Visit the official Doctor Who website

Visit the official Doctor Who website
Look to the future

Asylum seekers...

Asylum seekers...
Refuge of the Daleks

Doctor Who picture resource

Doctor Who picture resource
Roam the space lanes!

Explore the Doctor Who classic series website

Explore the Doctor Who classic series website
Step back in time

Infiltrate The Hub of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood

Infiltrate The Hub of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood
Armed and extremely dangerous

Investigate The Sarah Jane Adventures

Investigate The Sarah Jane Adventures
Fearless in the face of adversity

Call on Dani’s House

Call on Dani’s House
Harmer’s a charmer

Intercept the UFO fabsite

Intercept the UFO fabsite
Defending the Earth against alien invaders!

Uncover the secrets of the Dollhouse

Uncover the secrets of the Dollhouse
Programmable agent Echo exposed!

Hell’s belles

Hell’s belles
Naughty but nice

Love Exposure

Love Exposure
Flash photography!

Primeval portal

Primeval portal
Dressed to kill or damsels in distress?

Charmed, to be sure!

Charmed, to be sure!
The witches of San Francisco

Take on t.A.T.u.

Take on t.A.T.u.
All the way from Moscow

Proceed to the Luther website

Proceed to the Luther website
John and Jenny discuss their next move

DCI Banks is on the case

DCI Banks is on the case
You can bet on it!

On The Grid with Spooks

On The Grid with Spooks
Secret agents of Section D

Bridge to Hustle

Bridge to Hustle
Shady characters

Life on Ashes To Ashes

Life on Ashes To Ashes
Coppers with a chequered past

Claire’s no Exile

Claire’s no Exile
Goose steps

Vexed is back on the beat!

Vexed is back on the beat!
Mismatched DI Armstrong and bright fast-tracker Georgina Dixon

Medium, both super and natural

Medium, both super and natural
Open the door to your dreams

Who’s that girl? (350-picture Slideshow)

Monday 23 July 2007

Out for a Duck!


The release of the third DVD volume, from series three of new “Doctor Who”, gives me an opportunity to say a little more on the subject of Steven Moffat’s episode “Blink”. I had high hopes of this story, before it transmitted, and in the first thirty seconds or so the atmosphere created boded well. Unfortunately, as soon as Sally Sparrow peeled back the wallpaper, I knew the writing was on the wall! Yes, it captured David Tennant’s Doctor, without him even being there, but boy did it quickly undermine the mood of the piece. I am, of course, referring to the words “Duck, no really, duck”!! The story was spoiled before it had barely begun. Reading the line made me cringe because, reasonably, no one would bother to write a warning that crass. I wonder whether or not it was in Moffat’s script or if Russell T Davies added it during production. My next gripe followed hot on the heels of the first. I question that the Doctor would conclude his message “Love from the Doctor”. It is established in the opening two-part story on this disc, “Human Nature” and “The Family of Blood”, that the Doctor has to actually become human in order to understand the very concept of love. For this reason, I don’t think he would’ve used the word “love” and, as he did, I would very much like to know what he meant by it? It does suggest that there is little communication amongst the writing staff of the programme when a single, very important, word directly contradicts what has immediately gone before. I wanted “Blink” to be terrifying but already it had descended into the usual realm of playing silly buggers.

“Blink” repeatedly plays the same card, removing the possibility of building up any tension, by undermining what narrative there is with infantile humour. There’s the scene in which Larry Nightingale stands naked before Sally, covering his essentials with his hands, much to the embarrassment of his sister Kathy! For a moment, I thought I was watching “Torchwood” as I vaguely remember a scene in which Gwen Cooper also apologises, this time for her boyfriend’s awkward lack of apparel. Fine for the target audience of the spin-off series but is it really “Doctor Who”? And, having done it once, couldn’t the team come up with something new? Or, is that the level to which their mindset is immovably fixed? Completely at odds with the knowing (hey, here’s a penis gag in “Doctor Who”) wink to the viewer is the Doctor’s so-called “Timey-Wimey” device. This contraption is thus named so that all the three-year-olds watching this supposedly-adult horror story can also join in the fun. Any self-respecting “Doctor Who” fan ought to be inwardly-squirming in mortification by this stage, rooted to the spot much like one of the Weeping Angel statues in the story itself! Everybody raved about this episode because it was written by Mr Moffat and he is the newly-crowned God of “Doctor Who”. It should’ve been him wafting across the set, angel-like, in “Last of the Time Lords”, not David Tennant. Yet, despite all my criticism, and though it doesn’t say much for the rest of the series, I would agree that “Blink” is still the best of the bunch! That may have far more to do with the “gorgeous girl” at the heart of the narrative than the actual writing itself!! And, that’s not to say the episode was totally bereft of good lines, my favourite being “Sad is the thinking person’s happy”… because, whatever the emotional consequence, the thinking person always acknowledges the truth.

8 comments:

Steve said...

I do think that the overload of childish humour is a deliberate ploy to make the episode less scary - and therefore more palatable to younger viewers. I'm just not sure that such a tactic is necessary. When me and my family watch Doctor Who - including our 6 year old boy - we, all of us, want to be scared!

Karen said...

The childish humour doesn't bother me that much to be honest. I tend not to notice all these little things and concentrate on the story itself. Not sure if it is a failing or a good thing but I have always been like that. I don't think of these criticisms unless someone else points it out or it's big enough to grate on my nerves (like the bruised eye of the masters wife). Blink was one of my favourite episodes of the season.

Old Cheeser said...

Funnily enough I started rewatching "Blink" yesterday afternoon - still haven't done my reviews of the last few eps and needed to refresh my memory! I too think it was one of the best stories of last season, whilst not quite the classic everyone made it out to be. The basic premise of the angels was an interesting one, although their method of "killing" was not as lethal as it could have been i.e. just sending people back in time. Okay, quite traumatic, but still...!!

Carey Mulligan was excellent though and would have made a brilliant replacement companion for Freema...instead we are once more saddled with the chavvy Donna Noble. Ho hum. Whose idea was that??!

TimeWarden said...

I have to be honest and say that my heart sank as I read "Duck, no really, duck" when there were a million other more exciting things the message could've said.

My brother's eleven-year-old son and his friends found "Blink" scary, Steve, so I guess some do and some don't! In fact, without realising, he cited all three Moffat stories as being the only ones to achieve this!!

I didn't mention these criticisms at the time of transmission, Karen, not wanting or having the time to make the post inordinately long, but decided to hold them back for the DVD release! I think "Blink" was possibly my favourite, too.

I've reviewed "Blink" twice now, Simon! What's keeping you?!! It's worth taking a second look at, though, and had Carey been cast as the new companion I probably wouldn't be being so critical about the series at the present time!

Old Cheeser said...

I haven't done my Who reviews yet Tim cos I've been soooo busy. And believe it or not I've found other things to write on other than Dr Who! (Would you adam and eve it? As Donna Noble might say - ooooh noooo!!)

I think we should petition the Beeb to replace Ms Tate with Ms Mulligan, that way you'd be a much happier bunny and actually contemplating watching the new series!

TimeWarden said...

I was only teasing, Simon, and look forward to reading your reviews when you post them. I've been busy too as, unfortunately, I live in Gloucester! I'm sure you're aware of what's been happening here regarding floods and subsequent water-rationing!!

I've written on a number of other topics also, admittedly all television-related, including "Ashes to Ashes", "Heroes", "Charmed" and corruption at the BBC but, it's true, my main motivation in blogging is "Doctor Who"!

Were Carey to appear throughout season four, I would be tuning in no question! Even with another succession of naff scripts!! As it is, the casting of Tate, for me, is a much poorer choice than the casting of poor old Bonnie, twenty-odd years ago.

Old Cheeser said...

I know you were Tim! Don't you just know that I'm saving myself up for another mammoth review? Well, I have four remaining episodes to wax lyrical about...Like you I think DW must form the biggest % of my posts - and rightly so! (Although this week I seem to have become obsessed with films, so perhaps that's changing...)

Oh no, I hope you haven't been too affected by the whole flooding thing?

But do you really think Catherine T is a worse actress than Bonnie L? I beg to differ!!

TimeWarden said...

We are very much affected by the lack of water, Simon, but have luckily avoided the house being flooded and have had no power cuts so far. As I'm sure you can imagine, not being able to flush the toilet is the main problem!

I dunno about Tate being a worse actress necessarily but I do prefer Bonnie's personality and when in her element, as in "Delta and the Bannermen", she shines! I still have off-air Betamax recordings of all her "Doctor Who" episodes from the 80s!! Now, there's a thing to admit!!!