Peter Capaldi Fan Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 The Sound of Drums/Last of The Timelords - I agree with you regarding the characterisation of The Master. John Simm does an excellent job - as The Master is one of my favourite characters on the whole he didn't disappoint. There is a good mix of darkness and flamboyancy. However on occasion it did get a bit silly. More the writing than the performance. It's certainly not as bad as the next outing but not as good as Series 10 (spoilers). Martha really comes into her own as a companion here and I'm glad she was utilised in Series 4 and this was not the end of her character. Tennant and Simm work well together and really capture the complex relationship between The Doctor and The Master. I enjoy their interactions especially when The Master refuses to regenerate. I would rather they had aged The Doctor in the Matt Smith way rather than this odd creature in a cage. That just didn't work for me. The Toclafane are not a good villain but I guess they didn't really need to be as they serve merely as a plot device for The Master. It may not have worked if the side villains had been more memorable. Overall 8/10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Having seen what you were wearing in Chris' entry queue photo I realised belatedly that you and I were 3 rows apart waiting for the Tom Baker photo. Sorry didn't get a chance to say hi. Hope you had a good time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted March 3, 2019 Author Share Posted March 3, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said: Having seen what you were wearing in Chris' entry queue photo I realised belatedly that you and I were 3 rows apart waiting for the Tom Baker photo. Sorry didn't get a chance to say hi. Hope you had a good time. Oh man, that's a shame, perhaps we will see each other at another event in the future instead. And I had an excellent day at the event, thank you for asking. How was your day? Edited March 3, 2019 by The Friendly Dalek 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 43 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said: Oh man, that's a shame, perhaps we will see each other at another event in the future instead. And I had an excellent day at the event, thank you for asking. How was your day? I had a great day. Got the autographs I wanted. And met John Simm who is one of my favourite actors. He was really nice and chatty. If I see you at another event I will definitely stop for a chat. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted March 3, 2019 Author Share Posted March 3, 2019 7 minutes ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said: I had a great day. Got the autographs I wanted. And met John Simm who is one of my favourite actors. He was really nice and chatty. If I see you at another event I will definitely stop for a chat. I hope Simm will be back for for another event so I can meet him, good to hear he was great to meet. If we are at the same event again in the future then we need to try and meet that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 9 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said: I hope Simm will be back for for another event so I can meet him, good to hear he was great to meet. If we are at the same event again in the future then we need to try and meet that time. If you could try not to stand near anyone who looks like you. I nearly approached someone very similar who was also in the Tom Baker queue. Boy would they have thought I was a weirdo calling them The Friendly Daleks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted March 3, 2019 Author Share Posted March 3, 2019 (edited) 33 minutes ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said: If you could try not to stand near anyone who looks like you. I nearly approached someone very similar who was also in the Tom Baker queue. Boy would they have thought I was a weirdo calling them The Friendly Daleks. I have dopplegangers... You'll never find the real one. Joking aside, if we are in the same shoots in future I'll look around and see if anyone looks similar to me again, if so I'll come to you to make it easier, if I find out what you look like before the day of the event so I know who I'm looking for. Edited March 3, 2019 by The Friendly Dalek 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 1 hour ago, The Friendly Dalek said: I have dopplegangers... You'll never find the real one. Joking aside, if we are in the same shoots in future I'll look around and see if anyone looks similar to me again, if so I'll come to you to make it easier, if I find out what you look like before the day of the event so I know who I'm looking for. To know what I look like will mean me working out how to post photos on this forum. Until that day happens I shall remain an enigma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted March 4, 2019 Author Share Posted March 4, 2019 Yeah, I've missed another day in this marathon. The excuse this time is that I went to a 40th anniversary screening of Alien instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjbleming Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 8 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said: Yeah, I've missed another day in this marathon. The excuse this time is that I went to a 40th anniversary screening of Alien instead. You're full of excuses, aren't you? lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted March 5, 2019 Author Share Posted March 5, 2019 Voyage Of The Damned- This is another perfectly fine Christmas special. However, there really isn't very much depth to it, which is why it is just fine. The story is very basic, and that works just fine for an episode like this. It doesn't need to be complex, since it's just a fun special, but that does mean that it isn't very interesting upon rewatch. The acting is generally good, and it was very nice to see Bernard Cribbins in an episode for the first time after I have met him. The character who I have the most issues with is Capricorn, played by George Costigan. He gives an incredibly over the top performance which just doesn't click with me personally. I found the character to be highly irritating and was rubbish as a villain. I was also disappointed by Kylie Minogue. Her performance is fine, but rather forgettable, and that's the issue. How can Kylie Minogue be made forgettable? Unfortunately I think that's what happens, as Astrid just isn't a character who sticks in my mind. Her character's death scene was very well done though. In terms of the visuals, this episode is great. It all looks fantastic, and the interiors of the Titanic are gorgeous. The Host are frightening at times, but they also end up in the category of wasted robots, alongside the clockwork robots from The Girl In The Fireplace and so on. The pacing is good though, and the episode is never boring. The majority of the characters are fine so I actually cared about them, so when they inevitably die the impacts usually land. David Tennant is marvellous in this episode, and his speech is one of his greatest moments in the role of The Doctor. To sum it up, I think this episode is fine, but nothing special. There are some things I don't like, and some I do. It's one I most likely will not watch again unless I do a modern Who marathon in the future, because there's nothing to it which makes me want to watch it. Overall- 6/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Voyage of the Damned - Completely agree with your review. A pleasant enough Christmas episode when you're stuffed full of turkey with all the trimmings. Other than that it's not one I would choose to watch again. And why get a big name like Kylie Minogue if you're not giving her a memorable role. Although her ending was very good. 5/10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natedammit Posted March 6, 2019 Share Posted March 6, 2019 17 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said: How can Kylie Minogue be made forgettable? Because she's a terrible actress? Not to mention a terrible singer. She's also a terrible person - she didn't even go back for the Neighbours 30th anniversary celebrations, the jerk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted March 6, 2019 Author Share Posted March 6, 2019 (edited) Partners In Crime- As far as series opening episodes go, this is definitely one of RTD's stronger stories. It isn't any where near perfect, but it is a masterpiece compared to New Earth, and is a lot more enjoyable than Smith And Jones. David Tennant is sublime, and I think that series 4 is his best by a country mile, there isn't a single episode in this series in which he gives a poor performance. I am also very pleased that I can say the same about Catherine Tate. Her acting is very good, and her comedic timing has improved greatly from her appearance in The Runaway Bride. The writing for her character has also improved, and Donna quickly manages to become one of my favourite companions. Bernard Cribbins and Jacqueline King are also excellent. The leads are great, and there are some great moments of comedy to be found throughout. The supporting characters let it down a bit, especially the villains. Sarah Lancashire gives a forgettable performance as Ms. Foster, and the writing really doesn't do her any favours. The Adipose are rubbish monsters. The pacing of the episode is good, and the special effects are surprisingly good. Overall- 8/10. I don't really have many other thoughts about this episode. It is a very fun story with some great performances and comedy that almost always lands. Edited March 6, 2019 by The Friendly Dalek 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 Partners in Crime - Nothing really to add as I completely agree with your review (I'm sure we'll disagree somewhere with Modern Who)! I love Catherine Tate as a companion. Definitely a vast improvement from her first outing. Tennant is excellent. Good story with a mostly strong support cast. The Adipose are rubbish. Wouldn't have looked out of place in Series 11. By far the best opening episode during the Tennant era. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted March 7, 2019 Author Share Posted March 7, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said: Partners in Crime - Nothing really to add as I completely agree with your review (I'm sure we'll disagree somewhere with Modern Who)! I love Catherine Tate as a companion. Definitely a vast improvement from her first outing. Tennant is excellent. Good story with a mostly strong support cast. The Adipose are rubbish. Wouldn't have looked out of place in Series 11. By far the best opening episode during the Tennant era. I think this one is on par with Rose as the best series opener of the RTD era, but as far as just Tennant's go this is easily the best. I find it quite surprising how similar our thoughts are on most of these. Perhaps when we reach Moffat's era we might see more differences in opinions. Edited March 7, 2019 by The Friendly Dalek 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted March 7, 2019 Author Share Posted March 7, 2019 The Fires Of Pompeii- I've been looking forward to this one, because I really love it. This is so, so close to being a 10/10, but it just missed out due to a couple of small issues. The Doctor and Donna are easily my favourite team in the modern era. The chemistry between Tennant and Tate is instantly brilliant. The interaction and dialogue exchanges between the two are well acted, well written and at times hilarious. The supporting cast are good for the most part, and Peter Capaldi is wonderful. The set and costume design is great, and the pacing is very good. I love just about everything to do with this story. My only real issues are the villains. The Pyroviles look excellent, but I'm not too keen on their story or motives. I love when Doctor Who gets dark, and this episode features another very dark moment for the 10th Doctor. The moral discussions regarding whether or not The Doctor can save anyone due to the volcano's eruption being a fixed point in time leads to some great drama, and Tate gets a chance to show off some of her dramatic range. Overall- 9/10. My only issue with this episode is the weak villains. Other than that is an exceptional story. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted March 8, 2019 Share Posted March 8, 2019 The Fires of Pompeii - Overall I really love this story. It still remains one of my favourites but I do have one issue which I shall mention later. The support cast are excellent. I feel that Tate really comes into her own as a companion. I much prefer a Companion / Doctor relationship where they love each other but are not in love. Tennant is again excellent. He does the darker side of the doctor brilliantly. The moral dilemma is well played. Tate puts in such an excellent performance you can feel Donna's pain at not being able to save everyone against the Doctor not being able to change a fixed point in time. My only issue to prevent a 10 - and it is a small one. For me personally this episode has not stood the test of time on re-watch. Since he became The Doctor I actually find it distracting to have Capaldi in this (even though he does an excellent job). It's like a time paradox! Overall 9.5/10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted March 9, 2019 Author Share Posted March 9, 2019 I've really been slacking recently on this marathon. Too many things have been getting on the way, but I should be free to continue tomorrow though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 I don't know! The very idea that there are other things to do instead of watching Doctor Who 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted March 10, 2019 Author Share Posted March 10, 2019 Planet Of The Ood- This is an episode which has many excellent ideas, but whilst there is a lot to love, there are also some problems in my opinion. David Tennant and Catherine Tate are once again brilliant, especially Tate. I always think that she is better at drama than many give her credit for, and this episode is a worthy example of her dramatic acting. This is a much more dramatic episode than I remembered, and the story surrounding the Ood and their treatment is heart-breaking at times. I am so happy that the Ood were the species which the showrunners decided to flesh out, because I loved them in The Impossible Planet, and they were clearly set up in that story to have a major story surrounding them, so it's great to see that finally be explored, and in an emotionally satisfying way. Whilst the exploration of the Ood as a species is excellently done, I didn't think the human characters were fleshed out at all, and as such I didn't really care about any of them or what they were doing. Tim McInnerny is very over the top as Halpen, and I didn't like him as the villain. Also, I thought the whole thing with the Ood brain was a silly idea to begin with, and the execution didn't help it seem any less ridiculous. The visuals are excellent, and I still love the design of the Ood. The pacing isn't that great though, and I admit I think it dragged a little when the Ood were not on screen, because as I said earlier I didn't like any of the human characters. Overall- 7/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted March 11, 2019 Share Posted March 11, 2019 Planet of the Ood - Going to admit I'm not a great fan of this one mainly due to it's execution. Tate is excellent again. I agree she has a better dramatic range than she gets credit for. The Ood are a brilliant concept. I like the design and the idea. Other than that the story comes across as a bit mediocre to me. Possibly one of the weakest of series 4 (which does not make it very bad given the overall quality of the series) Overall 5/10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Friendly Dalek Posted March 11, 2019 Author Share Posted March 11, 2019 The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky- This is a far stronger writing effort from Helen Raynor than her Dalek two-parter in the previous series. This is notable for featuring the return of the Sontarans, and this is easily their best appearance in modern Who. I love Strax in the Smith era, but after this story they are played for laughs rather than presented as threats, which I'm not a fan of. I think we need a Sontaran episode soon (series 12 maybe?) which features them as the villains once again in order to restore their status as a threatening monster, rather than remaining as a joke. Christopher Ryan is excellent as General Staal, and all of the Sontarans look great. David Tennant and Catherine Tate are of course wonderful, and Freema Agyeman's return as Martha is a welcome one. Bernard Cribbins and Jacqueline King are also very good. Although the leads are brilliant, I think that this is another story which is let down by weak supporting characters, and Rattigan wasn't an interesting character in my opinion. The pacing is all over the place, and this is one of those two-parters which do unfortunately drag if you try to watch both episodes back to back like I did. I also thought that the ending felt a bit rushed. The visual's are surprisingly good as well. It was also nice to see UNIT in an episode again, and they were well utilised in this story. Overall- 6/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 The Sontaran Strategy/The Poison Sky. The Sontarans are perverting the course of human history. Definitely The Sontarans are an underused alien. I always felt they are The Klingons of the Doctor Who world- death before dishonour. But they have not been well written in the Modern era (though I do love Strax. This story could probably be covered in one episode rather than two. The leads are brilliant. I especially like the on-going development of Martha as a character. The ending was a bit convenient. But the story itself had good ideas. Overall 6/10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Capaldi Fan Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 16 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said: I think we need a Sontaran episode soon (series 12 maybe?) which features them as the villains once again in order to restore their status as a threatening monster, rather than remaining as a joke. Not sure I would trust Chris Chibnall to do them justice but maybe I'm still feeling pessimistic following series 11 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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