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Post by Queen E on Apr 12, 2008 4:51:24 GMT -5
Burn with me!
Oh, wait, wrong episode. How 'bout: Post with me!
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Post by beccaelizabeth on Apr 12, 2008 14:28:05 GMT -5
Oh, that was good. That was very, very good. That was proper Doctor Who, that was. Everyone should now go on James Moran's blog and tell him so. Yes. For with the internets we can do that. Neat.
I shall possibly have a more thinky review after there is sleeping.
But this one had funny that I'm now thinking was funny even if I didn't quite like it first time through, and then it turned around in the middle of a scene and bam, hello scary spooky dark and big moral choices and things going BOOM on a really grand scale.
I likes it. A lot.
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Apr 12, 2008 21:41:13 GMT -5
Ancient Rome. TARDIS translation circuit. Latin comes across as Celtic. Welsh. Ooh, cool costume. The Doctor was responsible for Rome burning? Here we go again. Hmm. Pompeii, not Rome. Volcano Day. Credits. The TARDIS was part of a prophecy. The TARDIS is gone. Sold? Modern Art. LOL. Mary Poppins reference? hee. Have you been inhaling? Hee. Overbearing mother. What does she get for her daughter doing all this? On whether to save the Pompeiians. Pompeii is a fix point in history. Now a Pan's Labyrinth reference. TARDIS- a temple made of wood. I am Spartacus. A computer circuit. Seers reading the Doctor and Donna. "She is returning." Rose I presume. Is that going to be the catchphrase for the season? The Doctor's real name is hidden. Rock in the vapors. Volcanic ash. Seer can't see the eruption. An energy converter. They're all turning into stone. Stone monster. Man, just when I thought there wasn't going to be a raging monster in this episode. At least it's dispatched quickly. Squirt gun. Hee! Making a choice. Some things are fixed, and some things are in flux. That's the way he sees the universe. Cool. And I'm glad we finally got an explanation, and a good one at that. Oh, great. The monster again. There was no volcano. So the eruption wasn't actually an eruption. The Doctor has to cause the eruption to save the world. Neat. Rock car, like the ones in the Red Mars trilogy. This choice was the same one the Doctor made in the Time War, wasn't it? History's back in place, and everyone dies. Yeah, there's still some lasting trauma there. But then he offers the family salvation. Wonder what the effects of that are going to be. Ah, a temporary rift in Pompeii caused the visions. Rome Six Months Later. Yep, fallout. The Doctor and Donna became their household gods. So is this supposed to be ominous or just wrapping the episode up nicely?
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Apr 12, 2008 21:42:41 GMT -5
I quite liked this episode. It was colorful.
And even the monster wasn't bad, design speaking. I just found its presence tedious.
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Post by Queen E on Apr 13, 2008 12:41:25 GMT -5
Interesting episode! I really like how they are establishing Donna as a companion; she's mouthy with a good moral sense and just enough knowledge of the Doctor to know what to say during a moral crisis. And she's 1) old enough to know her own mind and not be overwhelmed by his superior knowledge (as I think Rose sometimes was, and 2) not attracted to him, a la Martha, which is kind of the same issue as point 1, since both lead to not being as strong a voice as was needed in this episode. Both these first 2 episodes show a nice bit of continuity from "The Runaway Bride" in terms of the decision the Doctor made with regard to the Racnoss. Not that I am at all picking on Rose or Martha! I like how each companion we've seen has a different purpose and effect. Rose helped the Doctor admit and come to some kind of terms with the events of the Time War; Martha helped connect him (literally, in "Last of the Time Lords") with the rest of humanity. Donna, on the other hand, seems to help keep him in check, to keep him grounded when he has to make certain god-like decisions. I could be all wrong about this, but that's what I have so far. Did anyone catch the "she's coming back" (or something like that) that the seer said to the Doctor? Hmm, wonder who that could refer to?
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Post by Queen E on Apr 14, 2008 19:10:21 GMT -5
Fun fact: Apparently, the sets for this episode were the same sets used for the show "Rome," which was co-produced by HBO and the BBC.
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Apr 15, 2008 8:19:23 GMT -5
Fun fact: Apparently, the sets for this episode were the same sets used for the show "Rome," which was co-produced by HBO and the BBC. Cool!
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Post by Lola m on May 2, 2008 20:02:25 GMT -5
Heh! Nice little explanation of the translation thingee. Yay! **bounces**
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Post by Onjel on May 2, 2008 20:12:14 GMT -5
Fun fact: Apparently, the sets for this episode were the same sets used for the show "Rome," which was co-produced by HBO and the BBC. I knew they looked like the same "locales". I thought, "I wonder if these were the sets used for Rome?" Thanks for confirming my hunch!
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Post by Lola m on May 2, 2008 20:18:01 GMT -5
I really like the outfits and make-up on these priestess people. Ooooh! The blue box has been "foretold". Heh. And has gone missing again. Why doesn't he get a lo-jack for itor something? Heh! Modern art. This is gonna be a fun family, I can tell. Cool. So the daughter can see things, future or aliens or something? Dueling ethical stances. Doctor only interferes when the time line is wrong (well, mostly) and Donna wants to save people even when it would change time. The eyes on hands are very cool! And also apparently a long-distance communication system. Hmmmm. And I mistrust the head priestess. I'm thinking she's not who she says she is, eh? "I am Spartacus." "And so am I." #rofl# A man of learning. Oh, yes, but don't mind me. ;D Whoa. Dueling sooth-saying. The gift of Pompei is that every single one tells the truth. Very cool!!
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Post by Lola m on May 2, 2008 20:30:26 GMT -5
The daughter is turning to stone? Gods of the underworld stirring, eh? Something else stiring I'm thinking. Have they said anything about tomorrow? No? Ah. And they're breathing in Vesuvius. So, the mountain wants them not to run away? He's building a computer, it looks like to me. She's telling her sisters about what Donna's saying. There is only one prophesy - only this is a new prophsey, which can't happen. And of course the answer is to get rid of the person saying the uncomforable thing. Energy conversion thingee. Oooooh, and he's got a stone arm too!! Are they becoming stone to survive the eruption? Or to become like the monster under the mountain? Or be become like other people will be after the eruption? Whoa! Stone lava monster thing. Water makes him go boom? Well, if he's lava I guess he solidified. And they grabbed Donna.
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Post by Lola m on May 2, 2008 20:42:55 GMT -5
Heh! I like this response to being about to be sacrificed. You have got to be kidding?! Yep. The high priestess has been turned into stone, like the monster thingee. Nice make-up job, actually. Bringing up the shadow proclamation. Heh! Armed with a water pistol. I think some of the other priestesses are having a few doubts, going by the looks on their faces. Heh! Appian way puns. Cool! Every waking moment, he can see what should be happening and what not. The sisters are balanced by a male version - these Vulcan guys. And they are not really fazed by the molten aliens, 'cuz they see them as Gods. Classic! I think this is a bit too much fire to to vanquish with a water pistol. Heh! Love her eye-roll over his "lava/lather" pun. Why don't you just go home! Well, it's a good question. Just needed to know if the whole planet was at stake. Well, now he's gonna thwart you, you know.
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Post by Lola m on May 2, 2008 20:51:01 GMT -5
(This is a lovely, very classic-feeling Dr Who ep, by the by.)
Oh, classic dilemna! They're stopping Vesuvius from erupting, so if he saves the world it means actually turning the eruption back on. Not so much just not interfering, but causing the eruption. But it would restore history and save all the other people. And supposedly they will die too, but, duh, that's not gonna happen.
So, when he does it, they all suddenly see the volcano - see the future of the explosion coming. Whoa! And there they go - tossed out of the volcano.
Hee! Gonna outrun it? Run for the Tardis. But surely they can save one family? History probably won't change for a few missing folks, will it?
But then again, why save them? When everyone else has to die? How is that fair?
Donna argues for saving someone, just anyone. Knows he can't save them all, but could save someone.
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Post by Lola m on May 2, 2008 20:57:56 GMT -5
Are they going back for that family? Yep! To watch the whole town go. Some people did escape back then, they were the ones who fled before the eruption. Sailed away and so on. She doesn't have the visions anymore. (Um. And wouldn't there be too much ash and stuff for them to just be able to stand there and watch like that?) Nice. She thanks him and he acknowledges that she was right. Cool! Nice ep!! I'll have to come back and see what other folks thought after BSG is done.
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Post by Sara on May 2, 2008 21:00:49 GMT -5
Interesting episode! I really like how they are establishing Donna as a companion; she's mouthy with a good moral sense and just enough knowledge of the Doctor to know what to say during a moral crisis. And she's 1) old enough to know her own mind and not be overwhelmed by his superior knowledge (as I think Rose sometimes was, and 2) not attracted to him, a la Martha, which is kind of the same issue as point 1, since both lead to not being as strong a voice as was needed in this episode. Both these first 2 episodes show a nice bit of continuity from "The Runaway Bride" in terms of the decision the Doctor made with regard to the Racnoss. Not that I am at all picking on Rose or Martha! I like how each companion we've seen has a different purpose and effect. Rose helped the Doctor admit and come to some kind of terms with the events of the Time War; Martha helped connect him (literally, in "Last of the Time Lords") with the rest of humanity. Donna, on the other hand, seems to help keep him in check, to keep him grounded when he has to make certain god-like decisions.I could be all wrong about this, but that's what I have so far. Did anyone catch the "she's coming back" (or something like that) that the seer said to the Doctor? Hmm, wonder who that could refer to? Well said.
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