2001 - A Who Odyssey - Amazing!

Absolutely incredible. From the awesome Tardis Timegirl who did the Web of Fear trailer a while back.



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The Doctor Dithers

First: we enjoyed the Waters of Mars. We don't think Doctor Who has ever looked as gob-smackingly beautiful as it did with Tennant stalking across Mars. However the ending was designed to leave a bad taste in the mouth, the feeling that the Doctor has gone TOO FAR. Except, the more we think about it, he doesn't go too far at all, he gets stuck and can't make his mind up.

It's often been said that the Doctor and Jim Kirk have the same policy of non-interference through extreme meddling when it comes to either the timestream or alien races, however this isn't strictly true. Sometimes the interference has been extreme - the Seventh Doctor cheerfully nukes Skaro whereas three incarnations earlier Sarah-Jane tried to persuade him (and failed to persuade him) to do that very thing. That speech in 'Genesis of the Daleks' has always been seen as the ideal for the Doctor. "Do I have the right?" - he can't answer it. At the end of 'The Armageddon Factor' the Doctor dabbles with the idea of using the Key to Time but thinks better of it. The point is, while he questions decisions he usually makes a definite choice either way and when he's given the chance to destroy the Daleks on Skaro again, he takes it.

So it was interesting in 'The Waters of Mars' to see him completely fail to make a definite decision. When the seventh Doc destroyed Skaro in 'Remembrance of the Daleks' he did so with the absolute conviction that he was doing the right thing (you even hear one Dalek barking 'ENTERING SKARO TIME ZONE' meaning that the Doctor's programmed it to destroy the home planet at the point it has the least impact in history... if you want to read it that way). Instead in 'Waters' you get the Doctor that dithers.

To begin with the Doctor's outlook in many ways seems needlessly fatalistic and reeks of control-freakery: "I believe there are fixed points in time that must happen." Or what? On whose authority must they happen? The Doctor seems convinced that everyone has to die on Bowie Base One for the reason that it inspires the next generation of galactic explorers and colonists. This notion is compounded by the Flood arriving and making zombies of poor old gardeners. The timeline must be preserved the way Gallifrey would have done. So the Doctor should have the conviction to walk away, grieve quietly if he needs to and let those colonists go. Only he can't... because he also has the power to save them. He can't make his mind up, because to save them all opens up a whole new series of possibilities. Historical interference on an epic scale, bringing justice to those that had none. What's next, kill Hitler at birth and have a sandwich? The Doctor though has usually always had this power, unless the TARDIS is rendered unusable. Sometimes he makes the difference by being there, like saving the Titanic survivors in 'Voyage of the Damned', sometimes he gets history back on track like in 'The Time Meddler' or 'The Empty Child'. The problem is, it's difficult to contemplate a future history that needs saving and so reasons (such as the grandaughter space cadet) need to be invented. Therefore if the timeline is at stake then the Doctor has several different options and we can play these options out in the 'Waters of Mars' scenario. Note: it's clear from the Doctor's attitude that the survival of the timeline will always be paramount above the survival of the base's staff.

1. Walk away, escape, leave them to it. Don't interfere and leave the time stream and history entact.
2. Suggest quietly that he has a means of escape, that it will deposit them somewhere at random, but to all intents and purposes everyone thinks they died on Bowie Base One. The timestream is changed but history is entact.
3. Tell them that they all have to die, needlessly upsetting them all and then walking away.
4. Tell them they all have to die, go to walk away, then change your mind, declaring yourself the Lord of Time Victorious and then rescue them and to hell with the timeline and history.

The Doctor chooses option 4 a) because it makes for a more exciting finish and b) because he goes a little bit mad, but he succeeds, a new scary era for Doctor Who has begun.

So something had to go wrong with his rescue mission and that's where we get the odd, if necessary death of Adelaide Brook. Odd because the Doctor convinces her to die without thinking about the how or why. Odd because she seemed perfectly happy to escape the Flood and live. Given that you've just escaped certain death, shooting yourself in the head would be the last thing on your mind (where as actually the 'last thing on her mind' was that laser blast). But, yes, necessary because RTD and Phil Ford had created a new dangerous, meglomaniacal version of the Doctor and had to crush it before the audience lost all sympathy with him and they changed the show completely. They wrote themselves into a corner and, just like in Torchwood, earlier this year, a handy suicide was the answer.

But the problem lies in that it was the Doctor who convinced her she needed to die. If he'd just kept his bloody mouth shut she might have lived. It wouldn't have preserved the timeline though, so, if that IS the Doctor's intention then he should have shot Adelaide Brook himself.

How's that for an ending? Unacceptable, certainly, but even more terrifying if the Doctor had kept his convictions instead of characters conveniently offing themselves. In the end we get something of nothing. The Doctor doesn't fulfill his duty to protect the timeline by killing Adelaide (either by gun or simply walking away), but also doesn't go completely mental and declare himself the King of Time. Even the Dalek chooses to let Adelaide live knowing it preserves the timeline. We have a stuck Doctor, a dithering Doctor and a Doctor who, to be honest, we can't wait to see regenerate. Come in number ten, your time is up.


Doctor Who

Moorcock, Moorcock, Michael Moorcock you fervently moan...

Holy crap balls, Michael Moorcock, fantasy legend is apparently writing a Doctor Who novel. Gawd knows who for though. Big Finish? There does seem a push from the Moff end to get bigger name writers involved with Who - Richard Curtis, Neil Gaiman, Chris Chib- well you get the idea.

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Wetting yourselves yet?

So we've spoken to a mong who's seen Waters of Mars and here's what they said:

"It's dark and scary and possibly too much for little ones, especially one very moment in particular! However this isn't about the monsters, it's about the Doctor, his forthcoming demise, mortality and his actions, which echoes RTD's take on the Doctor during his tenure and the decisions he makes, echoing the season finale and Fires of Pompeii directly. So it's dark, bleak and adult in an RTD sorta way. There are times when you think some ideas could have been developed more, but that's a minor gripe. Duncan is excellent and her character, whilst not especially a companion in the normal sense, has a compelling story and journey. This is really an internal look at The Doctor, even getting to hear his own reasonings and thoughts at times (which must be a first). It very much sets up the tone, and ultimate demise of the tenth Doctor superbly, using ideas and themes established in Russell's tenure. Finishes with a coming soon and a nice dedication to Barry Letts. I think Barry would have approved. Anyway, better than Planet of the Dead by a Martian mile."

As ever, AWF leaped to the question all mongs wanted answered:

"Are the Ice Warriors in it?"

"Well, I couldn't possibly..."

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Doctor Who in new trailer actually looks really good shocker

Apart from Doctor Who being transmitted on a Sunday (IT'S WRONG!!!) this looks bloody brilliant.






Doctor Who

Could this be project 3?

Phil Jupitus has revealed there will be an Xmas Never Mind the Buzzcocks Doctor Who special, hosted by David Tennant with Benard Cribbins, Catherine Tate, Jo Whiley and Jamie Cullum with Noel Fielding and Jupitus in tow.

Maybe Upper Boat have come up with something special for this - we can easily see the 'spot the real band member' being something with the Doctors.

Of course the real question is when will the BBC quit with all this secret and tedious fuckwittery, tell us what's what and let us get on with welcoming the new series of Who hopefully in spring next year?

We're so very, very tired of it ALL.


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Meet Girly Who Fan

In the interests of being PC and that, here's Girly Who Fan.




Doctor Who