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Hmmm. Seriously lacking a Ninth Doctor icon here (and no, I don't want one, because he's not pretty enough to make me get rid of a Ten or Jack one), so using my beautiful Ten-on-the-phone one because I never seem to have a suitable opportunity to use it and it's far too pretty to just sit there being unused.
I found the first half of this episode rather slow, which is unusual for the second part of a two-parter. It was also rather light-hearted and silly, which annoyed me because the first part had built up quite a lot of tension and here we were getting daft chases through 10 Downing Street! Not what I'd been looking forward to.
The CGI was really bad too. I hold onto my opinion that actors in costumes would have been better. Actors pretending to be alien 'skins' in fact. They were perfectly eerie without any extra costumes/make-up/effects. (And I loved the General's comment to the not-exactly-prepossessing PM: "Your body is… magnificent!")
Harriet Jones was brilliant. Spunky and quick-witted and just what this country needs :-) I love her so much. I loved the way she held her own against the Doctor and Rose and fitted in with them.
One observation about her, though. At the end, the Doctor says: "I thought I knew the name Harriet Jones. Future Prime Minister. Elected for three successive terms. The architect of Britain's golden age." Um, so how does that fit in with Harold Saxon? Or was the Master changing history? I'm never quite sure how futures work in Doctor Who – whether they're relatively 'set' or can be changed.
Mickey came out well in this episode. Saving Jackie from the Slitheen, and photographing it – which was funny at the time but came in useful later. Loved Rose knowing where his vinegary food was (and the Doctor's reaction to all those pickled foods: "You kiss this man???"). And the explosion of the Slitheen was just hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing for ages. And Mickey hacking into UNIT and sending missiles – wow!
And poor Jackie. All she wanted was for the Doctor to promise her daughter would be safe. And he couldn't. I couldn't help sympathising with Jackie. And God, his "I could save the world but lose you", and Rose's blind faith that he would keep her safe. I loved the fact that Harriet actually made the decision.
I'm still torn about Christopher Eccleston. When he's being serious, I adore him. He's got such amazing intensity in his acting, it gets me in my gut. Like when he was facing off against the Slitheen. Really scary. But that grin. I hate it. It's just so false and so annoying. And I know it's meant to be false, that the Doctor's pretending to be fine when he's not, but… I can't stand it.
Loved the venom in the newscaster's voice as he said the British public were "waiting at home as the future's decided in New York." This show does like to get in its little digs at the Americans, doesn't it!
The sergeant was a lovely character too. Loved him setting off the fire alarm to get everyone out of No. 10 before the missile hit – and rushing into the PM's office and backing straight out again when he saw the Slitheen all in there. (And I loved their "Oh, boll-----" cut off by the explosion!)
I thought the Doctor was a complete bastard by seducing Rose away from her mother with a nebula. Poor Jackie. And waiting 10 seconds, and the TARDIS not reappearing. I did like the fact that the Doctor made peace with Mickey, though – even invited him along, and that it was Mickey who refused because it was just too much for him – and that the Doctor played along with the charade of hating him so he wouldn't have to admit that to Rose.
7.5/10
I found the first half of this episode rather slow, which is unusual for the second part of a two-parter. It was also rather light-hearted and silly, which annoyed me because the first part had built up quite a lot of tension and here we were getting daft chases through 10 Downing Street! Not what I'd been looking forward to.
The CGI was really bad too. I hold onto my opinion that actors in costumes would have been better. Actors pretending to be alien 'skins' in fact. They were perfectly eerie without any extra costumes/make-up/effects. (And I loved the General's comment to the not-exactly-prepossessing PM: "Your body is… magnificent!")
Harriet Jones was brilliant. Spunky and quick-witted and just what this country needs :-) I love her so much. I loved the way she held her own against the Doctor and Rose and fitted in with them.
One observation about her, though. At the end, the Doctor says: "I thought I knew the name Harriet Jones. Future Prime Minister. Elected for three successive terms. The architect of Britain's golden age." Um, so how does that fit in with Harold Saxon? Or was the Master changing history? I'm never quite sure how futures work in Doctor Who – whether they're relatively 'set' or can be changed.
Mickey came out well in this episode. Saving Jackie from the Slitheen, and photographing it – which was funny at the time but came in useful later. Loved Rose knowing where his vinegary food was (and the Doctor's reaction to all those pickled foods: "You kiss this man???"). And the explosion of the Slitheen was just hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing for ages. And Mickey hacking into UNIT and sending missiles – wow!
And poor Jackie. All she wanted was for the Doctor to promise her daughter would be safe. And he couldn't. I couldn't help sympathising with Jackie. And God, his "I could save the world but lose you", and Rose's blind faith that he would keep her safe. I loved the fact that Harriet actually made the decision.
I'm still torn about Christopher Eccleston. When he's being serious, I adore him. He's got such amazing intensity in his acting, it gets me in my gut. Like when he was facing off against the Slitheen. Really scary. But that grin. I hate it. It's just so false and so annoying. And I know it's meant to be false, that the Doctor's pretending to be fine when he's not, but… I can't stand it.
Loved the venom in the newscaster's voice as he said the British public were "waiting at home as the future's decided in New York." This show does like to get in its little digs at the Americans, doesn't it!
The sergeant was a lovely character too. Loved him setting off the fire alarm to get everyone out of No. 10 before the missile hit – and rushing into the PM's office and backing straight out again when he saw the Slitheen all in there. (And I loved their "Oh, boll-----" cut off by the explosion!)
I thought the Doctor was a complete bastard by seducing Rose away from her mother with a nebula. Poor Jackie. And waiting 10 seconds, and the TARDIS not reappearing. I did like the fact that the Doctor made peace with Mickey, though – even invited him along, and that it was Mickey who refused because it was just too much for him – and that the Doctor played along with the charade of hating him so he wouldn't have to admit that to Rose.
7.5/10
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My first assumption is RTD forgot the canon he'd created... Did Saxon immediately follow Harriet Jones? Or was she voted out after "the Christmas Invasion" and there was another PM there in between her and Saxon?
I'm never quite sure how futures work in Doctor Who – whether they're relatively 'set' or can be changed.
The Doctor seems to make mistakes with history a LOT. There was the whole Game Station (in both "the Long Game" in year 200,000 and "Parting of the Ways" in 200,100) issue that he thought Earth was supposed to be one way but it was all different, so... I am confused....
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Yes, that was my first thought too. Damn RTD. I wish he'd get a canon-checker.
And according to the very useful Wikipedia chronology, Saxon/the Master arrived on Earth around about the April following The Christmas Invasion. So I'm not sure how immediately that makes him follow her, but it certainly doesn't give her 'three successive terms'.
Unless they came after the Master, of course. Maybe she comes back into power after the year that never was, and stays there.
The Doctor seems to make mistakes with history a LOT.
Yes. And that thing about the Game Station (and the Master thing is similar) is that he does say it's not how it's supposed to be, which implies that there is a 'set' future and all his little adventures are to do with correcting the timeline, so to speak.
I suppose there has to be a set future, in a way, because otherwise all the characters who are here from the future (like Jack) would keep disappearing when their particular future changed.
I wish Doctor Who talked about this more. The ideas of set or changeable timelines fascinate me, but for a show about time-travel Doctor Who really doesn't go into this enough. (I think I've said that somewhere before, but it annoys me, so I'll it again.)
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So let's say you went 10 years back in time. No matter how much you mess up the past you won't cease to exist (because you didn't alter the past of your specific time line), however when you have 'caught up' with your original time (having lived 10 years in either the fast or slow lane) you will not be at the exact point of time and space that you left, you'll still be on the alternate time. If you didn't do anything major, chases are you wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but if you altered things horribly you would notice the change.
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I just wish Doctor Who would actually come out and say it.
Maybe it has in the past, I don't know - might have to go and look at some point.
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Aw, where's the Nine love? *g*
Um, so how does that fit in with Harold Saxon? Or was the Master changing history? I'm never quite sure how futures work in Doctor Who – whether they're relatively 'set' or can be changed.
The Doctor changed history, I assumed. At the end of "Christmas Invasion," by his comment to her aide. I adored her in all her episodes. Bad Doctor, no biscuit.
When he's being serious, I adore him. He's got such amazing intensity in his acting, it gets me in my gut.
Oh, yeah.
I did like the fact that the Doctor made peace with Mickey, though – even invited him along, and that it was Mickey who refused because it was just too much for him – and that the Doctor played along with the charade of hating him so he wouldn't have to admit that to Rose.
Oh, I'd forgotten about that. I loved that.
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CE is a good actor, but he's not pretty. Sorry :-(
The Doctor changed history, I assumed.
Well, whoever actually did the changing, it still confuses me. See my reply to lj user="donutsweeper">.
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WHAT? *defrenz you*
No, he wasn't pretty, but that's missing the whole POINT of the Ninth Doctor! And at least he's got more meat on him than DT. When you hug him, you've got something to wrap your arms around.
DON'T MAKE ME BREAK OUT THE NAKED!TENNANT PIC. COZ I WILL.
(Yes, I know that wasn't the point of your post. I HAVE THE ATTENTION SPAN OF CHEESE.)
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1. I don't dislike him because he's not pretty. I dislike him because of the grinning. I love him when he's not grinning.
2. Sexually, I'd have Nine any day rather than Ten, because of the 'got more meat on him' thing, coupled with the intensity. He's bloody sexy when he's being scary.
3. The 'pretty' comment related only to icons. I'm sorry, but if I'm going to be staring at an icon a lot, I want it to be pretty. Yes, I'm shallow :-)
4. NO, NOT THE NAKED TENNANT PIC!!!!!!
5. Cheese doesn't have a long attention span? *g*
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2--YES.
4. I will hold it in reserve for the next time someone displeases me. MWAHAHAHA!
5. What? *wanders off*
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Which will probably be that picture you're using there, because he actually looks quite nice in that one. But I'm going to go slowly and carefully about this. No rushing into filling up all my slots and then wanting even more! *g*
I don't have too many of Ten, either, as I don't think he's nearly as pretty as Jack.
I agree with you but, bizarrely, I currently have more of Ten (6) than of Jack (5). Though three of the Ten ones are Becky's 'words' ones so they're more for the words than the pictures, iyswim. And 'Lick here' Jack is worth 20 icons anyway *g*
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Amen to that!
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I am sooo glad I asked Becky to make me an icon of that picture!
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(Sorry, finally got around to reading the rest of your post.)
This is easy to miss, but it's a nice introduction to a not-so-nice character trait of the Doctor. Yes, it's Rose's choice and she's an adult, but she's a very *young* adult and he's manipulating her seriously here. He doesn't mean any harm to her, but it's already been shown that he can't always protect her.
Overall I think the Nine/Rose relationship was a lot healthier than the Ten/Rose one, but this scene sort of subverts the idea that it's all innocent and perfect and above-board. I really like it.
Have you seen Season 2 yet? I want to tie this in to something there, but I don't know what you've actually seen.
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Oh, I hear you. *weeps over still-unwatched eps of Firefly and Life on Mars*
There's that ANVIL OF IRONY (AND FORESHADOWING) scene in "Fear Her", when the Doctor tells the Isolus thingy that just because it's lonely, it doesn't have the right to steal away another lonely child from her family.
And that scene is even stronger because of the ways that the Doctor has manipulated Rose to keep her on board.
But it never gets too freaky, too much, to where you'd hate the Doctor, because when things do get too intense he does try to send her back to her family. It's just that by that point, she's so glued to him that she refuses to stay.
OMG it's a cult! He's brainwashed her!...You have to wonder, with RTD's professed love of Rose and his blatant Doctor/Rose OMG 4-EVAH shipping, did he realize what he was writing in, or allowing to be written in?
I had this whole discussion thing going on at one time, where there's this spoken theme running along S2 that "The Doctor is worth the monsters", but it seems that what's being said is the total opposite of what's actually being SHOWN to us. And I don't know if that's what they meant to do or not.
I'm sorry! I'm shutting up now. And getting some work done. *hides under desk in terror of piles of paperwork*
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Still, I know what to look out for now :-)
And don't apologise for writing interesting stuff. That's what LJ's all about, isn't it?