Doctor Who: S03 Ep07 – 42

What happened?

The Doctor and Martha are propelled onto a cargo spaceship in dire distress; plunging into a sun and, at the time of their arrival, there’s approximately 42 minutes left to impact. With the TARDIS confined to a red hot ventilation shaft, The Doctor, Martha, and the handful of crew must somehow restore the ship’s damaged engines and auxiliary system in the short time available.

As if the situation wasn’t difficult enough, some strange entity is taking over members of the crew and with a fearsome cry of “Burn with me” is picking off the remaining people one-by-one. The Doctor eventually realises that this strange entity is the sun itself, attacking the ship for pillaging its energy as fuel.

The Doctor is almost killed by this energy but Martha is on hand to save the day, venting out the fuel and returning it to the sun before he dies. She is rewarded with her own key to the TARDIS in addition to the earlier gift she received; a universal telephone. Using this phone she had spoken to her mother and arranged to go and see her, unaware the call was under surveillance by people working for the illusive “Saxon”.

Thoughts

Let’s just say this now: Best episode of Doctor Who I’ve seen so far. Not just of this series, but stretching back to when Christopher Ecclestone was the main man (I don’t have any real awareness of Doctor Who prior to its modern revival). Aside from some fringe elements regarding Martha’s call home and Saxon, this was a stand alone episode that rarely relented from the moment it started and reached a near feverish level of intensity.

The title 42 referred to the number of minutes remaining before the ship crashed, which basically meant the episode ran in real time, adding to the drama. It’s a well-worn premise, seen countless times in films and TV: small group of people in a confined, contained position of jeopardy , getting picked off one by one to keep tightening the dramatic noose. It’s well-worn because, when done right, it makes for a top notch thrill ride.

What really helped this episode sail through was that the crew were a hardy, likeable bunch. We joined them at crisis point and they quickly accepted the sudden appearance of The Doctor and Martha and put them to use whilst they tried to save themselves. Between the devoted captain and wife, the lonely, disconsolate young man and the glass-half-full engineer they seemed varied and managed to bring a sense of history to their cookie-cutter collection of caricatures.

The monster of the week was more compelling when it wasn’t fully-explained. If the episode had a weak point then the monster itself, and most particularly the explanation as for why it was taking down the crew, was definitely it. The notion that this ‘sun’ was a living entity I was OK with, but the scooping out of its heart by this ship mining it for fuel and it then possessing them to drag them back to it. . . That was a bit hard to swallow.

I think it was the energy being classed as its heart that I got most hung up on. It’s not like my enjoyment was totally destroyed it just jarred me a little. But otherwise the ‘monster’ possessing the crew and intoning the deep-throated “burn with me” was imposing. Although it did become a little laughable that the threatening gesture of attack was a hand poised at the eye shield visor!

Minor niggles though, because for the majority the episode shone (pun intended) as a terrific jolt of adrenaline; it hit the ground running and then worked up to a breathless sprint. Even The Doctor seemed to get swept off his feet by it, with some interesting character traits fired out from him when he became possessed by the sun monster. He panicked when he was being put into the freezer, admitting that he was scared even, before trying to say something to Martha about his capacity for regeneration (frustrating, really, that it wasn’t quite clarified what he was trying to put across).

Perhaps most interesting was his strange manner at the end of the episode, back in the TARDIS. Martha was jubilant and rightly making a truthful joke about the fact that she had saved the day again and it was thus worthwhile her being around, but his reaction was momentarily cold and distant. Again, it was hard to gauge where his head was at during this moment.

Given this moment of coldness came just before he handed Martha the key to the TARDIS I can only figure it was almost like he’d been hit by a blast of realisation, that a) Rose was definitely gone and b) He had gone and found a replacement. In short, he was officially moving on from Rose.

Whilst that’s the best explanation I can summon, I must say I found his stern expression difficult to rationalise with that interpretation. Odd.

The episode closed out with another ‘cliffhanger’ surrounding the identity and purpose of this mysterious “Saxon”. Whilst I expect there’s going to be big reveal about this I have to say I am not as blown away by these Saxon-related stings as the show seems to think I should be. I simply cannot be stunned or excited by something or someone I don’t know anything about!

Martha has made arrangements to go and meet her mother on Election Day, but luckily she can travel in time so there’s room for a few more episodes of adventures yet, I am sure, before she drops by on that same day and, presumably, walks straight into whatever this Saxon character has waiting for them.

What was the best part?

The moment where Martha and the other guy crammed themselves into an escape pod that was then jettisoned prompted one brief moment of eerie silence. As the pod drifted helplessly towards the inferno, Martha and The Doctor looked at each other through the porthole windows, calling out to one another. It was a classy, emotional punch running counter to the high-octane pace of the rest of the episode.

What do I think will happen next?

Almost certainly The Doctor and Martha will return to Martha’s mother, on Election Day, as they discussed on the phone. There they will encounter these people that rerpresent Saxon, and presumably Saxon himself. Whilst I didn’t closely watch this series of Doctor Who when it was first-aired (in fact, having been re-watching, I am actually startled as to how few of them I watched originally – less than three so far) I am reasonably sure that this Saxon fellow will turn out to be The Master (though, I’ll be honest, his significance in the Doctor Who universe isn’t one I am aware of).

An Idiot Abroad: S02 Ep01

What Happened?

Having traversed the Seven Wonders of the World, Karl Pilkington's new globe-trotting agenda has focussed on him experiencing selected items from a 'Bucket List'; a list of things to do before you die. In this episode he is sent to the South Pacific where he gets to spend a whole night alone on his own desert island (but not before he is offered opportunities to bungee jump, and landjump with tribal natives. . .).

Thoughts

I was always of the opinion that An Idiot Abroad was at its best during the first series when there was less 'forced' event and more of Karl Pilkington being documented experiencing the things he came up against that were not prompted or predicted. It's for this reason I felt this opening episode of the new series felt just too forced, felt like it was trying too hard, and it just didn't translate as naturally well.

For example, in the first episode of the first series, when Karl visited China, there was a period of time where he was left to his own devices to go and walk around and explore the place. It was during that time he came across the various stalls selling crazy food, and saw a guy walk by carrying his own toilet seat amongst other things; it was like a little treasure trove of insights about what things are really like there that offered amusement and some genuinely interesting views of a country you've probably never been to presented in a way most travel documentaries don't dwell on.

It was refreshing.

This episode didn't capture that refreshing vibe. As I said, it felt like it was trying too hard, constantly throwing pre-arranged stuff at Karl as though afraid that letting him just be left alone to show us where he was through his eyes would be too boring for the audience. The very thing that I thought was the show's biggest strength is the very thing the show creators seem too afraid to fall back on. And so seeing him forced into ingratiating himself to tribes, and barely want to adopt their customs, dress and practices simply made for uncomfortable viewing rather than the feel of 'one of us' reacting to life 'over there'.

Admittedly there was the funny moment, when he was refusing to wear the leaf pants of the natives, where Karl acknowledged to the crew behind the camera that it was awkward - only for the native, 'Jon', to push on and insist that it was going to happen anyway. But that amusement was tempered by the feel that Karl was probably being rather insulting to these people; his belligerence and stout English mentality wasn't translating as humour and more like narrow-minded ignorance. Not cool. I know it's very much Karl's character to be resistant to new experiences but, fact is, he was in their tribe with a film crew all around him and to just point blank refuse to get involved became tiresome.

Same goes for the bungee jump at the beginning. To be fair, Karl had said he definitely would never do such a thing. But then why get all trussed up for it, camera mounted on his helmet, and have the bungee guys all urging him on, only to refuse to do it? It made for infuriating viewing. I really wanted the bungee guy just to put a boot on Karl's back and shove him off the ledge because, as Ricky Gervais was saying in one of his phone calls, there's every chance he'd have found it more of a thrill and a rush than his fears were screaming at him. As viewers, we wanted to see Karl take the jump and be amazed and enthralled by the experience of it - instead we got him backtracking.

The landjump was similarly disappointing, though it did yield the amazing rarity of Karl in fits of laughter afterwards when even he realised how utterly pathetic his small five foot 'fall' into mud had been in comparison to the thirty foot plus jump he was supposed to attempt (in fairness, leaping off the rickety scaffold to practically land headfirst in the ground with your fall broken only by a special vine didn't look very health and safety conscious!).

So from a tribe that worshipped Prince Phillip (I shared Karl's confusion about how such a thing happened) to sliding down the side of a volcano on an arseboard (didn't look like much fun since there appeared to be more pushing than sliding) we finally arrived at the climax of the episode; a night on a desert Island. It certainly looked miserable. Pissing down with rain, sitting on shingle sheltered only by palm leaves, eating some miserable potato-like vegetable slow-roasted over the embers of a dismal fire. This, of course, is what An Idiot Abroad wants to be about this series; pushing Karl into conceptually amazing experiences and converting them into the most arduous and embarrassing and fun-sapping results. It's a good pitch but, incongruously, it demands more set up and pre-arrangement and that drains the vitality that the first series possessed.

Hopefully it'll get better. It's still an amusing show, and still one to have recorded on series link to ensure you don't miss it, and for sure it'll be one that people will be talking about at workplaces all over the land on Monday morning. But, for me, being so excited about it, it's return to the screen was marred with more disappointment than entertainment.

What was the best part?

Karl discussing with Ricky his accomplishments with the landjump, and breaking down into laughter when he realised how pathetic his efforts had been. It wasn't so much the subject matter that was so funny, it was more just the sight of Karl laughing hard. Whether it's a well-cultivated demeanour he maintains, or whether he really rarely laughs, or whether the first series just edited out such giggly glee previously, it was hard not to laugh along with that miserable sod as he cracked up.

What do I think will happen next?

Given this is a documentary and not a drama it's not really essential to make speculation about what I think will happen next. I know from the 'next week' preview that Karl will be venturing aboard the Transsiberian Express and, from the few clips shown, it looked like a lot more interesting and engaging subject matter. Hopefully it'll be the return to the feel of series one and re-capture that magic.

Doctor Who: S03 Ep06 – The Lazarus Experiment

What happened?

The Doctor is on the verge of finally dropping Martha off back home when they both see on the television that her family are to attend an event being run by an elderly man named Lazarus who claims to be all set on unveiling something that will change mankind forever. Unable to resist seeing, The Doctor accompanies Martha to the ceremony.

In front of his assembled audience Lazarus gets into a machine that fundamentally changes his DNA and makes him step out of it again much younger. Such tinkering, however, comes with side-effects; an abrupt metamorphosis into a giant, bug-like creature with an appetite for human flesh.

As the beast within Lazarus begins to take over it’s up to The Doctor, Martha and her sister to face him and stop him, culminating in a showdown at a church where a sonic effect in a belltower sends the monster plunging to its death. Another adventure over, Martha demands that if she’s to come along with The Doctor in the future she doesn’t want to be hanging on the promise of “one more trip” and instead wants to be his full-time companion. He agrees, and off they go.

Thoughts

Another solid ‘monster of the week’ episode of Doctor Who, although events were bolstered by the sense of progression in Martha being returned home and confronting the crushing sense of disappointment that her adventures were over, only to have herself eventually established as the ‘new Rose’. Indeed, the suggestion was that Martha wasn’t so much saddened to be left out of the travelling through space and time as she was to be apart from The Doctor. This series has been pushing her attraction towards him and, whilst at times it’s seemed a little forced, the point has carried over.

If anything it’s her open affection being rebutted by The Doctor that has painted him in a less than flattering light. He appears rather callous and I’m not sure it’s really being portrayed as entirely his absent-mindedness simply not noticing. Had Lazarus not appeared on the television would he really have not returned for Martha? The scene was played for a lighthearted joke, with The Doctor compelled to return because he just couldn’t resist seeing what Lazarus was up to, but there was the very real matter of Martha being pretty much dumped with little regard – albeit briefly.

And, again, at the end his casual disregard for her feelings when he asked her if she wanted to come along for another trip further displayed a rather arrogant and frankly boastful aspect to his character. It’s odd, because on the flipside – usually in moments of peril – he displays genuine concern for her safety and rousing admiration for how reliable and resourceful she can be in thwarting danger and surviving.

No wonder she’s confused with those kinds of mixed messages he’s sending out!

I enjoyed seeing Mark Gatiss take up the role of Lazarus; I’ve been a fan since his League Of Gentlemen days and I know he’s been a part of the writing ensemble for Doctor Who (having been a massive fan of the older shows). The only disappointment, I suppose, is that this would appear to be the one and only time he’ll ever be in it. It’s a shame – I would have hoped that an actor of his talent and standing on the programme might have seen him bag a more substantial, recurring role. Oh well.

I thought his performance as the old Lazarus was especially good; talking with his wife and really selling the age (all too often young people in old make-up look pretty much as they are: young people in old make-up!). Then, again, when talking with his wife as young Lazarus and coldly dispensing of her both emotionally and then physically was terrifically nasty.

Martha’s mother featured here and I thought her character wasn’t particularly well-handled. When she first met The Doctor she was immediately distrustful and pretty much outright hostile towards him. Fair enough, but in light of the fact that she would eventually be told in secret stuff about The Doctor that would cause her alarm for her daughter’s safety I thought it might have been more effective to have her be charmed by The Doctor first to make her panicked conversion more dramatic.

It is mentioned that a “Mr. Saxon” had informed Martha’s mother about The Doctor, though we don’t know who he is or what he said. It was only here, with his name given greater significance, do I recall that there have been previous brief references to Saxon. There was a poster in one episode stating ‘Vote Saxon’ and I am fairly sure he got a mention in The Runaway Bride Christmas episode. Maybe there have been other references to, and this Saxon is the equivalent motif of the “Bad Wolf” refrain that populated earlier Doctor Who series.

What was the best part?

Easily the scene between Lazarus and his wife when he was young. His coldness towards this woman we have to figure has been by his side for many years and who clearly doted on him was quite shocking. Whilst the scenes of the Lazarus monster weren’t actually bad, and above standard in both special effect and dramatic effect, chasing and eating people is run-of-the-mill compared to the evil cruelty Lazarus delivered upon his wife before he then killed her.

What do I think will happen next?

Well, Martha has been officially elevated to companion status which might settle some of those insecurities but, again, can only allow those affections she has for The Doctor to grow stronger. Also now ticking along is this “Saxon” element – probably a person and probably some kind of formidable foe that will present himself (I’d guess for the series finale). I’ll be looking out for any other references to him that might crop up.

Doctor Who: S03 Ep05 – Evolution Of The Daleks

What happened?

The Dalek-human hybrid marshalled plans to create more of his type. However, his leniency towards The Doctor, enlisting him to help realise his dreams, fostered mutiny amongst the remaining 3 Daleks who turned against him and set about their age-old plans of conquering and destroying.

The Doctor, Martha, and a few other people managed to prevent the Daleks from generating their own army, which resulted in two of the Daleks being killed. The Doctor confronted the last Dalek, offering him help to save their race, but the Dalek refused and made an escape into space and time. The Doctor and Martha left, with The Doctor certain he would meet that Dalek again, eventually.

Thoughts

A better episode to cap off this two-parter compared to the previous one. Whilst I did find I had some problems with it overall it managed to entertain me and restore some dignified menace to the notion of Daleks being The Doctor’s ultimate nemesis.

The biggest problem I had with the episode was The Doctor once again willing to sacrifice his own life. It’s arguable he took a calculated gamble in the first episode of this series in trusting Martha would save him, but here he offered himself to the Daleks and practically screamed at them to kill him.

He had absolutely no guarantees that the hybrid Dalek would intervene – indeed he was the most surprised of everyone that the unthinkable had happened. So this, for me is a somewhat troubling aspect to his character; his being so quick to press the self-destruct button on himself. Is this just bad writing on the show, or a planned and intended aspect to his character that will eventually be addressed?

Is the pain of losing Rose causing him to no longer have as much regard for his own life? Even though he is the last of his race, a point that he made such a big fuss about so much in this episode he was willing to help the last Dalek, the race that wiped out all his own kind. If this really is some new character flaw that will get picked up then this is terrific stuff; a sophisticated seeding of a deeper psychological insight.

I’ve got serious doubts that is what was happening, though.

The Doctor did save at least one ‘race’ from extinction in this episode though: the unfortunate human-pig slave Laszlo! I’ll be honest, if I was him, I’d rather have died. Instead The Doctor saved him and offered him a life in the slums of Hooverville where he could be stared and sneered at for the rest of his life. Gee, thanks!

The episode did have its good moments, though. I really liked the part where the leader of Hooverville gave a courageous speech to the Daleks, imploring them to find peace and co-operation, only to be greeted by the iconic “Exterminate!” and vapourised in a cheap special effect. It felt brutal, like old-style Doctor Who, undercutting cheesy expectations with nasty consequences.

How the Daleks were once again given a bit more power and respect was welcome here, as well. I thought the previous episode had rather undermined their stature and this episode went some way to regaining it. The confrontation scene with The Doctor and the last Dalek was good stuff. A last face off before the Dalek batted away any helping hand.

No doubt this lone Dalek has now gone off to hatch plans to generate more Daleks from somewhere and once again try to exterminate their way through worlds and destroy The Doctor, and I’ll look forward to seeing it/them again.

I’d be surprised if we see another Dalek in this series, mind.

What was the best part?

Easily the scene where the leader of Hooverville took a stand and made a speech to the Daleks and asked for their response. He got one. “Exterminate!” Classic.

What do I think will happen next?

Back to some stand alone episode, I should think. The ongoing issue with Martha and The Doctor’s relationship seems to continue to be one-sided and, as the episodes roll by, I don’t see much happening to stop that trend. Potentially there’s going to be something of a frustrated despair for Martha at how The Doctor won’t return her feelings. I know she’s not going to remain his companion for the next series so I anticipate their parting will be due to her just not being able to stand his inability to reciprocate her feelings.

Doctor Who: S03 Ep04 – Daleks In Manhattan

What happened?

The Doctor and Martha are transported to Depression-era New York, with construction of the Empire State Building almost finished. Investigating the disappearances of people, they discover that the Daleks have been taking humans and conducting experiments upon them. The majority of people have been turned into these slave, pig-like creatures, but the masterplan is to mould human flesh with the material Dalek form to create new human-Dalek hybrid creatures to allow their race to adapt and survive.

Thoughts

The revived Doctor Who has, I’ve thought, made a good fist of trying to remain faithful to the staples of old Doctor Who whilst bringing fresh things to a new generation. Sometimes I think they’ve been too slavish to the old material, and for me the continued re-appearance of the Daleks as the most formidable foe for The Doctor remains problematic.

The show can’t really dispense with them easily, of course. This is the race that wiped out all of the Timelords and have cropped up in some form or other in every series. The trouble is that the Daleks aren’t the terrifying force for audiences like they used to be and, in truth, they look and sound ridiculous. The moment they are on-screen it’s like the whole show is being dragged backwards, being taken down several notches in both sophistication and credibility.

Like the part in this episode where the Daleks were scanning people to determine if they were intelligent or not. It might have played out like a tense selection process. Instead it was just a line of people reacting to having a toilet plunger waved in their faces.

And, yes, the ending to the episode was also ridiculous. With the human-Dalek hybrid stepping out of the robot shell to announce itself, full on to camera – I just could not take it seriously. Fundamentally I think I was supposed to take it all really seriously, like this was a shocking new development in Doctor Who but the whole thing just felt overcooked and lacking in dramatic effect.

The idea that Martha has developed strong feelings for The Doctor was also being casually pushed along here, too. This is certainly something we’re being told about rather than shown, this time with Tallulah the dancer saying it was obvious from the way Martha looked at him there was something there. Only Martha’s retort about how he didn’t notice her sold the current state of affairs between them for me.

The construction work on the Empire State Building, with the top spire piece needing urgent completion, being coated with distinctly Dalek-like panelling. Outlandish as it seems, I can’t help but wonder if the plan isn’t to make the entire building into one enormous Dalek-shell and thereby convert all the people inside the building into Dalek-human hybrids. It’ll surely be something on a large scale for the Daleks to achieve their goals of domination.

Maybe, in fact, the Empire State will serve as some kind of generator pulsing out something across great distances that achieves the same conversion effect to produce Dalek-human hybrids?

Anyway, this was definitely one of the weakest episodes I’ve seen. It’s a shame, really, because absurd as they are anything to do with Daleks ought to see Doctor Who firing on all cylinders at the top of its game. Maybe the second half of this two-parter will deliver the punch that was lacking here.

What was the best part?

Curiously, the introduction to Hooverville as The Doctor gave Martha a quick history lesson over the plight of Americans stricken with poverty was really good. I’d never known anything about this before so I found that rather interesting. In fact I’d rather have seen the episode remain there and deal with the forgotten people living in the shadow of the looming Empire State as that appeared to be far meatier subject matter.

What do I think will happen next?

As stated, the Daleks will have some kind of plan for perfecting their evolutionary process onto a wider scale which, surely, must involve the ‘renovations’ they are undertaking on the Empire State building. The Doctor will surely thwart their grand plan. However, the Daleks here are the last few remaining so I’d be very surprised of The Doctor beat and destroyed them here, effectively wiping them out of the universe (again!). So, on some level, perhaps in their evolved form, at least some of the Daleks should escape to fight another day.

Boardwalk Empire: S01 Ep03 – Broadway Limited

Despite attempts by Nucky’s brother to kill the surviving witness of the robbery, prohibition agent Van Alden steps in and tries to deliver him to Rothstein in New York. En route the witness takes a turn for the worse so Van Alden is forced to stop at a dentist’s, ply him with drugs, and then apply torture techniques to extract the information that one of the robbers was Jimmy.

Rothstein learns that Jimmy was one of the men responsible for the robbery and murders and sends one of his men to go and find out who else was involved before killing him. Pre-empting this, however, Nucky has already told Jimmy to leave. And so Jimmy boards a train and leaves Atlantic City, and his wife and child, behind.

Nuckly meanwhile brokers an arrangement with bootlegger Chalky, but their operation is evidently not without resistance when one of the gang is found hung. Nucky, with his brother, decides to make it appear like he was shot in an argument to keep the peace and prevent a race war breaking out.

Thoughts

It’s curious that when recapping what happened in the episode it transpires that so much ‘big’ event occurred when, whilst viewing, it seemed sedate and pedestrian and rather more of a ‘ticking over’ instalment. That’s definitely the nature of events, things slowly coming to the boil, but it’s tricky to explain why even major activity on this show can feel muted and detached.

Van Alden marked himself out as the standout here. His ribbon-stealing antics of the previous episode gave way for a whole new lease of crazy. It’s tricky to know what his original plan was by delivering the witness to Rothstein; I can only assume he figured the witness would be more likely to tell what he knew before he died to his own people. As it was, Van Alden had to take more drastic measures in the dentist chair using cocaine and a well-placed couple of fingers in an open wound.

Van Alden was then seen reciting damning Bible verse at the witness once he was dead, apparently unfazed by the room full of people watching him. And furthermore we were given one small scene as he sat eating with his wife at dinner; a picture of uncomfortable sterility. There are clearly layers to his puritanical yet twisted mindset to be peeled back that make him highly interesting and a far richer character than your usual do-gooder lawman.

The history between Nucky and Jimmy was revealed a little, with it transpiring that Nucky knew Jimmy as a small boy and appears to have been watching over him his whole life. Indeed, I am wondering whether Nucky is actually Jimmy’s father. There were some clues tucked away to suggest as much.

There was the exchange between Nucky and Jimmy’s mother, where she felt she could come to Nucky to make sure her boy was OK.

There was Nucky and his girlfriend, and her saying that she would bear a child for him if that’s what he wanted, and him skittishly deferring the matter until after the election.

There was Nucky reminiscing about Jimmy as a boy, and how he thought he held so much potential and would go on to do great things – before it somehow all went wrong.

There was Nucky’s brother remarking about how he wonders if Nucky would have been as lenient with him as he was being with Jimmy – clearly Nucky has a soft spot.

All little pointers, yes, but furthermore there was Jimmy himself having doubts over whether he was really the father to his son, or whether it was the photographer his wife and boy seemed so familiar with. Thematically it could be something resonating through both Nucky and Jimmy. The episode played it so that it was impossible to know the truth of what, if anything, had gone on with the photographer. Once Jimmy left his wife seemed to effortlessly get on with the business of getting on quickly enough – to the extent that she was even using the vacuum cleaner!

Probably there was something symbolic to interpret out of that. Maybe that the boy wasn’t scared of the vacuum cleaner, rather Jimmy’s presence, so once he was gone it was fine to be used? Or perhaps more simply it was because the cleaner was more efficient, like Jimmy said, and his wife now using it merely demonstrated her taking a more pragmatic approach to life.

Where is Jimmy headed? If the episode did state this information I didn’t catch it. My best guess would be to figure he’s headed for Chicago, to Al Capone. But the truth is he could be headed anywhere; I don’t even know if he’s going to disappear from events for a while or if we’re going to keep following him. I hope for the latter.

Margaret’s sideline subplot continues, as Nucky got her a job in a French clothing boutique. Gratuitous nudity abound when Nucky’s wife showed up (certainly not something I didn’t enjoy – she’s a fine specimen) but I don’t really know what that scene was about. I figure that Margaret and Nucky will have more involvement with one another and that this scene offered juxtaposition between the two women who will be in his life.

Chalky White looks to be a character with his head screwed on. He was quick to up the terms of the deal with Nucky in return for keeping the murder of one of his men from instigating larger problems. Whether that larger problem is one that will continue to remain suppressed remains to be seen. I am not actually sure if we’re supposed to know who was responsible for the murder. Given the meeting Rothstein’s men had with the former bootlegger, the implication is they did it.

I was also slightly confused about how it was Rothstein found out about Jimmy being the person the witness named. Does this not suggest that Rothstein has an inside man, either with the prohibition agents or with the Atlantic City police? Could it even be Nucky’s brother? Again, I didn’t quite pick up on whether this was a purposefully hidden conceit to create mystery or I just wasn’t following things accurately.

Strange then, for what felt like a low-key episode, there was so much incident and intrigue! I did actually enjoy it, to be fair – perhaps it was even the most enjoyable episode so far. I still feel like it’s keeping a lot of characters and plot threads in the mix without quite the level of definition and sense of belonging that would make the show more compelling but I do feel more drawn in to Boardwalk Empire than I previously did.

What was the best part?

Van Alden’s interrogation and torture scene was absolutely the highlight. The shift in tones during such a short sequence was adroitly handled; the comedy of the dentist only knowing one place to administer drugs (the mouth, obviously!), to the witness’ initially foul retort, before Van Alden turned medieval on him to get the information and then outdid his otherworldly intensity with that Biblical eulogy.

What do I think will happen next?

If Jimmy is going to Chicago then I expect he will hook up with Capone and really roll his sleeves up and become ingratiated into the world of organised crime. I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t follow Jimmy for a few episodes and then perhaps his return will be marked with an extended flashback of what he got up – that would be cool.

Otherwise it’s all about Rothstein and his gang exerting pressure on Nucky and his organised crime infrastructure. At some stage you feel that things are going to come to the boil and a showdown of sorts is on the cards.

Doctor Who: S03 Ep03 – Gridlock

What happened?

The Doctor and Martha travelled into the future to New Earth, a planet The Doctor had visited previously with Rose (in series 2, New Earth). However, they find themselves in the underworld; a place little more than a slum. Martha is kidnapped by a couple who take her onto the packed traffic jam of a motorway, believing that 3 people in a car entitles them to take the fast lane. The Doctor investigates and discovers the traffic jam is endless, the motorway a neverending circle, beneath which lie ravenous crab-like creatures.

The Doctor makes it to the overworld to discover humanity has been wiped out, and all that remains is the Face of Boe struggling to maintain enough power to keep the underworld denizens alive. The Doctor finds a way to open the underworld’s ceiling and frees the people. The Face of Boe is then able to die but, before doing so, tells The Doctor he is not alone.

Martha asks what it means and The Doctor tells her the Face Of Boe must have been mistaken as he is the last Timelord.

Thoughts

I really enjoyed this episode. On the surface it had all the hallmarks of being a rather run-of-the-mill filler and yet as it unfolded it was mining some really clever ideas and themes that really chimed with me. Indeed, at first when I thought the underworld traffic jam gridlock was a deliberate ploy from the ‘higher ups’ to keep the masses occupied, I thought the show was really tapping into rather profound territory regarding social structure.

The idea that the masses could be drip-fed a fiction to keep them ticking over in their literal dead end, treadmill lives felt like a serious commentary on how the world works – the masses kept controlled and pacified in their position in life, blinkered to the reality and the larger scheme of things.

As it turned out Gridlock wasn’t attempting to be quite so politically cutting, and instead settled on a tragic situation where the people stuck in traffic were oblivious to a terrible disaster that had occurred. I was a tad disappointed, I suppose, but a return to the Face of Boe, and the promise he had made to reveal a secret as his last words to The Doctor was at least fulfilled.

Although his remarks that The Doctor is not alone are hardly offering up anything concrete to go off. The Doctor’s conviction that the Face of Boe was wrong didn’t seem overly-convincing – perhaps he doubts the belief he’s held for so long that he really is the last remaining Time Lord?

It’s certainly the most obvious conclusion to reach from the Face of Boe’s final remarks: that there is, somehow, somewhere, another surviving Timelord. But then the expression is cryptic enough to be moulded and interpreted in a whole number of other ways so, I suspect, such a clear-cut assumption won’t be correct.

The other good element to this episode was the relationship between Martha and The Doctor. I do get the feeling that she has rather fallen for him a little quick and it feels somewhat premature for her to have such absolute faith in his abilities to rescue her, and to extol his brilliance to other people. That being said, it was good that she demanded he speak to her properly and he acknowledged to himself that he hadn’t really been treating her fairly.

Good episode then, offering a solid storyline with character progression and even a dash of longstanding show mythology thrown into the mix. I certainly got a lot more than I expected!

What was the best part?

I am tempted to go with the moment The Doctor was questioning the nature of the traffic jam, of the validity of the information the people were receiving. However the close of the episode, with The Doctor rather reeling about the information he is not alone and admitting he had lied to Martha about his home planet and then plainly telling her what had happened and how it used to be. With the music and singing it verged on the cheesy, but I think it just about managed to get away with it.

What do I think will happen next?

I’d anticipate further clarification around the Face of Boe’s words (though I don’t expect that to happen within the next episode or two at the very least). My guess would be that perhaps The Doctor is a father? I do remember an offbeat remark he once made in the last series, about being a father. . . I’m a bit hazy on it, but I can only figure that somehow The Doctor isn’t quite the last Timelord in existence.

Doctor Who: S03 Ep02 – The Shakespeare Code

What happened?

The Doctor and Martha arrived in 1599, England, to see Shakespeare and his plays at the Globe in all their glory. Unfortunately a trio of Carrier Knights, very much like witches, have orchestrated the construction of the Globe to be a spot where a portal can be opened to free the rest of their race from their other-dimensional prison. With Shakespeare’s play, his words, being used as a means of unlocking the prison it’s up to The Doctor, Martha and Shakespeare to prevent it from happening.

Thoughts

I wasn’t enthused about this episode, but it proved rather enjoyable. The constant Shakespeare quotes, and running joke of The Doctor feeding ‘Will’ his most famous lines (paradox alert!), I did find somewhat tiresome, though. Clearly the writer of this episode knew his Shakespeare, both in work and in history, and many of the remarks felt like a kind of breaking of the fourth wall.

Like, for example, Shakespeare simultaneously flirting with both Martha and The Doctor, to which The Doctor quipped about a certain number of scholars being pleased. The in-joke being that speculation about Shakespeare’s sexuality has been pondered through various obscure references in some of his sonnets. That kind of thing breaks the suspension of disbelief for me.

Same goes for the use of Harry Potter-speak “Expelliarmus” at the end of the episode. “Good old, JK!” exclaimed The Doctor; such moments just totally snap me out of what’s going on and make me think of a scriptwriter being referential and communicating too directly with the audience.

But that’s just me. Maybe other people love all that. I don’t.

The monsters of the week for this episode were reasonably otherworldly whilst retaining a Shakespearean vibe, the three witch creatures calling to mind Macbeth (I felt certain a reference would show up and hammer that point and was rather happy it didn’t/couldn’t and was left more subtle). Not sure why they were called Carrier Knights, or quite what they were all about, but they served their purpose.

The interplay between Martha and The Doctor ticked along here. The episode started with him discussing how this was to be her one and only trip away with him, but there was no mention of that being the case as things were wrapping up. Of course she’s going to be around for a while yet so there’s no danger of that really happening, though I must say that The Doctor’s obliviousness of her is a little off.

I liked how Shakespeare observed the two of them, recognising the age in The Doctor’s young eyes and how Martha looked at him with a sense of surprise that he even existed. The show doesn’t quite have the energy to relive that sense of new excitement it once took the time to allow Rose to experience, but at least Martha was there to question cause and effect and consequences of time travel. The Doctor seemed wholly unconcerned with it, mind, which is probably subject matter that shouldn’t undergo too much scrutiny.

Doctor Who doesn’t quite subscribe to the ‘whatever happened, happened’ theory of linear time and yet allows whatever changes and alterations are made in history to not have a lasting effect on what has occurred. Perhaps earlier shows, years ago, thrashed out the specifics of the nature of cause and effect for The Doctor. Me? I’ll just go along with it.

Something of a one-off episode then, on which a Doctor Who series is mostly comprised of. Enjoyable enough as some light entertainment on TV but nothing really meaty to chew over in the grand scheme of things.

What was the best part?

I did like the bedroom scene with The Doctor and Martha. He very nonchalantly presented her with the option of sharing a cosy bed with him. Once she was in it all her sense of suggestion, about how small it was, went right over his head. I guess the point being made here is that The Doctor just can’t get passed Rose, can’t even see Martha as anything like an equal – and so when he talked about her it was the equivalent of slapping Martha across the face!

What do I think will happen next?

From this episode there were really only two potential ‘threads’ that I suspect will be either picked up again or continue to be pulled on. The first was Queen Elisabeth I showing up, hating The Doctor. Almost certainly this indicates an episode will feature her and result in her displeasure! The other was Martha and her evident attraction of The Doctor. Not quite sure where it’s come from so fast (the one kiss in the previous episode – must have been a heck of a kiss!) but The Doctor is so far ignorant of it to the point of obnoxious. Can’t he see that Martha is way hotter than Rose!?!

Doctor Who: S03 Ep01 – Smith & Jones

What happened?

Martha Jones, a trainee doctor, arrives at hospital for work on the day the entire building is transported to the moon by a race of police-like aliens called the Judoon. The hospital is enclosed in an airtight bubble, so whilst the Judoon begin hunting for their quarry (a shapeshifting Plasmavore) the oxygen for the stranded people in the hospital is running out. Luckily The Doctor is in the hospital, too, and alongside Martha Jones they find the alien Plasmavore and turn it over to the Judoon, who destroy it.

With the hospital returned to Earth in the nick of time, The Doctor catches up with Martha and shows her the TARDIS. As a thank you for saving him, after proving to her that he can travel through time, he offers her one trip with him through time and space.

Thoughts

My interest in Doctor Who used to be just a passing one. It is shown on Saturdays, early evenings, and if I happened to be in front of a television when it was on I’d watch it. However, I decided I’d return to the early days of the show and watch the lot since, in recent times, it’s become more sophisticated and improved as a drama series.

After the loss of Rose in the second series’ finale, this 3rd series has the burden of introducing a new companion for The Doctor. (I appreciate the recent Xmas special, The Runaway Bride, introduced us to someone that will eventually become a companion, which in retrospect makes the fumble of bringing Martha Jones into the mix even more bizarre.)

Martha Jones does make a good first impression here, though. She’s smart and has a very open mind. She’s the first to question how they can still breathe once on the moon considering the hospital building isn’t airtight, and yet doesn’t flinch when joining The Doctor to open the doors and step outside. Furthermore she has compassion, lingering to close the dead eyes of her doctor mentor, and a sense of humour as well as being very capable; she’s thrown right in at the deep end and has to save The Doctor’s life with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

In all honesty I didn’t like that The Doctor’s scheme basically involved him dying to save the day. When he was interrogating the Plasmavore with disguised naïve human ignorance it suggested he was merely loading up a surprise to spring. Instead he just basically allowed the Plasmavore to take his blood so the Judoon would know she was an alien. Fine in exposing her, but at the cost of his own life? It amounted to a sacrificial act and he’d only known Martha for five minutes – not enough time to establish she’d be able to save his life.

OK, the episode showed us she knew he had two hearts and had steely determination, so he could have predicted that outcome – but considering she could have easily succumbed to collapsing through lack of oxygen like pretty much the rest of the hospital’s inhabitants (her continued capacity to act was put down to sheer adrenaline which, to be honest, I didn’t really buy either) then it was a major gamble for The Doctor to take.

Those were my only nits to pick in the episode, which was otherwise a strong, confident opening full of the verve and energy that makes the show rattle along and seem to pack in so much character reveal and plot exposition that don’t seem possible in the running time. A bit like the TARDIS, Doctor Who episodes are bigger on the inside than they are on the outside – and it was fun to see that oft-repeated phrase used here when Martha first encountered the iconic police box time machine.

What was the best part?

I really liked the nifty opening, actually. Zipping across phone calls between Martha’s family, interrupted with The Doctor showing up undoing his tie (an event that would later be revealed as his proof that he could travel in time) it was a terrific way of introducing us to a major new character with an effortlessly light flair.

What do I think will happen next?

As this is Doctor Who the episodes are often standalone affairs. There is little indication about what the over-riding plot arc of this 3rd series will be (if there even is one). Ostensibly this episode paired up The Doctor with his new companion, Martha, and set them off on adventures together. The next episode preview showed me they’re going to see Shakespeare; I can’t say I am looking forward to it, really!

Boardwalk Empire: S01 Ep02 – The Ivory Tower

What happened?

Following the robbery, Nucky has now become the focus of interest for the authorities. He detaches himself from dealings with Jimmy, who in turn has to find the money he owes Nucky for what he did. Jimmy is rebuffed by Al Capone and so ends up pawning the jewellery he bought for his mother, only to watch Nucky squander the lot. Meanwhile Rothstein in New York wants the money he feels he is owed, but Nucky plays tough and sets up a line over Atlantic City that he dares him to cross. The episode ends with a stumbling appearance of a wounded member of the gang that were robbed, that Jimmy thought was dead. . .

Thoughts

Boardwalk Empire is proving difficult to warm to. From a plot point of view it doesn’t really put a foot wrong. It’s clearly got the visuals and production values to make it look the part. And yet there’s something about it – something aloof, perhaps, or something in the pacing – that really makes it difficult to get enthusiastic about. Indeed, it’s only on reflecting on the episode afterwards do I appreciate what was going on of interest; whilst it was happening I basically watched with an expectancy that something more would occur, but it didn’t seem to.

I think one of the major problems is in not quite being able to grasp precisely what is going on. I mean, 1920s Atlantic City is practically another world to here and now, and so I feel like I could do with more explanation about how things fit together and operate. Two episodes in, for example, and I still don’t really understand what Nucky is: what is his job, both in public and in the criminal fraternity. He is said to have his fingers in every pie and be the central figure to all that happens, but it’s not really clear how or why.

Another more specific example came during the scene when Jimmy went to visit a woman who was in a raunchy show. Backstage she greets him by wrapping her legs around him, and with kisses. He then gives her an expensive gift (from the robbery swag). It’s at the end of the scene did it appear to transpire that this woman was not his lover, but his mother. Rather than be a slap in the mouth surprise, instead I just frowned and wondered if I’d understood things correctly.

If it was supposed to be a surprising reveal, it got muddled. If I’ve got the wrong end of the stick, then why make it so confusing?

The main federal agent guy, Van Alden, remains a fairly obtuse fellow. He betrayed little sense of humour when he met with Nucky, and the eventual reveal that he had stolen Margaret’s ribbon showed a rather seedy, creepy element to his character. Not quite the straight, clean-cut G-man then and he definitely appears to have taken a personal dislike in Nucky to turn his full attention in nominating as the number one target.

It also seems Nucky is determined to cut Jimmy loose, but something about the relationship between the two of them tells me they are not going to stop having dealings with one another. The scene where Nucky got the money he had demanded and then blew it all on a whim at the roulette table in front of Jimmy was clearly a power display. . . Maybe, just maybe, there’s the potential that Jimmy might not align himself with Nucky at all – rather he’ll become an antagonist.

That would actually be a really good dynamic; seeing Jimmy rise to power to become a force for Nucky to concern himself about. However, for now, it seems he’s got the likes of Rothstein in New York to worry about. And Rothstein certainly seems menacing and petty enough to not allow Nucky’s unsettled debt to him go unpaid.

The last scene of the episode set up the ‘surprise’ that had been subtly signposted earlier with a dialogue exchange between Nucky and Jimmy over how many bodies had been recovered from the robbery. It has turned out that one of the men that Jimmy believed had been killed had survived, and is now set to surely get to the authorities or his gang and report what he knows.

What was the best part?

Two scenes stood out for me. The Rothstein scene, where he delivered the tale about the guy who could swallow a billiard ball. It was a nice speech, but a better performance. Rothstein has an eerie, above-it-all quality about him and is probably the most enigmatic character in the show so far. I did also like the scene where Nucky gambled away the money Jimmy had brought him; it said so much without saying a lot about who these men are to each other at this point in time. If Jimmy ever needed motivation to take Nucky down a peg then that’s the kind of spur it would take.

What do I think will happen next?

I expect that the survivor of the robbery and what he does next will have direct repercussions in the events of the next episode. If he goes to the authorities then he ought to be able to tell them something that will hasten their investigations or give them lines of enquiry that ought to see them breathing down Nucky’s neck.

Otherwise, if he goes to Rothstein, then it might be all that he needed to hear to set in motion a serious strike against Nucky. Either way, this survivor doesn’t bring good tidings for Nucky!