Rate "Cold Blood"

It'll be 9 down, 4 to go after this one. Open for business at 19.50 BST Saturday.

Wow, that was superb.

Absolutely loved it, a great two-parter with the feel of classic episodes about it.

Nicely paced with a surprise finale.

Well, that was okay all-in-all. Not sure about some of the acting 'choices'¹, and a lot of it was 'exciting' Lucas-esque 'people standing in a room talking about politic-y stuff' 'action'⁷, but it was okay on the whole. Rory's death curiously hurried and unmoving⁵, though, particularly in comparison to the dry run we had a fortnight ago⁶.

Ad-hoc rating - let's give it... ooh, Baker T out of ten.

The story so far³:

The Eleventh Hour - seven out of ten
The Beast Below - three out of ten
Victory of the Daleks - three out of ten
The Time of Angels - seven out of ten
Flesh and Stone - five out of ten
The Vampires of Venice - five out of ten
Amy's Choice - seven out of ten
The Hungry Earth - five out of ten
Cold Blood - four out of ten

Moff not doing too badly so far at all⁴ - certainly an improvement from this stage in series four!

1) As the old podcasts² have led me to believe they are, for some unfathomable reason, termed.
2) It strikes me that the lack of commentary podcasts is annoying not only for the entertainment value, but also for valuable post-episode insights into the philosophy of an episode - a number of times an explanation of a particular decision, if not actually mollifying my annoyance, would at least let me understand just why it was taken. Which was, oftentime, a good thing...
3) Involving, as it does, rewatching, thinking time, and all that zarjazz...
4) Given that 'five' is 'average for an episode of Doctor Who'...
5) No Adric jokes, please - I said 'unmoving' not 'punch the air enjoyable'...
6) And why pull the same(ish) trick twice? Surely it just dilutes the effect, like the homeopathic boy who cried 'Aargh!'? Odd...
7) Far be it from me to suggest the padding was a part of the 'homage' to the Pertwee era...

They killed Rory the Barstewards!!
He's the best 'companion' since Donna. I enjoyed it although I think Ambrose should have taken Rory's bullet.

Gray your point six may be answered in later episodes. Personally I disagree with it being unmoving; not saying I was in tears but it was more moving than Alaya's death.

*goes off for an eye test*(can we have bigger text next time please )

Mrs Lee wrote:Gray your point six may be answered in later episodes...

Mmm, I wouldn't be in the slightest bit surprised if a whole kettleful of niggle-answers are emptied over me come the end of the series - which will make rewatching the lot when the box-set comes out interesting...

It wasn't too bad. Better than part 1 but it stank of Chibbers all over. I'm glad that Rory's death didn't take up the episode. Also 'm disappointed at the lack of any other humans getting involved. I thought they'd have called in UNIT once that gigantic energy dome went grey with smoke. SOMEONE must have noticed. 4/5

it was quite good- the ending was good but i'm still not getting the rush from this series-

The weird thing I'm finding about this series is that while I absolutely love Matt Smith's portrayal of the Doctor - probably more than anyone since Tom Baker - he still somehow feels like someone playing the Doctor, whereas I saw a random picture of Tennant yesterday and my first instinct was 'The Doctor!'...

Wonder if it's just time in the role? It's odd, nonetheless.

That was awesome Doctor Who of the highest magnitude.. Slower paced like classic Who yes, but I think that was necessary for this particular story.. I loved it..

That was a great episode. Poor Rory.

Very good episode, liked it a lot.

Starfighter Pilot wrote:That was a great episode. Poor Rory.

Who?

Exactly!

I hope he'll be back.

Johnstone McGuckian wrote:It wasn't too bad. Better than part 1 but it stank of Chibbers all over. I'm glad that Rory's death didn't take up the episode. Also 'm disappointed at the lack of any other humans getting involved. I thought they'd have called in UNIT once that gigantic energy dome went grey with smoke. SOMEONE must have noticed. 4/5

Who would have been there to notice? Other than those in the dome itself? It's in the middle of Wales' countryside, not being funny but what with UNIT being based in London, do you really think they care about some 'cloud' out in Wales?

I couldn't smell Chibbers but maybe thats me, I think it was well written even down to the fact a person of 'colour' was arguing using the same points I've heard being used against minorities in this country. The fact that there was less humans involved gave them the chance to actually use the few they had for actual characterisation instead of if being a horribly macho episode featuring two armies fighting.

Three out of five, was not fantastic.

Some good stuff, largely the performance of Matt Smith, but if Chibbers did well it was because he had a seven-part bucket of utter AWESOME to draw from, which was the original Pertwee story by Malcolm Hulke.

I can't see how, given that the working brief was to introduce the Silurians to the 21st century, this could have been anything other than good. It would have taken Pip and Jane Baker levels of incoherrance to screw this up.

Still, I did enjoy the small cast and the small scale. I want to see more of Homo Reptilia- although, they aren't really Reptile Man at all, are they? More Hominisaurus. Hominisaurus Sapiens?

Perhaps a story set when they come out of hibernation?

enjoyed both parts - sad for Rory - hope to get him back sometime (saw more growth in his character than in pretty much anyone else so far this series) -- awww... for hibernating together - sweet


As a paleobotanist, the timeline of these guys bothers me a little. I need to listen again for how long they were supposed to have been hibernating for, and match that to what kind of critters were around during geologic time (and timing of moon stuff etc.) -- I have a feeling that none of it adds up, but I've never let facts get in the way of a good story for me

yay!

There was a clear set up for a follow up in the year 3020. The costumes & sets are ready. Just a question of whether they decide to do it, I'd have thought.

The Co=Ordinator wrote:There was a clear set up for a follow up in the year 3020. The costumes & sets are ready. Just a question of whether they decide to do it, I'd have thought.

i hope they don't to be honest...

Do they need to, since they've already had one of the main protagonists talk about the events of the story in the past tense (during the stylistically odd, narratively confusing, and tension-evaporating voiceover)?

Still, if the only thing this story does is to teach children that women, of any race or kidney, are violent and unstable creatures that cannot under any circumstances be trusted¹ then it's done it's job and fulfilled the BBC's remit...


1) Yes, this is irony, just in case you weren't sure²...
2) And if you weren't, given pretty much everything I've ever said³, then, really, what do you think of me?
3) Jokes⁴ excepted, obviously...
4) Even the really bad ones.

Graymalkin wrote:Still, if the only thing this story does is to teach children that women, of any race or kidney, are violent and unstable creatures that cannot under any circumstances be trusted¹ then it's done it's job and fulfilled the BBC's remit...

1) Yes, this is irony, just in case you weren't sure²...

Y'know... The women are the poles, the ends of the pendulum. The extraordinary: Nasreen, to the awful: Alaya/Restac and Ambrose.

And I like that the characters were reasonably well-motivated. Ambrose reminds me of a border collie without a herd--she has no job, and in the story loses her family--so her 'job' is to fix it, somehow. Between a lack of larger experience and inner conflicts she makes bad/cowardly choices. Alaya/Restac, on the other hand, wasn't conflicted at all, 'cause she saw no options. She had only a hammer to use (war) and everything was a nail.

Not that I understand why the head Silurian remained 99% reasonable and helpful (a fully cantankerous moment would've been more realistic). Or why the director cut the early Hungry Earth scene of Doc/Amy discussing Rory.

warped wrote:And I like that the characters were reasonably well-motivated...

I'm not sure I'd go as far as to say they were well motivated but I see what you're saying and, broadly-sketched¹ though they may have been, motivations were indeed present.

And you would have no way of knowing that the major part of that comment's context stemmed from me being punched in the face last night by an ex I bumped into in a pub town. Punched in the face for being 'a b*****d'². Punched in the face for being 'a b*****d' by an ex who dumped me to move in with the bloke she'd been seeing behind my back. Ten years ago³.

Still got it.

1) 'Me soldier! Me want WAR!!!', for example...
2) Which, normally, I'd accept as fair comment. But read on...
3) A situation so bizarre I genuinely found it funny and started laughing. That helped.