It does seem a little manipulative, but then I suppose the 11th Doctor is bound to express characteristics of his earlier incarnations. Got to admit I hadn’t thought of that before you mentioned it.
Here are some “Hungry Earth” clips (spoilers, obviously): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw7Ao5swt8E
I haven’t generally cared for the classic-monsters-return-two-parters, but I’m hopeful this one will be more entertaining.
“Doctor, something weird’s going on here; the graves are eating people.”
“Not now, Rory!”
I’m not so sure his knowing who the Dream Lord was necessarily implies that he knew both were dreams. I don’t think it was clear that such was the case until the Dream Lord moved them away from the cold star, exerting power over events within a putatively real world. That was his “Ah ha” moment.
Except that the Dream Lord had already exerted his power. About 10 minutes into the episode, the Doctor realizes someone (or something) “is overriding my control” over the (dream) Tardis, and the Dream Lord immediately appears to take the credit. At somewhere around the 20-minute mark, the Doctor tells him “I know who you are,” and when Amy later asks how the Doctor knows they’re still in a dream, he says “because I know who he is.” The Doctor has no information at that point that he didn’t have half an hour earlier, except the knowledge that Amy chose Rory over him.
I know my interpretation isn’t the only one, but thinking the Doctor deliberately let the crisis play out makes it a more interesting story for me than accepting that the solution just popped into his head in time for the episode to end. Call it TWDuke’s Choice.
Anyway, this is how I’d rank the episodes so far (subject to change at whim):
- Amy’s Choice.
- The Time of Angels
- Flesh and Stone
- The Eleventh Hour
- The Beast Below
- Victory of the Daleks
- The Vampires of Venice
Good point. But he did seem to be upset and concerned himself along the way, even when he was by himself. Unfortunately I have to chalk it up to sloppy writing.
I know what you mean, I’m trying to be optimistic about these two episodes, but the “Silurians” don’t look anything like they used to. It seems that there is a desire in the current production team to redesign everything.
However, if the plot explains the new look and the story is good then it will be ok.
They seem to be wearing some sort of mask. See The Doctor removes one here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYsHN4YAZKs. I haven’t seen a maskless one yet. They may not be all that different underneath.
[spoiler]A new, cute Silurian:
That was a satisfactory episode I thought. Next week looks more fun.
Well, a good bump in the night episode. Should keep the kids hiding behind the sofa.
Sure seems like the Doctor has met his match. I don’t have a clue how he’ll get himself, Amy and the others out of this mess.
I sort of like the female Silurian they captured. She’s not the least bit impressed by the Doctor. She doesn’t want to negotiate peace or anything. She wants to kill all us apes. :eek: Reminds me of a Klingon.
I’m curious to see how the Doctor deals with these creatures.
Is this really the same Silurians from Sarah Jane Adventures? They were fat and farted all the time? Those creatures were mostly comic relief.
Those were Slitheen, an original Russell T. Davies creation. (“Slitheeen” is a family name; I’m not sure the race has an official designation.)
The Silurians are a “classic” Doctor Who monster, extensively reimagined for the new series. (“Silurian” is considered a misnomer based on confusion about their origin; I don’t know if this is addressed in the current episode as I’m holding off on watching it until tomorrow.)
Thanks. I probably saw the original Silurian episodes in classic who. But, after 25 years I’m not sure.
I’m glad the writers used the two part episode correctly. If you’re doing two parts, then I want a story that’s well crafted. They took their time and used the first part to create something very interesting. The resolution in the 2nd part hopefully, will be very satisfying.
They’re (deep breath) Raxacoricofallapatorians.
“Different sub-species of course” 
He also plays around with the name ..
I enjoyed this episode - like others I think the two-part format is worth pursuing. However, with Alan Smithee’s help I’ve seen that Amy is the problem for me. As a kid I only remember two other companions jolting with me (Peri and Bonnie Langford - but possibly because I didn’t approve of their doctors !). Amy - I don’t know, she strikes me a little like Buffy’s sister, somehow off-key. I don’t mind telling you I was pulling my blanket up ready to cover my eyes when the kid was alone in the graveyard and you caught glimpses of a shadow pursuing him and I’d already been spooked by what happened to the security guard guy yet Amy’s various predicaments didn’t have much effect, not even the “buried alive” type one
Amy has become my favorite companion. But my previous favorite was Donna, so maybe I’m just a sucker for sharp-tongued redheads – or the recency effect. I loved “Did you just shush me?” in the midst of her panic. (The Doctor has shushed her at least a half-dozen times, but she won’t take it from a lizard.) In the previous episode, some of us found it odd, even hard to believe, that she had never told Rory she loved him. Here, her “last words” are “Tell Rory goodbye.” Goodbye? That’s right up there with the Doctor’s “Tell Rose… eh, she knows.”
Speaking of Rory, he really is a dullard, isn’t he? I mean, he’s a decent fellow and likable enough, but relentlessly ordinary (which is why he wouldn’t be surprised if he turns out to be this season’s most important human in the universe, instead of Amy). And that’s how he dresses for Rio?
As to the new Silurians/Eocenes/Homo reptilia/whatever, the previous ones looked far more alien (no, Doctor, it doesn’t just mean extraterrestrial). But their faces were obviously just masks. The new prosthetics allow the actress a full range of expression. I think it’s a fair trade-off. She also has rather conspicuous mammalian breasts and child-bearing hips which are just wrong on a reptile, but I can live with that.
I’m not sure where this episode fell in the production schedule, but it’s the first one where I found myself thinking the old Doctor wouldn’t have done that, or wouldn’t have said that in that way. Maybe it’s just down to Chris Chibnall having a different style, or maybe 11 has finally found his own voice. (I’ve thought from the beginning of the series that Matt Smith’s performance was definitely his own, but the writing didn’t necessarily reflect that. Head writer Stephen Moffat is on record on saying the Doctor is “absolutely the same man” he’s always been.)
Note: The Doctor is rubbish as baby-sitter.
I’m glad it turned out that they were a different species, so in that respect this episode worked. I agree with you about Amy, strangely she’s one of those companions that I initally liked, but who grows increasingly annoying over time.
Rory was a little ineffective this episode and I felt that the Doctor was a tad overconfident when promising to get everyone back safely.
But overall not a bad episode and the trailer for the second part looks good. The weapons looked reminiscent of those used by the Sea Devils in the classic Pertwee story, which is good. Maybe next season we can get a story with an the sea faring lizards.
I did definitely enjoy this episode but again I’m getting heartily sick of the Doctor’s need to verbalise what should be an internal dialogue.
“But it didn’t do that did it? Think, think, THINK! Wait - wait! Blue grass, there was blue grass. Oh ho ho ho, why didn’t I realise?”
SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!
Well, I wonder what the Doctor plans to do? He was expecting a small tribe of Silurians. Instead he found a whole civilization. It’ll take more than waving his sonic screwdriver this time.
I’m thinking there may be a governing class he can reason with. But, I’m not sure they are awake. The Silurian warrior said their sensors woke the warriors to defend against the drilling. The rest may still be hibernating.
Of course, that raises the question. If everyone was hibernating. Who built that huge city?
Maybe just the warrior class was hibernating? I mean, if you’re just industriously building your underground civilization and not warring with anything, perhaps having all that undirected aggression running loose would cause internal strife. On the other hand, if you can put the warriors to sleep until they’re needed…
I hope the graves eating people is somehow significant. It was Rory’s lead-in to something’s wrong, and the Doctor waved it away because he was busy, but… why would the lizardy people want corpses?
Also, if it’s on a living being it’s vivisection. Ick.