Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

[daibhidc]

Interesting. Still not sure about it.

The episode was perhaps a bit crowded, although I did like the bit where Nefertiti and not-John-Roxton-honest became Amy's companions, and her anxiety that they were "the new us" played up the "Ponds are leaving" theme without beating us over the head with it[1]. Brian was fun, and his newfound appreciation for travel was nice. And I like the idea that Rory's built up a futuristic first aid kit. Of course he would.

Didn't catch who military woman worked for; future UNIT?

The dinosaurs were awesome. Not convinced Triceretops could move at that speed, or would be particularly interested in a grubby golfball (it's not as if grass even existed at the time), but it's Doctor Who; it's allowed to run on Rule of Cool a bit. Didn't see the Silurian connection coming, but in retrospect it was obvious; who else would have a spaceship full of dinosaurs?

Solomon was a great sleazy villian, and his robots did that beautiful Doctor Who thing of being comedy robots voiced by Mitchell and Webb and being a genuine threat at the same time.

And then there's the ending. There's a fine line between "arranging for the villain to be hoist by his own petard" and "just plain killing him" and that ... was a good hundred yards past it and accelerating as rapidly as the missiles. From what the Moff has said, this isn't a clunky misstep in the Doctor's characterisation but an actual plot thing, so I suppose I should reserve judgement,'til I see where it's going[2]. Taken in isolation, though, it felt very jarring and un-Doctory.

Next week: cyborg western!

[1]Unlike the scene where Amy talks about how she'll always be the Girl Who Waited, which left me with a slight concussion.

[2](Not "the Doctor needs companions to keep him on the staight and narrow", I hope; we just did that with Tenth, and honestly, it fitted him much better than it would Eleventh.

Comments

[john_amend_all]

I got the impression that the woman worked for the Indian Space Agency; I think it was on their screens at one point. Why they're the ones protecting Earth I'm not sure; perhaps India's the leading superpower of the age.

[rhiannon-s.livejournal.com]

Not unbelievable that India would be a leading Superpower really, its on the cards that it'll be them Brazil and China for the next century.

[john_amend_all]

Plus there's been a Dalek invasion between now and then to shake things up a bit.

[rhiannon-s.livejournal.com]

And then there's the ending. There's a fine line between "arranging for the villain to be hoist by his own petard" and "just plain killing him" and that ... was a good hundred yards past it and accelerating as rapidly as the missiles. From what the Moff has said, this isn't a clunky misstep in the Doctor's characterisation but an actual plot thing, so I suppose I should reserve judgement,'til I see where it's going[2]. Taken in isolation, though, it felt very jarring and un-Doctory.

I'm still putting my money on Oswin the Leggy Dalek lurking in the back of his mind due to those Dalek nano-machines last week for that. Or perhaps the Master, somehow.

[mrs-tribble.livejournal.com]

I laughed my way through the entire episode, and can't wait for Steampunk/Cyborg Cowboy!

[scarfman]

(Not "the Doctor needs companions to keep him on the staight and narrow", I hope; we just did that with Tenth, and honestly, it fitted him much better than it would Eleventh.

I've seen a dialog snippet that implies that, so if it's not that then that's at least going to be presented as a red herring. The gripping hand is, it's not like Moffat's Doctor Who hasn't had one or two polemics on Davies' Doctor Who already.

Also

[scarfman]

John Roxton, Gracie?

Re: Also

[daibhid-c.livejournal.com]

The big game hunter in Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, who joins Professor Challenger's expedition because he fancies bagging a dinosaur.

Re: Also

[scarfman]

Check.

The only Professor Challenger I've read is the Wellmans' Sherlock Holmes' War of the Worlds.

[cat63.livejournal.com]

Didn't see the Silurian connection coming,

Please Sir, I did! [smug]. I thought it was going to be the Doctor trying to talk them out of trying to take over the earth and repopulate it with dinosaurs though [unsmug]

And I like the idea that Rory's built up a futuristic first aid kit. Of course he would.

Because I have a memory like a sieve, I had actually forgotten that Rory is a nurse. Perhaps they weren't so wrong to keep bashing us over the head with that last year....

And then there's the ending. There's a fine line between "arranging for the villain to be hoist by his own petard" and "just plain killing him" and that ... was a good hundred yards past it and accelerating as rapidly as the missiles.

I have a nasty inkling that the horrid little man escaped somehow and will be back :( And they certainly did their best to make the audience feel he was getting what he deserved, but yes, not the Doctor's usual MO - not like him to miss that Rory and his Dad were the same genetic line either. Hints that something is amiss, perhaps...

Didn't catch who military woman worked for; future UNIT?

Indian Space Agency as john_elliott says - her cap badge reads "ISA" - I assumed the I stood for international at first, but it definitely says Indian on the screen towards the end.