A tense, psychological thriller and some terrifically high-concept sci-fi, this is RTD's Reservoir Dogs in space
A brand new Doctor and his companions-to-be have 20 minutes to save the world from an inter-dimensional fish-snake and the crystalline eyeballs pursuing it
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We drop in on the Doctor just hanging out with his TARDIS. Crashing into a back-garden in Leadworth, half an hour from Gloucester, he meets the young Amelia Pond, soon to become the girl who waited. She introduces him to the crack in her wall, drops a few hints at major plot lines this season, and then he sods off by mistake.
Still cooking from his regeneration, he returns 5 minutes / 12 years later only to find that an inter-dimensional snake-fish fugitive has taken up lodging in a forgotten room in now grown-up Amy’s house. And to top it all off, there’s a Douglas Adams-esque ploy to destroy the Earth. Together with her sort-of boyfriend, Rory, they now have 20 minutes, give or take, to deliver up Prisoner Zero and save us all.
Also, keep an eye out for a cameo by Arthur Cox as Mr Henderson. We last met Arthur Cox in the role of Cully in The Dominators.
Hey guys, Tracey here!
Ah yes, the multi-season extended edition of Girl in the Fireplace, complete with imaginary friend who was real all along. Production values skyrocket, CGI is no longer cringeworthy, and storylines are a manageable level of convoluted. I think we are entering peak New Who.
Now, let’s talk music. The Matt Smith era is peppered throughout with a theme featuring either two or five note snippets of what has to be THE most exciting C scale OF ALL TIME. This theme is called “I Am The Doctor” on iTunes or find it throughout minute 51 of the episode. This theme hammers away insistently, building all the while like an oncoming freight train, so we know beyond the shadow of a doubt that whatever is happening is clearly insane, impossible, and magnificent. And that’s also a good summation for Matt Smith’s Doctor.
This Doctor is so much bravado. And for a guy who, at the start seemingly panicked, afraid he’d regenerated into a “girl”, he is quite the diva. This episode sees him casually nude before throwing on half a dozen ties, suspenders, and a coat, while calling back deadly aliens just so he can give them a threatening imperative: basically, RUN.
A few comments from Daughter from America:
1) He called back deadly aliens just to scold them!?
2) I can’t believe Amy would run off with the Doctor the night before her wedding. Be careful. If you change the past, it might reflect in the future!
Rating: Lady Gaga
After slogging through the murky, emo-hawk send off of David Tennants 10th Doctor, we turn our attentions to what is perhaps the absolute best New Doctor episode in the shows run thus far.
Steven Moffat steps aboard as show runner and writer, and we meet 11th Doctor Matt Smith, as he crashes, smashes and generally Jerry Lewis’s his way into the life of Amelia Pond, delightfully debuted by Karen Gillan.
This is episode is very funny. It is also somewhat spooky, curious, slap-dash, manic, frantic and accomplishes all of this by grabbing you by the lapels at the opening credits and throwing you firmly back in your chair apres wedding dress.
Even on this rewatch, I felt pulled into Ledworth proper, wondering about Ducks and ponds, whether Noel ever got his keys back or what happened to Jeff and his questionable browsing history.
Most of all, we got introduced to 11 and the Ponds. Before the drama. Before Skim milk people. Before killer space women.
This is a wonderful episode. A fantastic example of why we all had faith in Moffat. This was what Who was meant to be. Wise-cracking, fly by the seat of your pants derring-do with your best mates and a time travelling Police box. The promise of all the adventures yet to be had.
Also Rory. God I missed Rory.
We didn’t know we had it so good.
4.7/5 -.3 for the rubbish cgi Prisoner Zero hanging dildo snake.
Firstly, let me start off by saying I LOVE this wonderful whimsical cartoon of a man. The way he hates everything he eats and just casually throws a plate of bread and butter out the door at a whim I find incredibly charming not to mention that he casually takes clothes from the hospital that then becomes his iconic tweed jacket and bow tie I find tremendously entertaining, and speaking of things I love, I absolutely adore the new tardis interior it looks like it came straight out of a Dr. Seuss book. I would also like to say that I think that this episode acts, in a way like a first episode. It starts off with a new doctor and a new companion, and little to no connections to past seasons, something that we haven’t really gotten since Eccleston’s time on the show. But in regards to the plot I don’t really know how I feel about the whole “crack in the universe” plot line, because as we have the benefit of already knowing what the crack is I think that it loses some of the suspense that would otherwise been there if it was my first viewing. My point is that while we know what the crack is, I’m not entirely sure if show knows what the crack is yet. Sorry that I haven’t talked about Prisoner Zero at all until this point, mostly because I much prefer seeing the doctor doing whatever he does to save the day.
Now, with all that being said, which if it hasn’t been made clear (which I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t) I really like this episode, I give it a 4.2 bow ties out of five.
A ‘cracking’ opening (gettit?!). Freaky shape-shifting piranha, human consequences of time travel (recalls Rose’s one year absence in ‘Aliens of London’) and fish Custard (yum). Plus, the haunting ‘crack’, ‘Pandorica’ and ‘silence will fall’ (Spooky!). The new series feels fresher, darker. Nice clip-homage to past adventures, including classic series doctors, Sea Devil and Sontaran). Sadly also early flippant use of an all-to-powerful sonic screwdriver (grrr).
The last time we had a fugitive on the loose (Smith and Jones) the Judoon were called in (and again when planets were nicked in ‘The Stolen Earth’). With the Atraxi threatening Earth incineration and the Judoon’s hospital moon escapade, both should surely be reported to the Shadow Proclamation’s Independent Police Complaints Commission for extreme kettling tactics.
Classic Who adventures focused around looney alien prison-breaks include 3rd Doctor Adventure ‘The Sea Devils’ (the Master commandeering his own rubbish prison), hammer horror 4th Doctor adventure ‘The Stones of Blood’ (a transmutating femm fetale hiding aboard her prison ship) and 5th Doctor R-Rated bloodbath ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’ (Davros escaping his cryogenic prison). A previous shapeshifting villain was the Ruton in bleak 4th Doctor serial ‘Horror of Fang Rock’.
3.5/5 pieces of Custard covered Fish. (Extra half point for a clip of the awesome 7th Doctor at the 53 minute mark).
Hey Michael,
Thanks so much for the mini (and for the delicious brandy).
Really sorry that your review got lost in our inbox. Entirely my fault. Henceforth, I shall endeavour to be more vigilant.
Congratulations on the new arrival!!!
Rock on!
Ponken