My huge Doctor Who episode marathon.

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks - There is little to like about this story except Tennant and Agyeman.

The support cast are under utilised. The writing is weak. And don't get me started on the Pig Men.

Probably the worst Dalek episode so far.

Overall - 2/10

 

The Lazarus Experiment - I actually quite enjoy this in a 1950's sci-fi horror type of way.

The plot is very predictable - mad scientist whose experiment goes wrong. Gatiss is the only support cast to have any decent material to work with, the rest are ok.

I like the growing relationship between The Doctor and Martha. The Lazarus monster does look a bit meh.

Overall 5/10

[The Friendly Dalek]

42- Chris Chibnall gave us a decent story here. It's not great, but it is enjoyable enough.

The writing is ok, and the story itself is alright. The characters are highly forgettable, and none of them are interesting. David Tennant and Freema Agyeman are good.

The pacing is alright, but it is boring at points. The visuals are surprisingly good as well. I just find this episode really forgettable and pretty bland.

Overall- 6/10.

Edited February 22, 2019 by The Friendly Dalek

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

42 - The first of a few reasons why I was not exactly thrilled when Chris Chibnall was announced as the new show runner.

Tennant and Agyeman are excellent as always. The production is actually pretty good.

The writing is ok. I like the story. There is a good ensemble of supporting actors. It's enjoyable enough on first viewing. This could of been one of the better episodes of series 3 but when you put the whole lot together it is as you say rather bland and forgettable.

Overall. 5/10

[The Friendly Dalek]

9 hours ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

42 - The first of a few reasons why I was not exactly thrilled when Chris Chibnall was announced as the new show runner.

Tennant and Agyeman are excellent as always. The production is actually pretty good.

The writing is ok. I like the story. There is a good ensemble of supporting actors. It's enjoyable enough on first viewing. This could of been one of the better episodes of series 3 but when you put the whole lot together it is as you say rather bland and forgettable.

Overall. 5/10

If this was the only story Chris had done before he was announced as showrunner I would have been interested, because there are elements to this story that I like. It's after watching his other two stories that he wrote during the Smith era that I then realised that he may not have been the best choice for showrunner.

[The Friendly Dalek]

Human Nature/The Family Of Blood- This is another favourite of mine. This is as close to faultless Who as you can get. 

Paul Cornell is an excellent writer, and the characters in this two-parter are fully fleshed out and likeable. The entire cast is wonderful. Freema Agyeman really gets to shine here, and the character of Martha gets some great development. Jessica Hynes is brilliant, and this might be David Tennant's best story in terms of his performance in my opinion. He is excellent as both The Doctor and John Smith, especially during the second episode. 

The plot is very interesting and very unique. The idea of The Doctor becoming human for a time is an interesting concept to explore, and it is done so well here. The Chameleon Arch is an interesting piece of Time Lord technology, and I love how it is also used in a major way later in this Series. The Family Of Blood are great villains, and the performances from all four members of the family are suitably creepy,  which makes them great to watch.  The way that this story ends is perfect, and the way in which The Doctor deals with The Family makes for one of the darkest moments in the show's history, so of course I love it. 

Overall- 10/10.

I can not fault this story at all. Everything is perfect. The pacing, the visuals, the costume design, the acting, all perfect. 

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

Human Nature/The Family of Blood - I completely agree with your review. This is one of my personal favourites. Certainly the episodes I have re-watched the most.

The production, design and direction are all brilliant. There is a great ensemble support cast. All the characters have substance and are well written. The acting from all is good. Special mention to Jessica Hynes who puts in a wonderful performance.

Agyeman is fantastic and I agree Martha gets some great character development here.

Amongst so many skillful actors I think Tennant owns this story. This is probably his best performance throughout his tenure. The difference between schoolmaster and Time Lord is remarkable. You can really believe they are two different people.

The Family of Blood are excellent. Just goes to show you don't need fancy effects or make-up!

The fob watch - again something simple having so much significance later in the series (spoilers).

So onto the actual story which is perfect and very well written.

There is some humour with Tennant as the schoolmaster.

There is threat- the cliffhanger is simple but effective. The Family of Blood are suitably creapy.

There is romance which I don't mind in this story. I love the scene when The Doctor shows Joan the life they could have had. Or is he showing us the life he can never have as a Time Lord? This scene is short but never fails to move me.

There is darkness when The Doctor deals with The Family of Blood. This is actually quite sinister. But The Doctor also demonstrates compassion when it's revealed he hid his identity to protect the aliens rather than himself.

The ending is sublime and perfectly rounds off the whole story.

 

Overall 10/10.

Sorry my review is so long. Just shows how much I love this one. Dr Who at its best is easily as good as any other drama you see on TV 

[The Friendly Dalek]

46 minutes ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

There is romance which I don't mind in this story. I love the scene when The Doctor shows Joan the life they could have had. Or is he showing us the life he can never have as a Time Lord? This scene is short but never fails to move me.

I completely forgot to mention that, but I agree. The relationship between Joan and John is fantastically written and performed, and that sequence that you mentioned is an incredible scene. 

[The Friendly Dalek]

Blink- Another absolutely incredible story. If I'm honest I slightly prefer the Human Nature two-parter, but that doesn't mean that this story isn't one of the best the show has ever produced. It is perfect.

Steven Moffat further proves his excellence as a writer, and this is one of his best by a long way. I'd say Moffat's best Doctor Who story is the Empty Child two-parter in Series One, but Blink is certainly among his best. 

This makes a far better use of the Doctor-lite story template than Love And Mosnters, and the new characters in this story are brilliant. Carey Mulligan is sublime, and there isn't a single weak link in the cast. Everyone is great. Hettie McDonald directed this episode flawlessly.

The set design is gorgeous, especially the Wester Drumlins house. The plot is simple but very effective, and at times emotional.

The Weeping Angels are terrifying in this story, although I think they would be more effective if this was the only time we saw them. Personally, I think that, the more we see the Angels, the less effective they become. This is especially evident during their brief appearance in The Time Of The Doctor. They aren't anyway near as creepy there as they are in this story. I also love the cliffhanger style ending which shows a montage if statues, raising the question of whether the Weeping Angels could appear anywhere and at anytime. This ending is chilling, but I feel it's impact is reduced by later stories. The main one that comes to mind is the ridiculous giant angel in The Angels Take Manhattan. When judging the Angels in this story alone they are perfectly utilised, I just think other stories remove some of their effectiveness. 

Overall- 10/10.

Edited February 24, 2019 by The Friendly Dalek

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

Blink - A fantastic episode that nearly didn't happen. Moffat was originally supposed to write the Daleks two partner Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks but had to pull out. As he was only contracted to write one story in series 3 he agreed to pen this doctor-lite episode instead. And ended up writing one of the classics.

I love this episode. The production is great. It works very well without much of Tennant and Agyeman. Carey Mulligan is excellent.

I agree though. Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. The Weeping Angels would have been far more effective if this was there only appearance. One of the best Modern Who alien creations.

Overall 10/10

[natedammit]

On 2/24/2019 at 9:54 AM, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

Dr Who at its best is easily as good as any other drama you see on TV 

Except Neighbours.

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

2 hours ago, natedammit said:

Except Neighbours.

Nooooooo!

But Home and Away

[natedammit]

31 minutes ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

Nooooooo!

But Home and Away

You take that back RIGHT NOW.

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

4 hours ago, natedammit said:

You take that back RIGHT NOW.

Shan't!

Closer each day , Home and Away

[natedammit]

18 hours ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

Shan't!

Closer each day , Home and Away

Neighbours made me cry. H&A just makes me yawn. That's when good neighbours become good friends.

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

1 hour ago, natedammit said:

Neighbours made me cry. H&A just makes me yawn. That's when good neighbours become good friends.

Sorry Dalek. The bear and I have managed to turn your Doctor Who thread into an Australian soap thread. We'll agree to disagree and move on.

[natedammit]

4 hours ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

Sorry Dalek. The bear and I have managed to turn your Doctor Who thread into an Australian soap thread. We'll agree to disagree and move on.

I don't agree to that.

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

17 minutes ago, natedammit said:

I don't agree to that.

Peace offering.

That's when good neighbours become good friends.

[The Friendly Dalek]

Well this is the most active this thread has been in ages, so I don't mind. 

[wjbleming]

Ok, some catching up to do, goes back a while! I'll keep these short and sweet (Just like our dear bear)

Army of Ghosts/Doomsday: Really good! And a sad ending for Rose. Glad both her, Mickey and her mum are safe in the parallel universe (for now) 8/10

The Runaway Bride: agreed, not the best start for Donna, she isn't given the best lines and doesn't comes across as the best character (but will improve) 5/10 Would've had a point extra if it wasn't for Donna's portrayal in this episode.

Smith and Jones: Standard story. Liked the introduction of the Judoon and Freema works well with David. 6/10

The Shakespeare Code: Nothing to add about this one, it was decent, one of the more forgettable stories. 5/10

Gridlock: Enjoyed this episode, with bonus points for Father McGuire appearing. CG doesn't looks the best for the Macra though, although it was roughly 2007 when it was made so I'm grand with that. 9/10

Daleks in Manhatten/Evolution of the Daleks: Eh, not the best. The pig slaves didn't make much sense, but as said, was good to see Andrew Garfield in the episodes and Tennant and Agyeman did great. 4.5/10

The Lazarus Experiment: Lord above, the CGI was terrible! The idea is good, a rejuvenation chamber akin to the fountain of youth, but the story didn't work to its best. 4/10

42: Another decent episode. It's another forgettable episode, though which drags its score down a bit as well. Agreed on the 6/10 score.

Human Nature/The Family of Blood? Fantastic double episode! Harry Lloyd's portrayal of Baines is fantastic! 10/10

Blink: What else needs to be said? The Angels are a fantastic psychological foe. Sally was great as a character, and the episode just felt great! Probably my favourite episode of New Who! 10/10

[The Friendly Dalek]

Utopia-  I think that, when viewed as a stand alone story,  there isn't anything remarkable in this episode. It isn't bad, it is perfectly fine. It is really the last 10/15 minutes which make this episode great. 

David Tennant and Freema Agyeman are at their peak here, and John Barrowman is amazing. The supporting cast are good, and the story is decent. Chipo Chung's performance as Chantho is also very good. The pacing is a bit off, especially during the first half. The Futurekind also aren't very interesting villains in my opinion. The set design is great, and so are the visual effects. 

Derek Jacobi makes this episode. He is of course excellent as Yana. However, his performance reaches whole new heights when he is revealed to be The Master. Although his time as The Master on screen was unfortunately very short, he absolutely crushes it in the role (I've heard he is also amazing in the Big Finish audios but I have yet to get any that he is in). I really like how the return of The Master is handled, and re-using the Chameleon Arch was a wonderful idea. The scenes which show The Doctor realising who Yana really is, and then his brief interactions with The Master, are absolute perfection. The regeneration scene is great (fun fact- this is the only time we have seen The Master regenerate on screen). John Simm is actually really good in his introductory scene in this episode, although I have some issues with his performance over the next two episodes. However, when looking at this episode by itself, Simm is great.

Overall- 7/10.

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

Utopia - Performances are great. But on the whole this is an introduction to the finale.

Back then they used to be able to keep the plot in Doctor Who secret. I was certainly surprised by the ending and it made it much more memorable. I love the scene when Jacobi becomes The Master. The little throwback to the past especially the Ainley laugh is fun.

Overall 6/10 episode saved by the last 15 minutes

[The Friendly Dalek]

49 minutes ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

Utopia - Performances are great. But on the whole this is an introduction to the finale.

Back then they used to be able to keep the plot in Doctor Who secret. I was certainly surprised by the ending and it made it much more memorable. I love the scene when Jacobi becomes The Master. The little throwback to the past especially the Ainley laugh is fun.

Overall 6/10 episode saved by the last 15 minutes

I agree with all of that. I think that it is a decent introduction to the finale, but that isn't an excuse for giving us a average first episode. If it wasn't for that cliffhanger I doubt it would be as highly regarded as it currently is, because the ending really does make it the episode.

Edited February 27, 2019 by The Friendly Dalek

[The Friendly Dalek]

This has been a busy week, and I'm afraid I've had to miss another day of Who watching. With luck I should be able to watch the other two parts of the Series 3 finale tomorrow.

[wjbleming]

Utopia: A decent episode, all the roles done well, but the end of it is what makes it better. Finding out about who Derek Jacobi really is and the sudden change in his acting shows how great he is and John Simm shows how good he is in the few minutes we see him. 6.5/10

[The Friendly Dalek]

The Sound Of Drums/Last Of The Time Lords- Firstly, I want to talk about The Master. John Simm gives an excellent performance, but I do have some issues with the characterisation of this version of The Master. I like The Master to have a hard edge to them, but still have that somewhat playful side to them. Delgado and Ainley had that perfect mix, whereas Simm, Gomez and Roberts went too far in the silliness. Now this is not an issue with their performances, I think they are both excellent, it's just not how I would write the character. I think The Master can go to the extreme in being dark, such as Geoffrey Beever's version, and still work, but I think that going extreme in terms of their strangeness and insanity doesn't really fit with how I personally view the character. I definitely think that Simm's portrayal of the character in the Series 10 finale is far stronger than here, but that is mainly down to the writing rather than his performance. 

I think the story here is great, but the execution really lets it down. In my opinion this is RTD's weakest series finale by a long way, which is a shame because there are many good things about this story. The leads are amazing, Tennant, Agyeman and Barrowman are at their best here. The acting is really good all around actually, but the writing unfortunately doesn't do justice to many of the characters.

The Doctor is wasted in the second episode, I think it was a very bad idea to age him like that. However, it does allow for some excellent development for Martha. What she does in this story is probably one of the greatest acts of determination we have ever seen a companion perform, which adds to my respect for the character immensely. I think the pacing is very poor in the second part. I'm not a fan of The Toclafane either. I also think that the ending is ridiculous, regarding how The Doctor is saved and how The Master is defeated. The best scene in that episode is by far the scene in which The Doctor tries to convince The Master to regenerate, I love that scene, and Simm and Tennant's acting is sublime. 

Overall- 6/10.

Overall rating for Series 3- 7/10.

This is a good Series, and is a lot better than the previous one. Tennant really shines throughout the majority of this series, and I think that Martha is a far better companion than Rose. In terms of the series arc, I definitely think that the Saxon arc is much more interesting than the Torchwood arc from series 2. This series is also much more consistent in terms of quality, and I don't hate any episode in this series. The worst episodes are just bad, but no where near the levels of awful that some series in series 2 achieved. When this series reaches its peak, it gives us some of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time.