Posted by Michael Lacey at 1:22 AM
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The Slitheen, The Cybermen, The Daleks again, and now The Sontarans - as ever, the fourth episode in the series of New Who is the first of a two-parter featuring a large scale invasion of Earth by an alien race of some sort. It's come to be known as the "blockbuster" two parter for it's lightness of tone and bigness of explosions, but The Sontaran Stratagem is a curiously un-engaging episode, and neither is the scale of it particularly impressive.
Continue reading "Doctor Who - The Sontaran Stratagem" »
Posted by Seb Patrick at 9:20 PM
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I think I might be just about the only person who
wasn’t particularly impressed by last week’s
The Fires of Pompeii - and as such, while many rave about how series four of
Who has so far exceeded expectations, I’ve still been left with a sense that things are far from kicking into gear.
Continue reading "Doctor Who - Planet of the Ood" »
Posted by Tanya Jones at 7:09 PM
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Crime. One unfortunate side-effect of human society is the desire of some humans to harm others. Societies throughout the ages have devised ways to cope with this, and it probably tells us everything we need to know about today's society that most PIFs concern themselves with crime against property.
Continue reading "The Good Old Days? - Watch Out!" »
Posted by Team NTS at 4:45 PM
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Series 4 of New Who continues apace, with what seems to be almost universally considered a vast improvement on last week's opener. That's not to say it was without its problems, though, so this week Julian Hazeldine and Michael Lacey both take a look at James Moran's first Who effort in this week's double review.
Continue reading "Doctor Who - Fires of Pompeii" »
Posted by Michael Lacey at 1:12 PM
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After watching Torchwood's finale and Who's premiere on subsequent nights, I'm faced with a dreadful reality - Torchwood was waaay better. And it wasn't even that good. It was just exciting enough that you didn't really question the stupidity of what you were witnessing until it was over and had served its purpose, something which Partners In Crime simply didn't manage.
Continue reading "Doctor Who - Partners In Crime" »
Posted by Julian Hazeldine at 11:13 PM
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The positive mainstream reaction to this episode is unsurprising. With major changes to the series’ status quo, and the return of a popular guest star, Chris Chibnall’s swan song is a textbook crowd-pleaser. Yet, rather curiously, the consensus in describing this episode reaches for one particular word: shocking. This seems a rather strange verdict. Gripping? Yes. Eventful? Certainly. Shocking? It’s hard to see how. In sharp contrast to End Of Days, the story that unfolds here is the utterly logical conclusion of the events and themes of this series.
Continue reading "Torchwood: Exit Wounds" »
Posted by Julian Hazeldine at 5:35 PM
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Posted by Julian Hazeldine at 5:11 PM
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We've got a special double edition of this week's Torchwood review, due to the BBC's 'wise' decision to move the show to a Friday timeslot and show two episodes last week.
Continue reading "Torchwood: From Out of the Rain & Adrift" »
Posted by Tanya Jones at 2:24 PM
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Ah, the joys of parenthood. There's no shortage of literature and broadcast media exclaiming the happiness and satisfaction that a child can bring. But parenting has a dark side. With the joy comes responsibility, and, in most cases, a intense desire to protect the child in your care. It's a tough job, which is why the COI were happy to help. Here are PIFs that either gave warnings to children themselves (often played in school assemblies), or their carers.
Continue reading "The Good Old Days? - Play Safe" »
Posted by Julian Hazeldine at 12:42 AM
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Gwen Cooper’s engagement is a perfect case study for the changes made to Torchwood since its first series. What would have undoubtedly been a fraught element, with the big day drawing closer as her job ate away at Gwen’s once-normal life, has instead been left in the background, quietly getting ready for its moment in the sun. Unfortunately, while Phil Ford’s script makes no real mistakes, it doesn’t allow the story to fulfil its full potential.
Continue reading "Torchwood: Something Borrowed" »
