Doctor Who Club of Australia

[Todd]

Rate this episode

[uhumanite]

I liked it but it was not my favourite. David Tennant is perfect as The Doctor and Catherine Tate gives a good performance as the loudmouthed Donna. A big thumbs up to Sarah Paris as The Empress of the Racnoss but when I prefer SJA over it I think in future I need a more solid plot.

[FredDag]

I wrote this in a different section, so I thought I'd put it here as well.

I thought the Runaway Bride was no where near as good as The Christmas Invasion. Though it would be hard to beat it, such a great story! I still really enjoyed the Runaway Bride. I got a lot of laughs out of it.

I was really disappointed with the Racno thing, given the size of her body and with those nasty legs she could of done a lot more then just stand there giving orders and hissing. Any old alien or human could of done what she did. Such a shame, the creature looked like it had a lot more potential at being a menace then was actually seen.

Something I never thought would happen in the new series is that the Doctor's home planet was mentioned. What a surprise!

I liked Donna, she gave the show a breath of air, I thought she was a bit of a shock at first but then grew on me.

All in all a fun, enjoyable story but could of been a lot better.

I think my partner had to scrape me off the lounge after I saw the preview for season 3!! Woo hoo, I can't wait!

[montypython]

Okay, just give me a minute to remember this episode after seeing it over a number of days on YouTube a couple of weeks ago .... there we go. I have many opinions about this episode.

I found the Racnoss bloody annoying (Aaarggghhh, my children!)

I found the happy music at the beginning in the TARDIS make it seem a little too light-hearted.

I was very pleased to hear the Doctor say "Gallifrey". Anyone who only started watching the new series wouldn't have even known that was his planet's name. I only did coz I've been doing lots of reading up on Doctor Who.

I always thought the extrapolator was left on the Gamestation. We never saw the Doctor take it back. Oh well.

It was so obvious that it was Torchwood.

As I watched the final scene, I was thinking to myself "RussT (my name for Russell T Davies), you're trying to do an emotional scene and it's not working", yet by the end of the scene I was in fact in tears!

The preview for Series Three looks very interesting. I'm glad they included the Doctor saying "You're not replacing her" to Martha. It makes me feel a whole lot better.

Overall, despite a few things, I really enjoyed this episode. Hopefully I'll be able to get by watching the DVDs until July or whenever we get it.

[Davros]

I didn't think much of this episode, did enjoyed seeing the TARDIS in action flying around and knocking into things I don't think they have used it much in series 2 except for landing but the stories aren't about the TARDIS are they. Hopefully we'll see more interaction with it next series ...well, with the new chick coming into it we most likely will the first episode!

I don't like the new interior...

[Tegan]

In general I liked it. The car chase was fun. Very un-Who, but fun.

Unlike others, I liked the empress Racknoss, and I thought the animatronic spider body looked good. A lot more movement would have improved her.

It was very pantomime, which makes a Christmas special a bit more special IMHO. (HE'S BEHIND YOU!)

The scenery did look a lot more like an Australian winter than an English one. Lots of green and little or no grey.

[McSmell]

I enjoyed it, but of course I would!

I kind of identified with Donna's fiance in the sense that I would sell my soul to travel the universe and get away from the pettiness if ordinary humanity.
And feed people to spiders.

Wasn't the best episode, the Gallifrey bit made me want to jump out of the chair and scream 'Fuck YEAH!!'. However it would have scared the little kids in front of me. And their mother would have belted me.

Like all those sorts of episodes which act as intermediaries, they whet your appetite and make you beg for more. Plus the series 3 trailer had me on the edge of my seat.
Especially the Judoon, was it me or did it in fact look like a Sontaran with helmet in one bit?

And a bit off topic I know but the Master?, so many rumours.... please but me out of my misery!!!
He's my favourite!!
Tissue compressor anyone?

[Theta Sigma]

Having now seen this episode twice as well as reading the sypnosis of it in the Doctor Who Reference Guide, I have decided that this has been an adequate although not great Christmas special.
I loved the car chase.
Could not believe that Sarah Parish was hardly recognisable from her Empress make-up.
It was quite funny towards the end when the Doctor unsuccessfully tried to make a fast one on Donna in order to avoid having Christmas dinner with her parents.

[phase5]

It's television. The plot was full of holes and bad science.

However, everyone I've shown it to has loved it.

Best episode of the new series so far.

Fast moving, entertaining, witty (somewhat) and without any "clutter" from other episodes. (Mostly).

Sit back, kick your shoes off and enjoy.

And really, that's all that matters.

[obsecration]

[Ohica]

I really loved the Run Away Bride. The TARDIS flying [on earth] was excellent and I got a kick out of the take off at the end. I thought Donna was great. I really liked her. She was used very well to make objective comments about the Doctor being scary etc. She was very down to earth. It was a way to ease into the new companion in the next episode. I have seen the next 4 episodes and the stories are much better than previous seasons. I really like Martha too. I think Runaway Bride was a terrific start to the best [new] season yet.

[Ickabod]

I liked the money flying out of the teller....it's a different level to the 1st Chrissy Special,,,,,a good romp throughout....

[Greg]

I loathed and detested this story the first time I saw it. I found it as shallow and unlikeable as Donna herself.

I've only watched it once. I'll watch again this week and see if a second viewing can improve it in my mind. But, quite frankly, I'd rather watch The Twin Dilemma than The Runaway Bride!

[Theta Sigma]

The episode is the Pick of the Day for TV WEEK but the reviewer made the mistake of saying that Martha is in it. Also SMH's Robin Oliver has rated The Runaway Bride as being the SHOW OF THE WEEK.

[Ickabod]

nice article with DT in the Telegraph TV guide

[Commander]

Tis good to be back.

Wasn't the best story, but nevertheless far superior to the previous offering.

Tennant was quite good, well settled in the role now. Tate I also through was refreshing, bit like Tegan with her 'in your face' persona.

The thing I liked about this was seeing the way Ten acted around a non-Rose companion, and, I must say, was pleased with the way it worked.

It was similar to a 'classic series partnership' in that the Doctor was commanding, worked things out for himself and, on the whole, did most of the thinking. To me, the Doctor-Donna relationship, despite it being from one ep, was superior to Ten and Rose (Series two) and still mildly better than Nine-Rose.

Again, it was good to see the Doctor taking charge and I think it adds weight to arguments that the Doctor-companion relationship should be strictly platonic.

Favourite scene was the "Gallifrey" scene, I think it was the first true glimpse at #10's 'no second chances' persona - I didn't really think that it was emphasised in series two. Chilling and very violent, which contrasted the general comic feel to most of the episode.

I think Sarah Parrish was under used, and the Racnoss was probably the best looking new-monster of the revamp so far.

Enough with the character analysis - now for the story.

This was always going to be the entreé for Series Three, and its no wonder that it was a glamourous episode, that dramatically lacked substance.

I must say that RTD improved himself on Christmas Invasion, which I found boring. The story was fast paced, but not executed well. Gold's score for this episode was inappropriately loud, and probably not necessary in the opening scenes in the TARDIS, and, whilst the plot did settle down, I only gave it 2/5.

Here's to series three though - looking thoroughly enjoyable from the teaser.

[Theta Sigma]

Found out at knowfirst.info, that The Runaway Bride has beaten Heroes in the ratings (in Brisbane and Sydney). The Runaway Bride came in at 22nd place for last night's viewing while Heroes came at 28th place.

In Sydney where I am, The Runaway Bride beats Heroes Chapter 22 - Landslide 846,000 to 546,000.

As a former Prime Minister once said, what a beautiful set of figures.

[phase5]

Now that everyone should have seen it.

As much fun as "The Runaway Bride" is an an episode:

(1.) isn't there some restriction to open the Tardis doors in flight? Or is that just when it's dematerialized? "I'm making it up as I go along ...."

(2.) the concept of aliens being responsible for EVERYTHING that's EVER happened on the Earth, (including it's formation now it seems), is a bit tied. Can we get past it? (see "size of the universe, number of stars and planets etc". So why here does everyone come here?).

(3.) wouldn't the daleks have been surprised if they'd managed to reach the centre of the earth? thousands of spiders to greet them.
edit: And lets not forget "INFERNO". Lots of green ozzoooze to get past ....

(4.) considering the queens spacecraft is taken down by some tank fire, exactly how did the other spacecraft survive 5 billion years under the incredible pressure at the centre of the earth, pressure that would have crushed it to a pinhead. ("alien technology" is not an answer, see "tank fire"). and best estimates is that the core is solid.

(5.) drilling a hole "to the centre of the earth with lasers"? ("alien technology" is not an answer). The power requirements? And if the lasers vaporize the rock, what happened to that volume of rock vapor?

(6.) The planets molten from about 35kms down, (approx., go look it up), so you have to create a solid tube of some sort through that molten rock that's approx. 6,000 kilometers long to reach the "spacecraft at the centre of the earth". (It's also a long climb up, and would take a fair while, as would falling 6,000 kilometers). Not to mention dealing with the HEAT problems along the length of the 6,000 kms long tube.

(7.) How much water is required to fill (or partly fill) a tube 20m in diameter and 6,000 kms long (deep)?

(8.) So not only did the Timelords create black holes, they also work as garbage disposal, ridding the universe of dangerous particles? I wonder where they put them?

It was good fun, but looses out on the "good science" award.

[Ickabod]

Ummmm Phase5.....your quote “I don’t want to go on the cart! I feel fine. I… feel… happy" is that from Monty Python and the monkey from Family guy......soooo off topic but I was curious

a few people told me that Runaway Bride went too quick

[charlie]