Doctor Who S30E12 "The Stolen Earth" (Spoilers)

[NecronLord]

Been a while since I saw Smith and Jones; I had forgotten the effect of Judoon guns> I also remember them not being so tough as Daleks, but that might be mistaken, too.

As for shielded Daleks, I thought these ones were; certainly UNIT's rifles (and Ianto and Gwen's, too) were having no effect - not even the usual hollywood ricochet sparks. Perhaps these shields are simply less obvious than the previous lot? After all, they'd have Caan's travel machine to inspire them.

There were hollywood ricochet sparks, just like Dalek, and Manhatten, with the shields offline.

[NecronLord]

Did anybody else notice the red glow in the TARDIS at the end of e11? Immediately made me think of the red motiff of the TARDIS-turned-'paradox device' from S3, which could mean that S4 will have the same 'it was all a dream/paradox' ending .

I think it's just 'TARDIS IN PAIN EMERGENCY LIGHTING *GONG*

Also, did anyone else notice how the Dalek shot that hit the doctor didn't do the negative effect over his whole body, just about half of it? I thought he might only need a partial regeneration from it, but everybody was all 'oh-noing' and then he went a started what looks like a full regeneration.

There's no such thing as partial regeneration, that we've seen.

that and the Shadow Proclamation suddenly turned Keystone Cops in spaaaaace and tiiiiiime. in s1, Eccleston was able to use the Shadow Proclamation like some sort of pseudo-religious compulsion, what happened there? And really, why did the Doctor even stop off there?

The Holy Writ itself, and the goons who enforce it may be different in character. Besides, just being idiots doesn't mean people aren't afraid of them. Many races feared the Time Lords, and we know how inept they were in the end.

Plotwise I can't think of anything they did that couldn't have been done with the TARDIS's sensors/displays, though I suppose they needed someone to notice that the bug-thing is apparently still around ( I think that was a heart-beat in that scene, not the sound of drums)

She said 'There was something on your back' I think.

[Bounty]

One out of five. Two if I'm being really generous.

Why two? Well, the episode did at least do one or two things right. SJS's reaction to the Daleks and Davros was done very well and did a lot to at least make Yet Another Dalek Invasion look even remotely scary. The same goes for the Torchwood gang, who have gotten a lot of credit with me after TW S2, plus, there's no such thing as "not enough Gwen Cooper".

Donna's dad may have been hopelessly optimistic about the paint gun, but at least we now have a Companion relative who keeps a cool head and tries a productive response to an alien attack. Instead of freaking out he tried to find the Dalek's weakness and exploit it; kudos to him.

Harriet Jones' role was blessed with suck, but the actress almost - almost - pulled it off, so points for effort at least. If her "last stand" wasn't written well, at least she managed to make it look not-embarrassing.

And that's... pretty much all there is to say about the upsides of the episodes.

The plot is exactly the same as the last few finales. An long-thought-dead adversary of the Doctor attacks Earth, one episode sets up how bad everything's gotten, one episode will have a lot of people shouting before someone thinks to press the magic reset button (sorry, Key of Whothehellcares). In the mean time, the episode has (further) neutered:

• The Shadow proclamation; where's my big space-UN trying to fill the TL's shoes? It's an albino secretary on a space rock! Who does nothing! And can't even figure out what's going on in the first place! There's no reason for anyone to follow the SP's laws when they won't even lift a finger without the Doctor to "lead them".
• The Time War; shit, is there any big-name character that didn't survive it by this point? Bringing back one lone, traumatized survivor made a breathtakingly good episode; having a new "ZOMG you was dead!!!" scene every ten minutes just doesn't work whatsoever, never worked, and never will. Oh, and all that "I can't change it, I can't go back" nonsense? If a single Dalek without a proper time machine can do it, so can you Doc. The Time War has now become a picnic that got a bit out of hand. Congratulations, RTD.
• The Daleks; I know the BBC will want to get some mileage out of those Dalek props, but every time they show up again they get bloated with more suck. Give it up already, get me new villains damn it!

And did anyone notice the gaping plot hole between this week and last week's? The Daleks evidently set their plan in motion in Donna's alt-universe, but... without Earth. Great continuity there, guys.

And let's not forget Harriet Jones' Magical Prayer Machine. It's Archangel all over again, except now with the power of T-Mobile! It's a good thing the Daleks didn't think to take out the phone lines, or DSL, or the cellphone network, or the power mains.

The Stolen Earth was 45 minutes of recycled plot, tiring exposition, lame clichés (ZOMG u can't use the experimental device! stay here and get shot it's much safer!), bad effects, bad dialogue, bad DEM's and overall suck. If it wasn't for a few of the actors salvaging their bit parts, this would have been a zero; I fell less entertained after watching the episode than it did before.

I'm going to skip next week's and see what the score in the commentary thread is first. At this point I'm just glad the series is over.

[Gandalf]

What the hell is "maximum extermination"?

They were messing up the shapes of the continents in TPotW, now they seem a little nerfed.

[Lord Woodlouse]

What the hell is "maximum extermination"?

They were messing up the shapes of the continents in TPotW, now they seem a little nerfed.

Translated that means "kill them all", not "maximum firepower".

[Gandalf]

What the hell is "maximum extermination"?

They were messing up the shapes of the continents in TPotW, now they seem a little nerfed.

Translated that means "kill them all", not "maximum firepower".

Wouldn't more firepower translate into better killing of the military guys?

[Hillary]

Well, my immediate thought after the episode is that I can't wait for next week's finale.

If that makes me a sad fanboy, who cares.

And that's a major pet peeve of mine. When people like something not for its story, characters, etc. but because it's on TV and it's something you can watch for an hour. Sure you might have to supply all the enjoyment, the back story, the suspense, etc. but it's on TV and therefore it's fun.

You may not be aware of this, but some people watch TV for pure entertainment. Doctor Who has not been and has never claimed to be Citizen Kane. It is a soft sci-fi entertainment show. And it's great fun. Occasionally it comes up with a stunning piece of dramatic television (Blink, Human Nature, Dalek) but these will always be the exception rather than the rule.

A lot of you remind me of pretentious music fans, who complain about the lack of depth in pop music. Totally missing the point.

[Lord Woodlouse]

What the hell is "maximum extermination"?

They were messing up the shapes of the continents in TPotW, now they seem a little nerfed.

Translated that means "kill them all", not "maximum firepower".

Wouldn't more firepower translate into better killing of the military guys?

What does it matter? They apparently subjugated the Earth in less than an hour. They seemed to attribute some importance to "harvesting" the human race, so considering that objective this is actually more efficient.

[Jade Falcon]

The story started strong, went downhill with the Harriot Jones pep-talk, picked up with Davros, then went shit with the Rose-love. Christ can RTD not get over this fuckin' chav cow?

Take out Rose & we'd have had a great/gooder story.

Agreed with the Rose wank, Billie Piper seems to think standing with your mouth gaping open is acting, and as for trying to make her look tough..big gun or not, it doesn't work.

I was getting sick of her whining on the communication "I'm the first one here", no you weren't, of that lot, Sarah Jane was.

[Lord Woodlouse]

The story started strong, went downhill with the Harriot Jones pep-talk, picked up with Davros, then went shit with the Rose-love. Christ can RTD not get over this fuckin' chav cow?

Take out Rose & we'd have had a great/gooder story.

Agreed with the Rose wank, Billie Piper seems to think standing with your mouth gaping open is acting, and as for trying to make her look tough..big gun or not, it doesn't work.

I was getting sick of her whining on the communication "I'm the first one here", no you weren't, of that lot, Sarah Jane was.

I don't remember her claiming to be the first, just that she is one who should be part of the group.

Of the flaws in that story Piper, for me, simply wasn't one of them. The Doctor had a closer relationship with her than just about any other companion, most likely because she was the first sign of hope the Doctor had after the Time War ended... but it's there, it's not something that came out of nowhere.

[Stark]

I don't remember her claiming to be the first, just that she is one who should be part of the group.

Of the flaws in that story Piper, for me, simply wasn't one of them. The Doctor had a closer relationship with her than just about any other companion, most likely because she was the first sign of hope the Doctor had after the Time War ended... but it's there, it's not something that came out of nowhere.

While it's probably subjective, Piper didn't seem to be in the role in her early scenes. I'm not the kind of mendacious idiot who thinks someone who has been living the rich life and working for Torchwood no longer sounds like a shopgirl, but she got much closer to her old performance in later scenes.

[NecronLord]

What the hell is "maximum extermination"?

They were messing up the shapes of the continents in TPotW, now they seem a little nerfed.

Translated that means "kill them all", not "maximum firepower".

Wouldn't more firepower translate into better killing of the military guys?

We hear 'maximum extermination' with regard to the Valiant too (there, they fire pulses, incidating that 'maximum extermination' can't be a single weapon setting, but rather 'full power.'

[NecronLord]

If a single Dalek without a proper time machine can do it, so can you Doc.

Now now, Caan is the best of the best of the best. The Doctor scraped through the academy with minimum marks on his second attempt. There's every possibility Caan could know more about time travel.

The Daleks; I know the BBC will want to get some mileage out of those Dalek props, but every time they show up again they get bloated with more suck. Give it up already, get me new villains damn it!

Personally, I think they could have got a good episode out of UNIT (UNIT's first space ship?) finding Davros, just in itself. He couldn't contaminate the daleks, and could potentially shine on his own as a manipulative villain who claims to want to help humans, and come from a human war against the daleks in the future...

By the time the Doctor finds out about it, factories are already beginning to turn out the first run of Davros' new exploration and combat equipment... In distinctive white (ceramic) and gold (dalekanium) colours.

[Bounty]

Now now, Caan is the best of the best of the best. The Doctor scraped through the academy with minimum marks on his second attempt. There's every possibility Caan could know more about time travel.

Didn't Caan have nothing more than his Emergency Temporal Shift system? Which was, if I recall correctly, the time machine equivalent of a dinghy? Good enough to get the hell out of dodge and not much else?

I don't care how good Caan is, having him all of a sudden break the Time Lock when previously he had trouble taking 1930's New York of all places just reeks of "random plot device".

Personally, I think they could have got a good episode out of UNIT (UNIT's first space ship?) finding Davros, just in itself. He couldn't contaminate the daleks, and could potentially shine on his own as a manipulative villain who claims to want to help humans, and come from a human war against the daleks in the future...

No, no Davros, no Daleks. Dalek (the episode) was a prefect coda to the Time War and that should have been it. If you bring back the TW factions you better go all-out and erase the war itself from history or something; but you can't expect people to take the TW seriously any more when it's being made less and less dramatic with every passing series.

[mr friendly guy]

If you are going to bring back TW factions, simply have them being survivors rather than erasing the whole thing from history. Obviously the survivors won't have the resources of the factions during the war, which will allow IMHO great storytelling, especially since other time capable factions have turned up since the war.

[Jade Falcon]

I don't remember her claiming to be the first, just that she is one who should be part of the group.

I'm pretty damned sure I heard "I was here first", and when she saw Martha "Who is that", and she did keep saying something along the lines of I was here first during that videoconference scene.

Also, the scene where she's raising her mobile phone with that same moon faced look just irritated me, I think Piper/Rose is vastly overrated myself, she's not bad as such, but I just think she's not the be all and end all.

[NecronLord]

Now now, Caan is the best of the best of the best. The Doctor scraped through the academy with minimum marks on his second attempt. There's every possibility Caan could know more about time travel.

Didn't Caan have nothing more than his Emergency Temporal Shift system? Which was, if I recall correctly, the time machine equivalent of a dinghy? Good enough to get the hell out of dodge and not much else?

And he could have laboured ten thousand years building a DARDIS offscreen.

No, no Davros, no Daleks. Dalek (the episode) was a prefect coda to the Time War and that should have been it. If you bring back the TW factions you better go all-out and erase the war itself from history or something; but you can't expect people to take the TW seriously any more when it's being made less and less dramatic with every passing series.

It would have nothing to do with the Time War. Davros was nothing to do with the time war until this episode established him as being so. Davros was last seen bailing out of his ship over 1963 Earth in an escape pod.

[andrewgpaul]

To be fair, the episode implied that he encountered the Doctor again, after that.

[NecronLord]

To be fair, the episode implied that he encountered the Doctor again, after that.

This one did, yes. I was saying "if I were to write a davros episode in this season, it wouldn't have him escaping the time war with a giant army of daleks. He'd just be found."

[TC Pilot]

Considering the impennetrable walls between alternate realities that took a TARDIS an entire star's worth of power to send a simple transmission through are breaking down to the point that Rose could jump between them seemingly at will, Dalek Caan breaking the war's "time lock" at the cost of his sanity doesn't seem too great a feat.

Which reminds me, why are the barriers between universes breaking down? Has Davros done something to cause that?

[Stark]

Considering the impennetrable walls between alternate realities that took a TARDIS an entire star's worth of power to send a simple transmission through are breaking down to the point that Rose could jump between them seemingly at will, Dalek Caan breaking the war's "time lock" at the cost of his sanity doesn't seem too great a feat.

Which reminds me, why are the barriers between universes breaking down? Has Davros done something to cause that?

They don't seem to have even touched on the actual threat, the doom that comes to Sarnath ... I mean all universes. Unless it's something really lame like 'zomg teh doolicks'.

And Davros was last seen bailing out over Earth in 1963... with no torso. So, let's not look too closely at the man behind the curtain, hmm?

[Scottish Ninja]

When I first saw Davros, I thought he looked like Yuri from Red Alert 2. I wonder if the two are connected in some way.

[NecronLord]

And Davros was last seen bailing out over Earth in 1963... with no torso. So, let's not look too closely at the man behind the curtain, hmm?

Just because he was living in a space bread-basket doesn't mean he was just a head. I figured the top half of his chest was just covered by all those leads.

[Chardok]

I'm not going to respond to the fangirls who thought this episode was good, despite Stark's prodding. HOWEVER.


I will make a prediction:

Did anyone notice how, when harriet showed up on the TV's, there was a beeping pattern - the same pattern from "The Sound Of Drums"? I predict that the "key" that Martha has will release the Toclafane, and they will save humanity RAR!

[Crossroads Inc.]

I'm not going to respond to the fangirls who thought this episode was good, despite Stark's prodding. HOWEVER.


I will make a prediction:

Did anyone notice how, when harriet showed up on the TV's, there was a beeping pattern - the same pattern from "The Sound Of Drums"? I predict that the "key" that Martha has will release the Toclafane, and they will save humanity RAR!

That would be the most ham fisted out of left fiield thing ever if they did that