Thursday, April 05, 2007

Jones

It's been five days, dear reader, since I saw Smith and Jones for the first time.

I have mixed feelings about it.

As with the first episode of the first series featuring Billie Piper, Smith and Jones is all about the assistant. I complained back in 2005, after seeing Rose, that the series should be renamed Rose Tyler. I feel like complaining, now, that the series be renamed Martha Jones And Her Annoying Family. However, I'm not going to do that as I very soon warmed to Rose as played by Billie. I might yet warm to Martha. I hope I do. Disliking an assistant is not good. My dislike for Mel ultimately meant me not watching most of Doctor Who during the late 1980s. Don't get me wrong, bird, I don't dislike Bonnie Langford, far from it! J'adore her! But Mel... Mel was an annoying bint. Marry her up with Sylvester McCoy and you've got a marriage made in hell.

Sadly, Martha already displays annoying traits and the tenth Doctor is sometimes manic and ridiculous, as the seventh Doctor was. I'm praying and keeping everything crossed, my little maid, hoping that things aren't about to take a nose-dive.

Doctor Who has, since its reinvigoration by Russell shiTforbrains Davies, become something of a soap opera. I'm pulled in two different directions over this. The overtly contemporary human element means the audience is able to connect with the characters more so, perhaps, than they were able to in the original series. Of course, the contemporary human element means soap opera. Take away the soap elements, the viewing figures may drop, followed by the programme itself. Having said that, I like sci-fi rooted in the real world, and we're certainly getting that, though, sadly, I feel, at the expense of experimental, even geeky sci-fi.

RTD is very good at recycling. Names, events, stories in general... This only proves a lack of imagination. The first episode of the last series centred around a hospital. Rose was from London, Donna was a Londoner as is Martha. Anyone might think RTD had ended his obsession with all things Welsh. Think again. Martha's surname is Jones.

I don't like all these constant animal aliens we're bombarded with. Taking contemporary earth animals and somehow developing them into aliens also proves a lack of imagination. Cats, rhinos, pigs... I hear the talking cats are to make a reappearance this time around.

It's such a shame.

The Sarah Jane Adventures was much better. I watched it for the third or fourth time last week and really liked it. It's clear that RTD is better at writing for children than for a family audience. Also, being the boss of Doctor Who might be his bag, but writing for it is not.

If he were a chef, Gordon Ramsay would tell RTD to get out of the kitchen and never come back. Well, hang that, he'd probably say, "Fuck off, you cunt. And never darken my door again."

Smith And Jones wasn't all bad, though! The story was good, well executed, the special effects were fabulous, monsters believable - and Anne Reid! Camp and evil, all at the same time! What a character, what an actress!

I'm actually aching for next Saturday already. I just like a moan, really, you see. I'd give Smith And Jones a score of 8.5/10. Not many get a ten, but they include The Runaway Bride, Doomsday, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances and The Parting Of The Ways.

Before closing, Old Cheeser has a lot to say about Smith And Jones. Click here to read it, my darling.

Oh, and one last question:

When the hospital was sitting on the moon, from where did it get its electricity?

8 comments:

A Novelist said...

Minge, I LOVE the new look to your page. It's fabulous! ;)

Brian Farrey said...

All hospitals have emergency back-up generators. OK, they probably wouldn't be running the hospital at full capacity; just enough to keep life support equipment going. Certainly not enough to turn the MRI into an atomic weapon. But it's as feasible as any other fantastic element in that episode.

Cut it some slack. I thought the ep was fun and I like Martha (sorta). She's like Rose in that she uses her brain and that's what get's the Doctor going. In fact, I don't think she's much different from the first time we saw Rose. So give her some time to grow into her own. And can we just be glad the radiation wasn't expelled from the Doctor's body via a resounding, juicy fart?

Tooth and Claw might just be my only perfect 10 episode. Most are 9s in my opinion. I was very fond of Impossible Planet/Satan Pit. And who doesn't love Runaway Bride just for the line "Santa's a robot!"

Did you find it odd, since you brought up Sarah Jane, that the one show geared specifically to kids had no fart jokes in it? When are more episodes of that coming? I thought it was really charming and I'd like to see more.

Brian Farrey said...

BTW, have you heard Mel in any of the Big Finish audios? I think you'd find her a lot more palatable. I know people who hate the Sixth Doctor but like him more on the audios. I think the same holds true for Mel. She's smarter and her being feisty with the Doctor plays much better than it did on screen.

Alan said...

Ha, I love how you question how the hospital had electricity, but not how the hospital was transported to the moon in the first place! ;)

P.S. Love the new look.

Alan Fisher said...

Doctor WHO cares.

I just wanna see John Barrowmans cock.

Kapitano said...

I can't disagree with anything in this post. As so often happens, the savior of a show also turns out to be it's murderer.

My co-watcher commented that RTD had spent too long scripting for soap operas - he'd the soapy convention that things need to be emotional to be interesting.

If Martha and the Doctor bumblingly fall in love with each other I shall put my foot through the screen.

Brian Farrey said...

Yes, I'm with Kapitano. There shall be no Smith/Jones lovin' or I may actually have to stop watching. Even if the Master is on his way...

Old Cheeser said...

Thanks for plugging me, Minge love!! (My review rather than myself, I should add).

You raise many interesting points in your review. I know what you mean about RTD. It is a bit ironic that the man who was behind bringing Dr Who back to our screens isn't actually the most gifted of writers - many of the best stories from the first two seasons were penned by other people!! Having said that RTD has still produced some good 'uns. His season closers have tended to be the best and certainly the most epic - Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways and Army of Ghosts/Doomsday were corkers.

Sorry to hear you're not crazy about Martha. I really like her. Give her a chance, pet. After seeing tonight's episode I like her even more (loved all the flirtation with Shakespeare).

And good point about the hospital/electricity - although I see Brian has come up with a plausible explanation!

I too was dreading a fart gag - funny how we were all expecting it eh? It must have been after seeing too many flatulant Slitheen...

And Brian, the Sarah Jane Adventures are scheduled to return in the Autumn this year.

I don't think the Doc and Martha will fall in love - this looks destined to be different to the Dr/Rose pairing, thank goodness. Would be silly to repeat the same formula. And don't forget the Dr is destined to get hitched in a few weeks' time to another earth girl!