Not youВ’re every day girl in the fireplace but for what I thought would be a minor episode the latter half was a time bomb of an epic with some great twists and a heartbreaking endВ….

The Doctor really did come into his own and for a romance (thank goodness BBC one advertised that bit in advance) for its not usually Doctor Who territory and something that season one could not even in a million light years have thought of doing.

However the right setting, a woman who was every bit the doctor type and the plain fact the now crew of three В– are definitely a crowd it was actually a very relevant episode and gave David Tennant the chance to prove his worth and more.

His acting was breathtaking and his character was absolutely tortured by the end of this В– I think itВ’s the first time right at the end where the enthusiasm and confidence that makes the doctor who he is was no longer there in any form and boy did it show.

Ok back to the point it broke even with last weeks В‘School ReunionВ’ and undeniably he loved both Sarah Jane and Reinette with the plain simple fact that the latter was able to get inside his mind literally - something that scared him as much as it drew him in even more.

Plus and added to that he was completely head over heels by the opening five minutes of this episode and blimey who would not have wanted to be Sophie it was one heck of a snog! By both parties and that she came onto him В– the poor man had no chance and that he was already way to emotionally involved from the first moment he seen her as an adult.

Anyway leaving the romance aside for a moment the plot was complex and from my point reminded me a little of Quantum leap minus any leaping! However it was clever well thought out and every part of what makes Doctor Who tick came into play.

Stunning costumes, great wizardry enough myth and space like factors set against a historical backdrop with a romance included and that all were played out beautifully it did indeed in everyway raise the game by at least another two notches.

However it was what it addressed more than anything out with the fact that David Tennant literally stole the show and weВ’re not even half way through the season yet that made this episode so unique and different.

It took a whole load of new concepts and ran with them and that the 10th doctor has indeed got a very vulnerable soul, one we glimpsed at last week and one that we seen again in a different light this week and though he is the В‘TimeLordВ’ he like everyone else makes mistakes. One that he paid for dearly and though he quickly dropped Rose he was absolutely smitten but I did note and though itВ’s not as obvious as it was with Christopher Ecc. David TennantВ’s - Doctor Who needs Rose just as much, if not more and that he keeps her at arms length possibly for her own protectionВ…

Anyway IВ’m again of subject. We get to see our doctor in whole new way and every range and power of emotion is shown here and from the earlier episodes, I had the feeling they would sooner or later show this 10th doctorВ’s weak point.

One that he fell right into and made me wish again for both the earlier scenes of the kiss and where he was over the top drunk В– plus the famous words from a musical stuck in there and though it was a doggy scene it could have been a thousand times worse had it not been in David TennantВ’s hands.

However it was the last twenty minutes that powered this episode В– a doctor discovering the error to late - that time is not always on his side, which was played of against that epic horse and mirror scene where he was in his element and absolutely all inspiring.

Then the silenced and alone doctor at the end and the further question to the whole Doctor/Rose fate it maybe lacked a little and the ending was disjointed but never the less a stranded doctor who was overjoyed to find a way back to Rose and Mickey did in a way answer something and that in one way or other we are on the tip of a very big iceberg!

One that is going to get even more interesting in the weeks to follow and the only further thing I can add is that the attention to detail, the powerhouse of a story and the raw emotion of the doctor left this in a league of its own. No other show could do it better or in such a way and we cannot but help feel for him in the endВ…

Real nice and leaves me asking what on earth is to come next putting the doctor through more pain?

As a big 'Doctor Who' fan from way back when, perhaps I should be one of those fans who will apparently be up in arms about this story, the one where the Doctor falls in love. At least a couple of vaguely patronising remarks made in '...Confidential' suggested as much!

Well, for these 45 minutes, I was entranced and delighted. This was a beautifully acted and directed story, with a number of stunning moments, and the programme continues to put most other television to shame. Steven Moffat, writer of my favourite story from last year, turned in another cracking script, even though there was one aspect I wasn't sure about (more later)...and no, it wasn't the snog.

So many images resonate...the Doctor becoming a young girls 'imaginary' friend via a fireplace;the monster under the bed; the snowy view of Paris at night; the clockwork android's grinning mask (brrrrr) ; a horse (aka Arthur, another nod to Mr Dent perhaps) on a spaceship;the enchanted Doctor hiding behind a wall in the palace gardens; his dramatic entry into the ballroom, a Knight in Crumpled Suit...

David Tennant was quite brilliant...again. Utterly convincing as a lovestruck Doctor, aided no end by Sophia Myles excellent performance as Reinette. And I'm sure there is no danger of the Doctor coming over all Kirk-like anytime soon!! (loved ST's 'City on the Edge of Forever', but after that things got a little crass! Kirk's in love again...she wont survive to the end credits then.)

Rose and Mickey were necessarily rather sidelined, but the actors made good use of their moments. Noel Clarke was great again; I especially liked his reaction to the infinity of space...."It's so realistic!" (well played, The Mill, then.Heh.)

There were some nice Rose/Reinette scenes and I'm a sucker for any scene where Billie sheds a tear...I'm such a softie. A few less Rose-centric episodes are necessary as it is still reasonably early days for the tenth Doctor and I'm sure someone as cool and intelligent as Billie realises this.

The dialogue was, unsurprisingly, very good. Examples I particularly liked; Young Reinette (another nice performance) asks "What do Monsters have nightmares about?" "Me!!" the Doctor replies; "Flesh plus heat....barbecue." ; the android pointing out to Reinette "We do not require your feet." (loved that line!) The Doctors fake drunk and very 'Blackadder-esque' "...thickety thick" tirade...

After all this praise (no, another bit; Euros Lyn, you are *brilliant*) I come to the part I wasn't sure about.

Late in the episode, we see a melancholy Doctor, lost in time, stuck in the 18th Century. But he can still smile. (Well, he *is* at least in a palace with an intelligent beauty he has fallen for...) He toasts Reinette and says, "Here's to the slow path."

And what about Rose and Mickey? At this point, they are stuck in the 51st century on a creepy spaceship. The Tardis is there, a machine that can take them anywhere in time and space...shame they can't fly it, then. Now, this might be a quite deliberate attempt to show how dangerous travelling with the Doctor can be, but without Reinette's depth and intelligence, the Doctor wasn't coming back. Ever. Jackie Tyler's worst nightmare realised; Rose stranded and never ever coming home. This scenario contrasts quite dramatically with the *beautiful* scene in 'Parting of the Ways' where the 9th Doctor sends Rose home, losing (he thinks) both her and the Tardis forever. It is only Roses incredible loyalty and bravery that turns things around in that episode. There doesn't appear to be such a contingency plan here.

When, thanks to Reinette, the Doctor does return, he asks how long they waited for him. *Why?* Unless I missed something here (not impossible, I happily admit!) Rose and Mickey weren't going *anywhere*!

So that part didn't really add up for me. 'School Reunion' presented us with the intriguing idea that the Doctor must always move on as he cannot bear to see those he cares about "wither and then die." I can only guess that due to a lack of options, or maybe true love, he is prepared to go through this pain for Reinette? Hmmm...unlucky, Rose and Mickey, then? Very Unlucky. (Pause. Considers their future on that ship if the Doctor could never return. Brrrrrr.) As 'Parting...' was only really a few episodes ago, I'm really not sure about all this.

Rhetorical question; Am I taking this too seriously?!

Nah, but this really stood out for me on second viewing. *However*, the bottom line here is that I thought this episode was a superb piece of television, beautifully done, and I can't give it less than another 9 out of 10. I also suspect that the main viewers that were cringing at the supposedly inflammatory 'snogging' scene were the (intelligent! Great taste!) young fans of the show. ("Yeuch. Gross. The Doctor's snogging!!") Have seen a couple of 'Totally...' episodes, and the cool kids who are so knowlegeable about and love the show make me feel quite proud. *Old*...but proud!)

Next time...some silvery monster things, apparently. Could be interesting...

Fireplace, fireplace, fireplace.

ItВ’s the one word echoing in my head after watching В– for the first time В– the first four episodes of Series Two. So why is my head not also chanting В“Cassandra, werewolf, KrillitanesВ”? Possibly because Steven MoffatВ’s new episode is the best IВ’ve seen sinceВ… well, since The Doctor Dances, his previous effort, last year. It might even surpass it. LetВ’s have a look at why.

1. A wonderful mood-setting opening sequence. Sophia Myles is already impressive. And why is she crying into a fireplace? I love a good mystery at the opening of a story.

2. The Doctor-Rose-Mickey TARDIS partnership works incredibly well. Better than I imagined, actually. Mickey Smith, meet the Universe. See anything you like? His excitement at the В“realisticВ” galaxy is even more special to me than RoseВ’s В“culture shockВ” in her first couple of episodes.

3. The DoctorВ’s visits to ReinetteВ’s bedroom. Anyone else whoВ’s read The Time TravelerВ’s Wife will know exactly what IВ’m talking about here. A man visiting a woman from her childhood to her adulthood? The perfect fusion of romance and science-fantasy.

4. The design of the service robots. With the masks and without them. Beautifully stitched costumes, and underneath, intricate clockwork minds. They deserve an award. Or several.

5. The human eye and heart wired into the ship. Disgusting, yes, but a unique concept. And still thereВ’s that mystery В– why are they there?

6. Arthur. For some reason, that horse looks gorgeous under that greenish lighting. And the Doctor somehow has chemistry with it. Weird.

7. The concept of the В“time windowsВ”. This is just so cool, and so in tune with the kind of science fiction that I love, I just canВ’t express it enough.

8. The Madame falling in love with the Doctor. And, yes, vice versa. ItВ’s about time. And this is real, too. We know itВ’ll be brief, but to me, it just feels right.

9. В“And soВ’s your dad.В” Nuff said. Oh, and В“No, youВ’re not keepinВ’ the horse!В”

10. ReinetteВ’s В“weary travellerВ” speech. Sophia Myles is just amazing, isnВ’t she? This speech brought tears to my eyes.

11. Breaking the mirror. Yee-haa! Who didnВ’t let out a cheer when Arthur burst through?

12. The idea that the Doctor is stuck in France. I love the repeated references to В“the slow pathВ”.

13. В“Pick a star, any star.В” The Doctor loves her, through and through. But the tragedy is waiting for him, and although I could see it coming, I wasnВ’t prepared for the sheer emotion of the situation. Louis loved the Madame, too. But he wasnВ’t loved back. You can see it in his eyes. The poor man. The lonely king and the lonely god, and she only loved one of them.

14. The punchline. This story was so well thought-out, and the final shot combines a brilliant joke with an В“Oh! So thatВ’s what it all means!В” moment. Neil Gaiman was right В– Steven Moffat deserves another Hugo nomination for this marvellous piece of television.

Steven Moffat deserves a lot of credit for В‘The Girl in the FireplaceВ’ В– if the new Doctor Who has thus far erred on the side of simplicity (and it has), this story at least isnВ’t afraid to really challenge viewers, and like В‘The Mind Robber,В’ В‘Kinda,В’ В‘Ghost LightВ’ and other experimental stories from the classic series, it succeeds in bringing something fresh and strange to the rollicking sci-fi adventure format.

That said, I didnВ’t actually *like* this story a whole lot. ItВ’s possible that, like many of these 45-min. stories, it might have been improved and clarified by an expanded telling. (I say this in practically every review of the new series, but itВ’s so true.) Still, I actually doubt it would have helped here, since it seems this story is *intended* to have a puzzling, dreamlike quality about it. Although seen through the eyes of the Doctor and his companions, the story retains in its approach some of the mystery and elliptical quality of ReinetteВ’s impression of its events. In fact, it almost feels as if this story might have been conceived to be told from her point of view; the prologue certainly suggests this, but as the story unfolds we get more of an expected my-good-where-are-we-this-time Doctor Who approach.

And perhaps itВ’s that we never *do* really get inside ReinetteВ’s head that makes the story so unsatisfying to me В– rather than seeming fantastic and romantic, her falling instantly in love with a stranger from her childhood bedroom (!) simply seems absurd, because we are asked to accept it without being made (by the writer) to really *understand* it. Now, before people start shooting me hate e-mails, let me join the chorus of I-donВ’t-mind-if-the-Doctor-gets-laid-ers, but my point is it has to be done *believably*, and this Time-Casanova scenario (so to speak) never felt authentic in the least to me. For the all hysterical praise of Kate-Hudson lookalike Sophia MylesВ’s performance in the part, this Madame de Pompadour remains more or less a blank, someone whose actions only seem real if we donВ’t stop to think about them. (And while IВ’m mentioning the famous name, what is this ridiculous hard-on Russell T. Davies has for true historical figures? WeВ’ve already had Charles Dickens, Queen Victoria and Madame de Pompadour, and now Shakespeare himself is apparently waiting in the wings for next season. ItВ’s not nearly as fun as RTD seems to think it is, and the repetition is getting old fast.) Myles canВ’t quite pull off MoffatВ’s cod-Sheridan dialogue either, but at least sheВ’s better than Ben TurnerВ’s rather hopeless Louis in that regard. Both are undeniably soap-opera pretty В– but since when does that impress Doctor Who fans? Since now, I guess.

Well, on to the other actors. David Tennant is not very good here В– as IВ’ve noted before, his yammering goofus seems worlds away from Christopher EcclestonВ’s haunted survivor, and so all the stuff about his epic loneliness doesnВ’t quite ring true. IВ’m not at all sold on TennantВ’s Doctor В– perhaps this was inevitable as we moved into the double digits, but so many of the things he does seem like mere echoes of better Doctors past. He does flop-haired and boyish, but not so well as Davison; he does gabbling and irrepressible, but not so well as Tom Baker; he does clownish, but not so well as Troughton. I have yet to identify anything truly new heВ’s brought to the part. Rose and Mickey are largely sidelined here, of course, but Noel Clarke at least is given some funny lines (В“Even French!В”).

Worst of all, the strange plot, which, as I said, is notable for its originality, is at times surprisingly predictable В– the DoctorВ’s apparent forgetfulness about the time-window delay (and/or about ReinetteВ’s age at the time of her death) is a shameless contrivance to create an awww-factor, and it would take a lobotomy patient not to see it coming. (What other climax could there have been five minutes before the end of the episode?) And as for the big punchline, it doesnВ’t work nearly as well here as MoffatВ’s similar machine/organic gotcha at the end of В‘The Doctor DancesВ’; here itВ’s just a nonsensical gimmick, and doesnВ’t pay off in the least (as others have pointed out).

All in all, a step in the right direction in some ways, but not a real success.

Like many Doctor Who fans, I spent the years that the show was off the air
a) feeling confident that the show could return to the airwaves as early as next year
and
b) casting my fantasy Doctor.

My opinions and ideas about Doctor Who as a series were shaped by my ideas about the title character. I felt that the character of The Doctor should be haughty, intelligent, funny, a little aloof and above all carefree. Rattling around the universe with The Doctor should be fun, above all else. I saw a season of 45 minute individual storylines because, letВ’s face it, no one does half hour drama. I saw the sort of rattling yarns that Doctor Who was built upon. Simple and uncomplicated.

ItВ’s odd that the one character trait that pleases me the most in current Doctor Who is one I never gave any thought to before.

Loneliness.

Christopher EcclestonВ’s brilliant portrayal of The Doctor had considerably more facets than any of his predecessors. ItВ’s not an attack against past Doctors, itВ’s just a fact of modern television characters. The sort of В‘same every weekВ’ surface portrayal that fueled television in the 60s and 70s (and, for the most part, the 80s) simply cannot connect with todayВ’s more sophisticated television viewer. Christopher EcclestonВ’s Doctor was just as moody and occasionally aloof as I expected, but the over-riding facet of his character was a profound loneliness.

ItВ’s built into the show.

With The Doctor becoming the last of his kind, his survivorВ’s guilt influenced every decision he made, be it actively avoiding contact with humans (his В‘stupid apesВ’ comments seem more like his way of imposing a distance between himself and humans and not a genuine opinion.) or a choice of clothing that says В‘DonВ’t notice me! DonВ’t touch me!В’.

I never realized how important this aspect of The Doctor had become until I saw the season two premiere В‘New EarthВ’. Despite occasionally roaring with righteous indignation, my overwhelming impression of the new Doctor revolved around his В‘I love traveling with you!В’ and В‘We had chipsВ’В’ comments. Laughing happy and carefree, the weight of the world (literally) seemed to have been lifted and The Doctor was allowed to enjoy himself.

I really didnВ’t like it.

The Doctor and Rose had become so happy/ flirty with each other (В‘SchmoopieВ’ for all you Seinfeld fans..) that all of the drama drained away. Something wasnВ’t right. Something fictional.

I wondered if, perhaps, the problem was Tennant. But itВ’s the same spirited performance I enjoyed in В‘The Christmas InvasionВ’. Could the problem be RoseВ’ ItВ’s possible. She seemed far too comfortable with this New Doctor (New New Doctor) and didnВ’t display any of the awe and (frankly) fear that she had around his predecessor.

But when I saw В‘The Girl In The FireplaceВ’, an episode where absolutely everything worked for me, it fell into place. The Doctor must be lonely. Period.

No matter how much fun and excitement we the viewer or any companion seem to be having, the character of The Doctor must always feel like he is an outsider.

Science fiction fans tend to be lonely little boys at heart.

IВ’m certainly (and uncomfortably) familiar with feeling alone and isolated by my fandom. ItВ’s what draws people to organized fandom or fanzines or conventions.

The idea that weВ’re all alone together.

I almost feel bad about how much I want Doctor Who to suffer for my entertainment, but (like it or not) itВ’s a part of the show now. And those moments of connection, those times В‘the lonely little boy learns to danceВ’ are all the sweeter because of it.

Everything about В‘The Girl In The FireplaceВ’ was magical. IВ’m a big enough girlВ’s blouse to admit that there was a lot of romance in this episode.

The sight of The Doctor coming to the rescue astride a white horse or defeating monsters hiding under the bed are huge and iconic images.

I wanted to review this episode without mentioning the authorВ’s contribution from last season, but I canВ’t. The grace and joy that marked the ending of В‘The Doctor DancesВ’ gives way to an intense and bittersweet sadness at the end of В‘FireplaceВ’.

Rose and Mikey take a back seat to guest artist Sophia Myles, who turns in a mannered and beautiful performance. In fact, everything was beautiful, from the sets to the costumes to the fabulous clockwork robots.

Once again, I eagerly await Steven MoffatВ’s contribution to next season. And once again, IВ’m wondering how heВ’ll top this one.

Just remember.

I did not have high hopes for this story. Whilst I loved Matt JonesВ’ Bad Therapy, a very sweet character piece in the final third of the New Adventures but I couldnВ’t stand Beyond the Sun, his Bernice Summerfield novel and I regularly found his column in DWM the most annoying thing about the magazine. Add to that the fact that this episode has the least В‘WOWВ’ factor in this series to date (One had Zoe Wanamaker, Two had Queen Victoria and warewolves, Three had Sarah Jane, Giles and K.9, Four had Sophia Myles and Mickey as a companion, Five and Six had Cybermen and Seven had Maureen Limpman) and that last weeks teaser was hardly an appetite whetter and the best thing you could say is that В‘that bloke from Casualty is in itВ’. HmmВ…

Oh what a stupid, stupid fool I am. Hype is one thing (come on I think we were all a little disappointed by New Earth) but a show firing on all cylinders and proving what it can do in every department is another and that is exactly what The Impossible Planet does. Technically this episode is flawless and I genuinely feel it has the strongest cast yet assembled for the new series. This is an episode that might restore faith in the series of some of those who preferred series one (so SimonВ’s mother then) and remind the rest of us why we should be so proud of supporting this show.

It is a funny old business, I do like it when there is a third companion mostly because John Barrowman and Noel Clarke are such good performers and bring much to the show but when the TARDIS is enjoying threesome we see the weaker aspects of the Doctor and RoseВ’s relationship, namely their ignorance of how much they are hurting the third member and involved in themselves. Take away that selfishness of their intimacy and their relationship is adorably sweet, as proven last week in The IdiotВ’s Lantern and here. David Tennant and Billie Piper have enjoyed a strong chemistry this season but their carefree existence lacks the unity of Piper and EcclestonВ’s relationship. This where things shift up a gear and they share some wonderful moments in this episode, which exposes the richness in their partnership, both the characters and the actors. The DoctorВ’s quiet despair at being trapped is rectified slightly by the sweet moment where he and Rose talk about settling down, both of them shy to admit they would choose to live together. RoseВ’s admission that В‘everybody has to leave homeВ’ and that being trapped in this situation is not so bad because she is with him are possibly the most mature scenes the character has ever had and all the better because they are understated and impeccably performed. Bravo. Also RoseВ’s gentle kiss of the DoctorВ’s helmet (behave yourselves!) suggests an intimacy between them that surpasses anything we have seen before without stripping them of their dignity and getting all sweaty.

Matt Jones has written a damn good script, on a par with the best of either year. The story is packed with great ideas and they are dramatized beautifully. This is a textbook case in how to effectively build up tension, spend the first fifteen minutes setting the scene and introducing the mystery, then mid episode introduce some major problems for the characters to react to before your big reveal in the last third which gets everybody on the edge of their seat screaming В“Oh shit!В” (or was it just me?). Jones had also written an extremely strong cast of characters, so successfully thought through that the death of somebody we have only known for twenty minutes has a major impact. Whilst the cast are responsible for bringing these people to life, they really donВ’t have anything to work with if the script is naff.

Imagination soars as with all the best Doctor Who stories. The Ood are a marvellous idea, a slave race that only reaps pleasure from serving others but with such a stomach churning appearance. Loads of scope to be damn creepy and yet sympathetic at the same time, slaves of the humans or the Beast. The big reveal that the base is affixed to a lump of rock orbiting a Black Hole is well presented to make the viewer gasp and gawp, helped no end that it is visually spectacular as well (but bonus points for holding this off for ten minutes, had this been a regular one off episode this would have been tossed in the air before the opening theme). It is a terrifying thought being sucked into a black hole and the episode wastes no time in demonstrating the power of this phenomenon, Murray GoldВ’s effective strings accompanying an entire star system being consumed by the Black Hole. Where the episode lacks in originality is its horror undertones, something nasty under the ground waiting to be unleashed but come onВ…name two instances where that clichГ© hasnВ’t worked out? ItВ’s a fabulous conceit, which is why it has been used over and over and implanted into a story which is already as gritty as this one turns a dark episode into a terrorizing one.

I am not easily scared. I think Doctor Who has managed to give me the shivers maybe three or four times in its entire run but there was one scene in this episode which terrified me more than any other that I have seen in TV or film for years. It is beautifully filmed to get under your skin. Toby stands outside the base in the airless vacuum without a spacesuit before the black hole and turns on his friend staring at him through the window. His eyes are blood red, his face is stained with alien scrawl and he is grinning at her. A beautiful smile of pure evil, beckoning him towards her. Oh my God I was hiding behind a pillowВ…and as the glass cracked and she was sucked out towards his grinning faceВ…there must have been loads of kids shitting themselves tonight! Also scary but not as much was the climax, featuring the Beast speaking through Toby and telling the security office that his wife never forgave him.

Two performances stood out although there was not a single one that didnВ’t impress me. I want to apologise to Will Thorp who I had written off as a soap actor (or dancer) who delivered a spot on piece of acting of a man fighting against a terrible infection. His early scenes suggest a shy, dedicated but likable man and his transformation into a pawn of the Beast is truly shocking, his stunning smile is put to great, scary effect. I have to say a word for David TennantВ’s old sparring partner Shaun Parkes who made such a sparkling partnership in Russell T DaviesВ’ Casanova. Standing in as acting Captain, Parkes delivers a great, tired performance of a man doing a job who was not built for but still pulling it off well. As expected his scenes with Tennant shine, the scene where the Doctor hugs him should be vomit inducing and yet (thanks to the actors) they make it work.

Lovely to see some grit in the new series, I remember Russell T Davies saying how much he channel hops and stops on the show with the prettiest picture regardless of how good the show is. Doctor Who this year has perhaps been a bit too pretty, New Earth, Tooth and Claw, The Girl in the Fireplace and The IdiotВ’s Latern all feature gorgeous, sumptuous productions but it all looks a bit NICE. Here weВ’ve got all the style but jumping down below decks with the В‘workersВ’. The sets are divine, dirty, unsteady, filled with dirty smokeВ…it really helps to put across the sense of clinging on to this rock for dear life. I like the contrast of the futuristic setting with the modern-ish costumes, nothing to flashy but casual and comfortable just how you would want to be in that environment. Lighting is exceptional throughout, especially during TobyВ’s murder scene and the Doctor and RoseВ’s settling down conversation.

Real edge of the seat drama and an attempt to be scary that succeeds on every level, here is a great example of Doctor Who doing its best to give you nightmares before you go to sleep. ItВ’s almost a shame it is broadcast in the daylight. Do yourself a favour and tape it and watch it later in the dark on your own.

Ten out of ten chaps.