In the eighth episode of the fifth series of Doctor Who, a trip to Rio for our three time travelers quickly becomes a nightmare when mysterious creatures living far below the earth’s surface are triggered into returning to Earth due to our drilling efforts. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Doctor Who.
I have a feeling that the second half of this story might not be as good as the first. The last few series have had some of the best two-parters of the show’s run, but I think the execution of what this episode sets up might be overshadowed by the creepy, mysterious atmosphere of “The Hungry Earth.” This episode also allows Rory to step up as the main companion for the Doctor as well, since Amy is taken pretty early on in the story.
But I’m getting ahead of myself here. The cold open of “The Hungry Earth” is almost distractedly whimsical in hindsight, a cartoonish view of what appears to be a rural, maybe even working class, family. I actually laughed when I watched it a second time because of the contrast with the otherwise bleak story that follows it. Still, it’s a disarming intro to the story, and one that helps introduce us to the main ensemble cast here. The general idea behind this episode deals with drilling of the earth’s surface by humankind in 2020. When the Doctor and his two companions arrive in this small Welsh village, Doctor Nasreen Chaudry and company have already set a world record for drilling deep into the earth. However, as we saw in the cold open, those actions have caused pockets in the ground to open up, so that something below can pull people under the earth. (I gotta say: that image of Mo reaching through the dirt and discovering a space on the other side is WAY TOO CREEPY FOR ME TO EVEN THINK ABOUT. Good god.) Bodies are disappearing from underneath their graves and there’s a strange feeling to the earth. Though….only the Doctor can sense that. Like always. Does he have some sort of extra-sensory perception? Also, why did Amy and Rory appear to themselves early on in this episode? CREEPY.
I was surprised how quickly SHIT GOT REAL in “The Hungry Earth,” because Chris Chibnall wastes no time putting the Doctor and Amy in a super fucked up situation. I sort of suspected something strange would happen once Rory and Amy got separated in the first ten minutes of the episode. But I never would have guessed that Amy would get pulled under so early on. Again, because I feel justified in being a broken record about this, Karen Gillan and Matt Smith demonstrate their undeniable talent during this scene. From the spit that frightfully flies from the Doctor’s mouth to the look of sad acceptance from Amy, who asks the Doctor to give her love to Rory, it’s seriously a raw and touching scene for the two actors.
The thing is…I’m not sure that the episode that follows after this moment is quite as urgent or fascinating. That’s not to say it’s bad or uninteresting, because I do enjoy this episode, but the moment is so genuine and disturbing and the tone shifts so quickly to something else that I’m left feeling a tad underwhelmed. But this review will largely be positive than negative, as there are a lot of things “The Hungry Earth” does right. I really love Doctor Nasreen Chaudhry, both because it was great to see a strong woman of color on this show as the main side character, and because Chibnall teases a whole lot of character development for her that could have otherwise been ignored. Again, broken record, but Doctor Who is pretty great about giving us supporting characters who become so much more than mere pawns in the pursuit of the plot.
On that same note, Chibnall does a great job with Elliot, by having him seem like such a unique character and by not making his dyslexia a joke or a silly plot point that would belittle those who do have dyslexia. The way that the Doctor interacts with Elliot is never condescending and is filled with realistic, genuine hope. Given that Doctor Who has in the past done an episode that basically made light of child abuse (“FEAR HER” I WILL FOREVER HATE YOU WITH THE FIERY FLAME OF A THOUSAND BURNING SUNS), I was pleasantly surprised with the way this was handled.
I think the suspense was appropriately freaky, especially as those on the surface realized that there were creatures traveling UP to the earth, via a complex system of burrowed tunnels. (The tunnels are what caused Amy and Mo to fall/be pulled into the earth.) I did feel, however, that we’ve seen this structure before. It was reminiscent of “42” or “The Impossible Planet,” in the sense that we were dealing with humans coming to terms with the frightening reality of an alien entity (or this case, a race) while they are trapped. The show routinely does this quite well, as is the case here, but I wish they’d pull out some other tropes or techniques. “The Hungry Earth” did feel a tad repetitive here in the fifth series, simply because we’d seen so many stories just like this by this point in the show’s run of the revival series.
As I mentioned earlier, by sticking Amy below ground, this episode gives Rory a chance to step into the role of companion in a much more substantive way, despite that his own grief and terror is easily distracting him. I loved the joy on his face while he helped the Doctor capture one of the creatures from below the earth. Where Chibnall also succeeds in this is setting the stage for the second part in two very intriguing ways.
First, Alaya, the Silurian creature captured by Rory and the Doctor, presents a very complicated moral quandary. Alaya is absolutely right (and I’m happy the Doctor agrees with her) that her race was actually there on earth first. It’s not a justification for their actions, certainly, but it was an acknowledgement I was quite satisfied to see vocalized on the screen. It seems at this point that Tony, suffering from the effects of a Silurian sting, will be the one to fulfill Alaya’s prediction she makes at the episode’s end. I’m not sure if she is merely bluffing or if she truly believes that one of the three remaining people above ground will kill her, but it’s kind of a neat twist on the idea of a stand-off. Is it still a stand-off if no one has any weapons and if no one is actually fighting?
Underground, we’d been given glimpses of Amy strapped to some sort of chair, the point-of-view camera suggesting she was being watched. But when she awakes next to Mo, who tells her that she shouldn’t fight what is about to come, I was kind of confused. And then he said that he was just vivisected–WHILE HE WAS AWAKE. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, I’M PRETTY SURE THAT IS A TOTALLY VALID THING TO WANT TO FIGHT, DUDE. Which makes me wonder: why experiment on them at all? Or are they just trying to learn about humans more? It could be a reference to Tony’s comment about dissecting Alaya to learn her weakness. Perhaps the Silurians are already doing that to the humans.
As a testament to the power of not being spoiled, I’d accepted the Doctor’s theories about the Silurians, that there were most likely only a few of them remaining below the earth, especially since we only saw three of them on that radar machine come to the surface. I was ecstatic that Dr. Chaudhry became a temporary companion, though i worry if she’ll last beyond the next episode because of this. Still, the scene where her and the Doctor stare in shock at the Silurian civilization miles below the earth is pretty goddamn awesome.
I’d say I’m fairly excited for the next part, if only because the questions Chibnall proposes are what lift this otherwise run-of-the-mill script above the mediocre. I think it’s an interesting concept and I can only hope that the second part will rise above what we’ve been given here.
I’ve been trying to work out what to talk about with this episode as, perhaps more than any other two-parter in New Who, it really needs to be treated as a single story. Actually, maybe that’s what I should be talking about, this doesn’t feel like New Who, it feels FAR more like Classic Who (albeit with a budget of more than 37 pence and a roll of tin foil). Compared to the usual breakneck pace of New Who this almost crawls at times and that REALLY threw me the first time I watched it. On repeat viewings, when I was ready for it, I quite like the change of pace and the very old-school feel of the small Welsh village, the weirdly placed science project and, for that matter, the splitting up of companions into proper little story arcs.
I’m even going to skip over the usual plaudits for Acting Genius because I really REALLY want to focus on Karen Gillan in this one. She’s only in the episode for a few minutes but good GOD does she get put through the ringer, and I don’t just mean the character. Think about it, she’s dressed for Rio (heh, still makes me chuckle) while filming outdoors, in Wales, in late October for a kick off. Then there’s the getting sucked down through the earth thing which is shot for real, no CGI, just a hole in the floor with a rubber diaphragm and Karen going through (twice, stupid multiple-takes) while acting her heart out (probably not that hard under the circumstances). THEN there’s a short scene in what can only be described as a glass coffin getting filled with smoke. And finishing off shackled to an upright table (which, after that lot, must have been a bit of a relief, although it must be said for a companion there’s been very little Amy Bondage up to now, just this and Vampires of Venice really). Oh, and I still like to think there was swearing from the production crew when they were asked to dig the hole a couple of extra feet deep to accommodate her.
Oh, and Karen’s video diary about this whole thing is well worth a watch too (checked it and believe it to be spoiler-free, covers this episode and The Beast Below only. Oh, also includes Karen dancing so danger of adorable overload) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvdpBOLKA4M
Thought they did a good job of bring the Silurians up to modern standards and the mask idea was a great one and works very well. Matt’s delivery of the ‘last of my species’ dialogue was absolutely fantastic and kinda sums up this series thus far really: A continuation of what’s gone before but somehow more elequent, saying more with less than the RTD era did and usually with a slightly more restrained delivery. There’s some holes here too (chief amongst them the unfeasibly short time to setup the security network and if ANYONE makes a hole / hungry earth pun then no internet cookies for you!) but eh, not a major problem and the sort of short hand I have no problem with if it ain’t plot-critical.
There’s also a great little deleted scene here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CWWxubXpEM
Doesn’t add anything to the plot and I can see why they took it out but it’s a nice little Amy/11 moment. Ultimately though a bit redundant as it kinda spells out stuff that we already know about Amy/Rory from previous episodes and the dialogue about the night before the wedding going on for months is a bit… off somehow. Not sure if it’s the script or Karen’t delivery (this was shot quite early in production so god knows if they’d seen final scripts for episodes 1 – 7 by this point) but it sounds a bit like she’s blaming the Doctor for that ‘going on for months’ bit which doesn’t work at all.
So yeah, really will stop it there as the story is kinda tricky to discuss on its own. Not my favourite episode of Series Fnarg but not bad by any means and this series really is keeping up a ridiculously high average thus far. Onwards!
Good review. I agree with you about this episode feeling a lot like Classic Who. Which is a good thing, of course. 😉
LOOK MARK! THE GROUND ATE PEOPLE!
YOUR WISH CAME TRUE!
Sure, as soon as the ground finally opens up and swallows people, they have to be the nice guys. Sheesh.
I’ve had a lot of fun talking about politics over on Mark Reads today, but I’m not touching the shit in this episode. Okay episode overall, but it's hard to live up to the last one. I'm interested in seeing how it ends.
If you're going to take the words out of my mouth, you could at least wash your hands first.
The ground is eating people. That is all.
And Mark was not prepared! Yaaaaaaaay for the spoiler policy!
LITERALLY THE BEST THING EVER.
OM NOM NOM NOM
This will probably be a weird comment from me. For one thing, this is the first part of a two parter, so there’s that, but also this episode is kind of all over the place. It’s not as ~painful to watch~ for me as many people claim but it’s just a mess of somewhat good ideas taped together badly.
The pacing is bizarre, first off. The emotional and dramatic beats are just flung about willy-nilly. In the first fifteen minutes, Amy is dragged into the earth and there is this long, very emotional moment of her and the Doctor talking and they are getting so choked up and the music soars and there is screaming and it drags on and on… but it is the first fifteen minutes of episode 8. Sure, Doctor Who has had some weird send offs to characters but there was just no way I could believe she’d die in the beginning of an episode. If it were at the end of the episode, I could take it, but this early? No way. So that entire emotional scene just fell flat to me, completely. It would have been a lot more scary and effective if she’d just been swallowed suddenly and was gone under the earth in less than a minute.
Also, the kid going to get his headphones. I could by the Doctor not keying in to that, not paying attention… if he hadn’t just been emotionally connecting to the kid. It’s as if the writers wanted to have both the Doctor getting in trouble for not looking after the kid well and the Doctor forming a connection with the kid. They could even have both, but they mushed into one scene and that just doesn’t work.
And then there’s the whole scene where the Doctor Forms a Plan and his theme plays and it’s Very Exciting… but there’s no payoff. They end up just hanging around in the church for a while. Now, even that could have been funny. If they cut from the Doctor being all “We are going to get everyone back safely!” and the music swelling and then a smash cut to them all just sitting in the church with no music playing, awkwardly waiting for something to happen… I would have laughed! But it wasn’t played funny, it was played completely seriously.
Also, the cliffhanger left me cold, as did Rory’s reaction to Amy’s disappearance, which is weird since they pretty clearly set it up for Rory to find out later, having him separated from the group etc and then the whole reveal is just pushed to the side and glossed over. And the whole thing of Rory taking Amy’s wedding ring back to the TARDIS seemed off to me, too. It seemed obviously constructed to give the writers an excuse to break up the team. Amy has never shown to be careless with her possessions and Rory has never spoken to Amy in that way before. Like Amy even said, it would have been more in line with his characterization to show him being happy that she is wearing the ring. I mean, if they really wanted him to go back to the TARDIS to drop the ring off, why not have Amy send him back with it. Then Rory could be all, “What, you don’t want to wear it?” and she could be all, “No, you goof. It’s important to me and I don’t want to lose it,” and then they could smile at each other in that awkwardly adorable way they have and it would have been cute, not weird.
Also, they seem to be trying some message about war or maybe colonialism or something but, at least as far as part one goes, it doesn’t really do anything with it. Oh, except that if someone even briefly considers using weapons to DEFEND themselves after losing people they love and some random person they don’t know has swooped in but hasn’t explained anything about what is happening but has said they are going to DEFEND themselves then they are a bad person and should be ~better than that~. Yeah, whatever, Doctor. It’s not like she was the one saying she wanted to dissect them and it isn’t even like you haven’t COMMITED GENOCIDE a few times yourself so maybe tone down the freaking condescension just a smidge.
And speaking of condescension from the Doctor, what on earth was up with him being all “Oh, you’re ~beautiful~ a relic of a ~bygone age~” to a creature that he obviously knows is at least an equal in intelligence to humans and, oh, is his hostage? She can understand everything you are saying Doctor, stop being creepy! At least he goes back to normal afterwards but still. Also, why are they speaking English? I know the TARDIS translation blahblah but the other people had never been in the TARDIS and seemed able to understand everything just fine so what gives?
(cont)
So, yes, this episode I think could have been a lot, lot better but the pacing just ruined it, for me. The script needed a few more major revisions, in my mind.
Being this down on an episode is against my nature, though, and there were a lot of things I liked. Listy time!
Future!Amy and Rory on the hill. That whole thing was cute. I liked how Amy wanted to go talk to them.
The make up/prosthetics on the Homo reptilia are very well done, although that scientific name makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE MY GOD DOCTOR WHO NO LOVE FROM ME ON THAT THEY SHOULD NOT BE SHARING A GENUS WITH HUMANS AT THE VERY MOST I COULD SEE PHYLUM BUT THAT IS IT
Eleven is very cute with kids, as always.
Nasreen is adorable and awesome and I love her and everything about her.
Also, clothing whatever. Amy wears red and the shirt is patterned and another brown leather jacket which is great. Rory wears plaid which is interesting because Amy appeared in plaid in her promo pics but this is episode 8 and she hasn’t worn any, whereas Rory has had plaid in episode 1, episode 7 and now, so maybe they moved that over to him.
OKAY FINE I don’t really like this episode. It is just a MESS and everyone acts out of character at one point or another and UGH maybe it isn’t painful to watch but it is painful to think about because the more I think about, the more annoyed I am and I wish they actually HAD gone to Rio and done a better story. But I'm glad you enjoy it, Mark.
Edit, because I forgot: I liked that Rory wondered why they wouldn't be traveling with the Doctor anymore. Amy wondered that last episode so it is nice to see he is on a similar page now.
Haha, I love your science-rage. I agree, it was sort of all over the place. And I don't know what happens in the second part, but that diamond had better come into play. Otherwise, Rory going back to secure the ring is going to annoy me even more. It was just an odd scene.
I just really love science and this isn't even something that was hard to figure out! Like, I can even deal with the reptiles with boob thing because it would be weird for them to only cast a-cups for the female Silurians or bind the actor's chests or something but this is just a throw away line and it is SO DUMB. It is impossible to be in the homo genus without being a mammal, Doctor Who! SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE.
I have seen the second part so I can't really reply to the bit about the diamond, since I do know, but I agree that they set it up in such a way that if it doesn't have some important down the line, then it was an even worse excuse to separate Rory. They could have had him go to get thicker coats because of the Rio thing or somesuch.
Seriously, he knows where all of the down vests are. He could have gone off to find Wales-appropriate wardrobe!
Hmm, I actually think it's perfectly reasonable to cast only A-cup actresses. Or design the costumes in a boob-obscuring (instead of a body-hugging) way. One of the reasons I decided not to pursue acting as a career when I was a teenager was that all kinds of body standards are perfectly legit reasons to get or not get a job, as a actor, and I (pretty wisely as a kid) didn't think I could handle it.
Well, I guess I'm just creeped out by the idea of a bunch of most likely guys sitting around deciding whether a woman's breasts are good enough or not. And I like the way the costumes are designed and how they look like armor, I dunno. I guess things like the boobs and the humanoid eyes just don't really bother me because they seem like they'd just be a pain to avoid and you just can trust the audience to get the gist. Not perfect, sure, but it doesn't bother me as much as a line they specifically wrote and decided to keep in that I think it meant to be witty but flies in the face of science.
Well, I think you're rightfully creeped out by that image of casting (although quite a few women are involved in casting too). But I also imagine that kind of discussion about women's bodies is going to happen in the casting process to some extent, regardless of role.
Yeah! I am a little science-ragey at "Homo reptilia" too. That's not how Linnaean taxonomy works! At least not these days, where the goal is to model evolutionary branching structures as closely as possible. There's no way the Silurians would be in genus Homo.
I adore your comment about the Doctor being condescending about humans defending themselves. I'm pretty sure he'd be pitying an alien if it were defending itself against humans.
I agree with most of this comment. This episode just kind of drags and nothing particularly exciting or interesting happens.
Valid criticisms, I admit, even if they don't really bug me.
But just one thing to comment on:
"Also, why are they speaking English? I know the TARDIS translation blahblah but the other people had never been in the TARDIS and seemed able to understand everything just fine so what gives?"
We've seen the TARDIS translate for non-companions before, say in Christmas Invasion where it was a plot point. I don't know if that makes it any better for you, though.
Oh, that's true. That makes it a bit better, though I wish it were slightly more consistent. I mean, they aren't particularly near the TARDIS at the time, especially when it gets pulled underground. I had basically thought it worked either by a companion traveling in it or by close proximity, but whatever. I get that they don't really want to focus on how characters can understand each other.
I like this two-parter more than many people, I freely admit.
Anyway, HOW MUCH DID I LOVE/HATE MARK'S OBSESSION WITH THE GROUND EATING PEOPLE TROPE EARLIER THIS YEAR? Without the spoiler board, I doubt I would have had the power to leave it go uncommented.
I love the idea of Amy and Rory visiting…themselves, and I love how surprised Amy is at them still being together in ten years. And I love that Eleven thinks "mining things" are a valid substitution for Rio. And then Rory being confused as police makes me lol forever. And I like that he just shrugs and goes along with it. MEANWHILE, Amy gets swallowed by the ground, and her last words were to be to Rory omg. I really do love the evolution of their relationship.
That just makes me lol so much. I mean, it makes sense in context, but as a standalone quote, it's just so ridiculous.
Also, I think I could watch Eleven/Matt Smith interact with children for the rest of my life.
I like when the show decides to revisit classic aliens, and I generally like the look of the Silurians, even if they do seem a little too humanoid to me. But I like the scales. And I'm intrigued by alien cultures, so I like that we get to see interesting clothing choices and that we basically see them in their natural habitat (as opposed to aliens invading earth, removed from their society). And then there's this amazing moment (and an amazing gif):
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/14ipd79.gif">(Source)
Anyway, I'm glad Amy is still alive although it was hardly a surprise.
In conclusion, Nasreen is awesome. PLZ TO BE ON THE SHOW LOTS MORE.
Awesome GIF. I love how Eleven gets DEADLY serious at that point and even Alaya isn't arrogant enough to try it on again.
His face at the end of that gif is just perfect.
OLD MAN/ALIEN IN A YOUNG BODY FTW Matt Smith you are amazing.
I have no idea how he pulls it off so well, but I am so glad he does. 😀
JUST LOOK AT HIS FACE! How does he put so much into a small sad smile?
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/308ulwy.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
I DON'T KNOW, IT MUST BE MAGIC.
MATT SMITH IS A WIZARD. HERE IS YOUR PROOF.
How can anyone complain that "Matt Smith is too young for the role of the Doctor" is beyond me.
He can look more ancient than Christopher Eccleston or David Tennant ever did.
That gif – I LOVE YOU FOREVER FOR POSTING THIS!! (it's my favorite part of this episode)
Brilliant gif. Matt really delivered those lines perfectly.
I don't mind this two-parter as much as others seem to, either. It's not the best – the pacing is definitely weird. When I re-watched it there wasn't much that jumped out at me that I HAD TO TALK ABOUT or that I wanted to make a gif of. But it's not bad. Especially because we get NASREEN who is AWESOME and MOAR RORY.
SAD MACRO IS SAD. Oof that's a kicker to start my day with…
SORRY. Um, kitty gif?
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/15nu8sx.gif">
AWWWWWW.
*dead from cute*
Anyway, no one's fault that Mark updates at 5am JST!
I just squealed aloud and did this bizarre clappy-thing. Kitty!
I love that moment in the gif. Matt Smith, you are the bomb.
Awesome gif is awesome. So is that moment.
That's a gorgeous marco! Thanks for posting it.
GORGEOUS GIF. All the upvotes to you for posting it.
Matt Smith is fantastic in the last of the species scene.
Is it just me or does this review feel 'different'?
No gifs or list-time at the end really is unique!
There's no "thoughts" at the end. It looked a little truncationed and I couldn't figure out why at first lol
The moment between Amy and the Doctor as she gets sucked into the ground is truly sad and chilling and you're right, nothing else in this episode quite lives up to it. Although the Doctor's expression as he realises he let Elliot go outside comes pretty close. I love the focus on Rory, how he doesn't protest at someone assuming he's a policeman, but just goes with it. Part of it is that he's starting to become accustomed to the life of adventure; part of it is that he's a nurse and he cares about people. You see all of that in Darvill's performance.
And in conclusion, all I can say is that you're not prepared, Mark.
Yes, Arthur Darvill is great. I think part of it is also that he wants to impress the Doctor a little bit, like he mentioned a few episodes ago. And save Amy, obviously, but I think he wants to prove himself a little bit as well.
OK, rrrrrrrrrrrreview time. (Stupid keyboard – the r button sticks sometimes. It's rrrrrrrrreally annoying, but it's only intermittent, so bear with me.)
This episode starts well, with a `great big mining thing` and an ordinary family with a young, dyslexic son…and the ground is eating people!!! The TARDIS lands and out jumps the Doctor, Rory and Amy who dressed for Rio. (A leather jacket, tights and boots? For Rio? Really?) There's also *another* Amy and Rory from the future (well, the present in terms of the date of the story) which is a rather neat idea that we haven't seen before. But the Doctor's not going to be distracted by that because the `great big mining thing` is where the plot is, obviously.
And this is where the problems are, too…obviously. Everything is just too obvious. Got to be careful about what I say to avoid spoilers for part 2, but I will be picking up this thread more tomorrow. Obviously.
For now, the first obvious thing to talk about as that bloody sticking doorrrrrrrrrrrrrr! (And this bloody keyboard, too!)
Think about `OH LOOK, THIS DOOR IS STICKING – I BET THIS IS IMPORTANT TO THE PLOT!` and compare it to `The Aplans have 2 heads, so why don't the statues?` in Time of Angels. In my Angels review, I praised the latter as `hidden in plain sight`. The sticking door is just `in plain sight`. Sticking door + young kid = kid's going to get locked out and the Doctor can't sonic it open because it doesn't do wood.
So when the moment comes, I'm busy rolling my eyes and shaking my head, which is a shame, because there are some really good moments here. The Doctor – particularly Eleven – doesn't treat children as children. We've already seen this with Little Amelia in Eleventh Hour. In one way, it's great that he doesn't talk down to Elliot, and the way he scares away his dyslexia and his fear of monsters. But children *are* children, not small adults. As such, they don't always weigh up risks properly, which is why they need adults to look after them. So when Elliot says he's going to get his headphones while the countdown to the monsters is running out, the Doctor fails to act as the responsible adult. He doesn't stop him. He just lets him run out of the safety of the church. The Doctor lets Elliot down and betrays Ambrose's trust.
Oh, while it's in my head, having just about got past the question of `why does Rory take so long to notice Amy's missing?` we get the even bigger question or, `why does it take Ambrose so long to notice her son is missing?`
Oh, while it's in my head, having just about got past the question of `why does Rory take so long to notice Amy's missing?` we get the even bigger question or, `why does it take Ambrose so long to notice her son is missing?`
Still, onwards and downwards, another good moment is the Doctor and Rory saving the Earth with Meals on Wheels. As is often the case, the monsters are at their best when we don't really see them. When they're darting about, keeping to the shadows, lots of fast paced cutting. When we do see the Silurian Alaya, contrary to many Classic Whovians, I rather like the look. Shame to lose the old third eye, but that aside, Alaya does look beautiful, in a cold blooded kind of way. And it's a wonderfully reptilian performance from Neve McIntosh.
The quiet scene between Alaya and the Doctor is another little highlight.
ALAYA: I am the last of my species.
DOCTOR: No, you're really not. Because I'm the last of my species and I know how that sits in a heart, so don't insult me!
Matt Smith's quiet menace in that line is so effective. Then Alaya's parting line
ALAYA: I will gladly die for my cause, Doctor. What will you sacrifice for yours?
Oh, Alaya, you have no idea who you're dealing with.
I'm going to skip to the end, now, to that cliffhanger. A big reveal cliffhanger should be better than a `threaten the Doctor/Companions with death` cliffhanger. There aren't just a dozen or so Homo reptilia, there's a whole city! Should be huge. I'm thinking of the big reveal of `thousands of Dalek ships` at the end of 1.12 Bad Wolf. But it doesn't happen. The strange thing is, I can't quite put my finger on why. Is it the understated performance? Is it the direction? Is it just another example of doing the obvious? I rrrrrrrrrrreally don't know. (That damn button again!)
I do think the design of the city with that orange glow doesn't help. It looks too much like the inside of the TARDIS, which we associate with `safe and comforting`. So there's no threat or menace about it. Plus, we don't actually *see* any Silurians, so it could just be a very big, very old and very empty city.
Now, I'm not saying this episode is terrible, and it could pick up in the second part. It's certainly not `Fear Her`. In fact, as a piece of TV drama, it's sort of average. And in a way, it's a testament to the standard of Doctor Who that `average` just falls flat.
So, my verdict on the Hungry Earth: Not bad…just not grrrrrrrrrrrreat!
(Betcha never saw that one coming!)
The Doctor – particularly Eleven – doesn't treat children as children. We've already seen this with Little Amelia in Eleventh Hour. In one way, it's great that he doesn't talk down to Elliot, and the way he scares away his dyslexia and his fear of monsters. But children *are* children, not small adults. As such, they don't always weigh up risks properly, which is why they need adults to look after them. So when Elliot says he's going to get his headphones while the countdown to the monsters is running out, the Doctor fails to act as the responsible adult. He doesn't stop him.
Ooh, that's a really excellent point. I've always felt that bit with the Doctor not reacting to Elliot leaving as the Doctor holding the idiot ball for a bit, but, well, it's just that he doesn't treat children as children. I mean, we're at least led to believe he fully intended to return to little Amelia in five minutes, for a trip in the TARDIS. Not really what you do with 7-year-olds. So, maybe he's not holding the idiot ball like I thought he was. Yay. 🙂
Omg. This is such a dull episode. Like it’s not aggravatingly bad, like The Victory of the Daleks is. It’s just really BORING, imo. There are two bright spots to this episode for me. One, being the Ultimate Dad, Eleven is good with kids, so it’s nice seeing him interact with the boy. And two, RORY! Lol. Nothing specific about him. Just the fact of his existence. Although he was looking pretty cute in his plaid shirt, and he was adorable pretending to be the policeman. And his angsting over Amy was nice too.
Really though, I think part of what brings this episode down is that the secondary characters are all so uninteresting and/or stupid. I mean, the plot isn’t super interesting either, but a lame plot can be saved by either fun secondary characters or a good exploration of the show’s primary characters. This episode has neither. Tony and Mo are just so boring that they’re non-entities. Elliot is kinda cute, but also non-interesting. Nasreen is the only one that mildly sparks my interest. She’s cute and smart and wants adventure. And then I don’t know if it’s the writing or the acting, but I cannot stand Ambrose. A character can oppose the challenge and oppose the Doctor and still be a character that I want to watch (see: Adelaide), but Ambrose is just uuuuugh.
Alaya: This land is ours. We lived here long before the apes.
Doctor: Doesn’t give you automatic rights to it now I’m afraid. Humans won’t give up the planet.
Alaya: So we destroy them.
ICU, CLUMSY ISRAEL-PALESTINE METAPHOR. ICU. AND I AM NOT IMPRESSED.
And the writing is just really… obvious. “You have to be the best of humanity.” WELL NOW THEY OBVIOUSLY WON’T BE.
And as much as I like to make fun of the Doctor Who Two Party Story Cliffhanger That is Easily Resolved in the First Two Minutes of the Next Episode, this “cliffhanger” is a bit ridiculous. It’s not just a small band of warriors, it s a whole ~civilization~. Oh. Ok. Thrilling. Definitely makes me want to tune in next week.
Yeah. This is a shorter comment than usual, but it’s really hard for me to care about this episode enough to say more about it.
"…but it’s really hard for me to care about this episode enough to say more about it. "
Absolutely true. :/
HAHAHA, I was hoping someone else would bring that up! The complete lack of subtlety is truly awful. I do want to see the second half, though, because I'm hoping it'll get better. Eep.
I have to pretend that it's a more general parallel when I watch and hope it isn't specifically meant to be Isreal-Palestine 😐
Yeah, I personally read it the situation in a much more generic way, but that might be because I know way too much about I-P to think it looks remotely like this ep.
To be honest, the comparison with the Israel-Palestine conflict didn't even cross my mind…
Yeah, for me the ep really didn't get across alot (or any) of the specific things people would associate with i-p, even grossly misinformed people, so I really didn't see it this way. I took it as a more generic territorial issue, which exists in a lot of different places.
Well, obviously it wasn't trying to be an allegory of a specific real world conflict. Like you said, it was a generic territorial issue. Though there will always be people who are trying to find hidden meanings and allegories in every bit of writing, and extrapolate wild theories out of tiny details you wouldn't otherwise even notice…
For sure. I remember reading a while back people online saying that Battlestar Galactica is an allegory for I-P and um, I'm kind of really hoping it's not.
Personally, I liked the Isreal-Palestine metaphor. Mostly because I often feel that that type of conflict is rarely portrayed in media, people so often go for the simplere bad guys vs. good guys approach. But each to their own, I suppose.
And yes, Rory. Just in general, he is awesome.
That exchange between Alaya and the Doctor is almost word for word from "Doctor Who and the Silurians" (1970). It's a recurrent feature Silurian stories, and it's doubtful Mac Hulke had the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in mind when he wrote the original story in 1969.
It’s kind of hard to talk about this episode without the context of the second part so really random collection of points ahead and leaving lots out that I’ll probably talk about tomorrow.
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/vyo3gx.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"> Amy and Rory are all kinds of adorable at the start of this episode. I love Amy being so excited to potentially meet their future selves. I bet it was Amy’s idea to see themselves travelling with the Doctor again. It’s interesting that Rory asks the same question Amy has in the past, will they stop travelling in the TARDIS and just drop back into a normal life. It’s nice that they’re on the same page. Rory’s concern over their engagement ring was pretty cute too.
‘Doctor there’s something weird going on here the graves are eating people.’ ‘Not know Rory.’
It’s nice to see the Doctor and Rory working together by themselves in this episode as well. I like that Rory backs up the Doctor and how the Doctor gets annoyed with Rory for dissing the sonic screwdriver. I think they have a great dynamic. I love the way they catch Alaya. I was not expecting Rory from the back of the Meals on Wheels van. Have I mentioned how much I love this Team TARDIS? Also bless the Doctor’s geeky little hearts for wanting to see the giant mining drill instead of going to Rio.
‘Do we have to say vermin? They’re really very nice.’
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/2ce5ac5.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"> I love you Nasreen. I love how she’s completely into the Doctor’s best of humanity speech (and Rory also nodding along). I love her excitement about the inside of the TARDIS, getting to be so far underground and seeing the Silurian civilisation. I really like that she trusts the Doctor because he has all the information and makes sense of the whole situation.
‘I can’t do the words, I’m dyslexic.’ ‘Oh that’s all right; I can’t make a decent meringue.’
I really like that Elliot is dyslexic. It’s great for kids to see that being dyslexic isn’t anything to be ashamed of, especially when it comes from someone like the Doctor. I also like the conversation Elliot and the Doctor have about leaving home. Again it shows that although it still makes him sad, Eleven talks about Gallifrey, Time Lords and all that goes with them a lot easier now. I also love how well Matt Smith does quiet sadness.
Randomly just because it comes from this episode and I love it
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/e7ktvl.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Nasreen clapping .gif!
I loved her in that moment because it seemed totally like something I would do, myself, at that point. XD
The ever wonderful nanceoir made it the other day.
I love Nasreen's enthusiasm throughout the Doctors speech and how into it she gets.
Hahaha, I love the gifs. Rory's awkward wave and Nasreen's awkward clapping.
I love how Rory just kind of threw himself into the time-traveling stuff. He was a little bitter and jealous in the beginning, but once Amy asked him to stay at the end of Vampires of Venice his attitude seemed to change. Now he's like, sure, I can be a fake policeman and solve weird crimes and catch aliens! Why not!
So glad we can use that last gif now! 😀 I had believed it to be from a later episode… yay being wrong!
I really love when Eleven wears things that he usually doesn't
I am maybe a little too excited that we finally can use that gif with abandon (…again)!!!
Deal With It gifs are cool.
I find it difficult to say much about this episode other than the actress who plays Nasreen, Meera Syal, is freaking AMAZING. I loved her in "Jekyll" and I loved her even more here.
Anyway, it's hard to talk about this first half without discussing the second, so I'll just leave it at LOVE RORY FOREVER.
Meera Syal! I was wigging out because she's on Goodness Gracious Me and I love that show!
I just watched Jekyll recently and was like, "OMG IS THAT NASREEN CHAUDRY AWESOME". I love her.
Yessssss. I was just rewatching Jekyll today and marveling at how fab she is.
I don't like this two-parter. That's pretty much the sum of my thoughts about them. I dislike.
Okay there are a few things I like, mostly NASREEN! YOU ARE AWESOME! PLEASE JOIN THE TARDIS PLEASE! She's so enthusiastic about going on the trip underground. Mo (Mmmm Mo), Elliot and Tony are less awesome but Ambrose needs to STOP TALKING AND STOP DOING THINGS! The only thing I like about her is that lovely purple coat. The same goes for Alaya, stop talking you're just making things worse!
Matt and Karen are amazing in the scene where Amy gets swallowed by the earth. BTW Mark I am disappointed, I've been expecting you to react to the fact that THE GROUND FINALLY SWALLOWED PEOPLE! People we liked and not the villains but it's close enough.
In short: Chris Chibnall if you could never ever write for this show again I'd really appreciate it.
For all the times one might wish the earth would open up and swallow them, the reality of it is much less enchanting.. XD
Seriously. Shut up, Ambrose.
While I respect your opinion, there's no need to say someone should never write for a show again… That happened with Helen Raynor (Daleks in Manhattan), and her second effort (Sontaran Stratagem) was much better.
When you mentioned that you wanted to see the ground eat people, everyone here was reminded of this episode, I think. I'm surprised you didn't mention it.
Anyway, I expect lot of hate for this episode, but I don't think it is THAT bad. It's okay for me, better than Victory of the Daleks at any rate and I right now I think better than The Beast Below, too.
there’s a strange feeling to the earth. Though… only the Doctor can sense that. Like always. Does he have some sort of extra-sensory perception?
Well, the Doctor does have that speech in the very first episode ("Rose") about the Earth flying through space. This is what the internet tells me is in that speech: "Do you know, like we were saying, about the Earth revolving? It's like when you were a kid, the first time they tell you that the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because it looks like it's standing still. I can feel it. The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go… that's who I am."
In other words, yes, the Doctor has some sort of extra-sensory perception.
I love that speech! And it totally explains the Doctor's spidey-sense about Earth.
And just because you reminded me of Nine:
<img src="http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/lylaaaa/dw8.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_3lVOb8wvDlE/TSKyaA1uLnI/AAAAAAAAA38/HnKTk-QlA4E/9giftofair.gif">
NINE!
<img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/wjx3bt.gif>
Aw, it's nice to see you, Nine!
<img src="http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/lylaaaa/ears-1.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
Are we doing a gifspam? Count me in!
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/2vjtm9w.gif">
gifspam? i don't know what you mean…!
<img src="http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/lylaaaa/34q5ufrjpg.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
You don't?
<img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/15mii5h.gif>
Then I think you need to GO TO YOUR ROOM!
Cool. I'll be dancing!
<img src="http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb440/lylaaaa/ninedances.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
Woo Nine!
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/5cb0go.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/ajul3n.gif">
lol we totally just posted our gifs of Nine waving at the same time.
Just gives me an excuse to use this gif, then, since this is a happy gifspam and I don't want to interrupt the glee with it.
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/swv41z.gif">
WUT?
<img src=http://i42.tinypic.com/2di4t36.jpg>
I don't know whether or not this counts as happy, so putting it here:
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/1zcl2jo.gif">
Well, it makes me happy to see it!
<img src=http://i53.tinypic.com/2qsouv8.jpg>
SHAME! You repeated a gif!
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/j9atkk.gif">
OH NO! WHERE? I don't see it.
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/2wqbrer.jpg">
EDIT: LOL I see it now.
<img src=http://i56.tinypic.com/fm4efn.jpg>
Two people at once! I don't know who to reply to!
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/2ltoex0.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
I know! I broke the chain.
<img src=http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lcidnteZQI1qcwhkeo1_400.gif>
For shaaaaaame!
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/264gkjo.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
I'm sorry 🙁
<img src=http://i44.tinypic.com/2h4mazc.jpg>
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/vdzt06.gif">
We need to stop doing this. lol, nevermind, we get MOAR NINE gifs this way.
<img src=http://i51.tinypic.com/35k8xn7.jpg>
MORE NINE WOOT!
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/e980hf.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
FANTASTIC!
<img src=http://i47.tinypic.com/jgpshh.jpg>
Whoops. I'm just super-impressed by everyone's speed.
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/15ckgms.gif">
I know! I like that it keeps happening. 🙂
<img src=http://i46.tinypic.com/veu6mg.jpg>
Because we're magic!
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/29wq048.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/u8m5k.gif">
…it's a kitty!
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2dbuf80.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Yep!
<img src=http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lawu2yxqbK1qcwhkeo1_400.gif>
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/swqmx1.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Nine in trouble? Look, I'm running out, so you'll have to forgive poor gif connections.
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2ni9pu8.gif">
I'm getting near the end of mine as well. Who cares about connections when it's all Nine 😀
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/rrlieq.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
<img src=http://i39.tinypic.com/zunlgy.jpg>
That speech is one of my favourite Nine moments. Just so good.
I love that speech. There's something about this season that keeps making me pull out quotes from S1 to make sense of it, and I'm glad I'm not the only one!
Plus, I think the Doctor's been everywhere and seen everything, so when something's up, his subconscious mind latches onto it straight away, even if it takes his consious brain a little while to catch up…
…and then it takes the rest of the episode for everyone else to catch up with his conscious mind. 🙂
Love this speech, love Nine and love you for causing this wonderful Nine gifspam lsjdfskfd /just squees at the screen
This episode was just so boring. It seemed to try so hard to make me worried about what was coming and what would happen to these people, but it just wasn't happening. I think the supporting characters really needed to be fleshed out more, or differently, or something. Seeing Matt interact with children is always nice, but we did not get nearly enough of that. And as much as I don't like Amy, I will admit the episode really lacked something without her presence for the majority of it. It was nice to see Rory get a little bit to do, but mostly he just looked around confusedly.
At about the 36 minute mark I actually groaned because I realized it would be a two-parter. At least Nasreen seemed like she could be kind of cool, and I'm glad she went with the Doctor.
Sigh, I'm feeling kind of doomed to not like this season. A bad second-half-of-season two-parter? Preposterous!
THE GROUND EATED PEOPLE MARK! D:
Yeah this isn't my favourite but I did give it another watch and it wasn't completely awful. Lovely village and lovely accents.
That scene between the Doctor and Alaya was great.
It is hard to talk about a two-parter, so I'll just mention a few things. Amy getting sucked into the earth and the Doctor being helpless to stop it was really creepy. I wonder how confident the Doctor really was that he would get her back. I thought that Rory should have been a little more upset about it.
I also hated when Amy woke up in that box with a glass lid, then got gassed. I would have been freaking out if it was me, since I'm claustrophobic.
I liked Nasreen a lot. And Alaya was a great character. The actress did a good job.
There was a lot of classic fan wank over the make-up of the Silurians because they'd been shown before as these pinkish reptilians with a third eye. I think a lot of people really wanted that third eye to stick around. I kind of wish they had kept the third eye.
In that vein, what does a female reptilian need boobs for? She lays eggs, no need for boobs.
This episode provides me MOAR RORY which I will always ask for, forever and ever. But really, once Alaya starts going "ONE OF YOU IS GOING TO KILL ME" I stop caring. So really, not fond of this.
Hey, she's a Homo repitilia. Maybe they're vestigial boobs.
MARK! MARK! Remember back during Series 1 where you mentioned you wanted a "Doctor Who" story where people got sucked into the Earth? (something like that) I had to literally sit on my hands because I knew this story was coming, but you had so long to wait for it and I didn't want to spoil you – AND YOU'RE FINALLY HERE!!
<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/Happy%20Surprise%20gifs/Kennedyofficeparty.gif" border="0" alt="Image Source,Photobucket Uploader Firefox Extension">
(I really, really, REALLY hope you weren't spoiled for this episode).
I said last time that "Amy's Choice" was the first episode with Matt Smith I ever watched. Well, this was the second (thank you BBC America repeats). I was a still a little disoriented because I'd just started with Christopher Eccleston for the first time and these episodes with Matt Smith were SOOOO different and it was hard for me to get it in my head that this was the same show (I was still very much a newbie back then). The first, say, twenty minutes of this episode weren't that compelling for me (sadly). But when the Doctor says to Alaya "I'm the last of my species and I know how it sits in the heart – so don't insult me!" this was me:
<img src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/Jenny_Wildcat/Happy%20Surprise%20gifs/6zvxie.gif" border="0" alt="Image Source,Photobucket Uploader Firefox Extension">
It was then that I couldn't WAIT to get caught up with the rest of the series! 🙂
That's really all I have to say about this episode. I like this episode well enough, but I agree that there are better ones. I did wait to see the second part when I went through on my normal going-totally-in-order-very-first-viewing of the entire series. I didn't really feel compelled to finish it back then, TBH. And I will now clam up until tomorrow.
<img src="http://img852.imageshack.us/img852/7569/lehungear.png">
This episode is not my #1 all time favorite or anything, but it makes me happy because Rory and Nasreen get to be badasses. /
Witholding most of my comments until tomorrow, but:
– Nasreen rocks.
– RORY! OMFG.
– Reptiles with boobs bother me, as breasts are the DEFINING characteristic of mammals.
– The Silurians are right but they are also creepy and pretty questionably moral. Which makes them, uh, not so different from humans.
– Chris Chibnall is the person responsible for much of Torchwood and thus I feel automatically wary of most things he writes.
Chris Chibnall is the person responsible for much of Torchwood and thus I feel automatically wary of most things he writes.
And suddenly, all of my dislikes about this episode make perfect sense. Awkwardly dull storyline, weird pacing… argh.
Reptiles with boobs bother me, as breasts are the DEFINING characteristic of mammals
YES. Dude, I'm not even a science-y person, and the first time I saw this episode I yelled at the TV about the ridiculousness of reptiles with MAMMARY GLANDS.
Yeah, me either. Hard science has never been among my many and varied professions.
As a biologist, I got around it by thinking its something about her clothes (breast armour? IDK.) but what got me was the name 'Homo Silurian'. That means they're a branch of humanity, Doctor.
….which would explain the breasts, guess. XD
No, in all seriousness, it should have be 'Reptilian Sapien' or something, if you wanted to get the human equality thing across.
Howabout: BIG LIZARD WHO WILL MESS YOU UP, FOO!
I like that term better.
It's kind of a tradition that every Doctor Who story with the Silurians in gives them a scientifically implausible name. (Well, not actually a *tradition*, it just seems to have worked out that way.)
When they first showed up in the 1970s, a human scientist in the story called them "Silurians", because he figured they came from the Silurian Period (about 400 million years ago). The producers got a lot of letters pointing out that this made no sense.
So when they next did an ancient-intelligent-reptiles story, the Doctor was given a line about how calling them "Silurians" made no sense, because they were really from the Eocene Epoch (about 50 million years ago). The producers got a lot of letters pointing out that this made no sense either.
And now there's this story, and the 'Homo Reptilius' thing. People don't tend to write to the producers so much these days, they just blog about it instead.
"Homo reptilia" comes, IIRC, from the novelization of the first Silurian story, retitled "Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters", by Malcolm Hulke. In the novelization, they aren't called Silurians, but simply referred to as "Reptile Men". The spin-off novels of the 1990's refer to them as "psionosauropodomorpha" and they change the term to "Earth Reptiles", though the Silurians prefer to be called "Indigenous Terrans". 🙂
The Silurians have always been my favourite monsters because, technically, humanity are the bad guys. Were the doctor to find this situation on any other planet, he'd be siding with the original inhabitants, and against the newcomers who shot first (actually, I think in their first ever appearance, he does). In fact my one big complaint about this episode is that we could have done with a bit more shading to Alaya's motivations and a little less of the "stinking ape" playing to the gallery villainy.
There's not a lot for me to talk about in this episode until you get to the next part, but there are a few things I want to mention.
<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhcsaiqHdY1qcyimqo1_500.png">
In the cold open, Mo is reading a book called The Gruffalo. The book is actually not a novel, but a children's picture book. It's about a mouse walking through the forest, who keeps being approached by animals that want to eat him (an owl, a fox, etc.). To scare them, the mouse tells them that they ought to leave him alone because he's going to visit his friend the Gruffalo, and he gives it features that would frighten whichever creature he's talking to at the time. At the end, he actually meets a Gruffalo, who wants to eat him. So the mouse walks back through the forest with him and all the animals he met along the way cower at the sight of the Gruffalo. The mouse tells the Gruffalo, "They're all afraid of ME, so you better not mess with me." (Paraphrasing, but you get the point.)
And then we have this in the episode:
Elliott: Have you met monsters before?
The Doctor: Yeah.
Elliott: Are you scared of them?
The Doctor: No. They’re scared of me.
Of course, in the Doctor's case it's often true that monsters are scared of him, but he's also fluffing his ego in order to give Elliot confidence, because the Doctor DOES get scared. But he's pretty good at going in unarmed and talking his way out of a dangerous situation, like the mouse in the story. It's kind of a heavy-handed reference, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
I also love Nasreen and her immediate enthusiasm and determination to go with the Doctor. She's so much fun. And her awkward clapping in the church! Oh, Nasreen. Never leave.
Excellent analysis re: The Gruffalo! It's a sweet little picture book and if I remember correctly there was an animation of it that aired right before the Eleventh Hour, (I think it was the Eleventh Hour. Could have been End of Time Part 2 or The Beast Below, but I think it probably makes sense that it aired on Easter?) which is the biggest connection I picked up on until now! So I guess I don't see it as being heavy-handed, especially because the book itself would be a fairly obscure reference for anyone who was too old to have read it in their childhood, and hasn't yet had any kids to read it to themselves.
Yeah, it seems not many people notice it but I always pay attention to what books characters are reading on TV, especially after Lost where it was always relevant to the episode.
I found The Gruffalo at the bookstore right before Christmas and had to get it "for my son's present". 😉
OMG he's reading a board book. Hee hee hee
I don't have too many thoughts on this episodes, aside from so much agreement with you, Mark, about the scene where Amy gets dragged into ground. Matt's expression is heartbreaking because it really does come through in showing that Doctor feels so incredibly saddened and even more guilty about Amy because he's already let Amy down by not coming back for years at a time, and now he hasn't been able to save her from getting sucked under.
Another time where Matt shows his skills is when he's talking to Ambrose(?),-IDK, the mother when she's getting some things from the car to use as weapons, and the Doctor speaks normally, and keeps smiling at her, but at the same time is able to come across as intimidating. I still remember a person who had commented on this part of the episode, saying that they felt the hairs on the back of their neck stand up from this scene.
Dr. Nasreen! I love that the Doctor lets her come down with him in the TARDIS. She's a really fun character in this story. ^^
And yes! I really like how the writers had the Doctor interact with Elliot, and his dyslexia. My youngest sister just got diagnosed with it, and then there's me with my 4 permanent neurological disabilities, so it was great seeing the Doctor essentially tell Elliot that he still has the ability accomplish things even with his disability. This scene is just another reason that Eleven is my top favorite Doctor.
Now for a gif that some wonderful person made:
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/2nrebn9.jpg">
Since someone already posted a link to the Deleted scene- here's a piece of fanart by theillustriousmissjo:
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/2nu4ytz.jpg">
I now declare this cannon!
*waves magic continuity wand*
D'AAAAWWWWWW, that is awesome.
Ahahaha this is like Kate Beaton if she drew Who fanart. Love it.
All the +1 for using that gif. It is amazing!
It really is. I know there's no chance of it ever happening, but I'd love to see Donna come back and meet these three. The only word that would be able to describe them meeting is 'epic.'
Particularly if she brings along her grandpa.
*sigh* Ah, well, I suppose that's what fanfiction is for, right?
Wilf Agent of Unit spinoff is needed.
Every episode would just be an alien/monster going "surrender or we will destroy earth" and Wilf going "Will I eck" and shooting them with a paintballl gun.
That is a beautiful gif! <3
Sorry for two posts in the space of 5 minutes, and if someone has already posted this.
<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgn3vr89oX1qe44wno1_500.gif">
Not that it needs to be said, but Matt Smith is fantastic.
I just absolutely love his facial expressions. His emotion is so raw. He can go from 29 to 80 in an instant. It's simply mesmerizing, a pleasure to watch.
Almost like he was rushing? It's a shame, I hope they revert to normal by tomorrow. If he didn't have time to do it, he could have postponed.
Eh, he might just have gotten all his thoughts out in a non-listy way. Word count wise, this review is just as long as usual. If Mark wanted to postpone, I'm sure he would have.
Yeah, I actually fit in everything I wanted to say, narrative-wise! 🙂
This episode is so difficult to talk about in isolation, and it seems to get a lot of hate, but I…like it? It's hard to break down my thoughts on. It's an oddly paced episode, both internally and as part of the series. The lack of emotional urgency on the part of the Doctor and Rory after Amy GETS EATEN BY THE EARTH (!!!), is bizarre and always kind of throws me out of the episode. Additionally, the 91/2 minute time constraint thing just feels silly and unnecessary. There are things I like about it though!
List time!
– I like the setting of the village; it is eerie and quiet and sets an interesting tone.
– I LOVE the score. The Silurian theme is epic and memorable.
– The acting by Team TARDIS is once again strong, and it's nice to see Rory as the main companion!
– Nasreen is a great side character. She gets some great characterization here, and is just fun to watch with the Doctor. She is intelligent, curious and brave- great companion material.
– Elliot is another great character and his moments with Rory and the Doctor are sweet. I love his matter of fact conversations with Rory about the graves eating people. He's just a cool kid.
-I am intrigued by the themes explored in this episode, and can't wait to see how they get resolved.
-"Do we have to call them vermin? They're really very nice!"- Just another example of Matt's great line delivery.
-The look at the Silurian civilization is great.
-Got to love the sunglasses at night moment here:
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/2egbako.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
-Great acting and emotional intensity, but weirdly placed in the episode. :\
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/j9q0c5.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Well, on to the next episode!
Oh Nasreen! How long have we wanted somebody to twang the Doctor's braces like that? You did it for us all!
And Doctor, worst babysitter ever? Seriously, he forgot the kid. The look on his face when he realises that he forgot to check that Elliot was safely back inside with them all was brilliantly done.
At some point Mar, you will need to see The Silurians (a somewhat padded and overlong, but still brilliant early Third Doctor serial) and the Sea Devils (Third Doctor again). (Skip Warriors of the Deep though, unless you want a bit of a laugh for all of the wrong reasons).
There's something I really want to say about the Doctor and babysitting, but can't because of spoilers… 🙂
Trivia time.
A. Despite the press release saying that the story would take place in 2015, it actually took place in 2020. It may have been changed due to some events of the previous episode happening in 2015.
B. Matt Smith celebrated his 27th birthday during the filming of this episode.
C. Originally, Mo and Amy were to be stripped down to their underwear before being dissected. This was removed for being “too adult”. Chibnall? Did you get horny?
D. This is the first episode which does not confirm who originally created the enemy since the revival.
E. The completed episode had a running time of sixty minutes, requiring over fifteen minutes of footage to be removed in order to fit its broadcast slot.
Any good trivia I missed?
Matt Smith was only TWENTY-SEVEN years old when this filmed and he was TEARING IT UP with his crazy talent and acting skillz? God, I have accomplished nothing with my life. When I turned 27, I drank a shot of out a shoe.
26 for Elventh Hour to Amy's Choice.
Purposefully blocking that out. For soooo many reasons.
What did your life at 26 suck? 😛
Haha, no. But that birthday was waaay more eventful than 27. My head hurts just thinking about it.
"It's people like that who make you realize how little you've accomplished. It is a sobering thought, for example, that when Mozart was my age he had been dead for two years." – Tom Lehrer
Tom Lehrer FTW!
I'm almost 28. QUICK TIME TO BECOME AWESOME
<img src="http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2831/chibnall.png">
Perfect!
C. Originally, Mo and Amy were to be stripped down to their underwear before being dissected. This was removed for being "too adult". Chibnall? Did you get horny?
Did you SEE S1 of Torchwood? 😛
Would S1 of Torchwood do something that sexual? 😛
…I'm not sure if that's sarcasm or not… because, uh. S1E2…
Oh yeah…
I pretend that never happened. Then again I'd like to retcon the whole of Torchwood. 😛
xDD It's all right. The only reason I remember most of Torchwood is because a) John Barrowman, b) Ianto Jones, c) I have no taste at all, and d) COF.
cof ;_;
Have you always been this disgusting?
<img src=http://i42.tinypic.com/5p0tfs.jpg>
<img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/vdjxi8.jpg">
<img src="http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/2ziyg0l.gif">
Yes.
I think Ambrose looks like Felicia Day.
<img src="http://www.gifsoup.com/view1/2019561/felicia-day-funny-o.gif">
Haha, my main thought about being disgusting was Ten's tendency to lick and taste things.
lol, my thought was mostly Ten, but I wanted to include the others too.
FIVE GET THAT OUT OF YOUR MOUTH
YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S-
OH WAIT YOU DO
STILL
Hey! New commenter on board here, and just in time for the two-parter I find the most… odd. The pacing manages to be rushed and too slow AT THE SAME TIME.
But there is the good! My love for Rory could fill all the oceans in the world, my love for Amy would populate them with various aquatic beasts, and my love for Matt Smith!Doctor would fill the stars in the sky. I don't think Matt Smith photographs very well, but he's so… kinetic? There's just something about the way his body moves when he's on screen (and I don't mean it like that, though that is also valid). Arthur Darvil makes Rory utterly charming, and considering that the last thing I watch him in, he was a jerkface, that's impressive. And I love Karen Gillan like a loving thing.
Secondly. Doctor. WHY DID YOU LET ELLIOT OUT OF YOUR SIGHT? That was not smart! Use that brain thinky thing you have! Also, while I loved the bonding, Einstein didn't actually have dyslexia. Then again, the Doctor was actually there… hey, wait, didn't Matt Smith write fanfiction involving the Doctor and Einstein as to get into character? Plz, someone find this.
Third- Silurians! I twitched when he called them Homo reptilia- naming does not work that way, Doctor!- but it was nice to see more old school villains villain-ing it up. I didn't really mind the whole "reptiles with breasts!" so much as other people, but I get why that would irritate some people.
And side charaters! Nasreen is deeply, deeply awesome and should be a permanent TARDIS buddy. And… yeah, don't want to say anything else, for fear of la spoilers. River Song would be disappoint.
Totally agree about Matt Smith. Sometimes I see photos or stills of him and I'm like, "He's so funny-looking!" But then I watch an episode and I'm like, "His faaaaace. He's so HANDSOME."
Hi, new commenter! Welcome aboard!
What was the last thing you watched Arthur Darvill in? Color me curious.
When is the next review going to be posted ?
YANP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This episode was just dull. I don't even know how to begin to review it because I don't know what's there, or rather, what isn't there that just makes watching this episode feel like a chore.
Firstly, I don't like that he pretty much spends the episode setting himself up for some cool lines. It felt like he was trying too hard to be quotable. The "last of my kind" speech might have had more impact on me if there was actually any logistical reason for her to bluff that she's the last of her kind since it's pretty obvious the Doctor already knows she's not. But it's just a kind of cool thing he said.
<img src=http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgdhqxnzpS1qgz2t3o1_400.jpg>
Also, the fact that the Doctor mindlessly allows Elliot to go run off and get earphones, as aptly as I can put it, is just stupid. This from the man who doesn't like to see children crying? Not fucking likely, Chibnall. Out-of-character much?
Also, as you mentioned, some plot devices seem recycled.
It wasn't a bad episode and it did have some good bits scattered about, but it just wasn't interesting.
Because I have no other thoughts that don't spoil, I got a one-word episode review for you right here.
Merr.
I find that this episode (well, this two-parter) gets better on a second viewing (best done some considerable time after the first viewing) – at least it did so for me. It's still one of the weaker Series 5 episodes, but nevertheless pretty decent.
I think it does reintroduce an old race from Classic Who (the Silurians) in an interesting way. The plot might be a bit of a reuse of previously seen motifs, but it still manages to find new angles and questions.
I like the redesigned Silurians (the original ones were just laughable), it gives them distinct personalities, but I think they're a bit too human-looking. I think they could've been much improved by a simple yet efficient use of lizard-eye contact lenses. See my photoshopped screenshot from the episode:
<img src="http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c251/Tauriel/LizardSilurian.jpg">
I love Meera Syal and I think Nasreen Chaudry is a fantastic character. Strong, intelligent, and with just the right amount of humour. Love Elliot, he's a bright kid, and I love how the Doctor tells him that his dyslexia shouldn't stop him from achieving great things. Pretty inspiring, I imagine.
Some lovely bits of dialogue in this episode, this one is my favourite:
Rory: "Can't you sonic it?"
Doctor: "It doesn't do wood."
Rory: "… That's rubbish."
Doctor: "Oi! Don't diss the sonic!"
Love the scene between Aleya and the Doctor, some nice tension in there. And of course, the bit where Amy is swallowed by the ground is heartbreaking and features some fantastic acting on both Matt and Karen's part.
I think they could've been much improved by a simple yet efficient use of lizard-eye contact lenses. See my photoshopped screenshot from the episode:
That does make it look much better. FAIL BBC, WHY DIDN'T YOU THINK OF THAT?
That looks way better. Dammit BBC.
I will never say no to .gifs!
Yeah. TORCHWOOD S1 EP2 I AM LOOKING AT YOU.
Yep, that was the episode that made me go, "Well, looks like Torchwood isn't going to be as good as Doctor Who. WTF is this insanity?"
Oh. He wrote that episode. *laughs*
Well, hey , if you like alien pornos, I suppose its a good episode.
OMG. That episode. I was so excited about Torchwood…and then that episode happened two episodes in and I was not excited anymore.
That episode was about 40 different kinds of WTF.
And this, my friends, is why I simply cannot get into Torchwood (believe me, I tried).
I've been known to watch tv shows entirely because they feature attractive people making out, and Torchwood was too gratuitous for me at some points. I considered it a dubiously impressive feat.
He's in Little Dorrit? I have that in my queue of things to watch, but this is just another reason to move it up! &Arthur Darvill;
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/kb975f.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/vi1mc9.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Even though the old Silurian costumes look REALLY OLD because they’re just guys in rubber suits, a part of me likes them better. I think they look more alien and the new costumes just look a little weird with the human eyes and teeth and with the human voice.
OMG OMG HE PUT A RING ON IT! That is wonderful.
<img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/dq4ylk.gif>
Can never be resisted.
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/244vf2r.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
<img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/tumblr_lgrg37ll1m1qdm2wxo1_500.jpg>
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/10z1btx.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
That is simply amazing.
That is wondrous. 😀 😀 😀
<img src="http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq100/nebula908/Gifs/BeingHuman/fcrvw5.gif">
<img src="http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq100/nebula908/Gifs/DoctorWho/29dkbow.gif">
That is perfect!
I found it on tumblr months ago. Unfortunately, I can't remember the source, but I have been waiting to post it.
I… I don't have words for how beautiful this is. *_* Or enough upvotes.
One of the episodes I most disike, sadly. So much stupid. An important chunk of the episode spent on the boring idea of setting up a surveillance system that ended up being pointless. The Doctor letting the kid leave to get his earphones was so out of character. The Doctor tells off Ambrose about using weapons, except his big plan is to incapacitate a Silurian with a sonic pulse and ends up using a fire extinguisher on it as well. They're trapped by the energy bubble except they totally could have escaped with the TARDIS seeing as the Doctor uses it without problems at the end. Just, argh.
I'm unnaturally obsessed with Rory's life saver, down vests. He was planning on wearing one to Rio! Never change.
He looks like Marty McFly!
<img src="http://lukejohnson.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/marty-mcfly.jpg"/>
vs
<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l249zzJZUA1qbs5sso1_500.png"/>
Seperated at birth? Homage to a silly 80s movie? You decide!
Because this made me think of the best t-shirt ever.
<img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/woot_tardis_delorean.png>
I own it! I wear it! It is so awesome!
I remember watching Back to the Future shortly after watching some Doctor Who. The vest was all I could think about. He does look like Marty McFly.
See, Rory? You look like a time traveler after all! (Part of me would like to think he did it on purpose…but probably not. XD)
My only thought is, "if you want an example of male terror in the face of female sexuality in TV SF, HERE YOU GO."
When my 13/14 years old at the time sister got into Torchwood during seres 2 there is a reason I never let her see series 1. This episode is one of the main reasons why.
Yikes, yeah, I wouldn't let a kid that age see S1 either. S2 is tons better, even though it's still not on par with DW.
<img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/24vqquw.gif>
I think we may have run out of space!
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2el8ns7.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Yeah. Good thinking, using your squareness gun.
<img src=http://i52.tinypic.com/15nn2j5.jpg>
This thread is not BIGGER ON THE INSIDE.
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/vql20x.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
You guys are my favourite thing EVER!
This is a meh episode; but the strange thing is, I honestly can’t point out why. It has so many good elements to it. We have an interesting plot with moral ambiguity, the creepy-as-hell Earth eating people thing (*grins* Stole your plot there, eh?), a funny running gag, interesting minor characters and solid acting on the cast’s part. But yet, it’s so forgettable. There’s nothing about it I actively hate (except Ambrose, but I’ll get to her in next eppy), and lots I love, but it all together it makes for a burning ball of indifference.
A few notes, though. I absolutely love the minor characters of Nasreen and Elliot. I was very dyslexic when I was little, so I can really empathise with him, and I love how he’s presented. And Nasreen is awesome. I can’t say why I like her so much, but I’d be incredibly thrilled if she somehow became a companion. (Can’t say if she does though- spoilers!)
And like Mark, I do love that its acknowledged that the Silurians were on Earth first. This whole situation is reminiscent of so much. I’m immediately drawn to the whole Palestine debate- who was there first doesn’t necessarily mean who has claim to the land now, and there’s no easy solution to the problem because each side has valid points. It’s a nice thing to see played out on screen.
Honest? All I remember about this ep is the earth swallowing people thing (which is why I cackled to myself everytime you lamented about this never being a plot point), the green girl who I sort of agreed with and sort of wanted to smack, and awesome Rory and kid and Nasreen. Other then that, this ep is kind of forgetable.
Green girl and kid's mom pissed me off. Ugh.
Mark, you said that this episode repeats tropes of The Impossible Planet and 42. My problem was that it repeats the plots of two Third Doctor stories – Doctor Who and the Silurians, in which the Doctor meets the Silurians for the first time and the same sort of dilemma is put forward, and Inferno, in which a project to drill deep into the Earth's core unleashes something terrible…
So, I didn't really like this episode. There was no way they could have set up all that equipment in ten minutes. The Silurian magic darkness machine lasted just long enough for a creepy chase scene.
I loved Nasreen though. She was awesome.
YOU ARE NOT PREPARED.
Oh, yeah, I saw that one. I was very sad that he wasn't nicer in it.
(Don't forget about Eve Myles and Freema Agyeman! They were both in that as well.)
(Ooh, and Russell Tovey, as IMDb just reminded me. Gotta love all the actor crossovers on British television. Or, at least the British television I manage to see, at any rate.)
That's cuz there's only like, 50 actors in the UK at a given time. 😛 So they're all in everything.
For God's sake! What the hell is it with everyone saying that we don't have many actors!?!?!?!?
We have plenty of fine actors, thanks you very much! I watch many American tv shows, and it's very rare that I can see an episode of something without recognising at least one guest actor from somewhere else.
Good actors get work. If you don't watch much british tv, then you'll only see some of the best shows. So of course you'll see people in different things. The best actors get the best work, same in the UK as in the USA!
Sorry, pet peeve of mine, it drives me up the wall. Rant over!
Hold your horses. I didn't mean that in a bad way. You do have plenty of fine actors. I would say you even have I higher proportion of good actors to crappy ones than in the US because the majority of your actors that get continuous work come up through theater and not commercials and the Disney channel. It's just that the population of the UK is smaller, and if the proportion of the acting pool is about the same as the US, the actual numbers of actors are smaller. If you watch a lot of British TV (not just the best stuff, though your good stuff tends to be REALLY good) you're going to see the same people over and over again. It's numbers, not a dig.
It was a joke. I do apologize if offended, but I didn't mean any harm by it. I do, in fact, watch a decent amount of BBC productions, and the reoccurring faces is just something that stuck out to me. It's not an insult- I think all the actors who were mentioned are excellent, which is probably the reason they get lots of good acting gigs. Again, sorry to offend, but It wasn't meant to be rude.
ILY RORY. ILYSFM.
HE INVESTIGATES STRANGE ASS GRAVES THAT DON'T HAVE BODIES IN THEM. HE'S AS COOL AS A PERUVIAN FLUTE BAND. WHICH IS PRETTY FREAKING COOL.
Oh hooray, it's Chibnall. 😐 This two-parter is… not my favorite part of series five, let's just say that. An unfortunate low point in what is otherwise my favorite series by far. Still, it's not all terrible, more watchable than other previous series low points, and I like it a lot more than Chibnall's last offering, 42. Which isn't saying much, I realize, but we'll ignore that and move on. I think we'll do this list-like for stuff I feel the need to discuss, because there's not really anything for me to go on huge tangents about here.
– You wanted the earth to open up and swallow people, Mark, and now you've got your wish granted. 😀 I hope you're happy!
– What the hell is with that bit where Amy seems dismayed over the prospect of still being married to Rory in a decade? That seems very out of character after what happened in Amy's Choice. BAD CHIBNALL.
– Matt Smith breaks my heart yet again with Eleven's horror and grief over Amy getting sucked into the ground. I don't know how he does it, but he looks so old and sad when he says that she's gone. I want to give him all the hugs. 🙁 Why can't I? 🙁
– "Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense, you're just not keeping up." Can't believe I'm saying this about a bit of Chibnall dialogue, but I really like this line. The delivery is pitch-perfect too.
– I love that Eleven keeps a slingshot on him at all times. And really, why shouldn't he? Very handy tool, I'd say. I need one.
– I also love the cheery way he pops up and says "Me!" Just the smile on his face cracks me up. Eleven, you are too adorkable for my heart to stand sometimes.
– There's something about the way Eleven looks at Ambrose when he says that he's asking nicely for her to put the guns away that sends chills down my spine. I really do have to give it to Chibnall here for writing it, and especially for Matt Smith for performing it so well, because I like this so much more than any of Ten's heavy-handed shouty ranting about guns. Eleven is quietly intimidating here in a way that makes you really not want to piss this guy off. As I said, Smith's acting is superb: you can see in those eyes that he means business. I love it, I really do. I will take quieter, subtler moments like this over loud shoutiness any day of the week, I think it is much more effective, and I find Eleven scarier here than I ever found Ten when he'd get bombastic about this sort of thing.
– I love the way Eleven interacts with Elliot. Well, up until he suddenly, inexplicably, out of characterly (yes, I know it's not a word, shut up) lets him run off for his headphones without noticing. BAD CHIBNALL! BOO. THREE WEEKS IN THE CONE OF SHAME. FOR EACH OF THESE OOC OFFENSES.
– "OI! DON'T DISS THE SONIC!" LULZ. And aw, I can't help but think back to Donna in Silence of the Library. Which makes me sad again. I wanted Eleven and Donna to meet. 🙁 🙁 🙁
<img src="http://valhalla.antipyretic.net/who/favei8.jpg"/>
Only you, Eleven, could make sunglasses at "night" look so cool.
– "Saving the world with Meals on Wheels!" LOL.
– After the glorification of torture in American discourse and entertainment over the last decade or so, the scene where Eleven interrogates Alaya by simply talking to her and even complimenting her, trying to get along with her, is so, so welcome and such a relief. It's another scene here that I really really like.
– I actually really like Nasreen. Honorary companion, y/y? Hey, she did get a ride in the TARDIS!
– "Did what?"
"Dissected me."
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/10eejhl.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
… That turned out to be longer than I thought. I wrote this down in semi-real time, and I've found that I liked the episode a bit better on rewatch. Go figure.
I wanted Eleven and Donna to meet. 🙁 🙁 🙁
THIS ))):
BAD CHIBNALL! BOO. THREE WEEKS IN THE CONE OF SHAME. FOR EACH OF THESE OOC OFFENSES.
Probably the best summary of these episodes, BAD CHIBNALL! NO MORE EPISODES FOR YOU!
Every time you criticized Chibnall, I imagined you giving him a precisely timed slap on the back of the hand.
It was beautiful.
"There's something about the way Eleven looks at Ambrose when he says that he's asking nicely for her to put the guns away that sends chills down my spine."
Yes. Even with all of my Chibnicizms, I can shamelessly admit that THIS was a very beautiful moment indeed.
– What the hell is with that bit where Amy seems dismayed over the prospect of still being married to Rory in a decade? That seems very out of character after what happened in Amy's Choice. BAD CHIBNALL.
I was irritated by that reaction too, but I think that continuity isn't so much Chibnall's concern as it is Moffat's. And I think it is deliberate, too, but I can't discuss that now.
Given Amy's abandonment issues I don't think it's that out of character. Sure, she chose Rory, but that doesn't eliminate life-long issues. I imagine there's always at least a small part of Amy that will worry he's going to leave her eventually.
I mean, I have similar sorts of issues, though probably not to the extent that Amy does, and I still kind of boggle at the assumption that my partner of over 5 years and I will still be together in another 5 or 10 years. I love him to death and have no plans to leave him, BUT you never know what will happen over 10 years and for a person with trust issues… well, it doesn't surprise me that Amy wouldn't want to rely on the fact that Rory will still be there for her in 10 years.
There's something about the way Eleven looks at Ambrose when he says that he's asking nicely for her to put the guns away that sends chills down my spine.
Oh, agreed 100%. I literally shuddered when I first watched it. It felt like "this guy REALLY isn't making an empty threat".
And YES to Nasreen getting a "honorary companion" title! 🙂 I normally don't consider one-off side characters as companions (like the ones in the specials, Astrid, Christina, Adelaide, etc.), but Nasreen got pretty damn close. I could actually IMAGINE her as a regular companion and I liked the idea. 🙂
Argh, so agreed about the OOC moments.
Yes to the Honorary Companion! She visits the TARDIS and goes on an adventure- how could she not be? 😀
Oh hooray, it's Chibnall. 😐
*snerk* And yet, for Chibnall this two-parter wasn't bad at all. 😛
Mmmm. Sorry, but this counts as expectation spoilers, so I have to delete it.
My bad, sorry. 🙁
At first glance, in photos, I didn't think there was anything really special there, but then when I finally watched some of an episode, I was all "OMG HE IS A BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL MAN <3 <3 <3" and the rest, as they say, is history.
And welcome to Mark Watches! 😀
This seems like an unpopular opinion, but i quite like this episode. I think it sets up the creepiness and the re-introduction of the Silurians quite nicely.
After the headache-confusion-creepy old people with eyes/snakes in their mouths-Rory melting sadness-Amy killing herself and her bump-wait the Doctor's the Dreamlord?-ARHHH-confusion-headache of the previous episode, i really appreciated the slower pace of this episode. I always enjoy re-watching it.
That's all i have to say……….apart from YOU ARE NOT PREPARED.
Mark, how long have you been waiting for the earth to open up and swallow a person whole?! I know you were hoping it would take Malfoy instead of Amy Pond, but Doctor Who has more or less realized your dreams!
Oh Mark. . . you are not prepared.
I'm late to the party again. I found this episode both interesting and dull. I think it was the pacing. the pacing was slow.
I also felt as if we had a small missing scene here and there– like chunks missing. I agree Dr. Chaudry was wonderful and I found myself hoping he'd take her on as a companion (though I feared while watching that she was toast).. I loved the way the boy's dyslexia was handled– I have a dyslexic daughter who overcame the disability and went on to her Masters Degree. But I am sometimes sensitive to how dyslexia is presented. All in all, this struck me as an episode that OUGHT to have been intense and wonderful, but seemed sluggish. Certainly there were some great individual scenes. It just did not hang together well. Sometimes I think nuWho needs a script editor who is strong on pacing.
Pingback: Glucose Meter
Pingback: eBook Library
Pingback: Glucose Monitor
Pingback: garmin 1490t
Pingback: apartments Boston
Pingback: Investment opportunities
Pingback: Jetblue Coupons
Pingback: Stop Snoring Exercise Program Review
Pingback: Conveyancing Solicitor
Pingback: Immigration solicitors
Pingback: auto repair
Pingback: apartments Back Bay
Pingback: luxury apartments Boston
Pingback: Immigration
Pingback: Boston Apartments
Pingback: Immigration solicitors
Pingback: Conveyancing Lawyer
Pingback: Investment opportunities
Pingback: Secrets to Dog Training
Pingback: Brookline apartments
Pingback: Conveyancing Lawyer