Love and Monsters

[altariel]

I loved it, of course. It was funny and touching and about being different. Also, I could hear half of fandom exploding as I watched.

Mr A. adds: it was funny to have that set of fans, and then funnier to have Rose as the Big Name Fan.

Comments

[communicator.livejournal.com]

Hurrah for celebrating being uncool, and I liked it too. Wasn't it great when they formed a band? What a shame that fandom was destroyed by contact with the loved object.

[furius.livejournal.com]

*explodes*

Though, truth be told, I think it's the ending that puts me off. It's creepy, and not only because of the lovelife part. He'll shrivel and die while she remains ageless in a cement slab. This simply cannot end well and arguably unhealthy. I can't figure out *why* the Doctor would cooly grant Elton that...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I loved it too. So inventive and blackly funny.

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

It was lovely when they formed a band. And when they started sharing food before that.

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

I liked it a lot as well. They did a similar thing in this week's episode of Without A Trace, telling the story from the point of view of the parents of the missing child, rather than from the FBI agents investigating.

And I thought Jackie was great. The scene in the laundry was superb.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

It seems that people either liked it or hated it. I'm in the "liked it" camp.

[fictualities.livejournal.com]

I loved it.

1. They took a huge, huge risk, and deserve many points for that.

2. The allegory of fandom managed to say many different things at once, all contradictory and all true. Of course they were poking mild fun, but the portrait of fannish friendships was dead-on and even managed to be quite moving in spots (particularly when the older woman said she'd been desperately searching for her daughter who'd been swallowed by the drug world). The ending reread fandom in two ways, I thought -- it said, look, these things you're obsessed with are INCREDIBLY dangerous, and then: look, life is more worth living with this stuff around.

That combination of takes on fandom struck me as incredibly nuanced and RIGHT.

3. That little kid in the Confidential? The one who designed the monster? When they let him see it in the flesh and he gave that huge, huge grin? Most. Adorable. Thing. Ever. EVER. ♥ ♥ ♥

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

The ending, the last 10 or 15 minutes, were sort of weak. Which was such a shame, since the rest was so charming and funny.

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

I really liked that, too. It reminded me of a group that I know.

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

I liked it, too. It says something about the progress that the 'new' show has made, and about how they (RTD, TPTB) feel about it, that they could take that risk, and pull it off.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

When it turned into the monster? I thought the monster was a hoot.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

The casting helped too. Everyone was brilliant.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Absolutely :-)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

We cheered and clapped at the end. Up there with Galaxy Quest for nailing fannishness, I think.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Yes, it seems to have really divided people. Loads of fun, I thought.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I loved the bit with the food. And that they would talk about the Doctor for practically no time at all before getting down to the real business, i.e. being friends with each other.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Jackie was particularly wonderful; CC fills the part with so much humour and pathos.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I felt we were meant to go "eeeuwww!" a little, but that the tone of thing was, "Hey, it works for us!"

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

Yeah, right about then. It didn't do it for me. The monster didn't seem all that funny, and the story lost its tongue-in-cheek feel, which was what was making it work. It just turned into slapstick, it felt like. And the concrete slab business just fell very flat for me, it was more disturbing than funny.

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

The casting was great. It's hard to say enough good things about Marc Warren and Shirley Henderson.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

The "We spit on the Slitheen, they're scum," bit worked incredibly well for me, classic local rivalry. And I laughed at how it ran. What can I say? I love Tom and Jerry cartoons.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Was slightly freaked out afterwards when Mr A. pointed out where I'd seen Mr Skinner before (in Alan Partridge).

[gaspode.livejournal.com]

Yep - Sitting therte with Reet going 'This is great - But its really gonna uspset some people'

Plus it nicely contiued gthe theme of loss that has played such a big part in most of the episodes ...

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

And that they would talk about the Doctor for practically no time at all before getting down to the real business, i.e. being friends with each other.

:-)

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Really? Who'd've thought it? :-)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I was feeling very anxious about Jackie by the end of the episode.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I didn't have anything to add at once because I agree entirely :-) The more I watch it, the braver I think it is. Because it's so honest - all the emotions and vulnerabilities up there on screen. The last little speech to the camera is knockout.

I saw the kid very briefly on Confidential Cutdown - I really hope he was pleased!

[kerravonsen]

Why? Because she's alone? Because she's going to be left alone? And whether she will cope with that?

[kerravonsen]

It's creepy, and not only because of the lovelife part. He'll shrivel and die while she remains ageless in a cement slab. This simply cannot end well and arguably unhealthy.

Yeah, it was creepy.

I can't figure out *why* the Doctor would cooly grant Elton that...

Maybe he figured that half a life was better than no life at all?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I'm worried she's going to get killed.

[kerravonsen]

Ah, yes, that would be a bummer. And almost a slap in the face -- kind of "well, you're only interesting because you're Rose's mother, so if she's going we're going to get rid of you too."