Worth waiting for then? Pretty much, makes up for a lacklustre first half to the season and a wonderful re-introduction for a well loved bad guy 
Oh yes!
Overall I think the episode was a bit uneven but those last 10 minutes made up for it.
I am so jealous…I’m stuck at work and can’t watch it until tomorrow morning. I have been dying to see this episode! Dying!
forlorn sigh
Although I thought I was spoilered out the wazoo it turned out I wasn’t, not really.
What started as a run-off-the-mill Old Who, complete with dodgy prosthetics and a quarry, just cranked-up and cranked-up until, well…
wonder why Martha recognised his new voice? I assume he must have gone back and interacted with her in the past
The Master is Harold Saxon, the PM back in Martha’s time.
We had to suffer techno babble worthy of an episode of ST Voyager and a tacked on plot that didn’t stand well by itself to get those 10 minutes, but it was worth it.
From when the watch came out, it was pretty clear what was happening, but it was done oh so well.
Interesting that you-know-who managed to do you-know-what, even though he supposedly ran out of those a while back … does this suggest that the Doctor also is no longer limited to the regulation quota?
His imprisonment in the Tardis’ eye of harmony in the TV movie is canon according to RTD, so I can imagine that his renewed cycle of regenerations can be explained away using that. Apparently Rose let him out when she opened the heart of the Tardis in “The Parting of the Ways”.
Oh and (spoiler for the next two episodes):
Apparently this story ends the season on a cliffhanger involving a fleet of Timelord warships… although I’m taking that with a pinch of salt… but that’s as much of the spoilers as I’ve dared read.
After three fantastic episodes, I thought this was a let down. I realize it was setting things up for the finale, and those episodes rarely stand well on their own, but still…
I’m beggining to think that the show works best when it explores humanity, not when there’s a lot of running and screaming. And I’m a guy who enjoys space opera and explosions.
It’s good to see Jack and get some more background, though I don’t see how they can merge this with Torchwood. And the alien chick was kinda cute. I’d do her (preferably before Jack, 'cause he must have an enormous tonker, considering the amount of testosterone he’s shedding).
ETA: John Simm’s star is raising. This guest spot, after Life on Mars, is sur to keep him in the public’s eye.
How so?
I didn’t notice anything mentioned in this episode that wasn’t mentioned or hinted at in Torchwood, even the way in which Jack was picked up at the start tied in with the final episode of Torchwood.
My personal feeling is that it’s a new series. Unless something from the old show is brought up in context then it simply didn’t happened. So if the guy who follows Tennant leaves the show and I’m not going to complain when the new one isn’t evil.
The “main” plot was kind of generic even for Dr. Who but I suppose that was to give a framework to hang the real story on. They probably should have shifted things a little bit further toward character study, though, just to keep the show from feeling too unbalanced.
I’m not certain if I like the idea of a more manic Master. The Master should be more of a counterpoint to the Doctor and having him be more energized may throw off the interaction.
As a throwback to the old programmes, it even started in an old quarry. I wonder if that was intentional ?
Not that easy. The Tennant Doctor has already acknowledged all of his past, back as far as William Hartnell, by scribbling references to them in his notebook when he became human two or three episodes ago. I’m not saying the writers won’t find a way around the regeneration ‘problem’ when the time comes… just that this can’t be it.
I was a little disappointed that they didn’t stay with the original actor, but given that he’s nearly 70, it is understandable.
Err…the original actor is long dead.
I reckon he’s talking about the chap who was playing Professor Yana.
That was the very first episode of Dr Who I ever saw, yay!
I’m not sure I follow.
Did you like it?
Yes there was some stuff with the older Doctors, but that didn’t include things like the twelve regeneration limit or the Valeyard. Unless they bring that up in the show then I’m not going to worry about it. They can just ignore it when the time comes and it will be okay by me.