unfeathered (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
unfeathered) wrote2007-09-27 10:27 pm
unfeathered) wrote2007-09-27 10:27 pm
Entry tags:
Review of The Empty Child (Doctor Who 1.9)
OK, at this point I realise I don't have a S1 Captain Jack icon. Oh, well, 'Lick Here' will have to do instead.
Hmm. For some reason, this episode took me an hour and ten minutes to watch. Can't think why. I'm sure it wasn't anything to do with the fact that I had to keep rewinding so I could watch every scene with Captain Jack in three or four times…
I'm reserving judgement on the actual story of this episode until I've seen the next one. To be honest, horror really isn't my genre and the child in the gas mask (and the grown-ups, for that matter) is truly scary. I seem to remember there are lots of twists in the second part (and yes, I do remember that Nancy really is Jamie's mummy), so I'll leave that part of it till then. Because really, the parts of this episode that didn’t have Jack in them left me a little cold.
Oh, except the Doctor's conversation with Nancy on the steps overlooking the 'bomb', about who she lost that's making her look after the other kids, and about one tiny island stopping the German war machine. That was a great scene.
The rest of the time, the Doctor was grinning too much again. Not to mention the fact that he didn't even notice Rose had gone wandering off at the start. I mean, after Father's Day, you'd think he'd keep a tight eye on her, wouldn't you? Also, he obviously knew it was the 1940s when they landed (he asked Rose "You sure about that T-shirt?"), and even if he didn't know then he must have realised when he entered the night-club! And yet he was confused when they laughed at him asking about things falling from the sky. Come on, Doctor! That's just a little pathetic.
Did like the TARDIS phone. And Richard Wilson's doctor (though I had to look away when his face turned into a gas-mask. *shudder*)
Oh, and it's this episode the 'mauve alert' thing comes in! I couldn't remember.
Anyway, onto the important stuff. Captain Jack.
I love the fact that his first words are "Excellent bottom", followed by Algy (I assume that was Algy?) thinking he meant his bottom, thus ensuring that the very first two things we see about Captain Jack Harkness are the flirtiness and the bisexuality. The third thing, of course, is him turning and smiling, and – well, I don't really need to say any more, do I?
And then we get Rose falling into his arms, and him putting Rose to bed, followed by a bit of bondage! (Well, Jack wrapping his scarf round Rose's wrists – completely unnecessarily – while the nanogenes heal her hands.) I love the psychic paper bit: "You're single and you work out" and "You consider yourself very available"! And "First rule of camouflage – park somewhere you'll remember." And "Do you have the time?" – that bit's fantastic!
As for Jack's seduction of Rose, please tell me I'm not the only one who got seduced right along with her. Wow, that man can turn on the charm! Yeah, I know I'm not really supposed to like him yet, but… I do. Charm like that…
Sorry. Digressing.
One thing I found interesting is that unless I missed a line somewhere (which is possible, even with the rewinding, because my ears are rather blocked because of the sinus thing), Jack doesn't actually say he used to be a Time Agent. He just says he has something the Time Agency would like to buy. It's Rose who actually says, "You used to be a Time Agent and now you're a – freelancer?" Of course, it may come up again in The Doctor Dances; I don't know. But I thought it was interesting.
Love Jack scanning for alien lifeforms and Rose's "Finally! A professional!"
I was a little disappointed by Jack's first meeting with the Doctor – it felt rushed and I couldn't see it very well – badly lit corridor, the three of them all cramped together, and I'd kind of expected more of the patent smile and a "Captain Jack Harkness, and who are you?" But Rose had already told him the Doctor was Mr Spock, so I suppose that wouldn't have worked anyway.
I did like Jack obviously putting two and two together and working out that the gas-mask-people must be his fault – and trying to wriggle out of it.
Loved his aside about the TARDIS: "Love the retro look by the way. Nice panels." Cute.
Also loved the way he worked out the Doctor and Rose weren't Time Agents – "Flag girl" and "U-boat Captain". Brilliant lines.
So. Not sure about the actual story yet, but it doesn't really matter. Because there's enough Captain Jack in this one to make it a very re-watchable 9/10.
Hmm. For some reason, this episode took me an hour and ten minutes to watch. Can't think why. I'm sure it wasn't anything to do with the fact that I had to keep rewinding so I could watch every scene with Captain Jack in three or four times…
I'm reserving judgement on the actual story of this episode until I've seen the next one. To be honest, horror really isn't my genre and the child in the gas mask (and the grown-ups, for that matter) is truly scary. I seem to remember there are lots of twists in the second part (and yes, I do remember that Nancy really is Jamie's mummy), so I'll leave that part of it till then. Because really, the parts of this episode that didn’t have Jack in them left me a little cold.
Oh, except the Doctor's conversation with Nancy on the steps overlooking the 'bomb', about who she lost that's making her look after the other kids, and about one tiny island stopping the German war machine. That was a great scene.
The rest of the time, the Doctor was grinning too much again. Not to mention the fact that he didn't even notice Rose had gone wandering off at the start. I mean, after Father's Day, you'd think he'd keep a tight eye on her, wouldn't you? Also, he obviously knew it was the 1940s when they landed (he asked Rose "You sure about that T-shirt?"), and even if he didn't know then he must have realised when he entered the night-club! And yet he was confused when they laughed at him asking about things falling from the sky. Come on, Doctor! That's just a little pathetic.
Did like the TARDIS phone. And Richard Wilson's doctor (though I had to look away when his face turned into a gas-mask. *shudder*)
Oh, and it's this episode the 'mauve alert' thing comes in! I couldn't remember.
Anyway, onto the important stuff. Captain Jack.
I love the fact that his first words are "Excellent bottom", followed by Algy (I assume that was Algy?) thinking he meant his bottom, thus ensuring that the very first two things we see about Captain Jack Harkness are the flirtiness and the bisexuality. The third thing, of course, is him turning and smiling, and – well, I don't really need to say any more, do I?
And then we get Rose falling into his arms, and him putting Rose to bed, followed by a bit of bondage! (Well, Jack wrapping his scarf round Rose's wrists – completely unnecessarily – while the nanogenes heal her hands.) I love the psychic paper bit: "You're single and you work out" and "You consider yourself very available"! And "First rule of camouflage – park somewhere you'll remember." And "Do you have the time?" – that bit's fantastic!
As for Jack's seduction of Rose, please tell me I'm not the only one who got seduced right along with her. Wow, that man can turn on the charm! Yeah, I know I'm not really supposed to like him yet, but… I do. Charm like that…
Sorry. Digressing.
One thing I found interesting is that unless I missed a line somewhere (which is possible, even with the rewinding, because my ears are rather blocked because of the sinus thing), Jack doesn't actually say he used to be a Time Agent. He just says he has something the Time Agency would like to buy. It's Rose who actually says, "You used to be a Time Agent and now you're a – freelancer?" Of course, it may come up again in The Doctor Dances; I don't know. But I thought it was interesting.
Love Jack scanning for alien lifeforms and Rose's "Finally! A professional!"
I was a little disappointed by Jack's first meeting with the Doctor – it felt rushed and I couldn't see it very well – badly lit corridor, the three of them all cramped together, and I'd kind of expected more of the patent smile and a "Captain Jack Harkness, and who are you?" But Rose had already told him the Doctor was Mr Spock, so I suppose that wouldn't have worked anyway.
I did like Jack obviously putting two and two together and working out that the gas-mask-people must be his fault – and trying to wriggle out of it.
Loved his aside about the TARDIS: "Love the retro look by the way. Nice panels." Cute.
Also loved the way he worked out the Doctor and Rose weren't Time Agents – "Flag girl" and "U-boat Captain". Brilliant lines.
So. Not sure about the actual story yet, but it doesn't really matter. Because there's enough Captain Jack in this one to make it a very re-watchable 9/10.