Vote Saxon!

[Wolverine]

http://www.votesaxon.co.uk/

Who here's been watching the latest season (numero 3) of Doctor Who? Any thoughts to share on how it has gone so far? Which episodes have been good, or bad, or just downright scary.

And most importantly, who saw last weekends episode?

[agent oni]

I have enjoyed watching majority of the episodes of Dr. Who.  I still think the first actor who played the Doctor in the remake is better than the actor playing the character now.

I wish that the actress that played Rose was still a cast member but she sure exited with a bang.  The Doctor's new sidekick isn't bad though.  I warmed up to her.

Hmmm the best episode...that's kind of hard to determine.  There were so many good ones.  I guess the episodes that lead to Rose's exit were the most memorable.

I can't say any really stunk.

Last week was good.  I liked the time loop thing.  It was also creepy.  I'm still waiting for Captain Jack's return.  There has also been hints that he is not the only time lord so I'm looking forward to that being revealed sometime in the future.  Then there is also a mysterious group telling Martha's mother that the Doctor is bad news.

[Wolverine]

I'm still waiting for Captain Jack's return.  There has also been hints that he is not the only time lord so I'm looking forward to that being revealed sometime in the future.  Then there is also a mysterious group telling Martha's mother that the Doctor is bad news.

I'm guessing you've haven't seen last week's episode (Utopia) then. Go watch it right now

[Mister Andersen]

Speaking of Jack, we've just had the first ep of Torchwood go to air, following on from Supernatural. Provided that the sucky opening episodes don't get it yanked, things seem to be timed so that Utopia will air on the ABC the week after the Torchwood finale.

And from what I've heard, Utopia rather inexplicably retcons the ending of Parting of the Ways.

I'm still not entirely convinced that Simms can pull off Mister Saxon's secret* - which people who haven't been keeping up with the alternate reality support sites won't have gotten the big reveal for despite a weak hint from Martha. I think he'd make a far better Doctor - certainly better than the Jarvis Cocker in Space we have now.

And speaking of Martha, I'm really sick of her still being the Rebound Girl with the constant Rose-envy. She's so much better than that trashy little chav with all her Daddy issues.





*Mister Saxon. is an anagram...

[agent oni]

Speaking of Torchwood, the episode where Capt Jack meets his real self just totally ruined the show for me.  Most of the episodes were mediocre with one really great one (the episode of a dead boy coming back as a ghost due to the alien eye he had).  I'll see how 2nd season goes but my enthusiasm for this show is diminishing.

Wolverine, I realized I haven't watched the latest episode.  I'll get to see that hopefully this Thursday.  Keep forgeting that my friend tapes the episodes and we watch it later.

There was mentioned another spinoff of Dr. Who, besides Torchwood.  Has that started yet?

[dpmcalister]

I've been disappointed with the latest series so far. In fact, Utopia is the only bright spark (and that's because of the ending - which I saw coming from the start!)

[Mister Andersen]

Speaking of Torchwood, the episode where Capt Jack meets his real self just totally ruined the show for me.

Dear God, why? It's one of the better episodes of the season. It certainly beats "Everything Changes", "Day One", "Cyberwoman", and "End of Days" for a start.

Most of the episodes were mediocre with one really great one (the episode of a dead boy coming back as a ghost due to the alien eye he had).  I'll see how 2nd season goes but my enthusiasm for this show is diminishing.

Oh, I can understand that general feeling - the ball was fumbled badly. I was expecting something like the seminal Ultraviolet, but I really should have known better - it's coming from Richard T Davies afterall, whose talent is rather overrated. I think it's significant that almost all the better episodes were written by women.

There was mentioned another spinoff of Dr. Who, besides Torchwood.  Has that started yet?

The Sarah Jane Adventures. They've aired the pilot episode, with a series meant to debut later on during the year

[Mister Andersen]

I've been disappointed with the latest series so far. In fact, Utopia is the only bright spark (and that's because of the ending - which I saw coming from the start!)

You know, a collaborative fiction project I was in came up with the idea of Time Lords waiting out the Time War (the one from the BBC 8th Doctor novels) inside humans *years* ago.

[Wolverine]

And from what I've heard, Utopia rather inexplicably retcons the ending of Parting of the Ways.

I noticed no retcon during the episode. If anything they explain a great many of the questions that are raised during the first season of Torchwood.

You know, a collaborative fiction project I was in came up with the idea of Time Lords waiting out the Time War (the one from the BBC 8th Doctor novels) inside humans *years* ago.

Actually, the 'hiding' concept was adapted from an official Doctor Who novel, also entitled Human Nature from the early nineties(?) which had a plot very similar to the season 3 two parter.

[Mister Andersen]

Except Human Nature (the book) wasn't about hiding using what appears to be a standard bit of Time Lord kit, it was about the alien and remote 7th Doctor going to lengths to become human in order to understand the grief his companion Bernice was going through after having lost the man she loved in the previous novel.

[Wolverine]

From the review I read of the book the only major change they made for the episode was making the gizmo Time Lord tech, which makes sense considering the pace of the story. Plus, it gives them a handy method for re-introducing you know who.

I'd also like to say that Derek Jacobi did a fantastic job as Prof. Yana. It would have been nice to see more of him, but c'est la vie.

[ThunderMonkey]

I thought that Christopher Eccleston did a great job in relaunching the series, and I thought it would be hard to top him. However, week after week, David Tennant continues to impress me.

He truely has combined the best of the past Doctors and really has raised the bar.

"The Girl in the Fireplace" displayed his range as an actor and is one of my favorite episodes. I must have seen it four times already. Of course having both Sophia Myles (yummy, yummy) and Billie Piper (yummy) in the same episode may be two of the reasons I keep watching it.

I'm looking forward to the U.S. launch of Season 3 next month.

[agent oni]

Dear God, why? It's one of the better episodes of the season. It certainly beats "Everything Changes", "Day One", "Cyberwoman", and "End of Days" for a start.

I just didn't see the point of that long scene of Jack kissing the person he stole his name from.  It just seemed nothing more than a shock device.  It didn't fit with the ongoing story and that particular scene was just way too long.  That whole scene just seemed unnecessary IMO.

I was expecting something like the seminal Ultraviolet, but I really should have known better

I was expacting the Captain Jack from the Dr Who series.  In Dr Who, he is somewhat more comical and lighthearted.  In Torchwood, he is depressing and much more mysterious.  Non of the supporting casts make the show any better.  The good episodes IMO were the ones where the focus is not entirely on any of the cast members such as the example I gave.

On a side note, what's with the severed hand?  I found out the significance of the hand when I stumbled across it in wikipedia (was looking for why Eccleston wanted out of the show) but I don't remember the scene where that hand got severed.  I think I would have remembered such scene.

[Mister Andersen]

I just didn't see the point of that long scene of Jack kissing the person he stole his name from.  It just seemed nothing more than a shock device.  It didn't fit with the ongoing story and that particular scene was just way too long.  That whole scene just seemed unnecessary IMO.

As the lead-in the season finale, Captain Jack Harkness was about secrets, the past and trust. The two Jacks are an exercise in compare and contrast, with the ultimate difference being that after his secret was revealed original!Jack's people still trusted him enough to put their life in his hands, while future!Jack's people end up doing the exact opposite.

I'll be the first to admit that Torchwood's approach to "mature" is too often more akin to the smutty behind-the-shed-behaviour of school boys, and it's had its share of gratuitous shock-value sex (the alien sex gas episode comes screaming to mind). But the Jack/Jack kiss wasn't gratuitous or for shock value - it came naturally from both characters' narrative progressions.

I was expacting the Captain Jack from the Dr Who series.  In Dr Who, he is somewhat more comical and lighthearted.  In Torchwood, he is depressing and much more mysterious.

Well, he's been killed by Daleks in a largely futile struggle, resurrected, cursed with eternal life and inability to sleep, abandoned by people he considered friends, and is now in a position where he's again responsible for the lives of others (and we know how well that's worked out in the past...)

None of the supporting casts make the show any better.

Fair point. One of Torchwood's big problems for me is that I can't stand Gwen, which is a real problem when dramatically she's intended to be the point of audience identification for the series itself. Owen is a jerk, but two of his three episodes (Combat being the exception) actually manage to do something interesting with the character. Ianto is by and large uninteresting - and should have been booted after the fiasco of Cyberwoman; his subsequent affair with Jack at the end of the season really does seem gratuitous. Tosh is the only one with any redeeming qualities - in the 2 episodes where she isn't neglected by the writers, she's more interesting and sympathetic than the rest of the cast together.

On a side note, what's with the severed hand?  I found out the significance of the hand when I stumbled across it in wikipedia (was looking for why Eccleston wanted out of the show) but I don't remember the scene where that hand got severed.  I think I would have remembered such scene.

It happens during the sword fight with the Sycorrax leader in the 1st Christmas Special. Basically the Doctor's hand gets lopped off with a big sword and falls to the city below the ship, but fortunately the Doctor has regenerated recently enough that he can grow a replacement.

[agent oni]

OK, finally saw the latest episode of Dr. Who.  Nice!

I heard it is a 3 parter.  I didn't get the clue Martha gave until my friend explained it to me.  Gotta love time loops!