wjbleming Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Yep, I agree. Also liked how it shows how the Time War affected others outside of the Time Lord's and Daleks. Continued to enjoy Chris' portrayal of how he's been affected by the Time War and the weight it has on him. Titbit of info is that they had to change a saying spoken by Dickens to "What in the Shakespeare is that?" as they couldn't use Dickens in it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natedammit Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 33 minutes ago, wjbleming said: Titbit of info is that they had to change a saying spoken by Dickens to "What in the Shakespeare is that?" as they couldn't use Dickens in it. Why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bumper8 Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 1 hour ago, natedammit said: Why not? I imagine it's just a pun by the writer. Can't see any other reason for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted January 24, 2019 Author Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) Aliens Of London/World War Three- In my opinion this is the first bad story of the revival era. TEOTW had some good aspects, but this story has very few good things about it. It is nice to see Jackie and Mickey again, and Penelope Wilton is good as Harriett Jones, who is a recurring character that I actually really like. Eccleston and Piper are still great, but other than the regulars, the vast majority of the acting in this isn't good at all. I don't like the Slitheen, I think their design is silly and their voices are irritating. A common criticism I have is bad humour, and this is one of the worst offenders. The farting jokes are not funny at all, and the dialogue is cringe-worthy at times. Seeing how Rose's disappearance affected her family is a nice touch. The cliff-hanger is actually pretty good as well. The plan that the Slitheen have is a unique one, planning to sell the Earth as a fuel. It helps to add a layer of uniqueness to them, as they aren't just another race looking for domination. The ending also seems rushed, and the Slitheen are defeated far too easily. Overall- 3/10. Edited January 24, 2019 by The Friendly Dalek 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilfMott Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 I agree with you on these episodes. Harriet Jones is definitely the standout element. She’s such a strong character who I was so pleased to see her return later on 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 This is probably the worst story of the Eccleston era. I enjoy the interaction between Rose, Jackie and Mickey but think that that Eccleston is out of his depth in this story. It really didn't suit his Doctor. The Slitheen feel just like a very bad version of the Zygons. I expect young children found them funny. They did work marginally better in the Sarah Jane Adventures. One to forget 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted January 24, 2019 Author Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) 5 minutes ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said: This is probably the worst story of the Eccleston era. I enjoy the interaction between Rose, Jackie and Mickey but think that that Eccleston is out of his depth in this story. It really didn't suit his Doctor. The Slitheen feel just like a very bad version of the Zygons. I expect young children found them funny. They did work marginally better in the Sarah Jane Adventures. One to forget I am about to drop a bombshell- I've never seen The Sarah Jane Adventures. I think I may have seen one or two episodes over the years but that's it. I know, I'm a fake fan. I've seen all of Doctor Who, Torchwood and Class, but I've just never really felt like watching SJA. I agree with everything you said about this episode though. Edited January 24, 2019 by The Friendly Dalek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) 11 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said: I am about to drop a bombshell- I've never seen The Sarah Jane Adventures. I think I may have seen one or two episodes over the years but that's it. I know, I'm a fake fan. I've seen all of Doctor Who, Torchwood and Class, but I've just never really felt like watching SJA. I agree with everything you said about this episode though. I'm probably a bit too old for SJA but as Sarah Jane was my first companion I watched it and actually enjoyed it Mind you I must be a fake fan also. I have never seen any of the first 3 Doctors! But I did watch K9 and Company so maybe I redeem myself. Edited January 24, 2019 by Peter Capaldi Fan Typo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted January 24, 2019 Author Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said: I'm probably a bit too old for SJA but as Sarah Jane was my first companion I watched it and actually enjoyed it Mind you I must be a fake fan also. I have never seen any of the first 3 Doctors! But I did watch K9 and Friends so maybe I redeem myself. K9 and Friends? Is that the show with the weird cgi K9 or am I thinking of something else? I may try to give SJA a watch at some point but at the moment I've got other things I want to watch instead. Edited January 24, 2019 by The Friendly Dalek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 2 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said: K9 and Friends? Is that the show with the weird cgi K9 or am I thinking of something else? I may try to give SJA a watch at some point but at the moment I've got other things I want to watch instead. Mis-remembered the name. It was K9 and Company. It was a one off episode in the early eighties. Supposed to be a series but never got made. Don't know if you'd be able to find it now. If you ever get the chance try SJA. It was very much like the Tennant era. Unfortunately it ended half way through the 5th season after the death of Elisabeth Sladen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted January 24, 2019 Author Share Posted January 24, 2019 1 minute ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said: Mis-remembered the name. It was K9 and Company. It was a one off episode in the early eighties. Supposed to be a series but never got made. Don't know if you'd be able to find it now. If you ever get the chance try SJA. It was very much like the Tennant era. Unfortunately it ended half way through the 5th season after the death of Elisabeth Sladen Oh yes K9 And Company. I have a dvd of that (it came in the K9 tales dvd box set if you're interested). I'm glad it didn't develop into a full series to be honest because I didn't like it at all. I'll be sure to give SJA a watch at some point, but that is a shame that they couldn't finish the 5th season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 3 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said: Oh yes K9 And Company. I have a dvd of that (it came in the K9 tales dvd box set if you're interested). I'm glad it didn't develop into a full series to be honest because I didn't like it at all. No it wasn't very good. Probably why they never made any more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjbleming Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Yeah, this wasn't the best story. The fart jokes were just too much really. If it was a handful of,times, 3 or 4 across the entire story it'd be different but it just seemed to be constant. The Sliteen costumes seemed to be too cumbersome as well and the cg wasn't the best in it. Agreed with 3/10, 4, 4.5 at a push. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natedammit Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Fart jokes are always funny. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted January 25, 2019 Author Share Posted January 25, 2019 (edited) Dalek- This is one of my favourite Doctor Who stories. I adore it. Christopher Eccleston is on top form here. He is magnificent. The acting is good from everyone, the only possible exception being Bruno Langley. In this episode I think he is ok, just some of his delivery feels forced to me (unfortunately he is much worse in the next episode). Corey Johnson is great as Henry Van Statten, who is a suitably nasty character for an episode like this one. This is a dark story, and the tone matches that. When compared to the silliness of the previous story this is incredibly dark and violent. There is a body count deserving of the main villain- a Dalek. There are two main reasons why I always come back to this story- Eccleston and the Dalek. This Dalek is perfect. It looks awesome, and acts like a Dalek should. It is a ruthless, unstoppable killing machine. It was a genius move to reintroduce the Daleks by giving us a story that only features one. It proves just how serious of a threat the Daleks are, because just one can cause lots of death and destruction. Nicholas Briggs also sounds amazing as the voice of the Dalek. Unlike in future stories, when The Doctor says that this one Dalek is capable of destroying all life on Earth by itself, you believe him, because we clearly see how dangerous this one is. I also really like that we see how clever this one is as well, such as when it activated the water sprinkler system and then electrocutes a large number of people. This story also does a lot for the character of The Doctor. The first interaction with the Dalek that he has tells us so much about the Time War and how it has affected both the Dalek and The Doctor. I love the way that The Doctor attacks the Dalek when he first sees it, because it shows a side to the character which we don't often see, and it makes perfect sense that seeing a Dalek is what it took to send him over the edge. I will admit that the ending is the weakest part. It becomes a bit too sentimental for my taste, such as the line "It just wants to see the sun." Although Rose's dialogue at that point isn't great, the actions of the Dalek make up for it. The fact that it would rather kill itself than change is exactly what a Dalek would do, and it is done excellently. However, although I'm not the biggest fan of the ending, I don't think it is awful, so no points will be taken off for that. Overall- 10/10. Edited January 25, 2019 by The Friendly Dalek 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjbleming Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 20 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said: This story also does a lot for the character of The Doctor. The first interaction with the Dalek that he has tells us so much about the Time War and how it has affected both the Dalek and The Doctor. I love the way that The Doctor attacks the Dalek when he first sees it, because it shows a side to the character which we don't often see, and it makes perfect sense that seeing a Dalek is what it took to send him over the edge. This is the best moment of the episode for me. The sheer terror The Doctor feels when he realises what the Metaltron is and his realisation it can't do anything. It shows any newcomers just how truly terrifying the Daleks are to come across. Bruno is pretty "meh" as a companion and is forgettable, which is kind of understandable as he isn't there for long, but even when he's there, he doesn't make much of an impact. Biggest flaw for me, for use of a better word, which is going to sound stupid, is the moment Stanton is looking into the Dalek's eye stalk and calls it for what it is with a very distorted large mouth, it just looks silly and weird. Thinking back on it, I do kinda agree about the ending as it goes against everything the Dalek is, but this one is mutated, so there's kind of an explanation there. Fantastic episode nonetheless, pardon the pun. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted January 26, 2019 Author Share Posted January 26, 2019 The Long Game- This episode is really, really boring in my opinion. The strange thing is, it isn't necessarily bad. I just find it dull. The supporting cast are ok, but no one really stands out except for one actor- Simon Pegg. Pegg is very entertaining to watch, and is one of the best things about this episode. The main villain, The Jagrafess, looks interesting but there isn't very much to it character wise. The satirical idea of the media controlling the people isn't anything new (Vengeance On Varos contains similar ideas) but it still makes for an interesting topic for a story. The dialogue isn't great, and the sets aren't that visually interesting. Bruno Langley was bearable in Dalek, but unfortunately his performance isn't good at all in this episode (but to be fair the dialogue he was given was also poor). However, I do like how his actions affect The Doctor, showing how The Doctor reacts to people acting behind his back etc. I don't really have anything else to say about this one. I like the impact this story has on later episodes this season (mainly the finale) but by itself it is rather bland. Overall- 4/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bumper8 Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 More of a 7/10 in my opinion. Simon Pegg's in it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bumper8 Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 As an aside, caught part of an interview with Tom Baker on Graham Norton Radio 2 show this morning-worth a listen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted January 26, 2019 Author Share Posted January 26, 2019 Just now, Bumper8 said: As an aside, caught part of an interview with Tom Baker on Graham Norton Radio 2 show this morning-worth a listen. I'll see if I can find it online anywhere and if I can I'll give it a listen at some point. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 The Long Game - 5/10. Very middle of the road episode. This is a classic example of what Doctor Who does so well - has an idea then fails to develop it fully. OK nothing really new here. However take Adam's story. The temptation to take information from the future would be overwhelming. You can see why The Doctor reacts how he does. But wouldn't this have worked so much better with an established companion that we actually cared about? Definitely one of the weaker episodes of the Eccleston era. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 9 hours ago, Bumper8 said: As an aside, caught part of an interview with Tom Baker on Graham Norton Radio 2 show this morning-worth a listen. 9 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said: I'll see if I can find it online anywhere and if I can I'll give it a listen at some point. There is a podcast available online. Definitely worth a listen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjbleming Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Yeah, there's not much happening with The Long Game, which is a shame seeing as Simon Pegg (as well as Black Lightning actress Christine Adams). It's still a decent episode though for me. 6/10. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted January 27, 2019 Author Share Posted January 27, 2019 (edited) Father's Day- This episode is one of the best of modern Who in my opinion. I think it is almost perfect. This story is driven by the characters, and it is great because of it. This episode features what is quite possibly Billie Piper's best performance in Doctor Who. The emotional performances and dialogue set this story apart from others. There isn't a bad performance in this episode, everyone is great. Shaun Dingwall is excellent as Pete Tyler. The story itself is simple and effective. I also like how this story is the first of the modern era to feature the ideas of time paradoxes, and the way that they are explained and utilised in this episode is very good. Christopher Eccleston is once again brilliant as The Doctor, and although he takes more of a back seat in this one to Billie Piper he is still great in the scenes that has. (Spoiler warning if you haven't seen this episode) I also like the fact that The Doctor was killed in this episode. It adds to the stakes and makes the threat seem greater, since not even The Doctor could escape. The only negative I have with this story is the Reapers. I'm not a fan of their design, and they seem kind of useless in the greater narrative of the show. They are supposed to appear when there are anomalies or time paradoxes, and yet they have never appeared in the show before or since this this episode, so why have they never been present at other paradoxical events which the show features? I think this episode might have been better if the Reapers weren't in it. I get that the story needed a threat, but I think that the story could have taken a similar approach as Mawdryn Undead did by saying that the time paradox will destroy the universe (The stakes can't exactly get any higher than that ). If that approach was taken, the weak villains could have been removed from the story and it would have allowed for more time to be dedicated to character development. Overall- 9/10 Edited January 27, 2019 by The Friendly Dalek 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjbleming Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Yep, Fathers Day does what I think everyone would want to do at some point in their life: Speak to a loved on who's passed away again or who they never or barely knew. It's something we've probably all thought about at some point. It's a great episode that shows the impact of what can happen if the circumstances are changed, the whole "Everything happens for a reason." The reapers, I agree, could've been explored more in future episodes, or at the very least referenced or referred as they're more than an "Episode of the Week" monster, like the Weeping Angels have been used. (And that's been discussed outside of here if they've been overused or not) and the performances are well rounded. The chemistry between Billie and Shaun when he realises who she is is great. Agree with the 9/10 rating. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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