The End Of The World

Wow. 

I had my reservations after the first episode, as per my review. It just didn't quite click. 

This episode clicked, and how.

>From the preview of last week, I wasn't overly hopeful, boy was I wrong. From start to finish this was 45 minutes of pure Who. The characterization that was so lacking in episode 1 arrived in spades. Eccleston is already a truly great Doctor, here we saw both the humour that already characterises him, and the darkness that we have been promised. There is obviously pain about the loss of Gallifrey, we already know that the Doctor could not save the Nestene, maybe there is guilt about the role he played in the Gallifrey war. he is, apparently, the only survivor.

Billie finally showed her acting mettle. I'm a harsh critic of hers but she has finally silenced me. I'll fully admit I was not convinced by her in anything she has done up to now but in these 45 minutes she fully vindicated her casting. She was fantastic. 

The special effects deserve a special mention. Nothing to write home about last week, they were obviously saving their money for the heavy usage here. Not a dud shot in sight.

Zoe Wanamaker was absolutely wonderful as always.

Psychic Paper a great idea and finally a reason why everyone on Who speaks English.

Jade (Jayde?) was a wonderful character and actively felt like more of a companion than Rose in this episode, a real pity that she died. If this was supposed to be the "romance" of the series, it didn't feel like it. It worked well. But this Doctor is far more human than any of the others. He displayed some previously unseen powers here but his failing cost Jade her life.

Fantastically inventive death of the supervisor and one of my favourite Who scenes ever as The Doctor tries to rescue Rose from the same fate. "It would be you in there!" has to go down as one of the greatest lines in Who.

Fans over a walkway, that can't be turned off and the switch to save the station the only thing beyond them. What an illogical place to put a switch. Was this a reference to the brilliant film Galaxy Quest which itself was parodying Trek? The scene where the heroes have to travese a corridor of smashing walls which are there for absolutely no reason is an absolute classic. Completely illogical to do this in Who but a great piece of reference.

The incidental music was far better than last week but still not particularly memorable. On the other hand, the modern music used was inventive and the Doctor dancing to Frankie Goes To Hollywood (Was it?) was hilarious. 

A few small niggles, as some people noted in the last episode, the Sonic Screwdriver appears to be this Doctor's weapon of choice, already it has made more appearances in two episodes than possibly the fifth, sixth and seventh Doctor's era's combined. Let's see how he fares next week in the Victorian age.

I think Russell T. Davies needs to tighten up his writing slightly, last week we had Clive who provided exposition and then died. This week we had a blue plumber who did absolutely nothing except purposely die. Not a disaster by any means but we need to care about a character before they die.

The death of the Time Lord race is a great idea, and a very bold, very modern twist, but just how did it happen? Gallifreyan's are almost impossible to kill. You have to kill each and every one twelve times, not to mention that they can manipulate time, are scientific geniuses etc etc. I have a feeling that the Daleks are involved. 

Also with the intimation that the Doctor is the last remaining Time Lord will we never again see The Master, The Rani, The Monk, The Valyard, surely all of these Time Lord's are running around in different times before the war but technically after their own deaths. Why does The Doctor get so cut up about it when he can just travel to a time before the destruction of Gallifrey? But I'm just being pedantic.

The series has hit it's stride and I can't wait to see how it turns out. Eccleston's leaving will no doubt affect how some people view this series but I think on this evidence, it may actually be right for this particular series and Eccleston's only mistake being that of timing.

Overall a vast improvement on last week in every way. Everything about this episode shone. It remains to be seen how the continuity twists revealed in this episode get sorted out, I personally don't see how, when The Doctor himself has won out over almost every alien race and evildoer in the galaxy, the entire race of Time Lords can be wiped out with all their powers, and I think it'll be a shame if we never see The Master again. But there are twists and there are twists. This is a very modern twist and I'm not sure if it was wise, but it will no doubt play out over the rest of the series and only then should we reflect on where the series has gone.

Overall, for the episode as a stand alone 20 out of 10. As per direction of the series 12 out of 10. Bold but is it too far?

Oh, I almost forgot, THE TARDIS NEEDS A BICYCLE PUMP TO WORK!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? The Doctor may be big on mechanical improvisation but come on! (Tribute to the quality of the episode that I actually forgot the horror with which that struck me)