Apart from John Simms' wonderful scenery chewing, this episode was full of things I dislike from the RTD era and only reaffirms my desire to see the Moffat era start.
As soon as the Doctor was all "why you Bernard Cribbins" I was all "because he's a Time Lord!" (and I've long suspected something wasn't 100% earthling about Donna; it would be too General Hospital for either of them to be related to him though I'd eat it up if either of them had anything to do with Susan) and the moment the TV ghost said Wilfred was an Old Soldier I thought "YANA!" so the last twist wasn't all that surprising
Once again, only a time reversing Deus Ex Machina can save the day, which is disappointing, but Tennant and Cribbins (and Simm... and Tate) are brilliant so I'm content to ride out Davies run knowing full well the man's strengths and weaknesses.
Moffat's day is coming, and Tennant or not, it will be GLORIOUS.
Originally posted by odessasteps Let us never talk bout the mystery woman again.
Susan? Donna? Romana? Rani? Flavia?
I had some awkwardness I can't fully describe with Ten's final goodbyes. I didn't shed tears seeing Ten burst (especially when he was acting selfish after he saw Wilf knock four times in the chamber); I was relieved when Matt Smith's face finally appeared.
Wilf...is just a simple old man. Naismith is...well...another nutty rich guy.
Now I know why those Time Lords are such meaneys.
Bravura performances by Timothy Dalton's and Matt Smith's saliva glands.
Saw the last episode, it was very well done. Its too bad that I have little or no faith in the new doctor. Tennant did a great job in bringing this character back to life as well as keeping the momentum for season one going. Its too bad that they are probably going to have retread stories if they want to bring back the Tennant group.
Well, while I've been indifferent to Matt Smith based on the publicity photos, I liked him a lot in the very limited time he got at the end of the episode. (I think it's partly because, aside from a few flashes of humor, Ten was Debbie Downer since the end of "Planet of the Dead" -- so it was nice seeing Eleven just being goofy and fun.)
I liked the callback to "Human Nature/Family of Blood." That was unexpected and very nicely handled. And for all RTD gets bashed for his Rose fixation, Ten's last encounter with Rose was done well and not overplayed like it could have been.
(edited by Shem the Penman on 4.1.10 1218) "The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?"
On the whole, I was pretty satisfied. I was actually okay with the Doctor being selfish and not wanting to die. Tennant's Doctor was always very full of live and verve and enjoyed himself as much as he could, so why wouldn't he want to keep going? And yet the "I've lived too long" statement made it clear that he understood that his denial and hatred of his impending death was part of the reason why it was necessary (since the Time Lords as a whole refusing to die with dignity is why they were insane and evil in the end). I was glad he got a chance to say goodbye to his friends. And anytime I get more MARTHA JONES~!, I'm pretty happy, even if it was brief (and she was with Mickey, of all people).
I'm pretty optimistic about Matt Smith. The preview looked mostly good. I'm just wondering how he'll change and what he'll be like. I'll definitely be watching to find out, which is, of course, the whole point.
"Never piss off a hawk with a blowgun" - Conan O'Brien
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Just another reason why I'd be more than happy for Metallica to drop out of the spotlight forever. Back on topic, it really is amazing how much they can get us excited with just on photo, isn't it?