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Review Spot - Doctor Who: The End Of Time, Part 2... So, here we go - whether the nay-sayers like it or not, the biggest event on TV reaches its conclusion. I was somewhat scathing about the first part, and there were some things I could take issue with, but overall, we got a good show. That leaked post-opening titles sequence certainly got the viewers' attention, as we get our first look into The Time War, then some questions from several series ago get answered, whilst more recent mysteries remain just that, including ***SPOILER*** the identity of Wilf's mysterious guide, whom The Doctor clearly appears to recognise - unless I missed something (and I'm sure it was Romana) ***END SPOILER***.
The "he will knock four times" prophesy is finally revealed, in fabulously low-key fashion after all the big stuff, in particular ***SPOILER*** the return of Gallifrey itself - "it is returning", indeed ***END SPOILER***, and it was good that ***SPOILER*** the regeneration is brought on by a sacrifice for the sake of one man ***END SPOILER***. It's nice to see some old faces as we head towards the inevitable, but the whole sequence did feel a lot like the end of Lord Of The Rings - Return Of The King, its saving grace being David Tennant's final, wonderfully-delivered line ***SPOILER*** "I don't want to go...!" ***END SPOILER***
The negatives: the blatant knock-off of the Star Wars fighter-attack sequence that certainly makes the viewer go "seen it before"; the length of the pre-regeneration "last hurrah" (which was probably unescapeable) - oh, and no-one survives that kind of fall! Donna felt underused, and her story remained rather unsatisfyingly unresolved, not helped by her all-too convenient "off switch".
Retractions from the Part 1 review: Okay, the two aliens did serve a purpose after all - in fact, they were essential to the story - and the "Book Of Impossible Things" did feature in the "last hurrah", in a rather sweet sequence.
On Matt Smith... The last 20-30 seconds of the episode were all Doctor Eleven's, and he didn't have much chance to show his range - but he did have every reason for being rather manic, in that a) he'd just regenerated, and b) ***SPOILER*** the TARDIS was crashing. ***END SPOILER*** Give the guy a break, people - in my opinion, Matt Smith finds himself in the most difficult position in all of TV; he has The Dream Job, and the biggest shoes to fill, in the hope of pleasing the most critical audience out there, several of whom are already saying they'll never watch the show again. I await your eating of words, come the spring. I liked what I saw.
Overall... David Tennant signs off in style, with some genuinely touching moments (the last line, and ***SPOILER*** the note to Captain Jack, with the words "His name is Alonso" ***END SPOILER***). Russell T Davies also earns admiration and regains my respect for other nice touches - good luck in the future for both of you. Now, let's give Matt Smith the chance to at least compete in the decathlon ahead of him! Just watch the (UK Only) trailer! B+
Elsewhat... Posting again later, possibly including a delayed story post, and maybe a "Best Of 2009" List...
The "he will knock four times" prophesy is finally revealed, in fabulously low-key fashion after all the big stuff, in particular ***SPOILER*** the return of Gallifrey itself - "it is returning", indeed ***END SPOILER***, and it was good that ***SPOILER*** the regeneration is brought on by a sacrifice for the sake of one man ***END SPOILER***. It's nice to see some old faces as we head towards the inevitable, but the whole sequence did feel a lot like the end of Lord Of The Rings - Return Of The King, its saving grace being David Tennant's final, wonderfully-delivered line ***SPOILER*** "I don't want to go...!" ***END SPOILER***
The negatives: the blatant knock-off of the Star Wars fighter-attack sequence that certainly makes the viewer go "seen it before"; the length of the pre-regeneration "last hurrah" (which was probably unescapeable) - oh, and no-one survives that kind of fall! Donna felt underused, and her story remained rather unsatisfyingly unresolved, not helped by her all-too convenient "off switch".
Retractions from the Part 1 review: Okay, the two aliens did serve a purpose after all - in fact, they were essential to the story - and the "Book Of Impossible Things" did feature in the "last hurrah", in a rather sweet sequence.
On Matt Smith... The last 20-30 seconds of the episode were all Doctor Eleven's, and he didn't have much chance to show his range - but he did have every reason for being rather manic, in that a) he'd just regenerated, and b) ***SPOILER*** the TARDIS was crashing. ***END SPOILER*** Give the guy a break, people - in my opinion, Matt Smith finds himself in the most difficult position in all of TV; he has The Dream Job, and the biggest shoes to fill, in the hope of pleasing the most critical audience out there, several of whom are already saying they'll never watch the show again. I await your eating of words, come the spring. I liked what I saw.
Overall... David Tennant signs off in style, with some genuinely touching moments (the last line, and ***SPOILER*** the note to Captain Jack, with the words "His name is Alonso" ***END SPOILER***). Russell T Davies also earns admiration and regains my respect for other nice touches - good luck in the future for both of you. Now, let's give Matt Smith the chance to at least compete in the decathlon ahead of him! Just watch the (UK Only) trailer! B+
Elsewhat... Posting again later, possibly including a delayed story post, and maybe a "Best Of 2009" List...
In Today's Episode...