Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood
May. 30th, 2010 08:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andrasteThis week, actual comment on the episode instead of just complaints about the terminology. (Which still stand. Especially since the Doctor kept using the same incorrect name repeatedly!) This post MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE FINAL TWO EPISODES as it mentions a rumour I've heard.
Over all, a monster-centric two-parter that compares quite favourably with other episodes of this type - by which I mean Aliens of London, The Age of Steel, Daleks in Manhattan and The Sontaran Stratagem. I'm confused that people are comparing this to the likes of The Empty Child and Human Nature when what Moffat has done is flip the weaker 'look, a monster!' story into the Episode Eight and Nine slot instead of putting it around Episode Four as Davies used to do.
Anyway, this ultimately handled the Silurians (can we avoid calling them a pseudo-scientific name that implies they're apes?) pretty well. In the second half we get to see more variation in personality and opinion among them, and for once an Earth reptile episode ends quite hopefully. In the extended universe, the Silurians and Sea Devils eventually do emerge from their hibernation and survive into the far future, so I like to think that Nasreen, Tony and the others succeeded at making peace in the end.
This was among Chibnall's better written work, although the violent and irrational characters all being female was pretty failtastic. Nasreen was great, though. (And once again, a middle-aged woman of colour who was treated respectfully and who did not die even a bit. Please keep that up, show.)
As for Rory: I experienced his death rather differently to many people, because a while ago I read that he'd be appearing in the last two episodes. So while he was getting shot and sucked out of reality, I was assuming that he was just being written out for a bit before the big finish. For what it's worth, my prediction is that the rumour is correct and he'll be back for the finale. The ring is still there on the floor of the TARDIS, after all. I wouldn't count on Amy's memories of him reappearing right away, though, if ever.
In any case, I like Rory and I'll be sad if he really is dead, but I'm not enraged about this the way I was about what happened to Donna. It was a Sara Kingdom sort of moment. Every now and again one of them doesn't make it.
Over all, a monster-centric two-parter that compares quite favourably with other episodes of this type - by which I mean Aliens of London, The Age of Steel, Daleks in Manhattan and The Sontaran Stratagem. I'm confused that people are comparing this to the likes of The Empty Child and Human Nature when what Moffat has done is flip the weaker 'look, a monster!' story into the Episode Eight and Nine slot instead of putting it around Episode Four as Davies used to do.
Anyway, this ultimately handled the Silurians (can we avoid calling them a pseudo-scientific name that implies they're apes?) pretty well. In the second half we get to see more variation in personality and opinion among them, and for once an Earth reptile episode ends quite hopefully. In the extended universe, the Silurians and Sea Devils eventually do emerge from their hibernation and survive into the far future, so I like to think that Nasreen, Tony and the others succeeded at making peace in the end.
This was among Chibnall's better written work, although the violent and irrational characters all being female was pretty failtastic. Nasreen was great, though. (And once again, a middle-aged woman of colour who was treated respectfully and who did not die even a bit. Please keep that up, show.)
As for Rory: I experienced his death rather differently to many people, because a while ago I read that he'd be appearing in the last two episodes. So while he was getting shot and sucked out of reality, I was assuming that he was just being written out for a bit before the big finish. For what it's worth, my prediction is that the rumour is correct and he'll be back for the finale. The ring is still there on the floor of the TARDIS, after all. I wouldn't count on Amy's memories of him reappearing right away, though, if ever.
In any case, I like Rory and I'll be sad if he really is dead, but I'm not enraged about this the way I was about what happened to Donna. It was a Sara Kingdom sort of moment. Every now and again one of them doesn't make it.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-30 03:36 pm (UTC)Yes to all that! I wondered if it was just me noticing that about it. It was really quite odd, I thought, having almost all the men wanting peace and key women wanting war, somewhat undercut by Amy and Nasreen. But yes, Nasreen was terrific (and played by Meera Syal, who is awesome herself.)