the doctor who project part nine
Reviews of Eccleston and Tennant's first year are below.
Rose
Such a great debut, really hits the ground running. Sets up the series very well for newcomers and has so much in common with An Unearthly Child. Plus, Autons, who I'm a huge fan of. And I've been to half the locations, so it's got that going for it, which is nice. :)
End of the World
Gotta love the bit with "Toxic." Nice to see the Doctor and Rose establishing their relationship, finding their footing when you know what all is coming for them. Also funny to see how nervous Rose is about travelling when you take her attitude in "Army of Ghosts" into account.
The Unquiet Dead
Love the pseudo-historicals and the celebrity meetings that accompany them. Weird to see Eve Myles in a non-Gwen role but funny also that she's way better here than she's ever been on Torchwood.
Aliens of London/World War Three
Not my favorite two-parter, but not my least favorite either. A solid effort that is funny at times but occasionally tries too hard.
Dalek
Fantastic episode and a great way to reintroduce the Daleks. Rose's compassion and Eccleston's heartless rage are brilliant counterpoints.
The Long Game
Who doesn't love Simon Pegg, eh? Especially when he's being diabolical. A great change of pace for him. Decent episode, marred only by the unfortunate presence of Adam.
Father's Day
Paul Cornell better keep writing for the series when Moffatt takes over. His episodes have always been amongst my favorites, and this episode, which really deals with the emotional resonance of time travel very well, is the first in a string of excellent eps by him.
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
There's not enough praise to heap on this two-parter. The introduction of Captain Jack Harkness in all his glory. Brilliantly plotted, wonderfully acted, scary as heck and funny too. And "Everybody lives!"
Boom Town
Kind of a fun episode for its continued development of Jack's character, adding depth to Mickey's character, and the fun dinner scene between Felfotch and the Doc.
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways
Love the spoofs of reality TV in the beginning. Some of the best secondary characters in the whole series here as well. Fantastic cliffhanger to "Bad Wolf." Still not a huge fan of the literal deus ex machina of Rose looking into the heart of the Tardis, but it could be worse.
The Christmas Invasion
Owes a lot to Spearhead in Space if you ask me. Nice to see Harriet Jones again and I still hate how quickly she is taken down. I'm not a huge fan of any of the Christmas episodes, but this one isn't too bad.
New Earth
A nice sequel to "End of the World." Both Tennant and Piper as the Lady Cassandra are brilliant. And you gotta love the "textbook enigmatic" moment.
Tooth and Claw
Probably the weakest episode of this series... and it's still pretty damn good. The CGI for the wolf is rather dodgy, to be honest, but Tennant is good in it and he and Piper interact very well here.
School Reunion
So so good. Elizabeth Sladen's return to the show is fantastic and Anthony Head is great as the lead villain. and the theme of the episode, even though it's a bit obvious throughout, ties in with the rest of the season perfectly while it still stands on its own very well.
The Girl in the Fireplace
My favorite episode of the revived series. So emotional and so funny. And how can you not fall in love with Sophia Myles over the course of this episode?
Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel
Mickey steps into his own, Pete Tyler returns, and the Cybermen get an upgrade. Yeah it's got Lumic, who is just a bit too over-the-top, but overall it's good. the first two parter of each series tends to be weak, but as compared to each example from the other seasons, this one was the best.
The Idiot's Lantern
A bit too similar in tone and style to Fear Her. A quiet London street in another time surrounding an important historical event. An alien appears and starts affecting the people of the neighborhood in an adverse way. I like this episode but not near as much as Fear Her, mostly because Rose is left behind to be damsel in distress through most of this one.
The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit
Freaky as hell, no pun intended. Introduces the Ood, who are a great creature design. Fantastic supporting actors. Scary atmosphere and intriguing plot.
Love and Monsters
Beginning the tradition of the Doctor-lite episode. Probably the worst example, but it's still darn good. It's a bit all over the place, Peter Kay is too OTT, the ending is a bit heavyhanded, the design of the Absorbaloff really shouldn't have won the contest because it's a bit shit, and Ursula really should have been allowed to die rather than live out an existence as an immortal sex toy. but i still like it, mostly for Elton and Jackie's relationship in the middle.
Fear Her
I've seen this episode more than any other of new Who. If I happen to turn on the TV in an afternoon, and Who happens to be on, it almost always is this episode. Consequently, because I've seen it so much, it's become a huge favorite of mine, and if you ask me it is highly representative of what new Who is all about, especially since Rose pretty much figures it all out throughout the episode.
Army of Ghosts/Doomsday
The best series finale of the bunch. So funny. So full of action. So heartbreaking. All of the actors hit all the right notes and the script never fails to surprise with its twists while also feeling very natural in its development.
After watching them all again, I have realized that series two is probably my favorite of all the seasons of new Who. It's got my favorite episode of the new series, my favorite two-parter, and my favorite finale. Also, I really REALLY wish we had gotten more of Eccleston as the Doctor. He was so brilliant.
And it shouldn't be long until part ten, which will conclude the Doctor Who project for me. I'm a fifth of the way through series three already and will hopefully be getting series four for Christmas. So my goal is to finish rewatching these shows by the end of the year.
Rose
Such a great debut, really hits the ground running. Sets up the series very well for newcomers and has so much in common with An Unearthly Child. Plus, Autons, who I'm a huge fan of. And I've been to half the locations, so it's got that going for it, which is nice. :)
End of the World
Gotta love the bit with "Toxic." Nice to see the Doctor and Rose establishing their relationship, finding their footing when you know what all is coming for them. Also funny to see how nervous Rose is about travelling when you take her attitude in "Army of Ghosts" into account.
The Unquiet Dead
Love the pseudo-historicals and the celebrity meetings that accompany them. Weird to see Eve Myles in a non-Gwen role but funny also that she's way better here than she's ever been on Torchwood.
Aliens of London/World War Three
Not my favorite two-parter, but not my least favorite either. A solid effort that is funny at times but occasionally tries too hard.
Dalek
Fantastic episode and a great way to reintroduce the Daleks. Rose's compassion and Eccleston's heartless rage are brilliant counterpoints.
The Long Game
Who doesn't love Simon Pegg, eh? Especially when he's being diabolical. A great change of pace for him. Decent episode, marred only by the unfortunate presence of Adam.
Father's Day
Paul Cornell better keep writing for the series when Moffatt takes over. His episodes have always been amongst my favorites, and this episode, which really deals with the emotional resonance of time travel very well, is the first in a string of excellent eps by him.
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
There's not enough praise to heap on this two-parter. The introduction of Captain Jack Harkness in all his glory. Brilliantly plotted, wonderfully acted, scary as heck and funny too. And "Everybody lives!"
Boom Town
Kind of a fun episode for its continued development of Jack's character, adding depth to Mickey's character, and the fun dinner scene between Felfotch and the Doc.
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways
Love the spoofs of reality TV in the beginning. Some of the best secondary characters in the whole series here as well. Fantastic cliffhanger to "Bad Wolf." Still not a huge fan of the literal deus ex machina of Rose looking into the heart of the Tardis, but it could be worse.
The Christmas Invasion
Owes a lot to Spearhead in Space if you ask me. Nice to see Harriet Jones again and I still hate how quickly she is taken down. I'm not a huge fan of any of the Christmas episodes, but this one isn't too bad.
New Earth
A nice sequel to "End of the World." Both Tennant and Piper as the Lady Cassandra are brilliant. And you gotta love the "textbook enigmatic" moment.
Tooth and Claw
Probably the weakest episode of this series... and it's still pretty damn good. The CGI for the wolf is rather dodgy, to be honest, but Tennant is good in it and he and Piper interact very well here.
School Reunion
So so good. Elizabeth Sladen's return to the show is fantastic and Anthony Head is great as the lead villain. and the theme of the episode, even though it's a bit obvious throughout, ties in with the rest of the season perfectly while it still stands on its own very well.
The Girl in the Fireplace
My favorite episode of the revived series. So emotional and so funny. And how can you not fall in love with Sophia Myles over the course of this episode?
Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel
Mickey steps into his own, Pete Tyler returns, and the Cybermen get an upgrade. Yeah it's got Lumic, who is just a bit too over-the-top, but overall it's good. the first two parter of each series tends to be weak, but as compared to each example from the other seasons, this one was the best.
The Idiot's Lantern
A bit too similar in tone and style to Fear Her. A quiet London street in another time surrounding an important historical event. An alien appears and starts affecting the people of the neighborhood in an adverse way. I like this episode but not near as much as Fear Her, mostly because Rose is left behind to be damsel in distress through most of this one.
The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit
Freaky as hell, no pun intended. Introduces the Ood, who are a great creature design. Fantastic supporting actors. Scary atmosphere and intriguing plot.
Love and Monsters
Beginning the tradition of the Doctor-lite episode. Probably the worst example, but it's still darn good. It's a bit all over the place, Peter Kay is too OTT, the ending is a bit heavyhanded, the design of the Absorbaloff really shouldn't have won the contest because it's a bit shit, and Ursula really should have been allowed to die rather than live out an existence as an immortal sex toy. but i still like it, mostly for Elton and Jackie's relationship in the middle.
Fear Her
I've seen this episode more than any other of new Who. If I happen to turn on the TV in an afternoon, and Who happens to be on, it almost always is this episode. Consequently, because I've seen it so much, it's become a huge favorite of mine, and if you ask me it is highly representative of what new Who is all about, especially since Rose pretty much figures it all out throughout the episode.
Army of Ghosts/Doomsday
The best series finale of the bunch. So funny. So full of action. So heartbreaking. All of the actors hit all the right notes and the script never fails to surprise with its twists while also feeling very natural in its development.
After watching them all again, I have realized that series two is probably my favorite of all the seasons of new Who. It's got my favorite episode of the new series, my favorite two-parter, and my favorite finale. Also, I really REALLY wish we had gotten more of Eccleston as the Doctor. He was so brilliant.
And it shouldn't be long until part ten, which will conclude the Doctor Who project for me. I'm a fifth of the way through series three already and will hopefully be getting series four for Christmas. So my goal is to finish rewatching these shows by the end of the year.