Planet of the Dead: Reaction Post
Who_Daily Link: < a href="http://persiflage-1.livejournal.com/241711.html">Planet of the Dead reviewed by < lj user=persiflage_1>
Under the cut in case anyone on my FList hasn't yet seen it but intends to.
So, it wasn't bad, but not brilliant. I could tell it was co-written with someone else though, because Ten was less emo, and the story itself was less depressing than anything RTD has solo-written lately.
- The cat burglar coming in through the roof was entirely predictable and boring. I just yawned. Wallace and Gromit did it much better in The Wrong Trousers.
- I didn't like Christina much. She was too Mary-Sue-ish, handily having everything that was needed in her backpack (seriously why would a cat burglar be carrying a bloody spade, even a folding one?)
- I expected the reference to The Stolen Eartha/Journey's End ("planets in the sky"/"It was the Earth that moved last time") since DW seems to be becoming very self-referential of late.
- Ten's line about humans on buses always blaming him was another expected reference (to Midnight of course).
- DI Macmillan - not exactly the sharpest tool in the box, is he? "I think we're out of our depth here" - no, really? *rolls eyes*
- I bet Ten's speechifying about food, people and home was RTD's work. He just can't resist!
- I liked Ten's remembrance of Donna: "I had this friend once, she called me Spaceman". Just the right touch of melancholy without being too emo.
- I was totally unimpressed with Capt Magambo threatening to shoot Dr Taylor - it was stupid. I don't mind her saying she has a duty to everyone on the planet, but that threat was just pointless. I really wish RTD would leave UNIT out of his stories because he never hesitates to assassinate the characters of the more senior staff. (I have to say, I liked Col Mace despite RTD making Ten hate him.) Much as I want to see Ten and the Brig together, I hope Sir Alistair doesn't meet the Doctor before he regenerates into Eleven because I don't trust RTD not to retcon Sir Alistair as well!
- I wasn't fussed that Ten turned Christina down. Did I mention I didn't like her? I didn't warm to her character at all. And the kiss was totally gratuitous. When's RTD leaving again? (Seriously it seems as if every female companion is RTD's proxy because he's so desperate to snog/shag Ten(nant) himself.)
- As for Carmen's warning to Ten, well I know who that's about because I've seen the spoiler filming pics for the final two-part Special, so I totally expected that. Yawn.
- People have been talking about whether Christina is a fob-watched Iris Wildthyme, but I've not got around to listening to those audios from Big Finish yet. All I thought, when I saw the flying bus, was "It's a bit Harry Potter, isn't it?" (One of my fave Martha lines from The Shakespeare Code.)
Overall I give it 8/10. It was better than The Next Doctor - partly because it wasn't wholly penned by RTD, partly because it didn't drag as much as TND. It was better than I expected, but then my expectations were pretty low!
Guess I'll read the PotD sections of the latest DWM now, then.
Under the cut in case anyone on my FList hasn't yet seen it but intends to.
So, it wasn't bad, but not brilliant. I could tell it was co-written with someone else though, because Ten was less emo, and the story itself was less depressing than anything RTD has solo-written lately.
- The cat burglar coming in through the roof was entirely predictable and boring. I just yawned. Wallace and Gromit did it much better in The Wrong Trousers.
- I didn't like Christina much. She was too Mary-Sue-ish, handily having everything that was needed in her backpack (seriously why would a cat burglar be carrying a bloody spade, even a folding one?)
- I expected the reference to The Stolen Eartha/Journey's End ("planets in the sky"/"It was the Earth that moved last time") since DW seems to be becoming very self-referential of late.
- Ten's line about humans on buses always blaming him was another expected reference (to Midnight of course).
- DI Macmillan - not exactly the sharpest tool in the box, is he? "I think we're out of our depth here" - no, really? *rolls eyes*
- I bet Ten's speechifying about food, people and home was RTD's work. He just can't resist!
- I liked Ten's remembrance of Donna: "I had this friend once, she called me Spaceman". Just the right touch of melancholy without being too emo.
- I was totally unimpressed with Capt Magambo threatening to shoot Dr Taylor - it was stupid. I don't mind her saying she has a duty to everyone on the planet, but that threat was just pointless. I really wish RTD would leave UNIT out of his stories because he never hesitates to assassinate the characters of the more senior staff. (I have to say, I liked Col Mace despite RTD making Ten hate him.) Much as I want to see Ten and the Brig together, I hope Sir Alistair doesn't meet the Doctor before he regenerates into Eleven because I don't trust RTD not to retcon Sir Alistair as well!
- I wasn't fussed that Ten turned Christina down. Did I mention I didn't like her? I didn't warm to her character at all. And the kiss was totally gratuitous. When's RTD leaving again? (Seriously it seems as if every female companion is RTD's proxy because he's so desperate to snog/shag Ten(nant) himself.)
- As for Carmen's warning to Ten, well I know who that's about because I've seen the spoiler filming pics for the final two-part Special, so I totally expected that. Yawn.
- People have been talking about whether Christina is a fob-watched Iris Wildthyme, but I've not got around to listening to those audios from Big Finish yet. All I thought, when I saw the flying bus, was "It's a bit Harry Potter, isn't it?" (One of my fave Martha lines from The Shakespeare Code.)
Overall I give it 8/10. It was better than The Next Doctor - partly because it wasn't wholly penned by RTD, partly because it didn't drag as much as TND. It was better than I expected, but then my expectations were pretty low!
Guess I'll read the PotD sections of the latest DWM now, then.