Rate & Discuss 4.12: The Stolen Earth

[SiHart]

Nice retconning of the Dalek Invasion of Earth! Forgot to mention that earlier!

And I thought Martha was very good. Mike is very cruel about her.

Si xx

[Lissa]

There were lots of children running around and I couldn't follow everything but did I hear the Doctor reference "Trial of a Time Lord" saying that Earth had been moved once before?

[Lord President]

There were lots of children running around and I couldn't follow everything but did I hear the Doctor reference "Trial of a Time Lord" saying that Earth had been moved once before?

I assumed that was a reference to The Daleks' Invasion of Earth!

My favourite moment was the sheer terror on Sarah-Jane's face when she heard the Daleks! WOW!

[WhiteCrow]

Again, I'm always surprised at why Freema gets singled out - I don't think she's noticably weaker than any of the other actors in the show

It's a good point. I think Elizabeth Sladen wasn't too on form either.

I didn't mind Freema too much in Series 3, but since her guest spot on Torchwood and return to Doctor Who, I've found her increasingly annoying.

I'm still relatively tame compared to the Billy Bashers.

[Lissa]

Bloody children - magical and all that but they don't appreciate the importance of clearly audible dialogue.

[Pip Madeley]

I assumed that was a reference to The Daleks' Invasion of Earth!

The Daleks tried it but never succeeded. But yes, I assumed it was a reference to DIOE too.

[WhiteCrow]

Oh and me and Cameron were talking about this - Dalek Khan is refered to as "an abomination" - does that mean these are a new species of Dalek Davros has made from scratch? Or Imperial Daleks, with Khans being Renegade - I'm likely to have missed a reference somewhere.

[Pip Madeley]

Which reminds me, I wonder what that key she was given by Dempsey (or was it Makepeace) was?

I expect it'll be the key to a massive retcon.

[Lord President]

Oh and me and Cameron were talking about this - Dalek Khan is refered to as "an abomination" - does that mean these are a new species of Dalek Davros has made from scratch? Or Imperial Daleks, with Khans being Renegade - I'm likely to have missed a reference somewhere.

The abomination is so called due to the fact that he's barking mad! The same term was used for the Special Weapons Dalek in the novelisation of Remembrance due to the energy from its mega-weapon driving it insane!

[Si Hunt]

A couple of shoddy effects - the TARDIS in space looked oddly like a badly made model CSO'd on.

And The Shadow Proclaimation - after all that build up, a woman in a silly wig and contact lenses!

I forgot one of the best lines of course -

"My vision is NOT impaired!"

Si.

[Pip Madeley]

Wayne disagrees with you there, Si.

I loved Penelope Wilton, she was effortlessly good. Harriet's sacrifice was touching.

[WhiteCrow]

Harriet's sacrifice was touching.

But was it really a sacrifice? Is she working for the Daleks in flushing the Doctor out. We don't see her exterminated which is unusual.

And previously she's had shades of "not to be trusted".

Camerons friend Ben has been telling me for months "Harriet turns out to be Davros", which I only mention outside of spoiler space as it's kind of laughable. But then again he might be onto something - so spoilerspace it is!

[Alex]

Just watched it again and loved it even more, sod it, it goes up to a ten from me now.

A couple of things intrigued me...Dalek Secc refers to the Doctor as "The Dark Lord" at one point (in a "is coming" kind of way), which felt a little...unusual, anyway...and the comment from one of the Shadow Proclamation women to Donna as her being "Something new" I definitely feel will come in to play next week.

Like everyone else, I just hope we don't see another huge reset button scenario, but surely RTD wouldn't do that a second time, would he?

[Jason Thompson]

Random thoughts:

Good stuff, kept me absorbed for 50 minutes and kept throwing the odd surprise in.

Daleks on the streets, looking good.

Cribbins on top form again. I particularly loved 'wanna swap?'

Davros is fantastic, in look, in manner, in sound. Julian Bleach has him down perfectly. I'm wondering where he regained his body, though, especially since in Confidential they pointed out that he got his hand shot off, hence his robot hand, but also showed clips of him in Remembrance.

Why doesn't the TARDIS translate Judoon? I know it's a nice scene, but given that major plot points over the past four years have hinged on the TARDIS's translating ability it seems odd to forget it now. Even more so considering the humuor extracted from attempting to actually speak a language to the natives in The Fires Of Pompeii.

The Dalek Supreme looks bloody awful. Adding big chunky sticky-out bits to a classic design doesn't make it better.

Why exactly do the Daleks shout 'Exterminate' over and over again as they arrive, especially since they plan to harvest the humans and don't actually want to exterminate them all? That just seems like a case of them doing something because that's what they do according to the viewers, rather than for any good reason in plot terms. They could have made an announcement more like the one at the start of the Dalek Empire audios and everyone would still have recognised the voices.

The linkup scene was great, except that I wanted to smack Rose round the face and tell her to get over it. It was all fine until the 'who the hells' she?' business when Martha was on. We've done all this with Sarah Jane back in School Reunion. It wasn't good then, but at least she seemed to have grown up and come to terms with the idea that she isn't the only woman in his life then. But no, it seems we're in for more of the same. Yawn.

Definitely want to see the final episode now though.

[Pip Madeley]

21 votes so far and all of them 7 or above. More than half are 10s. RTD must've done something right!

[Jason Thompson]

Like everyone else, I just hope we don't see another huge reset button scenario, but surely RTD wouldn't do that a second time, would he?

Of course he would. He's given us three finales in a row that finish with a massive alien assault on Earth (with Daleks involved in two of them and now this one) which is all fixed by either a reset or some Deus ex machina ending. We've had Rose's time vortex powers, voidstuff, and a reset by detruction of a paradox machine. I'm willing to bet the mysterious key thing that Martha has is yet another one of those. I'd love to be proved wrong, but RTD's track record ain't exactly stellar in this department.

[Pip Madeley]

Oh, another bit I loved was Ianto laughing at Paul O'Grady. And Sarah Jane telling Mr Smith off for always playing the fanfare. And Wilf saying the aliens always want the women.

And woo for Callufrax Major!

[Jason Thompson]

Oh yes, more bloody TV shite. The Earth has suddenly been violently shaking and then 26 planets have appeared in the sky, and Paul O'Grady is still on cracking shite jokes about it barely an hour later?!?!? Bollocks.

[Matthew T]

Oh yes, more bloody TV shite. The Earth has suddenly been violently shaking and then 26 planets have appeared in the sky, and Paul O'Grady is still on cracking shite jokes about it barely an hour later?!?!? Bollocks.

It's Doctor Who not Panorama! It's not meant to be taken all that seriously. It was funny!

[Larry]

I
I thought Davros was perfect, and rather disturbing - particularly when he took unbuttoned the tunic. It was just like having Michael Wisher back, and I definately think this is the best Davros since Genesis. Loved the tapping of the hand as well, and the fact he didn't rant at all.

.

I'm one of many fans who believe that Davros, should never of been brought back after Genesis like The Master, with every appearence all the mennece of the original dissapeared as he became more like a panto villain. I had my reservations about him coming back but as the months went on and once I saw the publicity photo's of him I was really excited.

Julian Beach, toatally nailed the part the voice the mennece was all back and it was like watching Michael Wisher, all over again in fact I'd go so far as to say he may well be the best Davros we have seen.

[Andrew Curnow]

If I was being really picky, I'd say that actually Davros didn't do anything tonight that 'big chunky red Dalek' couldn't have done - but hopefully he'll be much more to the fore next week. In fact, did the Doctor even explain (to Donna, for the benefit of the audience) who the heck Davros was?

[WhiteCrow]

Cameron was asking - is the church the Tardis landed outside the same one as in Fathers Day?

Who's going to save the day getting run over now? Or maybe Sarah Jane kills Davros out of Road Rage.

[Andy Frankham]

Feel free to brag about that Andy but please do us a favour and make sure you don't post any spoilers on PS.

Nah, don't worry on that score, man. Knowing too much has its disadvantages. Still, fun to see how it all comes together.

[Larry]

In fact, did the Doctor even explain (to Donna, for the benefit of the audience) who the heck Davros was?

ah but why didn't Donna ask him who he was..

[Martin Penny]

Well, he did introduce himself rather formally as 'Lord and creator of the Daleks'. Pretty self explanitory...though yes, I did expect the Doctor to explain him a bit more.

Loved the Doctor's reaction to him as well, he really looked terrified when he heard that voice.