1)Another fun story, bringing back an old "monster", further developing the relationship between the Doctor and Martha, revealing the Face of Boe's "secret message" and continuing the story of New Earth. The idea of an "eternal traffic jam" is interesting - I remember reading a story years ago where Hell for sinners who died while driving was a similar scenario.
2)Through Martha's predicament, the show takes a look at how odd it would be to suddenly find yourself at the far end of spacetime with someone you barely know. That's one thing the new show has done well, is take a fresh look at some aspects of the show's "mythology" - i.e., the impact of traveling with the Doctor - that had sort of become a bit "accepted".
3)"You're taking me to the same planet that you took her?" One wonders why Martha was so eager to travel with him after hearing this - surely a danger sign if there ever was one. On the othe rhand, I did like the scne at the end where he finally opens up to her.
4)"Macra created by Ian Stuart Black." I have to say, that if you had asked me to name a critter from the old show that would be brought back, I wouldn't've guessed the Macra.
5)Do you know, I don't think I'd ever heard "The Old Rugged Cross" before I saw this episode.
6)Brannigan and Valerie were fun characters - I wouldn't mind if they brought them back sometime. Plus - kittens!
7)Some fun quotes:
- "The sky's a burnt orange" and later "The leaves on the trees were silver" - both callbacks to "The Sensorites".
- "Janis Joplin gave me that coat."
- "I've invented a sport!"
- "Don't you go dying on me, you big old face!" Boe kept calling him "old friend" - they'd only met twice, very briefly, at this point. Unless it's foreshadowing...
- "And this is Hame. She's a cat. Don't worry." I notice Brannigan swears by Jehovah and Hame by the goddess Santori - has Jehovah gotten a girlfriend by the year five billion?
- "You Are Not Alone."
- "I'm not just a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords."
Overall: Another entertaining episode - I especially liked the small gags in this, like the various characters that the Doctor runs into on the highway.
Replies
Fans of the 2000 AD comic, Judge Dredd, might recognize a minor character in one of the cars.
Again, much like Steve Wacker is doing as editor of both Daredevil and Amazing Spider-Man, RTD puts "non-traditional" couples, in this case a older lesbian couple, in the story, which is cool.
You've never heard "The Old Rugged Cross" so you've never been in a midwestern prostestant church. ;) I like the two aspects of the use of this song...The Doctor sees it more as a method to keep people in a bad status quo, but we also see the way it keeps people's spirits up and adds a sense of community. RTD and Joss Whedon are both atheists, but they have this fascination with some of the positive parts of religions. And they have both created characters who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of humanity. I sometimes understand my faith more after watching their stories, which I don't think would bother either of them even if they didn't agree with me.
You've never heard "The Old Rugged Cross" so you've never been in a midwestern protestant church.
Nah, brought up Catholic, and for some reason, they didn't do that song.
"Nah, brought up Catholic, and for some reason, they didn't do that song."
True. I was Catholic for 30 years. Then, I HAD to get the hell out. Had to.
My biggest impression of this story was, it was one of those absolutely INSANE science-fiction ideas that exists more to make some kind of point, of explore a totally off-the-wall, over-the-top "WHAT IF" scenario, than to actually make any kind of sense or really be believable. The story is NUTS, there's no way around it. That said, it was very well-done and well-told.
I think the endless forshadowing of future stories gets old after awhile. Especialy in this case, as I'm not really happy with what they did with the OTHER Time Lord.
Now... I may be totally off the beam here... but there's something about this planet, existing near the far extreme of future time, and with "burnt orange skies", that made me think that, just maybe, they were hinting at something, which, at least in the 3 seasons I've seen so far, has not been followed up on.
Which is... that "New Earth" at some point had its name changed... to Gallifrey.
I've seen that theory before - I can't remember where, but I know it wasn't here - so I don't think you're alone in thinking that.
Although each time The Doctor visits his home planet, he always seems to be visiting in "relative" time to when he was there last (time passing for him and them at the same rate), the long-time impression always seems to be that he visits them in the far, far future. WHY?
And then there have been a few instances ("FRONTIOS" really comes to mind) when The Doctor and his companions are said to have gone "too far" into the future. WHY? Because it's at a point where The Time Lords "now" exist-- or soon will?
The strange thing is when, by comparison, you think about "THE INVASION OF TIME", and the Vardans, followed by The Sontorans, invade Gallifrey... and yet, no time-travel seems to have been involved. Very strange, isn't it? (Of course, anything from Graham Williams' time on the show probably shouldn't be taken too seriously... heh.)
Makes me wonder who and what are out there in the universe, "when" the Time Lords exist. Anyone else, at all?