The Runaway Bride - your thoughts?

[Carol Baynes]

1. Since when can you open up the doors in mid-flight and NOT be sucked out in to space? Didn't the 2nd Doctor open the doors to get rid of an enemy?

Yeah, I wondered about that. It didn't fit in with what we've seen before, and no explanation was given either.

[Lissa]

[spodism]They did something to the forcefield around the Tardis in the last episode of the first series so presumably that lets the Doctor open the door and not get sucked out. It is the same forcefield that extended outwards so the Doc could take the piss out of the Daleks and not get killed to death. [/spodism]

[Jon Masters]

Somewhere on the old board I suggested it might end up being 10 minutes of running around, 2 minutes to give the plot and then for the Doctor to solve it, and the rest of the time with the Doctor blubbing about Rose because he finds one of her hankies in the console room.

How close I was.

What a load of old cack - it comes to something when Sam (normally glued to anything new series DW) said about 3/4 way through "What's happening ?" and I could n't really be bothered to try and explain it.

In spite of flashy effects it made Timelash seem like a story of impeccable quality, and 5 minutes of pseudo-psycological babble at the end from a woman who's known him for less than a day was the dribbling saliva on the top of the cake.

Oh, and are those Onihrs in the Series 3 preview, or are we just not getting Sontarans ?

[Larry]

1. Since when can you open up the doors in mid-flight and NOT be sucked out in to space? Didn't the 2nd Doctor open the doors to get rid of an enemy?

.

are you sure i'm certain an explaination was given..

[Dave Tudor]

I thought it was great.

(I'll post more when I've watched the repeat tomorrow)

[Andrew Curnow]

1. Since when can you open up the doors in mid-flight and NOT be sucked out in to space? Didn't the 2nd Doctor open the doors to get rid of an enemy?

2. Since when did the TARDIS shoot up into the sky like a firework? I have seen it disaapear in a puff of smoke in The Brain of Morbius before but never liike that!

I think that Lissa's post above pretty much covers no 1 - plus there's always the general 'maybe he's redesigned it since then' answer.

As for the second, doesn't the landing in The War Machines (and also the take-off in An Unearthly Child) suggest an actual physical descent/ascent is possible, even if they don't always do it?

[duncan]

are you sure i'm certain an explaination was given..

If it was explained, then I certainly missed it. I recorded it but havent watched it again as yet. I'll look out for it.

[Dave Lewis]

I feel the same, Dave. As a piece of Christmas Day entertainment it worked, the kids would've enjoyed it etc, but as a Doctor Who episode I thought it was one of the weakest we've had since the series came back.

I nearly said that it was the worst new series episode yet, but I didn't quite dare. If lots of people loved it, particularly the kids, then all well and good. It's for them, not for old gits like me. I'd have preferred an all action recreation of No Future, with Sylv, Sophie, Nick Courtney, Richard Franklin, Lisa Bowerman, and the raddled corpse of Peter Butterworth back as the Meddling Monk.

No, really.

[Si Hunt]

I've finally seen it now, and I enjoyed it more than last years "The Christmas Invasion". In fact, it was very similar in structure - both started with spinning CGI TARDIS fun, progressed to a cave/basement where the monster was unveiled, both then featured lots of talking explaining the plot and both then ended with the Doctor sorting everything out. However, I liked "The Runaway Bride" more because the monster was better and I enjoyed the padding more.

I thought Donna was refreshing, and script was funny but not hilarious, and all the stuff with the chase at the start was superb. It was typical RTD though - crowdpleasing for the kids, but not really a proper story. I got completely lost trying to work out the plot: going back to the centre of the Earth was a brilliant idea, but I still have no idea just what the particles had to do with things and why them being inside Donna would bring back the Racnos.

Tennant I thought was better, with just one silly moment, though a lot of the stuff about Rose felt shoehorned in. Why would Donna keep asking about her? Most absurdly of all, why at the end did Donna call him back, ask him her name, and then nothing. It's almost as if she knew the Doctor would look cool by uttering her name symbolically in the TARDIS doors to end the episode. Why did she want to know? I appreciated the references to "Torchwood" this time, they felt natural and not forced. The trailer at the end didn't excite me a fraction as much as last years did.

So this was better than last years, but by no means great. I really wish there'd been more of a story than a chase, followed by some talking and then an emotional end. On the other hand, the script was funny and quite lively and probably did its job.

I don't know why RTD's Christmas Specials are among his most threadbare plots though.

Si.

[Andrew Curnow]

Perhaps, and it is only a perhaps, we're at fault looking at the Christmas episodes as 'normal' episodes. Every other series which has a Christmas special edition is always that bit different to normal - OFAH is a good example I think, in that certainly during the late 80s the Christmas specials were always an excuse to leave the normal situation. To Hull and Back, the Jolly Boys Outing, the one with Rodney's posh girlfriend, Freddy the Frog, etc. I agree that at an hour, TRB had perhaps too small a plot, and was more style over substance, but I think that's justifiable and legitimate in a Christmas special - arguably it was a succession of set-pieces and 'moments' strung together (the chase, the reception, the formation of the Earth, the Big Monster) but I think that's probably in part the nature of the beast.

To my mind, it's like The Five Doctors - that isn't the best Doctor Who story on any level really, but it is and was the perfect 'special' story to celebrate the 20th anniversary.

I liked the "pockets" gag too!

[Anthony Williams]

Catherine Tate was too wide



Ant x

[duncan]

I've just re-watched it and the TARDIS was definately in flight as they were the first words spoken immediately after the opening titles but when the doors were open, the Doctor stated that the TARDIS was protecting them.

[The Secretive Bus]

OFAH is a good example I think, in that certainly during the late 80s the Christmas specials were always an excuse to leave the normal situation. To Hull and Back, the Jolly Boys Outing, the one with Rodney's posh girlfriend, Freddy the Frog, etc. I agree that at an hour, TRB had perhaps too small a plot, and was more style over substance, but I think that's justifiable and legitimate in a Christmas special - arguably it was a succession of set-pieces and 'moments' strung together (the chase, the reception, the formation of the Earth, the Big Monster) but I think that's probably in part the nature of the beast

You've picked a bad example to defend your argument - I'd argue that OFAH used its longer running time at Christmas specials to create better and more elaborate plots. To Hull and Back is one of my absolute favourites, and the Freddy the Frog one had quite a good plot going as well, if I recall. They still managed to fit in lots of good set pieces but still made sure the plot was rattling along. Whereas The Runaway Bride was a half hour chase, then suddenly about 20 minutes of talking, and a 10 minute emotional bit.

We're not asking for a densely plotted Wilkie Collins-ish tome, but a good, simple plot isn't too much to ask for, even at Christmas. If OFAH could do it every year, why not Doctor Who?

[The Secretive Bus]

Doctor Whos never really done anything like The Runaway Bride before.

From that SFX review. What were they on about? I'd say Runaway Bride was one of the most average episodes of the new series so far. Say what you like about Love & Monsters but at least it was memorable. "The Runaway Bride" was... what? "Rose" spun out to an hour with a wedding in it.

I'll stop my Runaway Bride rants now before they seem too Scrooge-like.

I watched "Dr. No" last night. It was a good film.

[Larry]

Perhaps, and it is only a perhaps, we're at fault looking at the Christmas episodes as 'normal' episodes. !

well I'm one of those people who dose like my christmas episode to be different from the "normal episode". As I see it Christmas is the one time of year when I want to watch an episode and not give a toss about plots and quallity of story and for the episode to just be lots of fun and to make me laugh...

[Pip Madeley]

As I see it Christmas is the one time of year when I want to watch an episode and not give a toss about plots and quallity of story and for the episode to just be lots of fun and to make me laugh...

Quality of story is all important for an hour-long sci-fi show broadcast in prime-time on Christmas Day, I'd say!

I just hope it doesn't have a detrimental effect on the show (ie. no more Christmas specials, we know they've not confirmed that we'll get one next year).

[The Secretive Bus]

I just hope it doesn't have a detrimental effect on the show

I doubt it - most people seemed to enjoy it. Well, the fans did anyway. I've chatted to about 10 non-fans since (family and friends) all of whom either a) fell asleep but what they saw wasn't all that good, b) gave up after 10 minutes or c) just thought it was a bit rubbish. Criticisms include Catherine Tate being hugely irritating for the first 20 minutes or so and the music being too intrusive.

But looking around OG, Livejournal etc. shows lots of "10/10 - fantastic entertainment!!!!!1!!" ratings, so there we are. I must admit, I do find it hard to believe that even all those who really liked it could find no faults at all.


Edit: Bugger, I said I'd finished with this subject. Er, um... Diamonds are Forever. Is Charles Gray the most entertaining Blofeld? I'd say so.

[Larry]

Quality of story is all important for an hour-long sci-fi show broadcast in prime-time on Christmas Day, I'd say!

I just hope it doesn't have a detrimental effect on the show (ie. no more Christmas specials, we know they've not confirmed that we'll get one next year).

the only reason no christmas special has been confirmed is because no season 4 has been confirmed yet.


but lets remember what the fans think no longer matters Doctor Who is now family entertainment and as long as the viewing public likes it the BBC will continue to make them.

[Larry]

I
But looking around OG, Livejournal etc. shows lots of "10/10 - fantastic entertainment!!!!!1!!" ratings, so there we are. I must admit, I do find it hard to believe that even all those who really liked it could find no faults at all.


.

I would not pay to much attention to the opinions of to many people on the O.G forum it's a bit difficult to take people seriously when every week after every episode the're saying "best episode of Doctor Who ever"..

[Paul Clement]

Well, I certainly enjoyed it far more than last years offering. Yes, the plot was gossamer thin, and there were many moments in it when Catherine Tate was as bad as I feared she would be, but there were also some very good aspects to the story as well.

I thought the Empress of Racnoss looked superb, and adored the strangely compelling speech style she used, the way the camera zoomed into her teeth when she spoke and the pure campness of the character. The only disappointment was that you never got to see her 'children'.

There were moments where Catherine Tate toned things down a bit, the shouting had stopped, and the character she was playing actually became likeable. The look of shock and disbelief eveident on her face when she finds out about Lance, that whole scene is made very believable by the way CT tones things down. You actually do feel sorry for her. The same can be said at the end, when she declines the chance to travel with the Doctor. That moment was on the cards from the moment when she asked the Doctor to stop when dealing with the Racnoss and he didn't.

[Martin Penny]

I thought it was pretty good, enjoyed it more than last years I think. As someone who did a fair bit of moaning about Tennant in Season Two, I loved him in this, toned down his performance somewhat and came off really well.
I liked Catherine Tate too, especially in her final scene. I don't really know what to think of the Empress, she looked great, but annoyed me somewhat, and I wish we had actually got to see 'her chiiiiiiiiiildreeeeeeeeeeeeeennnn'.

One thing that annoyed me was the new policy of 'Lets have The Doctor talk really fast when he explains stuff so people wont have a clue whats going on!'

[Andrew Curnow]

You've picked a bad example to defend your argument - I'd argue that OFAH used its longer running time at Christmas specials to create better and more elaborate plots.

I'm no expert on OFAH, but probably the special I'm most familiar with is Jolly Boys Outing, which is just a succession of unconnected events and incidents isn't it, with an unsignposted reunion with Raquel at the end to keep it going for another half hour. It's a gloriously enjoyable episode, don't get me wrong, but it's not as elaborate a plot as you get in many a half-hour normal episode.

I wouldn't, though, say it was faultless, not by any means, but it entertained me enough not to find my mind picking holes in it while it was on - on which basis I would give it a thumbs-up.

[Rob McCow]

It was magnificent.

Sorry, I wanted to say something interesting like "Scene 3 was 25 seconds too long" but it was great! Hurrah for Christmas.

[SiHart]

It was good fun. Good, sparky, entertaining dialogue, even if the plot was somewhat pedestrian. We all enjoyed it though, had a good laugh at the funny bits and the chase scene was great fun.

Nothing special, but it highly enjoyable all the same.

Si xx

[Wayne]

Clearly this wasn't to be taken too seriously - the emphasis being on ENTERTAINMENT, & rightly so - as it was a christmas day special n' all. I got the same sort of vibe from watching this, as from watching, say: 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' or 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'. It was fast, flashy, & just the sort of thing to keep the kids & mainstream viewers entertained.
Personally, i wasn't blown away by it, but i found it entertaining enough, & don't have any particular complaints. Re. Catherine Tate: After her first few lines, i thought she was gonna be awful, but by the end; 'Donna' had grown on me a lot, & i felt kinda disappointed that she wasn't gonna be a regular companion.
All in all, i think it served it's purpose perfectly, but it's not something i'll be watching very many times, as it lacked the depth & intensity for repeated viewing for my tastes.