Image Credit: BBCIn a season of Doctor Who that’s been undeniably uneven, last night’s slight, derivative “The Lodger” represented an unfortunate dip in quality. From the cliched “roommates who can’t admit their romantic love” subplot to a main story arc that felt like it had been cobbled together from a half-dozen superior Who episodes, the hour proved to be a less-than-scintillating run-up to the season finale (part one of which airs next week). Worst of all, it wasted the copious charms of guest star James Corden (Gavin and Stacey’s uproarious “Smithy”).
Things started off rather peculiarly, with the TARDIS taking off without The Doctor, leaving only Amy on board. A mere 11 episodes in to the new companion’s adventures, it seemed unrealistic that she’d have such mastery of the time machine’s control panel, although I suppose her intermittent but unconvincing screams were supposed to signal some sort of discomfort with her solo flight. Honestly, there didn’t seem to be much need for Amy in this episode; perhaps the writers should’ve taken a cue from the riveting “Midnight” episode, which proved that it’s okay for a companion to sit on the sidelines (and off camera) every so often.
Back on the ground, we had the Doctor delaring that “anything that can stop the Tardis from landing is big.” And yet by episode’s end, the auto-pilot menace turned out to be one of the least threatening adversaries in recent Who history: Indeed, it turns out that the crashed spaceship’s hologram had been luring innocent humans to the non-existent second floor to test them out as possible replacement pilots, and burning them up in the process. (Also, how come the victims’ charred remains pouring through the ceiling had such a disastrous effect on Craig?) I didn’t feel so much as a tingle of panic when the ship selected The Doctor as its ideal candidate, perhaps because the repetition of “the correct pilot has been found” echoed so many other (and more effective) mechanical chants from the Who-verse. (One example: “Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved.”) And uff da…the fact that secretly-in-love Craig and Sophie could override the program by placing their hands on the console, kissing, and convincing the ship’s computer that they didn’t want to leave Earth? How very Fifth Element, in which a dude’s willingness to (finally!) commit saves the day.
Alas, the best parts of the episode involved the localized time distortion, which found certain moments in time skipping like broken records. The act of Craig opening and reopening an exploding beverage to the raucous laughter of his friends became a bone-chilling reminder that all was not well in the universe. Since this time-loop business didn’t seem to relate to the auto-pilot, I’m assuming it instead relates to the season-long crack-in-the-wall arc — which again reared its ugly light behind Craig and Sophie’s refrigerator. Perhaps that’s what has the TARDIS so skittish? Or maybe it was The Doctor acting like a total pillock throughout the hour. I know our protagonist can be cocky, but it didn’t sit right with me to see him hailed as a soccer champion who blithely steals another guy’s chance to kick a penalty shot. And while we’re talking out-of-character behavior, are we really supposed to believe the smartest guy in the room would ask a question like “Football’s the one with the sticks, isn’t it?” Oh, and what was the point of that makeshift wheel-device-thingie The Doctor concocted in his bedroom? I know he was determined to pass as an average human this week, but he really just passed as annoying.
But who knows? Maybe the two-part season finale will justify the means. After all, there must be some significance to what happened in “The Lodger” seeing how it’s important enough for Amy to travel ahead to the future to leave a note about which flat to rent. And I won’t lie, I was a little moved when Amy reached into the pocket for a pen and pulled out that engagement ring. Here’s hoping the fallout from this found object will lead to emotionally compelling thrills over the next two weeks.
Were you as disappointed as I was with “The Lodger”? Did anyone else find Amy and The Doctor’s behavior to be somewhat out of character? And either way, how are you feeling about the previews for the two-part finale? As always, if you’re across the pond and have already seen how things wrap up, please don’t leave spoilers in the comments section. And feel free to follow me on Twitter @EWMichaelSlezak.
Agreed that as a stand alone episode it was uneven, but I really enjoyed some of the humor. And any episode that gives us Matt Smith in a towel is just fine with me!
to Slezak.. If you don’t like it don’t watch it.. That is what the remote is for.
Its clear to me that you watch looking for problems so you can’t enjoy what works. BTW The time loop as clearly shown to be happening whenever it lured a new person upstairs.. to try to activate the make shift TArdis as in “time machine” How did you miss that, Are you watching old American Idol episodes at the same time?
This as clearly a “single episode companion” episode that takes place in a Flat. Sorry it takes rubber beasts and giant CGI to hold you.. I guess the existance of unearthly serial killer upstairs has not a bad thing in your world?
We were fine with this episode in our house.
BTW How long as Amy been in the Tardis? Can you measure time in episodes? Maybe she has been there for months and and learned a few things like where the break is and how to talk on the radio.. Its one thing to NIT Pick it is another to grow your own Nits and complain about them.
Well first of all it might well be his JOB to watch it. He certainly gets paid to comment on / review pop culture.
Secondly, as a fan, he has the right to watch the show to see if it gets back to, what he felt were higher standards. He’s not like the mind numbing, Twilight haters who, despite not liking (or even reading) the novels OR liking (perhaps watching) the films seem to have nothing better to do than hunt down every Twilight thread on the net and tell everyone how stupid they are and how poor the films / books are. He’s a fan of the show, and as such has every right to have a go if he thinks one episode or season isn’t as good as others. You have every right to defend it. From what I can tell, ratings and word of mouth etc maybe 60% of people are either happy with the show or not so disgruntled that they have given up. The rest aren’t too keen and there’s too many of them (us) that you can just dismiss opinions like those in this blog. Defend the show you love and try to tell those who attack the show they LOVED why they’re wrong, but please don’t presume to tell a fan of a show that they feel is slipping that they can’t point out its alleged flaws. Especially when it may well be that person’s job so to do.
Oh and finally you’re right in as much that Mr Slezak’s, slightly embarrassing, missing of the whole time loop = death of new potential pilot issue does seriously dent the blog’s credibility. Which is a shame because as far as the episode’s quality goes, he’s pretty much bang on. It’s not the worst of this season, but that’s indicative of the paucity of quality in Who 2010.
Thirdly
I think he has generally been fair. It’s not that he doesn’t like the episodes, he rightfully points out that some of these are missing the mark. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Dr who, but this season(and I’ve see the whole thing) has been shaky at best. I had the wool pulled over my eyes by Star Trek, but in the end, I’ve learned my lesson. Just be cause I love a show does not mean I will not notice will the quality goes down. The quality of Dr Who definitely went down this season. Better than Sylvester McCoy’s run as the doctor, but far below the best of Dr Who. P.S. It has NOTHING to do with Matt Smith. He’s great. The writing is fully to blame for this season’s decline. IMO.
Oh how ridiculous you are, Waiting. “If you don’t like it, don’t watch it.” He’s a reviewer, numbskull.
@waiting… yes i agree with 100 percent. i think this writer should stick to bashing american idol and the likes.
This was the first episode that I thought to myself, “what if David Tennant was acting in it”? I don’t know if it was the acting, writing, or direction but it did feel weak. Maybe I’m calling back to Tennant and his wonderful ability to make weak dialogue/direction work. That’s not a judgment on Smith’s overall performance as The Doctor, just on this ep.
No spoilers (I promise) but the last two eps -for me- show that Matt Smith is The Doctor. Well played and that’s all I’ll say about it.
Yes…I miss David Tennant. I tried to get into this guy but I’ll have to wait for the next Dr. Who.
Don’t forget, Moffet is on his first go round of total creative control. We’ve seen him write great episode’s of this show in previous years, and we’ve seen him tell his own emotionally satisfying narrative, ala Coupling. It feels to me as if he’s still kicking the wheels and testing his limits. This year is no more uneven than Russel’s Eccelston year. I personally like that he’s willing to take risks, and try new things. It’s what has made the best moments of this season so great. I have faith that Moffet has great future stories and satisfying conclusions tot he current ones in store for us.
I totally disagree with Davies being uneven with the Eccelston season. It was the best season of Doctor Who by far. I mean, Moffat is a good writer when he only does 1-2 episodes a year, but a whole season, boy do I miss Davies. Kim and Matt are awesome actors and are seriously underused. It is an ok season at best.
I love Eccleston’s season … but even I admit that there are uneven moments in there.
Outside of the Slytheen it’s a very solid season, especially given what many of us thought was a lost cause, resurrecting and improving Dr Who. (Oh and that bit where it took the Plastic men all day to try and throw him into that pit). It was very good. Also even if you were to say this year was as uneven as year 1 (2.0) that’s still a case of it going backwards then right? Of course it isn’t anywhere near that standard and it’s an insult to year 1 (2.0) to be honest.
You have to say Moffat either needs to be moved on or be clearly given a “last chance mate” talk. Even his own stories, usually a highlight have been awful.
With Ecclestons season, I felt like each episode was important, not much filler in it. Can’t say the same for this season.
PS
Given t was his first season in charge andd that he inherrited a wildly successful show, why do you think he felt the need to treat his first season like a reboot? He changed everything that you could conceivably change, almost entirely for no reason? IN your opinion, what for?
I recently watched the Chris Eccleston season. I had only seen the DT episodes and became a huge Dr Who fan. The Eccleston Dr is by far the best and the chemistry with Rose was fantastic. DT was best with Catherine Tate, but there is no chemistry with Matt and
Amy.
I liked that episode! Anyway you Americans will see why it was needed calm before the storm and all that.
I liked the episode too–a bit of lightheartedness in there before the Big Bang sets in. I think it’s a bit off to give a small, one-episode subplot that much heat. It was cute, and the Doctor got to protect the guest star with a toothbrush in a towel. Yay!
I liked it and Sophie wasn’t Craig’s roommate at the start. It was Dr Who’s attempt at an “apartment style sit com” and it had its moments. In terms of the “bad” being “big” it wasn’t “big” as in “OMG!” but as in it was disrupting the space-time continuum to such a degree that it was messing up the TARDIS. That’s pretty “big” in my book.
I liked it too. Cliched romantic stories live or die on the players playing, and I loved the casting in last nights episode. I thought the Doctortrying to fit in in a normal life situation was really funny.
Not the best episode of the season, but none of these episodes have been as bad as Tennants final specials.
I liked it too, frank, but disagree wholeheartedly on Tennant’s final episodes–while Planet of the Dead was AWFUL (totally admit it), I thought “Waters of Mars” was one of the best Who stories of all time, and that the two-part finale was both eloquent, positively mythic, and really moving. Loved it. But with that said, I’ve been pleasantly surprised and relieved at how awesome Smith is, and I love Eleven. The season has been great for me, with the exception of the horrible “Victory of the Daleks” and “The Cold Earth.”
Finding the uneven series comment a little odd. It’s been pretty even in been pretty poor almost all the way through. Sad thing is the 2 part finale is possibly the worst of the lot. Some truly poor writing and directing I’m afraid, I’m still trying to figure out if pt 1 or 2 is the worst and reflecting on the joys of parenting; which led me to watching the final 5 episodes with my 10 year old daughter when, afetr 4 weeks of not bothering she decided to watch the rest of the series to see if it got any better. It didn’t. Still that was mildly less tortuous than her asking her mumif she was allowed a boyfriend!!!!!
My life is officially all worry from here on out.
I really enjoyed this episode. Doctor Who needs to be silly every once in awhile. Every episode can’t be “the end of the universe” stuff. It was fun to see the Doctor living a “normal” life as a renter. I loved the romance between the two – totally wanted the couple to be together at the end but, it being Doctor Who, didn’t know if that would actually happen or not. All in all, it was a nice stand-alone episode before the two part “end of the universe” finale bit. Now that I’ve had some throwaway fun, I can’t WAIT for next week!
I kind of enjoyed the silliness of the episode but I admit I haven’t loved the entire season, and I’ve seen the last two eps as well. But I’d still rather have Doctor Who to watch than not and I’m looking forward to the next season/series particularly with the promise of more River Song.
I didn’t find the episode awful, I too have been watching the show on the British broadcasting schedule (thank you Internet) and watched the 2-part finale a couple of weeks ago. In hindsight I feel this episode was kind of blah, but very necessary before the finale, which I actually really liked (no spoilers yet though) and thought was some of the best work of the season from all main cast, but especially Amy. This episode I feel was fulfilling the unofficial “Doctor-centric” episode that’s been happening since David Tennant. It wasn’t up there with “Midnight”, but was serviceable, and fun to see Matt Smith at his goofiest.
It was ok. Liked the humor and the not-so-subtle hints about the crack seen in a picture and then more obviously at the end. Certainly not one of the finest Who moments but not a total waste of an hour either. Sill miss Tennant though.
I liked it. It was a fun side episode. My boys and I all loved it – when we watched it on the web. Same with the final two eps – loved em ON THE WEB. BBC and BBC America screwed the pooch by delaying episodes in the US for a month. In regard to spoilers the world is now a very small place. BBC had it right with the Tennant finale by delaying it for only a day. This practice of holding eps off for two weeks to a month (no eps on holidays) is a slap to the consumer who invests in BBCA HD just for this one show. The episodes, I loved. The poor practice of holding out a product that can be spoiled for those passionate about it is simply bad business.
Hah! Now you know how us Brits feel with practically every US show that gets imported here. Not that I’m gloating – I’m just hoping that the American networks will take a lesson from this and let us have your shows a bit quicker than 6 months after being broadcast in the states.
I’ll forgo that in exchange for them not cancelling every show (sci-fi / fantasy in paticular) that has an in anyway complex season long, or season’s long story arc. Canceling them with no thought or care for how many people outside of the US are watching the things! All the worse with shows like Farscape and Angel that were actually pretty successful when cancelled. The money the shows make overseas seems to mean nothing. How on Earth does Stargate SG1 get 10 years when so many, far worthier, shows get booted?
I agree about the delay in broadcasting. In the modern world we live in, it makes sense for them to maybe have a one day delay. In fairness, as the Tenant finale makes obvious, they could air it the next day. Who decides to wait. Does BBC decide Tenant can go out the next day while deciding Smith must be delayed. I can see no reason why BBC America would choose the delay it any longer than they must. It’s better for there ratings to air it as quickly as possible. An stations wonder why they are losing audience. As for canceling shows. I wish networks would consider their international revenue. Hollywood does it with movies, but on the other hand, in the U.S. anyway, shows on cable networks like Syfy aren’t looking for the mega ratings domestically. So something like SG1 (which I love by the way) gets a longer run. It’s a shame Farscape was cancelled when it was, but it’s also a shame BBC canceled Hyperdrive when they did and worse, that BBC America stopped broadcasting after season 1. So I guess that goes both ways.
I’m surprised that the broadcasting (at least for certain very popular shows like Doctor Who) hasn’t gone immediate worldwide yet. If just for the money aspect. I’m sure that the advertising money would be better at any rate.
I totally agree with the scheduling situation. Here in the US I feel like a unwanted red (ginger?) headed step child.
I can’t even figure if Sarah Jane and Torchwood are still in production or if they were canceled. Still trying to find Survivors on the t.v. and will prob. have to resort to the internet for that as well.
One thing though…Graham Norton puts all American late night t.v. hosts to shame. I think he is the funniest man on the planet!
Sarah Jane is supposedly doing fine and was evidently recently renewed for seasons 4 and 5. Torchwood was also just picked up by Starz and will resume in America next year, evidently with a more international feel (not sure how I feel about this, since I loved the Cardiff hub and UK feel).
Sorry Michael, you’re wrong. Doctor Who has always been principally about standalones anyway, although Moffat also seems to be better at intricate storytelling that Russel T Davies ever was. I thought this episode was silly and sweet if a little forgettable, and that the Doctor was entertainingly inept in posing as a normal person. This season has been the most consistently entertaining, clever and witty since the second season of new Who, in my mind. And anyone who thinks the series finale was bad – what planet are you on? Nothing will ever top the awfulness that was the Titanic Christmas special or last season’s sycophantic send-off for Tennant. I thought that this finale was the best we’ve had so far. To those who haven’t seen it, just you wait.
yeah, i just got around to watching “voyage of the damned” and i just wasn’t invested in it. (then again, i don’t like many of the specials where he doesn’t have a companion – someone has to balance out the doctor’s weirdness and give him a little more humanity, you know?) although i thought kylie minogue did a nice job as astrid. but otherwise, it was sort of a wasted hour. (and even “the end of time” didn’t pull at my heartstrings the way “journey’s end” did. probably because there wasn’t enough donna noble!)
and i agree with you about moffat’s storytelling – “blink,” for example, is one of the best episodes of television of all time, in my opinion.
You’re not alone there, reminiscent of the outstanding episode “Hush” from Buffy The Vampire Slayer season 4; but that’s the reason so many of us are so shocked at how poor this season has been. Worse that much of Moffat’s own storytelling has been so poor as well.
A puzzling shame.
But I totally disagree with you! I think this season has been absolutely brilliant, so much better, cleverer and more subtle than Davies stuff was. Then again I didn’t love David Tennant that much either. And I’m surprised to hear people on here talk about the season like this when everyone I’ve spoken to in person has loved it. Especially the finale, which was the best two episodes of new Who there has been so far.
Oh there are two, very sizeable, and very opposite schools here. i continue to be surprised whenever I come across people, online, that actually like this season. I know a few people who don’t hate it, but nobody I know in real life likes it and many people I chat to / read in cyberspace either loathe it or tolerate it, usually even the ones that say they like it concede that what we see as the flaws are flaws and it’s a case of whether you can live with them or not. Far too many of the people that like it have a puzzling hatred of RTD and, in particular, of what they see as his overemphasis on “alternative sexuality”. Which is laughable considering it was rarely in the regular show and mostly in Torchwood.
To each his own, as always but…..
Cleverer and more subtle? Ahem “Whir, whir, clank whir?” CBeebies, CBeebies I think, I know I’m insulting CBeebies right? Now I’m just off to retrofit a few Spitfires into endo /ecto-atmospheric, laser outfitted, air-bubble fighters, I’ll be about 2 or 3 minutes.
Season finale was badly written, averagely directed and a little intelligence insulting. Like it by all means, but when I like something that’s “bad” I don’t waste time trying to pretend it’s the Godfather. When the Americans have seen the finale I hope we can all, both sides, have a good debate about this season and people can back up statements like, cleverer, with any kind of evidence or illustration. It won’t make those who like this season suddenly hate it or those that despise it suddenly love it, but we might all get some kind of idea as to where the other side’s madness comes from. Hell I can tell you plenty of things I find funny about Tank Girl (movie) but I wouldn’t try telling anyone it’s a superbly well written or directed film because it patently isn’t. Dr Who season 5 is demonstrably poorly written and I shall gladly point out where and why once all danger of spoiling things for the Americans has passed.
Oh and like the other dude said Dr Who hasn’t “always” been about standalones either in Volume one or new Who. New Who has been almost exsclusively about story arcs. Star Trek was always a mostly standalone show untill DS9; that, as well as the darker “how do you keep Paradise running without a few trips to hell” theme, is what made DS9 refreshing and, if a little belatedly, is what is seeing the show given a fair amount of respect. It wasn’t perfect but the ambitious 7 year storyline and lack of an all problems can be resolved in either 1 or 2 episodes crutch was genuinely brave for a “formula” show. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater in a vain (both meanings) attempt to mark Dr Who as his wasn’t brave it was arrogant and foolhardy and many a Who fan has been lost because of it.
@therealeverton
A lot of us who have this “puzzling” hatred for RTD don’t have it because of the emphasis on “alternative sexuality”, because you’re right, that is mostly on Torchwood (and I personally feel RTD is a much better writer on Torchwood than he was on Doctor Who). No, those of us who like this season and hated RTD felt that way because of RTD’s overblown, ridiculous endings (Last of the Time Lords, anyone?), his obsession with with having a Doctor/companion romance interest, and constantly throwing Rose in our faces as OMG THE GREATEST COMPANION EVER. It got to the point where I wanted to punch the screen every time she showed up.
In comparison, this season has been mostly enjoyable. Not perfect (I have seen the whole thing), but I enjoyed it more than RTD’s 5 years. Simply the absence of Rose would have done that for me, but now we have two companions, neither of whom is in love with the Doctor, hints towards a bigger mystery, and a slightly toned down feel…none of the emo-ness or angst of the Tennant years. It has a very classic series feel to it, which I like, but has moved forward. It’s not perfect, and it’s still not as good as the Tom Baker years, but better by far than the whole of the 1980s and the RTD years.
I don’t think this season’s been amazing, but I do on the whole prefer Moffat to RTD. RTD did an amazing thing with how he successfully brought the show back, gave it a modern sensibility, fast pace, a huge shot of emotion and magic, all the while writing indelible characters for 4+ years. That said, often the writing was very full of itself, the emotions were too overt and the storytelling got too busy for its own good. The season 3 and 4 finales were very illustrative of that. Without spoiling, I liked Moffat’s season finale take on the magical element that New Who seems to insist on injecting into everything. It does not stand up to a lot of thought though, so one can only say it’s clever in a superficial way, but I grew tired of the RTD theatrics which seemed as if every other line had a brass orchestra note of triumph scripted in which needed to herald the occasion.
The thing I miss the most from RTD though is the characterizations. When Moffat isn’t writing, the characters, particularly the secondary ones, get a raw deal. RTD could make a character with only a couple lines of dialogue memorable. But very few of the one-off characters from this season were any good. Amy also took a nosedive, though I’d say from Rory’s death to the finale she was better characterized.
As for DW’s brand of gentle storyarcs… I don’t know what the debate is about – I’m all for them, though they’re getting a little derivative and as a die hard fan I never used to need them (probably because the only times they were heavily used were seasons 16 [okay] and 23 [ugh]). Moffat’s creates a lot of unanswered questions, but it’s resolution isn’t unsatisfying. If one compared it to only the Donna portion of the storyarc for season 4, then I’d say it’s better. Moffat hasn’t had time to build something as big as Rose coming back like RTD could after 4 years, and who knows if he wants to ever do his own “everyone and his mother, literally, comes back” event. But there isn’t a lot of cohesion between each story since Moffat’s style is hands-off compared to his predecessor. That I have noticed, and part from a few exceptions (Richard Curtis was never going to screw up very badly for “Vincent and the Doctor” and the Doctor’s comedy scenes in “The Lodger” almost write themselves) the characterizations are less interesting and the dialogue less memorable.
Ok Before I read any further I’d like to make it clear that the comments I made about anti RTD commentators and the faintly homophobic stance that I’ve seen associated with it is in no way connected to any of the people I’ve enjoyed reading or debating with on here. Nor do I think that everyone who dislikes his work, on Who or anything else, must have that mindset. Just pointing out a sad connection that I’ve seen elsewhere, especilally on Facebook and other UK based sites.
My observation that a profound dislike for a man who there would be no current Who without (in all likelihood) and who we would certainly never have had the likes of Ecclestone without (he is an extremely well respected writer and stated reason for many even thinking about having anything to do with the show) does continue to puzzle me though.
@Saerwen
I don’t have a problem wth “blockbuster” Tv when it’s well done so RTD’s massive season endings aren’t a problem for me. I also think they make more sense than not, and certainly more than this season’s end which was daft in many ways.
I don’t see how he had an obsession with Dr / Companion romances either. He had Rose fall in love with The Dr, which i guess if you dislike Rose would be a bad thing, but if not What was up. I happen to like that he had her fall in love with who he was (I also don’t see her as the 1st companion ever to do so) and the interesting thing was watching first Ecclestone’s Dr & then continuing through Tennent’s the feeling appear to grow, gradually from the other side. Then that was it. Cpt Jack fell for Ecclestone’s Dr too, but basically we got 2 season’s of it out of 4. Martha fancied then fell for tennent’s Dr but that was all one way and Donna was deliberately disinterested. Add the specials and take away Rose’s, very brief return and less than half the time was spent with anything like a 2 – way romance.
I’d like o know what it is about Rose that so grates on you?
Again Rose was absent in season 3, almost all of season 4 and most of the Specials so saying the Absence of Rose would have been enough doesn’t really help me understand. You had most of 2.5 season’s without her before so why should you like season 5 anymore because of her, simply, continued absence? Neither does your statement that having had 2 companions this season, “niether of whom (were) in love with him”, considering that Amy tries to kiss or shag him every 5 minutes. Now that is annoying and mildly skanky to be honest.
My dificulty is thatthere are so many contradictions there. Or is skankiness somehow more desirable than love?
Oh and even lameness like the happiness Patrol shudders) made more sense than either part of the finale or the Daleks, or the fish Vampires (which had seemed promising). Ironically there was a lot of fun in The Lodger, even amongst the standard season 5 foolishness and I remain 100% fine with anyone liking or disliking anything they so choose (me included of course). But I always have and always will call shennanigans on someone who says something of demonstable quality (not likability, quality) is of poor quality; or that something of poor quality, however much fun or however likable, is top quality. You may not like slapstick but a well conceived & choerographed sequence is still that whether it makes everyone laugh or not. Yet for all it’s technical skill and the hard work put into it the “Burly brawl, or indeed almost anything from The 2nd Matrix is still well put together rubbish. (Actually not always that well put together either.
@ Ian,
Yeah i think RTD’s biggest weakness on Who (nobody’s perfect) is a tendancy to create so much story over 2 or more episodes that there can be too much to do; too much story to try and fit into a 2 or even 3 part finale. On the other hand it tends to lead to an awful lot of story to fall back on.
A lot of the time i found the way that items or conversations from years before come to play a meaningful part later on. Reminds me of DS9, B5 & Farscape in that respect. There’ was a sense that we were on a journey. It’s just not a very interesting one, for us, anymore.
I think the biggest problem with this season is that Maffat isn’t writing most of the eps! My all time fave eps are Season 1′s 2 -parter ‘The Empty Child’ and ‘The Doctor Dances’: brilliant plot and great dialogue! “Rose, I’m trying to resonate concrete.”
I wish he’d spend more time writing and less producing.
I don’t think any of the Christmas episodes have been very good compared to the rest of the series. Though having gone back and watched the run away bride (now that Donna is my fave companion) I enjoyed it more. Season 3 finale was pretty lame, but otherwise, I’ve really enjoyed the bigger than life finales. Tenants final episodes were not as good as the S4 finale, but they were far better than S5 finale. Part one builds you up and part two lets you down. And as far at the doctor being about “Stand alone episodes”, I must disagree with you there. RTD was great at weaving in an ongoing threat, but from it’s inception, Dr Who was a serialized on going story. Original series episodes especially early on could be 4 to 12 parts of one continuing story. It’s what made this obviously low buget series as good as it it. It allows you to tell a broader, more entertaining story.
Re: this season. I love, love, love Matt Smith’s doctor. With a nerd contingent, we’ve been watching ALL available Doctor Who eps. since William Hartnell and Smith has really nailed the essence of the Doctor’s character. This season had homages left and right for those who know the early stuff– the Silurians ep. was basically a re-telling of Jon Pertwee’s 1970 meeting with the creatures. Anyone who came on board with Tennant (who was great in his way) seems resentful of anyone else playing the role. But Smith is the 11th. Check out Patrick Troughton before you’ve made your determination that the series began and ended with Tennant. Gareth Roberts’ ep. the Lodger was terrific– and really shows Smith’s chops. This kid is amazing.
By the way, the episode was good and I liked it.
I loved this episode!
I thought it was a fun episode – a little light on the plot, but that’s okay occasionally. It was entertaining to see the Doctor try to be a regular guy.
After the very emotional “Vincent and the Doctor”, I was glad that they had this fun, light-hearted ep. Anyone who has watched the show for any length knows that the Doctor’s brilliance comes off as arrogant and rude most times – no wonder that his attempt at being ‘normal’ would go so awry. (If you really want to see the Doctor as a jerk, watch the Hartnell years – what a cranky pants!)
I can’t wait for the next two eps – and I wish those of you who didn’t wait would just button your lips, and stop dropping your ‘no, it’s not a spoiler, just a hint to show how superior I am to you’ nonsense!!!
And this doctor is way more of a prick then the last two incantations. So his oblivious jerk-like behavior seemed completely in character.
Tosh! This is one of the best episodes in the entire series and it’s way better than that stupid Vincent van gogh episode
Totally agree with you, that Van Goh episode was lame.