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I see metal people 
And Chrissie Watts, which was really scary...
And Chrissie Watts, which was really scary...
Posted: 22:56 Jun 24 2006
Doctor Who 28/2x11 Fear Her
Can someone confirm something for me? There are two Matthew Grahams right? One who wrote Hustle and Life on Mars, and one who wrote.... this.
I am very nearly beyond words when it comes to reviewing this utter turd of an episode, I feel I should be structuring a well reasoned argument as to its weaknesses but all I can do is list the ways in which 'Fear Her' offends me.
1) Kids in Scifi, you hate 'em, we hate em, yet they keep trying it. Young Anakin may have hit the bottom of this particular pit, but thats no excuse. This girl wasnt especially bad, but you cant hang an entire episode on her.
2) Its a budget saving episode before the big finish, we get it, its OK, we understand, but why on Earth choose such a high concept? The living scribble was OK as a taster of things to come, but they didnt come, that was it! All we got was paper drawings and dramatic lighting! Shocking.
3) If you really want to do possession in your story, word to the wise, speaking in a raspy tone isnt scary, isnt convincing, and it was old hat about 3 decades ago. Satan Pit did it right by hiring a talented voice artist, this is just lazy, and weak.
4) Its A Good Life. The Twilight Zone episode that is, the episode made over 40 years ago with none of the technical expertise, did the idea first, and was about 4 billion times better. If you are going to cover exactly the same ground as a classic, make sure you can deliver.
5) Dont tell it, show it. Thats the number 1 rule in drama, the thing that RTD and MJ are supposed to be good at, yet we got reams of bollocks about space spores and psychic links and saw none of it (see budget saving). If you cant afford it, write something else!!!!
6) The 'Love is Power' this his hard to pull off, and speaking personally one of the worst new age plot devices you can possibly pick, it sucked in Fifth Element, and it sucks here where its deployed in the least subtle 'touchy feely' fashion. I can feel the nausea still.
7) Didnt we see this episode a few weeks ago, but it was called Idiots Lantern? That was no classic, but did the same 'horror behind the facade of small street' and the 'people sucked into things' just replace 1953 for 2012 and TVs for drawings.
This was just bad, and came off like a CBBC production from my childhood. For the Who fans out there, its Timeflight bad, its Paradise Towers bad! Even the portent for next weeks episode lifted a quote out of The Terminator. Maybe each show needs a completely contemptible episode, like a rights of passage thing, yeah thats it, that i can deal with.
At least next weeks looks vaguely promising... (did anyone see what I saw in the trailer?)
(Edited by Wobag 24/06/2006 21:14)
(Edited by Wobag 24/06/2006 22:53)
I am very nearly beyond words when it comes to reviewing this utter turd of an episode, I feel I should be structuring a well reasoned argument as to its weaknesses but all I can do is list the ways in which 'Fear Her' offends me.
1) Kids in Scifi, you hate 'em, we hate em, yet they keep trying it. Young Anakin may have hit the bottom of this particular pit, but thats no excuse. This girl wasnt especially bad, but you cant hang an entire episode on her.
2) Its a budget saving episode before the big finish, we get it, its OK, we understand, but why on Earth choose such a high concept? The living scribble was OK as a taster of things to come, but they didnt come, that was it! All we got was paper drawings and dramatic lighting! Shocking.
3) If you really want to do possession in your story, word to the wise, speaking in a raspy tone isnt scary, isnt convincing, and it was old hat about 3 decades ago. Satan Pit did it right by hiring a talented voice artist, this is just lazy, and weak.
4) Its A Good Life. The Twilight Zone episode that is, the episode made over 40 years ago with none of the technical expertise, did the idea first, and was about 4 billion times better. If you are going to cover exactly the same ground as a classic, make sure you can deliver.
5) Dont tell it, show it. Thats the number 1 rule in drama, the thing that RTD and MJ are supposed to be good at, yet we got reams of bollocks about space spores and psychic links and saw none of it (see budget saving). If you cant afford it, write something else!!!!
6) The 'Love is Power' this his hard to pull off, and speaking personally one of the worst new age plot devices you can possibly pick, it sucked in Fifth Element, and it sucks here where its deployed in the least subtle 'touchy feely' fashion. I can feel the nausea still.
7) Didnt we see this episode a few weeks ago, but it was called Idiots Lantern? That was no classic, but did the same 'horror behind the facade of small street' and the 'people sucked into things' just replace 1953 for 2012 and TVs for drawings.
This was just bad, and came off like a CBBC production from my childhood. For the Who fans out there, its Timeflight bad, its Paradise Towers bad! Even the portent for next weeks episode lifted a quote out of The Terminator. Maybe each show needs a completely contemptible episode, like a rights of passage thing, yeah thats it, that i can deal with.
At least next weeks looks vaguely promising... (did anyone see what I saw in the trailer?)
(Edited by Wobag 24/06/2006 21:14)
(Edited by Wobag 24/06/2006 22:53)
18 Replies and 10250 Views in Total.
Next week's TV guide should read something like this: "BBC 1, 7:00pm: The Adventures of Rose Tyler: Furious at their mandatory spin-off plug being missing in the Fear Her episode, the Torchwood Institute launch an all-out assault on everyone's favourite serial saviour of the universe, Rose Tyler. How ever will Rose save the day? Guest-starring David Tennant as the Doctor."
And for this week's ep? One wonders if the TARDIS comes with sick bags. At least the "Next week" teaser made up for it IMHO.
And for this week's ep? One wonders if the TARDIS comes with sick bags. At least the "Next week" teaser made up for it IMHO.
Posted: 23:08 Jun 24 2006 
I spy with my little eye something beginning with D?
by Wobag
Nope didnt mean that
Posted: 23:41 Jun 24 2006
Davros???
And was I the only one who realised that tonight we saw Penny Crayon's evil twin??
(Edited by thelostsailor 24/06/2006 23:45)
And was I the only one who realised that tonight we saw Penny Crayon's evil twin??
(Edited by thelostsailor 24/06/2006 23:45)
Posted: 23:44 Jun 24 2006
Lets just say some guy got shot, lit up bright green and saw his own skeleton before he croaked...
Posted: 00:06 Jun 25 2006
All I'm going to say is I read a spoiler plot summary on IMDb a few weeks back and I've been regretting it ever since as it's taken me this long to stop bouncing up and down like a little kid at the concept alone... Easily entertained? Moi?
Posted: 00:12 Jun 25 2006 
i read the same spoiler, and since then, every single episode has been crap in anticipation...
and i havent seen this episode yet - and im going to a gig tonight, so wont catch the repeat...
and i havent seen this episode yet - and im going to a gig tonight, so wont catch the repeat...
Posted: 06:16 Jun 25 2006
Hear, hear Wobag! I couldn't have said it any better. What a waste of my time ...
Posted: 10:31 Jun 25 2006 I envy you, I really do. But if memory serves, there's another repeat on Friday on BBC3.
by mad
and i havent seen this [week's] episode yet
Posted: 12:16 Jun 25 2006 
Well I enjoyed it. 
Posted: 17:54 Jun 25 2006
Really liked it. Creepy children *shudder* plus there's always something vaguely disturbing when there's something wrong and unexplained in what should be "normal" surburbia.
Posted: 21:27 Jun 25 2006 
I enjoyed this one as well. While the "love conquers all" new-agery is best forgotten, it was good to have a "monster" that a) inadvertently caused harm and b) tapped into fundamental childhood fears. Didn't have a problem with The Exorcist voices -- if anything I found those in "The Satan Pit" more clichéd. Hinting at what the girl's father got up to made a welcome change from recent hammer-over-head plotting.
With the exception of the demoic two-parter this series has been mediocre since "The Girl in the Fireplace" (cancel my praise for last week's episode, Peter Kay fan ... I re-watched it and even the US President wouldn't pardon that turkey) and this episode, while no classic, got back towards the simple, solid plots that made last year a success.
Next week's show looks like the mutt's.
With the exception of the demoic two-parter this series has been mediocre since "The Girl in the Fireplace" (cancel my praise for last week's episode, Peter Kay fan ... I re-watched it and even the US President wouldn't pardon that turkey) and this episode, while no classic, got back towards the simple, solid plots that made last year a success.
Next week's show looks like the mutt's.
Posted: 00:33 Jun 28 2006
I don't know whether to try to catch today's (it is on Wednesday, isn't it?) repeat to catch that trailer again now. I was never that happy about the 'spoiler', even assuming that the producers would try not to really ruin people's anticipation.
As I didn't mention it before, though, I'd just like to say that I thought it was OK too. Just nothing special.
And at the risk of sounding pedantic, I didn't think it was a rasp. More of a hoarse whisper?
As I didn't mention it before, though, I'd just like to say that I thought it was OK too. Just nothing special.
And at the risk of sounding pedantic, I didn't think it was a rasp. More of a hoarse whisper?
Posted: 09:52 Jun 28 2006 
After the last two parter it seems we've gone majorly down hill. Didn't really like this ep very much as it just didn't do it for me. Hopefully the next two will be better or at least on par with the satan pit.
Posted: 18:57 Jun 29 2006
if i've read between the lines correctly the last few minutes of tomorrows epiode will be corking
Posted: 14:16 Jun 30 2006
just saw this, and was almost impressed.
thing is, it would have far better suited for the remake of sapphire and steel that is apparently on the cards.
but enough of that - this episode confirmed 1 thing for me.
theres has been 2 things consistently letting this show done all through the 2nd season, and those 2 things have got progressivbely worse as the season progressed.
any ideas what those things may be??
ill tell you - the 2 offensively smug gits who are travelling in the tardis.
this isnt the doctor we all know and love, with his foibles and eccentricities - this is some supercilious, slimy b*****d and his self-centered cohort/consort.
and its doing my fruit in - i was actually discussiing this with someone at work today, and we've agreeed that david tennant isnt fit to lick chris ecclestones boots - in this role, at least.
last year, billie piper did a fairly admirable job portraying a girl who was trying to get to grips with her new life - this year, she seems to be loreding it over everyone, enjoying the knowledge she has, while occasionally resenting the fact that sometimes she has to give something back.
and then, just as i was thinking of turning it off because the doctor was being insufferable, there came a line that brought a lump to my throat - full of longing and regret...
"i was a dad, once..."
well, almost.
with the right actor, that could have been a beautiful scene - instead, it was just a throw-away line.
its got to the stage that ive given serious thought to not investing any more time in this show.
thing is, it would have far better suited for the remake of sapphire and steel that is apparently on the cards.
but enough of that - this episode confirmed 1 thing for me.
theres has been 2 things consistently letting this show done all through the 2nd season, and those 2 things have got progressivbely worse as the season progressed.
any ideas what those things may be??
ill tell you - the 2 offensively smug gits who are travelling in the tardis.
this isnt the doctor we all know and love, with his foibles and eccentricities - this is some supercilious, slimy b*****d and his self-centered cohort/consort.
and its doing my fruit in - i was actually discussiing this with someone at work today, and we've agreeed that david tennant isnt fit to lick chris ecclestones boots - in this role, at least.
last year, billie piper did a fairly admirable job portraying a girl who was trying to get to grips with her new life - this year, she seems to be loreding it over everyone, enjoying the knowledge she has, while occasionally resenting the fact that sometimes she has to give something back.
and then, just as i was thinking of turning it off because the doctor was being insufferable, there came a line that brought a lump to my throat - full of longing and regret...
"i was a dad, once..."
well, almost.
with the right actor, that could have been a beautiful scene - instead, it was just a throw-away line.
its got to the stage that ive given serious thought to not investing any more time in this show.
Posted: 23:01 Jun 30 2006