OK, so the second part was better. The Daleks still bore me but the second part of Evolution of the Daleks had all the stuff they held back from the first part, and they even threw in some heart too. (Unfortunately the feeling of deja vu was also very strong however ie. stomping humans who have been converted to Daleks/Cybermen - we’ve been there before….) But on the plus side the emotion was back - David Tennant is now a master at the "I lost Rose" look - the jury is still out on Martha Jones for me though. Couldn’t help thinking Frank the Yank would have been a good one to drag into the Tardis as a companion though. The trailer for next week looked impressive though.. time will tell…
I really, really want to enjoy it. I’m desperate to. But I’m having problems with Doctor Who lately. Martha hasn’t quite settled for me yet, which I know will take some time. Rose is a tough act to follow but I’m almost starting to believe perhaps a male companion would have been a better companion for the time being… this aside it’s the Daleks that bother me. The second part of the latest Dalek appearance starts soon so I just caught up on last weeks and I have to say - I was bored! Something about it didnt work for me. The story seemed padded and strung out so it fitted across two episodes and the whole Dalek thing is just getting dull now. David Tennant remains the real draw of the programme - his brand of doctor never gets boring - but I just keep getting the overwhelming feeling of ‘been there, done that’ with Daleks and animal-like slave drone things. The stories just feel lacking at the moment both in plot and in heart. Fingers crossed things start settling soon….
…and its not my fault. I blame Russell T Davis. It’s like I said in the post about Serenity - sci-fi must be based in reality for me to make it accessible and enjoyable. The re-invention of Dr Who thanks to Russell T Davis, Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper changed Dr Who from being a tired old format with no relevance into something new and exciting with a lively modern day heart. I love the world they have created, and the flippant way they treat the death of a species or travelling through time. Its the morality or Star Trek but with the English touch ie. political correctness viciously removed. Its also great to see home grown sci-fi with recognisable places being destroyed by alien species. As the new series begins it can only be hoped the standards of the first series are maintained, and that humour and heart are as central to the plot as all the previous episodes.
