Although, surprisingly, I wouldn't describe the latest one-off Doctor Who
special "The Waters of Mars" as 'fun'. Yes, it was exciting, entertaining
and yet another great episode. I would also say that it was much better than
the last special "Planet of the Dead". But it was also dark and disturbing.
In fact, it reminded me a little of the last 5-part Torchwood series. Well,
it had a different story, a different cast, a different setting, and...
okay, so the only similarity was the somewhat downbeat ending.
The watery enemy, the Flood, were interesting but I found them not as scary
as I thought they'd be - perhaps I'd been spoiled by the many trailers I'd
seen. Mind you, the main "base-under-siege" storyline was really just a
backdrop to explore the Doctor's evolving character. He's the last of the
Time Lords, the Time Lord Victorious, the only one in charge of the time
continuum-thingy, which leads him to the realisation that he can change the
rules. He can stop running, take control and save everyone. But should he?
This cracking, intriguing episode was, like many of RTD's stories, peppered
with holes. How did a simple filter stop the Flood (at least for a few
weeks) when several inches of steel slow them only for a few minutes? Will
the suicide of Adelaide Brooke in her own home really have the same impact
to her grand-daughter? Where did those rocket boosters come from at the back
of Gadget? Why does Bowie Base One have such long, empty corridors that
appear to have no function when the material to build them would require
significantly more fuel than a few fold-away bikes? And so on. But, in the
end, these problems are minor complaints.
Overall, this was great stuff, with nice little touches and a fitting lead
in to the next chilling two-part special at Christmas. Only five weeks to
go!
No comments:
Post a Comment