Doctor Who: The Sound of Drums...

[fajrdrako]

Adventure with rhythm. I can't think of anything to say without spoilers except: how could I possibly love this show more?

1. Martha is true blue. She's wonderful. Loved the scenes in her flat. And the Master blew it up! The fiend.



2. Loved the drums. maaboroshi pointed out that the Master was drumming the Doctor Who theme.



3. Scenes of Gallifrey. I love it when the Doctor talks about Gallifrey. Since I am pretty much ignorant about Gallifrey, this was like a first introduction to it. I loved the Doctor's line about how he ran at eight - and I guess he's hardly stopped running since.



4. The Master is magnificent. His dialogue, his scenes, his wackiness. He's like one of the better Batman villains. Why did giving him a pretty wife make him seem scarier?



5. Jack belongs with the Doctor. They are wonderful together. Perfect. I love the blue coat/brown coat thing they've got going. And Martha is perfect with them.



6. A Paradox Machine? maaboroshi said, "Isn't that an improbability drive?" Uh-huh. The fannish in-jokes were coming thick and fast and we laughed a lot but that didn't seem to damage the tension and suspense.



7. It squicked me to see the Doctor aged. Change him back, quick.¹



8. It squicked me to see the Master had messed with the TARDIS. I am protective of the TARDIS.



9. I think I loved all the dialogue between the Master and the Doctor. All of it. And his dissing Jack and Martha - 'the girlie and the freak - although I'm not sure which one's which.'



10. Once again we see disastrous results from one of the Doctor's actions. Harold Saxon was able to get political power because of the fall of Harriet Jones, and we know it was the Doctor who toppled her from her position as Prime Minister because he was miffed at how she treated the Sycorax. Echoes of the destruction of the regime of the Jagrafess in "The Long Game" leading to the power of the Daleks in "Bad Wolf" and "The Parting of the Ways".



11. Jack said all the things I'd want him to say, including the way he rebuilt Torchwood for the Doctor's sake. I wanted to shout, "Yes! I called it!" That's Jack as I most love him. I was also chuffed that they got back to the 21st century by one of the means I'd speculated. Handy, that wristband of Jack's. I wonder if he'll be able to keep it in working order for the next series of Torchwood.



12. Our reaction to the death of the American President was raucous. The aliens are like Daleks remade in the Master's image.



13. I really can't predict where the story is going and how they'll get out of this mess. I'll have to think a little harder.

maaseru even said it was a good show. Since she has been resistant to any attractions Doctor Who might have all along, I felt that was something of a triumph.

Was Rose mentioned in this episode?

~ ~ ~

¹ Although I think it's remarkable, and one of the best effects they have, I think Russell T. Davies and co. are getting just a little too carried away with their wonderful aging techniques.

Comments

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

At this point I'm loving each episode more than the previous!

Oh lord, the INSTANT we saw the American President we knew he was toast.

The Master is like an evil Pee Wee Herman sometimes. This is a GOOD thing as far as I'm concerned.

Jack was so sweet - he rebuilt Torchwood in the Doctor's honor.

Also, his "You too, eh?" to Martha was very perceptive - they need to have a slumber party when all this is over.

I'm wondering if RTD has a relative who does age makeup; I've never seen it done so many times in a single series.

king_chiron says the show is "silly", but he never fails to watch it with me and offer theories (today's: the Doctor picked on the Master in school).

That TARDIS had better be fixed up by the time the next episode is over! And the Doctor, that goes without saying.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

At this point I'm loving each episode more than the previous!

Me too, and I wouldn't have thought it possible.

the INSTANT we saw the American President we knew he was toast.

And then again as soon so he opened his mouth! It was inevitable.

Jack was so sweet - he rebuilt Torchwood in the Doctor's honor.

Of course he did. And better still, he got away with it.

Also, his "You too, eh?" to Martha was very perceptive - they need to have a slumber party when all this is over.

It was wonderful and I adored them both for it. Yes, slumber party. Absolutely.

I'm wondering if RTD has a relative who does age makeup; I've never seen it done so many times in a single series.

Neither have I - ! I don't really mind, or at least, I didn't mind - until they used it on David Tennant! That's desecration or something.

king_chiron says the show is "silly"

Cleverest 'silly' I ever saw.

he never fails to watch it with me and offer theories (today's: the Doctor picked on the Master in school).

Would the Doctor do that? I think he's too nice. And too... nonconformist.

That TARDIS had better be fixed up by the time the next episode is over!

I hate having anything bad happen to the TARDIS. What that poor machine has been through - !

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

You never know, the Doctor might have been less nice as a little kid. Or he might have felt like the Master got all the attention from the teacher, or something. Maybe he was just trying to get his attention 'cause he had a crush, and the Master took it wrong?

God, you are so right about the makeup - fine before (because what attachment do we have to Dr Lazarous or whatever), but NOT MY DOCTOR!!!

I want the TARDIS to turn out to have a trick of her own that nobody expects. Because she really deserves more respect.

Jack and Martha need a slumber party, with cupcakes and a pillow fight, to commiserate over the unrequited Doctor love.

[raissad.livejournal.com]

Ditto to everything that's been said. Plus, Lucie Saxon either has a screw loose or has major self concept issues to have gone along with the Master.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Lucie Saxon either has a screw loose or has major self concept issues

Yes - I wonder what her story is? I'd been wondering if she were one of the aliens.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

That's possible.
Or she may simply have been brain-washed by the Master.

[raissad.livejournal.com]

Here's Lucy Saxon's bio from "Saxon's" official website:
http://www.haroldsaxon.co.uk/lucysaxon.shtml

[kittyfisher.livejournal.com]

Hated the ageing too!

And I wonder what the Americans will make of the ep? *cough*

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Hated the ageing too!

I love the way this show can get strong reactions from me.

I wonder what the Americans will make of the ep? *cough*

I wonder!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Check my LJ. Short answer, loved it. Knew POTUS was toast, but did wonder why we didn't nuke the Valiant out of the sky 10 seconds later on principal. We're bitchy like that.

What Americans will think?

[lauradi7.livejournal.com]

That the portrayal of the US president was inevitable. There is almost no
form of current entertainment from Britain (including an email chat list I'm on, a play I saw the last time I was in London, and erm, Dr Who)that doesn't grab any opportunity to take a cheap shot at how stupid Americans (in general) and our elected officials (in particular) are.
It's entirely possible to abhor the Bush administration and still find it tedious.
Rest of the ep? I was really amused by the jelly babies. The "you, too" exchange was wonderful. I liked the flashback to Gallifray, and am intrigued by
what Leo's up to.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

I admit to the merest hint of disappointment about this episode. Maybe I just loved Utopia (possibly beyond reason) and this one will grow on me, but two little details got in the way. The music was driving me mad - instead of guiding my reaction, it was getting in the way. Normally I'm hardly aware of it, but this time, I was seriously contemplating the mute button and subtitles. Some of it just didn't work. And the 'speeded up' effect I thought was just awful. The make up was absolutely amazing (freaky but amazing) but the effect to get him there was like the kind of thing I've seen on bad kids' programs. It just didn't work.

Looking at this (and my own reaction post) I think I loved the writing and acting, but thought that some aspects of the production needed more thought. But I loved all the things you mentioned. The jibes about Jack (and Martha, but mostly Jack), the "you too" (which made me jump so much that I nearly did serious injury to the other half), the back-story infilling, which makes so much sense, were all wonderful.

I'm not sure about the chemistry between John Simm and DT. They're both amazing actors, but I want some more scenes of the two of them in the same place before I make a call on that one. Chemistry between the Doctor and Jack (and Martha)? Bloomin' perfect.

And I hadn't thought of it, but I don't think there was any mention of Rose in this. But then, they were busy with the plot :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I admit to the merest hint of disappointment about this episode.

I wasn't disappointed, but then, the things that bothered you were things I didn't notice. We'll see what I think on watching again. The only thing I hated was the aging of the Doctor, and that was supposed to be bad. It wasn't the how it was done that bothered me, it was that it was done.

he "you too" (which made me jump so much that I nearly did serious injury to the other half)

Hee! Dangerous, this TV-watching business.

the back-story infilling, which makes so much sense

Yes, that was particularly good.

I suppose it could be admitted that it's vaguely disappointing that we didn't get any Jack/Doctor snogging scenes, but that's what my imagination is for.

I'm not sure about the chemistry between John Simm and DT.

I certainly had no problem with them - I think either of them has enough oomph to have charisma with a brick wall, if necessary. The resonance between them was mostly in the clever dialogue.

Yes, plenty of plot in this one!

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

It was, in a word, fabulous!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It certainly was! I'm going to watch it again while doing yoga this morning.

[kikibug13.livejournal.com]

It was a delicious episode. "You too, huh?" FTW!!!

Jack/Doctor/Martha is just perfect. Perfect.

Oh, and back to a comment you made loooong ago ("I want to be in Freema's place"), here's a bonus pic...


Umgh... IS IT I CAN HAS NEXT TIME NAO?

[kikibug13.livejournal.com]

*rolls eyes* I mean to make the comment a bit longer.

I don't think Rose was mentioned. But. Sending Martha away? That so reminded me of the 2005 season finale...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Sending Martha away? That so reminded me of the 2005 season finale...

I thought that too. I wondered what variant she could find of getting Mickey and a big truck to meddle with the TARDIS. She has Leo, she has a teleporter/time-travel device.... While Jack makes his last stand against 3 billion globes that are a cross between Teletubbies and Daleks and we wait for the Doctor to do something clever. Or at least something effective.

I wondered if Jack and the Doctor just sent her away just to keep her safe, because everything was going to hell on the Valiant.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

"You too, huh?"

Makes me all sentimental, it does.

Jack/Doctor/Martha is just perfect.

Absolutely. Happy smile.

here's a bonus pic...

Eeee! Thank you! Gorgeous! And lucky, lucky Freema.

[janne-d.livejournal.com]

That was so very cool and entertaining. Though I would have liked the Master to be a bit more menacing and less funny occasionally, and not just when he was talking to the Doctor.

I have questions now I can think about it clearly instead of jsut going "wwo! aargh!" a lot, like: why did the Doctor think the Master would be fooled by a perception filter anyway? I didn't get that, or why putting one on the Master would do any good at all - surely he could just take it off again?

And why couldn't Jack teleport out with Martha? And why have the Master send Torchwood to the Himalayas instead of locking them up and interrogating them about Jack to get a lever on him as well? A logical reason aside from "they're in a different show" would be nice!

I like your point 10 comparing to Nine's slip up, but I can't help thinking that the Master would have found a way to end up in power whether the Doctor had sabotaged Harriet or not (which I think was very dubious of him) - the Master does have that handy mind-influencing technique after all.

In the end though, I think I wasn't as chilled as I would have wanted to be. There were moments, when the Master speaks on Martha's phone and when he puts them on the news as terrorist suspects (hey, look, RTD making a point about governments manipulating the 'war on terror' through the media for their own ends?), and the whole conversation between the Doctor and the Master was great - but I was too entertained by the Master to be scared of him. Plus the song pretty much killed the big reveal of the invasion as a real threat for me.

But Martha's dad was great, and Martha was fabulous, and Jack was cool, and I did enjoy every minute.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Though I would have liked the Master to be a bit more menacing and less funny occasionally ... I was too entertained by the Master to be scared of him. Plus the song pretty much killed the big reveal of the invasion as a real threat for me.

After you said this I thought about it for a bit. I was certainly more entertained by the Master than frightened by him. I didn't (and don't) have the sense of threat that I had at the end of "Bad Wolf" or "Army of ghosts" - but then in both cases, the really frightening and emotive material came afterwards, in the last episodes. I don't really know what to expect next week, of course. But I think I was glad that this was different in tone and style - so that the mood, pacing, and tone of the final episodes of the third series are distinctly different from the final episodes of the first and second. So in terms of the mix we got, I didn't mind laughs instead of chills. It was, at the least, laughter with an edge to it.

why did the Doctor think the Master would be fooled by a perception filter anyway?

I don't know. I wondered if the Doctor had still more of a plan up his sleeve than he was telling us (or Jack) - it really didn't make sense as it was. Was he just planning to kidnap/teleport him away from the Valiant and the aliens? How would that save him or them?

why couldn't Jack teleport out with Martha?

Physically and technologically, he could, clearly. So either the Doctor didn't want him to, or he didn't want to, or both. I thought perhaps they were just making Martha teleport for her own (relative) safety, like sending Rose back home in "The Parting of the Ways". Or maybe there's more to it than that.

why have the Master send Torchwood to the Himalayas instead of locking them up and interrogating them about Jack to get a lever on him as well?

Because the Master is more wild and crazy than he is logical and pragmatic? Because he didn't want to deal with Ianto's tears and Owen's gun? Because he's lying and they're really on the run somewhere else entirely, trying to research the mythical Toclafanes?

can't help thinking that the Master would have found a way to end up in power whether the Doctor had sabotaged Harriet or not

Quite likely, but I do like the parallelism of what actually happened.

[kikibug13.livejournal.com]

Physically and technologically, he could, clearly. So either the Doctor didn't want him to, or he didn't want to, or both.

My guess is that Jack - and probably the Doctor - thought that the Master would go over a LOT to get them back. While Martha, as a weaker player, would manage to get away from him and remain effective.
Also, as evilgeniuslady pointed out, the Doctor is old, he'd not be able to do much; and Jack was still weak from returning to life and might be able to hide quickly enough to keep Martha free to work till he recovers...

[janne-d.livejournal.com]

Because the Master is more wild and crazy than he is logical and pragmatic? Because he didn't want to deal with Ianto's tears and Owen's gun?

Hee. Okay, those reasons I like!

the really frightening and emotive material came afterwards, in the last episodes

Yeah, I think you're right there. I will reserve final judgement until after this Saturday.

[meret.livejournal.com]

maaboroshi pointed out that the Master was drumming the Doctor Who theme.

Cool! I didn't notice that. :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Somehow knowing that make it even more spooky.