The End Of The World

This is in many ways the first proper episode of the series. No short plot to allow for character introductions (we did that ast week) no interrruptions by graham norton (the bbc did that last week too..after 15 years did you really think the good doctors return would be glitch free?) just 40 odd minutes of new improved doctor who. And it was very iproved in a lot of areas... and changed in ways left, right, center, and sideways in time. Not all for the better (I'm an honest man.) The story was very good. Absolutely perfect for your 45 minute format that we now have, and the writing ability and who pedigree of the show is starting to show. You can tell these were the guys who read wrote and absorbed the virgin NA's and even the BBC EDA's (more on that in a moment..) Every character that gets a line manages to get across not just words, but a huge amount of character with those words, and we are even given the ability to feel sympathy for a plumber. A plumber who we *know* is going to die, and we *know* is going to be pulled into that ubiquitous ventilation shaft. Its a rule of sci-fi convention after all. But a cliche, when beautifully done, works well, and this it does. I admit, despite praising the characters to death, that I actually found our villain of the piece, our 'last human', cassandra, to be ...well not as interesting as I had expected. Funny, yes. Clever...in places. But I never found her to have much in the way of dimensions. Pun intended. I have to agree with the Doctors statement of 'all these years and it still comes down to money' and wish there had been more to it. (perhaps the implied race hate aspect of her character should have been played up along with her vanity.) And her demise...well, it was a bit gorey in a way? And I'm not sure many doctors would have done that. Hmm. The Doctor and Rose are obviously to be the centers of our attention in this series, with Ace's legacy being felt in a companion that we can focus on, because the stories focus on her more than the Doctor. Which is nice... it looks like the mystery is back, which is something thats been hoped for by most of DWs previosu production teams, and all it took was an absence of fifteen years so the public oculd forget all about it. How worrying.

The effects were wonderful, and yes, theres a nice shiney budget now, but that budget is still small compred to lot of sci-fi these days...but the shoe string power, and degrees in jiggery pokery held by the production team provided something that was truly amazing to see on screen, in a doctor who episode. (though the amazing aliens still don't quite beat the destoryer from battlefield...not just yet anyway.) And it has to be said that, as the beautiful south would have it, blue is the colour for DW aliens and monsters. Especially when the earth is directly in peril. This episode has the best effects work you have seen in Doctor Who, (since at least greatest show...because i love it.) Its on a par with the beautiful work done on shows like Farscape (which is useful, because you can watch that after DW confidential on BBC three..) and does show a nice mix aesthetics, imagination and good old fashioned hard work. Three cheers for that.

There a few things i simply must mention about this episode, that don't really fall under story or effects though. One is, the missus likes it, and this can only be a good thing, because she, unlike me, unlike us, is not a fan. And can only claim to having viewed DW under clockwork orange -like conditions due to me making her sit through my DVDs. And she loves it. More importantly, her kid sister liked it too. And at about 12 years old, thats exactly the market DW needs to appeal to, in order to see another 40 years through the door. So the mainstream appeal is back. Just what RTD wanted. The camp is back too... Tainted love and Britney? In the same episode. Not since the happiness patrol (or sylvs first season) has an episode played with such things. Its also worth noting that Cassandra is DW's first transexual character. (she states clearly that she used to be a boy.) The much hyped ipod joke was...funny. But not as funny as DWM had me expecting. But it did lead to the afore mentioned Tainted Britney stuff, including the doctor having a bit of dance, and coming across a bit dendrophiliac. Wonderful stuff.

But... I know its rotten of me, but I couldn't help but imagine Sylv in this episode. Its so NA, and... well, you can imagine him making a quite eulogy to the arth, after he's saved so many times, to watch it finally die would have so much impact on the doctor. Having imagined sylv, or either of the bakers do this... I wonder why it didn't have much of a noticeable impact on *this* doctor. Hmm. The sylvness kicked in again during the Doctors indirect execution of Cassandra.. but I think previous doctors would have sent her to prison. To justice, not vengeance. I'm not sure if this new callousness (other Doctors would have at least turned away rather than stare as Cassandra went ping) is interesting or worrying.

My final thing to note (and I messed up the structure of this review just so I could say it last) is something truly amazing. EDA's, (and therefore NA's through extrapolation) have just become canon in the most amazing way. Gallifrey has been destroyed 'before its time' in a war. And the Doctor is the last of its people. My jaw dropped as realised what it seemed they were referencing. And it made me happy. Because this series, owes more than its writing to the novels. And that debt is being paid off a little at atime. Now...if we can persuade them to reverse-regenerate the Doctor now that Chris has decided to leave, we can ration our regens and have another 40 years, during which time, I wouldn't be surprised to see an adjudicator turn up.

Go forward in all your beliefs...