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

It was odd how we saw Captain Jack not only being brought back to life, but also run in only to see the Tardis disappear. I also think we might see him as a villain in a future episode. Why did the Doctor not decide to check for survivors, before heading off to look at dogs with no noses?

Jack already a Knave, he doesn't need to be a villain.

I think it was pretty obvious he knew the risks when he started the fight. Unlikely he'd blame the Doctor and Rose for what happened.

Well, at least I got to see him die

I'm still amused by the idea of lipreading what the Dalek said to "Lynda with a y". But I found myself thinking "you don't just stand there and die in a vacuum - you get sucked out into space".

The body count in Dr Who is *massive* isn't it?

Ben

And, as RTD pointed out in 'The Ultimate Guide', it always has been.

It's the death that gives it it's dark overtones.

Oh, agreed. Though I cannot remember enough details of the previous series to compare really. Which reminds me, I have the whole of Saturday's who-fest on tape, so I can re-watch.

Ben

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Yep, not like Star Trek where maybe two people will die and then the crew will either come up with a diplomatic solution or bounce a graviton particle beam off the main defleactor dish and thus defeat the enemy without actually killing anyone.

It's off topic, but I've often wondered which was *really* more dangerous for children - Driller Killer or the A Team.

There was not much she could do really. Apart from put her head between her legs and kiss her @rse goodbye.

Her death will have been reigned in by what could be shown at that time of night and also, possibly, the CGI/stunt wire work that would have been necessary.

i.e. anyone would have been able to lip read her saying ‘Oh f**k’ in response to bulb-reading (groan) the Dalek.

She should have been sucked into space but this would have required wire work or other CGI to pull off. It would also be quite a horrible scene for younger viewers I would expect hence they stuck with the harmony hairspray shot to give the impression of being pulled into space.

Her implied death was also quite dignified as well which I liked you did not have to see it as that would have cheapened it.

The deaths of people being shot while returning fire was going down in battle and worked well – they were also armed. The cowards down on the lower floor was not shown either as they too were unarmed.

I do not think the deaths of anyone one was shown who had not fired at the Daleks i.e. no Daleks were shown killing in cold blood.

My last comment was about Lynda with a Y and her death - forgot to paste B's message in - oops.

Paully wrote:

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My only real quibble with the episode was in the Doctor's injury - yes, we know that he 'absorbed the vortex', triggering the regeneration, but it all seemed a bit un-deadly to me. Rose survived the exposure to the Vortex, so why did it kill the Doctor? <<

You need to rewatch The Green Mile, methinks. That's what was running through my mind at the time.

Loved it, loved it, loved it!

The Green Mile! *that's* what it reminded me of, thanks Paully!

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Yes I managed to lipread what Lynda said, probably the same thing I would've said

It was a horrible death

<> yes, me too, Ben.

Love that Doctor Who banner at the top of the "post to a conversation" page here...

Testing:

I apologize, I meant Jimster!

"It's off topic, but I've often wondered which was *really* more dangerous for children - Driller Killer or the A Team."

Some fairly unusual wondering there Blueshark. The best answer I can think of is that they are both pretty disposable.

Watched the final episode again. The good stuff really stands out. The Daleks and their ships are magnificent (although I'm still not keen on RTD's insistance on recreating the 'old' Dalek laser and death-effect when 1988's 'Rememberance of the Daleks' created new and better Dalek lasers) and I love the insane Emperor Dalek. The bit where the Dalek's all drop down to Floor 0 to kill the people hiding is also a really creepy touch that was more effective on second-viewing.

However, there are some things that I still don't like. Rose's using the power of the Time Vortex to kill the Dalek's and destroy their ships and ressurrect Jack still feels too Deus ex Machina and I don't like how the Daleks just stand there while she does it (shouldn't they have shouted abuse when she calls the Emperor a 'false God'?). Lynda's death also looks slightly ropey, especially after the fantastic 'silent' Dalek rising in front of the viewing window. They should have thought of a way to do it properly, especially as it's arguably the most shocking death of the episode.

I've also realised that David Tennant's accent goes all over the place post-regeneration. I think this is to reflect the fact that the Doctor doesn't find his voice immediately.

Did anybody else think that the Emperor Dalek thing was a poke at organised religion? Maybe that's best left for another thread..(which I'll avoid, as everytime I post something like that I soon realise how comparatively ignorant I am!)

But it did cross my mind.

"Did anybody else think that the Emperor Dalek thing was a poke at organised religion?"

I think it was partly a poke at religious fanaticism (it was hard not to think of Al-Quaida when the Dalek army started shouting about blasphemy) but also an indicator of the fact that the rebuilt Dalek army was insane as a result of the Emperor Dalek becoming insane. The Emperor (if you look at the series history) is the 'Dalek Prime', one of the original Daleks who turns against Davros (he previously appeared in 'Evil of the Daleks' and (as a normal Dalek) 'Genesis of the Daleks'). The Daleks have never had religious elements which is why the Doctor is so confused by their using the phrase 'blasphemy'. The Emperor's isolation and megalomania at rebuilding the Dalek race has sent him insane and created a Dalek army not just of soldiers but of religious fanatics who worship him.

Thanks, Z, you've managed to prove both my points in one post!

I did love watching the Daleks go through the human traps. "Yea we did it!" Nope...

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You are obviously not watching "Enterprise" - the Xindi killed off 7 million earthlings in one episode.