Doctor Who Club of Australia

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4423

I like to express sympathies with Queenslanders who will have a delay in seeing this episode due to the State Election next week. NT viewers will know how they feel since they had an election when World War III was shown last year. Interestingly enough World War III like The Satan Pit was the second episode in a two-parter.
Speaking of elections, all Australian viewers should take note: the Federal Election is due in the second half of next year. This means that if it is held during the ABC's third season run we could wait two weeks between episodes. If that happens the best we could hope for is that it does not come in the middle of a two parter.

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4423

Last night saw the "The Doctor goes to Hell" ad. Very brief but very effective.

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

I'll second the "Hot damn!" summation for this one. I was massively impressed, and this two-parter has been the highlight of the series so far in terms of action, depth, tight scripting and characterisation.
It did start to bog down into cliched Hollywoodising with the chase through the conduits and the ol' "Ood are breaking thru the doors and we have 8 minutes till they get in" kind of situation, but it soon picked up again. The scene with the Dr and the Beast in the pit was just breathtaking - awesome FX! In Dr Who! A colossal saliva-dripping daemon with fangs and horns and .... oh my god! Are the days of a bloke running round beneath a painted shower curtain gone forever?
Still, methinks Matt Jones has been playing too much Doom 3. The look and feel of the station, the bolt gun (hmm ... more Quake than Doom), the alien civilisation that had "buried" an enemy, and the beast itself being very reminiscent of the final boss in Doom 3 - well heck, I'm not complaining. It's a great video game and there's bugger all wrong with wearing your influences on your sleeve.
This one's a keeper.

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4423

Saw "The Devil Can Be Very Tricky" ad last night prior to ABC News. I have been told that the song that was used in the ad was Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones. What a choice of song.

montypython · Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 9:38 pm Post subject:

This was a FANTASTIC episode! Definitely my favourite from the new series. The Ood chasing them through the tunnel was predictable, but still fun. I liked the fact that Rose took charge, but it is a bit weird with her saying "Go to hell".

It was funny with the Doctor talking to himself as he explored the pit. I think he must have an imaginary companion.

Did I mention that I CRIED SO MUCH DURING THIS EPISODE! "Tell Rose I, I ... she knows." God, it's making me cry now. I can understand now why they're getting rid of Rose. If she stayed on then they'd have to move the relationship up a step, and I know no one wants to see that. But seriously, Matt Jones knows exactly what I want from Doctor Who. Oh, that hug was so cute!

Everything about this episode was perfect. I love Doctor Who!

Commander · Joined: 27 Dec 2005 Posts: 57

Maybe the Beeb could release a companion book to how the ship is alway in the right spot:

The TARDIS in the pit and how it got there: God and Doctor Who Razz

Thoroughly enjoyed this episode, very good script - 10/10.

The references made by Ood (speaking on behalf of the Beast) along the lines of "This one knows me and I know him - the killer of his own people".
If this isnt Sukteh, could it be a loose reference to "The Dark" from the PDA Fifth Doctor novel Fear of the Dark by Trev Baxendale? There's enough to support it too:

-Created before this universe, defeated and imprisoned by man.
-Using psychic waves, controls others into doing it's bidding, despite not being released from its prison.
-Needs to be killed in physical form to defeat it completely.

Even if you look at the environment between Akoshemon (the planet in Fear of the Dark) and the one in IP/SP, it is very similar. Both barren worlds, both with extensive tunnels that lead underground to a prison, both in orbit of firey celestial neighbours.

And the fact that it 'knows' the Doctor just like it know him would be enough as the Fifth Doctor - obviously came before the Tenth. Indeed, both beings are described as being powerful sentients, and each can read the utmost fears or secrets of individuals, and play upon them.

Just a thought/s. Smile

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4423

Rose apparently swearing to the Doctor on the communicator makes me think of The Chief in Get Smart doing the same to Maxwell Smart on the phone.
Loved the shaft scenes.
What a shock that the Beast still possessed Toby.
Due to background noise when I saw this episode late in July I did not hear a lot of what was said in the episode so I was surprised with the Doctor mentioning Draconia, Daemos and Kaled which are names familiar to people who have seen the original series.
Rose tells the Beast in Toby to go to hell. How very apt.
The last time we see the Doctor and Rose in this episode in the TARDIS was actually the last scene recorded for the season. Therefore Billie concluded her work on the series with this scene and it seemed very suitable the Doctor saying "stuff of legends" as that is exactly what Rose has become.

ADAMK · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 219 Location: Canberra

Sadly, "Satan" took a big hit from the footy finals and the delayed Queensland broadcast. It only got 620,000 viewers in the 5 major capitals! At least we beat "The Sound of Music" on 7! Very Happy

http://blogs.smh.com.au/entertainment/archives/the_tribal_mind/006139.html

Odnet · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 61 Location: Mudgee

I liked this but as with a lot of episodes I thought it was all a bit rushed in the end. Why couldn't The Doctor find his way out of the pit and emerge somewhere on the surface and find the Tardis amongst the rumble. Having it just down there was disappointedly predictable, not to mention impossible.
I'm also wish that David Tennant would tone it down a bit at times. While I generally think he is great he does embarrass me at times.

P.S. Has anyone else noticed how "Brilliant" has replaced "Fantastic" as The Doctors saying.

Drax · Joined: 25 Aug 2006 Posts: 4 Location: NT

Loved it - even if we did have to wait to 10.30pm in QLD because of that thing they did, what's it called, an election. yeah

The door opening sound effects were straight from Doom as well.

The only thing that annoyed me were the two superfluous crew members who appear 'quite near the Ood' just before they rebel! Don't need to know their names because its guaranteed that they're dead.
"Damn! I wasn't in main control to be introduced to the Doctor and Rose during the exposition - well thats it for me, horrible death some time soon. Still I'm sure that they'll transmit a nice eulogy into the mission log when I die, like they do for the main characters, right?" wrong.

Sulp Niar · Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:53 pm Post subject:

I agree about the previously unseen crew members, but all things considered this was pretty damn good. It's interesting seeing the Doctor not actually meet the Beast (I mean the mind of it) because it means he doesn't have the usual "good versus evil" type scenarios. Then again, dodgy talking to himself stuff was on display. But as I said this was great.

charlie · Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 5:24 pm Post subject:

I'm getting a bit tired of new WHo. All the chase scenes seems really boring the second time around as I know what's going to happen, And they don't do that thing where they spend the first half hour just finding clues to the mysterious goings on. I think this story could have been alot more 'Whoish' than it was.
Great to see some great effects though. And I love it when Toby spazzes out at the end. great stuff

redfern · Joined: 26 Jul 2005 Posts: 7

I preferred The Impossible Planet, but still enjoyed this one.

Danny Webb was good in both. When Jefferson first appeared I thought it was Australian actor Tony Martin for a brief moment.

Enjoyed the Evil One challenging the Doctor's view of the beginning of time.

Another story where I wished the Doctor had saved the day by reversing the polarity of the neutron flow ( or something similar lol ) rather than smashing some jars and relying on Rose to think her way out of a messy situation.

"Tell Rose I,I...I think she's been my 7th favourite companion after Sarah-Jane, Leela, K9, Harry Sullivan, Liz Shaw, and Romana. Never mind. She knows"

Fantastic! · Joined: 22 Sep 2006 Posts: 16 Location: WA

P.S. Has anyone else noticed how "Brilliant" has replaced "Fantastic" as The Doctors saying.[/quote]

Has anyone noticed that as well as "Brilliant" we also hear a lot of "Oh, Sorry"
from The Doctor. I haven't yet figured out what exactly the new saying is.
Anyone?

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

"Brilliant" is definitely noticeable - but my fave so far is Fear Her's "Everything's coming up Doctor!", with a smug nudge of Rose's shoulder.