The Shakespeare Code

No, I didn't like it. Yes, I rolled my eyes at the cackling ugly "witches" and the oh-so-witty *koff koff* they inserted lines for Shakespeare to copy from when his idea of a good comeback is "Shut your big fat holes." Ha ha, very funny.

The witches were just utter garbage. There was no redeeming value to them as villains whatsoever. Right down to the broomstick, which about made me shut it off due to the sheer stupidity of it all but Miranda thought it was funny so I had to keep going. And once again, I must ask, WILL IT REALLY KILL DOCTOR WHO TO HAVE ONE "SUPERNATURAL" ENEMY THAT ACTUALLY IS SUPERNATURAL AS OPPOSED TO ALIENSESES?

Words are magick. Oh, wow, how revelatory THAT was. I mean, nevermind that Grant Morrison did an entire comic series back in the 90s called The Invisibles that had that as a major theme, but, er, what is it you use to cast spells? Words? MAGICK WORDS, even? Right...

And for words to have power, how absolutely gawdawful CLUNKY was that spell inserted into the play?

Oh, yes, Shakespeare. Yeah, it might've been amusing for the classic embodiment of a wordsmith to be a loudmouthed boor in "reality," but in Reality, there is still some considerable academic debate over the authorship of those plays, and to not even acknowledge it, even with a Tennantish dismissal, was kinda poor. I thought. And what kind of title is that? "The Shakespeare Code"? Were they even TRYING this week??

Yeah yeah, Ten/Martha chemistry, yessir.

I already know I'm in the minority on this episode, but it just seems to be everything I found wrong with "Tooth and Claw" is back in the forefront with this one, only with less vitriol. I failed to see the wit about most of it, indeed it seemed to be one of those "Merrie Englande" stereotype nostalgia episodes that fail utterly with me. And I never thought much of Gareth Roberts anyway. So, meh. Disappointing, if I had had high expectations of it to begin with.

And hmm, next week features something living at the heart of a mass-transit system. Gee, where have I seen THAT before....