h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Tough!

I really liked it, though it took a while to get going.

The thing I find with the RTD specials is that the companion is always well-written and has an interesting plot, but the rest of the episode is weaker. I wonder what that says about RTD?

I thought Adelaide was an interesting character: I loved the flashback to Journey's End and the Dalek sparing her life (the idea that a Dalek could tell she was a fixed-point in time, and that it would respect that was pretty ). I liked the way the Doctor spoke about her: "a woman with starlight in her soul" - RTD can't half turn a phrase - and I found the fixed-point in time stuff compelling, especially how the events of Pompeii affected him.

I would have much preferred it if the Doctor had stayed unbalanced, that would have made for a much more interesting opener to the End of Time, and it'd feel right - he knows he's about to die soon: has he ever had that warning before? The Doctor Victorious stuff was a bit over-played but it was new and fascinating and it did lead to that brilliant line.

"I wonder what that says about RTD?"
Well, it is no secret that RTD fantasises the assistant role, not that of The Doctor. He's said, I think, that he wanted to be the one who goes along for the ride.

*cough* along for the ride...he wishes!

H< The Doctor Victorious stuff was a bit over-played but it was new and fascinating and it did lead to that brilliant line.>

Well, that brilliant word! Hardly a line.
Just a shame it was ruined straight after that.

I am not sure why they couldn't have left it as that and really ranked up the expectations...of course we would then have been let down by the Ood and the Dr going all wimp again at the start of the next show.

A friend did wonder whether as it's a kids show it wouldn't be the done thing to have an unhinged Dr like that...hopefully that isn't the case.

I don't think we actually saw him in the spoiler...sorry trailer at the end.

The thing I thought after watching it, and during, was that it really wasn't a kid's show.

Over all good but unsettling. None of the fun that was in Planet of the Dead, and obviously you can't watch this one in isolation so it's setting it up for the next episodes at Christmas and New Year (that's right isn't it?). I'm intrigued to see where he's going at the end of that episode, and what's going on with all of those old characters we saw that we're supposed to believe are coming back (not mentioning them by name for fear of spoilers). Do people still think those sightings are all happening in a dream? Because there was a pretty big clue that the Doctor thinks a certain 4-times-knocking someone is coming back and that he knows who it is.

I did like that bit actually, with the 4 knocks reference then the guy knocking on the door 3 times. There were bits that felt a bit odd, and rushed (anyone spot the fire on the surface or Mars? I assume there's oxygen out there then?), but overall I thought it was good and I really liked all the references to past stories like Pompeii and Stolen Earth, and even the Ood a bit, though that apparition was a bit weird. Do you reckon we can assume that that wasn't a proper Ood that he saw and was just in his mind or something like that?

And also, with the other 2 surviving and her dying on Earth, which is supposed to be a 9 month journey away, how did that get explained away? Some stuff like that is a tad sloppy.

Very emotional though. I liked that about it. And the thing with the Doctor turning from 'tough' into 'oh ' instantly was that he thinks he's all powerful now because he's saved her, but the suddenly he hasn't, so he realises again that he's not a victor in all this, and then his old conscience slams back in and he realises what he's done. I can see why others were annoyed with that if they wanted more evil genius (or, dare I say it, a more Master-like Doctor), but for me I thought that worked quite well, and leads into the end where he's off to wherever he's going to try and fix it.

There is some oxygen in the martian atmosphere, though I don´t know if it´s enough for things to actually burn. What I wondered was if these zombies actually produced water, why would they want to go to a planet full of it?

yeah, I wondered that too!

Mars oxygen, first link off google:

http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/M/Marsatmos.html

0.13% Oxygen.

Earth - 21% approx.

Good stuff ... enjoyed it. Felt a bit different pace/emphasis to the other stories of the past few years. I'd begun to lose interest just a little bit with the format seeming to be the same each story.

Tremendous performance from DT up on Mars believing that he has to walk away from it all. Great visuals and soundtrack (as ever). Just a totally different feel to the episode. Well it was until we got into the Utopia ending ...

Just rewatched it on the iPlayer and skipping the Gadget bits. I think it improves with repeated viewings.

The scene in the airlock is such a fantastic scene: I really think it's DT's finest acting in his tenure as the Doctor. The look on his face just kills me: he's so tired and so drained, I think at that point he's ready to die, he's accepted his fate. It's so beautifully written too, proper Shakespearean tragedy type stuff.

Also paused it and read all the news reports, which were really well done. The most interesting ones were the last two, about Yuri and Mia's escape and the about Suzie Brooke: both talk about the Doctor and have links to more stories about him. I liked that a lot.

"The scene in the airlock is such a fantastic scene: I really think it's DT's finest acting in his tenure as the Doctor. The look on his face just kills me: he's so tired and so drained, I think at that point he's ready to die, he's accepted his fate. It's so beautifully written too, proper Shakespearean tragedy type stuff."

Absolutely. It was a tremendous performance by DT. I found it quite emotional in fact.

I see that there have been complaints about the intrusiveness (sp) of the background music (Points of View) on Waters of Mars Didn't notice anything myself.

Anyone else watching the animated "Dreamland" adventure?

"Points of View"?

Tremendous. Does that still exist? Who presents it these days? Barry Took? Anne Robinson? Robert Robinson?

Do they still get people to voiceover and give them 'authentic' regional accents?

I certainly noticed the background music when he went into saviour mode. I think it was the music from Utopia or Turn Left. But I do like the Murray Gold stuff.

The music on Dr Who and all RTD stuff is too loud. There is an annual moan about it.

Dreamland is it on IPlayer?

Meanwhile just re-watched "Blink"

Just to recap:



--->


arrgh!








Dur - which way did they go?



Uh-oh!!





Definitely a Moffat highlight. Looking forward to seeing what he's going to do with the new series....

Try ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0057t3p/Doctor_Who_Dreamland_Episode_One/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0057t52/Doctor_Who_Dreamland_Episode_Two/

Found it. Watched it.

I guess the scriptwriters *have* seen Alien and Aliens.

Thanks BBS.

yeah been watching Dreamland.
Also started watching SHADA - or Doctor Who's Holistic Detective Agency

Fourty six years of our favorite Timelord to this day!