The Doctor, Lady Christina De Sousa and a whole busload of people face down trouble in a place where sand doesn’t taste like sand and bug-people… do bug-people things. Let us know what you think of Planet of the Dead. Do you love it like Malcolm loves the Doctor, or do you think it’s the sort of thing suitable for Tritovores? Sound off in the comments and visit our TARDIS file.
Posted by Graeme on Saturday, July 25 at 9:02 pm
Rise And Fall (Spring 2011 season reviews): Enlightenment reviews the stories from Season… um, it’s 6.1 this year, right? Plus:
We’ve had a number of queries from members regarding the delayed publication of Enlightenment this year. The DWIN Executive wants to share the following message concerning Enlightenment with DWIN members. Read more
For the first time in Canada, the Doctor Who Christmas Special will actually air on Christmas Day! December 25 at 9pm
Following the wedding at the top of an Ancient Ameri-Egyptian Pyramid, you are now cordially invited to attend the reception below…
The TARDIS Files are popping in to see an old friend before they have to go…
9 Comments...
I must admit, I did youtube the day after Easter to watch this. We don’t have cable anyway. All in all, I thought it was a very fun episode, and I have no particular qualms with it. The UAE looks gorgeous, and is something you could definitely not get in the UK, no matter how good the Mill is.
The bit where the Doctor soniced his specs into sunglasses was great, and it was nice to see Captain Magumbo again.
I’m getting seriously annoyed with the whole “every female companion (and Jack) must kiss the Doctor” thing. It felt really weird and stiff here, and I cringed upon rewatching it.
On a final note, I thought the “stingrays” (I don’t seem to recall the individual creatures having a name, rather the collective group being called “the Swarm” in a slightly cheesy fashion) were absolutely beautiful, one of the best-designed creatures we’ve seen on new Who.
Posted by Pharaoh on 07/26 at 01:50 PM
Poor Michelle Ryan. She wasn’t very good in this, was she? I totally agree with the TARDIS File that her character was an obvious contrivance to get the plot moving along to where RTD wanted it.
I was however rather happy with everything else in Planet of the Dead.
And to agree with Pharaoh, having every female companion kiss the Doctor is getting very, very old and annoying. And what an eye-rolling moment it was here! Then again, thrown into completely crazy adventures with a handsome, intelligent and genial man who saved my ass along the way, I’d probably want to kiss him too. It’s probably an adrenalin thing.
Posted by MelanieL on 07/26 at 10:42 PM
My biggest complaint was the ending with Christina escaping in the Bus and FLYING AWAY!
That is sooooo Russel T. Davies.
Let’s see, hmmm a flying bus. Nah the police will never notice that thing. A Flying bus just blends in with everything that is normal doesn’t it.
It would have been better to have her running away with the police in pursuit and we (the viewer) can draw our own scenerio whether or not she gets caught. And this type of ending would fit just right for the style that this story was done in.
Oh and ya I agree with the above, ENOUGH OF THE KISSING!
Other than that the story is enjoyable.
Posted by Doug Grandy on 07/27 at 05:15 PM
You gotta love people who squirm when a show even comes close to introducing romance. Get off it, people. It sounds silly and reinforces the “never kissed a girl, living in the parent’s basement” stereotype. I had no problem with the kissing scene.
I had no problem with Michelle Ryan. Lord, has there been an actress so unfairly treated by fandom. People hate her because of East Enders. They hate her because of Merlin. They hate her because of Bionic Woman. They hate her because she’s posh. Because she kisses the Doctor. Because she’s brunette.
Michelle Ryan was terrific as Lady Christina. She had great chemistry with the Doctor, and the fact she is clearly a compatible companion makes his decision not to take her all the more frustrating (if understandable). I for one would love to see her come back full-time down the line (unless they bring Jenny back—and she’s another one people seem to hate for no good reason, maybe out of jealously because Georgia Moffett became DT’s girlfriend).
I’m starting to worry about what will happen if Amy happens to bat her eyelashes at Doctor 11. Maybe they’ll make her gay, but then that’ll make a different sector of fandom angry. Maybe Tom Baker was right when he said he’d prefer the Doctor to always be alone.
As the reviewer rightly points out (in what I consider to be a more fair review than the one in Enlightenment this month), this was just intended to be a bit of holiday fun. A last chance to have a “romp” before the serious work begins. Many other shows, from The Prisoner to Star Trek to Stargate have had light-hearted one-offs in preparation for serious finale work. DW is no different.
Posted by Alex on 07/29 at 01:49 PM
Perhaps for me, being a fan since the early 80’s, still finds it hard to except seeing the Doctor smooch with every female he meets when, for the first 26 years we saw him, it never happened. I may be wrong but the only time I recall the Doctor getting kissed in the original series was when Nyssa was saying goodbye and that was on the cheek. If there are any more I am sure it wasn’t anymore than that and just a peck on the cheek. I’m not saying that the character of The Doctor has to be a prude but does he have to be such a slut? (okay that was a major exaggeration just for fun).
Posted by Doug Grandy on 07/29 at 04:41 PM
I sound silly? Well! I never!
Here’s my view: Isn’t romance superfluous to most of these stories?
And why wouldn’t a genuine, platonic friendship between the Doctor and a companion be enough?
I love romantic subplots as much as the next girl in many shows, but not here. I find it comes off as an affectation (An RTD related quirk perhaps?) and that’s why I go “Huh?” and roll my eyes. It’s too obvious. It’s jarring. To my mind, detractors might appreciate added romance in Doctor Who if it were introduced more subtly. Or they may not…
Michelle Ryan was brilliant in Jekyll! Here, she was just meh.
Posted by MelanieL on 07/29 at 05:22 PM
I’m not one of those people who claims the Doctor is (or should be) asexual, and I’m not of the “classic series” generation (first episode I ever saw was New Earth, and the only classic story I’ve seen is Genesis of the Daleks). Indeed I quite enjoy the Doctor/Rose dynamic, and found Martha’s relationship with the Doctor quite interesting to watch (in that morbid way that a train wreck is watched, actually). My problem is that I’m getting the feeling of “oh, we’ve got another companion. Hmmm, need to stick that kiss in somewhere…” I didn’t mind it in Voyage of the Damned, but here it just didn’t work for me.
And I actually also have difficulty understanding all of the criticism Christina (and Michelle) is getting. I’m not someone who’s particularly fussy about the quality of the acting I watch, but I really liked Christina for the most part.
Posted by Pharaoh on 07/29 at 10:51 PM
The Doctor never kissed the companion for the first 26 years we saw him.
He also never had the global mainstream audience that he has now. Nor did he have non-chuckle-inducing effects and monsters. Or alien planets that looked like alien planets rather than a TV studio.
And he wasn’t played by an actor that millions of women are shaming themselves drooling over.
It was a shock in 1996, but today it’s part of the formula that entertains a gazillion people around the world. Take it or leave it.
Bringing emotional/romantic content to modern Who is how RTD has made the show a success again. That he does so at the expense of story logic and thought-provoking concepts is frustrating at times, but everyone who takes over DW steers it in a different direction. Even an average RTD script is solidly entertaining.
And if you’re still bothered, bear in mind it’s usually the ladies who initiate the lip-locking. The Doctor himself is still asexual (which is the only possible reason for turning down Michelle Ryan).
Posted by Curt on 07/31 at 03:01 AM
I didn’t really like this one. It put my teeth on edge from the get go with that ridiculous opening sequence.
If the cup is so valuable as to rate 4 armed guards, why the heck is it out in middle of the room with no case where the general public can put their sticky little hands all over it?
Christina seemed like a bad Lara Croft rip off. The Aristocracy is ready for anything? Then why didn’t she have bus fare?
I have to agree with those above who said that the Christina/Doctor kiss seemed forced. It was like RTD had a checklist of things to include, and this let him tick off another box. I don’t have a problem with the Doctor finding himself in romances from time to time, but he ain’t Duncan Mcleod. There’s no need for him to kiss every woman who comes his way.
There was nothing particularly special about this script, and I think it would have been better as a 45 minute regular series episode.
Posted by Kari on 09/04 at 10:07 PM
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