Doctor Who 5x06 - The Vampires of Venice
May. 14th, 2010 12:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lightcastleNot a Moffat story, but still with the fangs.
And I thought *my* preferences were well known and obvious.
So much to like here before the end went all RTD with the "don't pay attention to how that doesn't make sense, we needed to end the episode" part.
I liked the fact they were fish. Of course, as someone who sometimes reads my LJ probably remembers, I thought HER idea about vampires from the sea was pretty awesome, too. In fact, the whole explanation for the teeth, the lack of reflection, and the susceptibility to UV light was pretty well done.
Well, except for the "I defeat him with a compact mirror reflection" attack. That was phenomenally stupid. (Actually, it was very inconsistent on how susceptible to UV/Daylight they are. And boy was one of those daughters featured more than all the others. Someone has a thing for blondes, or was she a semi-famous guest cameo?) However, the Sonic Screwdriver's ability to do anything except when it is required for the plot is getting more and more irritating. There's a reason they destroyed it back in Season 18. (Much like the old show also used to use the Daleks for about 4-5 years and then drop them for another 4-5 so as not to get us all pissed off.)
I'm glad the "my brothers would think they are being fed twice today" bit was paid off, but it still felt a bit off. (I can hand wave the perception filter, although that's another piece of tech that's being overused this season and I wonder if that is just Moffat instructing his writers to keep certain continuity of tech or whether he's deliberately pointing us to the "what you think you see isn't what you are actually seeing" undercurrent of the season.) Yes, she sacrifices herself for her children, but she also must know the Doctor isn't going to let them stay in Venice. Even without breeding stock, you have 10,000 Saturnyne's pissed off and hungry who can tear through the city. So while it was a nice scene, it did feel not quite right.
The Doctor felt very Davison in this one again, what with him understanding what a TARDIS run can do to an established relationship if only one partner goes, the obvious sympathy for the plight of the Saturnyne Queen, and the awesomely apt justification of his choice. "You didn't know Isabella's name." I don't want "how many races can you have on your head" all the time, but Smith handled it well. (Of course, if the Silurians ARE coming back, we're getting another one this season. The Silurian stories are ALWAYS tragic.)
I didn't spot a crack, but they were mentioned of course, and we did hear "Silence Fall" which is the other part of the situation. I did not notice any missing Duck Ponds, or obvious moments of Doctor crossing.
As for the little nods and asides I enjoy so much, this one was chock full of them with one glaring omission. Vampires in the Whoniverse have one pretty massive mythical link in to the Time Lords and the fact that wasn't mentioned even in a throw-away was a bit disappointing. Still, I am more than happy to forgive it for the Doctor pulling out *his old library card*, complete with picture of the First Doctor and his address at the old junkyard at 76 Totters Lane. That was lovely.
I was also fond of the psychic paper claiming Rory was Amy's eunuch (even if that stung) and Amy describing her time with the Doctor as involving a "lot of running".
"Funny how you can say something in your head, and it sounds fine..."
Hell, *I* do that more often than I'd like to admit.
Rory was great and I really do hope he sticks around for the whole rest of the season. Of course, I was a fan of Mickey, too. Maybe I just empathize with the boring, but decent, boyfriend who gets thrown aside. Still, his "You make people a danger to themselves" was great and I've always liked when the Doctor has multiple companions.
So all in all, so close to brilliant, but not quite there. Still super solid.
And I thought *my* preferences were well known and obvious.
So much to like here before the end went all RTD with the "don't pay attention to how that doesn't make sense, we needed to end the episode" part.
I liked the fact they were fish. Of course, as someone who sometimes reads my LJ probably remembers, I thought HER idea about vampires from the sea was pretty awesome, too. In fact, the whole explanation for the teeth, the lack of reflection, and the susceptibility to UV light was pretty well done.
Well, except for the "I defeat him with a compact mirror reflection" attack. That was phenomenally stupid. (Actually, it was very inconsistent on how susceptible to UV/Daylight they are. And boy was one of those daughters featured more than all the others. Someone has a thing for blondes, or was she a semi-famous guest cameo?) However, the Sonic Screwdriver's ability to do anything except when it is required for the plot is getting more and more irritating. There's a reason they destroyed it back in Season 18. (Much like the old show also used to use the Daleks for about 4-5 years and then drop them for another 4-5 so as not to get us all pissed off.)
I'm glad the "my brothers would think they are being fed twice today" bit was paid off, but it still felt a bit off. (I can hand wave the perception filter, although that's another piece of tech that's being overused this season and I wonder if that is just Moffat instructing his writers to keep certain continuity of tech or whether he's deliberately pointing us to the "what you think you see isn't what you are actually seeing" undercurrent of the season.) Yes, she sacrifices herself for her children, but she also must know the Doctor isn't going to let them stay in Venice. Even without breeding stock, you have 10,000 Saturnyne's pissed off and hungry who can tear through the city. So while it was a nice scene, it did feel not quite right.
The Doctor felt very Davison in this one again, what with him understanding what a TARDIS run can do to an established relationship if only one partner goes, the obvious sympathy for the plight of the Saturnyne Queen, and the awesomely apt justification of his choice. "You didn't know Isabella's name." I don't want "how many races can you have on your head" all the time, but Smith handled it well. (Of course, if the Silurians ARE coming back, we're getting another one this season. The Silurian stories are ALWAYS tragic.)
I didn't spot a crack, but they were mentioned of course, and we did hear "Silence Fall" which is the other part of the situation. I did not notice any missing Duck Ponds, or obvious moments of Doctor crossing.
As for the little nods and asides I enjoy so much, this one was chock full of them with one glaring omission. Vampires in the Whoniverse have one pretty massive mythical link in to the Time Lords and the fact that wasn't mentioned even in a throw-away was a bit disappointing. Still, I am more than happy to forgive it for the Doctor pulling out *his old library card*, complete with picture of the First Doctor and his address at the old junkyard at 76 Totters Lane. That was lovely.
I was also fond of the psychic paper claiming Rory was Amy's eunuch (even if that stung) and Amy describing her time with the Doctor as involving a "lot of running".
"Funny how you can say something in your head, and it sounds fine..."
Hell, *I* do that more often than I'd like to admit.
Rory was great and I really do hope he sticks around for the whole rest of the season. Of course, I was a fan of Mickey, too. Maybe I just empathize with the boring, but decent, boyfriend who gets thrown aside. Still, his "You make people a danger to themselves" was great and I've always liked when the Doctor has multiple companions.
So all in all, so close to brilliant, but not quite there. Still super solid.
