Among Other Things...

This is bothering me so much! First I would like to say that Matt Smith is not leaving Doctor Who! So in one interview he said he had another year on Doctor Who… so what? That doesn’t mean anything. it couldn’t just been a slip of the tongue, or absolutely nothing at all. Maybe since there is a long break between now and the next season, he’s going to film Doctor Who and then do some other stuff and then come back in time for the 50th anniversary and the next season. Why would he know so much about the 50th anniversary if he wasn’t staying for it? I know Moffat’s said he’s planned the end for the eleventh doctor but he’s said the same thing about Amy, Rory, and River. I acknowledge that he originally signed on for three years, but there were an optional additional two years on the contract as well. In another interview, he said he would like to be the longest running doctor, which means he’d stay for more than seven years. Anyway, that’s what I think. Just wanted to get that out there… If you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch the short interview for yourself here. You have the right to your own opinion, so tell me what you think…

Like many other whovians, me and the Daleks have a bit of a love hate relationship. Well, I say that, but actually I hate them and they hate all humans so its actually a hate hate relationship. In 2005, one single Dalek appeared in a story called Dalek which was actually really good. They then made a surprise appearance in the Series 1 finale which weren’t the best episodes, but were pretty good all in all. They didn’t appear after that until the last episode of series 2 where them showing up was a fantastic plot twist, and though that episode wasn’t fantastic, their appearance wwas incredible well handled. This is where it starts going down hill though. Since a couple of Daleks survived the end of Series 2, their return was inevitable. They appeared near the beginning of series 3 in some one the worst episodes of Doctor Who ever, at least the worst two-parter. Once again, their return was inevitable after that and not shockingly they appeared in the last two episodes of Series 4. Those two episodes were FAILURES, well maybe they weren’t that bad, had the enemy not been the Daleks, they would have been ok. But the whole point is that it DID feature the Daleks and they ruined it. A few episodes after that, they had a cameo appearance in the Waters of Mars, and then a few episodes after that they appeared in Victory of the Daleks (which is the worst story of Series 5). They then appeared in the Pandorica Opens and the Big Bang, but there their presence actually didn’t ruin the episode for me. Since then, they have only appeared in a brief cameo appearance in the Wedding of River Song. Maybe this is the way it should be, the Dalekes need to be rested for another series or two and then come back in a story where they are menacing again. In Dalek, one Dalek killed hundreds of people and it was actually menacing, but since then, they really haven’t been menacing. So with all this in mind, let’s start the review. 

The Daleks, the second serial of season 1 of Doctor Who, is in a word good. Its actually really good. Sure the Daleks are in it, but they don’t ruin it. They’re not nearly as annoying as they have been in recent years.  And even though this serial is seven episodes long, they don’t really get old. They’re not trying to take over the world, they’re just trying to rule a city and defeat their enemy, the Thals. Its a basic story, but it works so well. Though a Dalek doesn’t even appear until the end of episodes one, the story is still so intriguing that you don’t care. The story about a radiation forest, the TARDIS being broken, and a strange alien city; its all very interesting. Though the Daleks don’t serve as the main villains until later on, as the Doctor dying is more of a threat, they still make great villains. The characters and acting in this story is once again spot on, especially Ian and Barbara’s acting. The Doctor here is likable and unlikable at times here. Though he’s still not the Doctor we know today, the Doctor pretending that the TARDIS is broken just so he can explore an alien city is something he would do today. Susan, is still pretty unlikable though, as she does is scream. Oh well, not all companions can be good…

So, was this story excellent? No, but it was pretty good. Good plot, good characters (even some of the Thals), good villain (that’s right, you want to make something of it?), and good satisfyingly climax and conclusion. I’m looking forward to the next story which, I will have hopefully reviewed by tomorrow. 

Rating: 7/10 

Recommendation: Watch this serial, watch it now. You’ll be impressed, most definitely. It might have the Daleks in it, but its still really good.  

If you want to read my last review: Click Here

If you want to watch the episodes for yourself: I have created a link to a playlist I am constantly adding on to. Follow this link to watch the first few episodes of Doctor Who Season 1. Simply click on season 1 and go to the bottom of the page and click the last page number. Starting there you can watch most of season 1 in order. Here’s the link: Click Here. 

Please Give Me Feedback! Tell me if you liked or didn’t like the review, you can either respond by answering below or tell me in my ask box which is located here: Ask Box. 

I was at first a bit reluctant to watch this show, and really a bit annoyed that Netflix kept suggesting for me to watch it, then I heard who wrote the show. It is written by 3 Doctor Who writers. Moffat is the head writer, and he as written some of the best episodes of Doctor Who, so I basically knew after that that it would be worth watching. But there are two other Doctor Who writers invovled, Mark Gatiss (who wrote the Unquiet Dead, The Idiot’s Lantern, Victory of the Daleks, and Night Terrors; he also acted in The Lazarus Experiment as Richard Lazarus, Victory of the Daleks and A Good Man Goes To War as Danny Boy, and as Gantok in the Wedding of River Song; here he plays Mycroft, Sherlock’s brother) and Steve Thompson (who wrote Curse of the Black Spot). Though neither Mark Gatiss or Steve Thompson have written the best episodes of Doctor Who, their writing here is pretty good.

Anyway, I decided to watch the first episode and I was hooked. I immediately watched the next two episodes over the next two days. When it was over, I was shocked and I wanted more. This is because the last episode ends in a cliff hanger, and a pretty good cliffhanger at that. I won’t spoil it, if you haven’t seen it, but it is great. As a matter of fact, all three episodes are great. The slowest episode (and probably worst, though I use the term worst very loosely) is episode 2, the Blind Banker, but even that isn’t bad television. The writing and acting in the series is phenomenal, and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Martin Freeman are a pleasure to watch. So many people say that Sherlock and Watson are gay in this, but they’re just two guys having fun and solving crimes together. Even the writers have denied that they’re gay. None the less, you can think what ever you want to think. Anyway, if you haven’t watched this yet, you must. You have no idea what you’re missing. There are only three 90 minute episodes right now with series 2 coming this spring. If you have or haven’t read the Sherlock Holmes books, you’ll love this. I highly suggest it. 

Torchwood is an anagram of Doctor Who. Doctor Who was called Torchwood while filming series 1 of the revived series to keep it secret. It later became the story arc for series 2 and the name of the the spin-off show.