Doctor Who Club of Australia

[El_Zoof]

Er. Well. Look, it was an enjoyable episode, but I think that once again too much emphasis is given to the B-Ark at the expense of the A-Story. And we all know what happened to those on the B-Ark.

Still, much improved over the painfully dull "The Lazarus Experiment" and the dramatic misstep that was "The Greatest Eurovision Song Contest in the Galaxy"(no, I won't stop, but thanks for asking ). I know it's all leading somewhere, but I'd like to be able to spend a little bit more time enjoying the trip.

As for the narrative device - it neither improved nor heeded the story, and was, in fact, pretty much unnoticeable. I was concentrating more on the fact that the script felt like a mashup of "Planet of Evil" and "Inferno", except with all that irritating 'plot' stuff removed. Still. I had fun, and at the end of the day, that's what really matters.

[meglos]

I thought it was excellent

[dave]

I thought this was very well done. Really enjoyed it throughout, and it had a half-decent sci-fi story behind it. I like the idea of a living star though.

Couldn't understand why, if the Doctor's spacesuit could survive that close to the star with 10% heat shields, he couldn't just use it to get to the TARDIS, move it, and get everyone off. But that would have ruined the story.

I thought the possessed were nice and creepy, although why they didn't just vent the fuel in the first place is a mystery. It was nice to have Martha save the Doctor, and get the TARDIS key. I'm enjoying the way their relationship is developing. I just hope it doesn't turn into another love story.

All-in-all this was really well paced and well-developed. Had a very similar feel to The Impossible Planet for some reason. But a great story.

I gave this an 'excellent'.

[Tegan]

I liked it for one very important reason above all else. The Doctor couldn't use that blasted screwdriver.

Maybe RTD is getting the hint that using the Sonic Screwdriver as a "get out of gaol free card" is just too easy to do.

Aside from that, a good, tense episode with a couple of unforeseen twists.

And I loved that Martha has at last got a key to the TARDIS. About time too.

[FredDag]

Another really enjoyable story, exciting, scary and fun. It's all that Doctor Who needs to be. I'm really enjoying the story arc too. I'm wondering if Mather's Mum is turning evil? She really looked it in that last scene. It's all building up isn't it. This story has me sitting on the edge of my seat. I finding that the 10th Doctor is working so much better with Mather as apposed to Rose. Now I have to wait till next week.

[Tusker]

Well I wasn't impressed with it, It just seemed a rehash of of earlier stories. It was broadcast too close to the Satan Pit for me. The fire creatures sounded like the Beast, the shutting bulkheads were similar, the bodies floating out to space, even the premise of being drawn in to the sun had the same feel. Probably the same special fx. The Doctor's helmet looked the same, & his eyes just looked like Roses's in Bad Wolf.

And the get-out-of-gaol magic mobile phone has been reintroduced. Eveything just seemed recycled.

Only interesting bit was Mr Saxon's peolpe at the end. That's my 2.2c worth.

Regards
Max P

[Hiruma]

Great ep, loved the eyes on fire effect.

Im pro the episode just because it wasnt set anywhere near Earth


Id love to see them adapt perhaps one of the Kaldor City books for a Doctor Who adventure. Plenty of ideas right there.

[Theta Sigma]

Here is the prologue for the episode which became available on the official BBC Doctor Who website just prior to its UK broadcast just in case people who have forgotten or don't know about it before:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2007/42-prologue.shtml

Written by Big Finish writer Joseph Lidster, I thought this was a very good lead-up to the episode.

[montypython]

When I heard the title for this story, I was hoping it was somehow related to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Never mind, because the end result was great. The action kept my heart beating fast, and it was a really interesting format, the way that the moment the Doctor and Martha arrived, they were in danger.

My brother noticed that the Doctor used the sonic screwdriver to give Martha's phone a boost, but didn't he put something in Rose's?

When this episode began, I found it moved way too quickly. I didn't understand half the stuff that was going on, and there was no time for character development. However, that soon changed, and I began really enjoying it.

I also found this similar to TIP/TSP, not only because of the reasons mentioned before, but also the "I believe in her/him", the Doctor in his spacesuit, and also the hug at the end.

BTW is it just me, or is Martha's tattoo of a rose?

[Commander]

For me it was much like The Impossible Planet two-parter. Here just a few examples.

-The locked doors scenario.
-Female crew chief
-The Doctor's spacesuit
-In orbit of fiery celestial objects
-Evil beings possessing humans who dispose of crew members


But nonetheless I enjoyed it.

[Greg]

[Ickabod]

^that's it in a nutshell Greg

[Bomber]

Quite an enjoyable episode. I see the connections to Planet of Evil and the Impossible Planet... Did anyone notice the similarity to Stargate SG1 - Message in a Bottle?

[Odnet]

I liked this but it wasn't at all original. Why wasn't the control to bring back the escape pod on the inside of the ship? Stupid design if you ask me. Also was the Doctor's look at the end (to Martha) a look of jealousy after she kissed the guy, or am I reading to much into it.

[Bomber]

I suspected the jealousy too...

[Ickabod]

[Zarniwoop]

[kangamac]

Average.

I know I should probably like this story more - but I just couldn't get into it. It was told at such a pace and in such a din, that it was difficult to get anything but a passing familiarity with any aspect of the story - and no time for any empathy. Why does there always have to be such a rush?

As for Rose's telephone call home to her mum - oops, I mean Martha - been there and seen it before. Is it just me, or is DW becoming very repetative of late? Still, at least it gives the TV show a sense of the familiar I suppose - especially after last week's self-derivative story...

It was an interesting idea for a DW story, to have it set in realtime, but I hope they never do it again. It was a very brave attempt that just didn't quite seem to come off properly. Still, at least they finally found an excuse for rushing the pace of the story...

However, for an individual who is supossed to be centuries old, it would be nice to see more time pass "in-story". I know this is supposed to occur in "Human Nature" and I am grateful... I just hope "Human Nature" improves on this in other ways as well.

[Zarniwoop]

[charlie]

Well, after having just had a rant about there being no mystery in DW anymore, I felt the story started too quickly. Then it seemed like a rehash of Alien, the Ark in Space, The Satan Pit etc but I was in the mood for such a story so that was good rather than bad. Then the demon spoke and I thought that Satan had come back through the plot device 'somehow.' Again I was in the mood for a returning villain (an all powerful demon) but I was let down. I liked the format of real-time, never seems to fail, but the episode was let down by Martha's similarity to Rose, the unimagination of the sfx crew and yet another irritating agrivating and annoying story arc.

Overall, it was good.