Just when I thought I was safe from the monster that is Jackie Tyler, along comes her replacement! Catherine Tate, as bride-to-be Donna, was best when she was pleasant but I couldn’t bear her voice at the beginning!! Once she started to trust the Doctor, and smiled, it was more watchable than when she was whining. I still don’t like David Tennant’s manic interpretation, though I understand why he portrays the character in this way. It appeals to all those children who consume too many E numbers through drinking too much orange squash!
There were some good shots in “The Runaway Bride”. The water-drenching close-up on Tennant’s transfixed face was straight out of a Ridley Scott movie. The upward-spiralling TARDIS, at the end of the taxi sequence, as well as the children in the back seat of their car, seen but not heard, each mouthing “Jump”, were both entertaining moments. Some have suggested the episode peaked too early at this point. Bouncing along the M4 isn’t typical TARDIS behaviour but it was fun.
I enjoyed the several nods to classic adventures. The robot reveal in the taxi, when the Santa mask came off, was reminiscent of “Terror of the Autons”; showing Donna the origins of the universe was similar to showing Sarah Jane its possible ending in “Pyramids of Mars”; monster in the basement reminded me of “Paradise Towers”; and the genocide of the Racnoss - “Terror of the Vervoids”, the very thing the Doctor was on trial for twenty years ago!
I suppose, for the fans who want to be surprised, although the episode title ruins that possibility, there should’ve been a spoiler alert before the Dalek reveal at the end of the trailer for season three but it’s shown to draw the casual viewer to the programme who might not otherwise bother to tune in. Or put cynically, it’s pandering to a common denominator in the pursuit of ratings over creativity!
2 comments:
I agree Ms Tate was rather grating at the beginning and annoyingly loud (although this was partly to do with the character). However she did calm down later and her rapport with the Doc was well played. As I said before I actually thought David T was less manic here than in the previous season - did you not think so? And yes, lots of good visuals, I too thought that the TARDIS/taxi chase should have been saved till later, it's the kind of thing that should come at the climax of an episode rather than mid-way through.
So how would you rate the story overall then, Time Warden? Does it still rate lower than the original series in your estimation?
And yep, a spoiler alert would have been a good idea re: the return of the Daleks. It seems that the Beeb (or should that be Russell T Davies?) has a very inconsistent policy with regard to the return of old enemies. In Series One of the new "Who", we all knew that the Daleks were coming back in the episode "Dalek" (kind of obvious). The trailer for "Bad Wolf" totally blew the gaff about their return as did Russell T Davies' comments in DWM. And yet the Daleks' third resurgence in Series Two - "Doomsday" / "Army of Ghosts" - was kept totally secret, with no pre-publicity and was only confirmed in those final moments when the metal meanies flew out of the sphere! For me this made for a far more thrilling and exciting episode and a great cliffhanger. Why do they have to call the episode "Daleks in Manhattan" and spoil it? Why not just "Aliens in Manhattan" or something similar - after all Episode One of "Invasion of the Dinosaurs" was just titled "Invasion", so as to not give the game away ...
I read somewhere that Tennant was deliberately toning down his mannerisms. I’m just not sure it was enough. He is so much more interesting when reflective, as in “The Satan Pit”, but these glimpses are few and far between. I think most characters are more interesting when showing greater sensitivity. There were glimpses in “The Runaway Bride”, when reflecting on lost love and even in his irrefutability in destroying the Empress’s progeny, but these tended to be swamped by all the slapstick.
“The Runaway Bride” is never going to be a favourite. I think they have a real problem with when to introduce the alien in 2x45 minute and hour episodes. With the faster pace and the longer running time per episode I feel they need to introduce the monster sooner. It was fine waiting till half way through a story in the past but as they’ve supposedly “moved with the times” in other respects why not in this?
I hope, in the new Dalek story, they don’t wait until the end of the first part for the reveal, especially as now everyone knows! At least the title, “Daleks in Manhattan”, would suggest otherwise. But you never know. There were hardly any Cybermen in “Rise of the Cybermen” until the end of the episode. Practically, it’s easier on the budget to only feature them in the second part. “Who” titles, both old and new, do tend to give the game away. “Earthshock” is another exception together with the Pertwee you mentioned. How about “Mutants in Manhattan”, harking back to the original title of the original Dalek serial?!!
I don’t think the new series will ever surpass the original at its best. I tend to think of “The Caves of Androzani” or “Fury from the Deep” as bench marks and I just don’t see the current production team ever reaching the suspense of those serials. The closest they’ve got, so far, is “The Impossible Planet” which, to be fair, I’d rather watch again than say “The Twin Dilemma”, the original at its worst! I’d love nothing more than to be completely blown away by a new “Doctor Who” story!!
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