Here come the drums, here come the drums…
And so Doctor Who series three comes to a brilliant conclusion. CBC gave us a double shot of Doctor Who, taking us inside 10 Downing Street and the government of Mr. Saxon, and then one year later as the world suffers under the rule of the Master.
We have TARDIS files for The Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords. Read them and tell us what you think? Was it a master-ful season? Or a saxony ruin?
Posted by Graeme on Monday, September 24 at 9:07 pm
19 Comments...
Except for some very small quibbles with a bit of corniness here and there, this was a supremely watchable story. Very engrossing. It kept my friend and I guessing and completely involved.
Special effects were eye-popping and exquisitely beautiful. My jaw hit the floor a couple of times! That airline carrier in the sky: A+ The sky ripping apart to let in the Toclafane: EPIC, STUNNING and BEAUTIFULLY EXECUTED. The F/X people that work for George Lucas, Steven Speilberg, James Cameron and Robert Zemekis can all take a back seat to THE MILL!
These two stories were pure visual magic. What we always dreamed that Doctor Who was capable of pulling off.
The back-to-back screening gave the story a much more epic feeling although I must agree with the TARDIS files that the impact of Earth’s one year enslavement to the Master was blunted.
Still, I really enjoyed the feeling of a long visual and narrative odyssey.
And the Toclafane were absolutely awesome creations: sinister, sleek, deadly, futuristic.
It just go to show you what you can achieve when you let go of your reliance on the Daleks and Cybermen.
SOD and LOTTL was the only RTD story (assides from The End of the World) that I liked. Well, loved actually!
Now was it just me or did I see the Master’s wife put her hands in the ashes of the Master and pull out a ring that had THE SEAL OF RASSILON on it?
If that was the case, surely that is also “something to go geek about”!!
—little stevie
Posted by little stevie on 09/24 at 11:33 PM
They cut the best scene. Yes, I know there were time restraints and it wasn’t really necessary to the narrative, but they cut the best scene.
:(
I won’t say which, for it will be a nice surprise on the DVDs.
Posted by Colleen on 09/25 at 04:35 AM
This season finale of Doctor Who didn’t quite have the same bite as the last two, which is also my general feeling towards this season as a whole. But one can’t expect the same momentum all the time can we. it didn’t really make sense to me how the Doctor was able to return to normal just by having the entire planet chant his name. Perhaps it will be clearer on a second viewing. It’s nice to have The Master back and based on what we saw towards the end, he will be back.
Now that it’s over, I would have to say that my favourite episode this year would have to go to BLINK.
Posted by Douglas Grandy on 09/25 at 12:14 PM
Oh yea, that WAS Harriot Jones, (former Prime Minister “Yes we know who you are”) under disguise trying to “warn” The Master’s wife was it not?
Posted by Douglas Grandy on 09/25 at 12:36 PM
No it wasn’t Harriet. It was supposed to be a Daily Mail reporter…although certainly I think she was very much like Harriet.
Posted by Graeme on 09/25 at 12:45 PM
I was looking forward to finding the missing bits on the CBC posting of the episodes, but they did not include them as they did with previous episodes (anyone know why?).
I am sorry I did not get to see the dancing Master, but the rest of the episodes were quite enjoyable and a most satisfying conclusion to many story arcs that have been sown over the past years. We even had some nice little touches to satisfy the old-timers amongst the viewers (Ah, those classic Time Lords collars!). And nice exchanges between the regulars (Jack’s “You too?” to Martha).
John Simm made for an interesting Master, perhaps less menacing than Jacobi achieved in his few minutes in the role, but Simm had the advantage of being able to rely on the portrayal of his horrible actions to drive the point home and make an effective contrast with his manic personality and his enjoyment at his tasks.
This is the one season I am really looking forward to get on DVD (especially with our dollar at parity with the US’s, which makes Amazon.ca totally uncompetitive).
Posted by Florinaldo on 09/25 at 04:02 PM
I absolutely LOVED the final 2 episodes. Definitely among the best of the new series, which is more or less all I know.
Simm was fantastic, Barrowman was fun if under-used, Agyeman shone in pretty much her 1st chance to really shine, & Tennant was awesome as usual.
I loved the writing & direction too. RTD’s scripts are full of obvious plot devices, simplistic narrative resolutions, & coarse thematic development; but they rock b/c they’re just so much fun, & b/c they have such real characters deaing w/ real issues @ the same time. (It’s not a coincidence that the plot deals w/ a charismatic demagogue @ the same time as the UK enters a period of political unfamiliarity.) RTD’s tenure really captures a sense of adventure @ the same time as it’s more relevant than most shows on TV. Absolutely top-notch stuff.
The season finale has actually made me reconsider my dismissal of the new companion (ntm kylie minogue!), even w/o having seen the ‘uncut’ UK version. I’ve been more equivocal a/b the 3rd season than the 1st & 2nd, but the 2 pt. finale lives up to every standard that preceeded it. This is the kind of TV that makes it worthwhile being a DW fan.
Posted by Jimmy on 09/26 at 07:55 PM
If Jack is the Face of Boe, how do we know that he’s really dead?
If Jack could become the Face of Boe, what’s to stop the FoB from becoming something else after death? I understand that Jack stayed dead for quite a while in the series finale of Torchwood (Don’t think I’m giving anything away, given that that episode predates Utopia). Maybe FoB revived after the Doctor and Martha left?
Posted by Ivriniel on 09/27 at 08:19 PM
That is a good point about The Face of Bo. I didn’t think of that. This certainly does leave the door open for a return of F.O.B
Posted by Douglas Grandy on 09/28 at 11:28 AM
Given how big a deal the Face of Boe’s death was, with the prophesy he would give his final words to the lonely god and all that, I think his death is pretty final. And that’s presuming Jack isn’t just messing with the Doctor and Martha’s heads in the first place…
Posted by Graeme on 09/28 at 12:33 PM
...or that RTD isn’t just messing w/ ours…
Posted by Jimmy on 09/28 at 01:38 PM
Probably RTD messing around IMO. Other than the comment on Jack being the Face of Boe, the last 2 episodes were great.
Posted by The President on 09/30 at 05:35 PM
I absolutely loved the Return of the Master 3 parter for the finale of Season 3. Quite Masterly! Aging the Doctor hasn’t been done since the finale of Daleks’ Masterplan and Leisure Hive. Actually, I’m surprised that no one has done the reverse and de-aged the Doctor into a child. There were a couple of what the…? moments with the Master parading the aged Doctor around the big room and singing which made me think the Master’s behaviour was sort of like Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor goofy behaviour in the Superman movies, menacing but at the same time not quite menacing making wisecracks all the time.
Still, like I said, a wonderful way to end Series 3. And let the speculation begin as to when we’ll see the Master again…Series 5 maybe? I’m sure that hand was Lucy’s as she suddenly disappeared at the end.
As for Jack giving a hint about the Face of Boe, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he did turn out to be him in an evolved form.
I heard that in Season 4, the ********* are coming back and possibly the E******* for the Voyage of the Damned. Bring ‘em on! I just hope that Carol will be of better temper this time around and not an Uber-B*tch. Can’t wait to see Martha again.
Posted by theoncomingstorm on 10/05 at 10:01 AM
I thought that the last two episodes were pretty dump. I liked the start of the trilogy with Derek Jacobi, and then it went downhill from there. I mean, the third episode taking place a year later after Martha goes on a “quest.” it was just too much and too over the top. I liked the actor who played the Master, though. I just wish the story were better.
Posted by Doug on 10/10 at 07:41 AM
Continuity problem
In the classic series, the Master was in his last incarnation and the only way for him to regenerate was to the steal bodies of other people (The Keeper of Traken and the 1996 Dr. Who movie). So where did he get his ability to regenerate again on his own?
Posted by grod on 10/13 at 09:10 PM
Presumably when the Time Lords resurrected him they gave him a new set of regenerations (similarly to how they offered him a new set in The Five Doctors).
Posted by Scott on 10/15 at 10:02 AM
Does anyone know when Dr. Who will start again?
Posted by Angela on 10/23 at 04:40 PM
Doctor Who will air again in Britain this Christmas for a special and then in spring 2008. When—or whether—it will air on CBC is still unknown at this time.
Posted by Graeme on 10/24 at 11:45 AM
Does anyone know will CBC show doctor who on Christmas or Boxing Day. I can’t wait for this episode. It is my favourite because it has the Titanic
Posted by Jackie Lam on 12/03 at 11:57 AM
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