Doctor Who 4x12 - "The Stolen Earth"

[Mister_Wilbur]

That was quite... Epic. Now I wonder who the Eleventh Doctor will be?

[Ross Hendrie]

Rumour is that it'll still be DT... somehow. Dont have a clue whether or not that's true, could well be a new Doctor.

[Alexus]

The hand. The hand in the jar.

Think, boys.

[Ronnie Rowlands]

I'm not sure about the "RTD's greatest hits" approach to last night's episode. As I said, it seemed to be cramming too much in, at the expense of narrative clarity.

We hadhe most frightful round of "mashing the keyboard" shots tonight. Soon as the panic started they were all thundering away on their keyboards. The best example being the "former Prime Minister" who went for the two digit random-prodding approach.

I just watched it again and the episode was blown open a little more, some bits clearer, some narrative errors that bugged me.

I think the story was shaping up nicely up until the 'Bees are disappearing' part, but after that it mostly went to pot story wise. I did like the explanation of the 'Indigo Project', and it being taken from the Sontarans, but Martha somehow ending up at home was again, very very weird and confusing. The scene where Rose walks away from that explosion without flinching reminded me of Sylvester McCoy doing the same in 1988's 'The Greatest Show in the Galaxy. I liked the 2 mystery strands that started. First, 'I'm sorry for your loss", and "The Osterhagen key" was also odd, but my fear is that it's going to turn out to be some giant reset button that will lazily conclude and fix the story, like last year's disappointing finale. The scenes with Davros were brilliant, I liked the music that went with it and they provided some good, quiet and haunting intervals, although they were much too short. On a second viewing, I liked what Dalek Caan became, but the explanation for getting into the 'Timelocked' time war being "yet he managed it" really spoilt it for me, it was just so lazy. The line "you know nothing of any human and that will be your downfall" was very cliched, I felt.

A couple of major goofs here. How were any of the televisions working without satellites? Perhaps the Daleks took them, but that's very unlikely. I would have liked to have seen more of the scientific effects of having the whole freaking planet moved. For example, the tide going crazy without the moon. Also, how the hell can planets be kept that close together without them all bumping into eachother or going wild from eachother's gravitational pulls? And finally, the end. Rose had been carrying a big, fuck off gun around with her all the way through this episode, why didn't she have it at the end to blow the Dalek to sky-high kingdom-come-bollocks-and-gone?

Again, too much continuity. It was the pandering to the fans that ballsed up Doctor Who in the 80s. Why oh why is it happening again?

Pah. This really isn't very good at all. Again, I am deathly scared of next week's finale being resolved with the proverbial 'reset-button'. I'm praying it isn't.

[Ronnie Rowlands]

+ YouTube Video

I say, JB certainly is good at ranting. Very, very faithful. I'm going to remain optimistic and hope that next week's will perhaps not be so rushed, and more will be revealed about some of the less clear aspects of yesterday's episode. It will be 65 minutes, I'm just hoping some of that time will be used as breathing space.

[Jamie Minty]

I agree mostly with Ronnie's little review.

The more I think about it it felt very different. I think it was the Shaadow Proclamation and Earth scenes that really split it apart made it feel a bit more complex in ways perhaps.

HATED Mr.Smith's fanfare. IT MUST GO!
RTD may muck up the next part but after seeing that trailer I doubt it and I know Davros will ROCK!

Thanks Ron!

[Superkid11]

Davros was badass, there's no doubting that. ... Youtube clip was removed. :[

And I was under the impression that Mr. Smith was dead by the end of SJA.

[Alexus]

Wow, Ron, your review was like reading Light Danny from a parallel universe where I understand his criticisms

I disagree with almost everything you said, but I understand why you said it and I applaud the cogent manner in which you did so. Vive la difference!

[Kody]

Originally Posted by Alexus

Wow, Ron, your review was like reading Light Danny from a parallel universe where I understand his criticisms

I disagree with almost everything you said, but I understand why you said it and I applaud the cogent manner in which you did so. Vive la difference!

I love how you can commend Ronnie for having a different view point, but shoot down Danny and the others, who posted just as well thought out and coherent arguments in the past. :p

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_standard

That said, you did make a lot of good points Ronnie. Still not sure what to say about it myself.

[Alexus]

I'm saying that I did not find Danny's argument's coherent, though, and that Ronnie's was different in that it was a cogent one. Reread my post.

[Kody]

Originally Posted by Alexus

I'm saying that I did not find Danny's argument's coherent, though, and that Ronnie's was different in that it was a cogent one. Reread my post.

And I was referring to the Turn Left episode discussion thread.

As long as someone produces a thought out, well written opinion of an episode, even if you don't agree with it I'd tend to rest on the side of at least not insulting them for it.

I apologize, the tone many people took in that last thread is still rather annoying.

[Superkid11]

I understand Danny's argument, he didn't really make much of one recently because he's already stated it more than once. His problem is that it's too epic. I realize that sounds like sarcasm but it isn't, it's stupidly epic and really fast performance makes it cease to look or feel like Doctor Who. And all the ridiculous human drama in Turn Left did the same thing.
Too fast, too much drama.

Though I didn't quite understand his argument on how it's going to somehow corrupt the entire continuity of Doctor Who from now on even though all the episodes sans for a lot of RTD's haven't been effected. The only "effect" is the Valiant being in the Sontaran Strategem.
But I've already talked about that.

[Ross Hendrie]

Originally Posted by Alexus

The hand. The hand in the jar.

Think, boys.

You're going to have to spell it out, it would seem.

[Superkid11]

Somehow the hand in the jar is going to give him a freebie and he'll regenerate into the same body?

[Megan]

Going into this and expecting something worse than Turn Left, I have to say I was somewhat surprised. There were parts that were excruciatingly bad, parts that were awesomely bad, parts that were decent, and parts that were somewhat awesome.

Excruciatingly bad:
-LOTTL "let's all call the Doctor at the same time and then he'll magically hear us" bullshit. Maybe that works for calling his name but if everyone at once calls his phone I think the whole world would just get an obnoxious busy signal.
-Rose and especially her whininess. So Wilf doesn't have a webcam because it's too naughty. Deal with it. No one wants to hear you bitch about how Martha gets to talk to Harriet and the Doctor and you don't. STFU.
-Ummm...bees are returning to their home planet, we can follow the path of bees back to Earth. Ummm...what?
-EXTERMINATE! X infinity + 1

Awesomely bad:
-Flying Daleks WHEEEEE!!!!!
-CGI = win, apparently.
-"MY VISION IS NOT IMPAIRED"
-"DALEKS DO NOT ACCEPT APOLOGIES"
-"I FLEWWWWW...etc."
-The Doctor dissing Davros. BYE!
-Murray's WILD WEST score. WTF WAS THAT?!!
-Wilf + paintball gun = hilarious.

Decent:
-Well the acting was pretty good, as usual.
-Although the cross-overs were a bit awkward, it worked and they got their point across. It's always nice to see Sarah Jane and Torchwood.

AWESOME:
-Agrees with Ronnie: cutting off the dramatic running towards each other reunion with something horribly tragic.
-JACK WITH TWO GIANT GUNS.


I'm probably missing some things but I think that's sufficient for now. I didn't know how to categorize this, but I'm pretty disturbed by the cliffhanger. I assume, due to the precise moment at which it ended there will probably be some sort of reset button moment in the next episode. After all, the whole point of it being a cliffhanger is because it's shocking. However, if he does actually die and regenerate into someone else then it would make more sense for RTD to show the new Doctor at the end of this episode and not at the beginning of the next one. I figure that we were left with him about to regenerate so we can have a shock now and a shock at the beginning of the next episode when he's magically OK. At least, that's what I've rationalized myself into believing so I don't freak out. No more David Tennant? That would just make me cry.

[Kody]

Originally Posted by Megan

Megan's Review

Welp, she beat me to it. I think that sums it up nicely.

Oh, though you did forget Harriet Jones annoying as hell little shtick with holding up her ID and everyone saying the over used "We know who you are."

Even the Daleks! I mean, come on.

[Megan]

Originally Posted by Kody

Oh, though you did forget Harriet Jones annoying as hell little shtick with holding up her ID and everyone saying the over used "We know who you are."

OH! Yes that was terrible. But more importantly you reminded me of something even more odd. Why is it that being the ex-prime minister gives her 1337 hacks0r skills? Why is it that she has the power to turn everyone's computer on and talk to them at will? Did she have these powers before when she was prime minister? Either way it's just creepy as shit.

Oh, and props on defending Danny's definitely coherent and (wow it's like the best word ever!) cogent posts.

[Superkid11]

I'd come close to tears myself. Ten is easily my favorite Doctor ever. I think I knew how a lot of the fans felt back when Four fell from that tower...

[Megan]

Originally Posted by Superkid11

I'd come close to tears myself. Ten is easily my favorite Doctor ever. I think I knew how a lot of the fans felt back when Four fell from that tower...

Luckily I'll be watching next week's episode with Danny so if it turns out that David Tennant is no more I can at least be comforted in my grief. I would be very sad to see him go, for he's probably my second favorite Doctor (For me, nothing beats Patrick Troughton. I love his cosmic hobo/Chaplinesque portrayal! Plus...he's just so snarky!).

[Superkid11]

I think maybe when Rose said "But you can't!!" it wasn't because she didn't want him to change, maybe because she knew he couldn't. (If he doesn't.)

If he does finish exploding without changing into another actor I'll bet you anything he'll utter his famous: