The Storm of Water in Doctor Who
It seems the television landscape is a little empty without the long string of Doctor Who episodes that comes with the season. Now we're already feeling the effects of cravings for more episodes. The show comes less regularly this year.
After the long hiatus throughout the summer, and with the exception of one rather large role in the Sarah Jane Adventures, the Doctor returns finally with an adventure to his name. Back where he belongs on his own series.
It is certainly a good episode.
It packs a whallop worthy of Who.
Might have been worth the wait after all. The Doctor Who special “Waters of Mars” made its debut on the BBC just in time for the Thanksgiving holidays on Nov. 15. Maybe it was a little early. But I'm sure most audiences couldn't wait anymore.
The episode written by Russell T. Davies and Phil Ford works on inspiration. Simple, pure, effective, the menace of water. Some notion of water on Mars isn't a new idea. It's been a theory kicking around for many years in the field. And this is real science stating that Mars might have been very much like our own world millions of years ago. Their conclusion comes from the possible ingredients of water being held in the ice caps in the north and south poles of the angry red planet.
But this show offers the water being somehow infected with an alien presence. There's much more to it than that. It was like a hidden secret that broke out from the grounds. Perhaps anyone who takes a regular job out in the space station, or might consider being part of a colony on Mars, should watch this episode. “Waters of Mars” show that some presence could be downright nasty, and what's out there might not be so pretty. It's awful ugly.
The story explores the ideas of war… the casualties left behind on the battleground. And the Doctor being slap in the middle of it. Worse, the Doctor is portrayed as helpless.
The mood and content in the story creates a very effective atmosphere. They are trapped on a Bowie Base One with very little place left to go. And the only outside contact they have is through sprinkled transmissions of televised messages from earth. Such as one Captain Adelaide Brookes received from her daughter and granddaughter. (The captain character is nicely played by Lindsey Duncan).
She heads a team of scientists out on the surface of Mars with little more than perseverance and wit. Whenever the Doctor shows up, however, trouble looms behind him like the fires of hell.
The show does become one of choices. And the Doctor realizes he comes to a place and time where it is all fixed. Here the chain of events would start from this single place on the Mars base. Then he realizes that the people, the lives, are already taken place in history. And he should be simply be an observer. And leave history alone.
But that's never stopped the Doctor.
He realizes that he can alter or change the course of time to better fit his smug arrogance. This episode shows a side of David Tennant we haven't seen before as the Doctor. He is self-righteous, arrogant, simply ignorant of his own actions. He grows more reckless, confused, finally calling the very end of the story a “Time Lord Victorious” after doing away with the alien menace.
But his actions take on more consequences. He manages to save three people from the Mars team, but his acts are taking on grave implications. One of them commits suicide after she realizes what the Doctor has done to change history. He has seem to pull the string from the ball and everything is going out of proportion. Now chaos is reigning in his choices made. And he doesn't seem to care. His arrogance is showing no bounds now.
He is growing more like Christopher Eccleston's Doctor now, a soldier, a winner, someone who likes violence. And grows to enjoy wrecking havoc. This was what the Doctor was like before he regained his humanity. Now he seems to be losing his humanity. Not a good thing.
David Tennant's performance mirrors many interesting characteristics. And it's a magnetic performance on the same level as the great Tom Baker as he shows many different emotions, a trapped man filled with desperate measure. Tennant will be leaving the part very soon. It's regrettable that he did not stay on for another full season. Which I would have preferred. Now Tennant only has two more shows after this. Enjoy them while you can because he isn't sticking around very long anymore.
“Waters of Mars” is a magnificent episode that works like a movie... it's very big on a grand scale while still remaining intimate because we, as an audience, are seeing a side of the Doctor not seen before. Initimate are the conversations between the captain and the Doctor.
I really thought it's a nice addition of placing an Asian woman along with the team... an actress named Gemma Chan who is a very beautiful woman. She has soft features and a flowing blanket of dark hair that makes her stand out compared to the others. The Asian culture has been very sadly lacking in the series ever since from the start. It would have been nice of the Doctor to take her along, but his actions have put her off. And she took everything in far too quickly, making her very distrustful of him after saving her life.
However, I would like to see her return to the series again if possible.
I really doubt it. But it would be a nice switch to see an Asian woman as a companion. We've had just about everything else as a companion.
The performance of the two leads were very gripping as they seem to play a game of chess with their feelings, their emotions. And when the show grows nearer to the end, you find yourself siding with Captain Brookes rather than the Doctor in all manner of conversation. You really do have a feeling that the Doctor is starting to lose his humanity.
There's a reason why he always has a companion. Because people remind him of who or what people are. His companions remind the Doctor of who he is. His companions are his only anchor to reality. They keep him on the straight and narrow. But the Doctor hasn't been traveling with anyone. He's been by himself. For the longest time.
Now it's starting to wear down on him, this loneliness. And we'll be seeing more of this in the following final shows of this year as his past mistakes, his choices will be catching up with him. It will not be long before he will have to face his actions instead of running away from them.
After the long hiatus throughout the summer, and with the exception of one rather large role in the Sarah Jane Adventures, the Doctor returns finally with an adventure to his name. Back where he belongs on his own series.
It is certainly a good episode.
It packs a whallop worthy of Who.
Might have been worth the wait after all. The Doctor Who special “Waters of Mars” made its debut on the BBC just in time for the Thanksgiving holidays on Nov. 15. Maybe it was a little early. But I'm sure most audiences couldn't wait anymore.
The episode written by Russell T. Davies and Phil Ford works on inspiration. Simple, pure, effective, the menace of water. Some notion of water on Mars isn't a new idea. It's been a theory kicking around for many years in the field. And this is real science stating that Mars might have been very much like our own world millions of years ago. Their conclusion comes from the possible ingredients of water being held in the ice caps in the north and south poles of the angry red planet.
But this show offers the water being somehow infected with an alien presence. There's much more to it than that. It was like a hidden secret that broke out from the grounds. Perhaps anyone who takes a regular job out in the space station, or might consider being part of a colony on Mars, should watch this episode. “Waters of Mars” show that some presence could be downright nasty, and what's out there might not be so pretty. It's awful ugly.
The story explores the ideas of war… the casualties left behind on the battleground. And the Doctor being slap in the middle of it. Worse, the Doctor is portrayed as helpless.
The mood and content in the story creates a very effective atmosphere. They are trapped on a Bowie Base One with very little place left to go. And the only outside contact they have is through sprinkled transmissions of televised messages from earth. Such as one Captain Adelaide Brookes received from her daughter and granddaughter. (The captain character is nicely played by Lindsey Duncan).
She heads a team of scientists out on the surface of Mars with little more than perseverance and wit. Whenever the Doctor shows up, however, trouble looms behind him like the fires of hell.
The show does become one of choices. And the Doctor realizes he comes to a place and time where it is all fixed. Here the chain of events would start from this single place on the Mars base. Then he realizes that the people, the lives, are already taken place in history. And he should be simply be an observer. And leave history alone.
But that's never stopped the Doctor.
He realizes that he can alter or change the course of time to better fit his smug arrogance. This episode shows a side of David Tennant we haven't seen before as the Doctor. He is self-righteous, arrogant, simply ignorant of his own actions. He grows more reckless, confused, finally calling the very end of the story a “Time Lord Victorious” after doing away with the alien menace.
But his actions take on more consequences. He manages to save three people from the Mars team, but his acts are taking on grave implications. One of them commits suicide after she realizes what the Doctor has done to change history. He has seem to pull the string from the ball and everything is going out of proportion. Now chaos is reigning in his choices made. And he doesn't seem to care. His arrogance is showing no bounds now.
He is growing more like Christopher Eccleston's Doctor now, a soldier, a winner, someone who likes violence. And grows to enjoy wrecking havoc. This was what the Doctor was like before he regained his humanity. Now he seems to be losing his humanity. Not a good thing.
David Tennant's performance mirrors many interesting characteristics. And it's a magnetic performance on the same level as the great Tom Baker as he shows many different emotions, a trapped man filled with desperate measure. Tennant will be leaving the part very soon. It's regrettable that he did not stay on for another full season. Which I would have preferred. Now Tennant only has two more shows after this. Enjoy them while you can because he isn't sticking around very long anymore.
“Waters of Mars” is a magnificent episode that works like a movie... it's very big on a grand scale while still remaining intimate because we, as an audience, are seeing a side of the Doctor not seen before. Initimate are the conversations between the captain and the Doctor.
I really thought it's a nice addition of placing an Asian woman along with the team... an actress named Gemma Chan who is a very beautiful woman. She has soft features and a flowing blanket of dark hair that makes her stand out compared to the others. The Asian culture has been very sadly lacking in the series ever since from the start. It would have been nice of the Doctor to take her along, but his actions have put her off. And she took everything in far too quickly, making her very distrustful of him after saving her life.
However, I would like to see her return to the series again if possible.
I really doubt it. But it would be a nice switch to see an Asian woman as a companion. We've had just about everything else as a companion.
The performance of the two leads were very gripping as they seem to play a game of chess with their feelings, their emotions. And when the show grows nearer to the end, you find yourself siding with Captain Brookes rather than the Doctor in all manner of conversation. You really do have a feeling that the Doctor is starting to lose his humanity.
There's a reason why he always has a companion. Because people remind him of who or what people are. His companions remind the Doctor of who he is. His companions are his only anchor to reality. They keep him on the straight and narrow. But the Doctor hasn't been traveling with anyone. He's been by himself. For the longest time.
Now it's starting to wear down on him, this loneliness. And we'll be seeing more of this in the following final shows of this year as his past mistakes, his choices will be catching up with him. It will not be long before he will have to face his actions instead of running away from them.
posted by K.M. Paters at 10:57 AM
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