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Doctor Who 4.10: 'Midnight' (ABC, 8/9/08)
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What did you think of 'Midnight'?
Ooh baby, in the midnight hour (5/5)
51%
 51%  [ 14 ]
Good (4/5)
37%
 37%  [ 10 ]
Average (3/5)
3%
 3%  [ 1 ]
Poor (2/5)
3%
 3%  [ 1 ]
Nighty-night. Zzzzzzzz (1/5)
3%
 3%  [ 1 ]
Total Votes : 27

Author Message
Wester



Joined: 04 Aug 2005
Posts: 610
Location: Brisbane

PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 10:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This was definitely scary - all without seeing an actual monster. I thought the planet landscape was fantastic. And the short appearance of Rose - excellent.

Well done DW Team
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mortigitempo



Joined: 30 Jul 2006
Posts: 30

PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 11:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sulp Niar wrote:
Wow. We should fully make a thread about what the other people thought. I still can't get over the fact that my parents loved 'Shakespeare Code' and hated 'Love & Monsters' and 'Gridlock' Sad.


Love and Monsters was trite

Gridlock was mediocre
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DrJones



Joined: 01 Aug 2008
Posts: 20
Location: Cricklewood Pirate Post Office

PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think that it was generally good, but I am more a fan of Moffat than RTD. However, I don't mind RTD, but I thought his earlier stuff has been much better. I am watching a lot of Dr Who in retropect at the moment. But anyway....

One thing that annoyed me a little though was the the Dr is getting a little bit arrogant. Cocky and larrikin is one thing, but arrogant tends to pop up from time to time. It's only a slight arrogance, but it is not very becoming on The Doctor. Maybe it could be the way in which he is written at times.

Also, with all the repetition of Sky and the passengers, I was wondering why no one got a piece of paper and wrote the strategy down, or plan as the alien 'Sky' was taking every thing in. They talked too much. I know that was part of the point, but it went on a bit too much where I was calling to the screen "Get on with it!". But generally speaking, it was good, and I suppose my reaction was part of the idea anyway.

Apart from those few quirks, I did really like it. Very Happy

Oh, and you could half tell that RTD having a bit of a go at Lost. He likes his pop culture old RTD. The music when the monster was about was very much like Lost and the air craft etc etc. It looked a little like that, but that is good Laughing

It was very good and I noticed the Troughton name, and wondered if there was a Doctor Who link. They have had a few relatives of Doctor Who actors pop up a bit. Very Happy
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Theta Sigma



Joined: 26 Jun 2005
Posts: 4428

PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 4:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

DrJones wrote:
It was very good and I noticed the Troughton name, and wondered if there was a Doctor Who link. They have had a few relatives of Doctor Who actors pop up a bit. Very Happy

Director Alice Troughton is not related to this episode's guest star David Troughton, son of Pat.
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mortigitempo



Joined: 30 Jul 2006
Posts: 30

PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

DrJones wrote:


One thing that annoyed me a little though was the the Dr is getting a little bit arrogant. Cocky and larrikin is one thing, but arrogant tends to pop up from time to time. It's only a slight arrogance, but it is not very becoming on The Doctor. Maybe it could be the way in which he is written at times.



I think the arrogance is great - it is one of the things that characterised him initially, particularly with the 1st Doc.

If there has been one fault with the new series, it's been that the Doctor has more or less been portrayed as a superhero who can't do anything wrong... personally I think the Doctor who written as a much more vunerable character in the original series (at least at times), which I think worked really well.

M.
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DrJones



Joined: 01 Aug 2008
Posts: 20
Location: Cricklewood Pirate Post Office

PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Theta Sigma wrote:
DrJones wrote:
It was very good and I noticed the Troughton name, and wondered if there was a Doctor Who link. They have had a few relatives of Doctor Who actors pop up a bit. Very Happy

Director Alice Troughton is not related to this episode's guest star David Troughton, son of Pat.


I was referring to David not Alice actually. But that is an interesting coincidence Very Happy
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DrJones



Joined: 01 Aug 2008
Posts: 20
Location: Cricklewood Pirate Post Office

PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mortigitempo wrote:
DrJones wrote:


One thing that annoyed me a little though was the the Dr is getting a little bit arrogant. Cocky and larrikin is one thing, but arrogant tends to pop up from time to time. It's only a slight arrogance, but it is not very becoming on The Doctor. Maybe it could be the way in which he is written at times.



I think the arrogance is great - it is one of the things that characterised him initially, particularly with the 1st Doc.

If there has been one fault with the new series, it's been that the Doctor has more or less been portrayed as a superhero who can't do anything wrong... personally I think the Doctor who written as a much more vunerable character in the original series (at least at times), which I think worked really well.

M.


That's a good point and perhaps that's it! The Superhero thing and not really the arrogance as such. I can't quite put my finger on what is annoying me (just a little at times Laughing ) about his characterisation this season, but perhaps that is it. Smile He's "the man".
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Polarity



Joined: 19 Aug 2008
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 4:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well!

Well!!


Well!!!



Okay, here we go, I'll try again.............................................................


I loved Midnight!!!!!! For me, this really was the most suspenseful and taut of all the episodes this series - in fact, probably since Blink and 42.

I loved the way evertime the Doctor threw the other passengers a challenge - 'you wouldn't really do' suchandsuch - they thought about it for maybe a nano-second, then said 'YES'! So good to see people not immediately roll over to the Doctor's point of view, on the strength of an acquaintence of a few hours.

After all, if not for the self-sacrifice of the flight attendant, they may all have ended up dead!

(Not the Doctor, of course, he'd probably just regenerate. Easier to be all noble when, likelyhood is, you've got another couple of liftimes left.)

And, much as I like Donna (well, certainly in preference to Martha), this story didn't suffer from her absence.

Though a couple of series ago I felt that Doctor Who would benefit from more two-part stories to have time to develop a strong plotline and other, irregular, characters, I feel this series has suffered from weak two-part stories with obvious padding, unnecessary characters, glaring distractions, just to come in at the required length. And this includes Silence in the Library,where such things were noticeable while watching, the first time round. In fact, when Library finished, I felt disappointed; that it was potentially a great one-part story, but not well served by the two-parts just seen.

But Midnight is an absolutely terrific example of wonderful television when/where so much can be done in 43 mins, without feeling frenetic or over-stuffed.

THE PERFECT ONE-PART STORY!

And, whatever holes there are, don't occur to you 'till at least half an hour later when you're pouring yourself another cup of tea. Or upon re-viewing.

LUVERLY!


PS: Can I beg folks to, please, not to give stuff away from next-week previews? Yes, I really do put my fingers in my ears, close my eyes and hum the theme very loudly 'till I'm sure it's over!
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Theta Sigma



Joined: 26 Jun 2005
Posts: 4428

PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 5:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Noticed with the viewing on ABC1 the "Knock Knock" joke. Interesting how it got incorporated into the episode.
The Hostess was the one who suggested that "Sky" be thrown which foreshadows the Hostess being the one to do it. Ironically this saves the Doctor's life as he was the one who did not want the creature to be thrown out in the first place.
Murray Gold's music here is a very good complement to the episode. It is also a good follow-up to the Silence In The Library/Forest of the Dead in the use of invisible menacing creature(s).

Confidential Cutdown: Look Who's Talking:
Agree with Russell T Davies about the sound team here being the unsung heroes of the series.
Lesley Sharp looked really beautiful here.
Very amusing when David and Lesley were rehearsing and remembering Pi.
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montypython



Joined: 25 Jan 2006
Posts: 844
Location: My own little world

PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 6:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Polarity wrote:

PS: Can I beg folks to, please, not to give stuff away from next-week previews? Yes, I really do put my fingers in my ears, close my eyes and hum the theme very loudly 'till I'm sure it's over!

*looks down at floor guiltily*
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charlie



Joined: 08 Dec 2005
Posts: 1382
Location: Currarong (never heard of it?! Its near Nowra. What?! Nowra's below The Gong!)

PostPosted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 4:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

OMG! The Edge of Destruction anybody? And there I thought it was going to turn into the Leisure hive. All except for Rose this was a really good episode. The previews for next week make me think it will be a very annoying episode. Loved the lack of conclusion in what the monster was, very X files. Rose Sky River- don't like this name trend.
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mortigitempo



Joined: 30 Jul 2006
Posts: 30

PostPosted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

charlie wrote:
OMG! The Edge of Destruction anybody? And there I thought it was going to turn into the Leisure hive..


Yeh, had the same paranoia theme that TEOD had...

Still, I could never really get into that episode - I don't think it really has a great storyline to it, but was important in the whole early development of characters in DW.

M.
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Speckled Jim



Joined: 14 Jul 2006
Posts: 136
Location: Auckland, Un Zud

PostPosted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 10:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

mortigitempo wrote:
Still, I could never really get into that episode - I don't think it really has a great storyline to it, but was important in the whole early development of characters in DW.

M.


Couldn't agree more. Of course, a lot of it has to do with the production standards of the 60s, which haven't aged all that well, but I don't really think Edge of Destruction really has that edge-of-seat tension so many fans attribute to it. The novelisation is much better.
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charlie



Joined: 08 Dec 2005
Posts: 1382
Location: Currarong (never heard of it?! Its near Nowra. What?! Nowra's below The Gong!)

PostPosted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 3:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I dont know. I really loved Edge because I found it so hard to understand what was happening and yet nothing was happening, then I read the book (which was very good) and it all made sense aand now Im bored with it. This is why Im making a conscous effort not to learn anything new about Ghost Light which I cana't get out of watching it.
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Sulp Niar



Joined: 07 Nov 2005
Posts: 775
Location: Where You Only Live Thirteen Times

PostPosted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 6:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I really like that story. Every time I watch it - particularly after the previous stories (which was how it was supposed to be watched, really) - it creeps me out. There's something so disturbing about them all acting so weirdly.
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Polarity



Joined: 19 Aug 2008
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

montypython wrote:
Polarity wrote:

PS: Can I beg folks to, please, not to give stuff away from next-week previews? Yes, I really do put my fingers in my ears, close my eyes and hum the theme very loudly 'till I'm sure it's over!

*looks down at floor guiltily*


S'okay, Monty, you're forgiven; be good though. Wink
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Mister Andersen



Joined: 13 Aug 2008
Posts: 36

PostPosted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 1:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This makes, what, the third time this season that the Doctor's been proven wrong, twice by mere mortals?
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