Doctor Who ep 2 : Dinosaurs on a spaceship

[mr friendly guy]

Watching it now on iview. Will comment later. Please rate the episode.

[Soontir C'boath]

Eh, I'll catch the encore next week.

[Parallax]

It was an episode of possibilities but none of them really jumped out.

Let's see, you have a rogue space trader/pirate who buys shoddy things (the robots) and does underhanded things to turn a profit, named Solomon.
And they don't have him as an aged version of Solomon Glitz?

All those robots and teleporters and the sonic screwdriver wasn't used against them even once? That must be a first.

I loved the scene with Rory's Dad sitting in the doorway of the TARDIS looking at Earth. Something so utterly simple yet it worked brilliantly.

Indian Space Agency? Whatever happened to U.N.I.T.?

[mr friendly guy]

A decent enough episode, less plot holes than the previous one.


It made sense who made the ark, and also made sense who is currently controlling the ark. The rogue space trader reminded me of Glitz as well (especially since I was just watching the classic story Dragonfire), albeit Glitz's name is Sabalom, while the space trader's name was Solomon. It was also nice how the Doctor let the murderer die, by letting those missiles lock onto his ship. Some people just seem to have this thing where its ok for the Doctor to kill bug eye monsters, but evil humans (or human like) are a no no. So that was refreshing.

The scene with Rory's dad was well done, where he just glimpses into space and then starts travelling the world.

The plot hole about needing people of the same gene line to pilot the ship was really silly. Who designs a space ship like that? It can screw you more likely than it can screw someone else when an essential crewmember dies. You can't train another pilot because its genetics. Going on, since Rory is the son, he will only have half the genes from his father. Now chances are some of the genes in his mother would be the same as his father ( human genetics and all that). So we don't know how much genetic similarity as a percentage of genes for the machine to register as "of the same gene line". However that means the situation could be rigged to trick the machine, since you could get two people genetically similar enough to fool the machine. It would simply be better if they said the ship was designed requiring two pilots, so Solomon being the only sentient that could fit on the chair can't pilot it.

All in all, I will give it a 6.5 out of 10. Since the poll only has up to 5, I will give it a 3 / 5 again.

[Iroscato]

This episode is a classic example of the approach to DW I'm starting to get sick of. In other words 'throw a shitload of ideas into the mix, see what sticks, then run through at absolutely breackneck speeds with as many things happening as possible'. I swear the RTD era episodes were never this chaotic.
And Mitchell and Webb as the voices of the robots? Ugh.
2/5.

[Flagg]

I liked it quite a bit. Doctor Who is at its best when it's not jacking off to established villains.

[Crazedwraith]

Oh crap. The Doctor just flat out murdered the villain there. I mean seriously no one's talking about that?


A little over complicated, i agree, but still this one was tons of fun. And the scene of Brian Pond looking down at the Earth with Amy and Rory, with the Doctor distinctly in the background and looking woebegone and left out? Brilliant.

And I hope that wasn't foreshadowing that Amy's going to die there.

[Iroscato]

Oh crap. The Doctor just flat out murdered the villain there. I mean seriously no one's talking about that?

Now you mention it...yes, that was a VERY dark move for the doctor, I almost felt uncomfortable watching it.

[Sharp-kun]

Better than the episode title implied.

[Broomstick]

Apparently they are going to have actual stand-alone episodes without a series-arc this time. Which is a nice change.

Companion grouping: a bit gratuitous. Sure, the big game hunter makes sense, and the Ponds who, for all their protesting, do seem to want to see the Doctor occasionally (although I gather Amy is more enthused than Rory, as usual). The addition of Nefertiti seems a bit gratuitous to me, and even her end role (trading herself to save the rest) could have been done by Amy, even if it's not exactly in line with Amy's personality (because when has that ever stopped a Who story?). Even so, they juggled a large group of Companions fairly well in the allotted time frame, which can be a difficult trick. Again, the addition of Rory's father also seems a bit gratuitous - it could have been "need two pilots of the same species" or some such.

Regardless, it's old-style stand-alone who adventure with aliens, spaceships, and much running through corridors. A decent romp.

Nice bits: Brian Williams sitting in the TARDIS doorway looking at the Earth (definitely something I'd ask for). Also liked the trick of materializing the TARDIS around a trio doing something as mundane as home maintenance.

[Eternal_Freedom]

It was much better than I expected it to be. I found Amy's comment about the Doctor "weening us of you" to be quite telling, given the Doctor's reaction. Hopefully the big game hunter turns up again, mainly because I think he's an intersting character and I have a soft spot for Rupert Graves as an actor.

[Vaporous]

Decent, fun episode. Completely random side characters and busy work for Lestrade were okay.

[Broomstick]

So, I wasn't the only one thinking of that actor as Lestrade?

[Eternal_Freedom]

Definitely not. I was thinking of him as Lestrade and that other copper from V for Vendetta. I really hope he turns up again. That kind of self-assured and capable companion has been missing for a while, everyone seems to be slightly whiny and convinced they're of no use.

[LadyTevar]

Oh crap. The Doctor just flat out murdered the villain there. I mean seriously no one's talking about that?

Now you mention it...yes, that was a VERY dark move for the doctor, I almost felt uncomfortable watching it.

How odd... I was actually expecting the Doctor to make sure Solomon came to a very well-deserved end.

It was all in his face: first when the robots shot Brian, then when he found out about the Salurians, but when they shot Triky, that was it. The set of the Doctor's face when he got up from comforting the dying Triky told me that Solomon had made the Doctor truly angry. He may have sounded his normal silly self when he dropped that little device off with Solomon, but the Doctor was killing him, pure and simple, and having no qualms about getting rid of a selfish, genocidal money-hungry pirate.

SideNote: Nefertifi as a strong woman who can take care of herself? I LIKED. I was actually glad to see she stayed with the BigGame Hunter, with her own gun. I hope she and he had a long enjoyable life together.

[Scrib]

I liked it more than I thought it would be. Unlike some I liked the robots Some problems though:

Oh crap. The Doctor just flat out murdered the villain there. I mean seriously no one's talking about that?

The Doctor does this and worse a bit, even discounting the times he couldn't help it like Doomsday. Just finished watching Family of Blood where he condemned an entire family to eternal torment for blowing up a few English villagers and making him create and kill John Smith. You can't even say that it's not something his current incarnation does because he killed the villain from The Doctor's Wife with nary a blink. And I think all of them fell short of genocide. And besides, I knew the guy was dead when he brought up rape, that's basically what it's for putting a huge "Irredeemably Evil Bastard" sign over villains' heads so there's no real moral debate about killing them.

The Doctor did some idiotic things this episode though. Like bring along Nefertiti. Like what the fuck? How does that end well? Or does he know that her life is a fixed point in time and then knows that he can't change her life? See this is the problem with time travel EDIT: Just looked it up and she vanished, so he didn't know that she would go back and live happily. That motherfucker.

Also, how is the Doctor unidentifiable? That's ridiculous. He's dead not destroyed. Is everyone connected to the Dalek mainframe now? It was silly enough that a race like the Daleks had no backups or anything but the implications would be fucking stupid. And it's not like we can say that people in the future don't know the Doctor because there's the Tesselactor (which was the whole problem with that thing in the first place, even if they can only go back in time, everyone thinks that the Doctor is dead until they start creating time machines and we have no indication that it's one way).

[Parallax]

And I think all of them fell short of genocide.

If you're referring to different incarnations of the Doctor, then the 7th committed genocide a couple of times. First when he exploded Skaro's solar system good and proper and a tad later when he apparently wiped out the last of the Cybermen with the Nemesis device.
All done on purpose and according to plan.

[Eternal_Freedom]

And the Eight/Ninth wiped out the Time Lords and most of the Daleks. The Second introduced the Human Factor on Skaro knowing it woudl drive a civil war. The Doctor has wiped out species several times, although always with the best intentions.

[Hillary]

And the Eight/Ninth wiped out the Time Lords and most of the Daleks. The Second introduced the Human Factor on Skaro knowing it woudl drive a civil war. The Doctor has wiped out species several times, although always with the best intentions.

And, of course, The Sea Devils - one of the Silurian tribes - back in Pertwee's day. Rather ironic.

As for the episode itself, great fun. I loved every minute of it. There was the odd plot hole here and there, but it didn't lessen the enjoyment of the episode at all. Loving this start to the series.

[mr friendly guy]

Also, how is the Doctor unidentifiable? That's ridiculous. He's dead not destroyed. Is everyone connected to the Dalek mainframe now? It was silly enough that a race like the Daleks had no backups or anything but the implications would be fucking stupid. And it's not like we can say that people in the future don't know the Doctor because there's the Tesselactor (which was the whole problem with that thing in the first place, even if they can only go back in time, everyone thinks that the Doctor is dead until they start creating time machines and we have no indication that it's one way).

He was already difficult to identify in episode two of season 1 back in RTD's day. The computer initially refused to identify him. It seemed only a small group know of him anyway, eg UNIT, Daleks, Time Lords and Silence in the present era. In the future he would become legendary to humans, but at the present he is most probably anonymous except to the Silence. UNIT . And the latter groups are unlikely to make their information available on a device where a space rogue could get hold of.

[Blayne]

I liked this episode for solving an issue I had related to the previous episode discussion regarding strong female characters in this series. There's nothing I can conclusively point to, but some of the previous female characters while generally acting like strong characters like say Donna, also had some elements of over the top hamminess that I found awkward(?). Amy I've liked a lot because she's both strong and more importantly in my mind more regularly normal, prefer subtlety as a more endearing form of character strength.

I know, ironic considering the scene with the two of em' with the stunguns but still, I liked how Neferteeti was strong but also not arrogant or unlikeable like a lot of anime does to supposedly make a strong female authority figure.

I hope the next companion we get is more Samantha Carter sort of strength and not a mix of Donna!Doctor/Rose.

I mean I like girls with guns but the way DW implements it throws me off more often than not.

[jollyreaper]

This episode is a classic example of the approach to DW I'm starting to get sick of. In other words 'throw a shitload of ideas into the mix, see what sticks, then run through at absolutely breackneck speeds with as many things happening as possible'. I swear the RTD era episodes were never this chaotic.
And Mitchell and Webb as the voices of the robots? Ugh.
2/5.

Agreed. Many of the individual bits have promise but they aren't given enough time to settle to make for something truly memorable. None of the recent episodes are the sort of thing I'd ever want to go back to revisit.

And getting aside from the question of why Cleopatra isn't losing her shit in the future with all the godtech....

You know, there's Sillurians still buried in the countryside. It might be a nice jobbie to bring the dinos over to them whenever they finally emerge for keeps. In fact, I think it's implied they will at some point because we saw the Sillurian warrior woman who was dating the human woman a season or two back.

Of course, given that the Doctor has a goddamn time machine, he could always go back and get dinosaurs from their native time and bring them wherever the hell he wants. He could make a gift of pet triceratops to Queen Victoria II on her Silver Jubilee.

Anyone else sincerely disappointed the Big Game Hunter didn't say "Clever girl" before getting jumped by raptors?

[Hillary]

Anyone else sincerely disappointed the Big Game Hunter didn't say "Clever girl" before getting jumped by raptors?

Yes - I was waiting for him to say exactly that as well.

[Themightytom]

This episode is a classic example of the approach to DW I'm starting to get sick of. In other words 'throw a shitload of ideas into the mix, see what sticks, then run through at absolutely breackneck speeds with as many things happening as possible'. I swear the RTD era episodes were never this chaotic.
And Mitchell and Webb as the voices of the robots? Ugh.
2/5.

1. Fuck the beginning it was garbage.
2. The doctor doesn't exist anywhere in the database, and yet CLEOPATRA is the valuable one?

[Broomstick]

Not Cleopatra. She's Nefertiti.