The Husbands of River Song was amazing :heart:

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51 The Lazarus Experiment

Series 3, Episode 6

Doctor: Tenth

Companion: Martha Jones

Also starring: Francine, Tish and Leo Jones

 

The Doctor lands the TARDIS in Martha's flat, the morning after they left, ready to drop her home after a few trips. However, he's stopped from leaving when he hears an elderly man on the TV, Professor Richard Lazarus, say that he plans to "change what it means to be human". Martha is invited to his launch, as Tish works as his PA, and brings the Doctor as her +1. Lazarus states that he is going to "perform a miracle", and steps inside his machine. When he steps out, he is much younger, although the Doctor had to stop the machine from overloading. Everyone is amazed, but the Doctor is worried about the side effects, and is proved to be right when he finds Lazarus' lady friend Lady Thaw shrivelled up and dead. The Doctor and Martha notice that Lazarus' DNA is fluctuating, and worry about Tish, who is about to be attacked by him on the roof. They see Lazarus mutate into a monster, and it chases them down to the party. Martha and Tish evacuate the building while the Doctor faces off against Lazarus, leading him away from the party. The Doctor and Martha end up trapped in the Lazarus machine, but the Doctor reverses its polarity, firing back against the Lazarus monster, seemingly killing him. However, after he sees the ambulance staff drained of life, the Doctor pursues Lazarus to Southwark Cathedral, and against their mother's wishes, Martha and Tish rush to help the Doctor. They lure him to the top of the cathedral while the Doctor plays the organ on the loudest possible volume, causing the creature to drop to the ground, killing Lazarus for good. The Doctor then decides to take Martha in the TARDIS full-time.

 

I guess this could be another filler episode really but it sets things up nicely leading into the finale, including Francine being worried for her daughter in the presence of the Doctor. The Lazarus monster isn't the best ever but the showdowns both with the Doctor in the lab, and with Martha and Tish in the cathedral, were shot really well and made for tense chase scenes. A fairly underrated episode I think!

The God Complex was a very interesting and had some good moments!

 

Not a fan of The Lazarus Experiment, I found it a bit lame.

The Husbands of River Song :heart: One of the best Christmas specials.

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Torchwood

Starring: John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Burn Gorman, Naoko Mori, Gareth David-Lloyd, Kai Owen, Mekhi Phifer, Alexa Havins and Bill Pullman

 

Torchwood was developed throughout 2005 and 2006 as a post-watershed spin-off for Doctor Who, starring John Barrowman as the popular Captain Jack Harkness and airing on BBC3. Jack headed up a team in Cardiff at Torchwood Three, investigating aliens that come through the rift, alongside his team Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles), Owen Harper (Burn Gorman), Toshiko Sato (Naoko Mori) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd). The first series also starred Indira Varma as Suzie Costello, initially announced as a regular but killed off in episode 1 in a shock twist (before a return from the dead in episode 9). Series 1 saw mixed reviews, most notably criticising the overly adult themes and how forced they were. Series 2, now airing on BBC2, saw the death of Owen Harper, before being revived, as well as Martha Jones crossing over from Doctor Who for three episodes. Owen (again) and Tosh were killed for good in the finale, leaving Jack, Gwen and Ianto to star in series 3.

 

Everything changed for series 3, with a shorter episode run and a brand new supporting cast, and the tide seemed to turn for Torchwood. Critical acclaim came pouring in for Children of Earth, and a fourth series was picked up, this time in conjunction with US network Starz. Torchwood: Miracle Day aired in 2011 over 10 weeks, with new team members Rex Matheson (Mekhi Phifer) and Esther Drummond (Alexa Havins). The series was put on indefinite hiatus after series 4 and despite many calls for a revival, including from Barrowman, there seem to be no plans for a fifth series.

 

Torchwood was VERY hit and miss for me. Series 1 is all over the place - most of the characters felt pretty unlikeable and the stories were ropey. Series 2 however saw a bit of an improvement. The stories felt more impactful and the OTT swearing and sex was hugely toned down. Children of Earth was a major step up, absolute quality from start to finish (read on for more on that), but it didn't really continue with Miracle Day, which I adored the concept of but I don't think it was executed as well as it could've been. The shining star throughout it all though has been Eve Myles, and despite some iffy moments throughout series 1 (I don't care for the Gwen/Owen affair at all), she's always given excellent performances and really made Gwen came to life. Would be great to check in on her, and Jack, at some point in the future, even just a solitary special episode to wrap things up properly.

 

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Worst Story: Day One

Series 1, Episode 2

 

OK I'm not really sure there's much I need to say beyond "sex monster" here, but I'll refresh your memories :') After Gwen accidentally releases a gaseous alien from a crashed ship on her first day at work. It possesses a young woman called Carys, who then seeks out people to have sex with. The alien feeds off the orgasmic energy and kills the man she's having sex with. Carys' story is almost tragic but it's totally ruined by such a terrible concept. It's incredibly forced, and proves that the post-watershed slot for the episode seemed to be too much of a focal point - an issue that's present throughout the whole of series 1 actually. Also, a quick fun fact for this episode: I wasn't allowed to watch Torchwood at first (bearing in mind it began airing when I was 9 years old), but when I was after a couple of years, I was still banned from watching this episode. Kinda wish I was still banned, not one I revisit unless I'm intent on doing a full Torchwood marathon :lol: There's not really much more I can say about this episode so let's move on.

 

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Best Story: Children of Earth

Series 3

 

I think once the writers flushed the forced-"adultness" thing out of their system, Torchwood made some excellent stories, particularly the final three of series 2. Adrift is one I overlooked at the time, finding it a bit boring, but it's a tough watch these days and I find Jonah's story incredibly sad. Fragments is great from start to finish, filling in the back stories of the team was a great move, particularly with hindsight after what happens at the end of the finale. Exit Wounds is a thrilling watch. The actor behind Grey isn't great but it's action-packed and Owen and Tosh's deaths hit me hard. However, when it comes to THE best story, there's no competition.

 

Series 3 of Torchwood saw the show move to BBC1, with the episodes cut down from 13 to 5, all to be aired over the space of a week. This initially seemed worrying for Torchwood, despite the promotion. However, I think the story spoke for itself here, and the writers managed to produce an absolute beauty of a story. The five-part story saw aliens speaking through every child on earth, delivering the message "we are coming". Meanwhile, after the hub was blown up, Jack, Gwen and Ianto become fugitives, on the run from agent Johnson and her operatives. I loved that we didn't just see things from Torchwood's perspective, but also through that of the government and how they handled the impending disaster with the 456. It ended up a harrowing tale of loss, where we said goodbye to Ianto (prompting a huge fan reaction and even a shrine for the character on Cardiff Bay), and we see Jack make his darkest move yet - sacrificing his own grandson to save the lives of every other child on the planet. Few shows would be brave enough to show the death of a child, and with the build-up and the aftermath, it was incredibly emotional and well scripted/acted.

 

Another favourite scene of mine came from Frobisher's final moments. We see him usher his wife and his kids to a room upstairs, having been told that he must sacrifice his kids to the 456 to set a good example to the media. However, once we see them enter the room, we hear three consecutive gunshots, followed by a fourth. This is the kind of scene that differentiates Torchwood from Doctor Who. It was beautifully directed and very difficult to watch, leaving behind some important questions - was this the right move for Frobisher or was it chicken of him? I still don't know the answer really, it's something I think about each time I watch it, but I don't think there's an easy answer.

 

There's not even a comparison between series 1 and series 3 of Torchwood for me. It's almost like two different shows. Instead of shoehorned sex, swearing and gore, we see the post-watershed timeslot put to good use, taking themes that apply to the real world (drug addiction most notably) and applying them to a sci-fi concept, on a huge scale. It all comes together to make not just the best Torchwood story but one of the best Whoniverse stories I've seen.

(I intended to write about SJA at this point but subconsciously started typing about Torchwood and ended up here lmao x)

Children of Earth is some of the best few hours TV has ever seen.

 

I liked Series 1! Loads of my favourite eps are from there, maybe because it was one of the first 'adult' things that I watched. Cyberwoman, Countrycide and the finale are all excellent. I love how dark the first two are in particular, especially with the complete lack of remorse in Countrycide. Series 2 had some strong points but also a few weaker points. Martha is a bit redundant in her final ep haha.

 

Miracle Day is clearly the worst episode story though x

Oh I liked the hotel one!

 

That River Song one was ok.

 

That Lodger one shoulda been so much lower

What is Lazarus Experiment doing so high!!!

Torchwood was shet.

Children of Earth is some of the best few hours TV has ever seen.

 

I liked Series 1! Loads of my favourite eps are from there, maybe because it was one of the first 'adult' things that I watched. Cyberwoman, Countrycide and the finale are all excellent. I love how dark the first two are in particular, especially with the complete lack of remorse in Countrycide. Series 2 had some strong points but also a few weaker points. Martha is a bit redundant in her final ep haha.

 

Miracle Day is clearly the worst episode story though x

Oh I didn't really focus so much on the good points of series 1, cause it did have some. I particularly liked Captain Jack Harkness, the episode that is, and Cyberwoman gets too much flack! A lot of it just felt quite forced to me though, and series 2 makes for a much better watch with the adult elements slotting in better.

 

Miracle Day would win an award for most wasted potential but I can't say I didn't actually enjoy it to an extent :magic:

Yep, that's why I dislike it so much. A fantastic concept but I was waiting, and waiting, and waiting for a payoff. Then all it turned out to be was a massive vagina in the middle of the Earth. :) :)

 

The ending of one of the middle episodes where she's burned alive is a fantastic moment though because it was so dark and had me shocked! I've never ever rewatched Miracle Day though but its such a huge disappointment.

I miss Torchwood. I loved the ending set of episodes to Series 2, everything from Owen's first death onwards is gold, as is Children Of Earth. I think I appreciated the more 'ensemble' feel that it had, as well as being a little bit more adult than Who, gives much more of a thrill to the whole thing.

 

Miracle Day suffered from a) them already killing off most of the original crew without good replacements, b) built on a premise that was gonna get flawed pretty quickly if you didn't handle it right and they didn't, and c) American.

 

It was sort of enjoyable?

Children of Earth and Miracle Day are like two different shows, the gap in tension, gripping viewing and writing between the two is SO huge, I couldn't finish the latter, saddening :(

It is a shame because the concept of Miracle Day is excellent, and there's SO much stuff to cover, but I don't feel like it ever truly touches on quite how impactful it'd be on the human race with the overcrowding, lack of supplies, etc. We hear about it but we don't SEE it, it should've been way more vital than it actually was. The conclusion was a damp squib too and I never warmed to Rex (I loved Esther though and her death had me heartbroken). Regardless, it had some good moments throughout - Vera's death was harrowing as Froot said and whilst I think they spent too much time on him, Bill Pullman was superb as Oswald Danes.

I loved Torchwood, easily the best of the spin-offs until Miracle Day happened :/ Like others have said, it was like two completely different shows. Series 1 and 2 were great being based in Cardiff and Children of Earth was incredible as a mini-series with a longer storyline.

 

50 The Doctor’s Daughter

Series 4, Episode 6

Doctor: Tenth

Companion: Donna Noble, Martha Jones

 

The Doctor, Donna and Martha are taken by the TARDIS to a tunnel on a planet called Messaline. They meet soldiers who work for General Cobb, and they force the Doctor's hand into a progenation machine, creating a young woman who is effectively his daughter. She is born with the knowledge of how to fight in a war against the Hath, and in a method to protect the others, she causes an explosion that seals the tunnel but traps Martha with the Hath. The Doctor, Donna and Jenny meet General Cobb, a man determined to wipe out every Hath creature on the planet. He explains that the war has been going on for generations, and locks the trio up after the Doctor inadvertently shows them the directions to the Hath. Martha meanwhile begins to plan a route back to the Doctor by going over the dangerous surface of the planet, while the Hath also see the directions to the humans. Martha is accompanied over the surface by Peck, who saves her from a quicksand-like substance and dies. After they escape, Donna notices a series of numbers in each section of the underground tunnels and takes note, while Jenny manages to survive deadly laser beams. The Doctor struggles to accept that Jenny is his daughter but eventually plans to take her with him to see new worlds. Donna realises that each series of numbers is the completion date for that section, and that the earliest date was only a week in advance - the war had lasted a week. They reunite with Martha and attempt to end the war by showing both sides what they're fighting over - a terraforming device that will make Messaline habitable again. He smashes it and the war is over, except for Cobb who fires at the Doctor. Jenny jumps in the way and takes the bullet, dying in her father's arms not long after he finally accepted her. The Doctor drops Martha back home, and once he leaves, Jenny wakes up, not dead after all, and takes a rocket to explore the universe.

 

So series 4 finally loses an episode! The Doctor's Daughter may be the weakest of that series but it's still an episode I enjoy a lot. Jenny is very likeable and her death scene was unexpected and really quite sad. I'd still love to see her show up again at some point! The Hath look pretty cool although it always bothers me how Martha seems to understand them :') Speaking of Martha, as someone who's a big fan of her, I really can't defend the scene where Peck dies and she's crying, I always cringe at that. Nevertheless, I enjoy much of the rest of the episode, and Donna really shines as she figures out what the numbers in each room mean.

omg yes, I always laugh at that Peck dying scene!! That whole segment is just so bad. The fact they talk through bubbles just didn't work because Martha having to respond to that just makes it so awkward and cringworthy, especially as you say, she can randomly understand them.

 

The other elements were good though, Jenny was an interesting character and its a shame she hasn't been seen since!

The Doctor's Daughter is one of the ones from that series that I really remember (being the first series I ever watched) - I always have her coming back in the back of my mind ;)

They should definitely have brought back the Doctor's Daughter by now. I wonder if Georgia Moffett is still acting?