Doctor Who 2007, Episode 2: "The Shakespeare Code" (Spoilers Likely)

delericho · Apr 7, 2007

The Doctor meets Shakespeare.

Another extremely strong episode IMO. Martha continues to impress - the questions she asks about time travel paradoxes are exactly the sort of thing she should be worried about, and the 'geek code' she and the Doctor seem to be adopting is just wonderful.

Shakespeare was... interesting. The concept of Bard-as-rock-star was pretty good, I thought, and the actor really pulled that off well. It didn't hurt at all that the dialogue fairly sparkled.

Next week, we have a Doctor Who/Futurama crossover, as the Tardis visits New New York.

evildmguy · Apr 8, 2007

spoilers!

Great show! I loved it!

And, while it is too bad Martha gets kinda snubbed with the comparison, I thought it fit with what we have seen.

I loved how they did Shakespeare!

I also loved the Harry Potter stuff! Funny!

Take care.

edg

Felon · Apr 8, 2007

"Soon, at the hour of such-and-such, we shall rise again and this fleeting earth shall perish! HA HA HA HA!!"

Uggh. I have gotten used to opening scenes that someone who wasn't a fan of the series could watch and think "hey, that's not as campy as I expected".

Anyway, the episode was OK. Definitely heavily padded as it could've been a half-hour episode just as easily. I'd chalk it up to being another "getting-to-know-Martha" episode, except that even though she's got a better education than Rose she really just seems like another idealized female companion, all plucky and self-possessed and full of cheek. If that's just going to be standard-issue traits of companions, then getting to know them isn't really necessary.

Glad to see historical episodes still being made. I see next week we're back to New Earth once more, then after that a modern-day meet-the-family episode, and then after that a Dalek two-parter. Is this getting at all formulaic? Ah well, as long as they're entertaining I can live with formulaic.

Morrus · Apr 8, 2007

"Stage Fright"? I thought it was called "The Shakespeare Code"?

Mark Hope · Apr 8, 2007

Morrus said:
"Stage Fright"? I thought it was called "The Shakespeare Code"?

Yeah, it was.

I expected Shakespeare to say "What the Wordsworth is going on here?" after Dickens' line in The Unquiet Dead. Oh well...

delericho · Apr 8, 2007

Morrus said:
"Stage Fright"? I thought it was called "The Shakespeare Code"?

Oops, yes. So it was.

horacethegrey · Apr 9, 2007

Excellent episode. While I prefer it when the Doctor goes to other worlds, this is one of his better jaunts into old Earth history.

I love the concept they came up for the witches, though in retrospect, it's not as original as I thought it was. They also did a pretty good job of recreating Golden Age London, especially the Globe Theatre. The guy who played the Bard was also pretty fab, and I agree that playing him like an old style rockstar was a nice touch to give Shakespear's character.

And I'm really starting to warm up to Miss Jones, who here shows how smart and capable she is. It's still too early to tell whether she'll be as good as Rose (whom I still miss), but I think Martha may be in for the long haul, and I really don't mind that prospect.

Tennant was excellent as always, and thankfully not as goofy as he was in the season opener. As long as he tones down the comedy and makes the Doctor look capable, then it's all right with me.

One nitpick though.

"EXPELLIAMUS!"

:\ C'mon!

BrooklynKnight · Apr 9, 2007

One thing that makes the harry potter stuff all that much more geekgasmfestive is that Tennant had a role in Goblet of Fire...

sniffles · Apr 9, 2007

horacethegrey said:
Excellent episode. While I prefer it when the Doctor goes to other worlds, this is one of his better jaunts into old Earth history.

I love the concept they came up for the witches, though in retrospect, it's not as original as I thought it was. They also did a pretty good job of recreating Golden Age London, especially the Globe Theatre. The guy who played the Bard was also pretty fab, and I agree that playing him like an old style rockstar was a nice touch to give Shakespear's character.

And I'm really starting to warm up to Miss Jones, who here shows how smart and capable she is. It's still too early to tell whether she'll be as good as Rose (whom I still miss), but I think Martha may be in for the long haul, and I really don't mind that prospect.

Tennant was excellent as always, and thankfully not as goofy as he was in the season opener. As long as he tones down the comedy and makes the Doctor look capable, then it's all right with me.

One nitpick though.

"EXPELLIAMUS!"

:\ C'mon!

I loved this episode! It has so many great little touches: Martha realizing the Doctor is still thinking about Rose, Martha getting angry at the treatment of prisoners in Bedlam, Martha flirting with Shakespeare, the dialogue for the witches, the Doctor wondering how people with only one heart can stand it...

I didn't mind the "Expeliarmus" bit at all - after all, Martha is a young woman of 21st-century Earth and had already mentioned Harry Potter earlier, so it made sense for her to think of that.

I thought it was fun how they handled Shakespeare, particularly since very little is known about the man himself. I liked Martha's comment that he didn't look like his portraits, and then the Doctor telling him later to stop rubbing his head or he'd go bald.

The witches were great, especially since I believe our modern concept of witches as hideous old hags largely comes from Macbeth.

It was totally awesome that they were able to film the Globe Theatre scenes in the reconstructed Globe Theatre in London. And the street scenes in Warwick, too. It made everything feel really authentic and much more impressive than filming in a studio.

I am so looking forward to next week, though. More New New York, and it looks awesome.

Raven Crowking · Apr 9, 2007

Trivia: What was the first story to see the TARDIS land in New York, New York?

(Also, with the polyjuice bit, David didn't just appear in Harry Potter -- he looked very much like he regenerated! :lol: