Rate And Discuss 3.1: Smith And Jones

[WhiteCrow]

(as a science teacher I long for the day when DW does some science properly, and avoids all the cliched mistakes that sci-fi usually makes, if only so I can use it in my lessons. Sadly that day wasn't Saturday )

You mean how they were in a force field, and were running out of air, as they were isolated - but all the power worked, because they were still on the mains electricity?

[Wayne]

Just in case a lack of response is considered discourteous on a DW dedicated forum to the start of a new series I should explain I only caught the tail end of the episode on BBC3. To be honest I don't feel disadvantaged by such a turn of events though I will endeavour to catch the rest of the series. Therefore in the meantime I'll have to pick the default option of being a "don't know" and cannot vote.

Like Perry says, that dinner date must've worked out well.
However, the episode is on again on BBC3 on Friday, Ralph.

[Milky Tears]

I'd like to point out that it wasn't me who voted 10/10...

or 9/10.

It wasn't that cool and awesome.

[Nicky74]

A really solid opening episode. By the end your thinking Billie Who?

[Andrew Curnow]

You mean how they were in a force field, and were running out of air, as they were isolated - but all the power worked, because they were still on the mains electricity?

That did briefly cross my mind on Saturday, but I concluded that as a hospital it probably has its own generator in the event of a power-cut.

I know that this post will probably be the cue for a long, tedious debate about how long an emergency generator would be expected to last, what level of full-service it would provide, etc, but all I can say is that, as an explanation, it works for me!!

[SiHart]

How come they weren't all floating all over the place? Where did the gravity come from?



Si xx

[WhiteCrow]

How come they weren't all floating all over the place? Where did the gravity come from?



Si xx

Big smack for you there Si!

The Moon does have gravity - but only 1/6 of ours. This means when everyone started running they should have put their head through the ceiling!

[WhiteCrow]

I think rewatching the episode, one of the reasons I didn't get on too well with the story was it just felt a bit too rushed.

The first 10-15 minutes were setting up Martha.

The last 15 minutes were Marthas family having a row and her deciding to go with the Doctor.

Which only left about 15-20 minutes of actual story in there.

[cullsoft]

I think rewatching the episode, one of the reasons I didn't get on too well with the story was it just felt a bit too rushed.

The first 10-15 minutes were setting up Martha.

The last 15 minutes were Marthas family having a row and her deciding to go with the Doctor.

Which only left about 15-20 minutes of actual story in there.

Well, to me it felt like 10 minutes either side rather than 15, and the main story didn't feel particularly rushed to me.

Plus I suppose it's somewhat mandatory for them to introduce the new companion and to give something at the end that shows their real life sucks and they need an excuse to run off with The Doctor. I just hope we don't have too many companions joining the show - if we did, they'd spend all the time introducing the new character, then introducing them to the TARDIS and convincing them it's not a trick, and we'd never have any time for any story!

[Lord President]

I really enjoyed it, it had an air of Hitchhikers' Guide! I was a bit worried about the reports concerning Freema beforehand, but she seems to have taken to the role and the pressure of the series quite well, only time will tell I suppose! All in all - 7/10!

[Stuart Wallis]

It occurred to me this morning, thinking about the ending of Planet Of The Spiders - if the Doctor can shoot radiation out of his foot when he absorbs it, we could have had another year of Pertwee, heaven help us!

[Larry]

How come they weren't all floating all over the place? Where did the gravity come from?



Si xx

well that buble/force field kept the oxygen in so why not the gravity aswell.

[Larry]

It's about time! Obviously the series is ABOUT a lone wanderer, so we don't want that to change, but it's ridiculous that fans baulk at the Doctor having relatives when it was a staple of the first series that he had a granddaughter! He's got, or had, a child. There's no fact more established in the entire series.

So the fact that he has a brother shouldn't be a revelation. And if it's who I think it's going to be, well then that just makes sense of a whole lot of things that otherwise don't.

Si.

ah but that's always been a bit of a contentious point amongst fans as some will argue that it was never proved that he was Susan's biological grandfather but I think that's an argument for a different thread

[Jim]

Freema was the best thing about it - well pleased she is up to scratch - I don't think she is really like Rose at all which is going to be a nice change of direction.

Everything else was pretty great - I liked the pace of it - seemed like the fastest episode ever, really exciting. Not something you would want every week - but it felt like RTD got it right and aimed to hook a wide audience in.

The corridor running was welcome, as was the sinister old bag and there was something magical about the final scenes when Martha's bickering family were sidelined and Tennant peered out from behind the wall to take her to a better place!

I really liked New Earth and Rose - there aren't many eps I don't be honest so this ranks as another good season opener!

[Zbigniev Hamson]

ah but that's always been a bit of a contentious point amongst fans as some will argue that it was never proved that he was Susan's biological grandfather but I think that's an argument for a different thread

That would have been a fun episode - "A Paternity Test for the Doctor"

Given that she was always referred to as his granddaughter, and absolutely no evidence was ever given to the contrary, I think you have to be a mentalist to want to think that she wasn't and to have a need for "proof" to be supplied you'd have to be.... well, even more of a mentalist.

[Darren]

Where's Jeremy Kyle when you need him?

[Si Hunt]

ah but that's always been a bit of a contentious point amongst fans as some will argue that it was never proved that he was Susan's biological grandfather but I think that's an argument for a different thread

But you could say that about anything - where does proof come from in fiction? The Doctor, undoubtedly the most reliable character in the history of the show, states it continuously for a year. If you'd seen him nip down the DNA clinic in the show, someone could still say the results were rigged or the clinic were lying. We have as much proof as we're ever going to get about anything that Susan is the Doctors grand-daughter... until future information contradicts it of course.

It occurred to me this morning, thinking about the ending of Planet Of The Spiders - if the Doctor can shoot radiation out of his foot when he absorbs it, we could have had another year of Pertwee, heaven help us!

But Pertwee's dodgy leg evidently created a bottleneck effect, preventing the radiation from escaping!

Si.

[Jon Masters]

That did briefly cross my mind on Saturday, but I concluded that as a hospital it probably has its own generator in the event of a power-cut.

I know that this post will probably be the cue for a long, tedious debate about how long an emergency generator would be expected to last

Well since that's what you secretly desire Andrew.....

Actually, the power bit wasn't so bad (though of course that means you could use the electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, giving you some more oxygen ). The misuse of Xray machines and MRIs was a bit bleugh. The bit about Judoon lung capacity was pointless - since they've just walked from their spaceship its clear their suits have air supplies.

No, the urban myth that needed correcting was that in a sealed dome you'd die from oxygen starvation. You'd die from carbon dioxide overdose much sooner. It would have taken 30 seconds for the Doctor to empty out all the soda lime from the anaesthetic machines (which absorbs CO2) to give them a bit more time, but I suppose that would have been 30 seconds off the witty shoe-dancing routine
As I said before, no medical dramas for RTD please !

[Dave Lewis]

I've just wiped my entire review - it was bollocks, and utterly unworthy of reading by anyone.

It was alright in a... Oh hell, I'm starting to re-write my review, and I don't think that has any right to be seen again.

"Smith And Jones" was adequate, it was watchable, but it was no Torchwood, and Torchwood was no Jennie. Who is Jennie? Who you may ask, but you probably won't. I can't remember anyway, not really. I say, six out of ten, with at least one extra point for the end bit with the tie, even though that point gets immediately deducted by the Doc's qualification that you can't really do that kind of thing.



The only thing I wanted was the Doctor to find time to make reference to how similar this was to the time that a church ended up on the moon in 1992. The bastard must have forgotten.

[Dirk Gently]

I gave it 6/10 for the reason given on the poll, fun but flawed.

Why was there normal gravity? Why no reflections on some of the windows? And the first scene on the moon with Martha & the other student Doctor the reflection was there but didn't move when Martha did?
What happened to the other Judoon? There were about 120 of them marching to th hospital but only about 10 make it.

Plus points, Nice little touches. Martha's conversation about her cousin in Canary Wharf, B. Stoker, The Slab's (solid leather ), the look of the moon, the kids will like the radiation dance & they'll start marking each other with pen, Plasmavore, Martha closing the eyes of Stoker.

Over all I thought it was a solid start even if it wasn't spectacular.

[Jonno]

Why no reflections on some of the windows?

Because it was a vampire story, silly!

[Jonno]

By the way, I forgot to mention this last week but well done to Mr Hunt for pointing out Roy Marsden was one of the Driscoll brothers from Only Fools - I spent ages last week wondering where I'd seen him before! Of course now we've had both Driscoll brothers in Who!

[Si Hunt]

New Who seems to be mopping up the Only Fools actors with Lloyd Pack ruining the Cyber story last year as well. All we need now is Sue Holderness as the Rani.

Si.

[Dave Tudor]

And Paul 'Denzil' Barber as Martha's uncle, perhaps.

[Pip Madeley]

And Denis Lill as the Master.