Sunday, September 27, 2015

New Episode Reaction - The Witch's Familiar *SPOILERS*

About this Story

TitleThe Witch's Familiar
Series No.
Episode No.
Series Nine
Episode Two
Broadcast Dates26th Sep 2015
Overnight Ratings (UK)3.71 Million
DoctorTwelfth Doctor
CompanionClara Oswald


The Doctor is trapped in the heart of the Dalek City


The Reaction

Highlights

  • Julian Bleach - His performance of Davros was absolutely sublime. His scenes of dialogue with Peter Capaldi were brilliantly written and performed by both of them, developing both of the characters greatly. The highlight for me was the "Am I a good man?" scene.
  • Clara-Dalek - This subplot was excellently acted by Coleman. A throwback to The Daleks, the inner workings of Davros' evil creatures were further explored here, with particular credit to the way the Dalek translates some phrases. I honestly thought that Clara was going to die in the Dalek casing, either by the Doctor killing her unknowingly or by not surviving her removal, and I think either of those would have been good exits.
  • Missy - I think that she is better as an uneasy ally to the Doctor as opposed to the main antagonist to the Doctor. I particularly loved her interactions with Clara. Also, she poked Davros in the eye.
  • Structure - It was a very different pace to usual Doctor Who. With only four core actors, there were a lot of character driven dialogue scenes, and not much action. For this particular story, it worked due to the heavy development of characters which would not have been the same if rushed.
  • The Prophecy - This is an interesting idea and one I have my own theory about. I might make a post on it later on, but I think this really does have potential.


The Doctor and Davros share some
excellent scenes together

Low Points

  • Sonic Sunglasses - Not the direction I was hoping the show would go with Capaldi.... I was hoping for the more traditional, mature Doctor.
  • Flaws in the Plan - I don't see how an attack from the sewers could kill the Daleks. Surely they could easily fly away?


Quote of the Week

Davros: "I hope you are grateful. It wasn’t easy to procure, and very nearly unique, of course. You should feel privileged. The only other chair on Skaro."



Thank you for reading! Drop a comment with your thoughts or suggestions! They will be greatly appreciated!

Sunday, September 20, 2015

New Episode Reaction - The Magician's Apprentice *SPOILERS*

Finally! It has returned! After nearly 9 months without a new episode, Doctor Who returned to BBC One last night with The Magician's Apprentice. But what did I think of it?

About this Story

TitleThe Magician's Apprentice
Series No.
Episode No.
Series Nine
Episode One
Broadcast Dates19th Sep 2015
Overnight Ratings (UK)4.58 Million
DoctorTwelfth Doctor
CompanionClara Oswald


Missy's back! But can she be trusted?


The Reaction

Highlights

  • The Big Reveal - The reveal of Davros genuinely made my jaw drop. I have obviously heard all the rumours flying round, but never actually considered they'd come to fruition. It has no build up which doesn't really give you time to prepare, unlike the reveal of Missy in which we had 10 weeks.
  • Where It All Began - The return of Skaro also saw the return of Dalek cities of a similar design to the original from The Daleks. The ability to modernize the design with CGI, yet still make make it recognisable was a stroke of brilliance, and the return of the silver/blue Daleks, although anticipated, was pulled off brilliantly.
  • The Doctor and Missy - They dynamic of their relationship was deeply explored in this episode, throwing up some very interesting ideas, as well as Capaldi and Gomez working like a treat together.
  • Missy and Clara - Once they got over the underlying trust issues, there was a pretty interesting dynamic between these two. Dare I say it, but maybe Missy should get her own companion...?
  • Clara - Since the events of Dark Water/Death in Heaven, Clara seems to have matured a bit more. She seems to be more calm and controlled, bring a more convincing assertion over the Doctor, as opposed to the more stroppy, demanding demeanour we saw in parts of Series 8.
  • Cliffhanger - This cliffhanger has been extracted from a line in Genesis of the Daleks and brought to life in an excellent way. There seems to be a lot more at stake, with the apparent deaths of Clara and Missy (though I don't believe those for a second...). Just imagine what lengths the Fourth Doctor would have gone to if the Daleks had killed Sarah and Harry in Genesis....


Clara taken to the Dalek City on Skaro

Low Points

  • The Grand Entrance - Tonally, this scene seemed a bit out of place with the rest of the episode. It also seemed rather out of character given what he knew was going to happen. Once joined by Missy and Clara, the scene did get better.
  • UNIT - Unless they reappear and do something in the next episode, the addition of UNIT seemed a bit pointless.


Quote of the Week

Missy: "No! I've not turned good!"



Thank you for reading! Drop a comment with your thoughts or suggestions! They will be greatly appreciated!

Friday, September 18, 2015

Death Count - The Crimson Horror

Hello readers! I'm still alive... I swear I'm probably the worst blogger in the world! But I'm back, and should be for the foreseeable future!

In this edition of the Death Count series, find out just how deadly Sweetville could be in the Eleventh Doctor story The Crimson Horror. Enjoy!

About this Story

TitleThe Crimson Horror
No. of Episodes1
Series No.
Episode No.
Series 7
Episode 11
Broadcast Date4th May 2013
Run-Time44' 45"
DoctorEleventh Doctor
CompanionClara Oswald
Mrs Gillyflower supports Mr Sweet and uses his
poison in an attempt to wipe out the human race


Synopsis

When the Paternoster Gang are approached to solve a case involving a deadly prehistoric poison killing people in Yorkshire, it turns into a rescue mission for the Doctor and Clara who have been affected by the poison. The poison preserves some humans, yet can be deadly to others, causing the dead bodies of the rejected humans to turn up in the canal with red stained skin. However, when Mrs Gillyflower advances her plans to cleanse the Earth of humans and start again with her selected batch of elites, can she be stopped before its too late?

The Death Count

CharacterTime of DeathDescription
Edmund0' 52"Killed by Mr Sweet's poison (see notes)
Mrs Gillyflower39' 50"Fell from stairs after avoiding shot from Strax's gun
Mr Sweet40' 11"Crushed and beaten by Ada

Notes:
  • Edmund's screams can be heard at 0' 52", and he is next seen dead. However, his death is seen in a flashback at 21' 39"
  • Jenny rescues the Doctor after he is
    caught in the preservation process

    Death Toll:

    3

    Death Rating:

    6.70 (White)



    Thank you for reading! Drop a comment with your thoughts or suggestions! They will be greatly appreciated!