tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post4617586007837870020..comments2024-03-27T08:49:38.786-03:00Comments on Siskoid's Blog of Geekery: Doctor Who #735: Love & MonstersSiskoidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08266365376486695812noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-68435791353677372032013-11-27T14:01:23.435-04:002013-11-27T14:01:23.435-04:00This episode would have been awesome if it was sim...This episode would have been awesome if it was simply an examination of how the Doctor affects people's lives, especially the ones he meets briefly or leaves behind. And the idea of there being Doctor groupies is inspired and quite logical when you consider all the various things people obsess over in our world. And the character moments work perfectly.<br /><br />Sadly they felt the need to shoehorn a monster in it because of course it's impossible to do Who now without some kind of monster or alien even in a historical setting. Sigh. <br /><br />Even then, it could have worked if it wasn't for the tasteless humour and the just godawful performance of Peter Kay. Seriously, I'm not familiar with this guy - never seeh him before, don't know what his comedy is like. But he's just awful. Even when he's Victor he plays the role so broadly and is clearly just sending up the material like he's in a Little Britain sketch or something (no slight against LB by the way).<br /><br />It's funny. Until I started reading your daily blog reviews I didn't realize exactly how weak season 2 is. Yes there are exceptions but overall it's a very shoddy season. Pedro Cabezuelonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-64925588163701712162013-11-27T04:16:38.250-04:002013-11-27T04:16:38.250-04:00"With the Doctor, you get 'Love & Mon..."With the Doctor, you get 'Love & Monsters'."<br /><br />If only we'd heeded her warning.<br /><br />She probably tried to keep us from watching the "Dexter" finale too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-69014521681308518282013-11-26T20:44:15.576-04:002013-11-26T20:44:15.576-04:00I'm not sorry!!!
As for RTD's masters, hi...I'm not sorry!!!<br /><br />As for RTD's masters, his cred was so high at this point, the BBC would let him do anything, including a Doctorless episode with that ending.Siskoidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08266365376486695812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-45752786053993746142013-11-26T17:29:50.676-04:002013-11-26T17:29:50.676-04:00Darn you, Siskoid. I went back and watched School...Darn you, Siskoid. I went back and watched School Reunion and The Girl in the Fireplace this weekend and got all choked up.<br /><br />To loosely quote from the Fireplace episode, "With the Doctor, you get monsters." Madame meant this episode, which everyone here is being far too nice about. <br /><br />Without question, were I in charge of the BBC, I would have relieved RTD of his responsibilities immediately and made his successor fix the ending, which I cannot unfortunately un-see. All I can do is warn others to look away. <br /><br />The only good thing about this monster is that when they did a Doctor-lite episode next season, they made Blink in a attempt at making up for it.jdh417https://www.blogger.com/profile/14541882649762424101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-21246974837523613072013-11-26T13:57:17.033-04:002013-11-26T13:57:17.033-04:00Can you imagine, being that kid's parents? You...Can you imagine, being that kid's parents? Your little Timmy or whatever has told all his friends; grandma and grandpa have come around to watch the episode; the whole family gathered around the television set...<br /><br />Blowjob joke ensues. Randalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-45491886452415896682013-11-26T09:30:38.579-04:002013-11-26T09:30:38.579-04:00@Anonymous Good point.
I never thought of the kid ...@Anonymous Good point.<br />I never thought of the kid who created it being embarrassed by it now.<br />It is still one of the worst Who monsters ever.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06208969934278199592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-44460456373041978462013-11-26T08:57:14.143-04:002013-11-26T08:57:14.143-04:00Anon: As a 15-minute short (no Victor), it just ab...Anon: As a 15-minute short (no Victor), it just about works.<br /><br />CiB: It's a different flavor of gruel. The 60s had you working year-round, but the new show has a more intense schedule over a shorter length of time, long hours, nights, and for the main cast, a heck of a lot of personal appearances and promotional stuff.<br /><br />I agree with you it's a highlight, because you're right, it's very much the weakest of RTD's seasons. Which makes the ending that much more disappointing. The giant Abzorbaloff would have been much cooler, and the Mill was certainly able to do it if we go by Abaddon which aired a matter of months later (or indeed, the Beast the previous episode, though that wasn't in a modern day context).<br /><br />Kennedy as Levine is something I thought of, the grumpy archivist and all that, but perhaps you have to have been involved in the same circles of fandom to really appreciate the attack.Siskoidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08266365376486695812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-49726332077102584542013-11-26T06:56:44.755-04:002013-11-26T06:56:44.755-04:00In terms of schedule- the new series films for a f...In terms of schedule- the new series films for a few months a year. In the 1960's it was 44 weeks a year of filming, with 5 days of rehearsals followed by actually filming the episode on a Friday evening (the plan usually being to complete the filming between 2030 hours and 2145, although going later than that was not uncommon- these people have been rehearsing the episode since 0900 that morning)<br /><br />Really, the schedule of the new series is nowhere near as gruelling as the 1960's series. The ridiculously gruelling nature of those series is why when the series went colour they halved the season length.<br /><br />Despite the last 15 minutes of this episode being no awful, I still think this is one of the highlights of this season. I'm not keen on this season. The kid who designed the abzorbaloff was also terribly disappointed- his sketch was of a monster on the scale of Godzilla who would absorb trains and cars.<br /><br />One theory going around is that Victor Kennedy is an Ian Levine stand in and the episode largely is being critical to his role within Doctor Who fandom and an accusation that Levine made it "not fun anymore".CiBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-25618746070704917552013-11-26T06:35:55.515-04:002013-11-26T06:35:55.515-04:00"The first 30 minutes High, the last 15 Low&q..."The first 30 minutes High, the last 15 Low"<br /><br />Oh hell yeah, that's exactly how I watch this one. Well actually I watch until the instant before Victor shows up, it ends on a lovely note that way.<br /><br />That said, in a lot of ways this was my favorite Jackie episode, even if I don't watch that part so much. I once complained about how Jackie was being played too much for laughs, and this is the episode that counterbalances all that. But I don't really like watching that part of the episode because it goes way too dark too fast.<br /><br />This episode was entirely salvageable too, mind you; all it required was rescuing the stalwart members of LINDA. Yes this was one of the worst monsters ever, but the Doctor could have even made a joke about that (in a fashion that didn't insult the kid who created it, who by the way is probably old enough now to feel embarrassed by it).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com