Yeah, Torchwood was the anagram they used when shooting the new episodes of Doctor Who (the ones with Eccleston), to avoid the public getting whiff of a new revival of the Doctor until they were good and ready.
-Fred
-Fred
Pirates, vampires, zombies, ninjas, ghouls, aliens, goblins, monsters, robots, sorcerers, undead, werewolves, demons, mutated dinosaur-cyborgs and those pesky phone salesmen! The shotgun is a one-size-fits-all solution!
I saw Time of Angels on the weekend and enjoyed it. For now, they really seem to be putting the drama into the backseat and really making it more about the science and aliens. I'll be interested to see how this plays out. However, I have a feeling that Riversong's first meeting with the Doctor, or at least the life changing moment, won't happen even with Matt's Doctor. I think they will meet in a future regeneration with an older looking Doctor as she in the past has alluded to how young he looks.
I was especially interested in a comment of hers where she discusses her time in prison. She is also portrayed as a bit of an outlaw too. This makes me wonder if maybe she is someone who gets close to the Doctor but takes advantage of him in some way which perhaps explains why she is being so flirtatious around him. Their connection doesn't seem overly emotional, but more playful. To me, that type of behaviour is a very convenient cover for hidden feelings. Perhaps she is the Doctor's worst enemy without realising it.
As for Torchwood/Doctor Who, I found this out a few years ago. When they were filming the first series of Doctor Who back in 2004/2005, since Torchwood had not been heard of, RTD actually put signs up on the Doctor Who set which read "Torchwood" some passers by wouldn't bat an eye or even suspect that Doctor Who was actually being filmed.
I was especially interested in a comment of hers where she discusses her time in prison. She is also portrayed as a bit of an outlaw too. This makes me wonder if maybe she is someone who gets close to the Doctor but takes advantage of him in some way which perhaps explains why she is being so flirtatious around him. Their connection doesn't seem overly emotional, but more playful. To me, that type of behaviour is a very convenient cover for hidden feelings. Perhaps she is the Doctor's worst enemy without realising it.
As for Torchwood/Doctor Who, I found this out a few years ago. When they were filming the first series of Doctor Who back in 2004/2005, since Torchwood had not been heard of, RTD actually put signs up on the Doctor Who set which read "Torchwood" some passers by wouldn't bat an eye or even suspect that Doctor Who was actually being filmed.
Just saw Flesh and Stone.
This is one of the rare two parters where the second half is actually stronger. While I enjoyed the first half, I couldn't quite bring myself to become as enamoured with it as everyone else had. What made this episode so brilliant were the revelations. More clues to suggest that Riversong may not be the Doctor's ally, the origin and impact of the temporal crack, the truth about Amy and of course a very worthy lead into the next episode. It was interesting to see the sonic screwdriver used a little more this time around, though not for plot convenience. It still did serve a valid purpose. Plus, we also had a death that was well handled due to the attention of dramatic and emotional tension. The kissing scene felt a little forced...well, in some ways it was given Amy's conduct. But I did get a chuckle out of the "must have been a long time" gag.
Very very strong.
4 out of 5
This is one of the rare two parters where the second half is actually stronger. While I enjoyed the first half, I couldn't quite bring myself to become as enamoured with it as everyone else had. What made this episode so brilliant were the revelations. More clues to suggest that Riversong may not be the Doctor's ally, the origin and impact of the temporal crack, the truth about Amy and of course a very worthy lead into the next episode. It was interesting to see the sonic screwdriver used a little more this time around, though not for plot convenience. It still did serve a valid purpose. Plus, we also had a death that was well handled due to the attention of dramatic and emotional tension. The kissing scene felt a little forced...well, in some ways it was given Amy's conduct. But I did get a chuckle out of the "must have been a long time" gag.
Very very strong.
4 out of 5
Okay finally got a chance to see Flesh and Stone.
Are they implying that River kills the Doctor in the future?
Seemed a bit too easy that the crack came to kill the Angels but I guess otherwise they would never have been able to defeat them.
This is spooky that people keep forgetting. I do agree part 2 was better than part 1 which is a rarity indeed.
Are they implying that River kills the Doctor in the future?
Seemed a bit too easy that the crack came to kill the Angels but I guess otherwise they would never have been able to defeat them.
This is spooky that people keep forgetting. I do agree part 2 was better than part 1 which is a rarity indeed.
Samantha
Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.
Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.
Just saw the Vampires of Venice. I liked this one. Pretty good. Thought it was very funny when the Doctor popped out of the cake.
They told us it's going to be 2 weeks before we get a new episode so I'm sad to have to wait now.
They told us it's going to be 2 weeks before we get a new episode so I'm sad to have to wait now.
Samantha
Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.
Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.
Vampires of Venice was on tonight.
This particular episode is probably the closest to the RTD era it has felt all year. I say this mainly because of the overuse of the sonic screwdriver. It really stood out. In all of the episodes leading up to this one, it is used sparingly with limited capabilities, but this week it reverted back to the old "this'll do" technique. But I did enjoy the development of the plot starting with the lighthearted opening with the sudden turn of sinister events. It was also interesting to see such a large casualty count this week with some tiny lashings of blood. Rory is annoying me less and the frustration between the now crew of three works without weighing down the sci-fi aspect of the show and turning it into a dramedy. However, the sonic screwdriver did contribute greatly to the episode's plot convenience. But, this was at least outweighed with the grim turn of events for some of the characters. I actually felt the suicide in the end was warranted given that all hope for the villain was lost, all that remained for her was to try and make the Doctor live (yet again) with a decision that contributed to a genocide.
Next week's episode looks like a classic along the lines of Fathers Day and Blink - I can't wait.
4 out of 5
This particular episode is probably the closest to the RTD era it has felt all year. I say this mainly because of the overuse of the sonic screwdriver. It really stood out. In all of the episodes leading up to this one, it is used sparingly with limited capabilities, but this week it reverted back to the old "this'll do" technique. But I did enjoy the development of the plot starting with the lighthearted opening with the sudden turn of sinister events. It was also interesting to see such a large casualty count this week with some tiny lashings of blood. Rory is annoying me less and the frustration between the now crew of three works without weighing down the sci-fi aspect of the show and turning it into a dramedy. However, the sonic screwdriver did contribute greatly to the episode's plot convenience. But, this was at least outweighed with the grim turn of events for some of the characters. I actually felt the suicide in the end was warranted given that all hope for the villain was lost, all that remained for her was to try and make the Doctor live (yet again) with a decision that contributed to a genocide.
Next week's episode looks like a classic along the lines of Fathers Day and Blink - I can't wait.
4 out of 5
I just came accross this actually and i'm now dying for it. My favourite Doctor thus far, Christopher Eccleston, is playing John Lennon in a BBC Drama called Lennon Naked. As you know, The Beatles are my favourite band so it's perfectly fitting that as a massive Beatles and Eccleston fan, it could be the highlight of 2010 for me. Take a look at the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laS5BlPTht4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laS5BlPTht4
Just saw Amy's Choice. That was a good twist. I liked the ending. Thumbs up on this story.
I thought a cold burning star seemed crazy, and the Attack of the Old People was pretty funny actually.
I could believe the Doctor as a dark side. I remember that was revealed in Trial of a Time Lord with Colin Baker ages ago.
I thought a cold burning star seemed crazy, and the Attack of the Old People was pretty funny actually.
I could believe the Doctor as a dark side. I remember that was revealed in Trial of a Time Lord with Colin Baker ages ago.
Samantha
Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.
Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.
Have to watch/re-watch Torchwood a few times before Hulu starts charging for it soon. X-Files! EDIT: You know what, never mind! It's about 75% commercials online 
I was in Wales last summer and saw the magnificent Roald Dahl Plass (worth a quick Google). I enjoyed the landscapes and feel of Wales very much. Saw a magazine in the bookstore that had a big fat Wales stamped on it, and came with a filming map. (Sep '08 issue of "Torchwood" if anyone's interested.)
Didn't have as much time as I'd have liked to explore because I had to get on the road & was zooming off to France. What a trip! Actually, a year ago today I was in Paris at a Depeche Mode concert. Sigh, yeah.
I had no idea Torchwood was an anagram - brilliant!
I remember U.K. t.v. as being bawdier than you might imagine, can't remember if it was partial nudity or the language, but I was definitely surprised!
I was in Wales last summer and saw the magnificent Roald Dahl Plass (worth a quick Google). I enjoyed the landscapes and feel of Wales very much. Saw a magazine in the bookstore that had a big fat Wales stamped on it, and came with a filming map. (Sep '08 issue of "Torchwood" if anyone's interested.)
Didn't have as much time as I'd have liked to explore because I had to get on the road & was zooming off to France. What a trip! Actually, a year ago today I was in Paris at a Depeche Mode concert. Sigh, yeah.
I had no idea Torchwood was an anagram - brilliant!
I remember U.K. t.v. as being bawdier than you might imagine, can't remember if it was partial nudity or the language, but I was definitely surprised!
Yeah what show was that? The last racy thing I saw from British television was old reruns of Benny Hill which are tame by today's standards.
Oh and just saw the the Doctor Who episode with Vincent Van Gogh. Was a little disappointed about how easy it was to defeat the monster. I did enjoy the part when the took him to the museum. Very sweet and sad.
Oh and just saw the the Doctor Who episode with Vincent Van Gogh. Was a little disappointed about how easy it was to defeat the monster. I did enjoy the part when the took him to the museum. Very sweet and sad.
Samantha
Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.
Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.
I wish I could remember the channel, but no dice.
Yeah, nowhere good to watch Torchwood online as far as I can see. The BBC just has car commercials with small clips of the show.
In the first few episodes of S.1, there was some steamy courting in the kitchen that, so far, would never be on t.v. here.
Yeah, nowhere good to watch Torchwood online as far as I can see. The BBC just has car commercials with small clips of the show.
In the first few episodes of S.1, there was some steamy courting in the kitchen that, so far, would never be on t.v. here.
Pandorica/Big Bang
It pains me to say this but this ended up being one of the worst episodes in the new era (2005 - present) to date. Not the worst, but certainly amongst the top ten. For me there was just far too much plot convenience to take the story seriously. It's a shame because The Pandorica Opens was a "5 out of 5" and established a very promising follow up. This time around I also managed to stay spoiler free so this is perhaps the climax I have anticipated the greatest (alongside the End of Time). The dramatic tension was resolved too easily and without any kind of loss.
The main issues:
- For instance, we saw that both The Doctor and Amy were able to touch past instances of themselves without the paradox situation seen in Father's Day.
1. The time vortex wrist device just made it far to easy
2. he idea that the Doctor would be written out of time and memory was miraculously resolved by Amy remembering due to the time journal being given as a gift, yet how did Riversong get there?
3. While it was explained, I thought the ability of Amy to be in the Pandorica in a time period where the universe had ended and arrive where the universe lived on was just inconsistent. The Doctor explained it by the Pandorica taking an image of the Universe and projecting it (kind of like the way in which Windows or Mac OS takes a ghost image of an operating system) outward.
4. Everybody lives, everyone happy and live goes on better than ever. I'm not saying that the result should be an absolute dystopia, but in previous finales, while the Doctor has remained victorious, it was always at the expense of something. For example:
- Series 1: a regeneration
- Series 2: a companion
- Series 3: an old colleague
- Series 4: death of a former Prime Minister, genocide and being alone again. Effectively, a companion had died too given that her memories were destroyed
- Specials finale: a regeneration
While these finales had their flaws, what made them enjoyable was that by the end of the episode, the consequences of the Doctor's actions overshadowed him and changed him in some way. With this year's finale, it just lacked the tension and the anticipation because of how immediately things were going on. But the irony is, with less events and settings, the plots were so much more nail biting because we knew the Doctor had to make a decision he had to live with and possibly regret. Matt's Doctor merely shrugged it off and rubbed his hand for the next great adventure with two well dressed companions to boot.
The final point it a minor one but did annoy me; but why didn't we see how Riversong dealt with the Dalek? Surely the team didn't think that to show the shooting (if at all it happened) was too violent? To me this just overly sanitises the show. There's no way it would offend children. If we saw the burned skull of a human fall out of a Cyberman's helmet, then how could a concrete coated dalek exploding be any worse?
This episode did leave me with a sour taste in my mouth. I truly am saddened because I have absolutely loved this year's series. Matt has been an outstanding Doctor in the way that he's grown on me faster than the previous two, the writing actually has been quite good up until this point and i've enjoyed the companion. But the finale just really let this down. I hate having to write this and I realise my rant has gone on a while, but it really has disappointed me this much.
But, to the credit of the episode, the production was top notch in terms of the score and CGI plus it was well performed with a few chuckles along the way. However, by backing the Doctor into such a perilous situation, Moffat gave himself the very difficult task of writing the Doctor out of it and mostly failed.
My apologies. Let's hope we can reflect more positively next year.
1 out of 5
To finish, my ranking for 2010 goes like this:
(1) Amy's Choice
(2) The Beast Below
(3) The lodger
(4) The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood
(5) Time of Angels/Flesh & Stone
(6) The Eleventh Hour
(7) The Vampires of Venice
(8) Vincent and The Doctor
(9) Victory of the Daleks
(10) The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang
It pains me to say this but this ended up being one of the worst episodes in the new era (2005 - present) to date. Not the worst, but certainly amongst the top ten. For me there was just far too much plot convenience to take the story seriously. It's a shame because The Pandorica Opens was a "5 out of 5" and established a very promising follow up. This time around I also managed to stay spoiler free so this is perhaps the climax I have anticipated the greatest (alongside the End of Time). The dramatic tension was resolved too easily and without any kind of loss.
The main issues:
- For instance, we saw that both The Doctor and Amy were able to touch past instances of themselves without the paradox situation seen in Father's Day.
1. The time vortex wrist device just made it far to easy
2. he idea that the Doctor would be written out of time and memory was miraculously resolved by Amy remembering due to the time journal being given as a gift, yet how did Riversong get there?
3. While it was explained, I thought the ability of Amy to be in the Pandorica in a time period where the universe had ended and arrive where the universe lived on was just inconsistent. The Doctor explained it by the Pandorica taking an image of the Universe and projecting it (kind of like the way in which Windows or Mac OS takes a ghost image of an operating system) outward.
4. Everybody lives, everyone happy and live goes on better than ever. I'm not saying that the result should be an absolute dystopia, but in previous finales, while the Doctor has remained victorious, it was always at the expense of something. For example:
- Series 1: a regeneration
- Series 2: a companion
- Series 3: an old colleague
- Series 4: death of a former Prime Minister, genocide and being alone again. Effectively, a companion had died too given that her memories were destroyed
- Specials finale: a regeneration
While these finales had their flaws, what made them enjoyable was that by the end of the episode, the consequences of the Doctor's actions overshadowed him and changed him in some way. With this year's finale, it just lacked the tension and the anticipation because of how immediately things were going on. But the irony is, with less events and settings, the plots were so much more nail biting because we knew the Doctor had to make a decision he had to live with and possibly regret. Matt's Doctor merely shrugged it off and rubbed his hand for the next great adventure with two well dressed companions to boot.
The final point it a minor one but did annoy me; but why didn't we see how Riversong dealt with the Dalek? Surely the team didn't think that to show the shooting (if at all it happened) was too violent? To me this just overly sanitises the show. There's no way it would offend children. If we saw the burned skull of a human fall out of a Cyberman's helmet, then how could a concrete coated dalek exploding be any worse?
This episode did leave me with a sour taste in my mouth. I truly am saddened because I have absolutely loved this year's series. Matt has been an outstanding Doctor in the way that he's grown on me faster than the previous two, the writing actually has been quite good up until this point and i've enjoyed the companion. But the finale just really let this down. I hate having to write this and I realise my rant has gone on a while, but it really has disappointed me this much.
But, to the credit of the episode, the production was top notch in terms of the score and CGI plus it was well performed with a few chuckles along the way. However, by backing the Doctor into such a perilous situation, Moffat gave himself the very difficult task of writing the Doctor out of it and mostly failed.
My apologies. Let's hope we can reflect more positively next year.
1 out of 5
To finish, my ranking for 2010 goes like this:
(1) Amy's Choice
(2) The Beast Below
(3) The lodger
(4) The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood
(5) Time of Angels/Flesh & Stone
(6) The Eleventh Hour
(7) The Vampires of Venice
(8) Vincent and The Doctor
(9) Victory of the Daleks
(10) The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang