Amph Doctor Who Discussion (Russell T. Davies returns)

It's been there for at least a year (also free with last November's DWM along with everything else they give out for free, as a 'special' offer), they're just reminding people. Unfortunately, asI was hoping they'd upload a new one.

 

What are the theme/s from 30 seconds to to 1:10 in. Then 1:23 to 1:41. I Am the Doctor but with vocals? I know I've heard this on the show but can't find it on the soundtrack.

 

Yep. I'm not quite sure where on the soundtrack it would be but the full version (for S5) with the vocalization was done on the DW 2010 Proms



Edit: Note on that vid, The Doctor's Stonehenge speech is at the very end (at least of this vid as I've listened to this one before).

 

3.07: The Lazarus Experiment

"I'm old enough to know that a longer life isn't always a better one. In the end you just get tired. Tired of the struggle. Tired of losing everyone that matters to you. Tired of watching everything turn to dust. If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you'll end up alone."

The Lazarus Experiment feels like an episode idea that the 1990s Batman animated series never quite went with, or perhaps even a plot that would be right at home in the Arkham Asylum series. Think about it; we have the mad scientist with the ideology to further unlock human potential, an unhappy marriage, a cocktail party with many respected guests, and of course, the experiment which sees everything go wrong. It's a dark sci-fi comic book come to life. Mark Gatiss excels in this role as a creepy, success driven scientist who will clearly stop at nothing to have his stamp on the human race. His character is just creepy and awkward enough to make your skin crawl. It's a shame we don't see him act anywhere near as much as he writes because he truly is a great actor. See his portrayal of Mycroft in Sherlock.

It's a mostly well executed episode. Some of the production suffers to the point that it takes focus off the episode. Namely, the CGI. It's pretty patchy throughout whether it be the sonic manipulator or the monster that it creates. In fact, the Lazarus monster is poorly rendered (see the face) and poorly textured (look at the ribcage) to a point that it looks like a video game running at low or medium settings. I've always said that the RTD era could have been made even better, as good as it was, by settling for a less is more approach. This era from time to time just threw too much into the production when it really didn't need it. For example, the sonic manipulator would have been just as effective by having at as a chamber that glows. Meanwhile, the Lazarus monster could have been scarier if just a little more human. By having the monster be born from a human, we forget the fact that we're dealing with the human. Whereas, if we had a humanoid monster that resembled Lazarus' appearance a little more, we would have felt more for him.

Overall though I enjoyed the pacing, sets and soundtrack to the episode. It was a pretty tight episode though the last fifteen minutes felt as though they dragged on a little in that we had one or two too many false finishes. Is he dead yet? Is it over? Nope. A little bit like Casino Royale in that you keep expecting them to wrap, only to see they're only one third there. For that reason, the first half of the episode is definitely the strongest. Throughout the episode, i just found myself thinking about Paul McGann's Doctor, especially in that scene in the Cathedral where the Doctor is surrounding him, trying to talk sense into Lazarus. The dialogue would suit his style of acting so well. But, David Tennant did a fine job of the role too and he plays the cynic very well in this episode.

3.5 out of 5

 

RIP Kate O'Mara, who played the the villainess The Rani.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz...-dynasty-actress-kate-omara-dies-aged-74.html

 

She never even got a regeneration scene.
I suppose it's fitting that her first appearance was with the Doctor who didn't have their regeneration scene.

 

RIP Kate.

 

Great actress though I must say I wasn't a huge fan of the character herself mainly because she just ended up being a more sexed up Master. They could have done a lot more with The Rani, especially with Kate in the role.

 

I'm kind of glad they didn't though.

Having the same character keep coming back often cheapens that character. See The Master's first season, Davros, the Daleks etc.

The Rani got two (or three if you count that Eastenders crossover) stories, which was about right.

By the way, what was it about her that you felt was 'sexed up', TryWhistlingThis ? I'm guessing the answer is being female, because she flirted less with The Doctor than Ainley and Delgado ever did.

 

Just the overall look. You wouldn't really describe her appearance as elegant or subdued would you? If you look at Romana 2 for instance, she's certainly good looking but not in a way that's distracting or that strikes you first. With Rani, her looks are just so rich and decadent. The hair, the eyes, the makeup, some of the outfits. She was basically one size away from being Gallifrey's Pamela Anderson.

 

Keep in mind though, it was also the 80s' and the Joan Collins Rich ***** look from Dynasty was already well entrenched by that time (Maybe not so coincidentally O'Mara also starred on that as well as the sister of Collins' Alexis), so that type of outfit was kind of almost apropos for perhaps how they wanted the character to be precieved (especially if maybe the Rani was originally from a noble house of Gallifrey that perhaps she disgraced by turning renegade?)

 

Sexed up:

 

So, still going through Series 6, and am on Night Terrors.
The episodes and characters are really good but not sure how I like the fantasy feel of the episodes for the 11th Doctor. Nothing against them but the Sci-fi feel of the 9th and 10th Doctor are better.

 

See I completely disagree because I felt the more scifi take couldnt be fully sold by the budget or the tone. Making it more fantasy really helped fully sell the show to me.

It'll be interesting to see how Capaldi's era handles everything.

 

Maybe I would have liked Night Terrors better if it had been set earlier in the season or even taken place in S5. As it was it feels like so much filler in the face of the River/Silence story that it could have easily have been taken out for an episode more heavily arched and none would have beeen the wiser.

 

It was originally placed where Curse of the Black Spot was, which would have made Night Terrors feel better, but CotBS would feel worse.

 

CotBS would've likely retooled to be a bit different in order to at least acknowledge the River reveal by that point. So there's no telling what that episode would have turned out to be if it had been in Night Terrors spot.

Something I came across YouTubing:

 

3.08: 42

"We fix the engines, we steer the ship away from the sun. Simple."

42 is a cute little homage to the Kiefer Sutherland driven series, 24 - duh. I know, it's the elephant in the room but as a fan of both DW and 24, this little fact always makes me smile. This episode worked mostly well but I thought the tone and style was extremely derivative of the Series 2 Satan Pit two-parter. It's basically like an abridged version of that as the scenario and overall threat which takes place in the episode isn't substantially far removed from the aforementioned Series 2 serial. My favourite part of this episode is the industrial/electronic Nine Inch Nails style of soundtrack. It perfectly suited the grim environment and the pacing of the episode.

David Tennant once again fires on all cylinders, even in mute when he vows to save Martha. That scene between the Doctor and Martha is possibly one of the most affecting of the Tennant era. No music, no voice, just the visuals. This of course is attempted in series four when he is reunited with Donna, but is a dramatically different light with a much more humorous tone in Partners In Crime.

I really don't have too much to say about this episode because although I do like it, at the same time it does feel a bit lazy in that it easily could have and possibly should have been an episode somewhere within the first two seasons. Given that Series 3 already has been following a pattern of a new companion/future/past/present day episode type progression, 42 brings little that is new to the table which is a shame because it does have a lot going for it.

3 out of 5

 

Of course, think about what eps we're going to next.

I do like 42, I think there are enough differences between TIP/TSP to validate it's existance, but I do get why people call it a rehash of those episodes.

Of course at the end we get more of the 'Saxon/Election Day' arc that's being subtly weaved into this season.

 

The good news is with series 3, everything that is left for this Season is sublime. I cannot wait. Kind of like Series 2, there's a pocket of mediocrity, but what makes Series 3 better than Series 2 is that there is just a slew of killer episodes. That begins with the next episode. Arguably the best of the Tennant era (along with some highlights to come in Series 4 too).

 

Best of the Tennant era, and one of the best runs the show has had since its revival. Unfortunately the amazing Utopia gets stuck with the insipid Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords.

 

Spoiler

Gareth Roberts@OldRoberts953
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Yes I have written Episode 6 of the forthcoming series of Doctor Who, which is shooting right now, as we tweet.
9:57 AM - 2 Apr 2014
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I like 42. Didn't get the title at first but still pretty cool episode.

Curse of the Black Spot was a favorite of mine. No problem with it. And those guys were seen again later. Not big role but still.
Night Terrors wasn't bad but still felt way too over the top for my liking or something. Should have been series 5. Pretty jarring from Let's Kill Hitler to that. At least the Girl Who Waited was fun.

Fantasy isn't bad but I got used to the Sci-fi tone of 9 and 10, so it feels somewhat lacking now.