Overall opinion: Oh god, it's these episodes with the farting!
Okay, there are good ideas here and I get the commentary about politicians the show is trying to make, but my god, the farting! I think my biggest complaint about this story is that it's a two parter. It honestly does not deserve to be a two-parter.
In terms of rating: Aliens of London is a 5/10
And World War III is a 6/10
The Doctor: I feel like this two-parter is basically the quintessential The Doctor being The Doctor, he does have some really good moments here.
Rose: I don't know what to make of Rose here. She just stands by The Doctor's side, she doesn't really express a lot of deep emotions other than the obvious ones, and she's just kind of relegated to the background. The way people react to her is much more important than how she reacts to them.
Side characters: I like Jackie a lot more here, she is a lot less grating here because she acts very loving and concerned about Rose. I like Mickey a lot better too. I love his interactions with the Doctor, especially near the end. In fact both of them and their interactions with Rose are what makes this two-parter a little bit worth it for me.
Besides that, the alien doctor lady is cool, and of course Harriet Jones is a classic New Who character.
Villain: Look, I get the idea behind these villains on paper, and on paper I think it's an alright idea. But my god, with the farting! There's just no way to save that.
I'm not crazy about the design either. I like the faces, and the rest of them are just bleh. I guess I do like that the name they give is their family name, not the name of their species. And yeah, their plan is not the worst, but I still can't take them seriously,
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Doctor Who 1.03 - The Unquiet Dead
Overall opinion: Another solid 9/10 episode. I don't generally love 18/19th century England in Doctor Who (though I think that has to do more with the Moffat era, where it gets way too overused), but there are solid episodes set in this time period and this was one of them. The supernatural aspect of it is a bit meh, because we know it's not actually supernatural, but the episode really picks up in the second half.
The Doctor: I liked the Doctor here, I liked his "new morality" and I liked how he is very much pro any living creatures, and believes that they are well-intentioned.
Rose: Not a great Rose episode in my opinion. This is the second time in a row she gets kidnapped and the Doctor has to save her (although not quite so literally this time.) And after, that she spends the episode being close-minded and a know-it-all.
Side characters: I love Charles Dickens obviously. It's a bit fan service-y every time Doctor Who brings in a historical figure, but it's still fun to see. He does take a little bit to come around to what's going on, but once he does, it's pretty awesome. Gwenyth is also one of my absolute favorite one time characters. Can't say much about her without spoiling the episode, so I'll just leave it at that.
Villain: I don't so much like the villains/monsters as characters in this episode, but I do like the interactions around them and I like the moral dilemma that they pose. So overall, yeah, it's pretty alright.
The Doctor: I liked the Doctor here, I liked his "new morality" and I liked how he is very much pro any living creatures, and believes that they are well-intentioned.
Rose: Not a great Rose episode in my opinion. This is the second time in a row she gets kidnapped and the Doctor has to save her (although not quite so literally this time.) And after, that she spends the episode being close-minded and a know-it-all.
Side characters: I love Charles Dickens obviously. It's a bit fan service-y every time Doctor Who brings in a historical figure, but it's still fun to see. He does take a little bit to come around to what's going on, but once he does, it's pretty awesome. Gwenyth is also one of my absolute favorite one time characters. Can't say much about her without spoiling the episode, so I'll just leave it at that.
Villain: I don't so much like the villains/monsters as characters in this episode, but I do like the interactions around them and I like the moral dilemma that they pose. So overall, yeah, it's pretty alright.
Monday, February 26, 2018
Doctor Who 1.06 - Dalek
Overall opinion: This is my favorite episode so far, by a mile. Everything about this episode worked, just everything. 10/10
The Doctor: For the first time we really get to see The Doctor and the way he deals with his grief and anger about the Time War, and it's great! It's so deep and emotional and he feels so much and the "you would make a good Dalek," line, oh man.
Rose: This is by far my favorite Rose episode so far too. Probably because she doesn't have too much screen time, and the time she has is well spent. She's empathetic and scared and then empathetic again. It's really good.
Side characters: Van Statten was a jerk, who got what he deserved. Adam is cute and I'm glad he'll be joining the Doctor and Rose next time.
Villain: Oh, man we get our first look at the Daleks in New Who and it's brilliant!
Like I said, when I first started watching the show I didn't know much about it, so I had no idea what the Daleks even were. And as an introduction to them, this episode was perfect! So far I'd never feared or been creeped out by a DW villain, but man that this thing was relentless! And then when it realized it was changing, it was beautiful and poetic. I really feel like this episode genuinely conveys most everything you need to know about the Daleks.
Moral/Message: Not sure if this episode has a moral per se, but the message of it is very powerful and man, that ending. That was something, for sure.
The Doctor: For the first time we really get to see The Doctor and the way he deals with his grief and anger about the Time War, and it's great! It's so deep and emotional and he feels so much and the "you would make a good Dalek," line, oh man.
Rose: This is by far my favorite Rose episode so far too. Probably because she doesn't have too much screen time, and the time she has is well spent. She's empathetic and scared and then empathetic again. It's really good.
Side characters: Van Statten was a jerk, who got what he deserved. Adam is cute and I'm glad he'll be joining the Doctor and Rose next time.
Villain: Oh, man we get our first look at the Daleks in New Who and it's brilliant!
Like I said, when I first started watching the show I didn't know much about it, so I had no idea what the Daleks even were. And as an introduction to them, this episode was perfect! So far I'd never feared or been creeped out by a DW villain, but man that this thing was relentless! And then when it realized it was changing, it was beautiful and poetic. I really feel like this episode genuinely conveys most everything you need to know about the Daleks.
Moral/Message: Not sure if this episode has a moral per se, but the message of it is very powerful and man, that ending. That was something, for sure.
Doctor Who 1.02 - The End of the World
Overall opinion: Okay,I love this episode! The pilot didn't quite do it for me, but this was the episode that sold me on the show. Not much else to say about it, really, it's just a very good tightly written episode. 9/10
The Doctor: Not much to say about The Doctor as well. I like that we get to find out more about his past and we see that the gravity of it all does hit him. I also think it's such a good establishing moment to see him at the end when he says "Everything has its time, and everything dies." It really says so much about him as a character.
Rose: I think I like Rose here a little bit more than the previous episode. I like that it hits her where she is, that she doesn't really know The Doctor very well, basically again the gravity of the situation. She is not particularly useful in this episode, but in fairness it's not due to a fault of her own. I really do like the conversations she has with The Doctor and with Cassandra. And I liked her empathy at the end.
Side characters: Okay, I like the blue alien plumber and the host and the wood people. Not much to say about them individually, they're just a nice addition to the episode.
Villain: Okay, this comes with a spoiler warning, so you'll have to copy the text in the brackets to see it. (I love Cassandra. I adore the commentary they were making with her, both in terms of racial purity and her greed, and the fact that she is judging the human race for evolving, while she has done much worse to herself. Her death was pretty gruesome, but also kind of earned? It was a good villain. Oh, and of course I loved that little hint they dropped that she is trans. Good stuff!)
The Doctor: Not much to say about The Doctor as well. I like that we get to find out more about his past and we see that the gravity of it all does hit him. I also think it's such a good establishing moment to see him at the end when he says "Everything has its time, and everything dies." It really says so much about him as a character.
Rose: I think I like Rose here a little bit more than the previous episode. I like that it hits her where she is, that she doesn't really know The Doctor very well, basically again the gravity of the situation. She is not particularly useful in this episode, but in fairness it's not due to a fault of her own. I really do like the conversations she has with The Doctor and with Cassandra. And I liked her empathy at the end.
Side characters: Okay, I like the blue alien plumber and the host and the wood people. Not much to say about them individually, they're just a nice addition to the episode.
Villain: Okay, this comes with a spoiler warning, so you'll have to copy the text in the brackets to see it. (I love Cassandra. I adore the commentary they were making with her, both in terms of racial purity and her greed, and the fact that she is judging the human race for evolving, while she has done much worse to herself. Her death was pretty gruesome, but also kind of earned? It was a good villain. Oh, and of course I loved that little hint they dropped that she is trans. Good stuff!)
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Doctor Who 1.01 - Rose
Overall opinion: Um, I don't think it's great. It's not terrible, but I remember back before I knew pretty much anything about Doctor Who, my friends convinced me to try watching it, because they thought I would like it. And I remember just being so bored out of my mind during this episode that it took me several months to give the show another chance.
The special effects in this episode are pretty bad, the overall story is a bit of generic sci-fi with only a slight twist, the side characters are not the most compelling. It just feels a bit... meandering, in a way. I think it could have been written tighter. I gave it a 7/10 rating on IMDB, because I don't like being excessively negative, unless I absolutely hate something, but my actual rating is probably more like 6/10, or if I'm being generous 6.5/10.
The Doctor: The Doctor, is actually the one thing that was the saving grace of this episode. This will sound very shallow, but I remember being a little bit disappointed that the actor is not super cute when I first started watching the show. I don't think I knew about the regeneration at this point. But it was fine because he is established as quirky and interesting very fast. And also, Rose is more my type anyway. :P
The one thing I really liked in this episode, is the speech The Doctor gives Rose about how he can feel the Earth spinning, That was the one thing that really intrigued me about him. I remember the first time I watched it, being like, wait, who is this guy? And also, the TARDIS is pretty cool. In fact she is a saving grace for me throughout the series. Yes, she is a she, and she is alive.
Rose: I'm a bit torn on Rose. On one hand, I completely relate to her in terms being this young millennial who just feels so stuck in their life and who has no future and nothing that exciting awaiting for them. On the other hand, she seems a bit... generic. I can't really get a good sense of her personality from this episode. She does have a couple of funny lines, and overall it's not the worst companion introduction, but it's not really the best either. Although, I am trying to be lenient, because it's also the show's pilot and it has to establish everything else too,
There's one thing in particular, I didn't really enjoy, and that was that whole bit with the ableism. I mean I can't really be too mad at it, because a) it's 2005; b) that's pretty much par-for sci-fi or fantasy that stars a "straight man" (to be clear, that does not mean a man who is heterosexual. but rather a character of any gender who hasn't been instilled of the true ways of the world, beyond what we all know, and that the audience is meant to identify with) and cat) that plot is resolved in literally the next scene. But still. Maybe it was a tad bit excessive, especially considering what she'd already seen at this point.
Rose's Mother and Mickey: I'm not a fan of either of them in this episode. Rose's mother is just annoying. Admittedly, that is by design, but it's still no less grating. Mickey is a tad better, but he is also sort of cowardly and just generally not very enticing. Which in fairness, is probably why Rose ends up leaving him to travel with The Doctor. I do like he is black and it's interracial relationship, but that's really the only positive thing I can say about him for now and that's really sad. Yes, I know he gets better. I do like him a lot more later on.
Villain: I think the Nestene Consciousness is an interesting idea, but it's just not explored very well. I like that the Doctor tries to talk to it first, rather than kill it. That really establishes that this is a different sort of show. And I also like that it doesn't go very well.
Moral: I'm not really sure, but did Rose end up killing the NC? Because it was implied that it was the only one, or the last one of its kind, so does that mean that The Doctor and Rose technically committed genocide? I mean, I get why, it was wreaking havoc on London and it was going to kill everyone else, but... I just think there are some moral implications here that are better explored in later Doctor Who episodes.
The special effects in this episode are pretty bad, the overall story is a bit of generic sci-fi with only a slight twist, the side characters are not the most compelling. It just feels a bit... meandering, in a way. I think it could have been written tighter. I gave it a 7/10 rating on IMDB, because I don't like being excessively negative, unless I absolutely hate something, but my actual rating is probably more like 6/10, or if I'm being generous 6.5/10.
The Doctor: The Doctor, is actually the one thing that was the saving grace of this episode. This will sound very shallow, but I remember being a little bit disappointed that the actor is not super cute when I first started watching the show. I don't think I knew about the regeneration at this point. But it was fine because he is established as quirky and interesting very fast. And also, Rose is more my type anyway. :P
The one thing I really liked in this episode, is the speech The Doctor gives Rose about how he can feel the Earth spinning, That was the one thing that really intrigued me about him. I remember the first time I watched it, being like, wait, who is this guy? And also, the TARDIS is pretty cool. In fact she is a saving grace for me throughout the series. Yes, she is a she, and she is alive.
Rose: I'm a bit torn on Rose. On one hand, I completely relate to her in terms being this young millennial who just feels so stuck in their life and who has no future and nothing that exciting awaiting for them. On the other hand, she seems a bit... generic. I can't really get a good sense of her personality from this episode. She does have a couple of funny lines, and overall it's not the worst companion introduction, but it's not really the best either. Although, I am trying to be lenient, because it's also the show's pilot and it has to establish everything else too,
There's one thing in particular, I didn't really enjoy, and that was that whole bit with the ableism. I mean I can't really be too mad at it, because a) it's 2005; b) that's pretty much par-for sci-fi or fantasy that stars a "straight man" (to be clear, that does not mean a man who is heterosexual. but rather a character of any gender who hasn't been instilled of the true ways of the world, beyond what we all know, and that the audience is meant to identify with) and cat) that plot is resolved in literally the next scene. But still. Maybe it was a tad bit excessive, especially considering what she'd already seen at this point.
Rose's Mother and Mickey: I'm not a fan of either of them in this episode. Rose's mother is just annoying. Admittedly, that is by design, but it's still no less grating. Mickey is a tad better, but he is also sort of cowardly and just generally not very enticing. Which in fairness, is probably why Rose ends up leaving him to travel with The Doctor. I do like he is black and it's interracial relationship, but that's really the only positive thing I can say about him for now and that's really sad. Yes, I know he gets better. I do like him a lot more later on.
Villain: I think the Nestene Consciousness is an interesting idea, but it's just not explored very well. I like that the Doctor tries to talk to it first, rather than kill it. That really establishes that this is a different sort of show. And I also like that it doesn't go very well.
Moral: I'm not really sure, but did Rose end up killing the NC? Because it was implied that it was the only one, or the last one of its kind, so does that mean that The Doctor and Rose technically committed genocide? I mean, I get why, it was wreaking havoc on London and it was going to kill everyone else, but... I just think there are some moral implications here that are better explored in later Doctor Who episodes.
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