Doctor Who Club of Australia

[Beatly]

BRILLIANT!!!

That's what I thought of it, anyway. It was the biggest gamble with the series' format so far, but it works brilliantly. I already knew that the Doctor and Rose weren't in it much, but I barely noticed. Their presence is felt throughout, of course, but as it is, it works perfectly.

The Abzorbaloff looks great - a mix of classic Doctor Who monster, Austin Powers' Fat Bastard and Peter Kay - and some of the more suspect features (remember it was created by a 9-year-old kid) are explained away perfectly, and brilliantly. The way Peter Kay plays it (he's an actor best known for comedy, including and perhaps primarily stand-up, in case you don't know who he is) is just wonderful. Well, lots of planets have a north.

Marc Warren, as Elton Pope, carries the episode with ease. I wouldn't complain if he turns up in Torchwood, not in the slightest. Camille Coduri excels as usual as Jackie Tyler. Her flirting technique hasn't got any subtler (think a sledgehammer) since first meeting the Doctor in Aliens of London.

The use of music is fantastic, including a brief flash of a certain well-known singer near the beginning. You know, I can't find a single thing to fault about this episode. Not a thing! Maybe on a second view, but not yet.

In summary: a different style of episode, but it works well. Bound to slice fandom neatly down the middle. Can't wait!

[dave]

This was a most unusual episode, and very enjoyable I thought, too. I gave it very good.

Jackie on the pull is a fearsome sight!

Really liked the flashback sequences in this episode too. I can recall the Autons (Rose), the spaceship crashing into Big Ben (Aliens of London) and the exploding windows (Christmas Invasion)...were there any others? I can't recall offhand.

Peter Kay was great both as Kennedy and the Abzorbaloff (sp?) Most of the humour in the story I thought was great, although as soon as we saw the faces of the consumed on his skin, I felt it likely that we were going to get some bad humour involving a face on the creature's backside. In some things it seems RTD is most predictable.

"I don't like to be touched literally or metaphorically" cracked me up, as did the name of the sister planet of Raxicoricofallapatorius...Klom. I thought Rose and the Doctor ignoring the Absorbaloff completely because Elton had upset Jackie was great too. Obviously doesn't take much to amuse me!

The death of the Absorbaloff was very well done. Just looked fantastic. The only, and minor, criticism I have of this story was that Ursula still had glasses on after being absorbed...

Not sure myself whether I'd rather die or live on as a paving tile...actually, no, I'd rather die! I know that was for comic effect, but I think it would have been more humane for the Doctor to have let her go.

[Tegan]

Not bad. I'd have given it an excellent if I was still 13, but there was enough in it to keep the mums and dads amused.

L.I.N.D.A. were a little bit like all the Scooby Gangs we've ever seen, only nerdier. And the scene where the Doctor, Rose and the Hoix were running between the doors was straight out of Scooby-Doo.

Elton and Ursula's "love life" sent a chill down my spine!

My one big problem was with Jeff Lynne. Clearly Roy Wood was the creative genius behind ELO until they went commercial. Pah! I spit on Jeff Lynne!

Jackie Tyler, (to quote an earlier influence), "You are awful... But I like you!"

Overall a nice light releif from the drama of the last two episodes. The episode kept moving along at all times, and no faux happy ending for the rest of L.I.N.D.A. A bit hevy handed on the morality tale for the little kiddies though.

[Dazza]

Didn't go for it myself. Seemed like a weird mixture of Notting Hill and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The opening chase with the monster, Doctor and Rose looked like a scene from the Goodies.

I found myself on a couple of occasions looking to see how much longer the episode had to run.

Gave it an average as the performances from most of the cast was good and the story was, at times, interesting - but it just wasn't Doctor Who.

[Amano07]

i enjoyed it ..it was different but not to its detriment.

one thing though, wasnt Jackie suppose to travel in the tardis at some point for this one?

[Todd]

I'm sorry but I thought it was dreadful!!!

Negatives:
Peter Kay was woeful.
The writing very smug.
The way it was structured was very off putting.
I felt no connection with Elton at all.

Positives:
The group LINDA were good.
The Jackie stuff was great but not enough to save the episode.

Sorry. Worst Episode yet. By a long long way.

[meglos]

Very different but very good.

[Tom N.]

Lots of fun. RTD still needs to work on his endings a bit, but overall it was very funny and very entertaining.
I'd probably compare it to Delta and the Bannermen - offbeat and a bit of an acquired taste, but if you're in the right mood it can be very enjoyable. Thumbs up from me.

[Hiruma]

err..

Kids wont even know who ELO are. Hell I was born in 77 and only have a rough idea of them.

It was a reasonable episode, Although any episode coming after such a fantastic! 2 parter was always gonna suffer.. its like being put after a Dalek Episode.

I cant believe there are only 3 episodes left!..

ai carumba.. where has the time gone?

Now if they want to bring another Companion back.. how about Nyssa or Turlough? Id love to see what both of them are up to.

(sorry couldnt resist.. its nearly time for the 'Wonder what sort of person the new companion will be thread')

[SharazJek]

Excellent!!! I got much more enjoyment out of this than the previous episode.

As silly as it was though, it was aimed at the adults. Of course only adults would know who ELO are.

While the Mrs and I were giggling about Elton and Ursula's 'love life' now she's a paving tile (lets not go into that), the kids were quizzically looking at us and going....'huh??...what???'

Then as the credits ended my 7-year-old turned to me and declared it was the most boring Doctor Who he had ever seen!

In contrast, my 3-year-old begged me to watch it again before she went to sleep. And half way through the episode, she went to sleep.

Very clever, well played by the cast. I hardly noticed that the Doctor and Rose weren't there for most of it.

Only one gripe with the continual Torchwood references......it hasn't even started yet and I'm sick of it!!!

[Guest]

man, im 16 and know who ELO are

that was so the best part of the episode hehehe

Klom *rolls around laughing* that bit was classic

[FredDag]

I liked this episode. I watched it with a group of friends who were all non-fans and some fairly new to the series. They thought it was brilliant and actually better then the last two parter.

I like how the format of Dr Who is being challenged in a big way. This episode also reminded me of some Babylon 5 episodes.

I had no problem with the Doctor and Rose not being in the episode much and I thought the story was interesting. It made me giggle and feel sad at times, if it does that for me it works. This is not going to be the best episode of the century but it's still quite enjoyable.

Watching this episode reminds me, that Dr Who is no longer being aimed at the fans, which is a good thing. Otherwise we'd be stuck watching episodes that are like Genesis of the Daleks all the time and that would get very boring.

Hugs

[charlie]

[Dwarkarn]

No huge gamble.

Russel T Davies wrote it.

As soon as I see that name on my screen I know I have quality, regardless of whether the Doctor or his companion appear in the episode.

[Voc76]

*Warning Spoilers and Vitriol*
This episode looked to me like it was going to be, possibly the bravest breaking of the mould that Dr Who had ever seen. The set-up was great, the concept was interesting, the direction was very cool and it looked to be very refreshing.
Then once again the line between what should be serious and what should be funny was crossed with no regard for tension or suspense.
There are things in this episode I can forgive, they formed an ELO cover band…ok fine it was a stretch but it’s ok.
There were fart jokes. Now I don’t like fart jokes but some people do so I’ll let it pass.
Seriously the Alien wanted to EAT the Dr?
The sonic screw driver can do ANYTHING, I’m getting a little sick of that frankly. It’s a sonic device I do not believe that it can repair metal, make Cybermen look the other way when your hiding, jam all radio frequencies and put air in your tires in an emergency. This leads to lazy script writing.
Rose: “Oh no the Daleks, Cybermen, ice-warriors, and Vervoids are approaching our position and we have no way of escape!”

Doctor: “Don’t worry Rose, I’ll just use my sonic screw driver to locate a passing space liner, use setting 249 to teleport us to it, and then use it to mix drinks to pay our way back to the Tardis.”
Rose: “Why don’t you just use it to destroy all the Aliens we don’t like”
Doctor: “Oh I’d never use setting 656, not unless it was a real emergency”

But this wasn’t my real problem with the episode
My real problem was the last 5 minutes.
The Doctor used his sonic device to “Partially reconstruct” a human so they could spend the rest of their life, which (presumably is now forever) as a face in a paver.
I may be missing the point but wasn’t that the eternal punishment that Rassalon handed out to President Borossa and the Master in “The Five Doctors?”
Oh yes, love will see them through….not unless Elton is a concrete fetishist.
Isn’t this horrible? “They even have a love life of sorts” Gee I wonder what that entails…..
The Doctor, sentenced this poor woman to the rest of her life entombed in a brick so Elton could feel a bit special, but what happens if they break up? Nothing last for ever, does she go face down in the garden as a step on the way to the pergola? Is she used in the construction of Elton’s new house the one he bought with his new girlfriend? Or does he just throw her in the duck pond?
It could have been a great episode but it wasn’t.

[charlie]

Im starting to hate his driver as well.

[Voc76]

[OMG! What happened to Rassilon in the TimeWar?! Is he still alive somewhere? or is he dead?]

Well I guess it depends on whether you think the Doctor was hinting that HE was Rassilon in Reveilation of the Daleks or not. If not then he's been dead for some time and presumably if Galifrey has been destroyed then all of Rassilon's objects d'art have been destroyed too and so has the eye of harmony so the Doctor can't really be traveling in the Tardis......Lets not think to hard about this then shall we? [/quote]

[SharazJek]

I personally find it difficult to think about the time war.

Wouldn't the time lords exist in some point in histroy anyway?

Or did the time war vacuum them out from the pile of the universe so they never existed in the first place?

If so, how does the Doctor exist?

Is he an anomaly that could unravel the fabric of the entire universe???

My next appointment with my local Logopolitan is nect Wednesday at 10am, so maybe he can help me......

[Voc76]

I would like to think that the Master and the Meddling Monk are out there somewhere, but not the Rani dear God don't bring the Rani Back.
It also seems unfair that the Timelords aren't coming back, I mean the Daleks have managed it twice now. No doubt preparing for a third.
But if they have been Erased from existance then your right, how did the Dr survive...I think it would have been better that we found out that the Doctor was pretending to collaborate with the Daleks to try to foil their plans but it didn't work out. But not till the 4th season.

[Terry]

I just Had to reply to your critique of this episode. I don`t agree with your overall opinion but the way it was expressed was great. Personally, I enjoyed this episode on many levels. It`s like the Simpsons, there`s a joke for the kids and one for the grown ups; sometimes both at the same time. It helps that I watched it with my six year old son who, though bemused that the Doctor and Rose weren`t in it much, still enjoyed it.
I won`t go into the parts that I disagree with you on, I`ll just agree with you upon the subject of the ending; Yes, it could have been a bit more `kid` friendly. And the sonic screwdriver. Yeah ! It now seems in series two to be a cure all. Your postulated examples said it all. But for my money, the telling aspect of this episode is this;.... Along with the Empty Child, this is a story that could have been succesful without being a Dr Who story. Think Twilight Zone etc,... To my mind that is the mark of a great story; that it can be told without popular and established characters.
And finally, I loved the tragic and comic elements of the story.
So a great story which towards the end weakened [i]slightly....![