TV blogging: Doctor Who Season Two continues
Mon, May. 8th, 2006 10:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scarlettinaIn what appears to be becoming an every-two-weeks affair, a small group gathered last night to watch the newest episodes of Doctor Who, season two, this week eps 3 and 4 . Before I get to the episodes themselves, however, I want to first remark on episode length. It looks as though this season's episodes are a little shorter, timewise. Rumor at ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
doctorwho is that this season's episodes are 45 minutes, something like 3-5 minutes shorter than last season's, and somehow I can feel it. The episodes move more quickly, and it feels as though there's less time than there was before for explanation and character growth. Now, that said, I don't feel as though character development has been stinted on this season so far. In some ways it's been character-character-character in every episode I've seen, but it all feels to me as if it's happening at a gallop, and it felt especially that way to me in "The Girl in the Fireplace." But I'm getting ahead of myself. Okay, spoilerific thoughts follow:
Ep 3: School Reunion
I loved Anthony Stewart Head as guest star and Monster Leader of the Week, Headmaster Finch. He was pure, unadulterated, wonderful Villain, and he looked to me as though he was having a blast. Though my central comment about the Krillitanes overall was that they're Doctor Who's answer to the Borg ("We take the best of each species we conquer"), I though their plot was an interesting one: solve this mysterious equation that would allow them to remold the universe. And as a plot device that feeds character, it worked very well. The confrontation between Finch and the Doctor at the pool was beautifully written, choreographed, and acted: Finch getting to the heart of that which hurts the Doctor most and offering him the one thing he knows he can't accept. Tennant's face as he listened was so eloquent; I could see the thought process so clearly, and all the emotions battling inside. This is the first episode of the season in which I bought Ten's darkness. But I bought it for reasons beyond this one particular scene.
The return of Sarah Jane was perfectly timed and beautifully handled. After seeing "The Hand of Fear," Sarah Jane's final episode in the classic series, seeing who she is today made perfect sense. For me, every beat of her story worked very well: the Doctor's reaction when they meet for the first time, SJ's reaction when she discovers the TARDIS, her speech to him when she sees him again ("You never came back..."), her confrontation with Rose and the subsequent discussions about past companions and the consequences of traveling with and becoming close to the Doctor. All of it worked so perfectly! Her attachment to K-9 was really rather touching; I expected it to be the unsophisticated and saccharine stuff of children's TV, but in the end, I sympathized with it. That last scene between the two of them was just as it should have been, the acknowledgement that this goodbye really was goodbye. I was gratified that they hugged; it seemed to me to be the one thing lacking in their farewell at the end of "The Hand of Fear," and it felt right this time. And I appreciated SJ telling Rose to find her if she needed her, because somehow, I think she will.
Why did I buy the Doctor's darkness in this ep? His discussion with Rose. That talk about how his companions wither and die but he goes on just killed me. The look on his face just said it all. Tennant's doing a wonderful job as he settles into the role, and I'm liking him more and more as the Doctor.
I've been thinking about the Doctor's accepting Mickey as a traveling companion. The more I think about it, the more I think that he's brought Mickey along to keep Rose—and in some ways, himself—grounded. In the wake of their encounter with SJ, seeing what traveling with him has done to her, it's entirely possible that he finally understands the mark he leaves on his companions and is looking for a way to mitigate that effect somewhat for Rose, no matter how he may feel about her. I thought it was interesting that she mouthed "Don't" when he offered to take Mickey along; she didn't want things to change, which I can totally understand. But I think there's wisdom in his shaking things up a bit to help keep her emotionally safe. I wonder if, in the end, it'll really make a difference.
Ep 4: The Girl in the Fireplace
So Mickey joins the TARDIS crew. At the beginning of the episode, he felt like an interloper to me. I've always had a reluctant relationship with the Mickey character: on the one hand he can be such a jerk and such a coward, but on the other hand, when things get tough, he shows a courage that really can be admirable. Frankly, I was barely aware of him as this episode progressed.
This episode was wholly the Doctor's. I found myself almost thinking that Rose felt like a second thought here, like the child she is rather than the Doctor's right and appropriate companion. It could be that I felt that way because the Doctor was wholly focused on Reinette, gob-smacked as he was when he first met her in person. I bought their romance only in a limited way, partly because of the speed with which everything happened. But at the same time, it was sweet and sad and, yes, romantic. I enjoyed it.
Other bits I enjoyed: the ship, with its many windows through time. The concept of being able to pop in and out of someone's life like that, lickety-split. The clockwork androids. Rose's role in this adventure, the way she turns up, all-knowing and instructive; she felt to me like some of the Doctor's magic had rubbed off on her in that scene where she comes to warn Reinette of what's to come. The discussion between Rose and Reinette about their feelings for the Doctor. Loved the big ick of the ship with human parts integrated (cooking meat—eiw!). And the horse! What a complete surprise! Lots of goodness here.
The one thing that wasn't addressed was how Rose was adjusting to Mickey's presence when she clearly didn't want it. She seems to have taken his presence with some equanimity, but I didn't see the transition in her character to that position from how "School Reunion" ended. How did she get here from there?
I keep wanting the action to slow down just a bit so we can get another conversation between Rose and the Doctor about what's happened to them, revealing how (and whether or not) Rose's feelings and thoughts have changed on the subject of her traveling with him. The part of me that used to write fanfic wants to write that scene. (Maybe I will, but I don't know when, although—oh God—I already have a title for the damn thing. ::sigh::) The scripts this season, however, seem to be being written at a break-neck pace, and I wonder if we're going to lose some of that depth. I feel as though I (and lots of other Doctor Who fans online) are doing a lot of reading of the subtext to find the meaty bits.
Feel like I have so much more to say about all this but I don't have the time or the organizational brain for it right now. I'm enjoying how the season is unfolding and am curious to see whether or not there's a real, season-long story arc developing. And I can't wait to see the Cybermen!
doctorwho is that this season's episodes are 45 minutes, something like 3-5 minutes shorter than last season's, and somehow I can feel it. The episodes move more quickly, and it feels as though there's less time than there was before for explanation and character growth. Now, that said, I don't feel as though character development has been stinted on this season so far. In some ways it's been character-character-character in every episode I've seen, but it all feels to me as if it's happening at a gallop, and it felt especially that way to me in "The Girl in the Fireplace." But I'm getting ahead of myself. Okay, spoilerific thoughts follow:Ep 3: School Reunion
I loved Anthony Stewart Head as guest star and Monster Leader of the Week, Headmaster Finch. He was pure, unadulterated, wonderful Villain, and he looked to me as though he was having a blast. Though my central comment about the Krillitanes overall was that they're Doctor Who's answer to the Borg ("We take the best of each species we conquer"), I though their plot was an interesting one: solve this mysterious equation that would allow them to remold the universe. And as a plot device that feeds character, it worked very well. The confrontation between Finch and the Doctor at the pool was beautifully written, choreographed, and acted: Finch getting to the heart of that which hurts the Doctor most and offering him the one thing he knows he can't accept. Tennant's face as he listened was so eloquent; I could see the thought process so clearly, and all the emotions battling inside. This is the first episode of the season in which I bought Ten's darkness. But I bought it for reasons beyond this one particular scene.
The return of Sarah Jane was perfectly timed and beautifully handled. After seeing "The Hand of Fear," Sarah Jane's final episode in the classic series, seeing who she is today made perfect sense. For me, every beat of her story worked very well: the Doctor's reaction when they meet for the first time, SJ's reaction when she discovers the TARDIS, her speech to him when she sees him again ("You never came back..."), her confrontation with Rose and the subsequent discussions about past companions and the consequences of traveling with and becoming close to the Doctor. All of it worked so perfectly! Her attachment to K-9 was really rather touching; I expected it to be the unsophisticated and saccharine stuff of children's TV, but in the end, I sympathized with it. That last scene between the two of them was just as it should have been, the acknowledgement that this goodbye really was goodbye. I was gratified that they hugged; it seemed to me to be the one thing lacking in their farewell at the end of "The Hand of Fear," and it felt right this time. And I appreciated SJ telling Rose to find her if she needed her, because somehow, I think she will.
Why did I buy the Doctor's darkness in this ep? His discussion with Rose. That talk about how his companions wither and die but he goes on just killed me. The look on his face just said it all. Tennant's doing a wonderful job as he settles into the role, and I'm liking him more and more as the Doctor.
I've been thinking about the Doctor's accepting Mickey as a traveling companion. The more I think about it, the more I think that he's brought Mickey along to keep Rose—and in some ways, himself—grounded. In the wake of their encounter with SJ, seeing what traveling with him has done to her, it's entirely possible that he finally understands the mark he leaves on his companions and is looking for a way to mitigate that effect somewhat for Rose, no matter how he may feel about her. I thought it was interesting that she mouthed "Don't" when he offered to take Mickey along; she didn't want things to change, which I can totally understand. But I think there's wisdom in his shaking things up a bit to help keep her emotionally safe. I wonder if, in the end, it'll really make a difference.
Ep 4: The Girl in the Fireplace
So Mickey joins the TARDIS crew. At the beginning of the episode, he felt like an interloper to me. I've always had a reluctant relationship with the Mickey character: on the one hand he can be such a jerk and such a coward, but on the other hand, when things get tough, he shows a courage that really can be admirable. Frankly, I was barely aware of him as this episode progressed.
This episode was wholly the Doctor's. I found myself almost thinking that Rose felt like a second thought here, like the child she is rather than the Doctor's right and appropriate companion. It could be that I felt that way because the Doctor was wholly focused on Reinette, gob-smacked as he was when he first met her in person. I bought their romance only in a limited way, partly because of the speed with which everything happened. But at the same time, it was sweet and sad and, yes, romantic. I enjoyed it.
Other bits I enjoyed: the ship, with its many windows through time. The concept of being able to pop in and out of someone's life like that, lickety-split. The clockwork androids. Rose's role in this adventure, the way she turns up, all-knowing and instructive; she felt to me like some of the Doctor's magic had rubbed off on her in that scene where she comes to warn Reinette of what's to come. The discussion between Rose and Reinette about their feelings for the Doctor. Loved the big ick of the ship with human parts integrated (cooking meat—eiw!). And the horse! What a complete surprise! Lots of goodness here.
The one thing that wasn't addressed was how Rose was adjusting to Mickey's presence when she clearly didn't want it. She seems to have taken his presence with some equanimity, but I didn't see the transition in her character to that position from how "School Reunion" ended. How did she get here from there?
I keep wanting the action to slow down just a bit so we can get another conversation between Rose and the Doctor about what's happened to them, revealing how (and whether or not) Rose's feelings and thoughts have changed on the subject of her traveling with him. The part of me that used to write fanfic wants to write that scene. (Maybe I will, but I don't know when, although—oh God—I already have a title for the damn thing. ::sigh::) The scripts this season, however, seem to be being written at a break-neck pace, and I wonder if we're going to lose some of that depth. I feel as though I (and lots of other Doctor Who fans online) are doing a lot of reading of the subtext to find the meaty bits.
Feel like I have so much more to say about all this but I don't have the time or the organizational brain for it right now. I'm enjoying how the season is unfolding and am curious to see whether or not there's a real, season-long story arc developing. And I can't wait to see the Cybermen!