I was gearing up to compare this episode to “Invasion of the Dinosaurs,” the 1974 Doctor Who story where a cultlike organization scooped dinosaurs from the distant past to present-day London in order to incite an evacuation. I had expected that the older story’s combination…
People always say Steven Moffat’s Doctor Who scripts are confusing, but I never really felt that way until now. I had to watch “Asylum of the Daleks” twice before I was able to understand and (mostly) enjoy it. Let me see if I have this…
The Ribos Operation When I was a kid, the marvelous script, sparkling relationships, hilarious plot and premise, terrific performances, etc. went right over my head. I thought it was OK, but at the time I was fooled by the tasteful but subdued costuming, the talkiness,…
This is the point at which it’s widely claimed that Doctor Who got back on track after at least three, perhaps as many as ten seasons depending on what kind of fan you are. Even the people who never quite warmed to Sylvester McCoy tend…
I’d remembered this as being a bit of a dud the first time I saw it, but on second viewing it’s actually not terrible at all. There’s not a lot to it, is all, but there are worse crimes. As has been well documented, we’re…
I recently rewatched Steven Moffat’s first New Who story, “The Empty Child”/”The Doctor Dances,” and it was much better than I’d remembered. My only major complaint, apart from the contrast between Captain Jack’s American accent and his UK English dialogue, is that the script comes…
I just rewatched “The Horns of Nimon.” Let’s just say I think it’s fallen a bit in my esteem since I was a lad. Also, “The Stones of Blood” is my second favorite story of this era (meaning seasons 16 and 17 of classic Doctor…
THE WEDDING OF RIVER SONG: SHORT VERSION FOR BUSY PEOPLE THE UNIVERSE is disintegrating due to the Doctor’s personal PROBLEMS again. DOCTOR: I’m going to die, for real. RIVER: Don’t die! DOCTOR: I have to. RIVER: I won’t let you! This REPEATS for almost FORTY…
If you’re an American, you have a pretty good chance of being able to watch Doctor Who with little or no context for the guest actors in it. Billie Piper can just be Rose (and not a teenage pop star), Catherine Tate can just be…
Here’s an alternate view on “The God Complex”. I enjoyed the episode, and I think it works and makes as much sense in isolation as any episode of New Who. But I must agree with this reviewer that taken in context, Amy and Rory once…