"Adam...there was no connection between the different layers ...
Amen. Too flat, even as a bad guy.
Lordy, that right there is part of the problem! He was so flat, I've never even thought of him as a "bad guy."
The commentary or "Confidential" mentioned tptb wanted Adam to steal info from the future to help his terminally ill father, but they decided to drop that line. I'm sorry they did; it would have given Adam another facet, though perhaps it was cramming too much into the story.
Of course, if they dropped the lame-ass snapping aspect of it and the stupid-ass ending done for just laughs, they perhaps could have fit that in. Perhaps have the reveal AFTER the Doctor/Rose drop him off that it was for his dad, it would have added an aching poignancy to the episode. Ah well.
Anna Maxwell-Martin as Suki/Eva and Simon Pegg as the Editor....
I LOVE Anna. I loved her in "Bleak House", and she stole every scene from Anne Hathaway in "Becoming Jane". I can't wait to see more of Anna's stuff when it shows up stateside. Slipping in from that wide-eyed innocent to the sophisticated, cynical guerilla warrior - so excellent. I'm sorry Anna's character died. I'd like to have seen her pop up again somewhere.
Oh, that was her in BJ? I just really like the actress then, that's why I liked her so much more, even more than Cathica in the bigger role. I would have liked to see her again, too.
Simon Pegg was great, too. I can't put my finger on it, and his (written) lines seem generic - but Pegg was riveting.
Yup, by far, WEAKEST characters written by Davies -- I seriously wonder if something was going on while writing this one, because Suki, Cathica (to a degree), The Editor and the nurse are saved ONLY by the actors.
"a.k.a. another of Rusty'sdeux ex machina moments"
Yeah, I couldn't quite figure out how Cathica managed to reverse the info flow. First, why would technicians building the spike allow it to be reversed? And how can someone get things to act by mere thought? Even if Cathica simply shut down the heat transfer system, how can she just do it without actually pulling wires or such? Even the Doctor had to use his screwdriver just to get a feed on the TV.
RIGHT! So it wasn't just me being dim. It just didn't make sense.
RTD definitely has many dei ex machina.
Yup, I hope his next show/project (which I will TOTALLY watch) is not sci-fi where he doesn't feel obligated to pull those out of his ass, because his writing otherwise is so very good.
I may be the only one who was annoyed, but I really, REALLY hated the entire "Stolen Earth"/"Journey's End" regeneration thing. I'm happy DT is still Ten, of course, but I found it a cheap use of regeneration. Ten "didn't want" to regenerate?! Which of the previous nine doctors WANTED to? And the only reason it works is because Ten has a hand handy?
Well, that makes sense (to a degree on a crack-y sci-fi show). It ONLY worked because he had the hand that was lopped off DURING the first 12 hours of a regeneration, so it still had the regeneration properties in it. Eh, I'm easy, LOL!
Something as important as regeneration should be used carefully. I felt like I was getting the "Doctor Who" version of the "quitting/fired but not really" scenario that American cop shows use every other season (someone "quits"/"fired" or the team is "broken up" and everyone returns at the beginning of next season).
I'd agree, if it were overused, but Rusty only used it here, so I was okay with it ... and for me, there WAS a (sci-fi, crack-laden) explanation for it that I could buy. If I can buy the okaaaay! Sci-fi crack element of it, I'm fine, it's when even that doesn't work (ie, Cathica's causing the pipes to burst just by reversing the feed, huh!??!?!?) that I have an issue.
no subject
Amen. Too flat, even as a bad guy.
Lordy, that right there is part of the problem! He was so flat, I've never even thought of him as a "bad guy."
The commentary or "Confidential" mentioned tptb wanted Adam to steal info from the future to help his terminally ill father, but they decided to drop that line. I'm sorry they did; it would have given Adam another facet, though perhaps it was cramming too much into the story.
Of course, if they dropped the lame-ass snapping aspect of it and the stupid-ass ending done for just laughs, they perhaps could have fit that in. Perhaps have the reveal AFTER the Doctor/Rose drop him off that it was for his dad, it would have added an aching poignancy to the episode. Ah well.
Anna Maxwell-Martin as Suki/Eva and Simon Pegg as the Editor....
I LOVE Anna. I loved her in "Bleak House", and she stole every scene from Anne Hathaway in "Becoming Jane". I can't wait to see more of Anna's stuff when it shows up stateside. Slipping in from that wide-eyed innocent to the sophisticated, cynical guerilla warrior - so excellent. I'm sorry Anna's character died. I'd like to have seen her pop up again somewhere.
Oh, that was her in BJ? I just really like the actress then, that's why I liked her so much more, even more than Cathica in the bigger role. I would have liked to see her again, too.
Simon Pegg was great, too. I can't put my finger on it, and his (written) lines seem generic - but Pegg was riveting.
Yup, by far, WEAKEST characters written by Davies -- I seriously wonder if something was going on while writing this one, because Suki, Cathica (to a degree), The Editor and the nurse are saved ONLY by the actors.
"a.k.a. another of Rusty'sdeux ex machina moments"
Yeah, I couldn't quite figure out how Cathica managed to reverse the info flow. First, why would technicians building the spike allow it to be reversed? And how can someone get things to act by mere thought? Even if Cathica simply shut down the heat transfer system, how can she just do it without actually pulling wires or such? Even the Doctor had to use his screwdriver just to get a feed on the TV.
RIGHT! So it wasn't just me being dim. It just didn't make sense.
RTD definitely has many dei ex machina.
Yup, I hope his next show/project (which I will TOTALLY watch) is not sci-fi where he doesn't feel obligated to pull those out of his ass, because his writing otherwise is so very good.
I may be the only one who was annoyed, but I really, REALLY hated the entire "Stolen Earth"/"Journey's End" regeneration thing. I'm happy DT is still Ten, of course, but I found it a cheap use of regeneration. Ten "didn't want" to regenerate?! Which of the previous nine doctors WANTED to? And the only reason it works is because Ten has a hand handy?
Well, that makes sense (to a degree on a crack-y sci-fi show). It ONLY worked because he had the hand that was lopped off DURING the first 12 hours of a regeneration, so it still had the regeneration properties in it. Eh, I'm easy, LOL!
Something as important as regeneration should be used carefully. I felt like I was getting the "Doctor Who" version of the "quitting/fired but not really" scenario that American cop shows use every other season (someone "quits"/"fired" or the team is "broken up" and everyone returns at the beginning of next season).
I'd agree, if it were overused, but Rusty only used it here, so I was okay with it ... and for me, there WAS a (sci-fi, crack-laden) explanation for it that I could buy. If I can buy the okaaaay! Sci-fi crack element of it, I'm fine, it's when even that doesn't work (ie, Cathica's causing the pipes to burst just by reversing the feed, huh!??!?!?) that I have an issue.