Hm. Well, that was a 45- minute episode that felt like a 25-minute episode…
Dunno how people unfamiliar with the series would take it – the Nestene Consciousness was basically a throwaway item (although the idea – alien what controls plastic – is very simple). Very strange. If you know the history of the Autons (used to launch another radical Who departure, the start of Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor), it all makes sense, but if you don’t, you barely have time to come to terms with the concept before it’s gone. The whole episode felt very rushed.
The tone was pretty good – mostly serious, with humour arising from character rather than goofy situations, although there were a few bits and pieces I think went OTT. I’d rather they toned down the overt humour – the world should be serious, but the people can be funny, if you see what I mean.
Production values, basically very very good, with only the occasional dodgy FX. Eccleston’s doctor is very different – gleeful is kind of what I eventually decided on. Very happy is this Doctor.
Billy Piper was actually pretty darn good as Rose. Very companion-ly. Her previous career as popstar and celeberity wife are hereby forgotten. However, because everything was so rushed, her decision to join the Doctor on his adventures seems completely arbitrary – she throws away her entire life on what appears to be a whim. We don’t see enough of her life to get the idea that she’s that annoyed by it that she’ll grab literally the first alternative that comes along, or that the Doctor’s offer would be so enticing to her.
The theme music was not that bad – not my favorite, but not as bad as the 80′s electropop version or the TV movie Orchestral. However, the incidental music was actually pretty horrendous – which I suppose is another Dr. Who tradition. But one I’d rather was jettisoned.
Basically, I think the Jury’s still out on this one. Definitely watching next week.
Well we all liked it, so there!
I think part of the reason the Autons’ invasion is not spelled out in this story (apart from the time constraints) is that we, like Rose, are dropped in to the Doctor’s adventure half-way through. It’s all about getting to the exciting part before the first ad break (assuming American syndication). We old-timers can worry about how the Nestene Consciousness managed to set up another plastics factory and outsell all the other mannequin manufacturers without UNIT noticing. Youngsters can worry about the scary man whose arm comes off.
I liked the pace; and I liked the way they used every trick possible to avoid long explanations. Partly this is a reflection of the mainstreaming of sf concepts: nowadays Rose can just ask ‘Are you an alien?’ and he can say ‘Yes!’ without having to go on about walking in eternity or the plausibility of life on other planets.
Not surprised that the ninth Doctor is kind of gleeful and enthusiastic — he’s free of the 100 years’ angst that he suffered as Doctor number eight, and just rediscovered his joy of adventure! (I have nothing against Paul McGann, but the novels got very bleak and destructive for a while.)
Dunno about the theme tune; I’ve heard plenty of worse versions. The original Ron Gainer/Delia Derbyshire composition [1] still stands head and shoulders above its successors!
[1] http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Mark_Ayres/DWTheme.htm#Delia
As to the Nestene’s enhanced reach, my geeky opinion is that either their plastic-controlling technology has improved since the 70′s (or the 80′s, depending on which UNIT timeline you believe), or that they didn’t have the London Eye to use as an antennae. Or both. Regardless, they could control any plastic, not just stuff they’d manufactured themselves.
I am a geek!