Doctor Who 11.04

[selenak]

In which Doctor Who proves everyone's theory that as a fictional character, the Orange Menace would not be believed, and spiders just can't get any good PR in genre tv.



Seriously, aside from Charlotte of Charlotte's Web, do arachnids ever get a break in fiction? Certainly not on Doctor Who. They got the blame for killing off the Third Doctor, and the Tenth Doctor committed genocide on them. At least this time we're told it's not the critters' fault and that their instincts are confused do to environment poisoning and a rich bastard building his hotel on rot.

More seriously now: liked this one but thought it felt a bit perfunctioary. (Also, did anyone tell Yaz' father and sister why they suddenly disappeared? Personally, I hate it when I've prepared a meal and everyone runs out, not that I can actually cook.) It did contain good character stuff - for the Doctor, losing Bill is very recent, so her insistence that everyone really knows what they're signing up for before joining her makes much sense. Also, note that Yazmin's parents aren't phased at the idea of her dating either Ryan or the Doctor. Speaking of Yaz, we got a bit more of her background here via getting to know her family, but she still feels like the least defined of the new Team TARDIS (the name is canon now!). So far, Graham is probably my favourite - it's the mixture of gentleness and compassion along with the awareness how short life can be that does it.

The #45 avatar, Jack Robertson, does illustrate the quintessential problem the Orange Menace poses to writers of all calibres, whether they're satirists or want to write serious - for a DW villain, he's a standard evil rich guy, but compared to the original, he's positively toned down, because a creature like the original just comes across as unbelievable and way too over the top in fiction. (And this is a show which had such subtle villains like the Empress of the Spiders and counts genocidal pepperpotts as their most iconic bad guys.)

In conclusion, a run-of-the-mill episo, though I'm continuing to enjoy Thirteen and her companions very much.

Comments

[vilakins]

I found the ep disappointing as a whole, but then I like spiders, especially hairy ones. The end was too abrupt - the spiders they lured into the panic room will hardly die with dignity, and presumably there are plenty more out in the city.

I spent a lot of the ep hoping the spiders would kill the American shit as horribly as he deserved. I'm hoping he doesn't come back as a return villain, but OTOH another evil moron to replace the current one is profoundly depressing.

I was pleased about Yaz's mother being open to any partner for Yaz, but I suspect her eagerness for her to find someone is a major reason for leaving - along with being fed up with writing parking tickets.

Thing I loved: Graham and his memories of Grace (I'd seen him as a game show host but he's a very good actor) and the Doctor's delight when they all decided to go with her.

[selenak]

The Doctor's face of joy over everyone choosing to join her was a thing of beauty.

re: chances of Not!T coming back - on the one hand, they hired Chris Noth to play what was really a minor part when any UK actor faking an US accent would have done, which points in that direction; otoh, I think the memory of the Master as Harry Saxon is still too recent for Chibnall to do another "evil head of state" plot, and maybe Noth just asked to be in Doctor Who and was willing to play any part (several of the guest actors in recent years got in this way). Also, I can't see the BBC, who's been playing it safe recently, licencing a big arc villain being very obviously a barely fictionalized current President of the US. (Yes, they did a barely fictionalized evil Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, but that was for one story and it was the 1980s.) So all in all, I think it's more likely we've seen the last of him.

[jesuswasbatman]

I don't know if I'm getting the wrong impression, but I believe that nowadays British TV producers do try to get actual US actors to play American characters, rather than the traditional method of either making British actors fake an accent or using Canadians. For a start because they're always hoping for a lucrative sale to the US, which fake "American" accents will be a problem for.

[selenak]

Otoh, I also have the impression that in the last two decades, more and more US productions have been hiring UK actors in American parts because they a) are cheaper and b) come with theatrical training, see also Hugh Laurie, Damian Lewis, David Oyelowo, Idris Elba etc.; which would indicate it's not that hard for a current day British actor to fake an US accent?

[grimorie]

This was a much needed light episode after Rosa and I'm glad, really glad that the Doctor took time to explain to them what traveling with her entails, and like you, I feel it's very much because of the after effects that happened to Bill.

Thirteen continues to delight me!