Monday 2 July 2007

DW: Episode 3.13

Martha Jones, Earth Defender!

That was it! Episode number the last! (For this series, anyway.) A huge long extravaganza...up to about when the countdown ended. Really great stuff, Martha walking the Earth, coming up with the one way to defeat the Master, the Doctor at the end of his life, everyone else captured, yeah, that's tense... but then everyone says 'Doctor' and it's all over. Yea- huh?

Credit to RTD for jumping on a year. It's often too easy to get everything resolved the next day (especially in this version of the series, where you're lucky if the episode doesn't take place in real time!), but that, with the knowledge of the paradox machine, meant that certain conclusions to this episode were obvious. But I didn't see the deus ex telepathia coming.

The Master is dead? Yeah, that was never going to happen, although I had a different out in mind (he made the Doc think he was dead then regenerated later), but it looks like RTD is trying for a new spin on that as well. (Which does smell a little of being merely a change for sensationalism rather than for decent story reasons. But I'm willing to wait and see.)

But this is really Martha's episode (despite how much she gives to the Doctor), and when the end finally comes it's because she can move on when the Doctor can't. There's nothing to stop her coming back after the solo-Doctor Christmas episode, but that would undermine her decision to leave. (It could work, but would need a decent episode.) Having her come back for one episode would work better, but I have no idea what the production team have in mind.

It's an epic go at an episode, and didn't feature the Daleks. Still not convinced this is really the Master, but it did have to come down to him and the Doctor. Could have given the ending another go, though.

Next time: Looks interesting, but did we need the 'whats?' again?

NOTE: SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS! (Re Martha's future.)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

So, did you enjoy the episode? I felt there were some great parts as well as a few quite naff bits with the whole 'Doctor' chanting being one of them (and could see the 'reset switch' a mile away) :-(

Are you avoiding casting decisions etc re: Martha next series?

Jamas Enright said...

I liked it up until the end of the countdown (as I tried to say in the post), then it just went pants.

I had a look at Outpost Gally yesterday. Ye gods, they really have all the goss, don't they?

Anonymous said...

Yes, they really do have the goss. I wonder if Martha will hook up with Owen. Ewwww.

Things did go pants - everyone saying the Doctor's name was very Peter Pan indeed.

Jamas Enright said...

Hang on...there, just point a spoiler warning up on the main post. :)

Still, credit to them for trying to make a cohesive universe. All we need is SJA to cross over Torchwood. (Now that'd be an interesting clash of styles!)

Anonymous said...

My humblest apologies Jam Master, I did not mean to spoil!

Jamas Enright said...

Hey, I'm happy to discuss, but I do run my blog as spoiler sensitive (hence the white text), so wanted to give proper warning to the readers.