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Post by omega on Apr 10, 2010 7:29:51 GMT
What did you think?
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Post by Craig Oxbrow on Apr 12, 2010 14:08:42 GMT
Fun but bitty. Liked a lot of it, but it didn't quite seem to gel as an episode rather than a bunch of interesting things. Liz did indeed rule. The Smilers proved to be a bit of a damp squib after being put up there with Daleks and Weeping Angels in the series publicity. (I'd vote to take them off the icon for the Write-Ups forum!)
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Post by Null and Void on Apr 12, 2010 15:10:42 GMT
Quite an interesting episode in my opinion. It was a nice bait and switch...
Amy, for a second episode in a row, not only proves she's a worthy companion, but also that she is one of THE most worthy companions to travel with the Doctor.
The Magpie Electricals thing was nice, but it also was so blatent it made me think it was going to be far more important that it actually was.
Moffat started to stray into the angsty Doctor here, but luckily for us, Matt Smith can't pull it off as effectively as David Tennant did. This is, in my opinion, a GOOD thing, as it means we might see less of it, and it will be less important. Its not something that will define this doctor like it did the last.
There were some wonderful moments in the story, and honestly, I thought Karen Gillan actually overshadowed Matt Smith in this. Amy is already diving into the thick of things with enthusiasm, in a way none of the other companions of the new era have.
As far as problems go, there were a couple, notably because the smilers and their motivations didn't seem to quite add up. I mean... WHY do kids who get a zero get sent below? However, it was a relatively minor issue in an otherwise solid episode.
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Post by da professor on Apr 12, 2010 16:01:18 GMT
WHY do kids who get a zero get sent below? People who were deemed of low value were sent below. A kid who scored 0 in whatever test it was must have been deemed of low value. |
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Post by Null and Void on Apr 12, 2010 17:58:54 GMT
WHY do kids who get a zero get sent below? People who were deemed of low value were sent below. A kid who scored 0 in whatever test it was must have been deemed of low value. Yes, I got that, but... WHY? What do they DO down there? The implication is that something bad happens to them, but by the end of the episode, it appears that is not the case... |
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joe2001
2nd Incarnation
"Geronimo!"
Posts: 42
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Post by joe2001 on Apr 12, 2010 19:11:41 GMT
It was Amy's episode, proving her worth by pointing out something that the Doctor missed. It worked for me.
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Post by Curufea on Apr 12, 2010 23:41:36 GMT
re:Children
My speculation is that it's bureaucratic incompetence of the police state. Adults probably get zero as well, but the system doesn't know how to handle children. Although that does beggar the question - will the government keep feeding the space whale humans? Does it need to eat them?
So far there are three season arc elements I've seen - the number zero, the crack and Magpie electricals.
If we get episodes without one of these, then it may not be a season arc element.
[edit]
I should add, I think Amy Pond is also an element, in the same manner as Charlie Pollard and to some extent Donna Noble. It explains to me, the Doctor's attitude towards her.
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Post by kaemaril on Apr 13, 2010 1:11:52 GMT
So far there are three season arc elements I've seen - the number zero, the crack and Magpie electricals. Given that Magpie Electricals has also popped up in seasons 3 and 4, and in SJA, I think it's more of an ACME Corporation than an insidious plot element. Still, I guess it's always possible Moffat's decided to take advantage of it  |
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Post by Craig Oxbrow on Apr 13, 2010 1:27:06 GMT
Considering we saw the "origins" of Magpie Electricals in The Idiot's Lantern I figure it's a running gag.
Although I am curious as to how a company that started like that is doing so well...
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Post by Curufea on Apr 13, 2010 5:00:44 GMT
Possibly it's just a saving in props for logo creation |
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Post by imajica on Apr 13, 2010 11:26:12 GMT
The implication in there was that those who get sent below are fed to the star whale, but it doesn't eat children. Wasn't that part of the Demon Headmaster's speach down in the dungeons?
Good episode, as sharply written as the 11th Hour. Mr Moffat's doing a superb job on this series so far. I agree that the Smilers were under-used but I like the fact that they weren't explained, especially not the human-Smiler hybrid monks with keys. Why a key?
I take it everyone spotted the blatant nod to the story arc? Blue scar along the side of Starship UK.
Oh, and Scotland wanting their own starship? Perfect.
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Post by ugavine on Apr 13, 2010 12:11:45 GMT
I voted Wonderful. I thought it was a great episode though not quite as strong as The Eleventh Hour.
Whereas The Eleventh Hour was to set up the new Doctor this was really to set up Amy Pond as a worthy companion. Something she has more than proved already IMHO.
The episode did have a feel much like The Idiot's Lantern, made even more so by the Magpie Electricals sign in the background; nice touch. And I did like the character of Liz Ten, a Queen with attitude.
It was a quality episode with lots of attention to detail. Overall I thought it was a solid story and nicely set up next weeks run-in with the Daleks. I can't wait!
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Post by omega on Apr 13, 2010 18:31:52 GMT
I thought it was good with an 'early days yet' feel.
I think Amy is possibly one of the best characters introduced yet and I'm warming to Matt's Doctor.
In a lot of ways, I think he is more a 'classic' kind of Doctor than Docs 9 & 10 were.
Saw the 'crack' on the ship at the end. BTW the referances across the net about 'Amy's Crack' are hilarious.
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Post by Curufea on Apr 14, 2010 10:33:04 GMT
I did see the confidential as well - I thought Matt gushed a bit too much about Karen...
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Post by lordjagged on Apr 14, 2010 17:30:36 GMT
Very average.
"Basically" (the new Who fave word) an interesting idea spoiled by being rushed through in 42 minutes. It needed 90+ minutes to build any real suspense. The numerous plot holes didn't help either.
Still its better than many stories from the last couple of seasons. Lets wait and see.
p.s. Real reason why the kids got sent below even though the whale refused to eat them? Because the show is aimed at 8 year olds and kids always feel more threatened when they see other kids in danger.
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Post by Eryx on Apr 14, 2010 20:33:06 GMT
I enjoyed it bar a couple things.
1. It seems that new Who has a whole quirky sort of feel to it and this episode really strayed into that. I got to say that I prefer the old style proper sci-fi of classic Who.
2. Ok, continuity issue (if there is such a thing in Dr Who) but humanity has space ships in the 29th century so why did they need to build a city ship onto a space whale? In the time it took them to do that, they could have loaded people onto normal space craft and left.
I don't normally pick holes but this stood out too much for me.
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Post by Rel Fexive on Apr 14, 2010 22:48:21 GMT
"Basically" (the new Who fave word) I hear the word 'basically' used a lot these days. I use it myself and curse myself every time I do. So I don't think it's just them. |
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Post by imajica on Apr 15, 2010 21:22:30 GMT
Our biology teacher at school loved "Basically". We counted fifty-three in one 45-minute lesson. He got a cheer when he hit 50 but didn't realise why!
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Post by Curufea on Apr 16, 2010 4:20:59 GMT
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Post by omega on Apr 16, 2010 6:56:19 GMT
After the first viewing I thought it was crap. The second, I thought it was good. Now after the third I think it's a deceptive little slow-burner.
The Space Whale heard the children screaming and came to help of it's own free will: that is the core of this story, simply put; and mankind did what it usually does. Then it took Amy's humanity to see what the Doctor couldn't. Admittedly the rest is surreal dressing but that's it in a nutshell.
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Post by JohnK on Apr 26, 2010 17:13:53 GMT
Hullo, folks, Having finally seen "The Beast Below" here on Canada's Space tv station, I've posted up my review of the episode on my blog. You can read it here: jkahane.livejournal.com/382575.htmlThoughts and comments are welcome, either here or in my blog, as always. |
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