In the tenth episode of the second series of Doctor Who, we meet the world’s biggest fan of the Doctor, whose life is irrevocably changed when he goes to great lengths to meet him. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Doctor Who.
The first show I ever got the chance to watch in real-time for quite a few years in a row was The X-Files. (I’m hoping this post will bring out some of you X-Philes so we can geek out in the comments below.) I am still unable to understand how I lived in such a ruthless, strict, and frightening household environment, where I had a 7pm bedtime until I was fourteen, but somehow, from the day the show first started in 1993, just over a month shy of my tenth birthday, my mom would let my brother and I stay up late to watch the show. Perhaps the show was reminiscent of the The Twilight Zone, which my mother loved, or perhaps it was her attachment to serials on radio and television when she was a child. But I got to watch that show every week and it felt like my only vision to the outside world.
Sure, the plots were fantastical, but I was already pretty heavily obsessed with horror and science fiction at that point. (I blame that on three things: Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stores To Tell In the Dark trilogy, Edgar Allan Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft.) Because my mom was so strict, I lived in a veritable bubble of sorts. If it weren’t for my older brother, I wouldn’t have even really know what punk or hardcore or metal was until many years later. I was cut off from the world because my parents wanted to protect me from everything they felt could ruin me: drugs or friends or drinking or rap music or anything weird or dark and the list could seriously keep going. So I started to latch on to that which was precisely what they tried to keep me from. I was enamored with the idea of ghosts, of specters, of UFOs and messages from beyond the grave, of sea monsters and Bigfoot and the terror all these stories filled me with.
They made me feel alive when I otherwise drifted through life and school as if I wasn’t feeling anything at all.
The X-Files managed not only to introduce me to even more urban legends and terrifying myths, but it framed it all in a subversive format that told me, little ten- and eleven-year-old me, that above all else, you should not trust authority. The government is lying to you, the news is lying to you, the magazines on the shelves by the checkout stand are lying to you, your teachers are lying to you (oh, and they’re also part of a satanic pact that’ll be acted out in a war against the greatest substitute teacher of all time), and, most importantly, your parents are most certainly lying to you. That show single-handedly fueled the little rebellion growing deep inside me, the rebellion that was telling me every day that there was something wrong with the way I was treated and the way I felt day-in and day-out when I was at home, that there was an entire world outside my door that couldn’t harm me at all, that actually held the capacity to make me feel wonder, amazement, awe, and intellectual satisfaction, that there was something deeply wrong with being demonized for being smart and wanting to learn, and that if I wanted to make the world change, sometimes I’d have to do it myself.
Implicit with this was the show’s way of also inspiring my sense of creativity. That first season of the show was, for more people than just myself, something we’d never seen before on mainstream television. How could they continue to tap into our collective fears and frighten us week after week? How are they not running out of ideas? How do they manage to tie these all together with a story arc that suggests something greater (and more damning) than the world we’d come to know?
But it was season two that changed my perceptions of television and how the medium could be used to tell a story, when the infamous Darin Morgan wrote a script for an episode called, “Humbug.” Not only was it deeply funny (and it still is to this day), it was the first time I’d seen a television show seem to openly talk about itself, about the absurd nature of the procedure and how people viewed the “evil” characters that popped up each week. I now understand that this was a “meta” episode that explored the concept of The X-Files’ universe itself, but I didn’t know that word back then. To me, it was a bold and fearless thing for a show to do, especially so early into its run.
If you’ve guessed where this is going, watching “Love & Monsters” brought me back to the unexpected and surprising feelings that occurred the first time I watched “Humbug.” There are few things I appreciate more in television than a show willing to break it’s own narrative pattern to tell a new story, even if the execution isn’t perfect. (Good examples: “Brown Betty” on Fringe, “Across The Sea” and “Ab Aeterno” on LOST, and WAIT WHY CAN’T I THINK OF ANYMORE THAT AREN’T EPISODES OF THE X-FILES).
When “Love & Monsters” opened with Elton Pope’s videoblog, I assumed that we’d only stick to this format for the cold open. NOPE. Russell T Davies gets a chance to be much sillier than usual in this episode and, until the end, it was great to watch the whole thing with a smile on my face. I wonder if, beyond needing an episode without as much David Tennant and Billie Piper in it, this episode was also written to include (some) commentary on the ferocity with which some fans approach Doctor Who. I sort of felt this subtext was kind of obvious, but I’m willing to admit that it’s only because I’m so aware of how many Doctor Who fans there are online.
As a whole, I enjoyed this episode, but it was the details that really did it for me. Elton would not have been as endearing had he not been so obsessive about ELO. The secondary characters would not have been as believable had they not been so plain. Victor Kennedy would not have been so compatible as a villain had he not been so slimy and self-absorbed. And there wouldn’t have been such an emotional weight to “Love & Monsters” had it not spent so much time with Jackie, who became an even MORE amazing character than before.
Let’s just move on to the good (and negative) thoughts I had for this episode.
THOUGHTS
- The quick shot of Elton John when Elton is introducing himself is another one of those small details that I loved.
- MOANING MYRTLE!!!! Oh lord, so distracting.
- LINDA is perhaps the silliest acronym of all time. Clearly it makes sense because…fish n’ chips. DUH.
- “What’s the twin planet of Raxacoricofallapatorus?” “Clom.”
- “You upset my mum.” “Right. Big absorbing alien over there, and you’re having a go at me?”
- Abzorbaloff. My god, I love this show.
- ABSORBED INTO HIS BUTT. Gross.
- I cannot express my love for Jackie any more than I already have, but I’ll try. This episode is so fantastic because it shows a mother who deeply loves her daughter, so much so that she wil continue to live alone rather than give up her location. This episode provided a huge character growth for Jackie and at the end, I just wanted to hang out with her so much. And give her a hug. So she could spill wine on my shirt and make me feel uncomfortable.
- Complaint #1: I don’t understand how the absorbed bodies could hold back the Abzorbaloff. That made no sense to me.
- Complaint #2: The ending of this episode is great UNTIL we find out that Ursula has been preserved as a face in a tile square. Possibly one of the most disturbing and fucked up things I’ve ever seen, most especially with the reference to a love life. WHAT THE FUCK, RUSSELL T DAVIES. Just no thank you at all.
- TORCHWOOD FILES AGAIN. Oh god, I’m almost to the end of series two and cannot wait for this show to explode my brain forever.
I don't usually hate episodes of Doctor Who. Either I adore them or I don't mind them.
But I HATE this episode so hard.
Me too. This is the only episode so far I didn't bother rewatching along with the blog. DO NOT LIKE.
The only bright spot was the bit at the beginning with the bucket and the pork chop.
Yeah, this is my #1 least favorite episode, period. I just… I like the concept of these people obsessing over the Doctor, but the whole absorbing thing and then getting stuck in a tile… ew ew ew WTF ! And then being stuck in a tile forever? DO NOT WANT.
I actually have no desire to defend this episode as "good." Even the ending aside, I totally get someone not liking it.
Yeah, my boyfriend loved it, but it was definitely meh for me… it was frustrating to see so little of the Doctor and Rose, and while I liked the storyline, it didn't seem sufficient to stretch into an entire episode. And the ending was endlessly awful.
To me, the problem is the ending. I also refused to watch it again even if I remember Jackie being awesome and I didn't mind the rest all that much but that ending will disgust me forever.
I just can't.
It's a bit of a love/hate episode as far as I can tell. It was very experimental and different, and there were a lot of elements that I can see people finding cheesy and annoying.
I'm one of the people in the middle; I enjoyed a lot of the episode, but I found that when Victor exposed himself he was too ridiculous to find threatening.
Okay, my first reaction is to go "WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAAAAT WHYYYYYYYYY?" but instead I will pretend to be a grown-up and ask "What is it abuot this episode that makes you hate it so much?"
And then I will bite my lip and try REALLY HARD not to flail at the computer because I love this episode dearly.
(Ow)
That final "gag" can never be unheard. Ugh.
Quick fact: The Abzorbaloff was a result of a "Design a Doctor Who Monster" competition on the BBC's kids show "Blue Peter".
I think I heard that the boy who designed him wasn't perfectly happy though, because he imagine him to be the size of a bus. (I suspect that the human disguise was not part of his vision, but I really don't know.)
I entered that competition! (Yeah, it was a few years ago, don't even judge). I was in the final 100 runners up and got a Blue Peter badge and a Doctor Who 'Monsters & Villains' book!
…Okay, I'm over-sharing.
You're not oversharing. That's awesome.
That's not over-sharing, that's awesome! 🙂 Congratulations on getting into the top 100.
That's not over-sharing at all! Congrats, and TELL US MORE!
That's awesome! What did you design?!
You're among (geeky) friends. No worries about over-sharing. 🙂
I hated this episode the first time I saw it, and I've avoided a rewatch ever since. But, in the spirit of watching everything along with Mark, I went through it again. Surprisingly, I liked it much more the second time around. However, Ursula should have just been dead, not living life as a paving stone. I just can't get behind that.
The Benny Hill type antics at the beginning with Rose, the Doctor, and the monster had me cracking up.
I agree, I rewatched it last night and the first 30 minutes or so were perfect. It's just a shame it couldn't maintain that.
I definitely don't think it deserves all the hate it gets though, there is plenty to love!
Agreed – the first half is great and then it falls apart in a really bad way.
The Benny Hill bit I loved. The rest of the ep… not bothered. The Ursula paving stone? Urgh…
I liked this episode until then end. I thought it was seriously so sad! What I did like (and what is kind of sad and messed up in it’s own way) is that this episode shows us another way of how the Doctor affects people’s lives. I mean sure he saved Elton but those other three or four, not to mention his granite gal, are a constant reminder to him of the terrible thing that happened. It’s like this made me forget about the shenanigans on the Tardis and think more about the aftermath. Again, sad.
Why do you not have more upvotes? That's pretty much my thoughts exactly. One of my favorite things to see in this series is how the Doctor impacts people even when he isn't right there. The episode was just sort of fun and silly for the most part, but I dislike the whole thing with the Absorbaloff so much that it ruins the whole episode for me.
See, I thought this episode was sad too, but in my opinion the Doctor saved those people – until the monstor came along, the obsession for the Doctor had helped them create a beautiful community – in this way, it's probably kind of a love letter to the fans, and how people who don't really fit in any where else can find a place in a fandom – and even start a fun band!
But it was really sad to me, because it's so much about loneliness, which is what Dr. Who is about most of the time, so I think it also fits into the arc of the season so far.
And it was HILARIOUS.
WORST.EPISODE.EVER.
If it didn't have Marc Warren in i would of thrown something at the TV.
I watched this episode once and never again. It's just…. no.
The decision to keep Ursula around in that way… ugh. It's so bad. But I'm a big fan of a TV show changing up the storytelling a bit, and for the most part I really love this episode. It's really funny and sweet, and Elton is adorable with his ELO love 🙂
i actually really liked this episode when i first saw it. i saw it as silly… and wondered what had really happened (since we always change a story when re-telling it.. which is what Elton was doing). and yes.. i love jackie!!! she just cracks me up! and OMG>….. you are almost to the end!!! i can wait to hear your thought about EVERYTHING!!!! and i think you will really like episode 2 of the 3rd series…. that's all i'm saying
Did anybody else think what I thought when they mentioned their love life at the end… or is that just my fucked up mind?
Absolutely not just you. But then, my mind has semi-permanent residence in the gutter. The way the slab was being held REALLY doesn't help matters.
Nope I did it too…
I probably thought the same thing, and was not happy with it. It was a mental imagery I could have done without.
No, I'm pretty sure that was really suggestive. And I didn't like the paving block Ursula at all, and that just killed it dead.
I'm pretty sure that was the intent, and it filled me with RAGE.
I'm glad you mentioned that, because I instantly thought that, but then I was like, "no, they can't seriously mean that, it would be toooo fucked up." But really, though, what else could it be? I mean, kissing, I guess? But the way he said it and the way she responded seemed to indicate a physical relationship beyond kissing, which makes me wonder what it would feel like to have… that… done by a tile…
The worst part for me was that if Rose hadn't been having a go at Elton then the doctor would have probably gotten the 'oh wait I can save her' thing earlier and she would probably have been able to give him more than a sex life 'of sorts'.
This may be rather vanilla of me, but I think there was really only one thing to think, which seemed almost more directly hinted at by the place her face was nearly aimed while he was talking about it. I'm sure the tile was positioned like that for budgetary reasons, but it felt involuntarily… illustrative. *Shudder*
I'm not sure how your mind could go anywhere else with that line. The idea of living your life as a paving stone is bad enough, but that's a mental image I did NOT need. ::goes to get the brain bleach::
I'm pretty sure there was just one thing we were meant to think–it was pretty blatant. I was watching it with my mom, so that was awkward anyway because it was such a weird episode (I started with T&C, too, so…), what with the fat naked alien and all, and then the bit at the end–well, she was like "I guess they could kiss…?" and I didn't say anything because either 1) she didn't get it or 2) she did but hoped I wouldn't, and either way…not really a conversation I wanted to have. >_<
Elton and Ursula may be trying to cement their relationship, paving the way for some kind of future, but I'm not sure I have any concrete opinions about it.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
This was the last episode I hadn't seen before watching to keep up with this blog. I'd heard a lot of complaints about it but tbh I didn't mind it. It's not great but it has some nice moments.
Yet more TARDIS love from me (it's a pattern I know) "The greatest sound in the universe" It so is.
OMG I knew Ursula seemed familiar to me! Yeah I could have done without the paving slab at the end. Especially the "bit of a love life" part. Too much information Elton!
I love Jackie even more after this and want to give her a hug. Especially when she mentioned Mickey, she doesn't have anyone else that knows where Rose is that she can talk to now, that has to make being left behind even harder for her.
"The greatest sound in the universe" I noticed the same thing as well. You can't not love the vworp vworp.
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/23wmssi.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
I was distracted the entire episode trying to figure out where I had seen Elton before. Then I realized that he was Pvt. Blithe in Band of Brothers.
My Tardis cookie jar complete with sound effects arrived in the mail yesterday! I don't keep cookies around but its sure to have a lot or practical uses!
If you are a UK viewer, he was also in Hustle for a few years and other shows, great actor that Marc Warren.
This cookie jar sounds amazing. And you can keep all sorts of things in a cookie jar. I keep one in the bathroom to put spare toilet paper rolls in, the lid keeps them clean until someone needs them!
that sounds like a giant cookie jar!
The first time I watched it, I was like "Hey, Moaning Myrtle! :D"
The second time, "Hey, it's Moaning Myrtle/Mr. Teatime. Aaaand… Now I really don't want."
Ok, so this episode isn’t the best episode ever. The Monster of the Week is kind of weird (but I blame that on the fact that this monster was created as a result of a contest on a children’s show), and I spend most of the episode missing the Doctor and Rose.
BUT I do think that this episode has some redeeming qualities. The Doctor kind of just jumps into these people lives, saves the day and leaves. He never sticks around to see the repercussions of his actions. But through this episode and looking at the lives of those left behind (both Elton and Jackie), we get a more complete sense of the effect that the Doctor has on people. I mean this theme ties back to what Sarah Jane was saying back in “School Reunion”. How do you go back to a normal life after meeting the Doctor?
Elton Pope: When you're a kid, they tell you it's all… grow up. Get a job. Get married. Get a house. Have a kid, and that's it. But the truth is, the world is so much stranger than that. It's so much darker. And so much madder. And so much better.
I feel like that line sums up a lot of what series 2 is about. It’s kind of what Rose’s journey has been from series 1 up until now.
I think the thing that makes this episode for me is Jackie. Poor Jackie. We see how lonely she gets, all by herself. Rose has left her, and then Mickey had become a friend for her, but he’s gone too now. So of course she reaches out for a friend. She keeps coming up with reasons for Elton to come around because she's desperate for some human connection.
Jackie: I get left here sometimes and um… I don’t know where she is. Anything could be happening to her, anything. And I just go a bit mad.
And then she thinks that she might have found someone who will be her friend, for real, only to find out that it really is all about the Doctor. Elton only cared about her because of her connection to the Doctor. Poor Jackie, that’s gotta sting.
Jackie: Let me tell you something about those who get left behind because it’s hard. And that’s what you become. Hard. And if there’s one thing that I’ve learned, is that I will never let her down. And I’ll protect them both until the end of my life.
I love Jackie. So much. Even when she’s hurting, she’ll be strong and protect Rose and the Doctor. Jackie is strong and wonderful in her own way. She’s a bit of a silly character sometimes, for sure. But she’s not one note or one-dimensional. She’s a real character who has feelings. She feels alone and abandoned, but she won’t let those feelings get in the way of protecting her daughter and the Doctor.
So you know I don’t hate this episode like some people do just because I adore Jackie so much and I really enjoy the insight into her character. And it is a nice look at what happens to those that the Doctor leaves behind. It’ll never be my favorite episode, but I don’t think it’s as bad as some people think.
When you're a kid, they tell you it's all… grow up. Get a job. Get married. Get a house. Have a kid, and that's it. But the truth is, the world is so much stranger than that. It's so much darker. And so much madder. And so much better.
One of my favourite DW quotes. I don't hate this episode either, it has some really lovely moments to it.
Great analysis/explanation of Jackie's FANTASTIC! character development. That was the best bit of the episode, imo. Although I also loved the "typical" chase scenes at the beginning, and how Elton is just standing there agape and agog.
Yeah. This is really Jackie's episode. Which is why I want to bang my head at the end when Rose has a go at Elton for 'upsetting' her!
The insight into Jackie is definitely a redeeming feature, but I can't like this episode.
There are some great Doctor-lite, Companion-lite, and both-lite eps out there. This… is not one.
This is one of my least favorite episodes in the entire run of the series to date. And that cement tile love-life line was just plain DO NOT WANT.
I seem to always have the unpopular opinions in this fandom, because I genuinely like this episode. I thought Elton was a great character, LINDA was so adorable in its plainness and how they came together to become a family–that, to me, is a meta-take on fandom at its best. You stop talking just about the Doctor and you start talking about losing your daughter or sharing your talents.
I also like the way the episode treats Jackie, and what she's gone through. Her daughter abandoned her and the only person she could've shared her pain with is lost in another universe. It also made me laugh at how ironic it is that Rose is all, "No one upsets my mum!" after we'd just watched scene after scene of Jackie detailing how much Rose had upset her. Oh, Rose. With your constant inability to see how your decisions affect other people. It's so aggravating that it's almost back around to charming again. Almost.
And for what it's worth, the "love life" comment makes me laugh to no end. Sorry, but I like creepy/pervy humor. Although it does kind of bother me that it implies there's no reciprocity, since he can't exactly return the favor. :-/
This. I agree so hard with everything.
That's why it bothers me, the implication that since she can "give" it's good enough for everyone and, frankly, we should be quite over women "gives" and man "takes".
Ugh.
I agree. It's one of those jokes that I laugh really hard at for a few minutes, and then I go, "…wait. That's…a little bit offensive." I don't, however, find the idea of her giving "gross" as other some people in the comments seem to; I'm merely bothered by the lack of reciprocity.
That was such a fun episode… I agree with everything you said. Sometimes you just need a little fun.
Mark, I love reviews like this – I always wish that some of the Powers That Be could read this, because it just proves that these things DO matter. To TV schedulers, and to the casual viewer, these programmes are just fun (like, to some publishers and casual readers, the Harry Potter series are 'just books'), but there are people to whom it really makes a difference. There are people to whom these stories give imagination, and courage, and hope. I never watched X-Files, but that's how I feel about Harry Potter (I literally grew up with those books, from age seven to age seventeen), so I understand.
That show single-handedly fueled the little rebellion growing deep inside me, the rebellion that was telling me every day that there was something wrong with the way I was treated and the way I felt day-in and day-out when I was at home, that there was an entire world outside my door that couldn’t harm me at all, that actually held the capacity to make me feel wonder, amazement, awe, and intellectual satisfaction, that there was something deeply wrong with being demonized for being smart and wanting to learn, and that if I wanted to make the world change, sometimes I’d have to do it myself.
Mark, you are so amazing.
::blushes::
I love you, platonically.
This is an episode that people either seem to hate or love, to the extent that in a poll for Doctor Who Magazine it ended up in the middle of the pack after receiving a roughly equal number of very high and very low votes.
But most people hate the final gag, because ew.
It's worth pointing out that a lot of the production team – including both RTD and Moffatt – were major fans of the old series – it was basically RTD's dream to be able to bring the show back – and so a lot of the stuff about fandom in this is based upon his own personal experience of the old Doctor Who fandom. In particular, the villain of the piece being a solemn and humourless 'superfan' who insists that they have to focus is particularly pointed when there were a number of people like that around at the time – people who didn't really seem to enjoy the show that much, yet focused on nothing else.
The first show I ever got the chance to watch in real-time for quite a few years in a row was The X-Files. (I’m hoping this post will bring out some of you X-Philes so we can geek out in the comments below.)
HI MARK. That was like my first big fannish show as well. All my AOL screennames were Mulder###. When they started rerunning the show on FX, I taped every episode on VHS for my collection. I saw Fight the Future opening weekend (I think). I really can't remember what my young self felt about the show to describe it like you so eloquently have, though.
There are few things I appreciate more in television than a show willing to break it’s own narrative pattern to tell a new story, even if the execution isn’t perfect. (Good examples: “Brown Betty” on Fringe, “Across The Sea” and “Ab Aeterno” on LOST, and WAIT WHY CAN’T I THINK OF ANYMORE THAT AREN’T EPISODES OF THE X-FILES).
Because you haven't seen Buffy, Mark. Because you haven't seen Buffy.
I really enjoyed this episode for its wacky out-of-the-boxness, but, uh, yeah, the fucked-up fate of Ursula is…yeah.
Oh god, can't wait for Mark to watch Buffy.
ALSO this is why Mark should watch Supernatural! I saw in the suggestions post that he had some reservations about the show, but they have so many fantastic meta episodes. The writers are not afraid of taking risks with the narrative. You just have to get past season one, which is not bad, but is a little less exciting and a little more horror-camp than the rest of the series.
Oh yeah, SPN also has a lot of great meta episodes! And it wears its XF influences on its sleeves.
I did say I would give season one of SPN a try!!
also YAY X FILES.
YAY.
Season one of SPN is good! It's like a mini-horror movie every week. Season two is when the show really opens up into a long-term arc, though, and then it gets pretty great. And the XF homages keep on coming.
I did see that, I just hope you stick with it past season one, because as spectralbovine pointed out, it gets so much better after that.
Plus, Mitch Pileggi shows up as a guest star.
As does Steven Williams.
I swear I commented on this, but I did agree to watch one season of SPN!
You did comment, but it wasn't showing up! It shows up now. This happens quite a bit, it seems. For instance, I replied to your XF Geekout Thread, and it hasn't shown up so you can't reply to it!
WHAT. Ok I will go check.
Ha, the Buffy thing was exactly what I was thinking.
I think there are at least five or six episodes that would qualify loosely, although maybe only a couple that are really and truly a weird break in the narrative of the level of Mark's examples. But some of my favorite episodes were the out-of-the-box ones that said, "We're going to tell our story differently than we usually do it, guys. Go along with us, and trust that it will actually enrich the narrative and these characters as a whole."
I think people think of Buffy because it was hella influential and one of the first shows to do it that wasn't a sketch comedy show or another format that's more prone to being outside the box. I see so much Buffy in like half the shit on tv this past decade.
But yeah, that's totally what I was thinking of, too.
Complaint #2: The ending of this episode is great UNTIL we find out that Ursula has been preserved as a face in a tile square. Possibly one of the most disturbing and fucked up things I’ve ever seen, most especially with the reference to a love life. WHAT THE FUCK, RUSSELL T DAVIES. Just no thank you at all.
Yeah, right there is where this episode was completely ruined for me. I enjoyed it up until the end, and then I was just creeped out beyond belief.
Otherwise, I thought this was a slightly better than average episode, but not the best of the whole bunch. It was nice to get away from the larger narrative and have a silly episode (all that ELO is awesome, IMHO), but it still isn't one of the best.
I think this is great, because I'm re-watching every episode with you (Thank you NETFLIX!) and with my cousin as well (who just got hooked on Doctor Who, had never heard of it until I showed it to her right before Christmas). I've mostly avoided a lot of the "Rose" episodes, because I just didn't particularly care for her as a companion. I think subsequent ones did a better job with it all. But it's nice because now I'm re-watching episodes that were lost to me because they had Rose in them, and now I remember how much I enjoyed them.
Keep it up!
Also Mark! If I might make a suggestion: If you have a backlog of Doctor Who reviews, it might be a good idea to post another one today just because if you stick to doing one episode per day, you're going to end this week in a weird place, with episode 2×12 on Friday and then the weekend in between that episode and the final one of the series. But if you don't have a backlog stockpiled, no worries. We'll live.
Yeah, I need to second this. It would be weird to have the break between reviews fall right there when you're so close to the end.
I was thinking he could just post 2×13 on Saturday if he's seen it before then.
Also, Mark, there are questions that need answers soon:
What are the plans for next week?
Are we voting for another classic Who?
If so, will that be before or after the Chirstmas Special?
Have you made a decision on Torchwood?
What is the meaning of life?
(The last question is optional.) ;p
THESE QUESTIONS ARE IMPORTANT!
Also, if Mark watches more Old Who before the next series (which, trust me Mark, you really ought to, Old Who is obviously fantastic/sometimes hilariously bad), it's IMPERATIVE that we AS A COMMUNITY select a RELEVANT EPISODE to maximize his VIEWING EXPERIENCE.
I'm trying to emphasize something without saying what it is and it's not going well at all. Fuck.
Don't worry dude, I get you. I'll say no more…
Let's face it, I'm sure you are not alone in your opinion, but it may be tricky to recommend a relevant episode without the reason for its relevance spoiling that which is to come. I also think it's unnecessary as when the relevent moment comes, it stands up very well on its own.
However, if we *were* going to recommend a relevant episode, then maybe it should be something special that contains perhaps as many as five amazing things so as to hide the particularly relevant thing.
There. That should be cryptic enough to be anti-spoilery.
You and I are on exactly the same page, and I admire your extreme perceptiveness.
42.
This episode is a strange one for me, I love it because of things like the hilarious scooby-doo-esque chase at the beginning, but I hate it so much because of the 'love life' line, which for me is a great big steaming pile of AARGHNO!!! EW-DO-NOT-WANT!GROSS!!!
Ohhhh. My random comments on this episode were all listed by you:
– I love Elton's obsession with ELO. Fantastic little character trait there, and I loved how we get to see him totally rocking out throughout the episode
– Clom, indeed. What better twin planet name could there be for something called 'Raxacoricofallapatorus'?
– The ending. As a matter of fact, the ending with Ursula as a face preserved in a tile disturbed me so much that even though I loved Elton and the episode in general, I disliked it by the end. Even in rewatching the episode, I couldn't enjoy it as much knowing what was coming. That really bugs me. The whole premise just screams something at me that he's holding on to something that he should let go of. And I wonder, really, how happy she can be living as a tile? He has this life that he can carry on with, and she's on his desk, there … for his pleasure? Conversation? But no life of her own? Ugh.
And on a totally different note – I didn't even REGISTER that Ursula was Myrtle. Oh god, how did I not notice?
And even though Myrtle's a ghost stuck in the place where she died and never able to grow out of being a teenager, she STILL has it better than Ursula.
This is a good point. At least Myrtle has free will.
"The whole premise just screams something at me that he's holding on to something that he should let go of."
YES YES YES. To be honest this bothers me more than the whole love life thing. She's got no life, and he has no way to move on (can he desert her when she was made into a tile for him?) – seems like incredibly bad judgement on the Doctor's part.
And she CAN'T move on. She's dependent on him, completely. That bugs me so much. Especially considering in the same episode we're seeing Jackie asserting herself and strengthening her independence.
she can't frigging move, never mind move on! I like the theory posted further down that it didn't really happen, and it's just something he made up to confort himself…. equally sad for him, but a chance to move on one day, and less of a nightmare for her.
… and yes yes yes when Jackie is moving on it's just soooooooooo…..
in short, I agree!
Oh my god, Mark. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark? I don’t know why this makes me love you more than I already did, but it does. I mean, I watched X-Files when I was a kid, but I don’t remember most of it as I was quite small. But Scary Stories? I still have one of those books. My childhood!
Okay. Doctor Who tiem. I loved this episode. I realize it’s not a universal favorite, but it was quirky funny and still emotional. The bit at the end was rather off, but it wasn’t a deal breaker for me.
I have two giant Scary Stories tattoos on my left leg. 🙂
YOU ARE AWESOME FOREVER <3 THOSE BOOKS ARE MY CHILDHOOD TOO, MAN <3
This fucking episode, god damn 😐
"I am still unable to understand how I lived in such a ruthless, strict, and frightening household environment, where I had a 7pm bedtime until I was fourteen"
You mean I'm not the only one? It was really bizarre on the part of my parents… took a lot of effort to make them give in, but damn if it wasn't the best decision I've ever made (haha, that's not saying much).
Heh, I just stayed up reading books by my nightlight. Yes, I was "that" afraid of the dark. So many memories of lying on the wood floor with my book under the nightlight. Parents are weird.
YES. Even right before I ran away, my bedtime was 8pm. AT AGE 16.
So I totally relate, dude.
(omg hello!!! It's weird to see you here because I'm so used to you on Tumblr hahaha.)
No you definitely were not alone on the insanely strict parents front. I got them to give in some by the time I was 16-ish but damn it was an extremely unpleasant struggle.
This episode rates a 2 for scariness.
It rates lowly with watchers though, so it's good you liked it.
I've seen it once. Once is enough of that episode forever. JS.
Also from the fear forecasters:
Samuel can't understand why Adam, Mum and Dad find the idea of "A love life with a concrete slab!" so very funny…
Adam's the oldest. Samuel's the one next down.
I love the idea of the episode, and the whole meta-text thing, but yeah, it could have been better.
Definitely not as bad as everyone makes out though, and certainly not the worst episode.
With a genuinely creepy monster this could have been brilliant, as it is it's silly but fun, and a bit forgettable.
STILL NOT PREPARED
Have to say this now.
This is one of my favorite episodes of Doctor Who. Ever. And one of the reasons why this season is my favorite among all seasons of Doctor Who. And I can't even BELIEVE that this monster was created by a little boy, which I thought was just so fantastic when I finally got around to watching the Doctor Who Confidentials.
This episode includes so many amazing, wonderful, beautiful plot devices and character points.
This episode was the first I showed to my mom, to convince her that Doctor Who was beautiful and amazing and worth watching.
I gave this season to one of my best friends, and she literally texted me THE MOMENT after she finished watching this episode to tell me how wonderful and amazing it was, and how she was completely addicted to the show. But it was this episode that made her text me. This episode is just… I can't find the words.
I need to watch it again, I actually haven't watched it this time (I was hoping for your review to be up closer to 5-ish. Am having a hard time keeping up with MLK day on Monday and all.)
One thing it does definitely reflect is Dr. Horrible, which is also a 40 minute absolutely beautiful told story.
I'm going to prepare a nice long post on this episode once I get to watching it.
I love, love, love season 2, and I love, love, love Love and Monsters.
I don't even remember how this series end. I hope it's the one I'm thinking about. This episode was fun to watch, but I didn't like the ending with Ursula in the tile. That was really creepy to me and I wondered a lot about what would happen. If I remember correctly. they even said that she doesn't age? THat's even more creepy, what would she do when Elton would be old.
I really don't like this episode for a large number of reasons. But one of the most painful reasons is how close they were to having a phenomenal, touching, poignant episode, and then RTD had to throw in the mental image of getting a blowjob from a stone slab. THANKS RTD! Seriously, ask most Who fans about this episode, and that is what they remember.
Honestly, I would have preferred they left out the Absorbaloff entirely. Have either one of the members, or a new member, of LINDA become more obsessed and move them from a tightly-knit group of friends to an organized squad. Follow the same basic plot, but instead of being absorbed by monsters, simply have them drift apart as each member loses interest in tracking the Doctor. Definitely have them come into contact with the Doctor eventually, maybe even for the same reason as they did in the episode (Rose bein' annoyed Elton hurt her mum), but have a verbal confrontation instead of…whatever the hell that was.
Also, ditch the slapstick Scooby Doo chase as well.
There were rules laid down by the BBC in OldWho that every episode had to have a 'monster', which meant that meaningful episodes had to have a man in a terrible monster suit shoehorned in somehow. I wonder if the rule is still in place, as it would explain a lot.
Ditch the scooby doo chase?!? I LOVE that bit! Maybe I'm just a bit happier with the lowest common denominator style comedy… maybe I AM the lowest common denominator. But yeah, I found it v. funny 🙂
I don't mind the Scooby Doo chase sequence, mostly because I take it as just being Elton's perception/explanation of what happened, more than what actually happened. Yeah, that's what the Doctor's life looks like from the outside. Completely bizarre and incomprehensible.
Yes, totally incomprehensible from the outside – think of a certain Moffat ep with angels in it? There's a lot in there that shows things don't make sense to the outsiders. (I'm trying to point it out whilst not spoiling. Cannot WAIT for Mark to review that ep…)
urgh, the part where the girl has to disect a pig foetus? *shudder*
But how did the giant snake eat that guy whole if it started at the bottom of one leg? What happened once it got to the end?
That question always nagged at me during that episode…
Hey, I've dissected three pig fetuses. I'm guessing that the episode you're talking about didn't have it in a bio class context, though. 😛
I really like episodes like this, that take the focus off the Doctor and his companion and focus on how everyone else copes while they're off doing their thing. Jackie had a lot of great moments and this ep did a lot to build on her character.
The ending gag creeped me out more than the rest of the episode put together, but up until that point I was really drawn in by Elton and all the issues he was facing.
YES. FUCKING ADORE THAT EPISODE.
IT'S SO CREEPY.
Do you have a favorite episode of The X-Files? Or a top 5, if you can't choose just one?
I MIGHT BE.
Ok, X FILES GEEK OUT THREAD. NOW.
Favorite episodes? Characters? Plot twists?
SPOILERS ABOUND.
MARK, I AM SO EXCITED THAT YOU LOVE THE X-FILES. It's my favorite series, with Doctor Who coming in second, so this has been a huge geek out post for me. I never made the connection between "Humbug" and "Love & Monsters," but it's very true. And this episode made me love Jackie Tyler even more than I already did.
But back to The X-Files! Favorite episode might be "Quagmire". I never get sick of watching it or hearing Mulder say "Sorry about Queequeg."
Favorite plot twist might be when Leonard Betts tells Scully she has something he needs. Even though I know it's coming now, I still freak out. Just picture sad Scully in the car, telling Mulder she wants to go home. 🙁
OMG WE AGREE ABOUT THE PLOT TWIST. "Quagmire" was great because it was so heavily based on dialogue instead of action.
Love Quagmire. 😀
The conversation they have on the rock always just cracks me up.
'Hey Scully, do you think you could ever cannibalize someone? I mean if you really had to.'
omg HOLLYWOOD AD. So good! The triplicate bathtub scene is FLAWLESS.
Love that scene! ^^
Also, cinematography-wise (am I using that word right? Is that even a word?) I just LOVE 'Triangle'. The scenes that cut between past and present? EPIC.
Plus, Scully in a red dress. UNF.
um I DID NOT DELETE THAT why does it say it was deleted
BELIEVE THE LIE.
APOLOGY IS POLICY.
OH GOD I LOVED WHEN THEY CHANGED IT.
0_o They must be on to us Mark…clearly this thread is being monitered closely by mysterious government agencies.
Although why they would only delete a post that reveals my latent lesbian crush on Gillian Anderson, we may never know. 😉
Hey Mark,
I haven't actually seen much X-Files, but I thought you might appreciate this, and it seems like an appropes time to post it:
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/mpiiv.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
I KNEW IT. 😀
But how can anyone possibly choose a favourite episode???
Although I have to say, I do love Dreamland/Dreamland 2. It's a two-parter so it ONLY COUNTS AS ONE EPISODE. ^^
Also Bad Blood…Triangle…Ice…ohgodallofthem.
AND THE FIRST MOVIE WHICH I LOVE FOREVER.
Favourite character? Aside from Scully obviously. <3 Can I have The Lone Gunmen count as one character???
Sorry about this, but The X Files tends to send me into an ALL CAPS FREAK OUT.
ME. TOO.
ICE IS SO TERRIFYING.
Love Ice because it has that horror movie feel. It reminds me a lot of 'The Thing', though I never really rated that movie, I found the special effects just sort of got in the way of the plot.
But argggh they really racked up the tension all through that episode!
It was great when I finally saw The Thing and was like, ooooh, I see what you did there.
Fav episode for me was Bad Blood- it was too funny to see what they really think of each other. The X-Files was my first fandom. I remember coming home from my Jr. high graduation, turning on the TV, seeing the news coverage of O.J. Simpson in the white Bronco, and getting pissed off because they weren’t giving the X-Files because of it.
OMG, XF!
Best, show. Ever. It has been number one for 16 years now and shalll remain in its throne, unbeaten by all.
I was nine when teh Pilot aired (and I, too, am amazed how my sister and I talked my parents into letting me stay up an hour longer to watch it).
Scully was my rolemodel through my early teen years, still is my hbic inspiration and I desperately wish my eyebrows had about half as much expressive capabilities as GA's.
So, Character: Scully. Without question. Though there's about a million things to say about Skinman.
Favourite Episode.. feck, I can't even… Bad Blood. Or Je Souhaite. Or Rain King. Or Pusher. Or Home.
No, can't choose. A group of Phile friends (thank you, internet) and I tried vor three days straight when we were having a geek week around the UK premiere of IWTB in London. We couldn't even nail it down to 5.
Plot Twist: "I'm sorry. But you hav esomething I need." 13 year-old girl that I was was crying forever.
Favourite Monster: If anything, Donnie Pfaster was highly effective. Shoved me right into Lake Night Terrors.
I'll just leave these here:
<img src="http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/ac307/mildlyconfused/mwtjlh-1.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/ac307/mildlyconfused/2mgrt5z.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/ac307/mildlyconfused/tumblr_kzrcpjxFNH1qza60c.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
BEST POST OF ALL TIME FOREVER.
Favourite episode: Jose Chung's From Outer Space
Favorite character: Cigarette smoking man
Favourite monster: Victor Tooms
an excellent post YES.
I LOVE 'Jose Chung's From Outer Space'!
I must have seen it a million times and I'm *still* not entirely sure what happened. I was left with the vague notion that Lord Kinbote was the only real alien. But that can't be right….can it?
😉
Plus the Sheriff that keeps saying 'bleep' because Scully is censoring his swearwords is PRICELESS. 😀
I just checked XKCD. I think today's comic is hilarious. And relevant to all Markness. http://xkcd.com/
I had the exact same thought when I read it this morning.
Permanent link for future refenernce http://xkcd.com/849/
I'm not going to lie. I thought the same thing.
Wow that is so perfectly relevant!
I really like this episode and don't understand why it gets so much flack. Much like Aliens of London/World War 3 and (to a lesser extent) Boomtown (which I also enjoy), Davies really goes for the slapstick. The scene at the beginning where they are running in and out of doors – that could be a scene in the Three Stooges! Sci fi doesn't need to be deep and serious (although I love it when it is) – why not be silly every once in a while too? The best part about Davies for me is that he is very talented at marrying silly with serious – we got some very good character/emotional exploration of Jackie in this episode.
Re. the ending – I totally get why some people don't like it and think it's OOC of the Doctor to bring Ursula back as a paving stone. But … how many innocents have we seen who have died so far because of the Doctor? If he can save someone, anyone – no matter how, no matter what form they might end up in – that's something I think he would definitely do to alleviate his
Time Warsurvivor's guilt.Slapstick is one thing, sexism is a different one.
I can see WHY he might do it, I still think he didn't do either character any favours, and That Gag…? Revolting.
This was definitely not one of my favorite episodes, but it has it's moments. Brought a few giggles, but for the most part it's entirely forgettable.
Perfect example of a good episode ruined by a bad monster. What in the name of Clom where they thinking. Yeah I know blue peter contest and all that but they could have chosen something less ludicrous.
I agree that it doesn't fit and it's weird as shit, but I still kind of like it.
Yeah my rational to cope with it is that if you think about it logically, there would have to be some pretty ugly and ridiculous aliens in the universe as well.
Many fans have noted the monster's physical resemblance to a well-known figure in fandom…
This is the first series which had to include Christmas Specials in the schedule, the logic timing and budget of which means that there is now an episode a season which is light on Doctor or Companion or both. So the challenge is to write an episode which only has one or two days of filming the main characters, usually giving a guest star the chance to shine. When I see Marc Warren, I think of the assassin Teatime from The Hogfather.
I loved the development of Jackie's character here, showing how loyal she is to her daughter and the Doctor, despite how she is when they're actually in her company.
I really like this episode but roll me eyes at the monster reveal.
I've seen this interpretation put about and every time I watch it I'm starting to agree: Elton made up Ursula the paving slab.
Would the Doctor really let her live *forever* as a face on a block of cement? What happens to her when Elton dies? Keep locked away in an attack? I think she died but Elton couldn't bear it, just like he blocked out that his mother had died.
But it's really sad to think he talks to a paving slab 🙁
Ten's kind of a dick like that.
Yeah, if you've really pissed him off but here? Don't believe it.
Thant's an interesting interpretation, and one I quite like.
Otherwise they should either have made her- mobile and recognisably humanoid, just a bit- stoney, or left her dead. That half life she has is no form of reward for her.
I like how you see it, I hope you are right.
I refuse to rewatch this episode. Even for Jackie. Just, I remember really, really hating this episode when I first watched it. But this should be the only episode I won't rewatch.
Although lol, Moaning Myrtle.
‘Doctor what?’ Nice sneaky change from the expected.
Welcome to your first Doctor light episode Mark. Due to adding the Christmas episode to their filming schedule they needed an episode where the Doctor and Companion didn’t appear that much.
I like elements of the episode but overall it’s a bit of a ‘meh’. I think I had more fun rewatching it today because I just embraced the characters and the silliness of it all but from when Absorbaloff turns up properly in his real form on, it’s just a no. I actually have 'END' written by itself near the end in my little episode watching notes.
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/121shom.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
I love Elton. He's just a nice, normal guy dancing round his room like an idiot to the music he loves. The same goes for the whole of LINDA. They form this great little community of friends and it's nice to see it develop.
I love Elton trying to find Rose with the build up of dramatic music and everything, and then it’s just a local old lady who tells Elton straight away who he needs to see. I also love how Elton’s espionage fails and it’s Jackie who ends up doing all the work for him. And Jackie, oh Jackie. She has it so hard. She rarely hears from Rose and she doesn't have Mickey to lend a hand anymore. While she's such an outgoing person, she must still get very lonely. I feel extra bad because Elton had come to his senses and just wanted to be her friend because he liked her and it all goes wrong.
I can't even really think about the end of the episode. I was rolling my eyes and slightly embarrassed (I'm terrible with second hand embarrassment) when Absorbaloff was making his speech to the Doctor just willing it all to end. Don't even get me started on Ursula being a slab of cement. The only thing I liked about the ending was Elton talking about the danger of the Doctor and knowing him. I think the last 10 mins or so really let the episode down.
‘The Doctor’s machine. The most beautiful sound in the world.’ I like you Elton.
I honestly wasnt aware how much the fandom appears to dislike this episode until I read these comments. It sort of makes me sad. Yeah the gag at the end is completely cringe worthy, and the monster isn't that deep or meaningful, but I think the relationship between Elton and his friends makes this episode not only worthwhile to watch, but one of my favourites of this series. I loved the meta-comment on the fandom, and how in finding fandoms you love it can lead a bunch of people who maybe don't have the most friends in the world to being part of a mini-family. Maybe I just love this ep because it hit me quite close to home (I was bullied in school and found acceptance and friendship that changed my life on an online forum). There are also some great comedy moments and a really good chance to see Jackie's character on her own. I guess I can see why this isn't some people's cup of tea, but personally I really like this episode.
Not my favourite episode, but I don't hate it. Why? Because I can't hate any Dr Who episodes. Except for perhaps those unintentionally racist ones in OldWho which I like to forget about.
On rewatch I liked it more, because I could see what it was trying to do, but I'm not sure it was successful.
Uuurrrgh, edit again. None of my comments are making sense today. Apologies. I had a fasting blood test and they struggled to find a vein and I had to get up really early for it and since then my energy's been going all over the place and I'm not entirely sure I make any sense.
I'm another who liked it better on rewatch. I think the first time I saw it was when I was powering through the show, and I wanted more of the Doctor and Rose. But, after my brother watched the show and really enjoyed this episode, coming back to it, I found it rather charming. It's even more charming when paired with the corresponding Confidential episode, where you see the kid who designed the Absorbaloff visiting the set and everything.
(And sorry about the blood testing stuff. I've got notoriously hard veins to get — they're tiny and roll around when you try to find them — so I know how much bad bloodwork can take out of you. Just, you know, relax, make it an early night.)
I went to bed hella early, and then slept for 13 hours. And apparently my veins are awkward, as they checked my left arm, went 'hmmm', swapped over to my right arm, said 'welp, that ones worse' then went back to my left arm to take three vials of blood from the only vein they could find, which was tiny.
"Complete stranger and I'm flashing you my knickers." Love you Jackie <3
She is seriously a BOSS. I love her forever.
LOVE HER.
De-lurking to throw some love at this episode. It's not one I consider to by my OMG FAVOURITE, but if I just took its first half-hour by itself, it would totally be up there. I love that it's a mash-note to all the best parts of fandom, and a big old nastygram to the parts of fandom that I also dislike. Hang around fandom long enough, and you'll meet your share of Victor Kennedys. Just, you know, minus the excuse of them being aliens (as far as I know). But the good parts of fandom? The meeting people and sharing enthusiasm and branching out into other stuff beyond the reason that you first met? The friendship? Love it. Makes the Victor Kennedys worth it.
What removes this episode from the running, for me, is honestly just a bunch of sort of superficial stuff that I just can't look past. The monster, mainly, and that final gag at the end. Though if you accept Elton as an unreliable narrator (which he is), then you can kind of fanwank that into being just a product of his over-fertile imagination.
But the central messages, about friendship and love and family, I love those.
Eurgh, this episode. I like two things about it: Marc Warren as Elton and Jackie. I like that this episode brought home just how lonely she is now that Mickey's gone (and why didn't we get THAT conversation between Rose and her mum?) because she can't talk to anybody about what's really going on. I dislike the Scooby Doo running scene, which goes on for way too long in an episode that only has 45 minutes. I rolled my eyes at Rose telling Elton off for talking to her mum – at least he's AROUND, Rose, which is more than you are! And maybe you should worry about the fricking alien that's eating people first?
Ah yes, the ending scene. Mark, trust me, you're not alone. I don't think ANYBODY likes that scene and that's saying something for this fandom. How Russell T. Davies thought a horrible blowjob joke was better than heroic sacrifice is beyond me, then and now.
A lot of people have FANDOM RAEG about this episode, but I have always adored it. The Absorbaloff was actually created by an eleven year old kid in a Blue Peter competition: they had a sweepstakes where children could design a Doctor Who villain and submit them, and the best one was selected to be in an episode. Completely adorable.
Also, I must say, Rose hugging Elton as he cried– when she walked out of the TARDIS fully intent on kicking his ass– is one of my absolute favorite moments of series two.
I've always found srs bsns FANDOM RAEG directed at this episode to be sort of deliciously ironic.
Ironic how?
Yes, because the rage is directed at the meta. Right.
For me, the meta aspect deliciously, ironically parallels how fandom will unite even when their show might not be very good (or downright bad in the case of this episode) – how community is more important than the show, because let's be honest, some of the biggest, most fun fandoms are founded on problematic/mediocre sources (hello SGA fandom).
Isn't it ironic that's the message we're given in what is my opinion the weakest episode of new Who.
So I laugh at the meta – I doubt RTD intentionally gave us a bad episode, so he lucked out with his message.
Elton's speech about the Doctor? The episode should have ended with that and not had the paving slab scene at all! Then at least I would view this as decent, but no, the last scene still tips it into Squick territory.
Favorite episode: "Two Fathers / One Son" OK I CHEATED, WHATEVER. Also, "Leonard Betts is so flawless and fucked up and the last five minutes made me BAWL as a teenager when I first saw it.
Character: Scully, because she is a Ravenclaw like me DUH. Also MARITA COVARUBBIAS!
PLOT TWIST: The end of Leonard Betts. You thought it wasn't a mythology episode IT TOTALLY WAS.
It's been so long that I've forgotten most of the details and I kind of want to go check to see what happened in these episode, BUT I bought the complete series a while ago, and I have been meaning to do a series rewatch (and finally watch the last couple seasons for completism), so I am not going to! Because oh man, to get to experience the show again for what will FEEL like the first time? Kickass.
Watching it straight through is SO FUN.
I absolutely despise this episode. And a large part of it is that horrible ending. That ending is what I alluded to in a comment in the Girl in the Fireplace thread, as the single worst offense IMO of misogynistic writing in this show. To me, nothing else can compare with this bullshit. Just thinking about it now, several months after first seeing it, makes my fingers tremble with rage. RTD reduced poor Ursula to being a sentient sex toy for Elton. I agreed with the comment in GITF that he is pretty sexist himself, just in more subtle ways, but I held myself back from saying "except in one case", because this is not subtle at all. It's front and center and it is HORRIFYING, one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen.
What makes it worse? It'd be bad enough if she were trapped in that state by a villain. However, RTD has the utter gall to act like this is a HAPPY ending for them. Sure, for Elton it might be, he gets to have blowjobs from a talking slab of concrete any time he likes, and he doesn't have to take her out or interact with her family, etc. But Ursula? She's going to be stuck in his room, doing nothing for herself but having "a bit of a lovelife" with him, her life as she knows it essentially over? And this is somehow GOOD? Fuck no, it is NOT. I am appalled that that was written and treated as a bit of comedy. Also, as someone else pointed out, what happens if and when something happens to Elton? Is she just going to exist forever like that? What will happen to her when he gets old and dies, or if he gets sick/in an accident/murdered/etc. before that? Ugh.
Worst ending to an episode ever, and one of my least favorites of the whole show.
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/332p91s.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
This perfectly explains why I hate that part of the ending so much.
It ate my comment. 🙁 I will delete if it comes back! But I basically just said that I've been holding in this rant for a while, especially after GITF. 😀
And it just turned up. I hate the mysterious disappearing comments. I'll get an email of a comment and I'll go to reply and it's not there. I've also had a few comments just plain old disappear and I don't notice til much later because I assume they'll just turn up in a little bit.
Yeah, I've had that happen with the email of a comment, and then the comment itself will not be there. Sometimes I think reposting a comment is the trigger to make them reappear, haha. Of course, I have ALSO had them just plain go missing as well and never turn up as well…
It's happened again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y
Perfect clip XD
Thanks for writing this…I knew there was something relatively significant disturbing me about the ending of this episode (honestly, I didn't mind the rest of the story that much…not even the scooby-doo chase), but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.
I just wanted to say that, ignoring my own issues with RTD (who wrote this) and my borderline adoration of the brilliant and slightly mad Moffat (who wrote GITF), we're dealing with two different writers/ writing styles – although, it's perfectly valid to disagree with how both of them portray women.
I usually try not to compare the two, since I do like things that both have done, and I get tired of the constant RTD vs Moffat wars… but at the same time, it does bother me that, in this fandom, you tend to hear a lot about the supposed sexism in Moffat's writing, but very little about this episode's ending. I mean, yes, Moffat has said some horrid things in interviews, and I certainly can see how some things from episodes he's written could be interpreted as being sexist. But it's frustrating to me that people will rake him over the coals for these things, and at the same time give a pass to what happens here to Ursula, which IMO is far worse than anything Moffat or anyone else has ever written for the (new) show (I haven't watched Classic Who, so I need to specify), even with the worst interpretations of the scripts.
And that's my rant for the day.
My typical rejoinder to the RTD vs. Moffat wars is: They're both sexist, but in different ways. SO THERE. 😛
Exactly!
Yes yes yes. Agreed. Wholeheartedly.
Perfect comment is perfect.
I don't get why RTD gets a pass for his blatant sexism either.
Somehow when we were talking about RTD's sexism a few posts back this episode never even occured to me, HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS. I think I was too busy being grossed out by the monster to even think about any of that.
He reminds me waaay too much of these dudes who used to freak me the hell out when I was little (yes I got creeped out by weird shit) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhjKNmgsQmM
Aside from some good parts (the chase at the beginning, blue and red buckets, and particularly the parts with Jackie), I really dislike this episode. Way too much fanwankery.
The whole absorbatrix thing was really creepy, with faces and personalities still intact inside. Definitely too Slitheeny for my taste, though. (And the Doctor's tastes, as well.) The slab was funny as well as creepy.
Anyway. There's much better stuff to come.
Allons y!
I must echo a few other and say that I really don't like this episode. I like the entire first half, well everything before the absorbing faces into a monster's ass. Sorry, but no. I enjoyed everything with Elton and Linda, Jackie (god, I love Jackie Tyler so so so so so much, I can't even stress it enough) and even the running in and out of frame chase scene at the beginning (don't ask me why, but I love that gag). I love all the silliness up to the end.
But from the monster's reveal to the end, ew, ew, ew, ew. The block of cement is just… not even funny. The ending ruins the episode for me. So yeah, I think this is my least favorite episode, because of the ending. Ugh.
This episode creeps me out far, far too much. I think it's a case of RTD trying to be as creepy as Moffat, and while he certainly succeeds, it's in a disgusting way rather than a chills down your spine way. And I agree, the whole bit with the love-life at the end is fifty types of wrong.
While I remember enjoying the early silliness of this episode when I first saw it, that last gag kind of killed it for me. As did the commentary on fans/obsessive fans. (Which I also did think was in the episode, and also kind of left a bad taste in my mouth, given RTD’s treatment of fans in thee past.)
Fan obsessiveness and whining can be annoying, and I absolutely think showrunners need to work with their own vision, and not cave to fan pressure just because people whine about it – but fans are also the bread and butter and life of a show, so I feel like they should be given a little respect, or at least not openly mocked by the source material they love. (Which I don’t think this episode quite did, but there’s some shows that DO cross that line.)
What's RTD's fan treatment like? I don't actually know.
And there's just some brilliant acting going on by Marc Warren, who plays Elton. So much can be seen on his face, and his body signals, and the way he does or doesn't look at the camera. And I love the dancing. Such a goofy guy, and so much character development goes on as ELO plays in the background. From his dancing FAR AWAY from the camera, and how he never looks at it, we get that he's a bit shy about it. But we also get that he must love the Electric Light Orchestra so much that he can do this dance anyway. I should add on that I love ELO also, especially the ones that they played, and the theme of ELO throughout this just adds to the brilliance. They could have used whatever music they wanted for this episode, but choosing ELO and choosing to have it flavor distinctively every scene that it is in adds this absolute layer of continuity. And we know that this story is told from Elton's point of view, and so now we are hearing what he hears in his head. When events pick up, he hears his favorite up beat ELO. And when events become terrifyingly sad, we hear sad, mournful ELO. Love love love!
I do agree that Ursula's voice distracts me. I had never seen her in anything other than as Moaning Myrtle (and I hate that casting choice with all of my being, but that's another discussion) and so it was immediately apparent that it was the same actress. I wish they hadn't used her as Moaning Myrtle, because then I don't think I would have had as much of a problem with that. Does she have a condition that makes her voice sound like that? But I still love her character, of course, so I will go on.
I love that each individual in this LINDA group is so incredibly distinct and likable. There are many examples in Doctor Who, sadly, with extremely underdeveloped cliche 2D characters. These 2D characters are usually regulated to Villian, but they exist. But I love LINDA.
Bliss (Bless Bliss, such a wonderful detail) is an artist who is slightly out of touch with reality and tends to have her head in the clouds. But she plays the guitar and can sing.
Bridget is looking for her daughter. That not every monster is an alien is a beautiful statement. Despite the world nearly ending over and over due to this or that alien invasion, there are still plenty of non-alien threats. One of them is the addiction to drugs, of course. Sarah Jane Adventures likes to bring this non-alien threat idea up over and over (although usually those 'it's not an alien this time!' turn out to be an alien again). And Bridget plays the piano. It's very her.
Mr. Skinner is a writer, and apparently a decent one. Looking at him at the beginning, he just seems sort of fatherly. But as LINDA get closer knit, we see many things that people keep to themselves on a regular basis and the fact that he is a suspense writer is sort of a welcome surprise. After I saw that I went from indifference to love of him. He sort of plays the drums. Doesn't know it too well, but maybe he learned it in high school. I love that it's obvious he's not very good at it, but he's trying anyway.
Victor Kennedy. Both me and my mom (at different viewing times) thought it was the Doctor coming through that door. I'm not even sure why, because the Doctor doesn't wear a hat, but both of us were lead somehow wrong in that introduction. I think it's the talk of the Doctor and then 'He came through the door…' I do not know who Peter Kay is, and so this is my only exposure to him. On first viewing, he did not stand out to me as GUEST STAR OF THE WEEK, as I have seen in so many other shows (Big Bang Theory). His character fit in well with the strange world of Doctor Who, and he was a quirky weirdo who was obviously a bit sinister, but not overly nasty until he reveals himself.
Ursula, oh Ursula. We all know that her character will be developed above all else, but one of my favorite quotes from her "… and then I go to KICK." Despite the entire group's propensity towards shyness, Ursula has a temper. And it's her aggressiveness that stands out to Elton and stands out to the audience. After that, I knew he and Ursula would be together at the end.
I think that photo is from the episode Rose. It's sort of stalkery just in its composition, but that's where the camera was– behind that tree– in that episode. I think it's Rose. It's an image from the first season, at least.
So we start a laundry room scene. "Laundry day. See you there. Underthings… tumbling. Wanna say, love your hair. Here I go… mumbling." OH WAIT WRONG SHOW. There's a lot of overt parallels you can make between this episode and Dr. Horrible. I think this episode came first (2006 versus 2008?) but was Dr. Horrible influenced by it? As they stand in front of the washers I just need a shot where Elton opens a washer, then 5 people open washers in front of the camera and then there's Jackie. I WANT IT. Anyway. Jackie is brilliant in this part as well. We've always known she was forward since Nine stepped into her bedroom and she made a comment about how she was in her nightgown and there was a man in her room. Here she is being forward with someone who is not that confident and it becomes overwhelming for him. They would never make a good couple, and you can see it from how he reacts to her. She would need someone who knew what to do with her aggressiveness. He is clearly just shocked and scared to death.
This is followed by another beautiful line by Ursula, "… Hell of a chest…" I think we see here a small amount of jealousy by Ursula, who is not proud of Elton but is intimidated by Jackie. And yet she doesn't go "WHY ARE YOU WITH JACKIE AND NOT ME," which is something that a forward Rose would say at this point. Ursula is shy, too. Again with showing and not telling, wonderfully brilliant writing and acting! And directing, too.
I love the touch of a romance between Bridget and Mr. Skinner. Just referenced once, and that's the end of Bridget, but it adds another dimension of their characters.
More ELO, more rounding out the already beautiful story, storytelling, and plotting going on here.
Jackie's use of Evo for their 'romantic encounter' that never happens. So that's nice, we know that Elton loves music and knows artists. But here's where it becomes amazing– he shows up again, shirt off, as awkward as can be and he knows he's not himself (because he's using Jackie to get to Rose, and that's all because of Victor). But then we find out that Rose has contacted Jackie (and we know that Rose is in London because of the Scooby Doo scene) and the music swells and the exact same music, used previously for a romance, adds to the sadness and poignancy of the scene and switches tones completely. And yet it is the same song. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Have I said that enough? How about 'ingenious'. I love this episode!
Now we get to the point of the whole episode, which is to bring up the HUGE difference between NuWho and OldWho. And that is– who's left to care about the people that are left behind? OldWho (according to the Confidentials and commentaries, I can't say I've seen enough to make this judgement) had the Doctor taking companions out of their worlds and there was never anyone to miss them. And they never faced the consequences of going back home and dealing with the people they left behind. So here's a point to tell the story of someone who is left behind and who has so much love for her daughter that she stays strong and protects her nevertheless.
And now we come to Elton, shedding his mantle of the shy, reserved guy in order to protect his friends and his love. From nervous and fidgety to determined leader. It takes him realizing that he was using Jackie because of Vincent and that he really loves Ursula to bring that out of him. And so our main character learns and evolves and that's what's supposed to happen in a good story. And I love that they get it out in only those 40 minutes (a la Dr. Horrible).
Now, I don't have a lot of commentary about the silly chase scene or fight, although I do think it's a cute idea that the Big Bad absorbs people and their faces can still talk. I feel bad for Bliss, although they don't just use her for the one joke– "You don't want to know…" — but later when they are all screaming for Elton to run, you hear "Mmmmffmmm!" Just to remind you that Bliss is still there and still living on his rear end. Poor Bliss.
Who sees Fat Bastard in this Abzorbalof? Because if you don't, you haven't seen Fat Bastard. I get that this is a kid's show, and that this character is silly and funny and kids like the butt jokes. But how many of these kids have seen Austin Powers 2-3? Is this a joke for the kids or a joke for the parents? Again, I'm confused as to how the audience — especially for this episode in particular– is children. Anyway, I have to add in that Austin Powers 2 is one of my favorite stupid movies (alongside Spaceballs) and so I can't help but love the Abzorbalof from Klom. I half expect him to go find a 'babeh' and make a comment about eating it. He doesn't, although he does make a 'tastes like chicken' comment. Oh, Fat Bastard. Oh, Abzorbalof.
Praise here for Rose as she comes out defending Jackie but ultimately comforting Elton. Of course, what isn't said here is that the Doctor has got to have figured out that there is an alien on Earth and that it probably has something to do with the people looking for him (you can't say you're looking for the Doctor and not prick up the ears of all the closest aliens to Earth). And we know that Rose knows that and we also know that Rose's comment about Jackie is part of a way to stall the Abzorbaloff and give Elton and his friends more time. She's acting very Doctor-like here, again reflecting why I think the two of them are such an excellent pair.
There is a look that she gives the Doctor as she is comforting Elton that I love. A beautiful, lovely, wonderful look. It says, "Look at how miserable this man is. I don't care what, but we have to do something for him." She doesn't say it, and that's what's magnificent. She just shows it to us, and to him, and we KNOW what she means and we ALSO KNOW that the Doctor knows it too. She and him no longer need to say what they think, because they know it.
Almost done, I swear.
So I want to mention the little boy wearing the Doctor Who scarf– he must have been such a geeky, wonderful little boy, and I would have been friends with him. I also love the characterization of Elton's mom, and how quickly and easily it's done with her playing with the bubbles. In just 2-3 seconds we know that she's a great mom with a sense of humor and silliness and that is what Elton has inherited from her.
And of course, we can't have a proper end to a story without an ending quote. "Salvation and damnation are the same thing," or as Wikipedia puts it, the actual quote is "Sometimes there is absolutely no difference at all between salvation and damnation." from The Green Mile. I haven't seen or read this, but it adds just another layer to Elton. He reads Stephen King, but even beyond that, he Gets Stephen King. And are they the same thing? Do you agree with him and Stephen King? In his case, they really are.
I also agree that it is a slightly disturbing image that they have this 'love life' between them, he and a tile. But I guess this is the solution to not letting her die. And allowing Elton his happiness, and ending happily. Because he does love her no matter what, and she loves him. So I support this tile-existence with AT LEAST SHE DIDN'T DIE, which is something I was honestly and absolutely expecting, considering the parallels I am drawing with this episode and Dr. Horrible.
And yes! The camera as a character returns to show us that along with Elton, it has improved. It's now got a zoom feature. This wraps us back to the beginning and ties up the episode in such a neat and lovely bow.
Elton's also got a rather good way with composing a shot, but that is of course some artistic license taken that he just didn't happen to sit right in the middle there, and somehow he managed to set up a last, memorable moment in order to deliver his final lines. "…the real world is much stranger than that; it is so much darker, madder, and so much better." SO MUCH BETTER!
Just had a couple more thoughts on Ursula-slab, since there are so many here that hate the episode solely because of the ending (which is not something I can do, personally).
It may have been an attempt to wrap up the gutting line that Ursula says as she's being absorbed, "I'm sorry Elton, but you can't touch me." I should have commented on this, as I also think it's beautifully delivered and a wonderful line with a double meaning. Of course Elton can't touch her now, but Ursula is lamenting that they cannot be together physically, ever. Which she wants as much as him, considering the strain in her voice. It wasn't the best way to do it, I admit, but it is a conclusion to Elton never being able to touch her.
It never came across to me that Ursula-slab was Elton's blow job toy, but I think that's because I reasoned that Ursula seemed happy. Being a slab is 'peaceful', she says it, and so immediately we know that she's not an unhappy slab. She won't ever age, and she'll stay a face forever, but then– we've seen that before, haven't we? Isn't there a certain Boe-ish Face around that's billions of years old? And he's pretty happy. So I think there's justification for the Doctor doing that to her.
I don't mind this episode, not the best though. However, more distracting than Moaning Myrtle was Kathryn Drysdale as Bliss- she's Louise in Two Pints of Lager… one of my all time favourite bad programmes. I think the only reason I really like this episode is Peter Kay cos I bloody love him. Also, Mr Blue Sky is one of my fave songs so it didn't hurt to have that creeping in throughout the episode. I don't think I'll watch this one again though.
I loved Two Pints of Lager! I need to find a way to get it in the US….
This was the monster that was designed by a kid for a Blue Peter competion, which i didn't win 🙁
Did you have an idea? What was it?
I hate this episode so much. I like the beginning, with the Benny Hill music, and I loved the Jackie development, but I really hate this episode.
I don’t like this episode, I wouldn’t say I hated it and there are parts of it I don’t mind but overall, bleh. I’m not even sure why, the whole things is just unpleasant and I half think it’s supposed to be unpleasant. What I do like about it is that it’s about the people, not the Doctor, the people and how he and aliens popping in and out of their lives affects them.
The 'light' episodes are the best in the series, hands down. I'm so glad they did that.
Should be noted, that everything in this episode is subjective. I wouldn't take anything, except maybe what's on camera, as the 'truth' Note the paving slab reveal is the only Elton framing shot not done via his camera. The whole thing is a parabvle on fandom, but also a sort of fairy tale, and the ending, is strange and surreal, but I feel it is down to the viewer to judge to what degree things are 'true'.
Side note, Victor Kennedy is said to be based on an infamous Doctor Who fan. At the very least the character is veyr much the "super fan" who wants everyone to stop messing around and having fun as a group to sit down and get to the serious work of studying the Doctor!
This is an awesome review, Mark! Really shows how stories are important, mostly in ways their writers never envisioned.
Except, yeah. This was an odd episode and to this day I cannot deal with that ending. She's a face on a tile? Is it supposed to be a metaphor for the internet? AM I SUPPOSED TO HATE IT AS MUCH AS I DO? Gross.
I really have to rewatched the X-Files, I only watched from season 2 to 5 but I loved them so hard as a teen.
Yeeeah…things like the end of this episode are the kinds of things I thought of when someone in the GitF comments said RTD episodes always showed "emotional honesty," because…yeah, that was messed up, and frankly pretty out of character for the Doctor.
I'm not going to touch the ending, because it is awful and not funny etc. Aside from that, I do like this episode? I too love meta, and though sometimes stuff gets a little too meta these days and just ends up falling flat, when a show restricts it to an episode or two it can be amazing.
I've said before I did a couple month long binge on the entirety or the X-Files last year, so while I obviously loved it enough to do that, I'm not the caliber of fan who's grown up on the episodes and watched them many times over. I couldn't remember which one Humbug was by name, and starting it up in my netflix cue only really calls up points of the plot for me, and not the meta-ness. But I did love the episode done in the style of COPS, which managed to spear both shows in one fell meta swoop. This episode doesn't go quite so far as removing it completely from the view of the Doctor Who Universe, but it does take the whole episode from an outsider's point of view.
So yeah, the meta of this episode puts it on my good side too. Instead of taking a harsh critique of their own fandom, which I think shows have more of a tendency to do now, this episode paints fandom as a good thing, a community that forms around something that sometimes can become tangential to what the community actually comes to mean to those who belong in it. I agree with those who say the first part of the episode is perfect.
For me, the episode starts going downhill in direct relation to the crumbling of LINDA. The villain himself could have been an imposing and frightening figure, without even rejecting the child's design, IMO, but they chose to take him a cartoon-ish route instead. (Butt humor! Our favorite!) While that may fit with the supposed "fun" nature of this episode, I think it's really jarring in relation to the episode's heart. This episode made a lot of rather poignant points, but the episode itself doesn't really do them justice.
All in all, even though this seems to be the "bottle episode," I think it was a wasted opportunity to do something brilliant anyway. I'm fine with the show not taking itself seriously- that is, in fact, the fun of a meta episode- but it doesn't take not taking itself seriously seriously either, if that makes any sense. And that, I think, is what makes this an okay to bad episode instead of a really really good one.
There are "Doctor-lite" and "companion-lite" episodes that are absolutely effing brilliant. Some of my favorites.
This is not one of them, IMO.
I cant believe no one has commented on this….. the recurring ELO song is Turn to Stone.
TURN TO STONE!!
I turn to stone when you are gone… when you coming home!!!
sheesh….. a literal interpration with Moaning Ursula (and yeah, safe for the kiddies and a wink and nudge for the adults at that) and really, if you think about it, a description of Jackie and her concern for Rose. Mr Blue Sky lyrics reflect LINDA members viewof themselves to their Mr Blue Sky, aka Doctor Blue Box. It winds up more subtle as we dont really hear the words (if we ever caught them) as it "reads" on screen as a quirky/funny/less than cool retro affection for a musical sound.
I love, Love, LOVE Love & Monsters. It's brilliantly funny and daringly different. Elton is such a great guy who just sadly gets used and led astray by Victor Kennedy. Jackie is adorable and I'm so glad we got an episode that really focussed on her character.
The whole LInDA group are such well drawn characters – in such a short time we know them all so well. Brilliant writing. The Absorbaloff is a really good idea from young William Grantham and certainly makes impact despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that it's only on screen for about 10mins.
I also loved the ridiculous `outside view` of one of the Doctor's adventures, fighting the Hoix (the toothy monster in the warehouse) which probably made perfect sense if viewed from the Doctor's perspective.
OK, I could have done without the paving stone gag at the end, but I'm willing to overlook that for the sheer mad fun of this episode. Because, to me, 30 seconds of stupidity no matter how bad or ill-judged cannot `completely ruin` an entire episode. (I want to paraphrase a couple of lines about good things and bad things from a series 5 episode, but I'd better not.)
And what a way to hide the sting in the tale…
They were destroyed. It's not his fault. But maybe that's what happens if you touch the Doctor. Even for a second. I keep thinking of Rose and Jackie. And how much longer before they pay the price.
I agree with pretty much your entire comment….I am a first time watcher and am only this far in the series but I thought this was a fantastic episode for all the reasons you mentioned, as well as this quote:
"They were destroyed. It's not his fault. But maybe that's what happens if you touch the Doctor. Even for a second. I keep thinking of Rose and Jackie. And how much longer before they pay the price. "
Yeah. Pavement!Ursula and her, er, love-life is why I laugh with scorn when people start whining about how Stephen Moffat is SO TERRIBLY SEXIST COMPARED TO RTD because seriously? RTD turned a girl into a paving slab but it's okay because she can still give her boyfriend blowjobs! To me that's a hell of a lot more sexist than having a flirtatious companion who wears short skirts.
Upvoting to forever.
I won't deffend Moffat's sexism but RTD is not an example to follow AT ALL.
Just to add to that: The core reason behind the Doctor-lite episodes is because of the Christmas Special, which means that they have to make 14 episodes in the time of 13. With a show with an ensemble cast, it's easy to have characters more in some episodes that others. But when you have just 2 leads, Doctor-lite is the only solution, allowing 2 film crews to be filming at once. (Double banking.) But that means the writers have to be extra creative, and that can yield some surprising results.
Another fact, while I'm here, is that Davies had used the LINDA acronym before. He used to write for a kids' magazine show called Why Don't You…? (…Switch off your TV and do something less boring instead – odd tagline for a TV show, but there you go.) Well, he gradually morphed the programme into a drama with monsters and cliffhangers. And the Merseyside based gang were called the Liverpool Investigation `N` Detective Agency.
I would have never thought that there are so many people who hate this episode. It's actually one of my favorites.
To me, the thing about Love & Monsters is that it shows what kind of effect the Doctor has on the one-off people, the ones he meets and terrifies and entrances and then never sees again. Not everyone is 'special' enough to be a companion, to get to ride around in the TARDIS and see all these different worlds and really learn to understand the Doctor. But everyone else is just kind of left to speculate and especially people like Elton, people who associate the Doctor with some kind of trauma in their lives–is it really that hard to see how that would take its toll on them, mentally?
Throughout the episode, we see that LINDA kind of grows out of their obsession with the Doctor and become a community, more about hanging out and spending time together than hunting down the Doctor. Then after everything goes down, Elton reverts. The Doctor has failed him twice, now, in a way, and he's lost several important people in his life. I guess that's why the comment about their love-life doesn't bother me as much; I don't see it as pervy or DNW, I just see two people who witnessed some really horrific things and are trying to cling to whatever happiness and normalcy they can find. It's less gross than it is deeply sad.
I think this ep also does a good job of showing us how alien the Doctor really is. I mean, could anyone actually WANT to be alive the way that Ursula is in the end? She can't move or really interact with anyone besides Elton, and for all we know she might not even be able to die. That kind of reeks of fate-worse-than-death to me. But the Doctor makes the decision to keep her alive no matter the cost, because he isn't human, he doesn't think the same way a human would. It's really reminiscent of the manga series Franken Fran, which touches a lot on whether it's better to try and save someone beyond saving or just let nature run its course.
"But the Doctor makes the decision to keep her alive no matter the cost, because he isn't human, he doesn't think the same way a human would."
Very interesting points …. also, I would add to this: bringing her back in some form, ANY form means that she's one less person who died because of him.
Oh, definitely, because in a really dark way, it's like he's compensating. Because imagine how guilty he must feel, not just knowing that he's changed Elton's life but actually having to FACE him afterward? That's definitely a Doctor sort of solution; he's legitimately trying to help Elton and Ursula and alleviate his own conscience, and however squicky it is, it's well-intentioned.
It's really reminiscent of the manga series Franken Fran, which touches a lot on whether it's better to try and save someone beyond saving or just let nature run its course.
I hadn't thought of it that way before, but I can see now that this is all of a piece with the Doctor's behavior throughout S2. He's been wrestling with the limitations of mortality for the whole season – both his own and that of the humans he befriends – and instead of Nine's fatalistic "everything turns to dust", Ten has been responding with denial of the WE WILL BE TOGETHER FOREVER ROSE variety. And now this – a life preserved, whatever the cost. How horrible. And the show plays it off as a joke.
Probably one of my least favorite episodes of Ten's run. I didn't mind the Scooby-Doo gag: slightly long but it's cute still. I think the strongest part of this episode is the focus on Jackie, but at least to me, it's not enough to really save this episode.
The ending is all kinds of awful.
OK, you've dabbled with Tardisodes…now read the genuine article…
A mysterious figure, presumably Victor Kennedy, is using a laptop to access a website titled L.I.N.D.A, which shows a hand drawn sketch of the Doctor with the text "Who Is The Doctor?" followed by "Have You Seen Him?".
The user clicks on the "Join L.I.N.D.A." button, causing the picture to change to a sketch of several people in a room, with the caption: "WE HAVE!". Text appears that reads "Last Updated – WHOOPS! Ages ago, sorry – ELTON". The user clicks again on "Join L.I.N.D.A.", which this time makes the screen display the following text: "But L.I.N.D.A. is a secret organisation. So we can't tell you where… If you need us…You'll find us."
The user points a strange silver object at the laptop, which changes the display to read "PRIMITIVE COMPUTER PAGE". The screen then displays a map, with text saying "TRACK SOURCE". The map closes in on a location called "MACATEER ST", before the screen goes blank.
(Split for length…)
(CTD…)
An old lady enters the room, carrying a tray, and as she turns around, her expression turns to horror, and she is bathed in a green light. The heavy breathing of the unseen figure turns into a slurping and growling (suggesting that Kennedy has morphed into the Abzorbaloff), and the old lady shouts "Noooo!"…
Thank you for posting these for every episode! This one seems fun.
Having just thought of this episode again…is anyone else here reminded of 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog'? The blond guy with the v-blog, the crazy sci-fi antics, the light parody…
Or maybe I'm just weird.
LOTS. See my post on page two.
There's even a laundry room scene! 😀
Spoilers!
fhmgaklnvfecmkld *RAGE* This episode. This episode was the first episode I ever saw of Doctor Who. I completely blame it in every way for my refusal to watch another episode for three whole years. THREE YEARS that I could have spent in the wonderful world of Doctor Who, and all of it WASTED because I was too stubborn to give it another go after that awful introduction. Why? WHY? ARGH.
*huff* As you can tell, I hold an enormous grudge with this episode. It's not even that bad in it's concept. A fanclub for the Doctor? Cool. But the monster and that fucking tile. That last scene that cannot be unseen. This could have been an AMAZING episode. It could have gotten me hooked the moment I saw it. But no. It had to be… that.
God, I'm rambling. I'll shut up now.
Bad Blood was perfect.
This is another episode that I like more and more every time I watch it. I love seeing the Doctor from the outside, and I love seeing Elton's ordinary life. It's so sad to watch that life be slowly taken away from him, just because he was interested in the Doctor. I even like the alien in this one, but only because it was designed by a kid who won a contest. How cool would that be?
Bonus: The guy who plays Elton has a secondary role in the movie "The Revengers Tragedy" starring Christopher Eccleston and Eddie Izzard (with a side helping of Derek Jacobi). It's well worth a watch if you can track it down, for the sake of two hours of Eccleston and Izzard being snarky to one another, if nothing else.
You finally introduced my teen obsession for discussion here. I can say that I am an X-Phile through and through. Actually, I'm a Whovian X-Phile =3 And speaking of that, I can FINALLY pass on an icon to you that, if you don't already have, then you're life's wasted! This is from LJ, use it wisely =3
<img src="http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd317/Tiljaunique/1698736.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
After reading your post, I find it hard to believe that your mother didn't know what X-Files was about or what kind of feelings it'd wake in you. You talk of your mother as a very protective mother, keeping you away from everything that might harm your growth and, as far as I've seen from many other Christian households, that includes anything to do with fantasy and sci-fi very strictly. Those kind of liberal things give people ideas, so obviously they're not allowed. In fact, The X-Files was very controversial when it started due to the government conspiracy theme it held. My mom and I are both fans of X-Files and we both laughed out loud every time we heard how the show was so controversial that some people high up wanted to remove it several times. It was a statement of its accuracy if people from the higher ups paid attention to a sci-fi show.
This is why I say your mother couldn't have been unaware of the show's reputation and the fact that she allowed her children to watch it means that she wasn't as closed minded as she was trying to act. Her life might've led her to choose a path of fake security to shut out some painful things, but deep down, she's probably just as wild as she was in her youth.
Sorry for my comment, in case it wasn't at all appropriate. I merely tried to tell you what I felt from reading your post (if you feel like erasing it, do it, but first take the icon).
From a very early age, my mom made me and my brother, and later my sister, sit down with her to watch late night horror movies, all those that portrayed monsters and supernatural events. She loves horror movies and shows, not those suspense psicological thrillers people are so fond of nowadays (she says people chasing people is boring), she loves all kinds of supernatural phenomena. Before I was seven, I had already watched with her all Freddy Kruger movies of the time, zombies, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, anything with a supernatural enemy in it. Naturally, the moment The X-Files came out on tv, we both glued ourselves to our seats for that weekly hour of joy. And all the rest of the family as well; it was our household tradition to watch it every week religiously. Later, we added Millennium to that tradition as well.
I felt like telling you all this because your story reminded me of that time when I was in high school and, despite having such a diverse schedule in our daily routine, we would all gather to that one show because it was the show my mother loved, so it was the show that attracted her attention enough to make her stop working to come and watch, otherwise she wouldn't be back till midnight many times. I don't know if it was the way you wrote it, but your mother sounded a bit like mine deep inside.
Oh, and re: the "love life" line. Yeah, it's weird, but I think it bothers me for different reasons than it seems to bother most people. I'm just left thinking about what kind of life that is for Ursula, and how a relationship like that could even sustain itself. Maybe they are soulmates, and can make it work for the rest of their (Elton's?) lives, but what if they can't? What if Elton one day decides he wants a relationship with someone who's a whole person, someone he can go out and do things with? What if he wants a family? He may love Ursula, but he'd have to make a lot of sacrifices to be with someone in her situation. He'd have a lot of guilt over abandoning her when what she is is in no way her fault, and she would feel guilty about preventing him from leading a normal life. Too much pressure for either of them.
And clearly I have been over-thinking this. I bet there's fanfic about it. I'm definitely not going to read it, because…yeah.
I have little to say about this episode except EW about the paving slab – I've not seen this episode since it first aired (2005?)and that ending has stuck in my mind ever since.
However, I am proudly and unashamedly an X-Phile. First episode I ever saw was Tooms and the end where he was eaten by the escalator is an image indelibly burnt into my 12 year old mind. I think they must have had re-runs of the first few seasons because I was definitely able to watch from the beginning (my childhood is very hazy, for several reasons) and I loved it wholeheartedly. It was so different to anything else I had seen and yet it was an incredible link to all the things that my parents had been obsessed with. It reconnected me with the weird hippy early upbringing I had and it was funny, dark, emotional, sexy, intelligent and brilliant.
I had season guides (official and unofficial) and me and my sister would test each other on X Files trivia using the books. I painted the X in tippex on my bag along with Mulder's FBI card number (Ha!). I made up a dance to the opening music. I bought the single when it was released. I read the novels.
And then it got screwed by the BBC – the later seasons were shown out of sequence and the TX time was constantly changed (and I started, you know, going to parties) and slowly, I fell out of love.
Man, I need to do a rewatch!
Yeah, spoilers! Let Mark get there on his own!
Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stores To Tell In the Dark trilogy
YES. OMGs YES YES. Forget Doctor Who, YAAAAAY Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark!!!!
I loved those, especially the creepy-wonderful artwork.
ALSO GUYS I HAVE AN X-FILES TATTOO. true story.
DETAILS! (I think I might need an XF tattoo to compliment my HP one).
…
IT'S NOT AN OROUBOS TRAMP STAMP DONE IN INK FROM A POPPY, IS IT?
I hope it's that talking tattoo from "Never Again."
OOOH what is it of??
I always wanted an X Files tattoo but I'm too much of a wuss when it comes to pain…
Pics or it didn't happen.
I liked the episode but I didn't love it. I did love that it attempted such a different approach but the actual execution of that, while enjoyable (to me, anyway) didn't cause me to watch like an over-excited six year old, as some episodes have done.
I do love the varied and likeable characters though. And then there's Victor Kennedy, the deliberate and cutting caricature of the self-important obsessive fan.
It might seem mean spirited to take a swipe at fandom but RTD & Co were well aware of what a fractious unpleasable beast Doctor WHo fandom can be. In particular they were taking a swipe at the unpleasantly obsessive, self-important fandom of the 1980s and Victor Kennedy is apparently a rather barbed caricature of an actual individual from that time. In fairness 80s Who fandom seemed to have only two settings: Hate and Rage.
It's also worth noting that while many genre shows depend on their fandom, Doctor Who can (currently) afford to take fandom opinions with a pinch of salt because it's general appeal in its native UK is huge. I mean HUGE. For instance, the UK viewing figures for this episode were 6.6 million. The UK's entire population is around 60 million. Some episodes are up around the 10 million mark. That's one hell of an audience share.
even the lowest watched episodes usually ones that conflict with a big televised event) are around 5mill. just under 10% of the population of an entire country watching it? That's pretty good.
Ugh, I really, REALLY dislike this episode (I wouldn't say "hate" – it's only a TV show, after all, "hate" is too strong a word). The cartoonish Scooby-Doo chase at the beginning (I mean… really???), the crappy monster of the week, the (probably unintentional, but still pretty sick) blowjob joke at the end… But what really disappointed me was the way this episode portrayed the Doctor's (and by extension, the show's) fans – a bunch of weirdoes (sure, they're nice, they like each other, etc…. but let's admit it, they ARE weirdoes). The music band bits were just awkward (bordering on embarrassing) to watch. I felt this episode really insulted the DW fans, whose loyalty, after all, has kept this show going for almost half a century.
Ahh, X-files. I watched that show when I was 12, I think. (Or maybe I was a bit younger.) Of course, it had been off air for years, but my parents made me watch it with them. I hated the first season, but loved the second season. I wish I remembered the episode you mentioned. *only remembers a couple episodes anymore*
I didn't mind this episode, but I found it sorta…boring? wierd? I'm not sure what else? It was just really not one of my top favorites. Or anywhere near there. But it had Moaning Myrtle in it!
FAVORITE EPISODE OF THIS SEASON, YEEEAAHHHH. Also, one of my favorite episodes ever <3
Elton! I love Elton, I adore him to bits! I love that he dances around like a dork to ELO, I love that he's so…. Elton-ish. I love that he had the name LINDA already prepared from who knows when just because he liked it. I love that he really seems to think something is wrong in Jackie's apartment, I love that he has enough heart to want to really be her friend, I just love him.
I also love the rest of LINDA. Holy cow, they are so cute together, they get to be so much like a family that they forget what even brought them together. That is so wonderful and lovely <3
Jackie is AMAZING. This episode really shows her softer side. Well, softer is the wrong word. Less brash side, I guess. You get to see her let down her guard, and see exactly how lonely she is without her daughter, and how despite that, she's still awesome and strong and totally kick-ass.
Finally, I love that the story is more about people than the Doctor. I know that's weird, given that the whole show is about the Doctor, and that's kind of the POINT of the show, but still. It's a refreshing view. You get to see the side-effects of the Doctor. You get to see that interesting things happen to normal (non-companion) people, too. I love the different perspective.
I don't know. I just love everything about this episode. It's just so adorkable. Even the throwaway line at the end about their love life doesn't bother me, because a) I'm really good at blocking icky mental images out of my mind, and b) the overall tone of the episode is so light and silly that I have a hard time thinking of it as anything more than a goofy joke.
So yeah, A+ from me <3
Yay, so very agreed. See: my long long long post making lots of points. I've actually been around now and read some of the reviews that came out when it did. Wow-ee. It's either 'the best episode of the season' or 'complete and utter crap'. I can't see how something can be both at the same time, but there it is. And we can see it here, too.
I'm glad you love it and think it's one of your favorite episodes ever. I do too, and it's why I love season 2 more than any other season. This episode and all the other stand out ones.
It can be both because people have different tastes and expectations, as you see here 😉
I liked this episode when I first watched it. The Abzorbaloff didn't impress me much for the rather weird reason that it reminded me of a monster I had invented when I was 10, so it didn't feel very original. I enjoyed it a lot more upon re-watch and discovering that it was designed by a 9-year-old. You're spot-on with your praise. Fun fact: the ELO song that features in this episode, Mr Blue Sky would have topped the charts in the week following broadcast had the rules for chart placement been the same as they are now. It was the first place I heard that song and I seriously love it now.
Ursula turning into a paving slab for eternity worked for me in a twisted fairy-tale way. I didn't mind it at the time since she seemed happy about her state and not being dead and Elton loved her no matter what. It rammed home the message of the episode of living your life without having to conform to the norm or care what others think. I agree it's problematic, though.
I’m kind of surprised by how many people hated this episode. I kinda loved it, up until the end. (I… genuinely cried when they lost all the LINDA members at the end.) The ending kind of killed it. I think it would’ve been a great episode if the Doctor hadn’t revived Ursula – I don’t get why RTD thought this was a better ending.
I don't know if this has been mentioned, but you will find that near the end of all seasons, there will be Doctor/companion (I say that so as not to spoil) lite eps. They tend to throw everything, up to and including, the kitchen sink in the finales, so they juggle the actors in other eps.
Ah, the first of the real "Doctor-light" episodes, created in order to give the actor playing the Doctor a bit of a break because it is a hellaciously exhausting role. "The Long Game" was the first sort-of attempt at this, giving Adam his own storyline so Eccleston could be offscreen for a while, but this is the first full-on example. I actually thought this episode was nice when I first watched it – aside from the absolutely appalling and awful ending for Ursula and the stupid joke about it. Jackie provides such an amazing emotional center to the story. I adore her, truly.
The actor who plays Elton, Marc Warren, is one of those guys who pops up in seemingly everything – Hogfather, State of Play, Life on Mars, Band of Brothers, Revenger's Tragedy…and he's nearly always a villain, so it's weird that my first impression of him came from this.
And…that's pretty much all I have to say about this episode. It's mostly notable from a production viewpoint for me, and for all the extra Jackie love. I mostly choose to forget what happened to Ursula, because UGH.
As for those who see this as a mean-spirited swipe at fandom – eh. At the time, I didn't really see it, though I admit I haven't really rewatched the episode since soon after it aired. RTD does have a…fractious relationship with fandom, to put it kindly, but you can tell from the way he wrote LINDA that the man is an experienced fanboy, even as he sometimes expresses contempt for the same. No one writes a character like the guy with the James Bond fanzine in Bob and Rose without having had some experience in fannishness.
How is one relevant to the other? They can both be sexist. And are. And I love great chunks of their writing anyway, especially when they manage to suspend said sexism for a while.
Yes, they are both sexist. It just bothered me that Moffat is at his most sexist at interviews and he's attacked for it (rightfully so) but he gets stuck with the label while RTD doesn't get called sexist. And say what you will about Moffat, but he's never written or said anything as bad as this.
I'm mostly annoyed at the double standard that some people in fandom have for them.
Having Shirley Henderson as Ursula Blake really didn't bother me the way it seems to have bothered others, probably because I like to pretend that Movie!Myrtle doesn't exist. Though I think I'll have to wipe the last part of this episode from my mind, or perhaps just convince myself that the last scene is just a Lars and the Real Girl-esque delusion.
Some of my earliest memories are of my father watching the X-Files when I was little. I don't think I had a strict, set-in-stone bedtime, but I remember often being sent to bed right before the show started (I could hear the TV aliens/monsters as I was trying to fall asleep) or I'd be sent to bed in the middle of an episode, after seeing the creatures destroying things/people but not knowing how/if they'd be defeated.
I can handle horror in books pretty well (I remember Edgar Allen Poe's short stories being pretty much the first things I read that were above my *official reading level* in grade school), but to this day I can almost never handle horror in TV shows and movies.
So, yeah…
<img src="http://i810.photobucket.com/albums/zz30/nerd_by_proxy/b3315f7c-4584-460a-a031-f9806052084e.jpg">
OMG that macro, I love it. I don't know why you don't have a million upvotes for that!
Since I was an adult when The X-Files came on TV, it essentially filled the gap left by Twin Peaks that was also kind of filled by Picket Fences, so the original episodes will always tied to those two shows in my mind. I guess I forget how young you are and that you probably didn't have these associations, so it would be interesting to read more about your interpretation of The X-Files. Also, if you wanted to watch My So-Called Life, you would earn the adoration of 30-45 year old women and gay men everywhere, and otherwise you won't understand how Brian Krakow launched a thousand Jew fros in the mid-1990s.
God, now I remember how bitterly Love and Monsters was excoriated when it first aired. My friend and I followed it up with a twenty minute conversation about the mechanics of tile sex because working in the health care field destroys one's capacity for squick. (Does she have physical depth beyond a usual tile? It seems as if she does because her face sticks out, so does she therefore have a stretchable esophagus? Functioning lungs, excretory system, lymphatic system, vagina? Because really, how else would it work? I probably can't repeat the rest of our discussion or conclusions without getting barred from the site.)
That being said, I think a lot of people wrote it off initially without enjoying the fun characters in LINDA, the great opening and how this was a pretty heart-wrenching episode for Jackie. I don't love it or the villain, but I liked the characters that were introduced and it was a nice breath of fresh air at the time it originally aired, since it followed up some pretty heavy episodes. I will also admit that as a dedicated, lifelong metal fan, even I will dance around like an idiot to Mr. Blue Sky as long as there's nobody watching. Cowbell!
Since I was an adult when The X-Files came on TV, it essentially filled the gap left by Twin Peaks
Yes and yes, same here!
These "Doctor-lite" episodes are kind of like palate cleansers, and in that respect I like this one, for showing what life is like for normal people who aren't lucky enough to be a Time Lord or his hand-picked companion.
But the monster is lame, the plot is weak, and the end, just, ugh.
I'll watch it once more, though, because my poor six-year-old deserves to watch something a bit silly after cowering against my side through The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit.
These "Doctor-lite" episodes are kind of like palate cleansers
So it was kinda like the… AB – SORBET – LOFF?
(I'm sorry. I'm so sorry)
I think this is actually one of the less-liked episodes of the series among fans . I don't know, it was kind of 'meh' for me. I'd just started watching, so I was mostly 'who cares get back to the Doctor and Rose'. I did like it for being my introduction to Jackie, though. I don't think I'd like her near as much if I'd actually first seen her in 'Rose'. That bit at the end though? DO NOT WANT eyurgh.
Well I've always had kind of an irrational fandom-fuelled hate of this episode, but I rewatched this because of your review, and found that if I switch off about a half-hour in I really enjoy it! The elements that I dislike are the Abzorbaloff and the confrontation, and of course poor Ursula's horrible fate, so if I just skip them, this episode is a lot of fun and really endearing. I do have a terrible habit of skipping what I don't like, whether it's "The Dark I Know Well" in Spring Awakening or the first 12 chapters of Jane Eyre…. but I didn't expect to find this ep as engaging as I did on re-watch, and agree that it's the relationships between Elton and Jackie and Elton and the rest of LINDA that make this so watchable.
Fun Fact: RTD has previously used the "LINDA" acronym for the Liverpool Investigation N Detective Agency in Why Don't You, a kids tv programme he worked near the start of his career. RTD likes to reuse: Rose Tyler's surname came from Vince Tyler in Queer as Folk UK ( which I would highly recommend) and Rose in Bob & Rose, as well as Johnny Tyler from The Second Coming, who oddly enough is the Devil's representative on Earth. The idea of a bolshy and overly protective mother comes again from Queer as Folk, where Vince's mother Hazel is fierce bitch to end all fierce bitches and a clear precursor for Jackie Tyler. There you go, some trivia for you!
The eagle-eyed among you will have spotted the beginning of NEXT season's "Bad Wolf"….
The song in the background when Jackie is seducing Elton is so damn distracting to me because I noticed that the melody was familiar, then I realized I didn't recognize it because it was in Spanish, and then I was really confused as to why Jackie was listening to a Spanish version of an English song and then I didn't care because SHE IS HITTING ON THIS KID WHAT IS HAPPENING.
Thank you, I’m looking to find all the Business and Sales information I can for my college projects right now!