glee glee glee glee glee

[torrain_circles]

Have just seen the Utopia episode of Doctor Who.

I understand others may not have seen it yet, and will not divulge spoilers.

However, I am going to sit here with my root beer and my cinnamon Fireball Whiskey Shooter and I am going to giggle like a maniac and then watch the remaining episodes, because that episode managed to be exactly as wonderful as I had dreamed and hoped it would be.

EDIT: Spoiler for Season 27 in the comments. Just FYI.

Comments

[jasmine-koran.livejournal.com]

There is no possible way it could be better than "Blink". No way.

[torrain.livejournal.com]

In terms of technique and sheer idea and metastory/metareality, it is totally not better than "Blink".

And it would be better yet if I'd seen and read more of the old stuff, rather than simply knowing about it. (Have I mentioned how much I envy the people who saw the Daleks in the old show, and then got to stand there with Nine in the dark and hear the words "Doc-tor?")

But you know that point where it's not just fan service and it's not just a good story, it's a mythological event, and it's that damn good because you can see it coming just a second ahead and you want it to happen so badly and you can't think of a better thing for them to do and then it's there?

Yeah. That.

For three solid episodes.

(Oh god, I need to wait until Christmas for more? I'm taking up Torchwood just to fill the gap.)

[sarari.livejournal.com]

IMO all the episodes from "Blink" onwards are all REALLY good. Like, make-you-feel-estatically-happy-for-a-good-amount-of-time good. Sounds like you've already got a taste of this good though. ^_^

[torrain.livejournal.com]

I totally have a taste of that good, all the way through to the end of the season.

I already can't stand the wait for the Christmas episode. Augh. :)

[drjamez.livejournal.com]

I, for one, loved - in general - the latter half of this season.

As one of those long-time fans who got to experience the 9th Doc's re-introduction to an old foe, it would have made more of an impact if 1) the episode hadn't been entitled with the name of that foe, and b) I wasn't a spoiler hound and knew about it a few months before. ;-)

Still, very cool then... as it is cool now.

I can't wait to see how you feel after the last episode of the season. I'd love to read your observations, especially when compared to the preceding two episodes.

- James -

[torrain.livejournal.com]

*nods* They really toned down on the spoilery aspects of the episodes (titles, broad hints in the "Previously on") in the 28th and 29th seasons, which was a relief.

Having caught up on the modern Doctor Who, I really cannot imagine the ending being done better. I can't. I've always liked how often (I noticed it more with Nine) the Doctor does not save the world, but inspires others to save it, and thought that was beautifully reflected. The scope and... depth? of the threat was grand and terrible and tragic, I couldn't find a false note in any of the characters, I never stopped caring about what was happening, not even for a flicker, and Martha really shone.

The more I think about the final scene with the ring, the happier I get--not that I will be disappointed if they *don't* follow up, but that there are so many ways that they *can*. I can think of at least two people who could have picked it up, and then there's the potential of the ring itself...

And oh, the villain of the piece. Bliss.

(And then they followed it up with *that* hook for the Christmas episode. Four months. Gah!)

[drjamez.livejournal.com]

I agree, I was just a bit upset at the convenience of what amounts to a "big ol' button du reset" to ultimately save the day, effectively reducing the effort of all those people (and the beauty therein) to crap. I guess I'd like to see consequences follow actions, a clean-up of sorts, etc.

...the new show is unlike the original series wherein "normals" were generally shielded from certain information in the "present day" (although in the future Daleks and Cybermen roam the countryside openly), this new series seems to delight in exposing the citizens of Earth on a VERY wide scale to the very things The Doctor tries to protect humanity from facing at this point in our history. And then, all to conveniently, humanity either forgets (somewhat plausible in certain cases - I loved how Donna did just that in the last Christmas episode), or... the big ol' button du reset.

I guess I'd like to see either humanity remain scarred or have the writing team find another way out of that box. Or, better yet, have the creepy things from space remain veiled in secrecy from the general populace.

Otherwise, I was pleased with the last three episodes. Hell, even the music worked (more in The Sound of Drums than Last of the Time Lords, but hey...). ;-)

SPECIFICALLY: I think The Sound of Drums rocked for giving us Doctor-like behavior (and dress, and mannerisms, and...) in The Villain. Some of it was overt, some very subtle, but oh so interesting to see that the other side of the coin isn't all that unfamiliar.

Eh, now I'm getting too deeply into spoilerish territory. Sorry. ;-)

- James -

[torrain.livejournal.com]

Mhm. I don't see it as reducing the efforts of those people to crap. I mean, without their efforts, the reset button would never--could never--have been pushed.

That it wipes away the crueller effects of the villain, I agree, but I don't think I'd really want to watch a contemporary Doctor Who where all the knowledge and awareness and pain was *present*. I mean, that would be like... I don't know... having him start to carry a gun, almost.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

All three season finales have been deus ex machinas, and while they've gotten progressively *less* bad (as in, the god has solved less of the problem in each case, leaving more of the problem to the real characters to find a real solution to), they've still involved a huge case of "things happen because the script requires it".

And it's really quite annoying. I agree with you, totally, about the hatred for the writers hitting the reset button. They may have written themselves into a corner, but it would have been better to *not write themselves into a corner* rather than to use God to reset everything, again.

And it's not possible to spoil us on Doctor Who.