30.10: Midnight

[Lenny]

The Doctor is trapped, powerless and terrified, on the planet Midnight, as the knocking on the wall begins...

Midnight - iPlayer

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Looks like one of Europe's most popular sports isn't important enough to change the evening schedule, unlike people who enjoy to play dress-up and sing their days away.

Anyway, tonight's episode was very Donna-lite. It was nice to see the Doctor going it alone for most of the time, in every sense of the word! I thought it was very well written, let alone acted - the actress who played Sky Sylvestry did a very good job at copying people. Was anyone else reminded of the Twilight Zone episode with the gremlin on the plane, out of interest?

My "Medusa Cascade" alarm went off, as did my "Planet theme" alarm - an empty planet turned into a pleasure... thing.

[HoopyFrood]

I only caught the last fifteen minutes while cooking, but it looked like a good episode; I may be going down the wrong path here, seeing as I only saw a bit of it, but it seemed less plot-driven and more just one small situation. Some nice comments on people and mob mentality and the like. And interesting to see The Doctor unable to win people over like he usually does, not able to take command and be the smart one all the time, and even get into dire trouble and helplessness. So we go from Powerful Doctor last episode who can click his fingers to open the TARDIS, to a vulnerable Doctor struggling against a small group of panicked people...

And the woman, Skye, that was some fine acting by her. The way she just sat in the corner, staring at people...creepy, indeed...

As to the next episode: ooh, it's getting exciting! But pah, "The Doctor's dead". We'll see about that...

[PTeppic]

What I've seen called episode-in-a-bottle on other shows, usually to get a "cheap one" in the bag after some SFX-heavy ones. Very psychological, obviously and great to see the Doctor out of his depth. My RTD-bingo went off, and, as already noted, the Medusa Cascade alarm. Dare I say, quite a decent RTD-penned episode!!

I've been thinking about the "planet" theme, and I'm not convinced - don't we have planets every week? It would be as easy to say it's a TARDIS theme, or a Doctor theme.

Though, have to say, missed the pre-titles so have no idea (till tomorrow's breakfast repeat) where Donna was...

[Lenny]

The iPlayer link is in the firts post, Tep.

The planet theme, I think, is the series arc. Yes, we do have planets in every episode, but unlike the Doctor, or the TARDIS, something is always happening to the planets:

#1 - a breeding ground for Adipose.
#2 - I forget exactly, but the firey things wanted to turn Earth into a breeding ground of sorts, didn't they?
#3 - the Ood planet had been taken over and the Ood turned into slaves (and a breeding planet of sorts)
#4/#5 - the Sontarans wanted to turn Earth into a breeding planet
#6 - a new planet for two races to live next to each other
#7 - Erm...
#8/#9 - the Vashta Nerada planet was turned into a library
#10 - a planet turned into a pleasure spa

And I'd put money on the planet being in danger in the finale, as well as the stars that are winking out actually being planets that are being destroyed (which makes sense if you go by the rumours of the enemy in the finale).

[pyan]

Originally Posted by Lennis

#7 - Erm..

That was The Unicorn and the Wasp, wasn't it? I can't see any planets being changed in that one, Lenny...unless you can argue that the whole of Earth was changed because Agatha Christie disappeared for a while....

[Tillane]

From the trailer for next week, Rose seemed to be suggesting that the whole universe was in danger - in fact, that both universes were in danger.

Ooh, and a thought. As Rose is trapped in a parallel universe, maybe the dead doctor isn't ours. Maybe he's theirs...

As to this episode, I thought it was good. Nice and claustrophobic, loved the sense of building paranoia and, like Hoopy said, it did a good job of displaying the mob mentality of a small group under extreme stress.

[Ursa major]

I thought that this episode was weak, with the content not really filling the allotted time.

(Of course, it may be my fault again: what some people may see as edgy or as building up the tension, I simple find irritating.)

I am glad that the budget didn't run to paying for the whole gamut of 70s disaster movie stereotypes, though. (But we did get the offspring of another actor who has played the Doctor.)

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Ursa major

I thought that this episode was weak, with the content not really filling the allotted time.

I see your point, it could have had something more to it, but it was good to see the Doctor not completely in control.

Originally Posted by Lenny

Was anyone else reminded of the Twilight Zone episode with the gremlin on the plane, out of interest?

If that was the William Shatner one then yes, I've seen that. It certainly had an Outer Limits or Twilight Zone feel to it, mainly because of them being stuck in a "bottle" as PTeppic says. It would have also reminded you of Airplane had the Doctor slapped that hysterical woman.

Originally Posted by PTeppic

I've been thinking about the "planet" theme, and I'm not convinced - don't we have planets every week?

I'm not convinced either.

Originally Posted by PTeppic

Though, have to say, missed the pre-titles so have no idea (till tomorrow's breakfast repeat) where Donna was...

She wanted to sunbathe while the Doctor would rather go sightseeing to the Sapphire Waterfall (4 hours there, 4 hours back) - anyone think RTD has these arguments with his own partner when on holiday?

Also rumours are that this week is Donna-lite, while she filmed next week's episode, and next week's episode is Doctor-lite, while he filmed this. Given the content of the trailer, that made me wonder where the Doctor is next week? But it appears you already know via spoilers!

I thought the appearance of Rose this week was much more blatant and obvious than the earlier ones. It made me wonder whether she has appeared somewhere every week and I just didn't notice them, though I do read these episode reviews online and I'm sure someone would have spotted them all

[PTeppic]

Originally Posted by Tillane

From the trailer for next week, Rose seemed to be suggesting that the whole universe was in danger - in fact, that both universes were in danger.

Didn't she say all universes? (But aren't we getting just a little ahead here...? )
Thanks to the iPlayer link above: "every single universe is in danger"

[Tillane]

You got there first, Tep. She did indeed say "every universe" - which begs the question: how the hell does she know that? Has she been to them all?

[daisybee]

I enjoyed this one.

Leslie Sharp was fab as Sky, but she was brilliant in Afterlife(them eyes are spooky!!).

I loved the idea of the group showing the best and worst of us (mob mentality and sacrifice etc) and that the Doc was so close to being offed by a bunch of scared tourists. Vulnerable much??

The whole trailer for next week does make me wonder what exactly Donna has to do, and whether it is connected to why River Song didn't know her, but that's just speculation.

Looking forward to next weeks episode!

[Perpetual Man]

I don't think that there is too much that I can add to this one, other than to say I really enjoyed it, and I did not think I was going to.

I normally associate RTD episodes with being light weight and full of 'laughs', but this tunred out to be a pleasant surprise.

Although it was good, I do have to agree with Ursa and say I found the characters slightly annoying on occasion, but then you can't have everything when there are only 45 minutes to squeeze things into.

Over all I enjoyed it and that is the most important thing!

[thaddeus6th]

Ursa, I concur entirely.

What was there was good, but it was stretched too thin by quite some way. It's like he wrote the first 20 minutes, fell asleep and didn't have time to do the rest.

On the other hand, it was still better than the Woman Marries A Wasp episode

[Rane Longfox]

I enjoyed the epidsode, but it was very strange - why no Donna?

There was no explanation of any of it!!! But I thought the characters were excellent, and it was nice to have a slightly less vast set than usual, too

[Lenny]

Originally Posted by Tep

I've been thinking about the "planet" theme, and I'm not convinced - don't we have planets every week?

Originally Posted by Dave

I'm not convinced either.

The thing is, though, what else is there? The Shadow Proclamation and Medusa Cascade have appeared in very few episodes, whereas designs on a planet have featured in all but one episode so far. Unless, as Dave says, Rose has appeared in every single episode so far and we just haven't been looking hard enough (I must admit to having the trouble in finding the Bad Wolf references during most of the first series), then I can't think what the theme might be. As far as we know, all four together make up the theme. My thoughts, if they do:

- New planets are born in the Medusa Cascade
- The Shadow Proclamation protects all planets from invasion, like some sort of celestial UN
- Rose is somehow involved in keeping the Shadow Proclamation

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Originally Posted by Rane Longfox

I enjoyed the epidsode, but it was very strange - why no Donna?

Dave explained just a bit further up, Rane:

She wanted to sunbathe while the Doctor would rather go sightseeing to the Sapphire Waterfall (4 hours there, 4 hours back) - anyone think RTD has these arguments with his own partner when on holiday?

Also, the link to the episode on the BBC iPlayer is in the first post - it sounds as if you missed the start of the episode.