The Dr Who thread

Ollie · Post by **Ollie** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 11:08 am 0

Matrixxx wrote:That guy, the lead fella, the one who looks like a thug, the webcam owner, im sure i've seen him playing the bad role in something else...

He's one of those annoying people, who I'm sure I've seen in something else, but I've gone through his list of appearances on IMDB and I haven't seen a single bloody one of them.

benedictw · Post by **benedictw** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 11:19 am 0

Matrixxx wrote:That guy, the lead fella, the one who looks like a thug, the webcam owner, im sure i've seen him playing the bad role in something else...

'Hustle' is the big one - every time I see him though I always wonder if hes the son of Malcolm McDowell...

GrapeApe · Post by **GrapeApe** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 11:28 am 0

He used to be in The Vice too and played the Edward Scissorhands/Jimmy White look-a-like in that ITV adaptation of Oliver Twist. He does some good stuff

HGFB · Post by **HGFB** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:26 pm 0

This has been the single most discussed episode on the Outpost Gallifrey forums of both the new series. It seems to have split the posters there down the middle somewhat.

After every episode they run a poll. Here are the current results

PurpleChair · Post by **PurpleChair** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:42 pm 0

I liked it, on the whole.

I mean, I would have preferred it if it wasn't based around the doodlings of an 11-year-old, but the concept of the episode was good.

I think it would have been better without the whole paving slab thing at the end. I mean, I always got the impression that the current doctor was all a bit zen about things having a time to die, and that.

But no. Good. A bit tragic. An alternative look at time travel. A man dancing around on his own in his bedroom. Yes.

Matrixxx · Post by **Matrixxx** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:52 pm 0

benedictw wrote:
Matrixxx wrote:That guy, the lead fella, the one who looks like a thug, the webcam owner, im sure i've seen him playing the bad role in something else...
'Hustle' is the big one - every time I see him though I always wonder if hes the son of Malcolm McDowell...

He does a'nall - coo

grue · Post by **grue** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 6:31 pm 0

That was so bad it's not even funny

Bring back Eccleston and everything that went with him please...

skweek · Post by **skweek** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 7:09 pm 0

I liked it, anyone who didn't has no soul.

I have a question for all of you who didn't like it, did it make you cry?

IronGiant · Post by **IronGiant** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 7:17 pm 0

skweek wrote:I liked it, anyone who didn't has no soul.

That'll get you flamed by the nay-sayers.

I have a question for all of you who didn't like it, did it make you cry?

I'd guess they only cried in anguish and frustration ..........

I still think it's a great episode and no-one cann tell me otherwise.

BTW, did anyone think that Mr Skinner looked a bit like Douglas Adams?

Also, who thought that it was a better episode because of the absence of the Doc and Rose? I can't help feeling that if they had been in it more then it would have suffered somehow ..........

grue · Post by **grue** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 7:31 pm 0

skweek wrote: I have a question for all of you who didn't like it, did it make you cry?

I cried the 45-minutes lost not to ever return.

Textbook generic sci-fi series episode:
>Monsters: Check
>Hit or miss humor: Check
>Romance: Check
>Tragedy: Check
>Deus Ex Machina: Check
>Couple of big name guest stars: Check
>Tears and tragedy: Check

Except that all these were put in without a trace of elegance, just stirred and served.

Atty · Post by **Atty** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 7:33 pm 0

skweek wrote:I liked it, anyone who didn't has no soul.

I have a question for all of you who didn't like it, did it make you cry?

Nope, it didn't make me a shed a tear. Neither did that fireplace man episode, either. But then I am dead inside.

Harlequin · Post by **Harlequin** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 7:34 pm 0

I laughed through most of it, cried toward the end, then laughed at the final fellatio gag. But then I'm one of those who loved it

Anyone who didn't takes telly far too seriously

IronGiant wrote:BTW, did anyone think that Mr Skinner looked a bit like Douglas Adams?

You too?

IronGiant wrote:Also, who thought that it was a better episode because of the absence of the Doc and Rose? I can't help feeling that if they had been in it more then it would have suffered somehow ..........

The episode took advantage of their absence (Tennant and Piper were busy filming The Impossible Planet at the time) by focusing upon an 'ordinary' person and events from his perspective. More Doctor and Rose would probably have shifted the focus too far away from him and thus from much of the point of the story.

H.
_________________
"To great evils we submit; we resent little provocations."
[William Hazlitt -- "Literary Remains"]

Gorecki · Post by **Gorecki** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 7:45 pm 0

I liked it. I thought that the monster/bad guy was really quite poor despite the best efforts of Peter Kaye. However, Russell T Davis has clearly learned one thing from Joss Whedon and that is that the most important thing about sci-fi and fantasy is how it affects the characters. And whilst that doesn't excuse the weakness of the sci-fi stuff, it does mean they can get away with it when they get the characters so right. The scene's where L.I.n.D.A are gradually becoming greater friends were wonderful and the steel shown by both Jackie and Rose when they defend each other was spot on.

IronGiant · Post by **IronGiant** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 7:47 pm 0

Harlequin wrote:
IronGiant wrote:BTW, did anyone think that Mr Skinner looked a bit like Douglas Adams?
You too?

Ah good, I wasn't the only one.

[absence of the Doc and Rose]

The episode took advantage of their absence (Tennant and Piper were busy filming The Impossible Planet at the time) by focusing upon an 'ordinary' person and events from his perspective. More Doctor and Rose would probably have shifted the focus too far away from him and thus from much of the point of the story.

Quite. Methinks that RTD should write an episode like this once per series (there, that'll get me flamed).

In fact, I recall from the commentary track that there would be a similar "minimal Doc plus companion" episode next series when they once again shoot two episodes at once.

juice · Post by **juice** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 7:52 pm 0

Watching this one, the main thing that comes to mind is: RTD is clearly in his element writing lightweight, contemporary comedy-dramas. Well and enough, but...

I kinda enjoyed this week's episode in a "who wants to be Guy Ritchie" kinda way, but I didn't enjoy it as a Dr Who. The Benny Hill slapstick "intro" was truely cringeworthy, and the various characters and their ability to be denser than a chunk of collapsium was truely awe-inspiring. As for the main alien - I think other people have discussed that one enough

It's certainly not something I'd want to watch again. There's been a few episodes this series which I'd rate as decent, but I am getting to the point where I'll not complain if I happen to miss an RTD-scripted episode...