The End Of The World

Although this is the second transmitted episode it becomes the nonth to be review by myself. Already, I feel guilty that I have put it trailing at the end of my popularity list.

As far as I was concerned, this episode more than "Rose" would win or lose the television audience not familiar with Who. After all it's set in the far future so pure sci-fi which either becomes your bent or not. It features a large collection of aliens of which some appear rubbish in early pictures (The bird-headed people, even the Moxx). It does have blue oompa-loompas and a blue painted steward. This as far as I was concerned would not appeal to the "general" (or "normal" as Gary pointed out) audience. The episode didn't help by having a kind of pantomime element when it began and I thought in all honesty, Ant n Dec would be victorious that week and the audience would move on.

However, they didn't and are still here. I know guys in their 70's who think it's great and senior citizens in my experience don't think anything is. Generally after much sole searching and repeated evaluations of this episode it's actually pretty good. We get the first proper scene in the TARDIS which certainly looks alien but I haven't quite got accustomed to it's revamping. I think I, like others would like to experience it's expanse by looking at other rooms. I personally am a campaigner (in spirit) of the Davison TARDIS based stories. I did enjoy all the fast cuts and camera angles and bicycle pump gags but din't feel it was big enough.

The first reveal of the space station's view of the earth was breathtaking and I think this episode has a quite effective pre-credit cliffhanger. The episode itself gets started and this is where I find it a little disappointing. The set (hanger) just harks back to the days of wobbly sets. I am sure it wasn't supposed to look like anything else but it just doesn't portray the awe of being inside a space station. This also goes for the viewing room that doubles for most of the early banter between Rose and the Doctor. Jumping ahead briefly it doesn't help that the ducts under the space station look like the lower levels of a BBC building with some extra wiring attached. It looks like concrete. At the end during the Villain's uncovering, it just looks like a bunch of actors waiting for a curtain call. 

But then I guess the money was spent on costume and make up (ranging poor to brilliant - I suppose it depends on what you expect your aliens to look like), the superb Sun and the earth vista, the mechanical spiders and Cassandra. The spiders were terrific and generally visualised well apart from a couple of dodgy shots. I adored them "bumping" into the camera, the laser searchlights and electronic mumblings. The highlight though has to be Cassandra who was the perfect threee dimentional (2D) creation. The effects work was spot on, down to the veins through "her" skin and the reverse shot which implied that this creature had a mouth rather than just a pair of lips. Zoe Wanamaker plaid her perfectly. I had some doubts previous to using staple BBC/TV celebrities worrying back to the days of Beryl Reid and Kenn Dodd, but after watching this episode and subsequent performances from Simon Pegg, Penelope Wilton, Richard Wilson, Bruno Langley et al., I realise that the casting of "actors" has been paramount. Saying that Ann Robinson is still on my "hit" list until I check out that episode later in the season.

Backtracking to the effects the Cooling room with the fans was well realised and is not in my opinion an inferior reworking of similar scenes in "Galaxy Quest". (Dr Who has always paid homage to other sources). I do agree that although a gripping and tense set piece, I can't quite fathom why it took the Doctor so long to get to the other end.

The saviours of this episode were the cast Eccleston and Piper in particular show their fondness for each other from the start and Im sure must be rated as the best partnership in the series. There is a lot of feeling in this episode despite the story being so out-there and these verbal interactions between the Doctor and Rose and even the Doctor and Rose brings it all back to Earth (pun not intended). Again there's no real plot, the same as "Rose" but I do consider these two episodes as setting up the overall premise.

On re-evaluating this episode, it is still thoroughly enjoyable but (and maybe because it's purely down the the "blue" children) it still sits in last place.