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Dr Who - Season 30 (4) [SPOILERS]

Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

Donna is turning out to be a very intelligent character. Last week, with her knowledge of Pompei's destruction (I don't know how many average people would know that most got killed trying to escape from the beaches), and this week, her interpretation of Ood personality.

I'm trying to read bits of this thread, but not much of it, since those of us in the USA who only get the Sci-Fi channel are just seeing the most recent season of Dr. Who.

The Christmas special on the spaceship Titanic was quite enjoyable to me. Sometimes it's not the 'good guys' who live. And just to put some vinnegar in the mix, make sure the complete twit does manage to survive.

The second episode, the diet pill one, hmmm.

The Pompeii episode was great! :D First of all, it makes being a Time Lord seem a bit less casual, and fun. A minor point, but: it also gives a quick, relatively non-techno-babble explanation as to why the Doctor sometimes refuses to change events in history, and at others he eagerly jumps in and messes about as much as he likes. The "fixed point" idea, and being aware of what must not be tampered with, suits me well enough.

Donna is quite a treat. Finally, a companion actively challenging the Doctor, and not falling head-over-heels for him. And the Doctor's admission that he really NEEDS a companion to ... well, ground him a bit. But a truly classic moment was his realization that he had to actively cause mass death and destruction, that this wasn't just a natural phenomenon. That, obviously, cut him very deeply. I've always liked the episodes in Dr. Who where you feel a little sympathy for him (such as the John Pertwee episode where he leaves as his soon-to-be-former companion announces plans to marry a promising scientist).

The guest characters were great, too. I loved the insolent young man. So they had them back then, and there, too, eh? :) And yet another tease about the Doctor's mysterious never-to-be-known name. What name could it possibly be that so many would know it, and knowing it would somehow be to his detriment? It almost has to be 'God' or 'Devil' or 'Creator' or something, doesn't it? What/who else would be universally recognized and impressive/feared?

Anyhow, I understand this is to be a short season. Phooey to that. So far 2 out of 3 not bad is fine with me. :)

I did a quick IMDB on David Tennant. I MUST get my grubby hands on a copy of his TV-movie "Recovery" if I have to maim or kill to get it. :p It sounds absolutely stunning. This means we'll NEVER see it int he USA, on my PBS station, I'm sure. They prefer the romance/mystery/comedy/pap imports from the U.K. But my friend told me my current DVD player can be made region-free, so if the sucker just comes out on DVD in Canada... I'll be a happy kitty camper. :D

Someone give me the heads-up if it does, ok? I promise not to maim/kill you. :evil:
 
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Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

Hyp, I'll second everything you said about Fires of Pompeii. I loved the ep, for much the same reasons you said. Also, the ep was filmed in Rome, at Felinni's old studios, Cinecitta.

I do find it hard to believe that the Dr. was correct when he said that the Romans had no word for volcano, and didn't know what one was, before Pompeii. In reality, many did leave Pompeii before the eruption. I think things were really bad, including ash falls, for about three days, before the final eruption. Most killed were at the harbor, waiting to escape. I don't know if there was a pyroclastic flow, I do know there was lava, but most (probably all) of the town had been buried in ash fallen from the sky, before the lava flow, before any pyroclastic flow. That is why the site was so well preserved.
 
Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

Really? I didn't know Dr. Who did location shooting. That's very interesting, thanks for the info, JJ.

Yea, they took liberties with the history, but they kind of had to in order to make the points they wanted made. And I hope people don't look to Dr. Who for dead-accurate history lessons. :LOL:

The 'no word for Volcano, so the TARDIS couldn't translate it' was a stretch, yes, on a couple of levels at least. Culture mixing, as you say, would likely have introduced the concept already. And in many "Who" episodes, words are used that couldn't possibly be understood exactly by the listeners, but we assume some kind of rough translation is given (such as maybe "exploding fire mountain" or some such).

But these are minor complaints, for me. The kind of things that are bound to slip into any long-lived series with so many different writers.
 
Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

According to the wiki, FOP was the most expensive production to date, and shooting in Rome saved money.

I agree, minor alterations in history are minor quibbles. I think that's my favorite ep. I recorded the first showing, at 9pm EDT on my DVR and DVDR. But, at about 37 minutes, the picture froze on both, meaning that the cable signal was screwy. So, I rerecorded it on my DVDR at the 11pm show, and saw the rest then. I save Doctor Who on DVDs, with the commercials edited out, so I can rewatch it when I want!.
 
Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

Hmm... I just did some 'research' on the wikipedia, and it says that the Romans didn't really have a word for volcano, only the vague 'mountain like Etna, where Vulcan lives.' But, the Greeks knew about volcanoes, and had pegged Vesuvius as one, even though there hadn't been any eruptions in hundreds of years, and the sides were green and lush. 2.8 meters of ash fell on Pompeii, before the pyroclastic flow. The pyroclastic flow was much reduced in temperature, and force, by the time it got there. But, still it is estimated to be responsible for 62% of the deaths.
 
Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

So someone did do some pretty good research for that episode. :)

It's hard to imagine location shooting in Rome would be cheaper. For some reason, I just assumed it'd be an expensive place to shoot anything.
 
Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

So someone did do some pretty good research for that episode. :)

It's hard to imagine location shooting in Rome would be cheaper. For some reason, I just assumed it'd be an expensive place to shoot anything.

Not so surprising, Italy is cheaper than the UK. Also, it seems that Cinecitta gave them a special deal, thinking that the exposure would be good for business. Oddly, there was a suspicious fire, before shooting began.

BTW, Canadian DVDs are the same region as US DVDs, and are NTSC.
 
Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

Oh, that's right, that's why I always checked out amazon.ca before I got the new DVD machine.

So all I need is for it to come out in the UK on DVD and I might have a chance (probably at great expense) to buy it. Hmmm.

Thanks for the reminder.
 
Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

Anyhow, I understand this is to be a short season. Phooey to that. So far 2 out of 3 not bad is fine with me. :)

No, it's 13 episodes as usual. Next year, we are only getting four specials. This is so David Tennant can do a stint with the RSC or something.
 
Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

Ah, I see. Well, can't begrudge him that, can we? It's interesting they aren't replacing him, but waiting.
 
Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

Actually they are being deliberately ambiguous as to that... it could be that somewhere between series finale and one of the specials... the 10th Doctor does indeed finish his song.
 
Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

So everyone is keeping their options open. Or they want to surprise people. Again, fair enough.

I'm fairly sure both David Tennant and the Dr. Who series will go on. So best of luck to both of them. :)

He is awfully young to do the Doctor for ten years, or whatever. And typecasting is a real fear, I am sure. I do recall quite clearly seeing Barty Crouch Jr. in the Harry Potter film, and being unable to think "hey, that's Dr. Who". :) :eek:

He is my favorite Doctor since Tom Baker. But with the improvement in the writing in the series (since the series initially ended, I mean), good to great casting choices, and a solid fan base, I can say I'll look forward to whatever the future brings.

As long as "Recovery" comes out on DVD some day. :p
 
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Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

Typecasting has to be a real fear for Tennant, in a survey of Whovians he has surpassed even Tom Baker as being most people's favoured Doctor... that's a heavy burden to bear especial when he's been a lifelong fan of the series himself and seen himslf eclipse his own idols in public perception.
 
Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

Yea, I read that as a kid he told people he'd grow up to be an actor and play Dr. Who. :D Wow, amazing, isn't it?

And he's so YOUNG. In fact, I blushed a bit when I realized I have a tiny bit of a crush on a man who is... 6 years my junior!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

Eccleston came close to being the first Doctor who is my age or younger: but he was born in 1964, I in 1965.

Yeeks!! The Doctors are now younger than I am. :eek:

Sorry, just having a senior moment. :eek:
 
Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

Well 10nant is still older than me by 3.5 years.

If his work with the RSC takes him to Stratford-upon-Avon, I can see myself possibly booking tickets to the Courtyard or Swan Theatre.
 
Re: Dr Who - Season 30 (4)

That would be quite cool, Galahad. Apparantly he's done RSC before, so he must like it to be going back to it. I wish we had real theater where I live. But I'd have to live in a bigger town. Or be willing to travel more. Both could happen in the future, but I doubt I'll make it as far as England. :) But I do envy those of you who can see Patrick Stewart on the stage one weekend, and people like David Tennant the next. Envy, envy.

As far as trailers go, I usually try to skip them. I find I'm enjoying being surprised. This makes Dr. Who discussions difficult for me to join. I can't really backread, or I'd spoil too much.
 

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