selenak

I still don't seem to have my sensible review writing brain back, but you try this while going with your mother through luggage lists while simultanously engaging in far more sinister real life business. Thus in brevity:

DW: Night Terrors: the name Mark Gattis as the episode writer didn't exactly feel me with confidence (no, Mark, I'm still not over last season's dreadful Victory of the Daleks, and your Sherlock finale was so-so at best - can't you stick to acting?), but the episode was thoroughly unobjectionable. Also not very inspiring. A nice standalone in which the Doctor was Doctor-ish and Amy & Rory did engage a lot in the Companion sport activity No.1, i.e. running. I had the distinct impression of having seen the episode before, at least twice, once on Sarah Jane Adventures and once on DW itself (as Fear Her), but never mind, in the Whoverse you're bound to repeat yourself. However, I couldn't help but feel that this is the kind of standalone episode which Moffat used to get when he was the guest writer as opposed to the headwriter, and that he would have made it exceptional (as well as genuinenly scary) if he wasn't busy producing and spreading himself thin. But maybe that's my inner grouch speaking; like I said, it was a nice avarage DW ep and an okay effort.

TW: The Gathering: no Immortals swinging swords showed up (and that was your Highlander joke of the day), but otherwise we've rarely seen so many of the regular ensemble in one spot. Gwen stealing meds and being a more practical (i.e. pecunary) version of Robin Hood about it was very her, but at the same time by itself it was a comment on what the later conversation with Rhys rubbed in, that they've compromised with the status quo instead of fighting against it. Eve Myles continues to be exceptional. (And the actress playing Mary is terrific, too. Idle thought of the day: if Mary Cooper met Jackie Tyler, Francine Jones and Sylvia Noble, what would happen?) I had a feeling on-the-run Oswald would belatedly remember he has an offer from Jack, but I'm not sure I buy the way the show tried to justify why they can't leave him elsewhere instead of taking him along to Shanghai. (Clearly he has to be there for Doylist reasons in the finale.) This being said, as long as we get more scenes with Eve Myles and Bill Pullman in the same room, I'm all for it. The cast is generally good this season, but they delivered the two powerhouse performances.

Can't make up my mind whether or not Q Shapiro is another mole or sincere, but I'm glad he's still around, because John de Lancie remains immensely entertaining, and they don't just use him for gags. The scene where he suddenly goes quiet and says "we're that much closer to a dictatorship and don't even know who the dictators are" to Rex really sold me on why he's helping Rex, so if the character is faking it, he's brilliant at it. Am v. amused at pulp fiction coming to the rescue, and Rex concluding that someone enjoying writing would not stop doing so, secret cabale conspiracy of anonymity or not, was such a great writer in joke (because it's TRUE).

Esther's "you are so full of shit, Oswald" was a great line well delivered, and speaking of delivery, the actress is better than John Barrowman at exposition because I loved her explaining US Vietnam era policies of disinformation.

Hooray for Rhys seeing again the tree in the wood. Bring on the next episode!