Doctor Who - "The Shakespeare Code" (spoilers)

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-04-07 02:48pm

This has got to be the funniest episode of Doctor Who yet - maybe a bit short of Love and Monsters, but it's damn close. Great effects and sets, a pretty good if slightly cliché plot...but despite the creepy deaths and mayhem, it was hilarious.

"How do I explain the flow of time...Back To The Future!"
"The film?"
"No, the novelisation...of course the film!"

And that ending...Bloody hell I almost choked

Post by **NecronLord** » 2007-04-07 02:50pm

"Reminds me of the Sycorax..."

"I might use that."

Crazedwraith · Post by **Crazedwraith** » 2007-04-07 02:51pm

:d The Doctor's read Harry Potter 7, not as good as last week's but still a good watch. It answered all my questions about Martha timetravelling in the first five minutes. (Ie. being carted off as a slave)

and,sigh, more new new york next week, I weep for Futurama. Still I wonder why he's keeping Marthe around, he did say she was only taking the one jaunt. Which is suppose makes a nice contrast to the bride, whom he invited but didn't want to go.

Vanas · Post by **Vanas** » 2007-04-07 02:51pm

Expelliarmus!

Well, if it works...

And the ending was highly amusing.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2007-04-07 02:53pm

Crazedwraith wrote:and,sigh, more new new york next week, I weep for Futurama. Still I wonder why he's keeping Marthe around, he did say she was only taking the one jaunt. Which is suppose makes a nice contrast to the bride, whom he invited but didn't want to go.

Offhand, the Face of Boe might contact him again, or he might just not be able to fly the thing again - which has happened many times before, after all.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-04-07 02:53pm

Still I wonder why he's keeping Marthe around, he did say she was only taking the one jaunt. Which is suppose makes a nice contrast to the bride, whom he invited but didn't want to go.

He's quietly impressed with her. She doesn't panic, thinks rationally, doesn't run off into trouble. Perfect for a companion.

I know the HP jokes won't work a few years from now, but damn if they weren't perfect. Tennant's delivery is great. I actually think he and Agyeman make a better on-screen duo than him with Piper.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2007-04-07 02:54pm

Bounty wrote:I know the HP jokes won't work a few years from now,

Hey, the Sycorax one is in there, despite being incredibly obscure.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-04-07 02:56pm

NecronLord wrote:
Bounty wrote:I know the HP jokes won't work a few years from now,
Hey, the Sycorax one is in there, despite being incredibly obscure.

I just loved the one in the alley -

Doctor: "We can do all the flirting you want later"
Shakespeare: "Is that a promise?"
Doctor: "...aaaand 57 scholars punch their fist in the air right now"

andrewgpaul · Post by **andrewgpaul** » 2007-04-07 02:58pm

... yeah, I didn't get that one.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2007-04-07 03:00pm

andrewgpaul wrote:... yeah, I didn't get that one.

Offhand, Sycorax is the name of the witch who was Caliban's mother in Shakespere's The Tempest. The Academics joke is about Shakespere's oft-speculated upon bisexuality, as Shakespere said it while looking at the Doctor.

andrewgpaul · Post by **andrewgpaul** » 2007-04-07 03:01pm

Ah. Never read or seen The Tempest, and I was looking away from the screen at that second point. Apparently, I fail.

Lord Woodlouse · Post by **Lord Woodlouse** » 2007-04-07 03:06pm

Aye, this episode was pretty damn funny. Very attractive episode, too.

My favourite bit is when Elizabeth I suddenly shouts out "The Doctor! My sworn enemy!" and has people running after him.

Did not see any Saxon references, did anyone else?

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2007-04-07 03:09pm

It was a solidly entertaining episode, but it seemed like a retread of "The Unquiet Dead"...

But I liked this episode laughing in the face of PC and avoiding the shiteness associated with the BBC's recent rendition of Robin Hood.

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2007-04-07 03:12pm

Lord Woodlouse wrote: Did not see any Saxon references, did anyone else?

Because it's not in early 21st century Britain? And I'm puzzled why Elizabeth Ist suddenly recognized the Doctor then attacked him...

Lord Woodlouse · Post by **Lord Woodlouse** » 2007-04-07 03:17pm

Big Orange wrote:
Lord Woodlouse wrote: Did not see any Saxon references, did anyone else?
Because it's not in early 21st century Britain? And I'm puzzled why Elizabeth Ist suddenly recognized the Doctor then attacked him...

Saxon is pretty much the season arc. Bad Wolf and Torchwood had their references, I'd be surprised if Saxon lacked one in some sense.

The Doctor himself clearly said the Elizabeth thing was to do with being a time traveller, basically saying he must have done something in the future.

...and this episode felt nothing like The Unquiet Dead to me. If nothing else this episode was MUCH funnier than that ep. Besides being about an author in the past it felt totally different.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2007-04-07 03:25pm

Big Orange wrote:Because it's not in early 21st century Britain? And I'm puzzled why Elizabeth Ist suddenly recognized the Doctor then attacked him...

The real question is, does she know that he's the same Doctor that daddy had thrown in the tower?

Xon · Post by **Xon** » 2007-04-07 03:26pm

Bounty wrote:He's quietly impressed with her. She doesn't panic, thinks rationally, doesn't run off into trouble. Perfect for a companion.

It takes a very unique mind-set to survive being the Doctor's Companion. And finding people who dont implode when under those stresses must be astronmically difficult. This might be why he likes Earth so much, as he finds a lot of people who match that idea there.

Lord Woodlouse · Post by **Lord Woodlouse** » 2007-04-07 03:28pm

I think Martha is a lot more impressive than Rose so far. I've also been quite surprised by Freema's acting, which I had previously feared might be a bit wooden.

Crazedwraith · Post by **Crazedwraith** » 2007-04-07 03:31pm

A couple of things I didn't like about this episode was the constant quoting of future shakespeare lines to him and the docto seeming constantly moping about Rose, Get over it already.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2007-04-07 03:32pm

Crazedwraith wrote:A couple of things I didn't like about this episode was the constant quoting of future shakespeare lines to him and the docto seeming constantly moping about Rose, Get over it already.

Let's be fair to the man. As far as we know, that was, for him, literally yesterday.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-04-07 03:34pm

the docto seeming constantly moping about Rose

"Constantly"? Once or twice, maybe. There's the scene in the inn, where he was just being a dick, plus the bit with the witch after Martha is knocked out. Hardly constant moping, especially for someone who's just lost the closest thing he had to a friend.

the constant quoting of future shakespeare lines to him

You know, I really didn't mind that. It's not like they were giving away the secret to nuclear fission or something; so what if the man's Muse was a time-traveller?

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2007-04-07 03:58pm

I really did enjoy it, and i got all the references as well, which shows I'm clever.. right?

Anyway, why didn't the Psychic paper not work on Billy?

Oh, I was also very disappointed that no-one kicked him in the nadgers to punish him for 500 years of children falling asleep in class.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-04-07 04:02pm

Anyway, why didn't the Psychic paper not work on Billy?

It's failed before. It probably takes a bit of gullibility to work properly and as the Doctor himself said, Shakespeare's a very clever man.

For a moment I thought he was going to imply that Bill was a time traveller himself, to be honest.

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2007-04-07 04:05pm

I also liked the fact that the TARDIS has an attic, where he keeps all of the ghosts he captures......errr...

Hey, he should have made anouther GB reference!

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2007-04-07 04:58pm

Edit: Freedonia. I'm pretty sure that was the shithole that the Marx brothers frolicked around with in Duck Soup...

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Doctor Who - "The Shakespeare Code" (spoilers)

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Doctor Who - "The Shakespeare Code" (spoilers)