London Deserted

[alexsarll]

Well, that was more like the real meaning of Doctormas, wasn't it? The classic Who story about the evils of big business, a few festive nods without resurrecting the sodding pilot fish, a cameo by the Queen. An "I am the Doctor" speech (I always love those) and Kylie heartrending as Halo Jones x self-sacrifice. Like so many RTD scripts, little lazinesses stop it being a classic - if £1m = 50 million credits, then Tittybangbang woman's topical 'phoneline debt of 5,000 credits is only £100, but hey, that bit was ideally placed for me to recharge my glass. No 'The Hopes And Fears Of All The Years', probably not even a Christmas Invasion, but not a disgrace like last year either. And what do you know, in the trailer at the end, Tate even managed a couple of lines that didn't make me want to tear my ears off!

Also: Merry wobs to you all, even the heretics like half my family who ignore the real meaning of the season and don't watch the Doctor Who special.

Comments

[kenix.livejournal.com]

I'm a lot less forgiving of RTD's faults than you but... Kylie was pretty, at least.

[tintintin.livejournal.com]

Pretty for an OLD WOMAN.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Check the archive from last christmas for my post on the Tate abomination if you want, or just take my word for it: I think the man was responsible for the single worst piece of Who ever perpetrated in any format, plus a couple of close runners-up. But that doesn't mean that I think he's beyond redemption. Mostly, I just think he should be writing but not head writer; the majority of his stories would be OK if someone else could insist on a script polish.

[tintintin.livejournal.com]

Tennant was good, Kylie was short, the ending was HAMTACULAR and the Aliens-esque "Get away from her you bitch" forklift bit was risible.

Decent silly Chrimbo entertainment, though.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I'm not saying it was a classic, but after last year 'decent silly Chrimbo entertainment' was fine. And there's sod all else new on TV this year.

[davegodfrey.livejournal.com]

I'd have been happier with Kylie dying if the Doctor hadn't gone in for his "must save everyone" schtick again. And the Pompeii episode doesn't look like it'll be a straight historical either- which means it'll be nowhere near as good as it should be.

And everyone loves a good "I'm a bloody time lord, now do as you're told" speech.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

A second straight historical in Rome would be excessive, surely? But I would like the new series to do a pure historical at some point, yes.

For me, what saved the 'no more'/saving everyone schtick this time out was him from Keeping Up Appearances' comment - "if you could decide, you'd be a monster". Because we know that sometimes the Doctor can, and sometimes he is...

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Tittybangbang woman looks an awful lot like the nuvo-rich woman in the Titanic film innit.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I can only assume that's deliberate, though it's a very long time since I saw Titanic because it always makes me blub.

[azureskies.livejournal.com]

I didn't really get that she was meant to be Halo Jones-ish. Hm. Interesting. Unfortunately, she was so completely uncharismatic that I couldn't really care about her fate like I was clearly supposed to. You can get away with what-I-don't-want-to-call-stunt-casting-because-OGers-overuse-it at Christmas, but still, I would have liked to see someone, you know, GOOD. She was likeable, but also completely wooden.

Plenty to enjoy, though, particularly if you like The Poseidon Adventure as much as I do. And there was a genuine sense of peril, because it was made pretty clear that no-one was safe.

However, the new theme tune is UTTER BALLS.

[kenix.livejournal.com]

"no-one was safe"

...from their own apparent need to end their own lives (both Heroic Pikey and Astrid (heh) could have done what they did without the need for suicide but the script called for melodrama so hey, who needs sense?).

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I forgot about the theme tune. That was dire.

I have no idea whether the Halo Jones thing was deliberate - my seeing a connection is a very different thing to saying that the writer intended one...

I didn't think Kylie gave a great performance or owt, but nor did I think she was only there on name value. Geoffrey Palmer and the midshipman (whom I recognised for reasons unknown) were the best performances of the guest cast, I would say.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

It wouldn't work on TV, though, just like Cornell's story last Doctorsmas wouldn't. Some tales are best as short prose, and adaptation's not always an option.

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

Dude I feel the pain - Confidential was shunned in favour of my dad sleeping in front of the Dad's Army repeat. But hey - that's what festivity is all about innit.

Still sod Kylie bring in Keith.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I can't generally be doing with Confidential, too much of RTD's smug face! We played Rummikub instead.

[amuchmoreexotic.livejournal.com]

Maybe milking robot operators on their planet are the equivalent of subsistence farmers on Earth in terms of purchasing power.

As capitalism advances it seems to produce increasing income inequality but lower and lower prices for basic goods. Maybe at some point incomes for low-end jobs actually start to fall and £100 a year is enough for them to live on.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Sterling work with the nerd polyfilla there, but I still reckon a script edit might be preferable to some fancy footwork with the future economics.

[pippaalice.livejournal.com]

Does every fvcking assistant have to snog the doctor though? Didn't you see Tate doing snogging with Ten? Pffftt.

Was lovely though. Would have been lovelier without my family.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping the Tate snog at least has some explanation - like the Martha one did, or when the Doctor took the Vortex out of Rose. But yes, retire this motif kthxbye.

Did you see the Torchwood trailer after? So much Spike/Jack homoeroticism.

[juggzy.livejournal.com]

RTD's just a bit crap, I have come to the conclusion. Crap in a 'corluvimtheluv' sort of way, but crap, and not really funny, either.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Usually, but then he has those infuriating moments of brilliance like the end of the first and third seasons!

[verlaine.livejournal.com]

I liked the episode and can forgive it a lot on the grounds that I used to play Magic the Gathering with Clive Rowe (the fat black dude) quite often. It was good solid Xmas fun.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Get you with your celebrity chums!

[icecoldinalex.livejournal.com]

never mind about all that - happy birthday fella!

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Also, your icon alarms me.