Sunday, April 06, 2008

Partners in Crime: Doctor Who returns

What can I say: yesterday was a VERY good day.

Okay, so I had to wait an excruciating few hours to get home to actually see the ep (god bless Neil and the BBC iPlayer), but really this was a delight.

Sure, the adipose babies were straight out of the marketing department's "how-to-make-a-cuddly-'monster'-for-kids" textbook (even Marie wants one!), but somehow they worked.

Sure, the villain - Miss Foster - wasn't utterly evil-- but as Rob notes this actually worked very well really. (Miss Foster also had an uncanny resemblance to a friend ... hope my friend's not offended but both Neil and I made the same remark so I couldn't have been entirely imagining the resemblance!)

It was an RTD extravaganza and a season opener at that, so we weren't expecting Shakespeare (or even The Shakespeare Code), but dammit, it worked for me. Donna worked for me -- in ways I didn't anticipate. The whole 'lurve' thing was knocked firmly and amusingly on the head well within this first episode. And the appearance at the end (more or less welcomed by Anna)-- all I can say is I have obviously managed the non-spoiler efforts better than expected. Hurrah!

What I loved: the pace, the humour. Yes it was farce, but done with a real deft touch. I totally giggled like a nut when the silent meeting took place through the windows. And most of all I loved that Cloud had watched it live (whilst I was in London eating post-play*), then set up BBC iPlayer on his laptop AND then happily watched it with me again at 11pm. I think redhaired Catherine Tate may have had something to do with that, but we'll let that go.

Glasses: check.
Lankiness and running: check.
Licking: come on Rusty, do us proud!

*I nearly wrote 'post-Dougie' but that seemed to have very different connotations...



UPDATE: after the disappointment that the BBC may not be able to let commentaries on episodes be downloadable as podcasts, they've found a neat way around this via BBC7. Hurrah!

6 comments:

Anna Lowman (annawaits) said...

The appearance was very much welcomed, believe me!! :D

Rosby said...

My review is up - it feels strange doing them again!

Persephone said...

Lisa, I don't know if this will interest you (it interests me mightily), but the episode with David Tennant's, Catherine Tate's and Phil Collinson's commentary is available at http://www.planetgallifreytv.blogspot.com/
I'm off to watch it now!

Rob Buckley said...

Don't care if an evil marketing department was behind them, I want an entire series dedicated to the baby adipose!

gray said...

Perhaps random....but I kept thinking Ghostbusters: crossing the streams of the sonic devices and a host of aliens that look like the kids of Mr. Stay Puff Marshmellow Man.

A lovely cartoonish start to the season (Foster hangs in the air for a few before falling). But also THAT scene, with the car keys, already setting things up for later episodes of this season.

Toby O'B said...

Maybe someday we'll get to meet the grownup Adiposians and see if they look like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man...

Or if they're pumped up on steroids warriors who look like the Michelin Man!

For me the best scene was the mimed re-introduction with an excellent payoff from Ms. Foster. And the chance to see Bernard Cribbins expanding on his entry into the TV (therefore True!) world of 'Doctor Who'.