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I liked it. The sets this week, apparently the same ones constructed in Italy for the series "Rome", looked fantastic and were very well decorated with color and extras. Effects were top notch again, and the silly-named Pyrovile literally lit up the screen - even though the real FX highlight was the eruption itself.
Donna is well used here, reminding us just what the Doctor goes trhough, seeing catastrophe and genocide and deliberately choosing to do nothing because that's just the way it is. She joins the ranks of companions who are able to keep the Doctor human - some of his earlier incarnations might have saved the family, but he didn't. Some fans are comparing Donna to Tegan, the fifth Doctor's similarly firey companion from the 1980s... It's not a bad comparison, but Donna brings a lot of gravitas and learning to her role.
Did anyone get Mary Poppins flashbacks from the Pompeii family?
It's also been noted that the seventh Doctor and Mel must have been councing around Pompeii at exactly the same time, being there in the non-canon audio adventure.. Good thing they didn't meet, due to the extreme embarassment that would cause...
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I was wondering if anyone was going to post a thread about this.... it was a good little romp. Getting Donna's feet wet with the whole traveling about thing.
-------------------- I haul cardboard and cardboard accessories
Registered: Mar 1999
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It certainly bodes well after the rather disapointing season 3. Donna is more of a moral compass, is more acceptable (even with today's NHS all time low standards I didn't buy Martha as a doctor), and isn't all gushy and in love with the Doctor.
The episode was nice, but ones like this seem rushed compared to the original episodic format. Overall, a B+.
-------------------- I have plenty of experience in biology. I bought a Tamagotchi in 1998... And... it's still alive.
Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Originally posted by The Ginger Beacon: The episode was nice, but ones like this seem rushed compared to the original episodic format. Overall, a B+.
I think the older episodic format had its strengths, there is no doubt about that, but it also led to some terribly long episodes where not a great deal of anything really happened (ok, they were only 25 or so minutes long, but they felt longer!). I think they've hit the right balance with the new series - the episodes have the quick "one shot" punch to keep younger audiences interested, occasional 2 or 3 parters to allow for larger stories, and the annual linked theme (Bad Wolf, Torchwood etc) that allows for a building story across a series. Not a bad mix, and if it means sacrificing the occasional 25 minute episode that consists mainly of people getting chased down a corridor then up a suspiciously similar second corridor, then I think that's a sacrifice worth making! :-D
I wonder what's on Donna's back?
-------------------- Quidquid latine dictum sit altum viditur
Registered: Nov 2004
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I agree that the hour-long format is best. The original series had a LOT of padding in some episodes, and when they were collected into 90-120 minute shows for PBS (which is how I got most of my Who in the 80s), it was sometimes painfully evident how much screen time was used for perfectly wasteful things. Dialogue too, when you have to re-introduce everyone every 25 minutes.
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