As an overseer and idea man- "editor in chief", if you will- Russell T. Davies has been a godsend for Doctor Who. But as a screenwriter, his work's seemed a bit flat, with The End of the World being the only one of his stories to date that comes anywhere near "classic" status. The Long Game continues this streak of mediocrity, although much like Rose and the Slitheen two-parter, there are fantastic elements that convince you the second coming of, say, The Caves of Androzani is right around the corner.

One of Davies stated goals for Who is that he wants to give the series a true emotional centre, something it's lacked for a good long while. Curiously enough, The Long Game is perhaps the least emotionally involving episode this season. Intellectually, I appreciated and admired Davies' biting commentary on the current stagnant state of Western civilization, but there was nothing in the episode that really made me want to rush out and change the world. It was only at the end that I really *felt* anything- namely, admiration for Cathica's selfless acts and pride at the Doctor's assault on Adam's selfishness. The rest of the time, I was distracted by the episode's similiarities to The End of the World- everything from the Doctor explaining the state of affairs on future Earth to a new companion while overlooking the planet from an observation window on a space station to the superphone call back home to the villain exploding due to excessive heat right down to the cameo by the Face of Boe reminded me of that far superior episode. RTD would've been wise to explicitly link the two episodes, similiar to The Ark in Space and Revenge of the Cybermen, perhaps with The Long Game taking place on Platform One in its infancy. It probably wouldn't've made the similiarities any less glaring, but it would, perhaps, make them more excusable.

In the plus column, Adam has gone from a character with potential to a fascinating possible new enemy for the Doctor. While I did enjoy Bruno Langley's performances as Adam and wished he'd stayed on a bit longer as a proper companion, I'm glad that he wasn't killed off and that he has an interesting new status quo- the companion gone bad with (potential) access to all the information in the world. Also, Anna Maxwell-Martin was very, very easy on the eyes and lovably perky. In some ways, she reminded me of Jewel Staite from Firefly/Serenity, and it's a shame her character was killed off so quickly. And while Davies aforementioned attack on the rot that's set into American and British culture may not have been terribly subtle, it was brave, and certainly thought-provoking (I hasten to add that I don't think Blair and Bush are controlled by an enormous phallic ceiling-hanger from outer space, but hey- anything's possible!).

Rusell T. Davies deserves all the accolades in the world for getting the BBC to bring back Doctor Who, and honestly, I hope he sticks around for a few years to guide the show. But for season two, I sincerely hope he cuts back on his writing duties. His scripts have been serviceable, but rarely above, and I'm beginning to see a "sameness" creep into them. A wider range of writers would very much help the series stay fresh and diverse.

First of all let me say to one of the other reviewers Paul Clarke, mate you should put your name down to produce the series, because I agree with you 100%. RTD is ruining Dr Who to the point where I think overtime the series will lose ratings in the same fashion that Star Trek Enterprise did, because the stories are shallow, lacking depth, and lacking that sense of realism.

I am really disappointed in how the new series is going, I thought that RTD being a loyal fan of the series would have stayed true to the original, but he has done exactly the opposite. I love Rose, she is played brilliantly by Billie Piper, and the Doctor is ok but I do feel that he is very violent at times, makes quick judgements, and abuses people who don't know as much as him. This is probably why I loved Dalek so much, because the Doctor finally found his equal, the Dalek.

There was only one thing I liked about the Long Game, and that was Simon Pegg, he was absolutely brilliant, and he would have made and awesome Master! Speaking of which if they could find a way to bring back the Master that would be brilliant, if not then the Valeyard or the Rani would be great. As I mentioned before there just aren't anough ties with the original series. But this story was so shallow, you learn nothing useful about anything, the stories do just seem to concentrate on the relationship between the Doctor and Rose, which I have to say is actually quite sickening. The way he grabs her hand every time he runs off to solve the next part of the mystery.

This story is just so fake, and pathetic I don't know where to start, the only epsidoes I have loved, and I mean really loved are The Unquiet Dead, and Dalek, both of which are the only non RTD stories so far this season. Why can't he pick years which are a little more realistic 'the year 5 billion, the year 200 000', pick something a little more believable. I remember watching an interview with RTD saying that the old way of having two parters and four parters just doesn't suit the new series, but I beg to differ, even the non RTD stories lack some depth and would be brilliant if they were made into two parters, that's what Dr Who is all about, being left in suspense until next weeks episode.

I spose I should get back to the story. This story like the other RTD stories are very manufactured, and it seems that all RTD's writings including this one just seem to be mainly focused on the Dr's and Rose's relationship, whereas the other non RTD episodes developed their relationship with the story. Adam, to me, just seemed like a waste of space in this episode, RTD kind of made him like the other boyfriend, and the Dr was like the jealous boyfriend.

Sorry Russell, but if you continue going the way you are with the new series you are going to have to find yourself a new job, because writing, your writing, is pathetic, and the only reason why people are watching the new series is because Dr Who has a new generation of fans out there aswell as many old fans like myself who have been so anxious to see a new series. Dr Who is the best concept of any sci fi I have ever seen and with every episode you are writing you are destroying a legend. You are turning the Doctor into everything he is not. The RTD episode seem more like fantasy than science fiction, and this time war keeps being mentioned as if it is an excuse to get rid of all the old characters from the original series, I do hope that we one day get to see this time war , and get it reslved finally. What I think would work well with the new series would be a season long story much like what Enterprise did with the Xindi, and perhaps have it deal with the time war when we see the 8th Dr in the middle of the time war, and have the 9th or 10th Doctor there somewhere aswell.

The new series just lacks depth and realism, and this episode is very representative of that, no wonder the yanks haven't bought the rights, they like sci fi that they can believe, and this is just rubbish.

RTD stick to Queer as Folk.

In my book, the true mark of a great TV series is how good or bad it’s “normal” episodes are. By that I mean an episode that doesn’t have some big event or special status that will grab attention by itself. It can be argued that “The Long Game” is the first episode of the new series that hasn’t got an inbuilt hook like that, and that’s why I was more delighted than usual to find myself enjoying it so much.

In fact, the only thing I can say I didn’t care for much (apart from the odd lick of Murray Gold music, which in general was a bit better this week) was the look and design of Floor 139. We never seemed to get a proper wide shot of it, and I suspect it’s because they knew it wasn’t looking too good. This has the smell of an episode which had to save money after some other ones had blown their budgets, and where this seemed most obvious was on Floor 139, where it’s all tight shots and all humans and really nothing much more than a shabby looking shopping mall food court.

The other floors, while still done economically, came across rather better, especially Floor 500 with all that frost and populated by real dead and living dead people, all with their own sheen of frost. That looked genuinely creepy… like a lesson was learned from “The Tomb of the Cybermen,” where it wasn’t so much that the tombs were full of Cybermen that was creepy but that little extra touch of there being frost on the Cyber Controller’s head (which he doesn’t notice or care about) when he wakes up. That helped to stress his inhumanity, and it does the same job here with the zombies that the Editor oversees.

Ah yes, the Editor. His frosty hair and eyebrows help to compliment a very solid performance by guest star Simon Pegg. He hit exactly the right note between a man who is in charge of everything and knows it and yet hasn’t seemed to let that go too far to his head as he isn’t ranting and raving, nor is he so full of himself that he can’t admit the possibility of his own error. An example of this is after the bit where he’s discovered and dealt with Suki the anarchist and only then spots the Doctor getting up to no good, when he keeps questioning his computer about how the Doctor and Rose can be “no one.” Though he keeps doubting what he’s being told, never once does Pegg do that standard clichй villain thing of getting angry with the people that are giving him these answers… he just keeps asking questions in a manner that suggests he’s not closed his mind to the possibility that what he’s being told can be true after all. In fact, he tells us later on that it’s fascinating not to know something for once.

In fact, I liked the whole set-up in general… Satellite Five and its vertical structure (even if we did see this same sort of thing as recently as episode 2, complete with heating problems)… its function as the news distribution center for the entire Earth empire… the way the news gets packaged by “journalists” who don’t actually do any field reporting but rather just compile and pass along what others tell them (very like how most news agencies do it nowadays… just look at how many Google news entries on a given day are word-for-word the same story as each other)… the casual attitude people have to getting brain implants to get them ahead in their job… how they’re so driven to get a promotion that they put up with never leaving the floor they’re on in the satellite, etc. It felt like a bit of a cross between a good “Farscape” standalone episode and the point behind “Max Headroom” (the media satire), only without so many main characters to juggle (and thus a clearer, cleaner story).

Ah yes, the main characters, temporarily increased to three for this week’s episode. I’ll start with number three, Adam, who becomes the first “companion” that the Doctor throws out of the TARDIS because he wanted to throw him out. Actually, I consider him to be more of Rose’s companion than the Doctor’s, since it was her who wanted him along in the first place and who gets to show off where they’ve landed (with the Doctor’s help) and pass along her cell phone and her TARDIS key to Adam. And this may lead into something in the ongoing story arc which I quite like, where if you stop and think about this, it’s as though the Doctor is here looking to see if Rose can function as himself, i.e. correctly selecting and training in a companion of her own. She seems to get it wrong with Adam since he lets his greed for knowledge get the better of him and winds up betraying the Doctor and Rose as a result, but Rose does seem to get this at the end, for although she tries to blunt the sharper edge of the Doctor’s tongue as he takes Adam home at the end, she joins in the joke of snapping her fingers to open up Adam’s implant, and doesn’t object to the idea of leaving him at home on Earth. Anyway, it’s my guess that with the Time Lords all gone, the Doctor may be looking at the idea of slowly building a new organization of people to take their place, and Rose might be his first recruit. Anyway, Adam was a false start at this, but someone Rose can learn from in who not to look for in future travelling companions.

Our two main supporting characters were very likeable as well. Christine Adams as Cathica was note perfect as the hungry-for-promotion corporate gal who nevertheless eventually sees what’s wrong and puts a stop to it. I was especially glad to see that she survived in the end, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she wound up running the place afterwards. Anna Maxwell-Martin was excellent too, and had a sort of Willow/Dark Willow thing going on where she was so sweet and girl-next-door-ish to start with, only to turn into a perfect soldier type later on when she confronts the Editor, and remains so even after death when she ensures he doesn’t get away. It’s just a shame the sound effects people gave her gun such a naff effect.

And finally there was the Jagrafess of Holy Something-Or-Other, the true power behind the throne that was using the media to stunt the Empire’s growth. We never found out why it was doing this, but from the way the Doctor talked about how the technology and the delay in human progress was “wrong,” I wonder if it wasn’t a time traveler itself or was perhaps working for some.. perhaps even the big Bad Wolf we keep hearing namechecked everywhere. Whatever its motives, it looked really rude and nasty (in a good way)… almost as much so as the real Rupert Murdoch. It’s fitting that it generates a whole lot of hot air and explodes when it has to put up with it itself.

And really finally I should mention Brian Grant’s direction, which I thought was marvelous (given what he had to work with set-wise), particularly the POV shots for the Jagrafess, the way he kept moving Simon Pegg in and around his set, and most especially his removal of that filter on the lens that’s been there in every other episode. It’s intended to help enhance the filmizing effect I think, but I much prefer the sharper image we get as a result of it not being there.

All in all then, a very solid adventure that I was a bit surprised to find myself liking so much. Let’s say… 7.5 out of 10.

Any episode following the superb Dalek was going to suffer from comparisons. Even so, The Long Game, was undoubtedly the weakest and most superficial episode of this series so far.

The opening scenes were very reminiscent of The End of The World, deliberately so to compare Rose’s reaction to time travel with Adam’s. But to set the episode in an almost identical setting (Platform One and Satellite Five not being the most original of names) seems to show a lack of imagination, both in the writing and the set design. Wouldn’t it have been better to set this episode on another planet or to show a futuristic version of Earth? Even the music was the same, as Satellite Five burst into life just like the arrival of the aliens on Platform One…

The Doctor and Rose didn’t really have much to do in this episode, concentrating as it did on Adam and the Editor. I understand this was deliberate to lessen the work load for Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper, but it made the episode rather dull. Adam’s plight was interesting in examining the way some people might not take to time travel, something which the original series took for granted. Bruno Langley’s performance was just on the right side of irritating, giving Adam some measure of sympathy. However that sympathy was ruined with an ending that was so smug and annoying, it was obviously going for the cheap laugh. It would have been far more effective from an emotional point of view, to have the Doctor leave Adam behind on Satellite Five as a consequence of his actions, not just return him home to his mum like a naughty little boy.

As for the Editor, I really didn’t buy Simon Pegg’s performance. It wasn’t really sinister enough and he appeared to be playing it for laughs too. The other guest characters didn’t really engage me at all, which is a shame as Russell T Davies has written some superb and very strong female characters in this series. Suki and Cath were rather one-dimensional characters, and although competently played by Christine Adams and Anna Maxwell Martin, they failed to engage any sympathy in the way that Jabe or Harriet Jones did in previous episodes. Tamsin Greig, another excellent actress was rather wasted as the Nurse, and actually managed to convey a clinical sort of menace which sadly wasn’t followed up in any way.

And did the costume designer have a day off? For the year 200 000, the characters looked more like they were from the year 2005 with the Editor’s smart suit and Suki’s flowery blouse. The Jagrafess of whatnot doodah was yet another CGI monster that looked great but did very little; he was simply there to roar, slobber and scare the kids. What was he doing there, why was he trying to suppress the human race? I know Russell said all will be revealed later in the series but that’s not really enough for a casual viewer.

I realise that the series can’t be fantastic every week but we really can’t afford to have dull runaround episodes like this. Not when he and other writers have raised the stakes emotionally and dramatically with episodes such as The End of The World, The Unquiet Dead and Dalek. I simply wasn’t gripped by The Long Game as I was with those episodes, which is a shame as the actual premise behind it was rather interesting. However the episode as a whole was a passable and rather forgettable romp, lightweight and in places, irritating. Sorry!

When I reviewed AOL, I said that I felt RTD was a very clever writer.... The Long Game supports my opinion totally. I have read some of the initial reviews on this site of this episode and I have to say I believe some them miss the point - completely.

The Long Game may not be the most Earth-shattering episode of Doctor Who but it serves it's purpose effectively with a storyline that DOES get you thinking. RTD is making a statement here, one that is very relevant to what is going on in our society. One only has to take a closer look at how "free" and "unbiased" media is fast becoming a thing of the past to see where he is coming from. The Murdochs of this world (and I here I hang my head in shame, for his "empire" was born in my city, Adelaide, South Australia) ensure that independant media is something we can no longer take for granted. The vast majority of what we read, what we see and how it is presented to us is is slanted very much toward a certain political ideology (and I wont use this review to wax lyrical on what I think about Rupert's conserative views). We must rely on our Government media outlets such as the BBC and here in Australia, the ABC for that "unbiased" point of vew that is crucial.... right off the soap box and on with The Long Game.

Some criticism has been written about how the episode looked. I do agree it looks somewhat plastic and cheap. But if one were to place this in the context of the story, then I feel the design is about right. The Doctor soon clocks that all is not what it seems. That it is all a little too good to be true, so with this in mind, does it not make sense that everything would look just that little bit too shiny, too false?

Simon Pegg's performance as the Editor was a brilliant. Just enough menace and black humour to not only believe he was a threat but to also relish his evilness. It was not overdone or hammy.

The regulars were in fine form. When I reviewed AOL I felt Eccleston's Doctor was at risk of becoming almost irrelevant - too much the fool. Since then, the greater complexities of this Doctor have been fleshed out. In Dalek, we saw the many layers of the last Timelord. The effect the time war has had on him. Eccleston's skill as an actor were clearly evident. In this episode I felt he had settled nicely into his performance and I sensed little touches of Hartnell and Baker (C) popping up now and then - reminding us that despite his youthful exterior, this was a well travelled Timelord who no longer suffers fools gladly. Billie Piper was once again in fine form, and I dont think I can add much more to what has already been said in other reviews. RTD obviosuly enjoys writing for Rose - it shows.

Bruno Langley's Adam is a less successful character. Im not so sure he is as capable an actor as our time travelling duo. I went back and watched his performance in Dalek and noted in some early scenes with Billie Piper he was not very believable. Where was the boy genius? He lacked the depth that Mark Strickson played with ease as Turlough ( I wont use Matthew Waterhouse as a comparison in anyway here, as I believe Mark Strickson's Turlough is a more suitable character to use). Turlough was played with just the right complexity that you were compelled to follow his misadventures as he grappled with the Black Guardian. Adam seems to just fumble about, I couldnt see the cogs in his head turning (something the actor has a responsibility in showing!) to make me believe he was either a genius or someone whom I wanted to follow and see what he was about to get himself into.

For me there isnt too much to gripe about. The episode is consistant with the vision of the production team and fits nicely into the season thus far. If there is one thing that let it down it was the character of Adam.... which it would seem (for now atleast) is no longer something to worry about! It was well paced and generally well acted. I cant see how any ardent fan or your general audience member would not enjoy it - if one looks at the dross on television these days (Celebrity Wrestling...? dear oh dear!) we shoud not have much to complain about with The Long Game.

So, what did I like about The Long Game?

It was nice to see the (pregnant!) Face of Boe. The way Adam was 'seduced' by the creepy/sexy/maternal nurse into having the implant was believable - the temptation and eventual submission were well portrayed, and I found myself thinking, "Yes, Adam is wrong, but in his place, I'd be sorely tempted."

The editor was exactly the kind of man who will serve an unjust ruler loyally, and take sadistic pleasure in the power this gives him, but will ditch his master without a moment's hesitation when the game is up.

It's true the editor was played as a comedy villain, but I thought Simon Pegg's somewhat pantomime performance didn't reduce the character to a stock meglomaniac. He's not evil, he's not insane, he's an ordinary, everyday bastard, just like your boss. It pains me to say it, but to me the editor felt a lot more real as a person than Davros ever did.

As for what I didn't like...The sets and costumes looked like they were trying to do Blade Runner on the cheap. I'm sorry, but adding smoke and garish colour scheme to burgervans and background characters with punky hair does not look futuristic. It looks like 'futuristic' looked in 1981.

The Doctor has gone from being annoyingly enthusiastic with a big cheesy grin, to being impatient, judgemental, and inconsiderate of everyone except Rose. Why does he almost simper over Rose while being unfair and hostile to Adam (and indeed Mickey). This isn't a love story, and as RTD knows perfectly well, the doctor has never had a sexuality. At least, not the kind that ordinary humans have.

The dead Suki grabbing the editor's foot as he tried to make a run for it. The way the Doctor estimated the duration of technological retardation to a year's accuracy - progress just doesn't work like that! Yet another 'bad wolf' reference. All these things annoyed in small ways.

More than all that, the question I came away asking was not "How did the big monster on the ceiling get there?" It was "Why is Adam in the script at all?"

Perhaps this is just RTD playing games with audiance expectations - introducing a new companion, then instead of having the doctor travel with them for a while, dump them immidiately. So the whole point of introducing Adam was to surprise us by dropping him. This is the kind of pseudo-interesting idea beloved of students on Media Studies couses - and yes, I was one of those a long time ago.

Besides, hasn't it already been done? Wasn't there a female companion introduced in the Hartnall era who was killed in the next adventure?

Maybe Adam is there to keep the gay male viewers entertained. Whereas once there was Louise Jameson's bikini to keep the dads watching, we now have the cute gay boy from that soap opera. Written by gay blokes, watched by more gay blokes, and played by a straight one.

No. I don't think the reason is as vaccuous as that. I think the only reason to give Adam half the plot of an episode, and leave him in schtuck back on earth, is to reintroduce him later. Give us a companion, make us care about him by giving him a sympathetic subplot and lots of screen time, drop him in a dangerous situation ("They'll dissect you in seconds"), leave him - and us - to stew and worry for a few weeks, then bring him back. We'd be pleased to see the familiar face, a dangling plotline gets resolved, and we get to see him saved and redeemed. The doctor admits he behaved like a judgemental arsehole (which he did - very strange characterisation), and lets Adam back on the TARDIS. We'll see, I suppose.

The satire in New Who is welcome. But the problem is, it's just so patronising. In World War Three we had "Massive Weapons of Destruction, capable of being launched in 45 seconds". This is a good throwaway line - it makes it's point, brings a smile of recognition, and doesn't bog the action down by being long or didactic. But then the line got repeated by Andrew Marr. And then again by a TV presenter. It's like RTD assumes we're too slow to 'get' the joke first time. The point is laboured further when Harriet(?) asks something like "Will people believe it, just because it's on television?" and Rose replys, "It worked last time".

Having 'done' the war, we now get Immigration 'tackled' in The Long Game. What the editor says is substantially correct, "A word in the right place, repeated often enough...Create a climate of fear, and it's easy to keep the borders closed". Cathica's vague, puzzled justification for the lack of aliens, about "all the threats", none of which she can specifically remember, is absolutely in keeping with the easily manipulated public who like to think they're well informed and liberal.

Politics is nothing new to Doctor Who. The Masque of Mandragora and The Curse of Peladon were concerned with social manipulation through religion. Full Circle and The Sun Makers used notions of economic class. And so on. The political content is less intrusive in The Long Game than in World War Three - perhaps because it's more integral to the plot - but I still feel like I'm being lectured on basic media theory by a well meaning but finger-wagging teacher.

The Long Game wasn't actually bad. It was just uninteresting. I think we're entitled to more from Doctor Who.