Revisiting Doctor Who - Series 2, Episode 5 - Rise of the Cybermen

Revisiting Doctor Who - Series 2, Episode 5 - Rise of the Cybermen

I'm really making a conscious effort here to shorten these reviews - you could get a full run-down of each episode at tardis.wikia after all. So, hopefully this will get you through a little bit quicker.

Crash landing on a parallel Earth with the TARDIS dead, The Doctor, Rose and Mickey seem to be stranded. It’s similar to their Earth, but with Zeppelins in the air, and another version of Rose’s dad, Pete, on an advert for a fruit drink. The Doctor warns her that she cannot get in touch with him no matter what. Whilst he and Mickey manage to find a power cell to charge in the TARDIS, however, Rose accidentally connects to a local phone network, and after viewing a video of John Lumic, the guy from the prologue, she looks up her father. She heads off to find him, whilst Mickey heads off in the opposite direction, as The Doctor tries to order them both to stay, but fails.

Meanwhile, it turns out that Pete is a lot more successful in this universe, living with Jackie and a dog called Rose in a huge house with posh cars and servants. He’s in contact with Lumic via an ear pieces that everyone appears to have, and Lumic is able to take over Jackie’s mind with some that he gifted her, learning security arrangements for her party that evening. Lumic also tells his assistant to go on a recruitment drive, which involves enticing a lot of people in to the back of a van, whereupon we hear a load of deathly screams. Someone who used to be on Byker Grove films this from nearby. Later, Pete meets the President of Great Britain at an airfield, boarding Lumic’s Zeppelin.

Rose and The Doctor are wandering through London when everyone stops moving following a mobile phone ringtone sounding, as they receive a daily download of news to their ear pieces. They all move on when the download is finished. As it turns out the update is administered by Cybus Industries, who own just about every company in Britain, including Pete’s, The Doctor can’t really turn down Rose anymore. Mickey, meanwhile, visits his ‘gran’, who has died on our Earth, though she thinks he’s called Ricky, as do the people who kidnap him and throw him in a van, which includes the guy from Byker Grove. Though they believe him to be Ricky, when they meet the real Ricky it immediately becomes obvious that they’re a little bit mistaken. After a brief scene where they strip Mickey down to look for bugs, the blonde lady of the group says that they’ve received confirmation of Lumic making a move by ‘Gemini’, and they make to intercept.

In the air, Lumic is explaining Cybermen to the President, who denies him permission to make this widespread, telling him that he isn’t God. Like all crazy dictator people, Lumic believes he will be prolonging humanity through the project, and doesn’t see the slightly dodgy evil part of the plan. He tells his assistant to begin the upgrades anyway.

The Doctor and Rose use the psychic paper to blag their way in to Jackie’s party as serving staff, where they mingle and look out for clues, though Rose finds it difficult when she sees Pete and Jackie. She has a brief conversation with Pete that turns awkward, whilst The Doctor finds a computer to search, seeing Lumic’s presentation to the President. The group that Mickey is with are outside, planning on making an entrance, when a bunch of Cybermen appear out of a van. Rose tries talking to Jackie, but learns that she isn’t anything like her own mum, when spotlights come on in the garden as the Cybermen approach. She finds The Doctor, who notes that ‘it’s happening again’. The Cybermen smash windows and break into the house, as Lumic addresses the President, calling them all ‘his children’. The Cybermen tell the guests that they will all become like them, with upgrading compulsory, and when the President refuses he is ‘deleted’, as are many of the guests. Jackie and her increasingly heaving bosom flee to the basement, whilst Rose and The Doctor flee outside along with Pete, but there are too many of them to escape, even with the help of Mickey, Ricky and Byker Grove. Though The Doctor surrenders, the Cybermen tell them that they are inferior stock, and as the episode ends we see them advancing towards our heroes, shouting ‘Delete! Delete! Delete!’...

So, the first appearance of the Cybermen in new-Who; how does it measure up? Well, not amazing, really. I really like seeing how they came into being, and they certainly seem very menacing at the end of the episode when they advance on The Doctor et al, but to me there's a sense of danger missing from the episode as a whole. I love alternative Earths, and it's great seeing Pete, Jackie and Ricky, as well as raising the question of how important they should be to Rose and Mickey, but even this doesn't make me that excited by the episode. It's hard to put my finger on exactly what the problem is, but at the end of the day I think I'm just not overcome with a desire to see it again. If I wasn't revisiting every episode, then I think I would have chosen to skip this one beforehand from previous memories, and that hasn't changed at all. There are some really good bits as ever though, highlighted below.

Aside from the conundrum of whether to interact with those you know in a parallel universe, I think the episodes highlight is Mickey. It's almost a given by now, but he really does leave me thinking 'poor Mickey' half the time, as he laments the fact that The Doctor will always choose Rose when they both decide they want to wander off to do things The Doctor doesn't want them to do. Noel Clarke has always given Mickey a very sympathetic trait, and it's highlighted brilliantly in that short sequence. David Tennant's reaction is equally as good, as he acknowledges Mickey's assertion that Rose will always come first with an almost apologetic stare that speaks volumes. We also learn a bit of Mickey's background, that his mother couldn't cope with looking after him and that his dad left shortly afterwards, leaving his gran to raise him, who died five years ago. The Doctor says how he never knew, and Rose points out that he never asks, which sums it all up. It's even more tragic when Mickey spots the dodgy carpet on her stairs that she tripped on in our universe, and he wells up as he realises he should have gotten it fixed. Mickey getting to tell The Doctor that it's London, not an endless void, that they've landed in is a great chance for him to be right for a change.

Kudos too to Noel Clarke for playing the complete opposite of Mickey as Ricky. I know that he can play the hardman from seeing him in films like Kidulthood, but it's great seeing the contrast here, showcasing his versatility as an actor. 

Billie Piper, too, is very strong with Rose's struggles at wanting to see her parents, even thought they aren't technically her parents. Her look of horror as she comes to realise this really is the case when Jackie shouts at her in a way she never expected is spot on. Also, I don't know why, but I loved watching Rose smile sweetly on the shoulder of The Doctor when he realised that they were going to have to talk to Pete after all - I think it's because it's exactly the sort of look a friend can give another that causes them to give in to a request, and it highlights Rose and The Doctor's friendship well. I'm also loving the fact that Pete and Jackie's dog is called Rose - Doctor Who does this sort of thing so well. It's brilliant when Rose and The Doctor discover this and The Doctor bursts out laughing.

The Doctor giving Rose an almost aggressive warning that this Pete isn't her Dad is classic-Tenth Doctor. You can feel the reason behind it, that he is genuinely concerned she'll end up getting hurt and that he wants to avoid it at all costs because of how much he cares. He can have a very urgent, almost pleading tone at times, and it's used to full effect here.

Sometimes it's the little moments that help to improve the viewing experience. There's a very nice bit of elaboration on the Time Lords history, as The Doctor says that universe-hopping was easy when the Time Lords were around, but when they died it all ceased. The Doctor's face shows how much the Time War still effects him, and though he now has much more freedom in many ways, he's more stifled in others.

There are a couple of bits of the episode that I just didn't get on with. I'm not loving at all the use of The Lion Sleeps Tonight as we see the first upgrades happening - reminds me too much of the stupid use of pop songs in The End of the World. Just a joke that doesn't work for me. Far too cheesy.

Also, Mr Crane, Lumic's assistant, could not be channelling Michael Caine any more if he tried. Either they're aiming for this (his name, Crane, being eerily similar to Caine) or the actor just genuinely sounds like that, but whatever the reason I can't see him without having that comparison in my head. 

Torchwood Mentions

The video on Rose's phone mentions the Torchwood Institute publishing a report on an unknown event or subject.

Pete asks someone called Stevie how things are going at Torchwood.

Overall

Whilst there's a sense of danger with the Cybermen, and the conundrum of whether parallel-universe versions of your loved ones should be sought out is well displayed, there's just something missing from this episode that means it could easily be skipped without any difficulty.

6/10

Revisiting Doctor Who - Series 2, Episode 4 - The Girl in the Fireplace

Revisiting Doctor Who - Series 2, Episode 4 - The Girl in the Fireplace

France. Some year. Some palace. Some clockwork creatures attacking people. And Madame de Pompadour, convinced that a man, the only she has ever loved, is coming to save them. She shouts into the fireplace, for the clock on the mantel is broken, and it is time, and his name is- Oh, it's The Doctor. Damn, how did I not see that coming?

Cue title sequence...

3000 years later, the TARDIS materialises on a spaceship. Mickey's excited, Rose is curious, and The Doctor is getting everything switched back on, though despite the engines being on full and generating enough power to punch a hole in the universe, they aren't moving. And there's also a roaring fireplace and 18th Century French mantel in a room off to one side, with a girl called Reinette on the other side, in Paris. She asks him what he is doing in her fireplace, which is a fair question really. A short story about a firecheck later, and he bids her farewell. Looks like they found that hole in the universe. The Doctor also finds a switch that rotates the entire wall and brings him into Reinette's room, months after their first meeting. He's a bit freaked out though - there's only one clock in the room, it's broken, and yet...something's ticking. Something the size of a man. Something that might be sort of hiding under her bed...Yep, it's a creepy clockwork man size ting in a creepy mask with a creepy wig that's been scanning Reinette's brain. Though apparently she's 'incomplete'. It tries to attack The Doctor, but he manages to activate the wall again and bring it back to the ship.

Here, he uses a futuristic fire extinguisher to freeze it, whipping off its wig and mask to reveal a clockwork brain inside a transparent shell. The Doctor loves this, of course, as it's beautiful. Before he can disassemble it though, it uses a short range teleport to vanish. The Doctor heads back to France, telling Mickey and Rose not to follow the alien, which naturally they ignore.

Back in France, Reinette has grown into the rather beautiful Sophia Myles. Ooh, something tells me he's a little bit smitten. She has a lot of questions and very little time, so to get things running quickly she kisses the hell out of him, leaving him dazed, confused and I'm guessing a bit turned on at the knowledge that he just snogged Madame de Pompadour. Returning to the ship to spread the good news, he finds Mickey and Rose missing, but also finds a horse, so it's swings and roundabouts really. The couple in question find a CCTV camera with a real eye, and a beating human heart seemingly powering it. The Doctor meanwhile ends up in the palace gardens, spying on Madame de Pompadour taking a walk with a friend.

On the ship, Mickey and Rose are still being monitored, when they come across some one-way windows, through which they can see the King of France. The Doctor joins them along with his horse, explaining and questioning why there are time windows from a 51st Century spaceship focusing on the life of one French aristocratic woman. When Reinette enters the room and is then left alone, the clockwork ticking begins again, and The Doctor, Rose and Mickey swivel the windows to come and save her with fire extinguishers. The Doctor questions it as to what their plans are, and it reveals that it is a repair both, telling him that the ship hasn't moved in over a year because they didn't have the parts. Remember the eye and heart? Well, they had to use the crew for parts in the end...They just require one more part, and that part particular part seems to belong to Reinette. Before it can answer any more questions, it teleports away. The Doctor sends Mickey and Rose to the ship to look for it, where they immediately get knocked out by more repair bots, and then he mind-melds with Reinette. Apparently there's something special about her though, because she does a bit of probing his mind as well, finding his lonely childhood and the way he's still lonely now. And then she tries to teach him how to dance, because that's an important part of stopping killer repair bots.

Mickey and Rose and being prepared for an operation to turn them into spaceship parts. Rose starts to tell them a tale of the myth of The Doctor, but he rather ruins that by bursting in on them all looking rather worse for wear with a drink in his hand and his tie around his head, singing loudly. Must be love. It does strange things to you. He rambles a bit, for a change, and then reveals that the aliens were scanning Reinette's brain for her 'mile-ometer' a.k.a. her age, because the ship is 37 years old, and they believe that when Reinette gets to that age then her brain will be compatible, as that is the last piece that they are missing. The Doctor disables all the repair bots, and they set about disabling the time windows, but they're unsuccessful because one of them is still around in Paris. All the aliens reactivate and teleport away, as the remaining repair bot has found her at age 37. Rose is sent to warn Reinette at age 32 that in five years they will come for her. She's not quite as good as The Doctor at explaining things, though she tried hard as he can't do it in person for some reason. Reinette laments that The Doctor can step from one window to the next in seconds, but she has to wait years. When Mickey tries to get Rose to hurry back, Reinette follows them onto the spaceship, hearing glimpses from her future. She returns, knowing that she must take the slow path.

Five year hence, the aliens are terrorising the inhabitants of the palace, telling Reinette that she is ready and preparing her for teleportation. The Doctor tries to find a way to reach her, whilst she tells the repair bots to get stuffed, which they ignore. Cue The Doctor arriving through a mirror on Arthur the horse, to save the day. And accidentally get stuck there for 3,000 years, judging by the wall that's appeared behind the mirror, with no way back to the ship. 

On the ship, as Mickey panics, Rose looks distraught. The repair bots have lost their link to the ship too, and shut down. The Doctor sacrificed the next 3,000 years of his life to save Madame de Pompadour's life, and dammit I think that's what they call love. The Doctor begins preparing for a life with Reinette, telling her that he isn't going anywhere, but she takes him to her bedroom to show him that she had the fireplace from her childhood room moved here in the hope that he would appear again from within it. He fixes it, returning to the ship (though she is crestfallen that he does so), telling her to pack a bag to go visit the stars, and that he will return in two minutes. Reuniting with Rose (who appears to have brought a green-eyed monster with her), he learns that he was gone five and a half hours from her point of view. He pops back to get Reinette, only to discover the devastating news that years have passed in those two minutes, and she has died. *wipes away tears* Oh God, her coffin is getting pulled away by horses *wipes tears again* SERIOUSLY, DOCTOR WHO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?

He gets into the TARDIS, not telling Rose or Mickey what has just happened. Rose asks why they chose her, but The Doctor says they'll probably never know, and that corruption in the repair bots databases likely mean they just got her mixed up with someone else. Though he denies that anything is wrong when she asks, both she and Mickey know that something is up, and leave him in peace. Reading the letter that she left behind for him, where she begs him to hurry to see her one last time before she dies he-I CAN'T DO THIS ANY MORE, I'M A COMPLETE WRECK, JUST CUE THE CREDITS ALREADY - Oh, the ship was called the SS Madame de Pompadour, which explains why they were after her. 

NOPE, I'M STILL HAUNTED BY IT ALL, SOMEONE PASS THE TISSUES AGAIN

You can probably guess what I'm going to say about this episode. This is without doubt one of the best episode of Doctor Who, classic or new, if not of any British television programme, ever. It's an absolute tour de force on how to make an emotionally powerful piece of drama, framed with a science-fiction concept, with outstanding performances from the two lead characters, David Tennant and Sophia Myles. The story itself is a great one, with the aliens not really being baddies, just following their programming, and the science-fiction concepts of time travelling at different speeds, but it's the underlying love story between The Doctor and Reinette that is at its heart. 

God, what a heartbreaking moment when The Doctor manages to fix the fireplace and return to the ship, asking Reinette to wish him luck, only for her to say 'no' in a crestfallen voice, the look on his face turning from joy to shock when she does so. When he tells her that he will be back in two minutes and that she should pack a bag, only for the time difference to mean that she has died in his absence...well, it's astonishingly emotional television. David Tennant's face says it all. I honestly had to continuously wipe away tears during the whole sequence. It's stunning. It also sums up how The Doctor always ends up alone. This tragedy is the tragedy of his life as the last of the Time Lords. It's telling just how much this has affected him by the way he doesn't even mention it to Rose and Mickey. To not give a hint of what happened, not even to Rose, speaks volumes, though she knows something is up. Seriously, I can't praise this episode, particularly the emotional turmoil of the last ten minutes or so, highly enough. 

David Tennant is clearly in his stride now. He has the little quirks of the Tenth Doctor nailed down now, particularly the way he delivers certain types of lines ('it's just a routine...firecheck'), but he shows just how effective he is as the tortured soul, utterly captivating as the man who has just lost the woman he has fallen in love with, forever. There's some classic 'You are BEAUTIFUL' lines at the clockwork aliens from Tennant too, one of his trademarks. Sophia Myles is similarly stunning in her role, and a candidate for best guest star in an episode of Who. The chemistry between them is perfect, and there's never a doubt that she truly feels she has found love from the stars. 

Though they take a back seat, Billie Piper and Noel Clarke are still fantastic as Rose and Mickey. Rose is clearly jealous and a little hurt with The Doctor's obvious infatuation with Reinette, but Piper plays it so minimally with fleeting glances of sadness that really highlight just why she was so great as Rose. Mickey is still as funny as ever - I don't know why, but Mickey's line about 'Even French?!' when he learns that the TARDIS translates any language for you killed me. I think it's Noel Clarke's delivery, with such surprise behind it. I miss Noel Clarke and Mickey. Comedy gold at times. I loved Rose's exasperated cry of 'No, you're not keeping the horse' when The Doctor tells her to use it to find the repair bot, especially with The Doctor's reply of 'I let you keep Mickey!'. Even in this tragic story, Who still manages to weave comedy into it. 

Developing on the sadness at the heart of The Doctor post-Time War, Reinette sees into The Doctor's mind as well as him seeing into hers, and feels his lonely childhood, and how he still feels lonely even now. It's this sort of connection that makes their bond so strong, even after so fleeting a time together, and helps hammer home was beautiful a love story this really is. And she asked 'Doctor. Doctor who?' which makes us love her even more. 

Torchwood Mentions

None

Overall

One of the best episodes of New-Who, and an absolute emotional powerhouse. Stunning performances all round, and as memorable a final ten-minutes as you could ever hope to see. Absolutely breathtaking.

10/10

Today I Discovered...Ensiferum

Today I Discovered...Ensiferum

Thank you again, YouTube! Randomly appearing in my suggested links on the right hand side of another video was a link to a song called 'From Afar' by the band Ensiferum. Click on it I did, and bloody enjoy it I did also.

'Melodic Folk Metal' is probably the best way to describe this Swedish band. The music does a great job of inspiring me to want to do a bit of Viking invading and plundering (helped by some cracking costumes in their videos), and there are some fantastic melodies in there which I really love. There's something wonderful about a band being heavy and still wanting to keep a very melodious sound, contrary to what the mainstream world would believe.

I advise you to listen to the embedded video and then seek out some more immediately!

Review of the Year 2013

Review of the Year 2013

It's been a pretty brilliant year overall for me. I've seen my son grow up so quickly (well, he's still not 20 months but you know what I mean), I've seen my wife become a baby signing teacher (and an excellent one at that), and I've had the most incredible year with my library and its users. I've decided to write up all the best bits of the 'entertainment' side of things, because there's so many things that I feel are deserving of a huge wad of praise, including some extra special thank you's at the end. Thank you 2013, it's been a pleasure!

The Best Books That I Read

Now, this isn't a 'Best of 2013' category as such, as not all of these were published in 2013. They are, however, the best books that I have read this year, and all of them have played a major role in influencing my 'reading journey', if you will. Without any of these, I wouldn't have discovered half of what I did. Where I've read more than one in a series, I've just mentioned the best. So, in order of pure awesomeness, here are my top 10...(with links to my review in the title if I've made one)

10. Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

A teen girl killing herself and leaving behind a bunch of audio tapes to explain her reasons is never going to be the happiest of stories, but it's the final couple of reasons why that really get you in this thought-provoking and very well written debut. It's hard hitting and a perfect story to get teens thinking about how they act and what they say, and making sure that they're not being to careless. It's not a long novel at all, although with a subject matter like this I don't suppose you want it to be, but it'll keep you guessing right to the very end. An essential on my list of YA reads now.

9. Z is for Moose

HA. HAHAHA. HAH. HAHAHAHHAHAHA. This picture book is killingly funny. I love how desperate the moose is to get in the story, especially jumping in far before his turn, and the illustrations are wonderful - after all, the humour wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the pictures. It made me laugh out loud in the library when I first read it (something I really need to stop doing), and it's earned a place on my 'Picture Book Hall of Fame' List (which I could really do with actually writing at some point)...

8. Hospital Babylon - Imogen Edwards-Jones

I love a non-fiction book that gives me an expose on what a job is really like, and I've read four now by Imogen Edwards-Jones, of which Hospital Babylon is my favourite. She does such a fantastic job of bringing together a collection of stories by anonymous contributors from each relevant field, and turning it into a story set over the course of a day or week. They're a mixture of funny, outrageous and depressing, and utterly unputdownable.

7. Forbidden - Tabitha Suzuma

To me, YA fiction should touch on uncomfortable and controversial questions and scenarios, and there are many more controversial than a romance between a brother and sister. What makes Forbidden so wonderful however, is the fact that this isn't really a story about that at all - the relationship instead is a symptom of a terrible case of child abuse from the parents, and it's absolutely heartbreaking to read. Wonderful, but heartbreaking.

6. One Step Too Far - Tina Seskis

I'm not one to stray too far out of my usual type of book - I read Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Graphic Novels and Action/Adventure and that's about it. When I heard about One Step Too Far and it's challenge to solve its central mystery however, I couldn't resist, and I'm so glad that I didn't. It keeps you guessing right from the very beginning, teasing little hints all the way through, and then leaving you gob smacked at such a simple explanation that you never would have guessed. When we put this out as a recommendation a few months back, we had to desperately ring around to try and get hold of more copies to satisfy the demand. It came back with universal praise, and enquiries as to when we could read more by the author, something that doesn't happen without an immense talent for writing such a highly engaging story.

5. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! - Mo Willems

When the children's librarians asked me which of the Pigeon and Elephant & Piggy books were my favourites, I responded with 'What Pigeon and Elephant & Piggy' books? Which leaves me hanging my head in shame now, as Mo Willems have fast become one of my three favourite picture book authors of all time. All his books are fantastically funny and simply but brilliantly illustrated, and I particularly love the idea of a grumpy pigeon who grows increasingly so throughout each tale. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is my favourite of the lot, but to miss any of the series out is to do a massive injustice to the world of children's literature.

4. This Moose Belongs To Me - Oliver Jeffers

The second entrant in my triumverate of favourite ever picture book authors is Oliver Jeffers, an author and illustrator whose work is instantly recognisable due to his own unique style of illustrating. He's also got such a brilliant sense of humour, with some fairly insane storylines taking place in his books. Though The Hueys in The New Jumper has one of the cleverest endings to a book I've ever read, This Moose Belongs to Me is my favourite of the lot. It's a great read, seeing Wilfred making demands of his moose, and knowing that nothing he says is having the slightest effect on the moose. If you've never read any of his work, go out and read it ALL. Like, right NOW.

3. I Want My Hat Back - Jon Klassen

And so we come to the final entrant in the triumverate, Jon Klassen. A man who has only written two books, but both of which are beyond brilliant. I Want My Hat Back is my favourite picture book of all time, and it makes grown ups and children laugh in equal measure at its relatively dark humour. The illustrations are wholly unique, and the way he can make you burst out laughing with nothing but a shifty glance from one character is astounding. If you only ever read one picture book in your life (because you meet me, and you get fed up of me demanding you try) it has to be this one. No one escapes my library without reading it.

2. Throne of Glass - Sarah J Maas

From the second I saw the blurb on the back cover (18 year old female assassin fights in tournament) there was no way I wasn't going to read this. Hell, this was basically my 18 year old self's fantasy coming true! And then I read it, and it was better than I ever dreamed it could be. It's one of the highest rated books on goodreads.com, and with good reason, because it's just so epically unputdownable, and full of characters who are superbly written, with some of the best and snappiest dialogue I have ever read in my life. It also inspired me to go back to the fantasy trilogy I began a few years ago and make a ridiculous amount of progress on it, to the point where I think I may actually finish writing a book at last. The sequel, Crown of Midnight, is equally as good, although I'm still halfway through reading it because things like work, family, and occasionally sleep keep getting in the way. This isn't just the best YA fantasy novel I've ever read, and it's not just one of the best fantasy novels of any type that I've ever read - it's one of the best novels that I've ever read, EVER. It's pure fun and enjoyment from the very beginning, and Sarah J Maas deserves every single plaudit she gets. I want to nominate myself to play Chaol in the film right now, just because.

1. ACID - Emma Pass

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, has had such an influence on me this year as ACID. Beyond the fact it's brilliant to say to library users, 'Have you tried ACID?' (tell me now, Emma, honestly - is that the reason you settled on ACID for the title?!), it's led me to fully embrace the world of YA fiction, and I've gotten at least five teens hooked on exactly the same type of books, which in a library like mine really isn't an easy task. It features one of the greatest kick ass heroines that I've ever come across (with bright red hair, no less), and is elevated to greatness by the extras that are included in it, such as transcripts of dialogue between guards or newspaper articles, that are slotted in between chapters. Everyone who has taken it has loved it, and I've been delighted with the praise that I've seen flying around the internet. It seems to make most book bloggers' best of lists, and I can see it being made into a film before too long. When a book changes your entire outlook on how you do your job, you know that you've found something special. Congratulations Emma, you're no.1!

Honourable mentions: Room by Emma Donoghue, Days of the Bagnold Summer by Joff Winterhart

The Best Films That I Saw

Now this is a strange category to list, as I really don't think I've seen many films this year. I've certainly only seen one at the cinema, and my wife and I just seem to have been far too busy to watch anything other than the odd episode of a comedy series in the evenings. Having said that, looking back over my library charge history and Netflix account has unearthed a few memories, so here we are:

Star Trek: Into Darkness

I’m going to ignore the fact that they SPOILERS brought Khan back which I think was lazy END SPOILERS, and that the ending was pretty lame, and focus on the fact that as an action move this was brilliant. It’s visually stunning, has great action and the villain was much better than the first rebooted film. Whilst it’s very much the same ‘modernised’ Trek that fans of the older series perhaps won’t like, I’m happy to separate the two apart and enjoy it anyway.

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

It's been a long wait for the Alan Partridge movie, but when it came it was lovely stuff. It's not as good as I'm Alan Partridge, or the more recent Welcome to the Places of My Life, but it's killingly funny in places, and a very worthy addition to Partridge-lore.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I hear the argument that dragging a 300-page book out over three films is a cynical cash ploy and leaves it liable to rubbish pacing, particularly where the first film only covers the first 40 or so page, but I loved the return to Middle Earth. There are some fantastically trilling sequences, such as the initial attack by Smaug, or the chase under The Misty Mountains. Most importantly of all, it feels just like the films from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, bringing us back to the visually-spectacular world we loved in the early 2000s. I'll admit I'd skip the scene in Bilbo's house with the singing dwarves, but otherwise the way I see it is the more of Middle Earth the better.

Tower Block

A tense thriller set entirely in a tower block, with some fantastic performances, particularly from Sheridan Smith (playing a completely different role to the comedies I'm used to seeing her in) and Jack O'Connell. O'Connell in particular has to be one of the best British actors at playing utter arseholes, yet never getting his comeuppance because you want to see him on screen for as long as possible. It's got a decent twist at the end, and it's impossible to guess who's going to survive until the end so it'll keep you hooked all the way through. Plus, as a British thriller, it's got that excellent indie-British feel to it that I feel always heightens the atmosphere of a film. Well worth checking out.

Skyfall

A vast improvement on Quantum of Solace, and a bit of an emotional kick at the end, this was Bond back on form. Daniel Craig is fantastic as you’d expect, and it’s more of the gritty-style that I love, far more so than the ‘classic’ Bond films.

The Best TV Shows That I Saw

5. The Big Bang Theory

Whilst I can’t help but feel that there’s been a slight dip in quality (ever-so slight, mind) from a couple of seasons ago, this is still a show that makes me laugh consistently more than most other comedies on TV, even with multiple repeats. Sheldon is still one of the greatest comedy characters created for television, and his blossoming (as far as Sheldon blossoms, anyhow) relationship with Amy is one of the highlights of the show. Everyone else is fantastic too, and it’s no surprise that the show continues to have new seasons ordered for it. Long may it continue.

4. Outnumbered

I’ve caught the odd episode of Outnumbered before and enjoyed it, but thanks to Netflix I’ve finally settled down to watch entire seasons whilst doing the washing up, and I’m damn glad I have. The children are fantastic as the stereotypical ‘kids from hell’, with some of the things they come out with better than 95% of what the greatest comedy writers on the planet could come up with, but it would be unfair not to mention the contribution that Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner bring as Pete and Sue, the long suffering parents. Brilliant stuff.

3. The Walking Dead

I’ve loved the comics for a while, and had the DVD of Series 1 on my shelf for at least a year, waiting for the time my wife finally agrees to it being our next TV series of choice, and she relented about three months ago. Glory be that she did, because The Walking Dead is one of the most gripping series that I’ve seen for a few years. Particularly brilliant is the fact that, though I know the comics, the plot is deliberately changed to keep you guessing, with characters who are mainstays of the comic dying earlier in the show, and vice versa. Andrew Lincoln as the protagonist is one of the best actors on TV at the moment, and rarely does a show throw so many shocks and heart breaking moments at you as this. Barely an episode goes by with a dry eye.

2. New Girl

To think, when this first came on I didn’t like it…How ashamed I now feel, for this is easily now one of my favourite comedies of all time. All of the main characters are fantastic, from Jess’ wide eyed happy-go-lucky protagonist, to Nick’s crotchety and lazy waster, to Schmidt’s generally douchebagery and Winston’s vastly underappreciated bordering-crazy-with-his-extreme-pranks ‘straight’ man of the four. It’s the show that Happy Endings wants to be, but a thousand times funnier, with genuine cry-with-laughter moments multiple times per episode. There’s nothing that can touch it on TV for comedy at the moment. Roll on Series 3.

1. Game of Thrones
I don't think I've anticipated a show this much since Batllestar Galactica. I HATE the fact that I have to wait until February to get Series 3 on DVD (because we don't have Sky and I refuse to pay Blinkbox when I could get it so much cheaper from the library). It's almost worth it just for Peter Dinklage as Tyrion alone, but the whole cast it absolutely fantastic, and I can't remember a dud episode in the first two seasons. It's got action, mystery, plot twists, characters to cheer for (who usually step well into a grey area) and characters to boo. It also has copious amounts of nudity, but as I watch this with my wife, in no way is that a reason for watching it - merely, I'm just observing the obvious. It also has one of the greatest title themes ever created, which still appears to get better with each listen. If you ever want a theme with great cover version, search YouTube (or look for the best couple just below). February really, REALLY can't come quick enough.

The Best Covers On YouTube

Complete with videos, these are the best cover versions of songs and themes that I found on YouTube this year.

10. Lara and Jonathan play 'Under the Sea'


Two people, from different parts of the world, coming together to play a majestic version of The Little Mermaid's 'Under the Sea' - what isn't to love?

9. Royals (Lorde) by Madilyn Bailey & Megan Nicole




The two voices here work brilliantly together, and I prefer it to the original, mainly down to the fact that Lorde seems to pronounce 'flesh' in a really strange way in the opening line, and they don't here. Both are excellent singers, and Madilyn Bailey particularly seems to have found huge success in doing covers on YouTube - if you look at the first, low budget camera, videos on her page, you'll see how far she's come, and it's a great highlight for what Web 2.0 can do for people with talent.

8. Tetris Theme A by Smooth McGroove




Not only is this one of the greatest computer game themes of all time, and not only do I love acapella versions of songs, but this (and all Smooth McGroove's videos) is really funny to boot. Keep an eye out for his cat appearing in pretty much every video he does (if not all of them - I've watched lots, but not all). Also, his eyes are piercing. It's like they're watching me watch.

7. Super Mario 64 - Dire, Dire Docks




My favourite of all the Mario themes that have ever been, it's rendered beautifully on piano here. Thanks to this, I can now play it myself (no, there's no video yet). There's another version that was very good, but instead of sticking with the feel of the original, it tries to go very bombastic halfway through and spoils it for me (but check it out anyway here).

6. Kingdom Dance Piano Version




Coming from the Tangled soundtrack, this is the best piece of music Disney have produced since 'I'll Try' in Peter Pan 2 (don't laugh, it's great), and it's the very first thing that comes into my head when I think of a historical market (and that includes the incredible Hyrule Market Theme from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time). It's ridiculously optimistic and happy to begin with, as a community dance should be, and then becomes that slight bit more urgent towards the end, as the song reaches its climax. This is a wonderful rendition of it on piano, and I wish I had the skill of this guy because I just cannot get my right hand to play correctly with the left for this. Special mention as well to this version on multiple instruments.

5. Skyrim Violin Cover


This guy is just incredible. It's an beautiful rendition of the theme from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, with a bit of 'From Past to Present' from the soundtrack at the start. This has to be one of the most inspiring video game themes of all time, and this is the best cover version of it that I've come across.

4. Game of Thrones Theme - The Warp Zone


The first of two Game of Thrones covers, this just makes me laugh everytime. Hearing them sing along with extra made up lyrics like 'Peter Dinklage, Peter Dinklage, he's a dwarf and he is small' is great, and watch the reaction as one guy dares to break from the acapella set up to use a violin. Great stuff.

3. Game of Thrones Heavy Version


Game of Thrones cover No.2, this makes it above the previous version simply for coming close to enhancing the original. You can hear this and immediately imagine that it might one day replace the real one. It's a metal version, for a (let's face it) pretty metal fantasy show.

2. Lara, Taylor & Malukah - Fear Not This Night



I've used this in a previous article to illustrate just why the internet and social media is one of the greatest things in our lives today: three people, from different parts of the world, coming together over the internet to create something beautiful. It's a wonderful track from the Guild Wars 2 soundtrack, and hearing it put together by three of my favourite YouTube musicians was a fantastic surprise when I came across it.  

1. Sonne - Children Medieval Band

This shouldn't even require an explanation. It's beyond brilliant, especially the (4 year old?) drummer, who hits harder than the actual Rammstein drummer. Words can't express how amazing this is, so just watch it and bask in it's glory.

The Best Bands That I Discovered

Sometimes, just a single night of browsing on YouTube can gift you a whole host of new bands, and luckily for me I had one such night this year. All the bands here are dominated by females, so anyone who dares suggest that women can't rock as hard as men should give these all a listen (yeah, I don't know anyone who would be stupid enough to think that either, but if you ever look at comments on YouTube videos then the world is apparently still full of them):

5. Butcher Babies

Killer Song: Magnolia Blvd




Twin female vocalists who can both scream with the best of them? I couldn't not love them really, could I? 'Magnolia Blvd' in particular is one of the best songs that I've heard this year, and judging from the live videos they're just as good out of the studio as in, which is a huge plus.

4. Crucified Barbara
Killer Song: Rock Me Like The Devil

As soon as I heard 'Rock Me Like The Devil' I knew I'd like this band. The song in question is based around a fantastic groove-based riff that is up there with the best I've heard in hard rock, and it's another singer who can wail like her vocal chords survive only on whisky.

3. In This Moment
Killer Song: Whore

Now this is a singer who spits venom almost as well as Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy. In This Moment have a style that is subtly different to any other metal band I've heard, and they've got some absolutely cracking songs. Very heavy and very, very good. 

2. Halestorm

Killer Song: Love Bites (So Do I)



'I Miss The Misery' kept popping up on Scuzz when we'd have it on in the background, but I kept missing who the band was. Luckily, they appeared randomly on YouTube for me, and I'm damn glad they did. Probably the most rock as opposed to metal of the bands I've discovered this year, they know how to write a damn catchy song, and Lzzy Hale has a superb voice.

1. The Agonist

Killer Song: Thank You, Pain




Of all the bands I've discovered this year, The Agonist stand head and shoulders above the rest as the greatest. The combination of Alissa White-Gluz's phenomenal scream (and damn good clean voice) and the music from the rest of the band is 

Honourable mentions: Battle Beast, The Pretty Reckless (I didn't discover them this year so they can't count, but I did discover a lot more by them)

Most Exciting Things About The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special

Because if anything ever deserved it's very own special top 5, it was this:

5. My article!
Just before I went into the cinema to watch The Day of the Doctor, I found out I'd had an article published on www.doctorwhotv.co.uk (my favourite Doctor Who website), which was pretty exciting really. It was only a predictions article, but still it's a start!

4. John Hurt
We knew that he'd be playing 'The War Doctor' thanks to the The Night of The Doctor minisode that aired shortly before, but it was the fact we'd be seeing the Doctor who took part in the Time War that made it so exciting - he didn't disappoint, giving a fantastic and memorable performance as the hardened, older Doctor. It's a shame that we most likely won't see him in the role again, because I'd love to see some more.

3. David Tennant
Well, who couldn't be excited about seeing David Tennant in the role again? Needless to see, it was like he'd never been away, slipping back into the role seamlessly. And he got one of the funniest lines that has ever been written for Doctor Who (War Doctor: 'Timey Wimey?!'; Tenth Doctor: 'I've no idea where he picks that stuff up')

2. Peter Capaldi's Eyes
We're being treated enough to an incredible climax where all the Doctors are appearing (via archive footage, unfortunately...) in their TARDISes when OMG THAT WAS PETER CAPALDI'S EYES! OMG! OMG! OMG! (if you thinks that's a lot of OMGing, here comes entry no.1...)

1. The Night of The Doctor
OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN OMG IT'S PAUL MCGANN repeat to fade

And, although I wanted to do this just as a 'Best of', there was just one thing that I still can't quite get over the disappoint of...

The Most Disappointing Thing to Happen this Year

No new Christopher Ecclestone footage in The Day of the Doctor

I don't care if he didn't want to do it, this was the only disappointment of an otherwise exceptional piece of television/cinema, and it will hurt for a long, long time that we didn't see just five seconds of the aftermath of John Hurt's regeneration from the War Doctor into Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor. To tease the full regeneration sequence and then not follow through on it is the only thing that I can possibly get annoyed with Mr Moffat for, because to me it means that that now we are never going to see it, and that really does upset me. I honestly think it would have been better just not to show it, so as to leave open the possibility that we might one day see it.

Well, I suppose we still might, but I think it would take a miracle.

I still get upset thinking about it.

I just can't understand - it would have been five seconds! How could that not be?!

I'm truly delighted that we got John Hurt specifically because Eccleston didn't want to play the same sort of role, but how could they not negotiate five seconds?

It's just five seconds for crying out loud!

Some Special Thank Yous

There are some things this year that have truly shaped my experiences - these are mainly taken from items above, that I feel need a little extra mention. There's no friends or family on here, because they already know how amazing and awesome they all are.

For The Biggest Single Influence on My Reading Journey This Year, Without Which I Wouldn't Recommend Half The Books I Do in the Library, and Wouldn't Have Been Given a Box of Chocolates as a Thank You, and Without Which I Wouldn't be able to Laugh Everytime I Say 'Have You Tried...'...Emma Pass

Without ACID, I wouldn't have discovered so much YA (particularly dystopian) fiction this year, some of which have been amongst the best books that I've ever read. I might have read The Hunger Games first, but ACID has had a far bigger influence on me. Everyone I've given it to has loved it (including a lovely 75-year old lady!), and I now have a one-and-a-half-sides-of-A4 document of YA dystopian fiction that I make my way through with several young adults, seemingly increasing the number of YA books going out of the library by tenfold. Yep, it is not the slightest exaggeration to say that you, Emma, have helped shape the reading lives of several teenagers in our library, and I'm forever grateful.

Now, is my ARC of The Fearless ready yet?!

For Giving Me One of the Best Fantasy Novels that I Have Ever Read, and Giving Me the Inspiration to Return to the Fantasy Trilogy that I Started Four Years Ago and Consciously Turn It into a YA Series, Because I Want it to be as Good as Yours...Sarah J Maas

What would I have done this year without Celaena, Dorian and Chaol bantering back and forth? How would literally everyone in my life have gotten on with their lives without me wittering on about how I've just come up with this idea, and how that character is going to this, and how this is going to happen, and how etc. etc. etc.?  How would my fantasy team of kick-ass heroines line up with Celaena wise cracking at every junction? Blimey, can you imagine Celaena and Jenna Strong in a room together?!

For Three Wonderful Seasons, So Many Incredible Performances, and Making the Absence of David Tennant Infinitely More Bearable...Matt Smith

God, I really don't know how I'm going to cope this Christmas Day. One of the best young British actors today will sign off from the greatest role in British television history with what has been described in basically every preview report that I've seen as the best performance of his career. He's given us innumerable highs, and I'm absolutely gutted to see him go (although I'm looking forward to Peter Capaldi, of course). So thank you, Matt, for all the memories - see you in the 60th anniversary special!

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014...

So, overall it was a pretty damn good year. I heard some brilliant music, read some of the best books I'll ever read, and experienced one of the greatest moments of cult television history. You've got some way to go to top last year, 2014, but please feel free to give it your best shot!

Revisiting Doctor Who - Series 2, Episode 3 - School Reunion

Revisiting Doctor Who - Series 2, Episode 3 - School Reunion

As Giles Anthony Head and his slicked back head of hair descend a set of stairs in an English school, he questions a girl waiting outside the headmaster's office. One scream, the site of flapping wings later, things don't look good for her. It's looking much better for one class though, as The Doctor strides into the classroom, plonks a briefcase on the table, and greets them warmly...

Cut title sequnce...

As The Doctor teaches Physics to the class, one bright spark (Milo) clearly has a bit of a better grasp of the subject than he should do. Rose, meanwhile, is masquerading as one of the dinnerladies. At lunch they discuss how bizarre the school is, being very well behaved and all, when one girl (Melissa) gets moved up a class. Also, nice chips apparently. Bet that can't be a plotpoint. In the kitchen, a barrel of something is being moved through by the staff. Rose takes a call from Mickey, who tells her that three months ago there was massive UFO activity logged by the army, but Torchwood are locking him out. Just as he starts to talk all flirty to her, one of the dinnerladies knocks the barrel over herself, but when Rose tries to call an ambulance she is put off by another dinnerlady, despite the one with the barrel of goo on her appearing to explode in a sealed off room behind. 

In the class Melissa was moved up to, the children all sit in front of PCs, appearing to try and solve a puzzle of a cube with strange markings covering it - they're all damn quick (about 60 of them), but they've not solved it yet. 

Giles The Headteacher is walking down more steps talking to...is that Sarah Jane? From yester-Who? I do believe it is. Anyway, he tells her how wonderful the school is, particularly the chips, and she agrees how awesome the school has become, even if it's blatant that she's there for something else.

In the staff room, The Doctor discusses with another teacher how half the staff were replaced with others when the Headteacher arrived three months back, when Sarah Jane walks in to be introduced by the Headteacher as a journalist doing a piece on him for The Sunday Times. 

One of the children (obviously a nerdy one, because he wears glasses and refused to eat chips because he isn't allowed), hears a noise in the computer room that Melissa was in, and then finds an alien under a desk, which is a bit of a surprise to him. Especially when it turns into the teacher, who tells him to bugger off, which he promptly does.

At night, Sarah Jane breaks into the same room, just as The Doctor, Rose and Mickey are doing the same in another part of the building. They split up to search for clues, although Mickey needs a bit of extra help. The Doctor hears some alien screeching, as does Sarah Jane, and shadows start flying around, and Rose scoops up some goo when more shadows fly overhead, then Sarah Jane bumps into the TARDIS, and then The Doctor, and then we take a breath. They get a bit sentimental, The Doctor telling her that all the Time Lords died, when they hear Mickey scream. Bumping into Rose and quickly running on for fear of a jealous catfight between old companion and new, they find Mickey, who got scared when some bags of yellow colour vacuum-packed rats fell out of a cupboard. Moving through the school, and bickering as they go, they find a group of alien bats sleeping upside down in a room. Fleeing before they get eaten, Sarah Jane shows them a surprise in the trunk of her car - it's K9! Although he's a bit broken. They're being watched from the sky, however. 

In a restaurant, The Doctor tries to fix K9, as Mickey jokes about The Doctor being like any other bloke, having lots of other women in his life before Rose, whilst on a building roof outside The Headmaster watches, calling all the other bat people to him. Sarah Jane questions The Doctor as to why he never came back for her, and though he explains it was because Gallifrey wouldn't allow a human on the planet when he was called back, you can tell it's a flimsy excuse. As she points out, he could've come back. Luckily, K9 comes back online before she can get too narky. Turns out the goo is 'Krillitane Oil', and the bat people are Krillitanes, an amalgamation of the best phyical bits of the people they have conquered. Imagine bat-Borg, I suppose. As they leave, Rose questions him about whether he'll leave her too, but just as he's explaining that it's damn hard knowing he'll live about 50 times as long as her and have to watch her die, one of the Krillitanes swoops down to attack. Looks like it's just a warning shot though, or else it's a really crap alien.

Back at the school, Rose and Sarah Jane go to the computers to analyse the hardware, Mickey stays outisde to play with K9, whilst The Doctor goes off to have a word with the Headteacher. Though he doesn't learn his plan, the Headteacher does tell him that the next time they meet, The Doctor will join the Krillitane. In the computer room, Rose and Sarah Jane finally seem to be getting on, discussing The Doctor's many faults. The Krillitane, on the otherhand, are about to launch the 'final phase', whatever that is. They order all the children into their classrooms, except the kid with glasses who hangs round the playground. In the staff room, all the 'good' teachers seem to get eaten, which is unfortunate, although topped off with a lovely pun about an 'early lunch'. Let's hope it doesn't happen to the children, all of whom are set to ultra-fast-cube-cracking mode on the computers, whilst the doors all lock, trapping them in. The code appears in the room that The Doctor, Sarah Jane and Rose are in, and he recognises it as the 'Skasis Paradigm', which when cracked gives the user control of the building blocks of time and space. The Headteacher ghosts in to suggest that The Doctor becomes a god by his side, with all the good he could do and civilisations that he could save. He looks briefly tempted, but his companions sway him back. 

Outside, K9 suggests using the car to ram the school doors open. Mickey does so, reuniting with the rest of the group inside, the Krillitane giving chase. Trapped in the school hall, K9 comes to the rescue with his laser, allowing them time to flee. The Doctor speculates that the Krillitane Oil is now toxic to the Krillitane themselves because they have changed their physiology so often, and they go off in search of it to put an end to this all. The children are evacuated, as K9 offers to sacrifice himself by blowing up the barrels of goo from point blank range, and Jesus Christ is this a bizarrely emotional scene considering it's a robot dog. The school explodes, much to the delight of the children, who praise Kenny, the boy with glasses.They're clearly not thinking of the tax payers who will have to fund the re-building of the school, but that's kids for you.

Back at the Tardis, Sarah Jane steps inside for the first time in 30/300 years. Though she's offered the chance to be a companion again, she wants to stay behind to build a proper life, so Mickey asks if he can stay. The Doctor agrees, although Rose looks less than pleased. Outside, they say their goodbyes, and she walks off as the TARDIS disappears, leaving behind a repaired K9, and GOD WHY AM I CRYING AGAIN?

Evil teachers running a school? That's how every child feels at one point, isn't it?

This is a really fun episode of Doctor Who, notable especially for bringing back Sarah Jane Smith, companion of the Third and Fourth Doctors, and robot dog K9. Though she's interacting with an incarnation that she hasn't met before, the acting is very strong all round, and you know she's talking to 'The Doctor', not 'The Tenth Doctor', if that makes sense. Elisabeth Sladen slips back into the role as if she's never been away, and the sadness behind her questioning of why The Doctor left her is the highlight of the episode. It's a wonderful way to bridge the gap between old and new, and though I didn't know who she was the first time I watched this episode, I loved knowing that they were bringing a part of Who-history to the forefront. You can tell how much Sarah Jane is hurting that The Doctor never came back for her, and that he chose to have other companions instead. It throws up something that would be true of any companion - they get a taste of this wonderful life travelling the universe, seeing everything it has to offer, and then they have to live ordinary lives where nothing like that happens. That really would be incredibly difficult, and highlights the difficulties that can arise from travel with The Doctor. This gets further touched on at the end of Series 4, when Davros accuses him of turning his companions into soldiers in his name.

Rose gets worried that he'll just leave her to, and with good reason - though he tells her, 'not to you', she points out that he was as close with Sarah Jane once as he is with her now. His explanation, that humans die and he can't bear to see that happen to someone he loves, is cut off when he can't bring himself to say the last bit, which is great news to Doctor/Rose shippers out there who want their love to happen, and a nightmare to those who hate the idea of romance between The Doctor and a companion.

One of the key qualities of a companion is highlighted again, however, when Sarah Jane talks The Doctor out of his brief consideration of using the Skasis Paradigm to become a god. The human companion is always the one that keeps The Doctor on the straight and narrow - just look at what happens in The Waters of Mars without one to stop him from trying to meddle too much with time.

I bet The Doctor has always dreaded former companions meeting like this - it's brilliant watching Rose and Sarah Jane bitch and bicker at each other, and boy do they get some cutting remarks in there each. Especially when Rose says that The Doctor has never mentioned Sarah Jane. Ouch, that one had to burn.

Anthony Head as the chief-Krillitane is wonderful. He positively drips with evil, and it's such a change from seeing him as Giles in Buffy, playing the good guy. There were hints of what he could do in Buffy, like when he confronts Willow for raising Buffy from the dead, but this is something else. Also, The Doctor's trait of offering one chance and then no mercy appears again, as he threatens the head of the Krillitanes before he discovers their plan. Apparently it's an age thing - when you reach 900, you just can't be arsed with naughty people any more.

The Krillitane themselves have a genuine sense of danger about them - when there are swooping alien bats flying around, you can't help but wonder if something is actually going to get eaten, although you're fairly certain that if it was a main character then The Doctor would find a way to have them regurgitated whole.

Whilst it's entertaining, has excellent performances all round, and has a good enemy, there isn't anything that pushes it to the highest realms of Who-excellence. That's not to say it isn't memorable, because Sarah Jane and K9s appearances can't fail to be memorable, but it's very much a case of 'that was great fun, let's move on to the next episode', rather than 'OMG I HAVE TO RUN AROUND SCREAMING ABOUT HOW AWESOME THIS WAS'.

There's more of Who's trademark humour, as The Doctor and one of the teacher's discuss how strange it is that the person The Doctor replaced won the lottery, despite never playing, with a ticket posted through the door at midnight. David Tennant's nonchalant reaction is brilliant, perfectly reminding me why he's so amazingly awesome in the role. What also made me laugh was The Doctor stumbling over calling himself, Rose and Mickey either 'team', 'gang' or 'comrades'. It's a good point - what do we call them? I usually call them either all by their names or 'the group', I think. 'Scooby Gang' is taken by Buffy, after all.

Poor Mickey, yet again - just as he and Rose seem to be getting back to flirty ways, and he starts to open up to her, some silly dinnerlady drops a barrel of goo over herself and Rose has to go investigate. Furthermore, he realises that, just like K9, he's the tin dog of the group. Though he gets full companion status at the end of the episode, Rose clearly doesn't want him around. Just can't win, can he?

Torchwood Mentions
Mickey tries to hack into an army database to discover more about a UFO crash three months previously, but is locked out by a flashing message baring the name 'Torchwood'.

Overall
A fun episode featuring the return of former companion Sarah Jane Smith and robot dog K9, with strong performances from all the main characters. It's not exceptional, but it's damn good.

8/10

Revisiting Doctor Who - Series 2 Episode 2 - Tooth and Claw

Revisiting Doctor Who - Series 2 Episode 2 - Tooth and Claw

Scotland. The 19th Century. A bunch of strange fighting monks demand a man's house and kick all the residents' asses when he refuses, using serious ass kicking and kick ass fighting skills. Locking all of them in the basement, the monks leave something that he must beg God's forgiveness for in there with them. Based on the growl and their screams, it can't be anything good...

Cue title sequence.

Aiming for Sheffield in 1979 to see Ian Drury and The Blockheads live, Rose and The Doctor accidentally end up in Scotland, 1879, stepping out into the middle of the royal guard who are escorting Queen Victoria. It gives The Doctor the chance to show off his Scottish accent, although Rose not so much. Passing themselves off as a doctor and his assistant from Balamory, they receive an audience with the Queen herself, who reads from the psychic paper that they have been appointed her royal protectors. Well, The Doctor has. Rose is just his wingman I suppose. The Queen is travelling an unusual route due to a tree on the train line, most likely an assassination attempt in the air. She is making her way to the house of the unfortunate bloke from the pre-credit sequence, tales of wolves in the area abound.

When they reach the house, there's a scared looking Sir Robert at the window who is being threatened by the head monk fella. Although he tries to dissuade the Queen from staying due to the lack of staff (all currently locked up in the basement), she ignores him, looking forward to her stay on the 'Torchwood Estate'. We just have time to learn of a mysterious box being brought into the house after her, before we glimpse the mysterious beast in the cage in the basement, which appears to be a man with bad teeth hidden in a dressing gown, who is fond of telling everyone to shush. 

In the house, Queen Victoria is shown Sir Robert's father's enormous telescope (nope, it's a real telescope, stop that right now). The Doctor is a tad rude with his description of its faults, still getting to grips with his new personality and all, but the Queen doesn't seem to mind, being fascinated with astronomy and the opportunity that the telescope could offer. When the story of the local wolf crops up though, the strange monk man quickly interrupts to dismiss it. Not that the Queen wants to let it drop, demanding more talk of it once Rose has got some more clothes on and they've eaten.

As Rose tries some clothes on and finds a maid hiding in her cupboard, the guards are given drinks by the monks which immediately sedate them. The maid explains to Rose what happened with the monks, who promises that The Doctor will help, although when they find the guards unconscious on the floor, several monks sneak up on them and kidnap them both. Meanwhile, The Doctor, Queen Victoria, Sir Robert and the arse-licking chief guard share dinner, where The Queen demands that wolf story. Sir Robert looks increasingly uncomfortable under the watchful gaze of the monk man as Queen Victoria continues to pester him. He mentions how a boy goes missing once in a generation, and that the creature is a werewolf. Mr monk man starts to get twitchy as Sir Robert reveals that his father thought the legend was true and that the monks of a local monastery must have turned from God to worshipping the wolf. The Doctor notices the monk man chanting and starts putting two and two together.

Rose and the maid, meanwhile, are now locked in with the other prisoners in the basement. Rose Rose tries to talk to the creature, who seems to have taken over the body of one of the aforementioned boys who was kidnapped. The creature itself isn’t from this planet, and Rose offers to help, but he’s pretty happy being a strange creature and wants to transfer to Queen Victoria and turn Earth into the Planet of the Wolf. Well at least he has ambition. A lot of young people nowadays are just lazy. As the monk is making his move above, the door to the basement opens and moonlight floods in, starting to change the creature into a werewolf. The Doctor arrives in the nick of time to see the werewolf escape, loving ever minute of it, being admonished by Rose for taking his time, before they all escape. Upstairs, the monk man informs the Queen that they want the throne, so she shoots him. 

 As the newly escaped residents of the castle prepare to fight the monster, The Doctor discovers him down a corridor. They fend him off with plenty of gunshots initially, but then he steals a cocky person by hiding in the ceiling, and everything goes a bit downhill, though the innocent maids are left alone for now.

The Doctor, Rose and Sir Robert find the Queen, and they begin to search for a way out, but the monks outside shoot at them to force them to stay inside with the werewolf. They run around for a bit, fleeing the creature, and letting the captain of the guard sacrifice himself as they barricade themselves in a large room. It stalks around the outside for a bit, looking for a way in, causing The Doctor to question why it can't enter. Sir Robert admits his guilty conscience that it's all his fault, and then Queen Victoria lets off some steam about the whole saga, especially the fact that The Doctor isn't talking in a Scottish accent any more. The maids in the kitchen and The Doctor realise at the same time that the mistletoe is what stops the wolf coming in, the maids because the monks outside are wearing it and there's mistletoe in the kitchen, and The Doctor because there are carvings of it on the doors. The maids brew up a mistletoe...brew, and The Doctor and friends use the library (yep, the room they are in is a library, which is my sort of room) to try and look up anything useful that might have been left by Sir Robert's father. They find an etching that tells of how a meteor arrived to Earth 300 years ago. Perhaps regrowing itself from a single cell over all that time, it used human hosts to heal. ‘The Empire of the Wolf’ would accelerate Victorian England into the space age, and because steam punk never actually happened, they need to stop it. Queen Victoria reveals she has the most precious diamond in the world, which surely won’t come back as a plot device in the next few minutes. Remembering that the diamond was always ‘unfinished’, as Prince Albert was never happy with it and needed it continually recut, The Doctor starts to hop around as if he’s just sniffed a line when he realises that perhaps the house contains a trap for the wolf. Hang on, wasn’t the telescope also unfinished?

Very rudely, the wolf interrupts them by dropping through the sky light, nearly catching Rose, but luckily the maids get there just in time to throw the mistletoe soup over it and sending it running temporarily. The Doctor, Rose, Queen Vic and Sir Robert run to a room and – oh look! The telescope room! Sir Robert leaves the room to sacrifice himself valiantly, while The Doctor and Rose move the telescope into position. Actually, The Doctor tells Rose it’s more of a ‘light chamber’. So a big ray gun then. It charges up using the power of the moon just as the wolf breaks in and tries to get to the Queen, but luckily The Doctor throws the diamond at the ray beam on the floor and it reflects into the wolf, revealing the victim beneath who begs to be ‘let go’, which The Doctor does by turning up the beam.

There’s a bit of ambiguity as the Queen looks very dodgy when insisting she hasn’t been bitten, just attacked by a splinter from the door breaking, before naming The Doctor ‘Sir Doctor of TARDIS’, and Rose ‘Dame Rose of the Powell Estate’. There’s a tiny bit of vomit we have to choke back as The Doctor tells the Queen that her husband is watching out for her from beyond the grave, before she banishes the pair of them from the British Empire for being strange alien people who think all this terrible life to be good fun.

Making their way back to the TARDIS, The Doctor speculates that maybe it was a werewolf bite the Queen got after all, and that explains the ‘Royal Disease’ she was known to have, as were her children, which would make the whole Royal family werewolves, of course. Well, in a hundred years’ time perhaps.

The Queen and Sir Robert’s widow discuss the events, and the Queen declares that she shall found a special institute, The ‘Torchwood Institute’ (after the house this has all taken part in), to combat alien threats. Torchwood will be waiting, Doctor…

I have mixed feelings about this episode. On the one hand, David Tennant has slipped seamlessly into the roll a couple of episodes in, and Billie Piper is perfect once again. It’s got funny moments, such as Rose’s Scottish accent (which has to be a highlight of the entire series) and the continual ‘We are not amused’ bet, and in terms of tension it’s well done as we know any of the people in the house (barring The Doctor, Rose and Queen Victoria of course) can die. However, it’s just not got anything to make it stand out particularly. 

I’ve never been the biggest of werewolf fans, although this is a very good example with a different explanation than the norm, and this doesn’t do anything to make me want to watch it again at any point, so it would have to go onto the ‘skip’ pile sadly.

It does have a very important role in bringing the idea of the Torchwood Institute to light, even giving the idea of it being something to protect the British Empire from The Doctor if need be. It’s always nice to see these little ideas again when you watch something back knowing what will happen in future episodes and series. There’s a great harkback to the Bad Wolf as well, as the creature tells Rose that she has ‘something of the wolf about you’.

The Doctor is obviously still getting to grips with his new personality a bit, hence his rudeness when describing the telescopes faults, and I like the fact that it obviously takes him a little while to settle into who he is - he knows how one should courteously act, so it's not surprising that he needs to take a little time to work through his personality changes after a regeneration. The Ninth Doctor loved everything weird and wonderful, but we see the Tenth call the werewolf 'beautiful' with a smile, which to me is one of his trademarks. He always seems to find beauty in the terror that everyone else is feeling!

'Well, they were bald, athletic, your wife's away...I just though you were happy.' Wonderful innuendo suggesting that maybe Sir Robert is more of a 'man's man'.

'You wanted weapons? We're in a library. Best weapons in the world!' As I work in a library, I have to say this is one of my favourite quotes ever.

The initial reveal of the wolf in human form is good, as the sharp teeth etc. make it seem very sinister. The idea that Prince Albert continued to have the diamond cut to make it correct for saving the Queen is a bit ropey though, depending on how far into it you look – if the Queen has continued to cut it since his death, it must be bloody good luck for it to be exactly right this particularly year, as surely they couldn’t know these events would take place this exact year. Also, if the wolf had stepped 2 paces to the right, it would have avoided the light beam entirely. Still, usually best not to look into these things too deeply. Doctor Who fans are known for their lack of probing into hidden meanings within every aspect of the Whoniverse, after all.

Torchwood Mentions

Queen Victoria proposes to found the ‘Torchwood Institute’ to protect the British Empire against alien threats. The house in the episode is ‘Torchwood House’, and it has all taken place on the ‘Torchwood Estate’.

Overall

Some very funny moments a decent amount of tension, but there’s nothing to elevate it beyond a ‘monster of the week’ feel. If you had to avoid watching an episode this season, this would be a strong candidate.

6/10