Aesthetic Monk
Explorer
Since I don't think we've talked about this, at least for the U.S. showing, thought I'd get us started, and I thought we might consider them together.
This pair of episodes, at least where else I hang out on the Net, was pretty heavily hyped prior to (the U.S.) airing, so my expectations were pretty high. Especially after "Dalek" and "Father's Day," my standards for this new series were already pretty high.
I thought both eps delivered very well. In contrast to many a two-parter on many a series, I thought both halves worked here together smoothly and that the second part ("The Doctor Dances") wasn't a significant letdown from a high-quality setup ("The Empty Child").
I continue to be impressed by the same-yet-different dynamic of this series as compared to classic Who--I might write a few more thoughts on that at the end of this season--and this pair was another good example. This two-parter, especially "The Empty Child," was genuinely creepy, with the gas-mask effect and the spooky child voice/pursuit offering some of the most effective tension in the series to date.
Nancy was a well-done, well-acted character, and the parallels between her and the Doctor--both on their own, both trying to protect people, both lonely, both experiencing redemption at the end--were well-drawn (and more subtle than in, say, "Dalek," where dialogue underlines all such analogies). The quality of the main and supporting cast in general was uniformly high. Captain Jack is a bit broadly drawn for my tastes, covering fairly well-trod "scoundrel" ground, but his scenes with Rose in "The Empty Child" were slick, and his rivalry with the Doctor was pretty funny.
Impressive all around, even if this pair doesn't quite win the "best story of the season so far" crown for me.
This pair of episodes, at least where else I hang out on the Net, was pretty heavily hyped prior to (the U.S.) airing, so my expectations were pretty high. Especially after "Dalek" and "Father's Day," my standards for this new series were already pretty high.
I thought both eps delivered very well. In contrast to many a two-parter on many a series, I thought both halves worked here together smoothly and that the second part ("The Doctor Dances") wasn't a significant letdown from a high-quality setup ("The Empty Child").
I continue to be impressed by the same-yet-different dynamic of this series as compared to classic Who--I might write a few more thoughts on that at the end of this season--and this pair was another good example. This two-parter, especially "The Empty Child," was genuinely creepy, with the gas-mask effect and the spooky child voice/pursuit offering some of the most effective tension in the series to date.
Nancy was a well-done, well-acted character, and the parallels between her and the Doctor--both on their own, both trying to protect people, both lonely, both experiencing redemption at the end--were well-drawn (and more subtle than in, say, "Dalek," where dialogue underlines all such analogies). The quality of the main and supporting cast in general was uniformly high. Captain Jack is a bit broadly drawn for my tastes, covering fairly well-trod "scoundrel" ground, but his scenes with Rose in "The Empty Child" were slick, and his rivalry with the Doctor was pretty funny.
Impressive all around, even if this pair doesn't quite win the "best story of the season so far" crown for me.
