"You've got a...balloon."
Since I can either write up a nice, pretty review or get some more sculpting done, I'm going to just plop my notes up here. This way, you'll get to see my reactions to the episode as I had them. They are tidied up slightly, though, and, thanks to the fact that I typed them instead of doing some sort of real-time recorded dealie, you are gracefully spared the full experience of my reaction to "They break my heart." I TAKE MY SHOWS VERY SERIOUSLY DON'T YOU JUDGE ME.
And, with that warning...
Oh, I'm so excited I can hardly stand it...and yet, there's a sadness that wasn't there the last time I watched a new-to-me episode. Well, okay, the last time was "Journey's End," and that was more terror than sadness. But certainly more than the lead up to "Partners in Crime." This is a sort of melancholy resignation - I only get to do this with Ten four (or is it five?) more times; we can't waste these on bad episodes, or bad moods. And I really need this to work, considering I'm still a bit bitter about "Journey's End." So..."The Next Doctor," here I come!
...Dogtor in tow, of course ^_^
Btw, why does Ten NEVER have a Companion at Christmas? I mean, obviously I know why...and it sort of makes sense for him to gravitate toward Christmas when he's lonely and most likely to get depressed, considering who we're talking about here. But really, what the heck?
(PLEASE let him have a proper Companion for the end - it SUCKS when he regenerates without one.)
I like how Rosita thinks she's Esmerelda with that dress.
Aw...Timorous beastie...
"Nothing changes." Good to see Ten is more accepting than Five. Or more gullible.
Aww... Hug time!
I want Patterson Joseph as Eleven so bad it hurts, but David Morrisey seems rather Six, so I'll take him. I guess. That said, I'm still firmly convinced this guy ain't no Doctor.
"You're a very odd man." "Mmm I still am."
Yeah, NOT The Doctor. We don't have misogynistic Doctors. Boo.
"Is that your sonic screwdriver?" "Yes. I'd be lost without it." "But that's a screwdriver. How's it...sonic?"
"This investigation of yours, what's it all about?" "It started with a murder." "Oh, good. [beat] I mean, bad." Ten really has been getting bad about that inappropriately excited response to horrible tragedy these days.
"You ask a lot of questions." "I'm your Companion."
Aw... I want it to last forever... And now I'm crying a little.
lol Oh, that was amazing. I knew the fob watch wasn't a chameleon dealie, but the sad little sproinging failure amused me greatly.
Oh, the imitation of the sonic screwdriver...
"Help me." "Ah. Two words I never refuse."
"Okay. I think we should run."
AAAAAAAAAHSWORDFIGHTINGTENOMG!!!!!
I mean, I know he did it once before, but that was before I knew Three. And wonging a broadsword around is not quite fencing with a cutlass...which, of course, isn't fencing with a rapier, but it's a lot closer, and more piratey. I think my multiple exclamation points are justified.
Y'know, the great thing about not seeing these on telly for the first time is you can pause the suckers to do the Laura Linney dance* if need be. And need be-d.
Okay, really? The Cybermats weren't creepy enough? Now we need these shaggy dog thingies? Why the heck are they so floppy, btw? Shouldn't they do a stiff-legged quadripedal walk?
"Are you whistling again?" "Yes. Yes I am, yeah."
"With all the things a Time Lord has seen, all the things he's lost, he must surely have bad dreams." "Yeah." Pobrecito!
"You've got a...balloon."
"[The TARDIS is] The perfect escape. Do you ever wonder what you're escaping from?"
Oh my god... That was better than any 7 minute reunion would have been. (okay, maybe I'm just kidding myself, but HOLY CRABUNSK!!!)
See, here's why I just had to pause and smile and cry for a bit, and why Ten Doctors in Thirty Seconds works out better than Seven Doctors in Seven Minutes:
- It accomplishes all the same nostalgia and happy feelings for those of us who know all (or at least most) of the Doctors without the (very slim) risk of mischaracterization. The memories and associations that spring to mind are dependent only on how each viewer feels about each incarnation, not on how the writers remember them.
- It legitimizes Eight even more explicitly than the journal in "Human Nature" did without making McGann don the wig again OR crushing my inner fangirl by showing a short-haired Eight.
- It avoids the really quite painful reminder that three of these marvelously talented, wonderful actors are no longer alive.
- It not only side-steps the silliness of having two multi-Doctor episodes so close together and the impossibility of adequately introducing an audience to (depending on how far back in the show a given viewer goes) as many as six almost entirely new characters, it does so in a time-honoured way. Three, Four, and Five (if not Six and Seven, as well - I don't know yet) each had at least one episode with a sort of slide show of previous incarnations. They picked some slightly odd clips to use in this one (particularly the one of Four, since he was _talking_ when the others were just emoting at the screen), and I am somewhat interested in the reasoning behind each choice, but it didn't at all seem as contrived as a seven-Doctor reunion would have been.
The only thing I worry is that they'll mess about and not get around to making one while Tom Baker is still alive. I know the chances of him participating are rather slim, but they are exactly zero post-mortem.
PHRACKING BELLS. They obviously weren't Cloister Bells, but it's amazing how much I HATE bells now that I know what they mean on this show. It's also amazing how often the Cloister Bells actually DO ring in New Who, considering I don't think they've even been mentioned. I will never claim that you have to have watched the original series to watch the new show, but Davies et al have made it so that it is infinitely more rewarding if you have. You really have no idea what you don't notice just because you haven't seen the older episodes and don't have any idea that there is anything TO notice. I saw Ten do a flipping SIX expression in this episode! When I started picking up on Four and Five's mannerisms in Ten, it didn't surprise me at all, but I didn't even think to look for Six back before I started becoming familiar with him. Now I want to go back and look for Six in Ten's earlier episodes, too.
Way to ruin a moment, beepy thingies.
(Is it just me, or does "Jackson Lake" sound an awful lot like "Rickson Slade"? Oh, Russell T Davies, how you use the same names/name formulas over and over and over...)
"The Doctor needs help; I learned that much about him. There should be someone at his side."
Tim McInnerny! That's who Morrisey sort of looks like. A younger McInnerny, obviously...but still with the sort of pudgy face. McInnerny had a slimish face back in the day.
I think it's the expressions more than the face, though.
Please don't be making Cybermats... I kind of don't want that to ever be made official canon, because that's just creepy beyond all reason.
"Whoa, that's cheating, sneaking up. Do you have your legs on silent?"
One would think the Daleks would only have footage from the Dalek episodes...
"Can I say I completely disapprove. Come on."
Good GAWD, he's a monkey! He just leapt up on that thing...
Oh, I was hoping this wasn't about to happen. I mean, really. A giant flipping Cyberman?
Aww...! Doctor with a kid! I am such a sucker for men who protect children.
Oh, steampunk... Hell, it's Cybersteampunk.
Pretty sure this would have made the papers back then.
"Ever flown one of these before?" "Nope. Never." "Can I have my money now?" "Oh, get on with it."
Oh, Doctor...
"This is nonsense." "...That's one word for it." "Complete and utter, wonderful nonsense. Very very silly."
Don't say "It's better off that way." Do not say it.
Oh, gods, that was worse...
"Just this once. You've actually gone and changed my mind; not many people can do that."
Much as I would like an explanation for why there's no mention in any history books of a giant, rampaging Cyberman in the 1850s, I'm going to cancel that silliness out with the highly satisfactory fact that he seems to have reached some state of closure with Rose, and it was Donna that he was especially agonizing over there at the end. Oh, Donna...how you were the best Companion since, like, Liz.
* Right about 2:08 or so in this clip.
And, with that warning...
Oh, I'm so excited I can hardly stand it...and yet, there's a sadness that wasn't there the last time I watched a new-to-me episode. Well, okay, the last time was "Journey's End," and that was more terror than sadness. But certainly more than the lead up to "Partners in Crime." This is a sort of melancholy resignation - I only get to do this with Ten four (or is it five?) more times; we can't waste these on bad episodes, or bad moods. And I really need this to work, considering I'm still a bit bitter about "Journey's End." So..."The Next Doctor," here I come!
...Dogtor in tow, of course ^_^
Btw, why does Ten NEVER have a Companion at Christmas? I mean, obviously I know why...and it sort of makes sense for him to gravitate toward Christmas when he's lonely and most likely to get depressed, considering who we're talking about here. But really, what the heck?
(PLEASE let him have a proper Companion for the end - it SUCKS when he regenerates without one.)
I like how Rosita thinks she's Esmerelda with that dress.
Aw...Timorous beastie...
"Nothing changes." Good to see Ten is more accepting than Five. Or more gullible.
Aww... Hug time!
I want Patterson Joseph as Eleven so bad it hurts, but David Morrisey seems rather Six, so I'll take him. I guess. That said, I'm still firmly convinced this guy ain't no Doctor.
"You're a very odd man." "Mmm I still am."
Yeah, NOT The Doctor. We don't have misogynistic Doctors. Boo.
"Is that your sonic screwdriver?" "Yes. I'd be lost without it." "But that's a screwdriver. How's it...sonic?"
"This investigation of yours, what's it all about?" "It started with a murder." "Oh, good. [beat] I mean, bad." Ten really has been getting bad about that inappropriately excited response to horrible tragedy these days.
"You ask a lot of questions." "I'm your Companion."
Aw... I want it to last forever... And now I'm crying a little.
lol Oh, that was amazing. I knew the fob watch wasn't a chameleon dealie, but the sad little sproinging failure amused me greatly.
Oh, the imitation of the sonic screwdriver...
"Help me." "Ah. Two words I never refuse."
"Okay. I think we should run."
AAAAAAAAAHSWORDFIGHTINGTENOMG!!!!!
I mean, I know he did it once before, but that was before I knew Three. And wonging a broadsword around is not quite fencing with a cutlass...which, of course, isn't fencing with a rapier, but it's a lot closer, and more piratey. I think my multiple exclamation points are justified.
Y'know, the great thing about not seeing these on telly for the first time is you can pause the suckers to do the Laura Linney dance* if need be. And need be-d.
Okay, really? The Cybermats weren't creepy enough? Now we need these shaggy dog thingies? Why the heck are they so floppy, btw? Shouldn't they do a stiff-legged quadripedal walk?
"Are you whistling again?" "Yes. Yes I am, yeah."
"With all the things a Time Lord has seen, all the things he's lost, he must surely have bad dreams." "Yeah." Pobrecito!
"You've got a...balloon."
"[The TARDIS is] The perfect escape. Do you ever wonder what you're escaping from?"
Oh my god... That was better than any 7 minute reunion would have been. (okay, maybe I'm just kidding myself, but HOLY CRABUNSK!!!)
See, here's why I just had to pause and smile and cry for a bit, and why Ten Doctors in Thirty Seconds works out better than Seven Doctors in Seven Minutes:
- It accomplishes all the same nostalgia and happy feelings for those of us who know all (or at least most) of the Doctors without the (very slim) risk of mischaracterization. The memories and associations that spring to mind are dependent only on how each viewer feels about each incarnation, not on how the writers remember them.
- It legitimizes Eight even more explicitly than the journal in "Human Nature" did without making McGann don the wig again OR crushing my inner fangirl by showing a short-haired Eight.
- It avoids the really quite painful reminder that three of these marvelously talented, wonderful actors are no longer alive.
- It not only side-steps the silliness of having two multi-Doctor episodes so close together and the impossibility of adequately introducing an audience to (depending on how far back in the show a given viewer goes) as many as six almost entirely new characters, it does so in a time-honoured way. Three, Four, and Five (if not Six and Seven, as well - I don't know yet) each had at least one episode with a sort of slide show of previous incarnations. They picked some slightly odd clips to use in this one (particularly the one of Four, since he was _talking_ when the others were just emoting at the screen), and I am somewhat interested in the reasoning behind each choice, but it didn't at all seem as contrived as a seven-Doctor reunion would have been.
The only thing I worry is that they'll mess about and not get around to making one while Tom Baker is still alive. I know the chances of him participating are rather slim, but they are exactly zero post-mortem.
PHRACKING BELLS. They obviously weren't Cloister Bells, but it's amazing how much I HATE bells now that I know what they mean on this show. It's also amazing how often the Cloister Bells actually DO ring in New Who, considering I don't think they've even been mentioned. I will never claim that you have to have watched the original series to watch the new show, but Davies et al have made it so that it is infinitely more rewarding if you have. You really have no idea what you don't notice just because you haven't seen the older episodes and don't have any idea that there is anything TO notice. I saw Ten do a flipping SIX expression in this episode! When I started picking up on Four and Five's mannerisms in Ten, it didn't surprise me at all, but I didn't even think to look for Six back before I started becoming familiar with him. Now I want to go back and look for Six in Ten's earlier episodes, too.
Way to ruin a moment, beepy thingies.
(Is it just me, or does "Jackson Lake" sound an awful lot like "Rickson Slade"? Oh, Russell T Davies, how you use the same names/name formulas over and over and over...)
"The Doctor needs help; I learned that much about him. There should be someone at his side."
Tim McInnerny! That's who Morrisey sort of looks like. A younger McInnerny, obviously...but still with the sort of pudgy face. McInnerny had a slimish face back in the day.
I think it's the expressions more than the face, though.
Please don't be making Cybermats... I kind of don't want that to ever be made official canon, because that's just creepy beyond all reason.
"Whoa, that's cheating, sneaking up. Do you have your legs on silent?"
One would think the Daleks would only have footage from the Dalek episodes...
"Can I say I completely disapprove. Come on."
Good GAWD, he's a monkey! He just leapt up on that thing...
Oh, I was hoping this wasn't about to happen. I mean, really. A giant flipping Cyberman?
Aww...! Doctor with a kid! I am such a sucker for men who protect children.
Oh, steampunk... Hell, it's Cybersteampunk.
Pretty sure this would have made the papers back then.
"Ever flown one of these before?" "Nope. Never." "Can I have my money now?" "Oh, get on with it."
Oh, Doctor...
"This is nonsense." "...That's one word for it." "Complete and utter, wonderful nonsense. Very very silly."
Don't say "It's better off that way." Do not say it.
Oh, gods, that was worse...
"Just this once. You've actually gone and changed my mind; not many people can do that."
Much as I would like an explanation for why there's no mention in any history books of a giant, rampaging Cyberman in the 1850s, I'm going to cancel that silliness out with the highly satisfactory fact that he seems to have reached some state of closure with Rose, and it was Donna that he was especially agonizing over there at the end. Oh, Donna...how you were the best Companion since, like, Liz.
* Right about 2:08 or so in this clip.