Doctor Who Season 2 Thread

[david195]

Greetings Tardis-heads! The time is nearly upon us. Season 2 of the new 'Doctor Who' is now confirmed to start on BBC1 on Easter Saturday 15th April at 7.00 pm with the episode 'New Earth' (making my Easter weekend brilliant what with a new season of 'Doctor Who' starting, two new 'Simpsons' and lots of chocolate but I digress). The official press launch was last night so we should soon be getting more detailed information about the episodes but for now I've compiled the existing information about season 2. It's also been confirmed that the first trailers for the new season will be airing from Thursday on the BBC. So, I figured this thread could be used to speculate about the new episodes.

Doctor Who Season 2

Spoilers below - do not read if you don't want to know about the episodes!

1. New Earth
Scheduled Air Date: Saturday 15th April, 7.00 pm BBC1
The Doctor and Rose travel to a seemingly perfect alien planet in the very distant future (about 6 billion years) where they come across an Earth colony which is being run by a sisterhood of cat-people.

2. Tooth and Claw
The Doctor takes Rose to Victorian Scotland where they meet no other than Queen Victoria herself and become embroiled in an attempt to save the Queen from roaming werewolves on the Scottish moors.

3. School Reunion
A visit to a present day comprehensive school gives the Doctor and Rose more than they bargained for as they find themselves up against the mysterious Krillitanes and the school's sinister headmaster (played by Anthony Head), plus the Doctor is reunited with two old friends - former companion Sarah-Jane Smith and his robotic dog K-9!

4. The Girl in the Fireplace
The Doctor takes Rose to his favourite period of Earth history - 17th century France, where they meet the enigmatic Madam Du Pompadour and end up in the court of King Louis XIV.

5. The Rise of the Cybermen (part 1 of 2)
The Doctor and Rose face the brutal Cybermen regime on an alternate Earth.

6. The Age of Steel (part 2 of 2)
The Doctor and Rose face the brutal Cybermen regime on an alternate Earth.

7. The Idiot's Lantern
It's a trip back in time to the 1950's for the Doctor and Rose, just in time to witness the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II but they're not the only people who are out of place there as alien forces take control of the TV transmissions.

8. The Impossible Planet (part 1 of 2)
The Doctor takes Rose to a completely new and very different alien planet.

9. The Satan Pit (part 2 of 2)
The Doctor takes Rose to a completely new and very different alien planet.

10. Love & Monsters
An offbeat episode featuring the Abzorbaloff (a monster designed in a Blue Peter competition). Peter Kay guest stars as the sinister Victor Kennedy.

11. Fear Her
Synopsis TBC

12. Army of Ghosts (part 1 of 2)
Strange happenings ensue when the world becomes overrun by ghosts. But are they working alone and are they actually ghosts?

13. Doomsday (part 2 of 2)
The Cybermen are back. Ghosts have invaded the universe. And another enemy from the Doctor's past is back to haunt him. Are they in unison with the Cybermen or are they fighting against them?

As an added bonus here is the picture which is now on the BBC's Doctor Who website which you can see at www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b94/david195/DOCTORWHO.jpg

I think this season is going to be excellent. David Tennant proved himself a worthy successor for Christopher Eccleston in The Christmas Invasion and I'm looking forward to seeing how the chemistry between him and Billie Piper as the Doctor and Rose progresses. I think all the storylines sound excellent but I'm particularly looking forward to the ones where they travel back in time as they are always really well done and my favourites from the first season were the ones set in the past (The Empty Child, The Doctor Dances and The Unquiet Dead). Having said that it will be very interesting to see how the cybermen compare to the daleks and to see how they create a whole new planet for the Doctor and Rose to explore. Overall, I think we're in for 13 excellent Saturdays of TV. Roll on Easter!

[Rowdy]

Airdates? Spoilers? More Doctor?

Booyakasha, as you Brits must all say. Booyakasha, indeed.

[EspanolBot]

We haven't said that word for about five or more years. YYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY anyway! More Doctor Who!

[phil]

Alright. We begin TOMORROW!

[Rowdy]

Doesn't look llike there's Daleks this season.........but I'm still highly stoked.

[Paul]

Good new episode. David Tennant is a worthy successor to Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper did a good job playing Cassandra. Looking forward to the rest of the series. 4/5

[Nameless]

Good start to S2. The scenes in the ward with all the supersick people (I forget the name...) were excellent. Rest of the series should be good. 4.5/5

[JonHillier]

Still not 100% sure about David Tennant, will give him a couple more episodes. But I have to say, last nights episode was thoroughly enjoyable. Nice to see Zoe Wannamaker make a return.

[EspanolBot]

Doesn't look llike there's Daleks this season.........but I'm still highly stoked.
There are rumours that they may return in the series finale, fighting another race of aliens.

[Simpsons Forever!]

I won't read the spoilers this time - hopefully something will take me by surprise!
That first episode was weird to say the least - were those cat-people ever explained? It was good seeing the Dr and Rose switching back and forth to Cassandra; the people locked up with diseases were good too, but it wasn't a great episode. There was too much going on, I couldn't concentrate on all the plots/future quirks. Next weeks looks better, I love history and it's really interesting seeing how they mess up the past! I bet Queen Victoria will be played all wrong, though. If she says, "We are not amused," I will be highly irritated! :irked:

[phil]

it was a very entertaining first episode of the season. just good escapist fun.

[Reverend Lovejoy]

I won't read the spoilers this time - hopefully something will take me by surprise!
That first episode was weird to say the least - were those cat-people ever explained? It was good seeing the Dr and Rose switching back and forth to Cassandra; the people locked up with diseases were good too, but it wasn't a great episode. There was too much going on, I couldn't concentrate on all the plots/future quirks. Next weeks looks better, I love history and it's really interesting seeing how they mess up the past! I bet Queen Victoria will be played all wrong, though. If she says, "We are not amused," I will be highly irritated! :irked:

I agree. I enjoyed the first ep, but this one contains two of my favourite things in fiction - the Victorian era and werewolves. Looking forward to it.

[CrashyBoy]

Can't wait till the werewolf ep, but i really wanna see daleks

[phil]

CYBERMEN THIS YEAR PEOPLE

[EspanolBot]

I agree. I enjoyed the first ep, but this one contains two of my favourite things in fiction - the Victorian era and werewolves. Looking forward to it.
They also appear to have Shaolin Monks to. The Kung Fu kind.

[George Cauldron]

Am I the only one here who was disappointed and underwhelmed by Saturday's episode? I found it boring, unentertaining and dozed off in the last couple of minutes. What happened at the end, speaking of which?

Though I will credit it for Billie Piper looking especially nice and flirty and appearing in a variety of nice poses. Nevertheless, a poor start to the season. I think it will pick up a little bit though.

[EspanolBot]

I saw it as a light episode to get people into the new series. Like the Auton one from last years. They couldn't really start with a Deathfest like 'Dalek' could they?

[Nameless]

What happened at the end, speaking of which?

GIGANTIC SPOILER AHEAD

The Doctor and Rose survive.

OK...they survive, the sick people are cured, Cassandra dies. Something like that.

If she says, "We are not amused," I will be highly irritated!

she probably will...

[EspanolBot]

She, of course, never said that in real life. The Doctor probably will say it though, or maybe Rose.

[Monty Burns]

A guy at school told me his sister's friend was in last week's Doctor Who

[Mazzi_rules]

i do aikido and i have to say i wasnt happen with the start of episode 2!!!!

[Nameless]

i do aikido and i have to say i wasnt happen with the start of episode 2!!!!

you what?

Anyway, I thought tonight's episode was OK. It got better as it went along.

[Paul]

The first fifteen minutes were a little dull but then the episode picked up with some decent scenes. I didn't like the ending though and as usual it suffered from a shaky RTD script.

[EspanolBot]

It laid the foundations of the Torchwood spin-off which I thought was cool. The werewolf was better than the one in Van Helsing in any case.

[Simpsons Forever!]

It was much better than last week's, mainly as I understood just what was happening. So, she did end up saying "We are not amused", but it was painfully inevitable, all through the episode. The rest was all accurate, though - there were 6 attempts on her life and she did have an unexplained blood disorder. The werewolf was really well done - the change was eerie - and the ending was good, too. I reckon there'll be a follow-up to this episode sometime in the future (or should I say past?), seeing as they were banished at the end. Anyway, an improvement on last week. As for next week, it looked very strange, like a cheap rip-off of The Demon Headmaster. But, only time will tell...

[phil]

great episode last night.
sarah jane returns next week!

[EspanolBot]

And K9!

[Paul]

Great episode tonight. Better than the lacklustre first two in this series. Although I'm not quite clear on the Doctor Who history, I liked Sarah Jane and K9. Disappointed that the unbearable Mickey is becoming a companion, though.

[Nameless]

Yeah, best episode so far. Not clear on DW history either, but I did like K9.

[Simpsons Forever!]

I thought the episode was okay, but there should have been a proper face off between the Doctor and the Headmaster at the end - the way they were all blown up was a bit unsatisfactory. I liked K-9, though - he made a good addition to the programme and should replace Mickey, I think. A bit disappointing he'll be in next week's episode. So, better than the first one and on a par with the second, I reckon.

[phil]

being well versed in the history of the show i quite liked the episode from a fan-wank standpoint. the episode in general was good fun like the first two episodes.

although i still like tooth and claw a lot better.

[George Cauldron]

Yeah I also liked the call-back to 70s Doctor Who, though I never actually saw an episode with K9 before. And Elisabeth Sladen hasn't aged too badly.

[Nameless]

I thought tonight's episode was quite good, but I was surprised at how short it seemed... when it ended, it felt like much less time had passed.

Next week's looks decent, too.

[Rowdy]

It felt short because it was really fast moving, that's all.

Man, the Doctor's making out with everyone lately.

[Simpsons Forever!]

I liked yesterday's - it was creepier than the others with those clockwork puppet things. The plot was confusing, though and I think that's what's holding this series back. The new doctor plays a great role, but they just need a good story to feature him in. They've been a bit too absurd so far - last nights was another strange episode. Despite that, I still feel it's been the best of the series so far. Next weeks should be much better - at last it looks as if they've got a decent plot for the new doctor and the cybermen return, too!

[Reverend Lovejoy]

I liked yesterday's - it was creepier than the others with those clockwork puppet things. The plot was confusing, though and I think that's what's holding this series back. The new doctor plays a great role, but they just need a good story to feature him in. They've been a bit too absurd so far - last nights was another strange episode. Despite that, I still feel it's been the best of the series so far. Next weeks should be much better - at last it looks as if they've got a decent plot for the new doctor and the cybermen return, too!

I agree, this is my favourite so far. For some reason, I seem to like the episodes set in the past more than the ones set in the present or future (my favourite out of the last series was "Father's day", which was set slightly into the past). I liked the clockwork robots too.

[Mazzi_rules]

i can't wait for the next episode, cyber men!!!!

[H Thompson]

Honestly, why not just let Gatis and Moffat write them all, their clearly much better than RTD.

[Paul]

I finally saw The Girl in the Fireplace, which I missed due to a holiday. It's now one of my favourite episodes from both the Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant series. Great performances all-round (even from the usually unbearable Mickey), an original and interesting plot, as well as a tight script. Homer_Thompson makes a good point about the writing, RTD should just leave it to the professionals. Highly anticipating Rise of the Cybermen tonight.

[Nameless]

I really liked Rise of the Cybermen. Well-written, dramatic and quite a few good laughs.

question: after Rose-human sees Rose-dog (I think it's that point), we pan past a sign on a wall. probably nothing important, but what did it say?

[Paul]

Pretty good episode tonight, the series has definitely picked up since the lacklustre New Earth and Tooth and Claw. A lot of it felt like Aliens of London (only much better) due to the similar build up to the ending. Mickey is getting a bit bothersome though, my only complaint in an otherwise fine episode.

[Simpsons Forever!]

Yeah, tonight's was the best of Tennant's role as the Doctor so far. A sinister plot, too, which worked really well. The Cybermen were brilliant and I liked the idea of a parallel world. Only problem was there were two Mickeys, which was slightly tiresome; nevertheless, a good cliff-hanger to end with and I'm looking forward to next week's!

[phil]

I really like series 2. even more than series 1 so far. loads of fun

[Nameless]

Only problem was there were two Mickeys, which was slightly tiresome

it's going to be even more tiresome next week if they use the cliche of not being able to tell which mickey is which.

[phil]

the differences between mickey and rickey are pretty clear.
i really felt for mickey when he went to visit his grandmother.

[Reverend Lovejoy]

the differences between mickey and rickey are pretty clear.
i really felt for mickey when he went to visit his grandmother.

Me too, especially since both my grandmothers died recently.

Anyway, I liked this episode. Not as good as 'The girl in the fireplace' IMO, but pretty good, especially the parts involving the making of the Cybermen. In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight...
Creepiest misuse of music ever.

[Nameless]

darn, missed tonight's. :( can i get a rundown of what happened?

[Paul]

The Doctor, Rose, Pete Tyler, Mickey and Jake defeat the Cybermen. Ricky dies. Mickey decides to stay behind in the parallel universe.

It was a good conclusion to last week's episode, and the next one looks interesting.

Series 2 Ratings
New Earth - 6/10
Tooth and Claw - 6/10
School Reunion - 7.5/10
The Girl in the Fireplace - 9/10
Rise of the Cybermen - 8.5/10
The Age of Steel - 8/10

[phil]

SOME OF US STILL NEED TO DOWNLOAD IT!

[Simpsons Forever!]

I'll be the first to congratulate the writers on finally dumping Mickey! That was a very good two-parter and the best of this series so far. I'm glad Mickey's gone for good now - his character added nothing and was just a tag-along to the Doctor and Rose.
Next week looks slightly too surreal, I can't imagine it'll be better than the Cybermen.

[nich1jb]

Very good episode!
next one looks quite freaky.

[Simpsons Forever!]

darn, missed tonight's. :( can i get a rundown of what happened?

Basically:

The Doctor zapped the Cybermen with a gadget, getting out of the cliffhanger they were in. Then, they ran around London for a while, being chased most of the time. During the conundrum, Rickey was "deleted." They stopped, formulated a plan to get into Battersea Power Station and split up. Rose and her Dad used fake ear devices to march into the factory, but were spotted by a Cyberman, who turned out to be Rose's Mum. Mickey and Rickey's friend (I forgot his name) broke into the Zeppelin, trying to shut down the power. I didn't see the next few minutes, but when I got back, the Doctor and the Welsh woman were in a tunnel of inactive Cybermen, who started to come alive. They escaped and killed one with an electromagnetic device, looked inside it and realised its mind was still totally human, it just needed to "reawaken" and see what it actually was. The shock of the realisation, though, would kill them. The Doctor knew there was a way to do this through the computer programme, but then the Welsh woman was killed and he was taken prisoner with Rose and her Dad. Meanwhile, the baddie was turned into a Cyberman against his will, but became King of the Cybermen. The Doctor met him, Mickey set up a secret video link from his room and they listened as the Doctor basically told the Cyberleader how he could stop them. Mickey followed the advice, crashed the programme and all the Cybermen saw what they had become and died. Then Battersea blew up and they all escaped into the Zeppelin by means of a rope ladder, with the Cyberleader climbing up behind them. Rose's Dad burnt the rope and the Cyber King plunged to his death in the exploding Battersea. Rose told her Dad who she was and he left her and Mickey decided he'd stay behind and help blow up all other cybermen factories in the world. He can never return, as the Doctor said it is near-impossible to travel to parallel universes. Rose cried and then she and the Doctor left in the Tardis, while Mickey drove off to Paris.

THE END

[Rowdy]

Great conclusion of the two parter............I agree with phil, Season 2 trumps its predecessor.

[H Thompson]

whaaaaaat it was full of plot holes and cliches and it was a rubbish conclusion to a cliffhanger. And you can't feel sad at the end when you really just want mickey to leave.

[Simpsons Forever!]

Tonight's episode was a bit bland, I thought. It was a nice idea, but I found none of the new characters to be very convincing and the baddie was too simplistic - or maybe that was just after the Cybermen last week. An average episode, overall.
Next week's looks downright weird...

[JonHillier]

I prefered the previous series in terms of stories - I don't have anything against Tennant, I think he fills the part brilliantly, but I've been feeling that the stories this series have been weaker.

I thought tonights episode was the best so far, personally.

[Rowdy]

Tonight's was quality, but the story sort of felt like they were going through the motions......lots of stuff we'd seen before.

[Reverend Lovejoy]

I liked yesterday's episode. It prooves my point that I enjoy episodes set in the past more than episodes set in the future. It also reminded me of a horror novel I once read. Anyway, not as good as The girl in the fireplace, but good.

[Nameless]

only caught the tail end of 'idiot's lantern', but what i saw looked really good.

next week's looks promising if a little weird.

and if anyone cares, here's the descriptions given for those next two episodes:

Rose finds herself on a desolate world, in the orbit of a black hole. Trapped with an Earth expedition and the mysterious Ood, the time-travellers face an even greater danger, as something ancient beneath the planet's surface begins to awake.

As Rose battles the murderous Ood, the Doctor finds his every belief being challenged to the core, as the Pit beckons. With the planet threatening to fall into the black hole, the Doctor must make the ultimate sacrifice.

written by matt jones.

[Simpsons Forever!]

I thought yesterday's, while very confusing to start with, turned out really good. The Ood were an interesting race and the power source in the planet is intriguing. The whole episode was a lot darker and more sinister than usual, too and the ending was great, setting up multiple cliff-hangers. I'm really looking forward to next week's - this 2 parter could turn out to be the best yet.

[Nameless]

and here's the description for 'love and monsters':

An ordinary man called Elton becomes obsessed with the Doctor and Rose and their mysterious blue box. But when his investigations lead him to the attentions of the enigmatic Victor Kennedy, this harmless hobby suddenly plunges Elton into a world of living nightmares.


the autons and the slitheen will apparently both be in the episode, which is written by russell davies.


i thought last night's was great too, but i think i caught on to how it was going to end (the end of part 1, i meant, not part 2), at some time.

[George Cauldron]

Really enjoyed last night's episode. Finally, for once, an episode set on another planet and not on Earth, or some derivative of Earth, or in modern-day Cardiff pretending to be London. And better yet, none of Rose's family. Anyway, very suspenseful, and confusing, a lot to think about, lots of tension...this is what Dr Who should be like.

[Reverend Lovejoy]

Really enjoyed last night's episode. Finally, for once, an episode set on another planet and not on Earth, or some derivative of Earth, or in modern-day Cardiff pretending to be London. And better yet, none of Rose's family. Anyway, very suspenseful, and confusing, a lot to think about, lots of tension...this is what Dr Who should be like.

I agree, particularly when you said there was a lot to think about. Anyone else notice the biblical references in last night's episode?

(Finally living up to my username :LOL: )

[phil]

Great episode, full of action, tension and effects. Plus Scooti was hot.

But what was up with Rose? She was obnoxiously stupid in this episode.

[Nameless]

tonight's was great, i didn't really think there was anything majorly wrong with it. 9.5/10

next week's looks so vague at this point it's kind of hard to guess anything about it.

[Paul]

Great conclusion to an excellent two-parter! Matt Jones delivered once again with a wonderful script. The special effects were the best the series has seen so far, everything from the acting to Murray Gold's musical score was brilliantly done. I wasn't exactly thrilled with the preview of Love & Monsters but I guess I'll have to wait and see. (Apparently Rose and the Doctor only appear in it for about two minutes...)

Ratings;
New Earth: 6/10
Tooth and Claw: 6/10
School Reunion: 7.5/10
The Girl in the Fireplace: 9/10
Rise of the Cybermen: 8.5/10
The Age of Steel: 8/10
The Idiot's Lantern: 8/10
The Impossible Planet: 9/10
The Satan Pit: 9/10

Aside from a poor start, I think series two has been better than the first.

[Reverend Lovejoy]

I agree with what Paul said (although, out of the two series, I still like Fathers Day - which is from season 1 - the best). I found this episode to be entertaining and interesting.

[Lounge Fly]

the new doctor looks like jarvis cocker. pft.

[Nameless]

New Earth: 7/10
Tooth and Claw: 7.5/10
School Reunion: 8/10
The Girl in the Fireplace: 9.5/10
Rise of the Cybermen: 8.5/10
The Age of Steel: 8.5/10 (eventually saw it)
The Idiot's Lantern: 8/10
The Impossible Planet: 9/10
The Satan Pit: 9.5/10

this season's been an improvement on the first after a wobbly start, yeah. also note that 'fear her' airs at 6:45pm rather than 7pm on the 24th (at least for now)

and here's information on those last four episodes if you haven't heard about them yet:


Love & Monsters will have Jackie Tyler ride in the Tardis (the episode supposedly revolves around her); Peter Kay's two characters, Victor Kennedy and the Abzorbawhatever (which, incidentally, could be in breach of the Blue Peter competition rules), are one and the same. The episode also includes a set of flashbacks to previous episodes.

Another description of L&M (from wikipedia, mind):

An ordinary man named Elton Pope becomes obsessed with the Doctor and Rose and their strange blue box, joining a group of likeminded people in hopes of finding him. But when the mysterious Victor Kennedy joins the group, the fun soon stops and Elton discovers a darker side to his hobby.

Fear Her (replacement for the Stephen Fry episode) description:

When the Tardis lands in 2012, the Doctor plans to show Rose the London Olympics. But on a nearby housing estate, a desperate mother is hiding her daughter's unearthly powers. Can the Doctor defeat the danger nestling at the heart of an ordinary British household?

And for Army of Ghosts and Doomsday, 'season 2 ends on a massive cliffhanger', has a supposed war between cybermen and daleks, chat show host Trisha Goddard appears as herself, and the bulk of the entire two-parter takes place in the Torchwood institute, the director of which is a bad guy played by Tracy-Ann Oberman. And Jackie Tyler apparently returns to play a major part in the story...again. Plus Doctor lands on Eastenders, which RTD (who appears to have written all of the remaining episodes except FH) says "we'll have to see how it works".

but you probably knew all of that anyway.

[Simpsons Forever!]

It has been confirmed that Billie Piper will leave Dr. Who at the end of this series, making Rose's final appearance Doomsady. It'll be a shame to see her go - wonder who the replacement will be for next series and whether they can live up to the role?

Beware of potential spoilers in this article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5082668.stm

[Paul]

Darn, I thought Billie Piper was a great companion and now that she's leaving, both the characters I loved in season one will be gone. I seriously hope she doesn't

die
especially since it was suggested in the most recent episode that she might

die in battle.

[George Cauldron]

Well, the companions come and go, so I don't think it's too much of a big deal. I reckon Captain Jack will be the Doctor's permanent companion as it was said that he would be coming back in the third season. At any rate, it means I won't have to put up with Rose's mother again. Can't stand the woman.

[Nameless]

i think i'd prefer a new teenage companion instead of captain jack for series 3, as i'd probably identify more with it.

bad news anyway. :(

george, i enjoy reading your opinions, so what did you think of 'satan pit'?

[George Cauldron]

I enjoyed the Satan Pit about as much as I enjoyed the 1st part of the story. It was just innovative, that little bit different to most of the episodes this season and last season. At no time did it feel cliched or predictable, and that's what kept me hanging on. In comparison, the two Cybermen episodes, I found overrated. It was basically a carbon copy of several Dalek stories from the older Doctor Who, but with Cybermen instead of Daleks and with the guy who plays Trigger in Only Fools and Horses instead of Davros (the guy who created the Daleks).

[Nameless]

just saw another trailer for 'love & monsters'. wasn't much, suggests the doctor plays a role that lasts a bit longer than 2 minutes, mostly the doctor and rose running from a monster in what appears to be a parody of chase scenes in old cartoons.

oh, and i read somewhere that william shakespeare and a return to new earth are both scheduled for season 3, mickey might reappear (presumably in the finale), and that stephen fry script has been aborted.

BONUS FUN FACT: In the first draft of The Impossible Planet, the Ood were replaced by the Slitheen.

[Paul]

What an odd episode - I liked it better than I thought I would. The only downside was another mention of the Slitheen - RTD seems obsessed with them! The cast were a decent enough ensemble to make up for the Doctor and Rose's highly noticeable absence: Peter Kay has always bothered me (I don't know what it is about the guy) but I found him tolerable here, he played his character well, while Marc Warren I felt was an odd choice for the lead role but did a good job. Overall it was a mildly entertaining off-beat episode, akin to last year's Boom Town although certainly not as good.

Ratings;
New Earth: 6/10
Tooth and Claw: 6/10
School Reunion: 7.5/10
The Girl in the Fireplace: 9/10
Rise of the Cybermen: 8.5/10
The Age of Steel: 8/10
The Idiot's Lantern: 8/10
The Impossible Planet: 9/10
The Satan Pit: 9/10
Love & Monsters: 6.5/10

One more thing - how many times must that Big Ben shot be seen in this series? I thought it was excellent the first time I saw it, but now fifteen times later it has just gotten annoying. As with RTD and the Slitheen, the special effects guys will take any chance they get to show their creation.

[Nameless]

Quite enjoyable. Not as good as the last few episodes, but decent. It seemed rather fastpaced, which was my only major gripe. And wasn't Jackie Tyler supposed to travel in the Tardis in this episode? Or was that just a rumour?

Also, did the Abzorbaloff's face-absorbing thing use CGI? Because the rules of the Blue Peter contest did state that the monster had to be prosthetics-only, no CGI...

New Earth: 7/10
Tooth and Claw: 7.5/10
School Reunion: 8/10
The Girl in the Fireplace: 9.5/10
Rise of the Cybermen: 8.5/10
The Age of Steel: 8.5/10
The Idiot's Lantern: 8/10
The Impossible Planet: 9/10
The Satan Pit: 9.5/10
Love & Monsters: 7/10

On course to be a fair bit better than the Eccleston series, unless the last three episodes are awful (and they don't look like they'll be).

akin to last year's Boom Town although certainly not as good.

I found tonight's episode to be light years ahead of Boom Town.

One more thing - how many times must that Big Ben shot be seen in this series?

I'm a little confused, which shot are you talking about?

Oh, and new description for the two-parter finale:

The human race rejoices as the ghosts of loved ones return home in the latest adventure from the nation's favourite time traveller. But as the Doctor, Rose and Jackie investigate the Torchwood Tower, the whole of modern-day Earth threatens to fall to an almighty invasion force.

Apparently, the fact that the Doctor hangs his coat on a railing in the Tardis will be very important to the story...

[George Cauldron]

Well. That was.....different? A bit 50-50 on today's episode. Peter Kay pretty much stole the show as Victor Kennedy/Abzorbaloff, definitely the best thing about this episode (and I'm not a Peter Kay fan). The rest of the episode was dismissible. My real complaint is that some of the scripts feel like they're trying to pass themselves off as emotional drama. I just want to see explosions and monsters and people being killed.

[dj]

Not seen much of this season but todays episode was alright.

Best bit was at the end with the love life between elton and the paving slab. I wonder what the children will look like...

[Paul]

I'm a little confused, which shot are you talking about?
The shot where part of the spaceship crashed into Big Ben (originally used in Aliens of London, then several times after)

[phil]

thought yesterday's episode was HUGELY entertaining.

[Simpsons Forever!]

Love and Monsters was awful - I couldn't care less about a random new character's rather dull life. How come the Doctor and Rose only had a miniscule appearance? Peter Kay was dreadful and the Abzorbaloff was ridiculous. This seemed to be a comic take on Dr. Who, was that the point? Maybe as a first episode this would've been good, but there's no point asking questions about the Doctor now, we already know about him and Rose and seeing it from a third person perspective was a waste of time. The ending was the worst I've seen, too. The whole thing was funny, though, because it was just so bad.

Next week's looks to be back on track, though.

[Paul]

The Doctor and Rose were barely seen in Love & Monsters because The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit were being filmed at the same time. The same thing happened last year in The Long Game, they only appeared in a few scenes, probably because another episode was being filmed at the same time.

[Reverend Lovejoy]

Next week's looks to be back on track, though.

I agree with you there. I'm looking forward to next week's.
I wasn't too sure about this weeks, though.

[JonHillier]

Love and Monsters was awful - I couldn't care less about a random new character's rather dull life. How come the Doctor and Rose only had a miniscule appearance? Peter Kay was dreadful and the Abzorbaloff was ridiculous.

You can safely say the problem stemmed from the fact that it revolved around a character devised by a nine year old Blue Peter winner; rather than a decent story.

[Nameless]

I liked Love & Monsters mostly for its humour; jokewise it was probably higher up the ladder than some other episodes. There were quite a few problems though, and it certainly doesn't rank up with the other greats of the new series.

Oh, and some interesting working titles for Fear Her:

Chloe Webber Destroys The Earth!
You're A Bad Girl, Chloe Webber

The ending was the worst I've seen, too.

What didn't you like about the ending?

[Simpsons Forever!]

How seemingly easily the Doctor destroyed the Abzorbaloff and Elton's paving slab friend. That was just a little too weird for me.

[Nameless]

for some reason i found ursula in the paving slab hilarious.

just saw a new promo for 'fear her'. rose opens garage door, is attacked by some sort of...living scribble, doctor comes up and shouts 'an isoul!', and stops it with the sonic screwdriver.

[Reverend Lovejoy]

You can safely say the problem stemmed from the fact that it revolved around a character devised by a nine year old Blue Peter winner; rather than a decent story.

True. My friends and I personally agreed that was the problem. The storyline might have been better if there were a decent monster to carry it out.

[Nameless]

Tonight's was OK. Not great, but OK. What was up with "there's a storm coming" at the end, anyway?

New Earth: 7/10
Tooth and Claw: 7.5/10
School Reunion: 8/10
The Girl in the Fireplace: 9.5/10
Rise of the Cybermen: 8.5/10
The Age of Steel: 8.5/10
The Idiot's Lantern: 8/10
The Impossible Planet: 9/10
The Satan Pit: 9.5/10
Love & Monsters: 7/10
Fear Her: 8/10

And rest assured that every tabloid that hasn't already jumped to the conclusion that Rose dies in the finale will thanks to the preview for Army of Ghosts.

DYN:
There wasn't any Torchwood reference? (EDIT: Wait, yes there was...ah well.)
What looked like Gelth in the trailer?

[Reverend Lovejoy]

I was looking forward to tonight's episode, and it is now tying with The girl in the fireplace as my favourite in this series. I understand why it wouldn't be considered 'great', but as a fan of psychological thrillers and someone who spends a lot of time drawing, I found it enjoyable. Chloe Webber was an interesting character and the idea of things disappearing when they've been drawn was an intriguing idea.
That said, I was never entirely sure what happened with her dad. I know he died, but what was he like before? :confused: I missed a few parts, because my house was a tad noisy at the time...

[Paul]

Entertaining episode although it felt very like The Idiot's Lantern. The trailer for next week was interesting - Cybermen, ghosts, Daleks (?), the possibility of Rose leaving us forever...

New Earth: 6/10
Tooth and Claw: 6/10
School Reunion: 7.5/10
The Girl in the Fireplace: 9/10
Rise of the Cybermen: 8.5/10
The Age of Steel: 8/10
The Idiot's Lantern: 8/10
The Impossible Planet: 9/10
The Satan Pit: 9/10
Love & Monsters: 6.5/10
Fear Her: 7/10

[phil]

interesting that the doctor finally made reference to his family this week "i was a father once". this is one of the biggest mysteries about him. no mention of wives, sons, daughters or anything but he did have a granddaughter named Susan (who was the first 'companion' on the original series in 1963).

[Nameless]

That said, I was never entirely sure what happened with her dad. I know he died, but what was he like before? :confused:

i wasn't entirely clear and haven't rewatched the episode yet, but i think he was a nice man and chloe just draw the violent father she was visited by in her dreams. who was apparently really violent.

you can see mickey in the trailer for army of ghosts for about one microsecond, incidentally.

[Simpsons Forever!]

^I was worried about that happening considering the Cybermen are returning.

Last Saturday's episode was much better than Love and Monsters and a return to form. It wasn't the best of the series (that still goes to The Impossible Planet/Satan Pit two-parter), but it was a huge and reassuring improvement. I liked the idea of them travelling to the near future, something they hadn't done before, although they could have made more of that fact, as apart from the Olympics, it may as well have been set in 2006. The Doctor lighting the Olympic Flame was a bit cheesy, but apart from that I enjoyed the episode.

Next week's looks like it could be fantastic - I can't wait to see how this series is wrapped up!

[Nameless]

...Umm, what happened? Did it not get shown in some places or something?

Anyway, everything up to when the sphere started to open was OK, not great. Then the rest was excellent, although I can't give it higher than an 8 out of 10 due to some problems.

I also love how that 'She's not Rose Tyler' line that was given in some previews was blown so out of proportion.

New Earth: 7/10
Tooth and Claw: 7.5/10
School Reunion: 8/10
The Girl in the Fireplace: 9.5/10
Rise of the Cybermen: 8.5/10
The Age of Steel: 8.5/10
The Idiot's Lantern: 8/10
The Impossible Planet: 9/10
The Satan Pit: 9.5/10
Love & Monsters: 7/10
Fear Her: 8/10
Army of Ghosts: 8/10

[phil]

enjoyable episode despite some goofiness.
how good was it to see mickey again?
emotional pete-jackie-rose reunion to come!

[Nameless]

Freema Agyeman, who played Adeola in AoG, will be taking over from Piper as Martha Jones commencing with the third season (not the second Christmas special):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/07_july/05/agyeman2.shtml

[Simpsons Forever!]

I loved Saturday's episode and next week's looks to be a fantastic finale! Not too sure about the Doctor's new companion, though - she played an alright part in last week's episode - but I'll wait to see her in her new role before judging her.

Some interesting information from the BBC article:
Although she has now officially joined the cast, producers say Agyeman will not be featured in this year's Christmas edition of Doctor Who.
"We've got another surprise in store for that," said Davies.

Wonder what that could be?

[Nameless]

Well, season 2 is supposed to end on a 'colossal cliffhanger', so they could loosely tie a Christmas theme around a third part of Doomsday, or something.

[Reverend Lovejoy]

I thought Captain Jack was going to be the Doctor's new companion?
That said, I think Elton (from Love and Monsters) would make an interesting companion. It'd certainly put more point into that episode.

[Paul]

Why would you think Captain Jack was the new companion? That wasn't rumored anywhere and John Barrowman wouldn't be able to star in Doctor Who and its spinoff at the same time.

I too thought Army of Ghosts was excellent and I'm looking forward to its conclusion.

[Nameless]

It was confirmed he was returning in season 3. Once we heard of Rose's departure several people assumed he was going to be the new companion for the Doctor.

[phil]

freema = hottest companion ever.

[Simpsons Forever!]

So, any idea as to what this Genesis Ark is the Daleks are trying to protect? It's been mentioned in every BBC advert for the Saturday Finale.

[phil]

i hope it's not davros

[Nameless]

if it is then maybe adam mitchell is davros and the port in his head has become his third eye!!!

</parody of fan speculation>

i reckon it's either something that'll let them make more daleks since there's only 4 (unless there's more waiting in the sphere or something), or some sort of explosive

[Gibbles]

Considering 3 come out of the pod, and their are 4 in the trailer. "make more daleks" seems possible.

[phil]

4 come out of the pod. you can't see it very well as it's behind the black dalek.

[Gibbles]

If you look closely its the Genesis Ark behind the black dalek.

[Nameless]

i'm pretty sure it's a dalek.

i mean, if the daleks had just come out of the sphere and didn't know where they were, would they really take the genesis ark with them if it was so important?

[George Cauldron]

Probably, they're not particularly intelligent, are those Daleks.

Anyway, am really looking forward to tonight's Dr Who episode. I haven't had this excitement when anticipating a new Simpsons episode for ages.

[Gibbles]

OK I double checked, its not as clear as I though it was but defiantly looks to me like the ark...or a very pointy dalek

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/4447/wmplayer2006-07-0310-48-31-70.jpg
http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/9484/wmplayer2006-07-0310-48-33-54.jpg

But whatever we'll know the truth soon. Only a few hours left to go, and its goanna be a kick ass episode :)

One thing though, now that they have selected a new companion, I hope that they do not pull another Rose, and return to this girls family every couple of weeks. While over time I’ve gotten used to the domestic, it’s been explored to death and it would be nice if the doctor picked some one up and stayed away from their life for a whole or at least most of the series.

[Nameless]

Good point...I just rewatched the episode and it's actually not very clear as to what it is (presumably done on purpose).

I wonder if they'll have an episode in the same style as Rose to introduce Jones or if she'll be some kind of intergalactic crimefigher or something?

Furthermore, am I the only one thinking that 'Martha Jones' is such a boring name it can only be a fake one invented by the BBC because her real name is being kept secret for some reason?

10 minutes to go!!

[Paul]

What an excellent conclusion to season two. Despite the horribly forced cliffhanger, I thought everything (particularly Rose's departure) was dealt with very well. Billie Piper put on one of her best performances in the series and she'll be sorely missed. I just hope her replacement is as good. Over the past fourteen episodes David Tennant has grown on me a lot and I can happily say that season two was better than the first. I'm looking forward to the Doctors' return in season three but not in the Christmas special - sadly the contrived ending to this episode has diminished my expectations.

Series two ratings -

New Earth: 6/10
Tooth and Claw: 6/10
School Reunion: 7.5/10
The Girl in the Fireplace: 9/10
Rise of the Cybermen: 8.5/10
The Age of Steel: 8/10
The Idiot's Lantern: 8/10
The Impossible Planet: 9/10
The Satan Pit: 9/10
Love & Monsters: 6.5/10
Fear Her: 7/10
Army of Ghosts: 9/10
Doomsday: 9/10

[Nameless]

Liked everything except Catherine Tate appearing in the TARDIS, apparently as a ghost, at the end. I mean, it's practically bringing it down a whole mark. Great emotion, great plot, great everything. Full review hopefully coming later.

So, as far as all the Doctor Who episodes so far:

The Satan Pit (9.5/10)
The Girl in the Fireplace (9.5/10)
The Impossible Planet (9/10)
Doomsday (9/10)
The Parting of the Ways (9/10)
Bad Wolf (9/10)
The Empty Child (9/10)
The Doctor Dances (8.5/10)
Rise of the Cybermen (8.5/10)
The Age of Steel (8.5/10)
Dalek (8.5/10)
The End of the World (8.5/10)
Army of Ghosts (8/10)
The Christmas Invasion (8/10)
The Idiot's Lantern (8/10)
The Unquiet Dead (8/10)
Rose (8/10)
School Reunion (8/10)
Fear Her (8/10)
The Long Game (8/10)
Tooth and Claw (7.5/10)
World War III (7/10)
Aliens of London (7/10)
Father's Day (7/10)
Love & Monsters (7/10)
New Earth (7/10)
Boom Town (6.5/10)

Probably needs to be rethought a bit, but oh well.

[Gibbles]

Wow...just...wow!

Glad to know that the Daleks are back...and yes there were 4. Where the hell the other one came from is beyond me...guess it was hiding behind the ark or something.
Pesky little critters, them Daleks.

Something I thought was a shame last series, was we didn't get to see the Daleks attack earth on the surface, so this episode made my day that’s for sure :).

I didn't mind the ending, thought it was good and more in the doctor who style to just move on and go out with a WTF moment. I must admit though that this episode had a very similar formula to last years final. Swarm of Daleks attack, something happens to get rid of them all, something odd happens in the Tardis, rock on Xmas! Hopefully next year they can do something a little more different, though I'm not complaining because this episode rocked.

So that’s the end of Rose, sure she could and probably will be back for a brief episode in series 3, but she’s now left. It was handled pretty well, guess they have to do it justice considering she had such a long character ark. At first I found her annoying, and then I got used to her, so yeah I guess it’s pretty sad that she is gone. On the other hand can we please make the doctor come first and the companion come 2nd next time. Ok the "all about Rose" aspect was an interesting vive, and introduced others to the series well, including myself, but can the next one not have a family, not drag the doctor back to earth every other episode, and maybe not entirely fall in love and become so attached.

Good episode 9/10

One thing that did bother me was, the Cybermen got sort of knocked aside to the Daleks and all became pretty useless. Would have been nice to see them come out on top for a little while but I guess you can only do so much in so much time.

[Nameless]

According to Outpost Gallifrey, S3 filming has begun in secret:

http://www.gallifreyone.com/news.php#newsitemEEVkkAkkAVmVfmAfri

And for what it's worth, the S2 DVD will be avalilable in an Amazon-exclusive Cyberman head case.

[George Cauldron]

I really enjoyed that. Oh yes. Great episode, and the unpredictability surrounding Rose's death was also good. "She says this is how she died, so she clearly lived to tell the tale. That means she won't literally die!" "Oh no, some Daleks have come out of the sphere! They're going to exterminate her!" "Oh goodie, she got away from the nasty Daleks, maybe she doesn't die after all." "Oh no! More Daleks! Maybe she will get exterminated!" "Oh wait, I see, she won't die, she'll be trapped in a parallel world!" "Oh no! She's going to die! She's going to get sucked into the void!" "Oh wait, she did end up in the parallel dimension after all." I did feel that the last 5-10 minutes dragged on a little bit with Rose being understandably upset, but this didn't affect my viewing too much. Bring on the Christmas special is all I can say.

So since the new series began, they've brought back the Autons, the Daleks and the Cybermen. To anybody who's seen anything of the classic Doctor Who, which aliens, robots, monsters, etcetera would you like to see return in the next series? I wouldn't mind seeing the Master again, though I think the actors that played him are now dead. Failing that, how about the Silurians? Or possibly the robot from Robot? Or even that giant Bassett's Allsorts thing from the Happiness Patrol (I haven't seen that episode, but I saw a clip of it, which greatly amused me).

[Nameless]

Or even that giant Bassett's Allsorts thing from the Happiness Patrol (I haven't seen that episode, but I saw a clip of it, which greatly amused me).

BBC actually promised Bassett's that the 'thing', called the Kandy Man, would not return after complaints from the company.

Apparently the Ice Warriors are set to return in the first series 3 episode.

[Simpsons Forever!]

That was a very good episode on Saturday and finished the second series nicely. S2 was better overall than S1 - Rose has become a much more interesting character, as if Piper's grown into the role over time - and Tennant has been a better Doctor than Eccleston, too. It's a shame that Rose has been written out (for the time being, anyway) and a lot will be expected of the new companion when the third series starts. I hated the ending, though, with Catherine Tate - that spoilt what had been a brilliant end to the series - and I'm not holding out much hope for the Christmas Special (do we presume this'll be shown on Christmas Day?)
Regardless of that final few seconds, a fantastic episode to finish a series that has improved throughout, as the first few episodes were disappointing.

Worst Episode: Love and Monsters

Best Episode: Army of Ghosts/Doomsday & The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit doubles tie.

[phil]

Tate's appearance was a much-needed spot of catharsis. The audience needed to be reminded that the adventure goes on.

[Simpsons Forever!]

Doomsday scored high ratings of over 8 million viewers on Saturday - a very strong performance - but the highest rated Dr. Who is still the first of Eccleston's series, which had 10.8 million viewers.

[Nameless]

(do we presume this'll be shown on Christmas Day?)

BBC state that they 'haven't yet chosen a date', although sometime near Christmas Day certainly seems likely.

Interesting rumours about the Special are abound, most likely false but I'll link to the Outpost Gallifrey report rather than paste it here just in case:

http://www.gallifreyone.com/news.php#newsitemEEVkuykyZFMiiBNcSP

[Simpsons Forever!]

A new article from the BBC concerning the third series and a promo image, too. One episode will take place in 1930's New York.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4779255.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/entertainment_enl_1155141839/img/1.jpg

[Paul]

Anybody watch Torchwood? I have yet to see the second episode but the first really surprised me with its high quality. Jack has grown on me and I applaud Eve Myles, who played Gwen brilliantly. The adult aspects of the show surprised me (in a good way), I just hope the writers don't go overboard just because they can. I look forward to watching the second episode and the rest of the first series.

[phil]

I downloaded the first ep, in the process of downloading the second. I liked the first ep though.