*Restoring my faith*

[andrewducker]

In The Doctor, of course.

Just watched Blink, and was delighted to find myself watching a creepy family show, with atmosphere, decent acting and a good script. I mean, having skipped three episodes of this season due to lack of arsedness*, I had reached the point where "Pantomime fun" would have kept me happy - actual good TV was rather a surprise.

*Second half of the Dalek Two-parter, The Lazarus Experiment, 42. Should I bother tracking any of these down?

Comments

[robhu.livejournal.com]

42 was cheesy fun.

[skington.livejournal.com]

Not to mention good music.

The Shakespeare Code and Daleks in Manhattan were by far the worst episodes this series. Watch Evolution of the Daleks if you've got a spare moment (although it's easily skippable); the author wrote one and a half episodes, padded the first one out to get to a cliffhanger, and the director (or casting person) stuffed it full of Brits with atrocious US accents, and it's too close to the really dodgy bits of Alien Resurrection, but it's nowhere near as bad as the first part, Daleks in Manhattan.

Watch The Lazarus Experiment if you're going to watch the end of the season, as there's some story arc stuff in there, as well as some comedy science antics and a few "This Doctor isn't actually just a clown in trainers" moments. And 42 is a pretty good gritty space story, with a few pretty good bits and a nice twist. It's also got story arc stuff in.

As you apparently already know, Human Nature and The Family of Blood (the two-parter where the Doctor turns human) are both excellent.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

*Second half of the Dalek Two-parter, The Lazarus Experiment, 42. Should I bother tracking any of these down?

In order, yes, meh, and yes. The last 3 episodes have been the best this season, and Blink is perhaps the best Doctor Who episode ever.

[kurosau.livejournal.com]

The Dalek episode was so so, because of how weird it was. The Lazarus Experiment and 42 were just over-adventurey fluff. Still, not bad eps in their own right.

I was curious, what was the reason you didn't like Gridlock? Personally, I was really happy with that episode. It allowed for one of those really awesome 'the Doctor saves a planet' moments.

So tell me, in Blink, when the guy looked up at the angel and suddenly it was all fangs and claws bared, did that spook you a little?

[andrewducker]

Actually, I found them less scary with teeth/claws than when they'd just been standing there. And if they kill by transferring you through time, why do they need teeth/claws at all?

[kurosau.livejournal.com]

The first time she popped out the teeth/claws, that was my definition of a good jump scare. Not quite expected, and nicely shocking.

And why wouldn't they have teeth/claws? Why do they look like stone angels? They might not need to have teeth/claws, but there's nothing saying that they shouldn't have them.

[spaj.livejournal.com]

Second half of the Dalek Two-parter, The Lazarus Experiment, 42.

On purely entertainment basis:

no, no and no.

[laserboy.livejournal.com]

Seconded. They were shite.

[johanna-alice.livejournal.com]

Yes, Blink was a very pleasant surprise, especially as it was the 'Doctor light' episode, and my expectations were based on Love and Monsters from the last series...

42 wasn't bad if you don't mind your monsters is unexplained welding masks. Lazarus Experiment was ho-hum, oh look - its Jackie Tyler Mk2 **shudder**. Evolution of the Daleks was better than Daleks in Manhattan (Not difficult!) but the points it was trying to make were made far better long ago in Genesis of the Daleks.

I've got all the new Doctor Who's as MPEG's if you want any of them - they average just under 2 gig at original quality.

[dapperscavenger.livejournal.com]

You should watch 42 purely for the 5 seconds in which 'recreational mathematics' is mentioned. I think you'd get a kick out if it.

[widowinparadise.livejournal.com]

Oooh, it was terrifying! And I liked the last bit of paranoia just to ensure no kiddies would sleep that night, referring to the snapshots of "normal" looking statues- we're surrounded!!

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

42 is Sunshine (aka Alien) meets 24, and I enjoyed it lots. 2nd part daleks - pretty bad but sort of worth seeing for the continuing plot opportunities they threw away near teh end ..I missed Lazarus too so if you download it, keep it yeh?

I realised in the night I miss Mickey and the Tylers - don't miss Rose cos Freema is just as gutsy without the emo, but I do miss the ensemble thing and the continuing threads. I guess I liked it when Dr Who was more like Buffy, really.

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

42 is the best out of the three.

It's still a bit cack.

[spaj.livejournal.com]

For 'a bit' see totally.
Didn't we do all that 'space' stuff last time, with the whole 8-parter "Satan ate my hamster" thingy and the oood?

Ood: I have spaghetti for a mouth! FEAR ME! Don't make me point my ball at you...

42 was like that, only cack, with massive plot holes, and a totally unremarkable crew. At least Satan / Ood crew had at least 2 memorable characters...

complete cack, not even worth it if you could watch it in half an hour.

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

Was one of these memorable characters Satan?

I frequently fear you when you point balls at me.

[spaj.livejournal.com]

The other was the Doctor. I remember him.

(Also, there was the whingey archeologist who got posessed, and the hard nut guy who got killed, and the captain who he cried about.)

[draconid.livejournal.com]

I completely agree about Blink. I've enjoyed all the Doctor episodes to some extent or another but I think this is one of the best they've done yet. I was hiding under the quilt and had nightmares - the first time since I was a kid - they really need more episodes like that.

[marrog.livejournal.com]

Y'know, I thought it was not bad - I mean, I really did enjoy it; it was clever, and unnerving... but it didn't change my life or anything. I think maybe everyone's had their expectations lowered by watching any of the rest of it (since I watched it standing alone).

Also, how often now has the doctor killed 'the LAST, no this time really, really the LAST' Daleks?

[andrewducker]

Oh, I wasn't saying that it was, oh I dunno, The West Wing or something like that. It was just great spooky family-oriented TV.

[laserboy.livejournal.com]

*Second half of the Dalek Two-parter, The Lazarus Experiment, 42. Should I bother tracking any of these down?

No. Stick with blink and Human Nature 1&2.