Series 7 - Part 1

Discussions of the classic british sci-fi show.
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BBrooks
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Series 7 - Part 1

Post by BBrooks »

I decided to watch all the episodes first this year before passing judgement. lol So what did you think of the first half of S7?, here's my thoughts;

Asylum of the Daleks.
It was Jenna Louise Coleman who dominated this episode, she has all the makings of a classic companion and I can't wait to see her again this Xmas. The inclusion of the Original Dalek models was a nice touch, but they sadly weren't used enough. For me, this was the best NuWho Dalek story since 2005's "Dalek". A brilliant way to spend 45 minutes. 8 out of 10.

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.
With a title like that, I expected this to be a bonkers one. At times it felt more like "Primeval" than DW, especially with the Raptor sequences. Mark Williams & Mitchell and Webb provided a nice bit of comic relief, but the most annoying aspect for me was Queen Nefertiti. The character was far too OTT, English & street-wise for my liking, it only served to push the silliness even more. My least favourite story so far from this series. 4 out of 10.

A Town Called Mercy.
This was a cross between The Terminator, Westworld & Predator. The production values for S7 have been great and this episode was one of the jewels in the crown. The authentic Spaghetti Western location gave it an extra boost too, instead of it being shot somewhere in Wales. :)
Loved The Gunslinger and the episode had plenty of action. 8 out of 10.

The Power of Three.
The penultimate episode featuring The Ponds, this turned out better than I initially thought. It was great to see the daughter of Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart working at UNIT. Also a marvellous cameo from Steven Berkoff, who was too underused in this. The small black cubes may not be the scariest DW enemies of all time, but I thought this story was well written and acted. 7 out of 10.

The Angels Take Manhattan.
The Ponds exit was written through those first 4 stories like the inside of a stick of rock. You really got the sense that Amy & Rory's days were drawing to an end with each passing episode. This made their eventual death something of a forgone conclusion, but it was still just as emotional as e.g. Rose's exit. Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill will be greatly missed, companions rarely get killed off, but I'm glad that Steven Moffatt had the guts to do it.

The Weeping Angels are one of the best things to come out of NuWho. So the idea of the Statue of Liberty being one was awesome, however it hardly appeared in the episode sadly. Oh and how did nobody not notice a giant statue stomping through the streets. So much for the city that never sleeps. :)
A dark, scary story, with brilliant performances from Matt Smith, Alex Kingston and Mike McShane. Although I think it would have been better as a two parter. 9 out of 10.
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Re: Series 7 - Part 1

Post by Canadanne »

Has anyone else been watching 4-year-old Lindalee Rose's reviews on YouTube? They are very heartwarming - even if I didn't think much of an episode, it makes me happy to see someone who really enjoyed it. :)

I recognised Mike McShane's face in the last episode but just couldn't put my finger on where I'd seen him before. It was only when I saw his name in the end credits that I realised, Whose Line Is It Anyway!
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Re: Series 7 - Part 1

Post by Pooka »

A few scattered thoughts:

* DOAS was clearly written with small boys in mind - dinosaurs, space travel, lots of action, silliness, explosions, pantomime villain... but I loved it. Made me laugh. And Mitchell and Webb... fantastic touch.

* The Doctor didn't give a real reason as to why he didn't just go back and collect Amy and Rory from the past. He threw out some line and then moved on. He's got a time machine, but it seems as if the writers just create endless "fixed event in time" scenarios when they want to stop something happening.

* They're not dead! Well, they are now, but they lived to an old age in the past. Everyone's saying they're dead, but they're not! This sort of thing shouldn't matter to a man who can travel through space and time... surely if he travels to the far future, everyone he knows is dead? He never comments on that, does he?

* Jenna Louise Coleman - very good. Oswyn - very good. Will she play the same character in the Christmas special? I doubt it, as she's really a Dalek. Who knows? Freema Agyeman and Karen Gillan both played incidental characters before becoming companions, so I don't see why not.

* I knew all along what would happen to Amy and Rory. From the moment I knew Weeping Angels were in the episode, I knew exactly what was going to be their fate. It was completely obvious. That's not to say that it wasn't pulled off well though, it was... and when Rory said he was going to jump off the tower, I immediately thought, "oh, shit".

* What happened to the Technicolour Daleks? I know a lot of people didn't like them, but if you're going to change the entire Dalek race, at least stay with what you've got; reintroducing older Dalek models is one thing, but using CGI to create A HUGE CHAMBER PACKED WITH ORIGINAL-STYLE DALEKS (with about two red ones in the back row) is a retcon without a retcon.

* All in all, I loved the first half of the series; I think it's great stuff. I've picked on a few things here which are details stupidly small enough for someone like me to notice. But it was a much better series than 6 was. And I'm looking forward to the rest.
Pooka - teacher, writer, comedian, musician, geek, and full-time Knightmarian.
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