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vivdunstanRewatched this pair of episodes last week and the week before, as part of our continuing 20 years on rewatch of the first David Tennant series.
Going to discuss some major spoilers, so going into spoiler space. Spoiler discussion will also include the later 2006 series finale.
I remembered enjoying this, but had forgotten much from our only previous watch back in 2006. For example I'd forgotten the mansion scenes, and that other Jackie dies (I really should have remembered that one). I'd even forgotten that Ricky (other Mickey) dies.
I'd also forgotten how grim it is. On the one hand there are Cyberconversion scenes, which are obviously body horror, but then they're set against things like "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" music. Where it's at its darkest for me is about what happens emotionally to the people Cyberconverted. Which includes Jackie. I had a memory that the Doctor met a Cyber converted Mrs Moore, but I was muddling things up. I did not remember that she was simply killed. I can't remember if my Dad commented anything about her name, given our (his, and my maiden) surname ...
Obviously with hindsight it's setting in place pieces of the jigsaw that are picked up on in the two-part season finale. It's interesting to watch again with that fore knowledge. But it's also good on its own. I don't usually enjoy dystopian set stories, but this one works really well.
Writer Tom MacRae did a grand job, albeit inspired, in part, by Marc Platt's Big Finish audio Spare Parts. Apart from this two parter the only other broadcast TV Doctor Who Tom MacRae wrote was "The Girl Who Waited", one of my all time favourite stories in New Who. Though he also wrote an unfilmed script. We needed more of him! I don't suppose he'd be interested in being showrunner?
Going to discuss some major spoilers, so going into spoiler space. Spoiler discussion will also include the later 2006 series finale.
I remembered enjoying this, but had forgotten much from our only previous watch back in 2006. For example I'd forgotten the mansion scenes, and that other Jackie dies (I really should have remembered that one). I'd even forgotten that Ricky (other Mickey) dies.
I'd also forgotten how grim it is. On the one hand there are Cyberconversion scenes, which are obviously body horror, but then they're set against things like "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" music. Where it's at its darkest for me is about what happens emotionally to the people Cyberconverted. Which includes Jackie. I had a memory that the Doctor met a Cyber converted Mrs Moore, but I was muddling things up. I did not remember that she was simply killed. I can't remember if my Dad commented anything about her name, given our (his, and my maiden) surname ...
Obviously with hindsight it's setting in place pieces of the jigsaw that are picked up on in the two-part season finale. It's interesting to watch again with that fore knowledge. But it's also good on its own. I don't usually enjoy dystopian set stories, but this one works really well.
Writer Tom MacRae did a grand job, albeit inspired, in part, by Marc Platt's Big Finish audio Spare Parts. Apart from this two parter the only other broadcast TV Doctor Who Tom MacRae wrote was "The Girl Who Waited", one of my all time favourite stories in New Who. Though he also wrote an unfilmed script. We needed more of him! I don't suppose he'd be interested in being showrunner?