Doctor Who: Waters of Mars

[Eric Profancik]

[POTENTIAL SPOILERS]



So anyone else catch this yet? It's a tale of two Doctors and stories. The first half is a regular Who tale, with bad guys doing their thing and lots of running. (Bikes!) It really isn't anything all that special, showcasing a great supporting role by Lindsay Duncan and a really stupid robot named Gadget. I liked the water monsters, especially how humans turned into them, but this part of the story was ok.

Then the last half as the Doctor leaves and comes back is the interesting part. I kept wondering what was going to happen since he was leaving too early in the story - I was fairly convinced he really would just leave, just once - but then he comes back and declares himself the winner of the Time War. Interesting. I don't think I like that evolutionary twist for the Doctor, as it feels totally out of place. But I'm counting on that to be the impetus for "The End of Time."

My problem with the specials this year is that I keep expecting more from them, being a "shortened" season of just four "specials." I want more, bigger, grandiose ideas. I want special. But I have to remember that they aren't that special, necessarily. Just typical Who tales in a "special" season. In that context, this year has been average. I'm hoping "The End of Time" will be that special special I've been waiting for.

Please, no spoilers on "The End of Time." All I know is what I saw in the promo clip and that he regenerates...in some fashion...as hinted to Tennant's appearance on The Graham Norton Show.

Oh, I didn't get the Ood but I'm sure that plays into the final special too.

[HGervais]

I would agree it is two kind of seperate tales that feed into each other. The first half is a kind of Who greatest hits but it's effective for the most part, like everyone else I know I hated the wikipedia style flashbacks, and yeah, Duncan makes a good foil for Tennant's Doctor. And yeah, the second half is where it gets really interesting. It displays exactly why these post-Time War time lords so badly need a companion and their humanity to keep The Doctor in check. Based on what we saw it looks as if the Doctor has regressed since the Christopher Eccleston days when Rose Tyler helped heal his wounds. All the losses and all the time travelling eternity has clearly caused a rift within him. "I am the master of time and it will obey me" sure sounds like the rantings of The Master, yes?
As for the specials...perhaps you are being too literal with the word. "Planet of the Dead" was entertaining & lighthearted while "The Next Doctor" was kind of somber and in some ways helped set the table for "Waters of Mars." Both "specials" could fit pretty well within any of Tennant's Doctor seasons but yeah, let's hope Davies goes for broke with the two-part finale.
Oh and how did you watch the thing? I thought you were the big one on patience and waiting.

And less a spoiler and more a really big tease from the RTD, Tennant & Gardner podcast for "Waters of Mars":
Russell: ...because long ago the Ood said, "I think your song is sending soon,"
David: Yup,
Russell: They knew, but how do they know? How can Ood be that psychic and that intelligent? How? What's happening? What's going on in the universe?
Julie: You big, big tease.
David: Time is running away with itself somehow.
Russell: You'd think something is bleeding, coming through from the other side. Very strange...
David: We'll have to come back and see what happens there...

[Eric Profancik]

Yes, I am definitely being far too literal with the word "special." I want these four stories to be extra special, to compensate for the "lost" seven hours in this truncated season. But when I step back and just consume then in the guise of normal episodes, they are good and fit well into a season.

As for my patience, it was sadly lost in the massive gap for "The Next Doctor." It took so long to get to BBC America that I gave up and found it and "Planet of the Dead" online before either made it to BBC America. Yes, I love to go back on what I say in many cases; and my zeal for any new Who compelled me to stay up way too late Sunday night to find it online.

I wonder if I'll look for part 1 on Christmas or just wait until New Years for the whole thing...

[Michael Stailey]

BBC America is running the final three David specials as a 3-part part event -- Dec 19, Dec 26, and Jan 2.

[Eric Profancik]

Wow, 12/26 and 1/2. Excellent. Too bad I'll be visiting relatives who don't have BBC America over Christmas.

[HGervais]

The End Of Time preview.

[HGervais]

Ho ho ho