Did anyone watch this on BBC HD? This is the first time I've watched anything on BBC HD that hasn't given me that 'wow' factor of HD. It just looked like upscaled SD to me. Anyone else get that impression?
Well I thought that that episode was as poor and ill thought out as the last three.
I thought that Michelle Ryan was cringeworthy, almost everything she said grated on me. "Extreme? That's how I like it." Mmmmmmm...
Apart from the gaping plot holes that I'll come to in a minute, the plot itself was as under developed and badly executed as anything Russell T Davies has produced in the last year. It surprises me that a man who is capable of such brilliant stories as Midnight, Turn Left, Utopia and The Sound of Drums can also produce such grating dialogue and stomach churning sentimentalism- "Oi love yew!", "Whether you like it or not I'm going to salute you". The amount of arse licking the humans subject us to these days makes me want to find the nearest human and cut off his/her tongue so that they can no longer push it down the back of the Doctor's trousers. And that's the worst of it, but the whole "I'm gonna get you home to your special families" was totally cliched and uninspiring. Just thrown in for the sake of it to make it 'thought provoking'. It wasn't that. It wasn't scary and it wasn't thought provoking, although the nod to the Italian job, "do I give up the gold to save our asses whilst trapped on this bus", made me smile. It was fun to see Lee Evans being Lee Evans but I just couldn't take him seriously. Again, there was the **** science that was lazily written. Lee Evans being able to fix the worm hole being the main example.
I find it a bit odd that these stingrays are supposed to be able to move at frighteningly fast speeds, and yet, for the full few minutes that they were in close range with the worm hole, a grand total of three managed to get through. The psychic woman just seemed totally pointless to me. Were her 'predictions' necessary? Did she serve anything to the plot and solve anything that the Doctor couldn't? I don't think so. Not that there was much of a plot, not an interesting one at least. I was actually looking forward to this episode. The whole being trapped scenario appealed to me in the same way that 'Midnight' did, but the way they solved it was boring and simple. All in all it really was just...random! And nice to see the totally secretive time lord getting out his gadgets on a bus in front of loads of people.
In summary, I thought it was dull and forgettable, the plot, the acting, the elements, the music, everything. The next episode looks extremely good, but my hopes aren't up since I thought I would enjoy this. It's stories like this that show Russell Davies in a really bad light. He throws in lazy concepts for the sake of it and as a result they don't work. Roll on Matt Smith and Moffatt! I hope they can turn it all around. Luckily, Red Dwarf is being brilliant so this episode isn't worth mulling over.
That's my two cents. Would love to have everyone else's.
:-(
A former member
Having seen the trailer too many times, I was apprehensive at best about this episode - and starting to feel that Tennant's day has already come (if not gone) as has RTD's. Unfortunately, the episode has only cemented my feelings. Whilst the trail at the end for the The Waters of Mars looks to have the potential for being far better, I don't think I'll hold much hope.
Maybe it's already time to give the series a proper break - though I'm sure the BBC need this to continue being a cash cow via merchandise and world sales.
the police inspector was a bit dim when Christina escaped on the bus as you can't lock yourself in a bus, he could have just pushed the doors open or gone through the emergency exit
I didn't mind it. It was a nice little episode, nothing astoudning but nothing horrendous.
I mean yes it was a simple plot but then not every ep can be stunning and I honestly don't think there's been an atrocious episode since the end of last of the time lords which was drivvel.
Yes it had its cheesy moments but then it is - after all - a kids show so I've always found it a bit unfair that such harsh fanish criticism is aimed at it.
Did anyone watch this on BBC HD? This is the first time I've watched anything on BBC HD that hasn't given me that 'wow' factor of HD. It just looked like upscaled SD to me. Anyone else get that impression?
Certainly looked better than upscaled SD - and a LOT better than the 50i->25p conversions we've had for SD Doctor Who since it returned a few years ago.
It didn't have the overly edge-enhanced look that some sport stuff has (where they wind in excessive amounts of detail enhancement) - and it looked like it was shot on camcorders (like Torchwood and Bleak House were) rather than a higher-end e-Cinema camera (as Wallander, Last of the Summer Wine, Silent Witness and - I think - Cranford were) - but it still looked pretty good to me.
I think they were trying to retain elements of the previous series' look - but in HD. Compared to the BBC One SD broadcasts and the DVDs of the last series it looked streets ahead.
I think the episode worked as a "jobbing" episode - and I thought Michelle Ryan fitted in quite well as a temporary, feisty companion. (Though obviously not Sally Sparrow quality - before anyone else says that...)
Nice to see UNIT being used again - and Lee Evans did a great job - balancing acting and comedy nicely.
Thought the CGI for the swarm of attacking things was great - but the bus looked very suspect. I think it is much easier to model things that you're not familiar with in real life than real things - but they got the surface texture and colour wrong for the bus. (Wonder if it was a 601 vs 709 colourspace issue - i.e. they rendered in SD colourspace for HD?)
So - not a classic episode - but still enjoyable I thought. (And still streets ahead of many - if not all - of the Colin Baker/Sylvester McCoy episodes...)
Hyma, I would dispute what you say about it being a kid's show. Although it was originally conceived as a kid show, it was revived knowing that there was a huge adult fanbase, so to say it is for CBBC level kids is arguable, what with all the killing and the depths of themes that some episodes explore. SOME. The Sarah Jane Adventures is more of a kiddie show, I think.
Hyma, I would dispute what you say about it being a kid's show. Although it was originally conceived as a kid show, it was revived knowing that there was a huge adult fanbase, so to say it is for CBBC level kids is arguable, what with all the killing and the depths of themes that some episodes explore. SOME. The Sarah Jane Adventures is more of a kiddie show, I think.
