Finally, a pay-off for the use of the name 'Harold Saxon'
In the sense of the Saxons invading and assimiliating/being assimilated? Or am I missing a medieval ref? (My history ends about 500AD with the words 'Nunc aliquid diuersum omnino erit' (and now for something completely different).
It's the idea of Harold II as England's lost hero-king, whom legend said survived Hastings and lived as a hermit/to a great age/to return at a time of England's greatest need. More obscure than Arthur in Britain or Fredericks I and II in Germany and Italy, but I'm sure it's occurred to Russell.
Ponder says I'm to say that Ponder says that even a scriptwriter of the calibre of Robert Holmes had some trouble writing good scripts with the Time Lords in, and Russell T Davies is not of the calibre of Robert Holmes.
I think Russell T is of a similar calibre to Robert Holmes, but they are different sorts of writers who've had different careers and have contrasting outlooks on life. Holmes never had to run the series in the way that RTD has. As for the Time Lord question, I like The Deadly Assassin and think Holmes manages that well.
I enjoyed it immensely, although clearly it was just an extended prelude to next week's finale. I wasn't sure about the Master's actions at first - they seemed a bit too 'out there' to take seriously. But the idea that such a drastic turn of events was actually a massive red herring - and basically a whimsical spur-of-the-moment decision taken by a madman for absolutely no reason - is truly creepy.
So the big reveal at the end saved the episode for me - not because it shocked me into forgetting what had gone before, but because, like all good twists, it transformed the way I saw the rest of the story so far.
I also agree that the use made of the recurring characters (Donna, Wilf and the Master) was effective in terms of their development and in terms of the actors' performances. Kudos to Tennant and Cribbins, in particular, who played that cafe scene beautifully.
It's appropriate for a last story for a regime that it should be crammed with incidents and plotlines that apparently are going to lead nowhere (though they yet might); and also a reflection on how many people experience their lives.
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In the sense of the Saxons invading and assimiliating/being assimilated? Or am I missing a medieval ref? (My history ends about 500AD with the words 'Nunc aliquid diuersum omnino erit' (and now for something completely different).
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I enjoyed it immensely, although clearly it was just an extended prelude to next week's finale. I wasn't sure about the Master's actions at first - they seemed a bit too 'out there' to take seriously. But the idea that such a drastic turn of events was actually a massive red herring - and basically a whimsical spur-of-the-moment decision taken by a madman for absolutely no reason - is truly creepy.
So the big reveal at the end saved the episode for me - not because it shocked me into forgetting what had gone before, but because, like all good twists, it transformed the way I saw the rest of the story so far.
I also agree that the use made of the recurring characters (Donna, Wilf and the Master) was effective in terms of their development and in terms of the actors' performances. Kudos to Tennant and Cribbins, in particular, who played that cafe scene beautifully.
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