults. When the Doctor and Ida are trapped at the bottom of the lift shaft following the snapping of the cable which would have been used to return them to the station ten miles above them (a really hopeless and tense situation) why did he not just consider searching for the TARDIS as a means of saving their lives? As it is the Doctor chose to instead dangle on a line of steel cable extending down into the now open pit aperture in the centre of the cave (busy pondering his own existence) which I felt effectively ruled him out of most of ?The Satan Pit?s action. I?d agree that this was an exciting development and ultimately just what the viewer wanted however, personally I don?t think that?s the point. I think it was pretty obvious that the Ood would be controlled (calling themselves the ?Legion of the beast?) by whatever evil force inhabited the lower levels of the planet although there was plenty of worthwhile mileage gained from their obsessive pursuit of the remaining station crew through the air ducting systems. This was a sequence that gave Jefferson a worthy ?Scott of the Antarctic? moment making the supreme sacrifice, delaying the pursuing Ood so that the others may escape. Following up on his possessed performance in ?The Impossible Planet? actor Will Throrp continued his memorably maniacal infected character Tobias Zed to further great and slightly unsettling effect and credit is certainly due to the excellent tattoo make-up which combined with red contact lenses worked well. Although we later got to see the horned devil beast below ground, it?s manacled form pitching and writhing in front of the Doctor disappointingly we didn?t gain any further communication with this evil entity leading to a rather disappointing albeit decisive one-way conversation.
Smile

by **Sarah Tarrant** on Mon Jun 19, 2006 11:48 am

Looking at the first proper alien world location story of the new series (taking Rose beyond the range of her ?mobile?!) there are definitely some strong elements to be found across these particular two episodes. Making the most indelible impact on viewers has undoubted to be actor Will Throrp?s manically possessed character Tobias Zed replete with tattoo make-up and red contact lenses. His performance is delivered with passionate resonance as his barks forth the thoughts of the horned devil chained below the base. With the Doctor, for the most part absent during some of ?The Impossible Planet? and most of ?The Satan Pit? I felt Billie Piper?s ?Rose? rises well to the challenge of motivating the disheartened base crew in to positive action. Watching both parts in one sitting the entire adventure is indeed well paced and on balance I personally would rate this as a slightly stronger double episode story that the previous Cyber tale. Despite leaving the viewer with so many unanswered questions (e.g. what exactly was in the pit, how long the base had been there) the overall dramatic ?base under threat from alien forces? premise in my opinion feels stronger and more satisfying than the Cybus Corporation?s Cyber-conversion of the human race seen earlier this season. B)

by **Sarah Tarrant** on Tue Jun 20, 2006 8:37 am

Despite its intriguing perspective concept I personally found it very hard to identify anything particularly memorable or favourable to say about tenth episode ?Love & Monsters? which largely, in my opinion, comes across as slow plodding sentimental extremely over-indulgent twaddle. In the Season One opener ?Rose?, the title character encountered a ?Doctor? obsessive via an internet website and offered an interesting momentary postulation regarding the mythos that has grown up around this time travelling figure. As an incidental part of that story it offered a temporary blurring of fact and fiction but I guess we all thought that such a premise could not be developed to such an extent as to encompass a whole episode. Regretfully our doubts, in my opinion, have proved well founded as ?Love & Monsters? has to be the most disposable script of the entire second season run. Although engagingly enough related through a video diary type delivery by ?Doctor? devotee Elton Pope (whom I have to say is definitely played well by Marc Warren) I really didn?t feel overly interested and enthralled by the somewhat ?stalking? methods he and his fellow (perceived) ?loony? enthusiasts pursued during the story. We are told that apparently Elton himself has witnessed first hand certain elements that series viewers will be familiar with. Obviously stirring up fresh memories in the audience we see him in the shopping arcade as the Autons come alive (?Rose?), witnessing the spaceship crashing into Big Ben (?Aliens of London?) and waking up to look out of his bedroom window and see a spaceship looming large in the sky above his house (?The Christmas Invasion?) which is all well and good for regular viewers/fans of the show however positive aspects of ?Love & Monsters?, in my opinion are rather in short supply. Once again we are forced to endure/suffer more of writer Russell T Davies? turgid musical preferences, this time offering up the seriously uncool Electric Light Orchestra which cropped up at some truly cringe worthy moments. Obviously of more interest to younger viewers (as is I perceived the episode generally) I personally found the lumbering, green skinned Abzorbaloff to be a pretty pathetic, slightly vulgar creation made even worse by the, in my opinion, rather irksome broad northern comic Peter Kay whose leaden performance must surely rate as possibly the worst this year. It?s a shame really as this story started off so promisingly with the Doctor and Rose running around corridors throwing buckets over an effectively realised alien being in a rather rusty spaceship interior. It seems sad really that the promise of the type of high quality entertainment we have come to expect from this second season has clearly not been maintained. Now don?t get me wrong, I enjoy variations on the central series premise as much as the next person, something explored to great effect through the Big Finish audio releases (e.g. ?Live 34?, ?Bang-Bang-a-Boom? and ?The One Doctor?) and infact Doctor Who has always successfully embraced elements of comedy with the ?classic series? offering up entries like ?The Gunfighters? and ?The Romans? from the William Hartnell era as well as the light-hearty breezy and entirely silly nature of Sylvester McCoy?s endearing ?Delta and the Bannermen?. However in the final analysis this is, in my opinion, a rather nasty piece of self-indulgent, highly disappointing television which definitely feels very much like it is filling a gap in the latter part of the season when viewing figures are generally on the decline. Very much a wasted opportunity that will certainly not improve through repeated (god forbid!) viewing. :angry:

by **Sarah Tarrant** on Mon Jun 26, 2006 11:57 am

The Doctor and Rose arrive in suburban London at the time of the 2012 Olympics in ?Fear Her? in a story that certainly has the feel of something you would normally associate with ?The X-Files?. Having said that there is indeed nothing at all wrong with this eleventh entry in the 2006 Second Season of the newly incarnated series. Aside from a few deft special effects touches there is very little of note to significantly raise it above other entries featured elsewhere in this particular run of programs, although it was suitably engrossing making me (and quite possibly many other viewers) wonder just what power Chole Webber has and how our dynamic duo would be able to effectively combat it. For her age I have to say that some of her multicoloured pencil drawings were really quite good although I personally thought this was one child who clearly needed to spend more time out in the fresh air, making friends rather than just moping around in her room all day where all she seems to do is scribble away. The best parts for me were undoubtedly when Rose opens the garage door and a ball of pencil scribble rushes forth as well as the unexpected disappearance of the ginger cat (apparently notoriously difficult to film!) and the sequence with the Doctor and TARDIS when Chole draws them. Also worthy of a mention were the pencil impression of her father scribbled on the wardrobe wall and then, towards the end of the episode, the frantic drawing of the entire planet Earth on a large piece of bedroom wall. The ending resolution to ?Fear Her? was both satisfying and intriguing however the low key nature of the of this story will in sequential terms seem highly appropriate coming as it does before the epic ?Army of Ghosts'/?Doomsday? two-part season finale. <_<

by **Sarah Tarrant** on Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:55 am

Since the Doctor and Rose have been away from present day Earth we find, early on in twelfth episode ?Army of Ghosts?, that regular appearances of ?ghosts? somehow conveying aspects of dearly departed loved ones have become common place as observed when Jackie Tyler introduces the ethereal figure in her kitchen as Rose?s Grandad Prentice who?d died ten years previously. In a way this does, to many viewers, myself included, through Camille Coduri?s delicate manner of conveying the news to our duo, feel like a rather charming and nice occurrence though of course the Doctor and Rose are more sceptical, with good reason as we later find out. I appreciated the impassioned plea by Jackie later on for Rose to give up her eternal wandering following her witnessing just how connected her daughter was to travelling and working with the Doctor, a scene that I thought was well realised. Like ?Rise of the Cybermen? before it ?Army of Ghosts? very much takes the establishing the location and characters route however for me personally it did not feel as engaging as its episodic predecessor. We?ve had subtle inferences sprinkled through previous episodes of this revived Doctor Who series but ?Army of Ghosts?/?Doomsday? finally brings the ?Torchwood Institute? to the forefront of the action. Now although admittedly they look pretty stylish in their Canary Wharf high rise office complex headed by the self assured leader Yvonne (Tracy-Ann Oberman) but I personally remain unconvinced as to their appeal and remain sceptical as to the dramatic potential a spin-off series focusing on this organisation could offer. From what we see during ?Army of Ghosts? it appears that the entire terrible sequence of events played out over these two episodes is a direct result of their crass blundering through instigating the ghostly materialisations. This is excellently illustrated I feel by the Doctor who uses a shattered pane of glass to illustrate just what Torchwood have achieved through their actions. Aside from the tension permeating this episode I liked the comedic moments of the Doctor?s knockabout humour with Jackie when she impersonates Rose and the brief sequence where he jokingly impersonates a ?Ghostbuster? as typified by the characters in the highly successful 1984 feature film. The trivial use of email communication between office colleagues is undoubtedly fairly typical everyday fare nowerdays however it does lead very effectively to the first sighting of a Cyberman hidden amongst sheets of hanging plastic. The hanging sphere is an interesting and mysterious premise that works well but the first surprise is the sudden (and probably for most viewers welcome) reappearance of a more battle-hardened Mickey who has puzzlingly crossed back over into our reality. Now prior to its screening the ?media buzz? has been that both the Daleks and the Cybermen would feature in this two-part season two finale and it really isn?t giving too much away to say that this is entirely accurate although as with the ?Rise of the Cybermen? the main protagonists eventual emergence is by and large restricted towards the latter stages of proceedings. The parallel Earth linking premise from which the Cybermen are able to penetrate our reality is an interesting and dramatically satisfying one made all the more satisfying with the major reveals of both the Cybermen and hovering Daleks in the latter stages of this opening part. Although for the most part ?Army of Ghosts? is fairly tame fare it does significantly raise its excitement quotient heading to without question the best cliff-hanger on offer all season leaving viewers on the edge of their seats really having absolutely no idea how the good guys will manage to triumph against such a globally massive combined evil force.
B)

by **Sarah Tarrant** on Mon Jul 10, 2006 11:22 am

Picking up from where ?Army of Ghosts? left off and the season finale offers up one of the fans all-time greatest dreams ? Daleks and Cybermen in the same story! Now I kinda wondered how two mighty adversaries would be able to effectively share screen time and still allow the story to breath and develop. I needn?t of worried as initially the Daleks were restricted to the four that emerged from the sphere and this led to an interesting adversarial confrontation between the resilient Rose (strengthened by her ability to kill the Emperor Dalek with energy from the TARDIS back in the previous seasons ?The Parting of the Ways?) and the leading black Dalek. Although we have the delicious subsequent confrontational situation between the black Dalek (using the typical ?Exterminate? phrase) and three Cybermen (whose catchphrase is ?Delete!?), showing us whom has the greater firepower I was a little puzzled as I thought that, in crossing from the parallel universe together, these two species were allies. This standoff did conclude with victory for the Dalek however one could ?nitpick? and say that neither opponent is a true member of their race so you say it was not a true fight. The Cybermen were created by the Cybus Corporation and not derived from Mondas/Telos and the Daleks, we later learn from the Doctor, are an obscure offshoot. Early on in ?Doomsday? we are presented with another mystery, a Dalek shaped object which is referred to as a ?Genesis Arc?. This object which we are later told was constructed by the Time Lords, later floats in the sky above London and astonishingly opens up and delivers thousands upon thousands of Daleks from this prison capsule. A development no doubt gaining horrified fascination by viewers as the situation becomes worse for our heroes! In a sequence no doubt reminiscent of 1968?s ?The Invasion? we have a highly memorable scene of a group of Cybermen, aiming their arm mounted laser guns as they proceeded, crossing a bridge, encountering resistance from a platoon of highly armed regular Army soldiers. Truly an excellent sequence indicating the level of resistance that the Cyber forces were encountering down on the ground, replete with large-scale vehicular explosions. Now without giving too much away, during the breathtaking high-speed removal of the combined Dalek/Cybermen invasion force the emotionally dramatic fate of Rose Tyler is sensitively and powerfully played out in a measured well paced sequence of final scenes by both David Tennant and Billie Piper and although (thankfully) Rose does not actually die (although listed as having died) there is indeed a satisfactory sense of closure for Rose, Jackie, Mickey and? Pete with the Doctor returning back to travel on alone once more? for the time being! In the final analysis ?Doomsday? closed out this second season in epic invasion style with the tense excitement of alien battle tempered by the emotional resonance of the loss of the fate of Rose Tyler. Really you could not ask for a dramatically engaging and entertainingly exciting season finale which concludes an extremely strong first full year for the Tenth Doctor!
Cool

TV Gold

2006 Retrospective evaluation (from 'New Earth' to 'Doomsday

Who is online