Easter TV

Here’s a little run-down of what I watched over Easter. Overall it was slightly disappointing considering the big build-up.

Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead

I thought this was pretty good, though perhaps not "Doctor Who Special" good. It felt more like an exciting 45-minute episode stretched out to last an hour. So, it didn't really feel like a special but entertaining nonetheless.

I thought Michelle Ryan was quite good, and not as annoying as I thought she'd be, as Christina. And Lee Evans - as a bumbling, nerdy scientist - was brilliant. "I love you!" Indeed we do. The others on the bus were just glorified extras, there to humanise the situation and give the Doctor even more of a reason to get back to Earth.

I was expecting a more shocking revelation about what had happened to the desert planet and how the spatial rift had appeared, perhaps something more mysterious than a bunch of planet-stripping creatures that flew around the planet creating a doorway to the next world on their menu. And the flying bus at the end was just a little too much, in my opinion.

Otherwise, very good (just not brilliant).

Red Dwarf: Back To Earth

Whereas the new three-part Red Dwarf special, shown on backwater digital channel Dave, was merely average.

Yes, it was good to see Lister, Rimmer, Cat and Kryten back together. Considering it's been 9 years since Red Dwarf was last on, they hardly looked like they'd changed. And I thought the effects were definitely a step up. So it certainly looked good.

But, for some reason, the whole thing seemed flat. The lack of a laughter track - whilst still appearing to leave quiet gaps after each joke - didn't help. The ending was a bit of a rip off as well - although there was a clue in the title ("Back To Earth" being very close to "Back To Reality"). I also didn't care much for the Blade Runner homage. It seemed to be going through the motions.

Still, new Red Dwarf is better than most stuff on TV. So, still worth watching.

Heroes: Into Asylum (vol 4 ep 8)

Heroes is also somewhat average at the moment. Sylar hooked up with that Hunter guy whilst Claire was off drinking with her dad in Central America. Meanwhile Peter helped out his mum. Hmmm...

Again, nothing much is really happening. It's okay but I'm not desperate to see next week's episode.