fajrdrako | Doctor Who: anticipating Utopia... (Reply)

I watched the latest trailer for next week's Doctor Who episode "Utopia". And I thought that this was was infintely better than the one we saw televised on Saturday - which, frankly, looked to me like a dud episode except for its inclusion of Captain Jack. And of course, I don't believe any episode of Doctor Who will be a dud, much less one I've not yet. But... let's just say I wasn't impressed.

But Jack with Martha? Jack with the Doctor? That impresses me without half trying.

A few thoughts on series three:

1. The Doctor/Martha relationship I love the relationship between the Doctor and Martha but I'm starting to find it frustrating - perhaps even more than she does. The Doctor slept on the couch when they were living together for three months? Hasn't she earned some degree of affection? Does he think she has a horrible disease? What?

Keep in mind that I believe the Doctor to be sexually fully functional with humans, and not cold-hearted, and even - amazing as this might sound - not neurotic. Perhaps I have sadly underestimated his level of neurosis.

It's all very well for him to have trouble getting over Rose, and frankly, I don't care if he gets over Rose or not. I just want him to treat Martha less unkindly.

Watching with friends - the best episodes

2. Yesterday I had friends over for a video-party and we watched "Daleks in Manhattan", "Evolution of the Daleks", "The Lazarus Experiment", "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood". Two of my friends said they thought "Human Nature/The Family of Blood" to be the best Doctor Who episodes they'd ever seen. I said I liked "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances" better, and someone else replied, "Oh, well, yes. Captain Jack."

Daleks in Manhattan revisited

3. There is so much about the two Dalek episodes that I like that I was trying to put my finger on why I find them dumb. For one thing: the suicidal aspects of the Doctor don't make sense to me there - he may well be truly suicidal, but if so, it needs to be better shown. The other problem: Diagoras-the-Dalek-Hybrid lacked dignity. He looked way too silly. I think if I'd designed him he'd look something like a Dalek and something like a human - perhaps more Cyberman-like. This is exacerbated by the silly-looking pig-slaves and poor Laszlo not looking much better.

The best thing about those episodes was the Doctor's fury on seeing the Daleks again - "I lose everything, and they survive".

I think it should have been a single episode, and simpler.

Daleks
4. One of my friends said they find all the Dalek episodes lame. Since I love all the Dalek episodes I've seen except "Manhattan/Evolution", I was a little suprised. I loved "Dalek" (still do), and associate the other Dalek appearances I've seen (in "The Parting of the Ways" and "Doomsday") with wonderful climactic relationship-rich episodes. And the Cult of Skaro was so cool when we first met it.