dr. who/the satan pit

[abka]

Oh this last episode of Dr. Who was so great!!! The Impossible Planet was so familliar, we've all seen good and bad versions of that type of scene. What, you're on a spaceship/base/camp/study center/boat/submarine made up entirely of metal walkways, air/maintenance ducts, and doors that take a long time to open. (The food is also always bad.) You're out in the middle of space/an abandoned planet and/or in the ground/ocean/desert/arctic/rock-strewn plain and have a small team trying to complete your research study/mining expedition/black market trade/sentry watch/military investigation and something strange starts to happen? Suddenly you can't tell who to trust/who might be insane/who might be possesed/who might not be human? Oh no! If only you could decode the mysterious writing/see so-and-so acting dangerously/listen to the worried expert/notice the strange blip on the sensor/decipher the clues/smell the frickin ooze. Once you find out commence running, shooting, loud blipping noises, and "seal the area" doors that close to quickly.

I thought they did a nice job with those elements, particularly bringing in the black hole and the tease with the squid people at the beginning. The second half I thought was really phenomenal though. I'm so glad the writers saw both Alien and Lord of the Rings. Despite seeing those sources and clearly knowing how he would escape in the end, I was totally engrossed. Everything worked so well! It was also great to see a realm of knowledge that exceeded the Doctor's and the Tardis's. It made him more vulnerable and upped the "I don't have a big plan, but let's do this now, I'm sure it will all work out in the end" feeling that is one of my favorite parts of the show. (Loved the falling.) I think this is my favorite episode yet, displacing The Lost Child/The Doctor Dances. (Although also love Anthony Stewart Head as schoolmaster.)

Comments

[sanj.livejournal.com]

Eeeee! I'm so glad you guys are caught up and we can share big spoilery thoughts. :)

I think that is what I liked about this one -- there wasn't any way you didn't know what was going to happen, but it was all done so well, with just a few good twists in it, that you just sat back and enjoyed the ride.

I liked that the Doctor's faith in rose was stronger than his fear for her. Although wow, watching old Who eps, they are really, really close compared to other Companions, and he is letting himself be extremely vulnerable to this one mortal girl and her fragile life.

Which, wow, I love. But I'm just saying.

Must go make a Doc Ten icon now, apparently.

[ellen-fremedon.livejournal.com]

Yay! You're caught up on the crack! Isn't it great!

"School Reunion" has definitely been my favorite this season, but I liked this two-parter-- perfect example of how to pace a story everyone knows to make it suspenseful all over again.

[toran.livejournal.com]

I don't know what you're talking about, but I love Anthony Stewart Head. He is the bomb.

[abka.livejournal.com]

Yep. In this episode of Dr. Who he plays an evil principle/head of the bat people. He does evil well.

[toran.livejournal.com]

He is also excellent in the British series Manchild. I can't loathe him, so he's just ten times more awesome than the other characters.

[invader-jim.livejournal.com]

You summed my feelings up about the episode perfectly. The fact that the doctor's knowledge didn't cover the Beast and he still has that everything'll turn out OK or else it'll be worth it anyway no matter what happens attitude. The Satan Pit (and the very first episode for its ability to draw me in so very quickly) is my favorite.

[grumph.livejournal.com]

?

are there 10th doctor episodes out now? i don't remember the satan pit. the last 9th doctor episodes were the big bad wolf/magical super tardis episode which i thought frankly kinda sucked.

I also loved the Lost Child though.