Planet of the Dead reaction post
Apr. 14th, 2009 12:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tardis_stowawayI'm a bit late, but I thought I'd post some thoughts about the Easter special.
My overall verdict: enjoyable in a light way, with a few great moments, but overall not a very special special.
Like all of fandom, I have to give my two cents about Christina. Basically, she would be a great person to have at a dinner party (providing you had nothing worth stealing on hand) or in a crisis where her welfare is bound up to everybody else's, but not the sort of person you'd want as a long-term friend, watching your back when it might cost her something, or as a Companion. She's clearly very intelligent and talented, and I enjoyed watching her. However, her backpack had about as much personality as she did. Worse, the more I think about her, the more her lacks come into focus. She showed no sign morality or selflessness. It's not that she was actively evil beyond the obvious thievery, but we didn't see her act for anything but selfish motives. (Also, I could have more easily overlooked the thievery if she stole money or maybe stole artifacts from private collectors, but she stole from a museum. That chalice is going from public display to either her own home or whatever buyer she found, presumably some shady collector. She was robbing from the poor and middle class to amuse the rich, and she was doing it purely for kicks. ) She didn't connect with anyone other than the Doctor. She didn't freak out with the aliens, but she also assumed the worst about them and got easily disgusted. The show relentlessly compared her to the Doctor, but she is like only the roguish adventurer aspect of him, and the Doctor is so much more.
Otherwise, I was pleased to see something that wasn't just a reeking cesspoil of angst for the Doctor. He got everyone except the bus driver and the Tritovores out alive. He may still have the self-destructive policy of not accepting companions, but he seemed more stable about it than at the end of The Next Doctor.
My favorite moments included:
-the Doctor speaking the Tritovore language!!! David Tennant making goofy mouth noises is always entertaining.
-the Doctor licking the sand and making disgusted faces about it. A while ago, a meme circulated asking people about their hopes for David Tennant's last episodes as Doctor, and one of mine was at least one more instance of licking something really unlikely. I got my wish! (If the remaining specials contain a Ten/Jack kiss and a happy ending, RTD will officially be my personal genie.)
-I must admit to childish thrills when the bus started flying.
-The Doctor is a stranger with candy. hee! Speaking of that, his line about wanting to keep those teeth was sad, since we all know he won't get to keep them. Nice continuity nod to Ten's first moments and the "new teeth."
-Hey, they're somewhere other than Britain or space stations and other such places full of corridors!
-"Malcolm, you're my new best friend." I thought the character of Malcolm treaded a fine line between adorably funny and annoyingly overdone, occasionally falling on the wrong side, but the good moments were very good. Malcolm's hug at the end was also sweet. I was more than half convinced that Malcolm was about to snog the Doctor, but it was not to be.
-Look, a police officer who actually calls UNIT! (Speaking of calling UNIT, I'm sad that the Doctor called them instead of Torchwood, but I guess the Doctor wanted people on site and not in Cardiff.)
-The prophecy! I'm intrigued. "He will knock four times" seems most likely to refer to the Master, although it could also be the creature from Midnight, which knocked on the shuttle walls. But what is this "it" that is returning through the darkness? The use of "it" instead of he, she, or they limits the options. A fleet of Daleks could be "it," but "they" would seem more natural. What, then? The Midnight creature? The Master's drumbeat? The Beast from TIP/TSP? Gallifrey? (Gentle readers, I'm happy to hear your speculation, but please don't tell me confirmed spoilers or rumors with supporting evidence. I like to remain unspoiled except for what our brains can imagine.) As for the reference to his song ending, that is clearly an indication that the last special will be a musical. :)
Things I didn't like:
-While it's true that without the TARDIS the Tritovores would be unintelligible to humans, by not giving us their words except through the Doctor they were deprived of the chance to be characters rather than just fancy costumes. They were an interesting idea for a species, but they never quite worked for me.
-Antigravity clamps that exactly fit the bus wheels? How convenient! Pointless deep hole in the spaceship where the bottom can only be reached by a person on a wire? This reminds me of Galaxyquest. UNIT doesn't send a very sturdy vehicle (like a tank) through the wormhole or at least throw some boards and a can of petrol through? Dumb. You could drive a bus through these plot holes. (ba duh DUM ching!)
-Speaking of buses, why does Christina get to keep alien antigrav clamps on a bus? The Doctor disables Jack's teleport at every opportunity, and he's a time-tested ally who actually cares about other people.
-Overall, the episode failed to wow. It could be a solid mid-season episode, but as the only DW between this past Christmas and sometime in the fall it was a bit underwhelming. I know it was supposed to be a romp, but even at that it didn't excel. The Unicorn and the Wasp was a fluffy comedy that was a whole lot better. Despite its even sillier plot, I liked The Next Doctor better than PotD. The time spent watching PotD was an hour well spent, and I'll likely watch it again in the wait, but I wish it had been a bit stronger.
My overall verdict: enjoyable in a light way, with a few great moments, but overall not a very special special.
Like all of fandom, I have to give my two cents about Christina. Basically, she would be a great person to have at a dinner party (providing you had nothing worth stealing on hand) or in a crisis where her welfare is bound up to everybody else's, but not the sort of person you'd want as a long-term friend, watching your back when it might cost her something, or as a Companion. She's clearly very intelligent and talented, and I enjoyed watching her. However, her backpack had about as much personality as she did. Worse, the more I think about her, the more her lacks come into focus. She showed no sign morality or selflessness. It's not that she was actively evil beyond the obvious thievery, but we didn't see her act for anything but selfish motives. (Also, I could have more easily overlooked the thievery if she stole money or maybe stole artifacts from private collectors, but she stole from a museum. That chalice is going from public display to either her own home or whatever buyer she found, presumably some shady collector. She was robbing from the poor and middle class to amuse the rich, and she was doing it purely for kicks. ) She didn't connect with anyone other than the Doctor. She didn't freak out with the aliens, but she also assumed the worst about them and got easily disgusted. The show relentlessly compared her to the Doctor, but she is like only the roguish adventurer aspect of him, and the Doctor is so much more.
Otherwise, I was pleased to see something that wasn't just a reeking cesspoil of angst for the Doctor. He got everyone except the bus driver and the Tritovores out alive. He may still have the self-destructive policy of not accepting companions, but he seemed more stable about it than at the end of The Next Doctor.
My favorite moments included:
-the Doctor speaking the Tritovore language!!! David Tennant making goofy mouth noises is always entertaining.
-the Doctor licking the sand and making disgusted faces about it. A while ago, a meme circulated asking people about their hopes for David Tennant's last episodes as Doctor, and one of mine was at least one more instance of licking something really unlikely. I got my wish! (If the remaining specials contain a Ten/Jack kiss and a happy ending, RTD will officially be my personal genie.)
-I must admit to childish thrills when the bus started flying.
-The Doctor is a stranger with candy. hee! Speaking of that, his line about wanting to keep those teeth was sad, since we all know he won't get to keep them. Nice continuity nod to Ten's first moments and the "new teeth."
-Hey, they're somewhere other than Britain or space stations and other such places full of corridors!
-"Malcolm, you're my new best friend." I thought the character of Malcolm treaded a fine line between adorably funny and annoyingly overdone, occasionally falling on the wrong side, but the good moments were very good. Malcolm's hug at the end was also sweet. I was more than half convinced that Malcolm was about to snog the Doctor, but it was not to be.
-Look, a police officer who actually calls UNIT! (Speaking of calling UNIT, I'm sad that the Doctor called them instead of Torchwood, but I guess the Doctor wanted people on site and not in Cardiff.)
-The prophecy! I'm intrigued. "He will knock four times" seems most likely to refer to the Master, although it could also be the creature from Midnight, which knocked on the shuttle walls. But what is this "it" that is returning through the darkness? The use of "it" instead of he, she, or they limits the options. A fleet of Daleks could be "it," but "they" would seem more natural. What, then? The Midnight creature? The Master's drumbeat? The Beast from TIP/TSP? Gallifrey? (Gentle readers, I'm happy to hear your speculation, but please don't tell me confirmed spoilers or rumors with supporting evidence. I like to remain unspoiled except for what our brains can imagine.) As for the reference to his song ending, that is clearly an indication that the last special will be a musical. :)
Things I didn't like:
-While it's true that without the TARDIS the Tritovores would be unintelligible to humans, by not giving us their words except through the Doctor they were deprived of the chance to be characters rather than just fancy costumes. They were an interesting idea for a species, but they never quite worked for me.
-Antigravity clamps that exactly fit the bus wheels? How convenient! Pointless deep hole in the spaceship where the bottom can only be reached by a person on a wire? This reminds me of Galaxyquest. UNIT doesn't send a very sturdy vehicle (like a tank) through the wormhole or at least throw some boards and a can of petrol through? Dumb. You could drive a bus through these plot holes. (ba duh DUM ching!)
-Speaking of buses, why does Christina get to keep alien antigrav clamps on a bus? The Doctor disables Jack's teleport at every opportunity, and he's a time-tested ally who actually cares about other people.
-Overall, the episode failed to wow. It could be a solid mid-season episode, but as the only DW between this past Christmas and sometime in the fall it was a bit underwhelming. I know it was supposed to be a romp, but even at that it didn't excel. The Unicorn and the Wasp was a fluffy comedy that was a whole lot better. Despite its even sillier plot, I liked The Next Doctor better than PotD. The time spent watching PotD was an hour well spent, and I'll likely watch it again in the wait, but I wish it had been a bit stronger.
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(no subject)
Date: 2009-04-14 11:26 pm (UTC)Exactly. I was just stunned that he let her take it. Also that he set her free in the first place.
I also found Malcolm occasionally over the top, but compared to Christina he was the perfect companion! ;)