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I know I’m too late for the reviews this week again, but I’m going to stick my oar in anyway, if only because I’ve only just got to see it. And I loved this latest episode. Properly wobbly bloke-in-a-rubber-suit monsters, that suddenly look pretty deadly when they become CGI thingummys chasing people around and scraping their claws together (on which, check out the FEAR FORECASTERS, which could well be the cutest thing ever. Also a good place for any grown-ups who’re still not liking the burping wheelie bins and farting aliens). Agree with those who say the political stuff was brave and disagree with those who think it was too obvious - it’s mainstream telly, broad brushstrokes kinda stuff: sod subtlety, say it loudly, and say it twice. The politics seemed less smug than snarling.
Preferred this to The Unquiet Dead, was actually more scared by it, policemen with zips on their heads and MONSTERS inside is how I want my aliens to be, not like wispy ghostly things. Also scores vs Unquiet Dead re: trapped in downing street is more effective than being trapped in a crypt, because the phone conferencing bit drew out the danger of the situation and pulled it in different directions. The best bits are always when they’re just talking about stuff, rather than showing you stuff; my other favourite scene so far is the pre-credits sequence to The End Of the World, where Rose has just run into the TARDIS, and they move forward through time *talking* about what’s outside the doors, without ever feeling the need to show us the year 5000 or whatever. I love it when they do stuff like that, rattle on and let you do something with your BRANE in order to properly build up to a Big Moment. So after the cabinet room scene, I didn’t even mind the amazing magic missile so much, just because at the end I get to sit back and see Downing Street blown up for fun on the BBC. O brave new world.
Oh, and really excellent ‘next week!’ mini-trailer this time. It builds and builds and you know you’re going to see a dalek, but first you get lots and lots of frightened people and screeching and guns. Y’know, even if you don’t like the end product, you can still clearly see the intent, and admire the precise way they carry it through. (intent being: this dalek is SCARY! people are TERRIFIED! and killed and stuff. I squealed out loud)
Only other thing I’ve got, that I’m surprised no-one’s picked up and giggled about so far, is the way the designers are referencing other things when they do their aliens - in The End Of The World, the little stewards seemed to pretty obviously echo the Robotmen from the Peter Cushing Dr Who film - shiny black vinyl jumpsuits, crash helmets with aviator shades glued on. Last episode the, er, fake alien was one of the Pigs in Spaaaaace from the Muppet Show. Even had the same spacesuit on, man. I mean, it’s not significant or anything, it just makes me smile. The whole show makes me smile, all the way through, every episode.
So I’m not ever going to scale any heights of critical analysis, really. Ah, well. *g* |
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