Smith and Jones

[altariel]

Oh, that was fun! RTD has finally nailed the pacing problems on that plot, bless him, and Freema was lovely (so was her theme). And I will never, ever tire of seeing people go into the TARDIS for the first time, it's like every time is the first time for me too.

I think Mr Saxon is going to be an "anti-alien" politician, which I hope means we'll see the Daily Mail mentality get a total kicking over the next few weeks. Well, I won't see it over the next few weeks because I'll be in America, but that's what I want to see eventually.

ETA: Comments now include speculation of a potentially spoilerish and impossibly geekish nature.

Comments

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that we agree. :) I used the word "exhilarating" in my own post. It was a better episode than I thought that RTD was capable of writing. The only pity is that James Robertson Justice is no longer with us, so couldn't be hired to play the hospital consultant. Though the actor who did play the part was very good.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Exhilarating is quite right. I'm quite the RTD fangirl, I can forgive him anything, but I think he really sorted out the pacing problems that episodes similar to this one have had.

The actor playing the consultant was Roy Marsden, probably best known for being Inspector Adam Dalgliesh in various PD James adaptations, but beloved at Altariel Towers for being Neil Burnside in The Sandbaggers.

[mraltariel.livejournal.com]

Sandbaggers! Saaaaaandbaaaaggggers!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Well said, m'dear.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

Your icon has got me thinking about the possibility of a Doctor Who / Noggin the Nog cross-over. :)

[frankymole.livejournal.com]

Nice joke about "I like a little shop" in a hospital (references New Earth) too, I thought.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Yes, that was fun :-)

[frankymole.livejournal.com]

I think Bill Fraser fulfilled the JRJ role in the BBC radio version (with John Le Mesurier and Richard Briers, all great)... is there a comparable actor alive today? Roy Marsden made a good fist of it, I think - I was sad he didn't have more, which is my usual criteria for judging performances.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

Roy Marsden was very good. The other actor who would have been very good, had he not already played a doctor on the programme, is Richard Wilson.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I would have liked more Roy Marsden too.

is there a comparable actor alive today?

Looking at your icon, Jonathan Pryce could give it a shot.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Yes, I agree. I like the new suit better, too.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I also liked the mad hair.

[frankymole.livejournal.com]

Yes, RTD in Confidential talked about how every "newcomer to the TARDIS" scene was so good and unique to write, he could make it last 55 minutes instead of 5... and a ncie recap of some of them, plus lots of good stuff about the 1599/Globe Theatre episode, I love Confidential (I do not love the jerky BBC3 "condoms" animation obscuring half the trailer, though!)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

The Shakespeare episode looks like it will be huge fun.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

I missed the first half but saw enough to get the impression that it was, indeed, a fine ep. And I do like Martha already.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I hope those birds appreciated your sacrifice.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure they were Who fans, but I don't think I would have enjoyed any of the episode while listening to them dying in the chimney.

[layangabi.livejournal.com]

I think Mr Saxon is going to be an "anti-alien" politician, which I hope means we'll see the Daily Mail mentality get a total kicking over the next few weeks.
I hope the Doctor's decision to undermine Harriet Jones comes back to bite him in a big way, but not only that: that he gets to regret it just a *little* bit, and understand that he was wrong. Because I'm fond of him, but I haven't been able to forgive him for that.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I really hope we get to see some consequences of that, yes.

[kerravonsen]

Yes, because the Doctor changed history, dammit, when he brought Harriet down. He deserves to have it bite back at him.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

My son has asked me to suggest the theory that Mr Saxon is actually the Master (evidence: the last episode of the series is called 'Last of the Time Lords'). Did you notice that Mr Saxon is played by the bloke from Life on Mars, btw?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

the theory that Mr Saxon is actually the Master

This was in The Sun a few weeks back. I'm hoping he's the Master posing as an anti-alien politician (with the nice irony that the Master is of course an alien himself, but then that's entirely consistent with demagogue-style politicians, e.g. all the Tory "family values" stuff, or those fundamentalist preachers who turn out to have rent boys on retainer). John Simm was giving Mr Saxon a splendidly evil false smile in the trailers.

[gaspode.livejournal.com]

This seems to be a wide spread rumour - and did anyone notice the - I had a brother once throw away comment last night ....

[qatsi.livejournal.com]

Hmm yes, I wondered what should be made of that.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Well, Delgado's Master was going to turn out to be the Doctor's brother...

And "Stoker" was the false credit given to Anthony Ainley in disguise in 'The King's Demons' ("James Stoker" - an anagram of "Master's Joke").