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

It's amazing that the Dr was able to knock out the spaceship's controls etc with his sonic screw driver and do everything else with the screw driver throughout his tenure but when it comes to the final glass box he conveniently forgets his screwdriver would most likely override the door locking mechanism hence saving Wilf and himself...however he does need to get the regeneration in.

Also, the gun...he poits it at everyone but in the end just shoots the device to send the Timelords back...again...in any other episode he would have used his screwdriver but the gun was there to heighten the tension which was eventually deflated and removed by the Dr not using the gun in the end on anyone but the machine.

>Is that a new logo at the end?

Yes. Well, new-ish

Re pointless guns: I agree. Why not just shoot the machine without all that gunplay?

They did mention that the sonic screwdriver wouldn't open the doors without triggering the radiation. This is why lone scientists working in a secret base are such a threat to humanity. Under EU Health and Safety regulations, there would have to have been an escape hatch.

I thought the companion-walkthrough was a bit long and unnecessary - we *already did that* last year. But I suspect (hope) that the 'loose ends' left dangling are deliberate set-up for Moffatt's season, rather than being sloppy writing by RTD. Though again, that rather hinders my 'saving grace' for Part One, that it was a set-up episode for Part Two.

Gif

As far as the glass box is concerned, I refer thee to my journal...

B

Love the series but that episode didn't 'alf drag it out. Did blub a bit but it would be boring to sit through even a second time. Hadn't realised it was RTD's last Dr Who, it explains why such a meal was made of it..

Oh yeah! The whole Donna thing! "Don't let her remember or she'll die" repeated again and again... oh no, hang on, she'll just have a bit of a sleep.

The only bit that was just shoddy writing.

So, what's the weather been like on Alpha Centuri this past year?

I was shouting at the screen: 'head explode, head explode'. Now that would have made everyone cry...some through sadness others due to rolling around on the floor in tears of laughter.

still no answer as to why the cactus people had a star bug from red dwarf as their ship and why it did a mellenium falcon with shooting down the missiles, and no even a 'smeg'

from Alpha Centauri... I'm a fan, not a fanboy

I did like the way RTD resisted writing Wilf's army exploits as being in WW2 and writing him remenising about his time in Palestine during the creation of Israel instead, that was a nice touch

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That was the most disappointing bit for me, that her head didn't explode

I was also yelling at the screen when I spotted Captain Jack in the Restaurant at the End of the Universe (I'm not a Star Wars fan) but I didn't get who he was introduced to at all. I must have missed a plot thread and why didn't I get the granddaughter bit, where did she come from?


I have to answer questions from my teenage son *during* the programme/s, which explains my lack of attention, so please don't shout at me

I recognised Alonso (Russel Tovey) from Being Human where he plays a werewolf

It wasn't until Confidential was finished that I realised he was the pilot on the Titanic in last years Christmas Episode.

The man Captain Jack was introduced to was one of the crew members from Voyage of the Damned.
The granddaughter was granddaughter of the woman 'John Smith' fell in love with in Human Nature.

That bit with the granddaughter was nice, made me . Could've just done that bit and skipped all the catching up with everybody else. Would've saved someone of the swan song and made it more poignant.

Fairly sure that one ep of the last Sarah Jane series had a throwaway scene opener with Luke talking about being pushed out of the way of a car. Sarah Jane snapped at him he would have been dead if it weren't for the Doctor (I might have imagined it but don't think so).

I thought the Tardis rebuild would be because of the HD upgrade too, mainly due to the lack of interior shots for the last few episodes (collapsing pillars looked very polystyrene during the regeneration scene).

Didn't one of the New Adventure books say something about Romana going back to Gallifrey to join the High Council?

Yup, only bit that made me snuffle...and strangely enough not even a companion...the gradndaughter of someone he met (and loved) and from a non-RTD story whih is over 10years old. Had it not been for that single scene it would have been another dry eye episode...as were they all apart from 'Family of Blood'(the aforementioned episode!).

Interesting quote from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8437562.stm

"In The Guardian, television critic Mark Lawson likened the episode to Hamlet - a role which Tennant played with the Royal Shakespeare Company last year. "In common with the prince of Denmark, the Time Lord from Gallifrey agonised aloud over whether it would be right to kill a man (the Master) after a painful encounter with his mother, played by Claire Bloom, whose Shakespearean roles include Hamlet's mother, Gertrude," he wrote."

Mother? Oh Mother what have you done ...

Russell Tovey was RTD's gay actor in Titanic (he has to have at least one per episode) and having seen Russell in 'Being Human' and hearing him in a Radio 4 play about the Iraq war (he played a soldier in a modern war sure I have the right one) he was wasted in Titanic.

Tovey has a strange accent and acting style which isn't stilted but doesn't seem 'natural' but works. I am really looking forward to series 2 of Being Human. Let's hope Russell gets some more good TV acting jobs.

His inclusion in the final episode was simply RTD having a bit of a self-referential fanboy moment. I actually thought it was really funny...the 10th Doctors parting gift to Captain Jack was to get him a sh@g!

RTD said he would have made a good Dr Who. I disagree: he wouldn't. Good actor though.

Russel Tovey was also in Ashes to Ashes as the Gay lover of a villan Gene and Bolly were trying to catch. It was hinted at in the show that he could have been one of the first AIDs victims

Wasn't he part of the original cast of The History Boys too?

Gif