Were there any daleks in it?

*MORE SPOILERS*

I thought the episode had a few christian/religious overtones: Martha basically spends a year as a preacher telling everyone to "pray" so the Doctor can be resurrected. And she has to be betrayed and arrested by the authorities so that she can complete the plan.

Is the Doctor meant to be God? Is Martha Jesus? Surely the immortal Captain Jack isn't the Holy Ghost?!?!

Yeah, sounds kind of far fetched but then Russell T Davis has previosuly written The Second Coming so maybe it's not so crazy.

I got the feeling I usually do from RTD episodes: some nice little touches, a bit of craziness, but there's always a bit of a dash to explain everything away at the end - and it's usually a bit half-baked.

The stuff with John Simm worked well cos he's just so damned good. The emotional stuff was good when Martha left and when the Master died (although did we need a Return of the Jedi reference?).

Yeah, it was a bit disappointing. Having said that it was nowhere near as bad as the episode with that bird from Eastenders. Also I would say this series was better overall than the last.

Mr Davies should not be allowed to write any episodes.

Every time he is in control, shit gets all kinds of silly. Message to producers: kids notice massive plot holes and retcons, you idiots.

spoliage:











The tiny doctor in a cage was enough to make us actually giggle.

ps (my friend Rob was one of the futurekind a few episodes back - I paused my sky+ and laughed for five minutes when I saw him on the screen dressed like a murderous, snaggle-toothed futuristic hipster... later that week, he also appeared on Totally Doctor Who - a kid's show about how the show is made - as a sort of living wardrobe dummy)

OK, now these are some serious fucking spoilers.

DON'T READ THIS AT ALL, NO MATTER WHAT, BECAUSE YOU'LL DIE.


















Confirming the essence of a story first reported several weeks ago in the Sun, Freema Agyeman left Doctor Who as a series regular at the end of this episode, choosing to remain behind with her family in present-day England. Agyeman's most recent denial in "Radio Times" stated that she was not sacked from the series, contrary to the Sun report; however, as Outpost Gallifrey and other sites have reported, the news did not deny that Agyeman was leaving as a series regular (nor that she was not remaining by her own choice). The end of "Last of the Time Lords" suggests that we will see Martha again, as she gives her mobile phone to the Doctor (David Tennant), likely as a guest star next series; press reports from the Mirror this past week indicate that the fourth series of Doctor Who will see a new companion next year, with Martha making an occasional appearance. (At the time of the Mirror report, "Last of the Time Lords" had not yet aired, and while the article mentions she "won't be in every episode next year, but will appear in the occasional episode for both Doctor Who and Torchwood," it is likely that this was a bit of obfuscation of the as-yet-unannounced departure.)

UPDATE: Russell T Davies has promised on tonight's Confidential that there will be news soon (a possible press release early next week) about Freema's future with the programme, likely as a guest character or recurring (like John Barrowman this series).

John Barrowman also departs from Doctor Who again, as Captain Jack Harkness returns to his base of operations in Cardiff for the second series of "Torchwood" to be aired later this year.

John Simm will (obviously, from the story) not be returning as the Master in subsequent episodes; however, the theft of his ring by a woman (perhaps Lucy Saxon but possibly someone else entirely) indicates that the Master will perhaps be back in next year's episodes.

Meanwhile, the upcoming 2007 Christmas special will be entitled Voyage of the Damned and has something to do with the voyage of the R.M.S. Titanic, judging from the name of the vessel on the life ring found within the TARDIS in the close of today's episode (not to mention, the ship's hull through the walls of the console room!) There is no word as yet as to who will join David Tennant for the episode, although there has been much media speculation about singer Kylie Minogue (we're not sure yet if these are real or simply press hype.)

Well. Argh. Consternation. Coming to terms. Etc. SPLRS














It wasn't my favorite episode this year -- that would have to be the utterly fantastic "Human Nature/Family of Blood" 2-parter, followed closely by "Blink" and then "42". But I didn't feel that it was a clunker, just awkward at times.

I liked the ending because I had reconciled myself to the theme that this year, Martha was saving the Doctor instead of being saved by him, and that was to be recapitulated in the climax -- but it really turned out that for once, humanity saved the Doctor instead of the other way around. I rather liked that.

Tiny bit of a copout having Lucy kill him but it was telegraphed way in advance that she had begun crapping her pants around him. OK, she didn't even kill him, he decided to die. Interesting new twist.

Overall I was dissatisfied with the "Harold Saxon" story arc. We knew bad stuff was starting to happen but we didn't see enough of it. I thought both of Martha's reversed-timeline colleagues were introduced oddly or incompletely. They must have skipped a Jack-killed-again scene before putting him inside the TARDIS -- no loss, but an abrupt transition.

Aside: I have had difficulties liking Jack, not the way the characters do or don't, but his place in the series and some aspects of Barrowman's performance. I watched some interviews on YouTube and got a better handle on the actor, and I pretty much liked him in this episode.

Anyway, they may have tried to pack too much into the episode. I thought it worked out more or less, it wasn't a disaster, just not as strong as it coulda/shoulda been.

* SPOILER SPOILER *

I didn't think it was a deus ex machina at all. If there's a psychic network of 15 satellites on the wall in Act One, it has to be used by Act Three.

There could have been a bit more foreshadowing throughout the season with the whole Saxon story. And the praying to the Doctor ... even though it had a logical explanation, it was still pretty weak. Tying in the humans from the end of the universe was awesome, but not awesome enough.

Overall, not that great of an episode, in my opinion. But not that horrible, either. Like "Love and Monsters". I hated that one.

floaty angels? wtf?

I didn't wholly hate "Love and Monsters", but it's a ways down my list, mulp.

This Times review suggests to me that the plot kinda gave way to the spectacle this time around.

Blah. And I was SO looking forward to the last two parts after the re-introduction of the Master. I really liked Simms, hated to see him "die" rather than escape. Last episode left a bad taste in my mouth with the way it ended, this episode while sorta somewhat entertaining was just STUPID AS FUCK.

Doctor gets turned into Dobby the House Elf or whatever the hell that thing is called, then he becomes Jesus Christ and then the Master becomes Darth Vader. RTD just needs to be thrown off a damn cliff. Would have been nice if they could have at least done something interesting with the Toclaphane instead of going the obvious route that everybody expected. I actually didn't expect to hear that Jack would become the Face, can't decide if that was more stupidity or actually clever. Leaning towards stupid though. Tired of the entire galaxy seemingly revolving around the Doctor.

I keep thinking I will stop watching, but then they come up with an episode like Blink, which was brilliant.. ARGH..

This episode was so utterly terrible, it is hard to describe my disgust..

Jack would become the Face, can't decide if that was more stupidity or actually clever.

It would have been fairly interesting, if they'd strung it along a bit. More importantly, if they'd built it into the story line a little more deeply..

Tired of the entire galaxy seemingly revolving around the Doctor.

Ya, that is one of the many things about the new series that I don't really like. That, and the melodrama, and sexualising the doctor, and..

Little late to the thread, as the episode took so long to download. Dr Who spoilers here, of course.









The Dr to the Master, "I forgive you."
What.
The.
Fuck.

First the Master gets the spheres to gank 10% of humanity, then later on he torches Japan (and all the people) and presumably Russia suffers devastating losses due to the missile fields, "...the ruins of New York, to the fusion mills of China, right across the radiation pits of Europe..." and quite possibly the rest of the world too. So, I don't know, we can assume that 60% of humanity has been wiped out? Those that are alive are enslaved. THEN he's going to war (with dinky little rockets) on as many civilised worlds that he can reach and enslave/destroy them to build a massive evil empire. The dude is psychotic, to say the least.
...but that's ok, cos he's the second-last of the Timelords, so we won't kill him or anything, just cry as he snuffs it for what won't be the last time.

The Doctor imprisoned the Family of Blood in eternal traps. The Family is conscious and are in their situations until the universe ends. Ok, they're not dead, but think about it - one place forever and you can't escape. You'd go insane. It's vicious. But ("but") they only killed, what, 20 people? Maybe? And no tears were shed for them.
(Not to mention 6 billion humans trapped at the end of time in little spheres, all of whom like to kill humans ("Because it's fun!" says the face in the ball, who, btw, should have an Irish accent and doesn't).... or don't we have to worry about that, as they are at the end of time, so they'll be dead soon.
No, waitasec here... THAT is the Final Outcome of humanity. Waiting to die at the end of time with no one to kill. Nice.)

I can't wait for Torchwood to restart. At least the writers (well, RTD, anyways) don't feel the need to constantly outdo themselves with bigger and better plot lines.
That said, when Dr Who starts again, I'll watch it. Yep. Sucker for punishment.