2000 AD Online Forum

...'Cough!, Cough!'...

Warning signs from today's Radio Times:

- We get a news broadcast view of events
- "there are too many touchy-feely bits that tend to slow things down."

You have been warned!

Oh, well that's a novel twist on the old alien invasion lark, isn't it? Good to see New Who striking out for something it's not done before...

I was cooking for most of that....

Did he really save the world by setting light to the atmosphere?

Well I thought that was fucking brillant!

Great episode.
Loved the Valiant - has that been in it before?  I don't remember it.

Next week looks interesting - Susan's mum?

...i was kinda hoping the Rutans would turn and kick Sontaran butt, maybe next time...

Who knew we didn't even need sixty percent of the Earth's atmosphere?  I bet all those asthmatic kids look really foolish now.

Blimey the Drs Daughter looks hot.

- pj

...Like I said, cooking, I completely missed the Valiant...

The Master's ship from the end of last series wasn't it?

Anyone else notice that quick flash of Billie on the Tardis monitor?

Susan's mum? hmmm let's see...

Yep..spotted Billie.

Good episode that and next weeks looks OK too.

Good fun. Some good little acting moments. The squeaky little Brian Molko-alike boy genius gave a good turn.

Nit-pick: why did it take the Doctor so long to suss what the Sontarans were up to? Have they never converted another planet into a clone nursery before? If I'd understood that the bloody things fed on gas I'd've worked that out in a split second!

Now, on this new clone factory world, where are the clones gonna grow? The other clones grew in vats full of stuff. Are the new ones grown in Earth's new atmosphere going to just grow on the pavement?

Like the man once said: "where's the foetus gonna gestate - in a box?"

I only saw the last 10 minutes but it was still enough to scar my soul.

Yep, spotted Billie/Rose as well.

Laughed at the "Are you my Mummy?" bit with the gas mask too.

where are the clones gonna grow

They did say lauch the 'clone pods' or something similar.  I guessed they grow in these using the gas for what ever they need it for.

I missed Billie, when was that bit?

The Valient is a UNIT ship, hence why it was used for the first contact with the 'Toclafane'.

I would have assumed that the Sontarans could have converted our oceans into massive nurseries, after all our planet is mostly water, add some chemicals and there you have an endless supply of green sludge.

What I was wondering is what effect the torching of gas all over the world had on the ozone layer? ;) Either the Doctor has destroyed it or recreated it!

i really enjoyed it.
and the "Are you my Mummy?" thing with the gas masks made it even better

for once we get a two parter where the second part is  as good as the first

The gadget that torched the atmosphere was a bit much and didn't make all that much sense since the poison gas was at ground level, and the burning didn't appear to go that far down (which is just as well for humanity). Point is, I'm just not that clear as to why that would have cleared the gas. Unless they're saying the torching was only one effect, the cleansing going down... Ok, that makes sense since it was part of that kid's terraforming project right? Oxygenate alien worlds atmosphere? (So why the burning?)

Also not too clear as to why the Sontarans prevented the nuclear strike since their ship is nuclear proof. I think the explanation was mentioned briefly but it was one of those rushed-speech exposition moments. Was it fear the nuclear pulse would feed back into Earth's atmosphere having the same effect as the Eco rocket?

Don't get me wrong. I loved this episode! Even the newfangled things apparently pulled out of nowhere like the hover ship and the eco rocket thing didn't feel wrong since they were established elswhere, the hover-thing from the Master episode and the eco thing... well we know the kid was preparing to take his geniuses to other worlds. I also like that the other kids reacted realistically instead of going all "Your the genius we follow your will!" that sometimes happens in similar moments in sci-fi shows.

Great action... lots of shooting... and the kid saving the day. (Some people don't like that change in morality thing, but I think it makes sense with this character in this instance and felt right.)

Also an interesting twist that the villain is an English kid putting on an American accent rather than an American putting on an English accent, which is the case in American programmes. (Check out the change in the kid's accent in Dr. Who confidential.) I wonder if that was intentional.

The kid (Ryan Sampson) sounded like a Scot to me, rather than English.

bernard is safe thank goodness. loved the unit troops getting theyre own back on the sontarans at the end and saw that kid redemption thing coming a mile off (well, when the doc went up at least)
again with a human pointing a gun at another human breaching the rtd rules...
i'm assuming the doctor's daughter is human or at least her mum was/is as they didnt show up on the radar in the great time war?
i'm probably way off mark and will wait til next week to find out!

cloned from the hand I would guess.

If the nukes had been launched yes they would have apparently ignited the gas cloud.

g_leahy is right, a 2nd part that is a proper episode in itself.

I liked the selfless act of Rattigan, goes with UNIT not giving up to show that the human race doesn't stop even when the end is near and it looks helpless.

I missed Billie, when was that bit?

When the Doctor was speaking to the Sontarans and trying to drop heavy hints about the phone to Donna, Rose briefly appeared on the TARDIS screen.

Given the slightly unsubtle cuts to the hand that happened at the end of this episode I'm assuming it's a clone from the hand too.

- pj

Could someone remind me about 'the hand', please?

From the Christmas special when he battled 'bone-faced' alien with a sword, and lost his havd, but as he was in the first X hours of regeneration he could grow another one.

Another earth invasion and another rubbish episode. I desperately want to like this new series but just find that week after week it just doesnt do it.

I desperately want to like this new series but just find that week after week it just doesnt do it.

Pretty much the same situation here.

I've got a four year old girl who loves Doctor Who and who will happily sit through each new episode, as well as watching the old series on DVD. I love spending time with her, but if it wasn't for that there's no chance I'd be watching the new series.

I'm fed up with the hero worship of the Doctor by the companions and supporting characters (and, apparently, the writers and producers).

I'm fed up of overly grand setups resolved in two minutes (a Sontaran battlefleet destroyed and gas clouds encircling the globe set alight by a spark from an oversized lighter?)

I'm fed up of SHOUTING and splurges of emotion as substitutes for plotting that hangs together under scrutiny.

I'm fed up of music that intrudes and overwhelms instead of complementing or gracefully setting the mood.

Most of all, I'm fed up of being fed up with a show that I had such high hopes for at the end of series one and that my little girl loves.

I'm not a hater of new Who, but I do agree with this:

I'm fed up with the hero worship of the Doctor by the companions and supporting characters (and, apparently, the writers and producers).

However, it appears that the new companion, Donna, isn't as inclined to this. She still absolutely admires him and has faith in him (but I think that was a trait of companions in much of Old Who too surely? I might be wrong though as I haven't seen much of Old Who.)

And that granddad "Go with your Doctor", whilst sweet to start with is starting to wear a bit. However, I think that the show may be taking a turn for the best though in the new character's different attitude to the Doctor.

I liked this episode, this arc really.

Well, except for the burning sky bit. But blah blah bad science in Doctor Who Blah Blah. What'cha gonna do?

And I agree, Donna has a much more realistic opinion of the Doctor that's very fresh and keeps me liking her character.

I thought this particular "alien invasion of Earth" story was fairly well done.

I'm am however very leery of next weeks "Doctor's Daughter" story.

Surely an 'arc' has to consist of more than two episodes?

But blah blah bad science in Doctor Who Blah Blah. What'cha gonna do?

Heh. The thought occurred to me after watching Saturday's episode, it's like watching The Android Invasion (Nov-Dec 1975) every bloody week!

But never mind, eh?

She still absolutely admires him and has faith in him (but I think that was a trait of companions in much of Old Who too surely? I might be wrong though as I haven't seen much of Old Who.

No, you're right enough. The key difference - in my mind anyway - was that the trust and faith they had was left for the viewer to find. They didn't have speeches telling other characters/the viewer how wonderful the Doctor was, or how he was the only one who could save them. I don't mind the Doctor being a heroic figure, or the only person who can save X, Y or Z, but I resent being told that by the companion-of-the-season.

They didn't have speeches telling other characters/the viewer how wonderful the Doctor was, or how he was the only one who could save them.

Gotcha. I agree. And showed in it's most extreme case at the end of last Season with the whole Martha-walking-the-earth-Peter-Pan-send-him-your-happy thoughts-to-grow-young-again stuff. Right when there was the Master's age manipulating laser screwdriver right there...

Again, lets at least hope things change more with Donna.

Anyway, best part of the episode?

"Are you my Mummy?"

nah best bit was in the trailer for the next episode:
" hello dad!"

This had better be credible!

The "Are you my mummy?" comment would only make sense if anybody else there had been present during the "Empty Child" storyline. Since they weren't and the only people who'd get the joke would be audience members who remember a three year old story it's all a bit postmodern isn't it.

My biggest moan about this is how bland it is. When talking about "The girl in the fireplace" Moffatt claimed that Doctor Who was the only place you'd see a horse on a space-ship. And he's right. Done properly, Doctor Who should be like nothing else on telly. This was just like everything on tv. From the opening moments of episode 1 where a character who knows too much is killed off to the end where the gut-who-done-wrong redeems himself.

Second biggest moan is how stupid the alien invasions are getting. 9-11 changed everything. Here, however, we've got a world where the British government have apparently been blown up by a missile, the existence of (hostile) alien life has been proven, the President of the United states has been assasinated and, judging by the events of this story, millions have died as they were driving cars which started pumping out poisonous gas.
Surely, this would start to have some serious ramifications for society. Wouldn't it?

Best bit this week: mention of the Brig getting a knighthood. Hell, yeah.

Surely, this would start to have some serious ramifications for society. Wouldn't it?

I think that's partly the point. To quote Captain Jack "This is the century in which it all changes."

I wasn't keen on all the large scale invasions either to tell the truth.  I kind of prefer it when the world menace is hidden from the general public (which actually the Sontarans themselves were this episode, although their actions certainly weren't), but I'm going with it now, seeing it as a bit of fun.

I think the resolution was better than the end of season Dalek episode a couple of years back. Or the Master one for that matter. Especially the Master one.

Still that's not saying much...

Oh by the way, those Sontaran laser guns were pretty cool weren't they? No doubt this is the big kid in me speaking (the one who wishes that Termight Lawgiver were going for a cheaper price.)

Hmmm...



This time?

I seem to remember this, especially the associated 'pinging' noises.  Heh - takes me right back.

Link: Voyage to the bottom..

The Muppet Show had pigs on a spaceship. And they were the crew!

"The Muppet Show had pigs on a spaceship. And they were the crew!"


"PIIIIIIIIGS IIIIIIIIIN SPAAAAAAAACE!"

Heh. Muppet show was a classic...

I don't think the new one was quite as good though.