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

Well I didn't spot a reference to an episode of Dr Who itself a couple of weeks back so I'm hardly likely to see that.


And frankly, I'm quite pleased at missing both.

Evange-what??

Prof Peach had found the birth-cert so he had to go. Maybe the vicar saw him find it or the Prof said to him. I can't remember.

Evangelion features a UN organisation called NERV whose motto is the Browning quote the Rev says when he first appears. I've probably been watching too much anime recently...

Wouldn't that be a reference to a Browning quote?

Actually, I think it was a misquote. The Rev said 'the Lord is in his heaven' and I think the Browning poem says 'God is in his heaven'

Six year old terrified to go upstairs on his own after that one ...

We enjoyed it a lot - especially the bit in the kitchen. And all the titles. Has anybody done a list yet?

But *really* - she found out that he was really a giant wasp "but it didn't matter"? Helloooo?

Mol

I thought it was a great episode . As somebody has already said the BBC do know how to do period drama and to combine it with a good Dr Who story line , well it can hardly fail . And CT is getting better as she grows into the part .

best fishes.....tod

Had to watch the kitchen bit again as I was laughing so much I missed most of it! It was just the look on that poor lad's face as the Doctor shouts "Ginger Beer" at him.

Anchovies!!!

Actually I didn't like that bit much. I don't like it when the Doctor gets out of a scrape by suddenly revealing some previously-unknown superpower. It's all a bit deus ex Gallifrey for my tastes.

Gif

But he is an alien. Of course cyanide would affect him differently. I wouldn't call it a superpower to be able to cure cyanide poisoning with anchovies and pickled walnuts!

I wish I knew more about biochemistry, it'd be interesting to know if those ingredients would counteract any poison effects.
Just realised how sad that sounded!!!!

Hmm... It was something alkaline he needed, wasn't it? And not too salty (so why anchovies are ok, I have no idea...)... Argh! I dont know!

He still breathes oxygen. Cyanide works because it binds to the haemoglobin in blood more strongly than oxygen does; therefore it effectively suffocates its victims. (Whether the Doctor has haemoglobin like ours I couldn't say.)

And no, there is no particular biochemical reason why anchovies and walnuts should counteract cyanide. If they'd come up with a workable way to counteract cyanide using everyday items, I'd have been *really* impressed! But it came across to me far too much like the old series habit of building technological wonders out of spoons.

Did anyone notice how none of the servants (other than the butler) were ever suspects?

Gif

That said... it was a piece of silliness in a deliberately very silly episode.

Gif

Servants were kind of seen as moveable furniture by the upper classes at that time I guess. That's why I was suprised by the son and the footman.

I always thought that cyanide decoupled the atp production pathway, specifically one of the mitachondrial proteins that passes electrons onto oxygen and it was carbon monoxide binds more strongly to haemoglobin than oxygen....
BCNU - Crescent

I noticed he didn't drink alcohol. Has the Doctor always been teetotal or is that just Auntie Beeb protecting kiddies from bad role models?

You are correct

Simpost, that was a reply to Crescent.