Reaction Post: "The Long Game"
As usual, I'm a bit behind. I'm SORRY! I'm planning on watching "Father's Day" tomorrow, though. Really this time!
“The Long Game” might be my least favourite episode of S1. I mean… there’s a bad CGI alien living in the ceiling! And Rose has very unfortunate hair!
There are, of course, some things to like: Once again, people’s actions have consequences. Things don’t just happen in a vacuum on this show. Adam is cute and likeable, but still shows how dangerous it can be to approach time travel with selfish motives. It’s a good lead-up for Rose’s less selfish, but disastrous decision to save her father in “Father’s Day.” And the Doctor’s “KAY, BYE NOW” attitude comes back to bite him in “The Parting of the Ways.”
-I love that the Doctor helps Rose impress Adam.
And then I love the way the Doctor watches Rose as she tries to impress Adam.
He really does think Rose is the most amazing thing ever, which is so adorable! He's 900-years-old and Rose is the most fascinating thing in the world. *SQUISHES THE CUTE*
-“The Face of Boe has just announced he’s pregnant.”
Head: *EXPLODES*
-“Ladies, gentleman, multi-sex, undecided, or robot.” Hee.
“Trouble?”
“Oh, yeah.”
I *love* that excited smile that they share. It seems like Ten and Rose get criticized all the time for having too much fun in the face of danger, but it’s not like Nine and Rose approached danger with all the seriousness of attending a funeral. And I do love that Rose enjoys the thrill of adventure in the same way the Doctor does. It puts them on a more even keel. It’s not just about the Doctor showing Rose all of time and space. It’s also about how much fun they have together living that life.
-“No, no, you stick with the Doctor. You’d rather be with him. It’s gonna take a better man than me to come between you two.”
You know, I kind of like Adam. He’s a bit… selfish, yeah, but he’s not evil. I really don’t think he meant to hurt anyone. I even bet if the Doctor had bothered to sit him down for five minutes to explain the rules of time travel, he never would’ve tried to seek out a profit like he did. (The Doctor, of course, can never be bothered to explain anything to anyone.) And like Mickey, like Jack, like pretty much everyone except Rose, he can see exactly what the Doctor means to her.
-“Once you go to floor 500, you never come back.” UGH. Sometimes this show annoys me. I understand that RTD is trying to make a commentary about the condescended nature of the news that we’re spoon-fed by an increasingly centralized media, but I just can’t buy it. Even now, people have turned to internet news sources or blogs to get other perspectives. People *always* question. Even in the most centralized and controlled regimes, people rebel and fight back. This idea that the entire human race is being controlled by one news broadcasting empire is just so utterly stupid. Doctor Who usually manages a good balance between “humans are smart and brilliant” and “the Doctor has to save humans from themselves” but it fails hard in this episode. (I have similar issues with “Gridlock.” But Ten cuddles a kitten in “Gridlock” and that makes up for a lot.)
-Oh, wait. I guess Suki is part of the resistance movement? Okay, I'm retracting the claws. Kind of.
The music indicates that these skeletons are supposed to be scary. They're not.
Okay, might just be me, but I never understood why there were a bunch of skeletons randomly lying around in floor 500. First of all, what? Second of all, isn’t that a bit conspicuous?
-I probably shouldn’t be trying to make sense of a plot that is, at its heart, about a CGI alien that lives in the ceiling, should I?
Adam’s dog makes up for a LOT in this episode.
It's so cute! And it puts its paws up on the table! And barks at the answering machine when it hears Adam's voice. AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. I’m easily won over by cute things. Give me a shiny toy and I’ll be entertained for *hours*!
“Never underestimate plumbing. Plumbing is very important.”
Hee. I think the Doctor’s love of pulling things apart and making a mess is second only to his joy of blowing things up.
“Looks like it’s just you and me.”
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
“Yep.”
EEEEEP. They’re winning me over with the cute again. Unfair!
The Doctor has to take her hand, see. He’s protecting her from the dangers of a jostling elevator! One never knows! Last year, when I lived in the Apartment of D00m, the elevator used to make these loud banging noises and kind of shake up and down when you rode on it. I feel like *I* would have felt a lot better if the Doctor was there to hold my hand. The show is always so easy to relate to. Hurrah!
-BUHAHAHA! Frozen vomit! Giggle! And ewwwwwww. It’s kind of melting in that dish.
-“The walls are not made of gold. You should go back downstairs.”
“Tough.”
Awwwww. This is a similar theme with them, but I just love Rose’s brave devotion to the Doctor. And that the Doctor wants to protect her ahead of anything else.
-All these dead people working on the computers and no one even thought to turn them into zombies. Zombies make everything better! I know this because I saw I Am Legend the other day and now I can’t sleep at night.
-The Doctor looks appropriately freaked out when he sees the alien on the ceiling. Boy, am I impressed with CE’s acting.
-Wow. I think this is the first time I’ve gotten bored re-watching S1. I WILL NOT FAST-FORWARD, HOWEVER. I AM STRONG AND DEDICATED. I AM.
-“Is a slave a slave if he doesn’t know he’s enslaved?”
“Yes.”
The Doctor is very cool right now. This alleviates some of the boredom. Kind of.
-That is the fakest looking torture scene I’ve ever watched in my life. It upsets the Doctor that Rose is being hurt, though. Awwwwww!
-I really like that the editor felt the need to spell out T-A-R-D-I-S for us. Okay, not really. I think it’s a villain thing, spelling out words. Builds up the anticipation. Or something? Clearly, next season, someone should say: “We meet at last D-O-C-T-O-R! Doctor!”
-“You and your boyfriends!” Buha. Like Rose always brings back random boys to the TARDIS to mess up history.
-Disengaging the safety defeats the Jagrafess? Okay.
-You know, this is yet another thing I would have loved to see but that Doctor Who will never show me. The Jagrafess trying to drive the TARDIS! It would be hilarious! It could, I dunno, squish around the console room like a big blob and then bash down on buttons with its head.
-“Human race should accelerate. All back to normal.” I won’t make a comment about the Doctor’s dumbness. Nope.
-“I only take the best. I’ve got Rose.” Yes. And it was fantastic.
Can I watch “Father’s Day” now? Whew.
“The Long Game” might be my least favourite episode of S1. I mean… there’s a bad CGI alien living in the ceiling! And Rose has very unfortunate hair!
There are, of course, some things to like: Once again, people’s actions have consequences. Things don’t just happen in a vacuum on this show. Adam is cute and likeable, but still shows how dangerous it can be to approach time travel with selfish motives. It’s a good lead-up for Rose’s less selfish, but disastrous decision to save her father in “Father’s Day.” And the Doctor’s “KAY, BYE NOW” attitude comes back to bite him in “The Parting of the Ways.”
-I love that the Doctor helps Rose impress Adam.
And then I love the way the Doctor watches Rose as she tries to impress Adam.
He really does think Rose is the most amazing thing ever, which is so adorable! He's 900-years-old and Rose is the most fascinating thing in the world. *SQUISHES THE CUTE*
-“The Face of Boe has just announced he’s pregnant.”
Head: *EXPLODES*
-“Ladies, gentleman, multi-sex, undecided, or robot.” Hee.
“Trouble?”
“Oh, yeah.”
I *love* that excited smile that they share. It seems like Ten and Rose get criticized all the time for having too much fun in the face of danger, but it’s not like Nine and Rose approached danger with all the seriousness of attending a funeral. And I do love that Rose enjoys the thrill of adventure in the same way the Doctor does. It puts them on a more even keel. It’s not just about the Doctor showing Rose all of time and space. It’s also about how much fun they have together living that life.
-“No, no, you stick with the Doctor. You’d rather be with him. It’s gonna take a better man than me to come between you two.”
You know, I kind of like Adam. He’s a bit… selfish, yeah, but he’s not evil. I really don’t think he meant to hurt anyone. I even bet if the Doctor had bothered to sit him down for five minutes to explain the rules of time travel, he never would’ve tried to seek out a profit like he did. (The Doctor, of course, can never be bothered to explain anything to anyone.) And like Mickey, like Jack, like pretty much everyone except Rose, he can see exactly what the Doctor means to her.
-“Once you go to floor 500, you never come back.” UGH. Sometimes this show annoys me. I understand that RTD is trying to make a commentary about the condescended nature of the news that we’re spoon-fed by an increasingly centralized media, but I just can’t buy it. Even now, people have turned to internet news sources or blogs to get other perspectives. People *always* question. Even in the most centralized and controlled regimes, people rebel and fight back. This idea that the entire human race is being controlled by one news broadcasting empire is just so utterly stupid. Doctor Who usually manages a good balance between “humans are smart and brilliant” and “the Doctor has to save humans from themselves” but it fails hard in this episode. (I have similar issues with “Gridlock.” But Ten cuddles a kitten in “Gridlock” and that makes up for a lot.)
-Oh, wait. I guess Suki is part of the resistance movement? Okay, I'm retracting the claws. Kind of.
The music indicates that these skeletons are supposed to be scary. They're not.
Okay, might just be me, but I never understood why there were a bunch of skeletons randomly lying around in floor 500. First of all, what? Second of all, isn’t that a bit conspicuous?
-I probably shouldn’t be trying to make sense of a plot that is, at its heart, about a CGI alien that lives in the ceiling, should I?
Adam’s dog makes up for a LOT in this episode.
It's so cute! And it puts its paws up on the table! And barks at the answering machine when it hears Adam's voice. AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. I’m easily won over by cute things. Give me a shiny toy and I’ll be entertained for *hours*!
“Never underestimate plumbing. Plumbing is very important.”
Hee. I think the Doctor’s love of pulling things apart and making a mess is second only to his joy of blowing things up.
“Looks like it’s just you and me.”
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
“Yep.”
EEEEEP. They’re winning me over with the cute again. Unfair!
The Doctor has to take her hand, see. He’s protecting her from the dangers of a jostling elevator! One never knows! Last year, when I lived in the Apartment of D00m, the elevator used to make these loud banging noises and kind of shake up and down when you rode on it. I feel like *I* would have felt a lot better if the Doctor was there to hold my hand. The show is always so easy to relate to. Hurrah!
-BUHAHAHA! Frozen vomit! Giggle! And ewwwwwww. It’s kind of melting in that dish.
-“The walls are not made of gold. You should go back downstairs.”
“Tough.”
Awwwww. This is a similar theme with them, but I just love Rose’s brave devotion to the Doctor. And that the Doctor wants to protect her ahead of anything else.
-All these dead people working on the computers and no one even thought to turn them into zombies. Zombies make everything better! I know this because I saw I Am Legend the other day and now I can’t sleep at night.
-The Doctor looks appropriately freaked out when he sees the alien on the ceiling. Boy, am I impressed with CE’s acting.
-Wow. I think this is the first time I’ve gotten bored re-watching S1. I WILL NOT FAST-FORWARD, HOWEVER. I AM STRONG AND DEDICATED. I AM.
-“Is a slave a slave if he doesn’t know he’s enslaved?”
“Yes.”
The Doctor is very cool right now. This alleviates some of the boredom. Kind of.
-That is the fakest looking torture scene I’ve ever watched in my life. It upsets the Doctor that Rose is being hurt, though. Awwwwww!
-I really like that the editor felt the need to spell out T-A-R-D-I-S for us. Okay, not really. I think it’s a villain thing, spelling out words. Builds up the anticipation. Or something? Clearly, next season, someone should say: “We meet at last D-O-C-T-O-R! Doctor!”
-“You and your boyfriends!” Buha. Like Rose always brings back random boys to the TARDIS to mess up history.
-Disengaging the safety defeats the Jagrafess? Okay.
-You know, this is yet another thing I would have loved to see but that Doctor Who will never show me. The Jagrafess trying to drive the TARDIS! It would be hilarious! It could, I dunno, squish around the console room like a big blob and then bash down on buttons with its head.
-“Human race should accelerate. All back to normal.” I won’t make a comment about the Doctor’s dumbness. Nope.
-“I only take the best. I’ve got Rose.” Yes. And it was fantastic.
Can I watch “Father’s Day” now? Whew.