Midnight

[altariel]

Some of you might remember a charming little news story from 2006 when two passengers were removed from a plane because some of the other passengers thought they talked a bit funny. Some of which seemed to make its way into 'Midnight' last night. Well done, Rusty, and I'm glad one of your more pointed pieces of social commentary went out the day you got your OBE.

Opinion is divided in the Altariel household over this episode, although not over its quality. mraltariel was concerned that it contained too much adult reality for a seven-year-old audience: too many adults behaving so frighteningly that even the teenage character, Jethro, struggled to make emotional sense of what was going on.

mraltariel also doesn't like watching people bicker, but I watch Blake's 7 so no complaints from me. But (great big fangirl that I am) the really interesting bits of the story were happening in the gaps: what does Jethro think of his parents now that he's had confirmation of their narrow-minded bigotry (and, indeed, what happens to his rebellious streak, which notably failed when the crunch came); what does Dee Dee make of her idolized professor after he has fallen back on aggression and bullying to silence her (a story close to my heart); and, of course, what exactly did they all say to the Doctor during that twenty minute wait for rescue? And what do they say to themselves, in the midnight hour?

I know many wouldn't agree, but I love Rusty's storytelling. I think he's endlessly inventive, and always sharp but forgiving about people. Even though (as communicator pointed out) 'Midnight' was just the Elevator Episode, it was clever and it bit hard. I'll miss Rusty when he's gone. Hope he knocks out the occasional 'Gridlock' to keep me happy.

Comments

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

I luked "Love and Monsters", and "Utopia" was good. I was rather luke-warm over "Gridlock".

[thanatos-kalos.livejournal.com]

Oh, and a further thought-- 'Jethro' is a name associated with the American South, and 'Biff' with the south and midwest.

[iainjcoleman.livejournal.com]

It reminded me of when I used to have to go to meetings of the Glisson Road / Tenison Road Area Resident's Association.

[brendan-moody.livejournal.com]

The decision not to do an upbeat coda like you so often get in an RTD script really contributed to the effectiveness of the whole. Since this was easily the darkest story he's ever written for Doctor Who, I was expecting some kind of gleeful conclusion just to remind us what we watching, and was quite pleased when it went out on a downbeat. As you say above, an absolutely pitiless story, and one that really uses its limitations (one set, absence of Donna). And Lesley Sharp was terrifying.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

It's a jungle out there.

[jthijsen.livejournal.com]

I agree with everyone about the episode being great for all the reasons mentioned above. However, someone should slap RTD on the wrist sharpishly for letting the Doctor say that peanuts are nuts. Because they really aren't and the Doctor would bloody well know that.

[manna]

Midnight was awesome.

Although it made a rather unfortunate contrast, putting it on right after the Library two-parter, since this managed to be actually scary in a way that the nano-piranhas totally failed to be, for me. Mind you, I didn't like Gridlock, for exactly the same reason, which was that the writer came up with a neat idea but didn't bother creating any internal logic so it made sense. I can't ever forgive that kind of laziness in script-writing.

Still, I spent most of the Confidential really wishing that RTD wasn't leaving, and that if he was leaving, Steven Moffat wasn't replacing him.

[iainjcoleman.livejournal.com]

Down these mean streets a man must walk...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Make sure you're wrapped up warm and don't forget your gloves.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

You know, I didn't go for the Library two-parter all that much either: it felt too much like a rehash of Moffat's previous stories. Faceless scary monster - check. Repeated catchphrase - check. Girlfriend of the week - check. Doctor's face in fireplace/TV - check.) I'm hoping he's saving all his new ideas for when he's running the show.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Lesley Sharp was so good! I wonder if this story is merely a small downer foreshadowing the massive downers to come over the next couple of weeks.

[iainjcoleman.livejournal.com]

I have a very long multicoloured scarf. Will that do?

[iainjcoleman.livejournal.com]

Coleman Mansions now has an emergency chocolate supply, to be opened in case of Donna coming to an untimely end.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Make sure it's covering your ears.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Wise plan, sir.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I didn't mind not having the monster explained either: as you say, it was a catalyst for the action.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Oops! Perhaps the Doctor couldn't resist the gag.

[gaspode.livejournal.com]

I can never really make up my mind when it comes to RTD. I don't dispute that he can write - and like you 'Love and Monsters' is one of my Favs (certainly my fav from him - at least until midnight), but some times his writing gets bogged down and his portrayl of the various 'Families' of the companions - well sometimes can be down right irritating. I still don't get what the draw of Gridlock for so many was though (aside from the last 10 mins), It really didn't do anything for me at all except for the closing scenes ...

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'd be interested to know what children made of it. The fifty-year-olds I watched with were bored (I asked them which episodes they had liked, and after some thought he said the Agatha Christie one was quite fun); I don't know that I'd put it down as a favourite, but I thought it worth doing, and well done, with the proviso about whether many children would have got it.

[manna]

Really, it's almost always better when they don't explain the monster. Like it's almost always better when they don't explain any physics, either.

[manna]

Before the Library stories, I was kind of lukewarm about Steven Moffat. (I was really quite enthusiastic until I saw Jekyll.) Now I'm just really hoping that he's going to stick to producing and not write too many episodes, because really, like you say, we've seen that one already, now.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Apart from the joke about the lions ("I've got my pride"), Jekyll was a disaster. And a misogynistic disaster too. There, I've said it.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

One day I'll write my essay about why 'Gridlock' is a masterpiece. But not today.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

And there was an alien planet too! (Although admittedly we didn't see much of it.)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I had that restless feeling at the end too, I think because of all those gaps I was talking about. This is usually the point where I start looking for fanfiction...