Doctor Who Marathon Night 3

"The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances"

Location: London ---- Time: 1941 ---- Enemy: An Empty Child

Steven Moffat, ladies and gentlemen, the man born to write Doctor Who. This two parter gives Steven his first shot ever at his dream job and he is Fantastic! Moffat gives us a real adventure story. War time london, bombs flying everywhere, a strange boy, a strange girl, a crashed ship, and a 51st century man called Jack.

Moffat knows how to scare an audience. Moffat knows how to be funny without being cheesy. Moffat knows how to write characters the audience can feel for. Moffat knows Doctor Who and has a vision of what they show can be (what the show should be).

The Good

It's almost as if Moffat is a Manatee writer (South Park reference). He has a million things he wants to work into it and then he tries to find ways to blend them together (and succeeds). At the end of this episode you are left with a satisfying conclusion.

Some of these scenes are not only memorable, but beautiful): Rose hanging from a barrage balloon with planes flying at her, Jack and Rose dancing to Moonlight Serenade on top of a spaceship tethered to Big Ben, Jack, Rose, and the Doctor surrounded by gas-mask zombies in a creepy, abandoned hospital. Pure brilliance!

Jack's character is brilliant here. He is Doctor Who's Han Solo (the Han that shoots Greedo first) and I long for the day he can be written for Moffat again (fingers crossed). In the future appearances of Jack (under the pen of Russell T. Davis) he is still Han Solo, but the Han Solo where Greedo shoots first (not quite as cool).

The Bad

There are few things wrong with these episodes, though the first one is the stronger one. The second episode is a little slow and featured Jack Harkness riding a bomb (pointless and silly).

Sex and The Doctor

This episode highlights a big character change for our Doctor and we owe this to Moffat. In the sixties, seventies and eighties (during the shows first run) the Doctor took in many companions but never, well... danced. In this episode Moffat changes the course of the show. He introduces the Doctor's jealous side; the Doctor's sexy side. The Doctor is falling for his companion.

Cool Quote

"1941. Right now, not very far from here the German war machine is rolling up the map of Europe. Country after country, falling like Dominoes. Nothing can stop it, nothing until one tiny, damp little island says "no". No, not here. A mouse in front of a lion. You're amazing. The lot of you. Don't know what you do to Hitler, but you frighten the hell out of me. Off you go, then. Do what you got to do. Save the world. "

Bad Wolf

Couldn't find it. Look closer and learn German. "Schlechter Wolf" is penciled on the bomb that Jack sits on

Things to Watch For

-Bananas are good is also featured in the next Moffat episode in Season 2.

-Volcano Day is mentioned again in Season 4 when the Doctor travels to Pompeii

-Also in Season 4 "Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead" are companion episodes to these ones.

-Want to know more about Jack and why he's lost some of his memories. His spinoff show is called "Torchwood"

R.I.P = Nobody "Just this once, everybody lives"

Brock's Rating - 10 out of 10.

Next week we finish off Season 1 with "Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways" so you can skip the Slitheen episode.

Doctor Who Night 2

"Dalek"

Location: Utah . Time: 2012 . Enemy: Dalek

Few seasons of Doctor Who have passed without the Doctor fighting this master race. The Doctor first encountered the Daleks in 1963 and has scarcely stopped fighting them since. Sometimes the Daleks are scary and sometimes they are just silly. But I would argue that this one was pretty intimidating- A cold killing machine if there ever was one. This Dalek gives validity to the race in general, which isn't easy as they are giant pepper pots with plungers.

The Good

The relationship between The Doctor & Rose, The Doctor & the Dalek, and the Dalek & Rose were the strong points in this episode. First of all Eccelston's terror / glee / madness when he first encountered the Dalek told us everything we need to know about the time war.

"I watched it happen. I made it happen!"

The Doctor's anger was a powerful central plot to this episode. Both Rose and the Dalek call him on his ruthlessness.

"What the hell are you changing into" ~Rose "You would make a good Dalek" ~Dalek

You never see Tennant's Doctor or Smith's Doctor this ruthless.

The Bad

Von Staten. Obviously this is the most annoying character of this episode. He's suppose to be powerful, but he's just whiney and annoying. I honestly wonder if this character could have worked under a different actor like, say, Michael Emmerson, for instance.

The other thing I didn't like was Eccelston's sacrifice of Rose. Tennant and Smith would never, in a million years sacrifice a companion that easily.

Kyle's Britishisms: "Blimey" "God-smacked" "Nutters"

R.I.P: Heroic Butch Lady- Next time... run!

The Geeky: The Cyberman helmet is from 1975, the Fourth Doctor's Era

Bad Wolf sighting: Helicopter Pad is called "Bad Wolf One"

Brock's rating = 8 - Would have been 9 without Van Statten

"Father's Day"

Location: London . Time: 1987 . Enemy: Reapers

The Good

This isn't just another "Monster of the Week" episode (We've been skipping most of those). This is Rose really dealing with something big in her life, something we don't get enough of in Doctor Who. Rose breaks the rules in this episode, but The Doctor is really the one to blame. He sets her up: not once but twice. It's like her wanted her to save Peter. Maybe he feels bad because he can't go back and save his people.

It's also rare (but not unheard of) for Doctor Who to deal with paradoxes. This is a classic "trying to go back in time and change things" time travel episode and we don't get many of those. Usually things are time-locked and The Doctor can't do much.

I think the best piece of this episode is how Pete is so flawed. He knows it he is but to Rose he is perfect, none-the-less. She has never met him, but truly believes that he would have been the best father in the world.

The Bad

There is nothing specifically bad about this episode other than it's a little slow. There's nothing too exciting about being locked in a church in the 1980's.

Cool Quote: "I've traveled to all sorts of places. Done things you couldn't even imagine, but... you two... street corner. Two in the morning. Getting a taxi home. I've never had a life like that." ~The Doctor

The Geeky: This episode employs the Monster POV technique that made Who so famed in the 60's - 80's. Also "Watson... Come here... I need you" Not sure how the first phone call fits in with this episode, but still kinda neat.

Bad Wolf Reference: Energize poster near beginning of episode

RIP: Pete Tyler. He's dead... He is! Well...

Brock's Rating = 8

Next week:

Join us for Steven Moffat penned / Hugo Award winning episodes "The Empty Child" & "The Doctor Dances"

It's going to be Fantastic!

Doctor Who Marathon Night 1

And so it begins. Have you ever gone back and looked at old photos of yourself and thought, "I was really a different person back then." When I first started watching Doctor Who I was living with Corey Scharrer and a girl named Heidi in a small apartment. I never dreamed that a few years later I would be married and living in China. But I'm not the only one who has changed: Looking back on Doctor Who, it is truly a different show.

Let's get down to it, shall we?

"Rose"

Location: London Time: 2005 Enemy: The Autons

The Bad

Walking mannequins, burping trash cans, and a plastic Mickey. Writer, Russell T. Davies really shows his cornball side in this first season. But corniness isn't the thing that hurts this episode the most, somehow there is a lack of excitement. I can't put my finger on it, but i'm just not "feeling it". Thank God the series gets better or it would never have survived.

The CGI was also... not good.

The Good

Christopher Eccelston (The Doctor) has some great moments in this episode including this line:

"I can feel it. The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet spinning at a thousand miles an hour. And the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at 67,000 thousand miles an hour and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me. Clinging to the skin of this tiny little world"

It's moments like this that save Russell T. Davies episodes of WHO. The Doctor is enigmatic enough to keep the audience watching just one more episode, one more season. And believe me, it is worth your time.

The Geeky: The Doctor first fought the Autons in the 1970s during the Third Doctor's first episode

Nods to the future:

"The Shadow Proclamation"

Cool Quotes:

"The Doctor is a legend woven throughout history. When disaster comes, he's there. He brings a storm in his wake and he has one constant companion: death"

British-isms:

Half the time I still can't understand what characters are saying:

"Mucking about" "Beans on Toast" "Eat Chips" "Go watch the telly"

R.I.P. Clive: Conspiracy Theorist till the end

Brock's rating = 7 (Rose tries hard but misses the mark)

"The End of the World"

Location: Platform One Time: 5,000,000,000 Enemy: Cassandra

Now this is more like it! Yes its cheesy but the overload of sci-fi masks this a little

The Good:

"The End of the World" has more palpable excitement in the first minute than "Rose" did in it's entire episode. It was like the Cantina bar scene in "Star Wars" meets "Armageddon".

"This is who I am! Right here, right now! Alright? All that counts is here and now and this is me!"

I think that The Doctor is best when he gets angry. That doesn't go for every actor who has played the timelord but at least every actor that has played him in the last ten years.

The Bad:

"Sun Filter Falling, Sun Filter Rising. Destruction of Earth: 10 Seconds"

It seems that to this day Doctor Who is still full of annoying computers that repeat things and don't shut up. I wonder if this is related to the London Underground "Mind the Gap"

Nods to the Future:

The Face of Boe becomes important. Very important some would say.

Bad Wolf reference. Did you hear it? The little blue guy said it.

Cool Quotes:

"It's better to die than live like you; a bitchy trampoline."

R.I.P. Tree: An interesting character but, ultimately, made of wood

Brock's Rating = 8 (Gives us just enough interest to keep us watching)

Next Time

We will be skipping episodes 3 - 5. If you would like to watch farting aliens go ahead and watch these. Otherwise join us next Sunday with episode 6 and episode 8:

Dalek & Fathers Day