Dubious science - but was wonderfully executed. Grimey sci-fi is the best![/QUOTE]
You have the Doctor Who before have you?
This week we have a few special features on the BBC Doctor Who website.
42-Exclusive Prolouge
42-The Unseen Trailer
New Series Pop Quiz
Clasic Series Pop Quiz
Cheers,
Mike M.
Yes it looks like The Doctor performed the same jiggery pokery on Martha's phone like he did for Rose's!
-cs™
And it looks like their messing with the start time again!!
7.15 instead of the 'regular' 7.00pm
Cheers, daveac
[QUOTE BY= daveac] And it looks like their messing with the start time again!!
7.15 instead of the 'regular' 7.00pm
Cheers, daveac
[/QUOTE]
Well it's better than last Saturday......
for anyone who does not care to read the prologue for '42' on the BBC website, I had the computer read it for me, recorded it and added some background music.
you can listen or download on my webpage
http://members.cox.net/rengobnor
its a 3MB mp3 file, just click the banner
[QUOTE BY= tardisious] for anyone who does not care to read the prologue for '42' on the BBC website, I had the computer read it for me, recorded it and added some background music.
you can listen or download on my webpage
http://members.cox.net/rengobnor
its a 3MB mp3 file, just click the banner[/QUOTE]
I was enjoying the effort when suddenly... no audio.
The cutout occours mid paragraph, two paragraphs before IMPACT PROJECTION: 44:12.
Just an FYI, enjoyed it up till that point.
Cheers,
Mike M.
Thank You, apparently the FTP program did not put up the full file.
It is corrected now
Bump
30min remain till start.
The full thing is there when I try now 10min and 9 sec
Anyone who has tried earlier May need to clear your browser cache. Or Try saving the file to your hard drive instead.
I've also posted it to usenet -- alt.binaries.drwho
POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!!!
Interesting episode this one. Had an impossible planet / satan pit feel to it. Loved the fact that the monster wore that creepy helmet!
Dubious science - but was wonderfully executed. Grimey sci-fi is the best!
Annoyed at how daft Martha's mum is. Can't wait to meet Mr Saxon though!
[QUOTE BY= James]
POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!!!
Interesting episode this one. Had an impossible planet / satan pit feel to it. Loved the fact that the monster wore that creepy helmet![/QUOTE]
Also had a few parallels with the classic story "Planet of Evil".
[QUOTE BY= James]
Dubious science - but was wonderfully executed. Grimey sci-fi is the best![/QUOTE]
You have the Doctor Who before have you?
I can't get Arcadia's Election Day out of my head...
The pacing and look of this episode was fantastic, but it is obvious that the writer has no clue of basic physics or biology.
Old episode reference—The Space Pirates: the Doctor using magnetism to attach spaceship elements.
It was enjoyable to watch this episode, but the number of times that I had to cringe due to bad science was quite large. At least they got the silence right in the pod drifting scene...
I liked it. My daughter was scared out of her wits.
Magnetism? Tractor beam perhaps, but magnetism??? Uh... mr. writer? I'd like a word please...
Reusing the space suit was not too bad. I considered it more of a nod than cheap re-use of props and costumes.
All in all, it stole elements from Impossible Planet (such as the evil demon aboard ship, the open airlock, the... well, just about everything really... but still I liked it.
I guess I must be getting soft in my old age, I really shouldn't have liked this blatant re-hash, but heck, I did.
And Character Options will love it because they can do a simple repaint on the helmet and re-issue Doctor in Space Suit as seen in "42".
And of course I'd buy it.
Sean.
[QUOTE BY= seanhuxter] And Character Options will love it because they can do a simple repaing on the helmet and re-issue Doctor in Space Suit as seen in "42".
And of course I'd buy it.
Sean.
[/QUOTE]
You and me both!
Got to be honest here and say that I thought '42' was a real let down. After the establishment of Martha as a companion and the fab trailer I was expecting things to pick up. I don't mean in terms of story arc, but in terms of getting the Doctor and Martha into uncharted territory (and I mean that literally as well!). Poor Martha could have been replaced with Rose here and for the most part I don't think it would have mattered. The only difference was the tagged on teaser for the Saxon arc which could have been added to any episode.
For me the fact that it ripped off past achievements like The Impossible Planet/Satan Pit (with all its grimy, yellow and red, and possessed crew etc.) is a cause for concern rather than celebration as I think the series should be continuing to set high standards for British SF/drama rather than lying back on its laurels - especially at this crucial point in the series.
I think Ken's concerns about a 'pattern' are being realised here and its a shame that so much talent is being wasted on what was essentially a bit of padding before the big finale - oh and a toy advert for avid consumers.
As a viewer, UK license fee payer, and fan, I was hoping for more. Even the title '42' had me thinking in the first few mins that this is going to play out like a tense computer game involving doors, questions, puzzles, bit of action, and a happy ending. There wasn't much to tune in for - aside from the possibility of a great twist to subvert our expectations that sadly never happened 
Sorry guys, I would really like to heap praise on this one, but after our expectations have been suitably raised from the last episode I'm feeling a bit disappointed that 'the pattern' is starting to limit what we can expect from this year.
Well it was certainly faced paced - and far better than the 100 million dollar film 'Sunshine' I saw recently.
Here's a screen capture I took that I'm using as my wallpaper (1024x768):-
Cheers, daveac
Not bad. Let down by the previously mentioned sci plot holes but really exciting.
Nice tribute to Douglas Adams in the episode title.
Does this now mean that Doctor Who is the answer to the meaning of life, the universe and everything?
I really liked this one. The direction was top notch and David Tennant was fantastic. I do admit the science was pretty bad. I didn't mind the similarities to the Impossible Planet/Satan Pit. That "world" is well executed.
Did anyone catch the couple of lines where the Doctor was trying to tell Martha about regeneration before he went into the stasis chamber?
It's interesting how in this series, opinions about episodes seem to vary widely. In the past, there always seemed to be clear cut favorites.
[QUOTE BY= BadWolf] Not bad. Let down by the previously mentioned sci plot holes but really exciting.
[/QUOTE]
This has been mentioned a couple of times now and not just about this episode.
My view here (and it's not directed at you BadWolf but to the comment in general) is, you don't have any problems with the fact that he's travelling through and time and space in a police box?
EDIT:- There's a very good thread on the subject over on OG here
[QUOTE BY= Mawdryn] Did anyone catch the couple of lines where the Doctor was trying to tell Martha about regeneration before he went into the stasis chamber?
[/QUOTE]
He says:-
'...there's this thing...this process...if I'm about to die...' (but he doesn't get any further)
Cheers, daveac
[QUOTE BY= capricorn1]My view here (and it's not directed at you BadWolf but to the comment in general) is, you don't have any problems with the fact that he's travelling through and time and space in a police box?[/QUOTE]
Then I'm sure that thread you referred to mentioned that this is part of the established and accepted universe, so it makes sense within the universe of Doctor Who.
Magnetics working to retrieve a capsule in the gravity field of a sun, or an unprotected being (Timelord or not) in space not far above a sun, are other things entirely.
You can establish time and space travel in a normal universe and people will accept it. However, suddenly throw in illogical magic nonsense and it just doesn't work in the same universe, unless it's been established.
It's like having a locked-door murder mystery in a science fiction world, and suddenly having the solution be a teleporter, without having previously established that telporters exist in this universe. It just doesn't work.
Holes in science are acceptable, sure, but even in a universe you've laid out, some things just have to make sense.
(Oh, and Dave, large images like that make the screen scroll, and make it hard to read threads... one suggestion if you wish to make large images available is to use the "width=" and "height=" tags in your HTML so they display smaller, but a right-click-save still works at full rez.)
Sean.
[QUOTE BY= capricorn1] [QUOTE BY= BadWolf] Not bad. Let down by the previously mentioned sci plot holes but really exciting.
[/QUOTE]
This has been mentioned a couple of times now and not just about this episode.
My view here (and it's not directed at you BadWolf but to the comment in general) is, you don't have any problems with the fact that he's travelling through and time and space in a police box?
EDIT:- There's a very good thread on the subject over on OG here[/QUOTE]
You have to accept that fallacy to be watching the series, just as you have to accept that a wooden box is not deep fried at 3,000 degrees.
I am talking about silly things like the husband and wife having a romantic trip to the sun and not being fried to a cinder as soon as the airlock door opened
[QUOTE BY= BadWolf]
I am talking about silly things like the husband and wife having a romantic trip to the sun and not being fried to a cinder as soon as the airlock door opened [/QUOTE]
To be honest I really didn't have a problem with that. Were in a 'universe' where intergalactic travel is possible - how do you know that in the far future when we've travelled the stars for a while that we won't discover unknown minerals that make it possible to develop alloys that can handle that sort of heat?
I find dodgy-science so much easier to accept when it's a story either set in the future or on an alien world as almost anything can be explained away as 'well it could be true, it could happen'
[QUOTE BY= capricorn1]
To be honest I really didn't have a problem with that. Were in a 'universe' where intergalactic travel is possible - how do you know that in the far future when we've travelled the stars for a while that we won't discover unknown minerals that make it possible to develop alloys that can handle that sort of heat?
I find dodgy-science so much easier to accept when it's a story either set in the future or on an alien world as almost anything can be explained away as 'well it could be true, it could happen' [/QUOTE]
I share the same opinion generally but the problem for me was that they were wearing (apart fro the welding helmet) "street clothes
I thought it was a very good episode. Creepy in places, witty in places, and great visually. I liked the Cyclops/Scott Summers aspect (not exactly original, but very effective).
Generally I'd agree with Capricorn about the lack of actual basis to real science and say just get over it, but I must admit I can see where BadWolf is coming from too (& I'm not looking to sit on the fence, I genuinely feel what I just said - guess I must be a liberal).
It's been mentioned a few times, but there was a striking similarity to the Satan Pit. Sean mentioned Character Options will love it; I wonder if it was even done with that exact thought in mind - it was just SO similar.
Good strong nail-biting episode. I wouldnt outright say this one was brilliant, but then we're just spoiled right now.
& as for the clip of Martha in the trailer; Oooh la la.....
I thought this was an ok episode overall. It was reminding me a lot of Impossible Planet/Satan Pit, too, especially the first time I heard the menacing voice saying "Burn with me." But I got over it. The only science flaw that bothered me was first when the Doctor went outside in the suit and later when the husband and wife went outside sans suit and they weren't immediately vaporized. The other stuff I can overlook. I think I'd give this show a 3 or 3.5. I'll have to go back and review my ratings, but I think the only one that I really liked (i.e. gave a 4) was Shakespeare Code or Gridlock. I really enjoyed the Confidential looking back at spaceships from throughout the show's history. That Jagaroth spaceship really is a classic.
I seem to disagree with the majority quite a bit - I thought this was a great episode - as opposed to the one two weeks ago I didn't even bother to come to the forum to write about. (Well, I was also recovering from flu so I didn't do much of anything!)
Anyway I'm not a sci "purist" - as far as I'm concerned the whole series is "unpossible" (hehehe) or at least, "imlikely" - Myself, I have a bigger problem accepting horns on a viking helmet (didn't happen!) than that supposed "horned human skull" floating around the internet - so I understand how certain details can get people's goats and not others.
Anyhow I digress, I thought there was plenty of excitement & suspense. I love when the Doctor really Saves The Day - the Martha rescue - and I especially love when "the fate of the world/universe" is not at stake. And it had the little opposite of "Impossible Planet/Satan Pit" thing going on - the light coming after them instead of the darkness. I also like that there was a northern bloke in this episode because I tend to think they're underrepresented, but maybe I am wrong about that. And I really did think it was quite a nice bit at the end - him giving her the key to the TARDIS. That twinkling little key in your palm, wouldn't you just LOVE that experience? You know, this might be the first episode where The Doctor hasn't been a bit of a d*** to Martha.
Sooooo I give it a "Hurray!" and multiple Tardis groans.
Though, I did think the preview from the previous episode was completely misleading 
I was hoping for Captain Jack, see. I missed the point that they were trying to highlight all the upcoming episodes, rather than just the next one in line. Next week looks pretty scary, especially if you're like me and find the bit with the scarecrow in The League of Gentleman really terrifying.
I also really enjoyed the episode. It was a tighly paced thriller with plenty of chilling moments, especially for younger viewers I would think. The production values were very strong, and there were some nice character moments for the Doctor and Martha. I also generally agree with the scenes that others have praised (e.g. Doctor afraid and alluding to regeneration, the escape pod release, etc.).
The look and feel as well as general plot did remind of Impossible Planet, but this didn't detract from my enjoyment. Borrowing from the much older Planet of Evil bothered me even less.
As for the science...well, I'm critical by nature and tend to question things constantly (to the great annoyance of my wife) . But with Doctor Who, I'm usually able to note silently, then accept and move on. I've been reviewing some of the classic series lately, and I'm surprised to find the science isn't as "hard" as my younger mind believed.
Four words:
Doctor Who does Sunshine
Fair enough. Clearly I'm in the minority here. I just didn't like the obvious parallels with previous 10th Doctor stories - would have preferred something new.
I'm also surprised that no one has commented on the rubbish monster. Ok, a bit creepy (in a way we have seen many times before), but there wasn't any actual threat.
The possessed man could be punched in the stomach and then thrown around in one scene, and then in others his victims seemed to just strike a pose and wait for their theatrical deaths.
Surely the crew might have considered putting a bag on his head - bashing him around with a futuristic (and grimy) metal pole and then dumping him out of the airlock! I guess I just needed something more to give the plot a bit more suspense. I just found it predictable and boring.
No TARDIS groans - just one long groan
Thanks to Simon for playing the devil's advocate.
But I can honestly say I've never enjoyed 45 minutes of television more than this particular episode. It blew all my past favourites out of the water with a big Solar Powered Ballistic missile.
I loved the desperation with which the Doctor went after Martha, it felt like he needed to save her, not just because she is his new companion, but because he was unable to save Rose. I liked to see the Doctor afraid too, as DT pointed out in the Confidential, it is not often we see him scared and I think it is important to know that somethings can scare him: I believe his fear was not of dying but more what kind of man he would become if the parasite remained in him. He was, my belief is, afraid of himself; and that is a very noble concept.
Some points that broke the tension for me, but in my opinion did not spoil the episode one iota:
The radiated crew members were a little comedic for my liking.
The frozen doctor, while acted with aplomb by DT, made me laugh. I have a problem with 'frozen' acting whenever I see it - mostly because it reminds me to the dire final scene to Titanic.
The forcing of the phrase 'Alons Y' into every eposiode now is getting a tad tired and undermining what was originally an excellent line in Doomsday.
Some moments I just need to see again and again:
The parasite leaving the Doctor - beautifully rendered and brilliantly performed.
The scene where Martha is jettisoned - perfectly staged, tactful, powerful and timed to a T. The lack of music in this moment was perfect and heart renting.
Overall 5 groans without even a moments thought.
My only reservation - too scary for kids? Because this is the first episode of any of the new series that has had me screwing up the furniture!
Thanks Whodovoodoo! I do like to keep the Simon Cowell end up!
Seriously though, you're right, this episode did have some fab moments and like many on this thread I thought the silent 2001 style moving away of Martha in the pod was breathtaking, as was the moment when the Doctor tries to explain his regeneration. Stylistically this was an excellent episode, but I guess I can't help wanting more when my expectations are being raised with each strong episode.
[QUOTE BY= whodovoodoo]
The forcing of the phrase 'Alons Y' into every eposiode now is getting a tad tired and undermining what was originally an excellent line in Doomsday.
[/QUOTE]I loved your overall assessment of the episode, but here I'm gonna take issue. I adore the Alons-y! because it quite properly recalls "The Reign of Terror", in which the Doctor's love of Revolutionary-era France is first asserted. It's interesting to note, too, that of all the traveling in the late-Tom to early Colin eras, Paris is really the only European city about which the Doctor is shown to actually wax poetic. In the long view of the programme, Tennant is merely echoing this little-known, but there--from-the-start character trait: the Doctor digs France.
Which is a cool thing, considering how generally un-British a trait that is.
In terms of the 10th Doctor's era alone, though, c'mon: it's a total tribute to a certain lady plagued by clockwork droids who literally touched his mind like no other other woman ever has.
Philosophically, I've always thought it was downright weird that the best-travelled person in the universe didn't have a few common expressions from other languages that he dropped into conversation. People who've spent significant time in other cultures often hit conversational moments in their native tongue where a phrase from the adopted language will seem more appropriate, especially if they're speaking quickly.
Far as I'm concerned, the Doctor should've been doing this kinda "language-dropping" in every incarnation. Not only is it logical, it's great for kids for their hero to occasionally expose them to common expressions from other languages.
42 may (and I do stress, may) have had comparatively bad science for kids, but it had great math and foreign language references.
Well said. I'm relatively new to posting here, but I do enjoy these threads. It seems for the most part that the posts are well reasoned and raise interesting points...even when opinions differ widely. For my part, I find that the new series never fails to entertain after a long work week. I've only been bored once (Fear Her), and I've been "wowed" a couple of times (Girl in the Fireplace,Empty Child/Doctor Dances), but overall I've found resurrected Who to be great fun...harking back to the original stories in many ways.
So, to conclude by making this relevant to the thread subject....42 was entertaining with a terrific moment here and there.
The 'Battle' For Most Number 1s
http://www.everyhit.com/mostnumber1s.html
in short, Elvis does hold the record. But its not clean cut enough to base a life and death situation over.
[QUOTE BY= DarthSkeptical]
Which is a cool thing, considering how generally un-British a trait that is.[/QUOTE]
No - the British love France - it's the French we have a problem with.
Coming in late as usual..
I enjoyed "42", but I was a little disappointed as I was expecting "42" to refer to Douglas Adams (given his past contributions to Doctor Who).
Maybe it's just so obvious that it needn't be pointed out, but I'm surprised no one has mentioned in this forum that the title "42" is actually a reference to the Fox TV series "24". (42 minutes until impact, shown in real time, just like 24 hours shown over 24 episodes, one hour each on "24").
For the first few minutes I honestly thought this would be the same crew from "Impossible Planet/Satan Pit", but at some earlier time period. So many similarities, most of which have already been pointed out by others: including the doors, the cell phone calls to Earth, the possession of crew members, etc.
If I recall correctly, the idea of lifeforms in the magnetic fields of the sun (or actually being composed of the magnetic fields of the sun) is a reference to older sci-fi of Asimov or Clarke.
The science gaffs are OK with me, as long as they are consistent. I think DarthSkeptical or Taras has already expressed this point of view. I am a physicist, so these things can really bother me if the science is the focus of the plot but is done with no attention to the details (e.g., the film "Event Horizon", or "Armageddon" just to name two). Somehow this is OK in Doctor Who, because the science is not really the point (as someone pointed out in another forum thread recently). I always felt like the science in Doctor Who, especially the science of the Timelords, was supposed to be so "way out there" that it would appear ridiculous to us, and so I accept it.
My biggest problem with this episode is that I don't know why the Doctor didn't just put on the space suit to walk through the vent chamber and get to the TARDIS when Martha's pod was released.
[QUOTE BY= daveac] And it looks like their messing with the start time again!!
7.15 instead of the 'regular' 7.00pm
Cheers, daveac
[/QUOTE]
I blame the FA Cup Final ....
[QUOTE BY= theoncomingstorm] [QUOTE BY= daveac] And it looks like their messing with the start time again!!
7.15 instead of the 'regular' 7.00pm
Cheers, daveac
[/QUOTE]
I blame the FA Cup Final ....[/QUOTE]
Welcome as a poster.
And again this week - 26th May - the start time is changed yet again.
This time it's 7.10pm.
Cheers, daveac
One thing nagged me during this episode (apologies if someone else already said this)-
Did that ship look a bit too much like a Nebulon-B frigate (from Star Wars)? That's all I could think of every time it was on screen.
[QUOTE BY= gwensdad2003] One thing nagged me during this episode (apologies if someone else already said this)-
Did that ship look a bit too much like a Nebulon-B frigate (from Star Wars)? That's all I could think of every time it was on screen.
[/QUOTE]In a word, yes.
But, as might be expected of someone with my nick, I personally wasn't so much bothered as delighted. Of course, I don't think it was actually all that intentional. The attendant Confidential makes it clear that the design was story driven. They needed an exterior which suggested a long corridor which separated the bridge from the engine room, and that's what they came up with. If in the process we got a nod to the last five minutes of Empire, so much the better.
From a purely functional standpoint, though, the design, as James pointed out on our weekly conversation, doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a cargo vessel. At least, inasmuch as any of us early 21st century types can surmise with our present, infant-like understanding of space travel.
[QUOTE BY= DarthSkeptical]From a purely functional standpoint, though, the design, as James pointed out on our weekly conversation, doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a cargo vessel. At least, inasmuch as any of us early 21st century types can surmise with our present, infant-like understanding of space travel. [/QUOTE]
I dunno... it looked a bit like the Discovery One from 2001: A Space Odyssey
Sean.
As already stated elsewhere, I also feel that nothing new was said with this episode. I felt like I'd seen it all before, especially in last seasons superb The Impossible Planet.
The best bit for me was the slience (that actually went on for what seemed like quite a while) when Martha was ejected into space. Most modern tv seems scared of silence, as if the program makers are afraid that the viewer is going to suddenly get bored. I saw an old episode of The Avengers recently where Emma Peel is trapped in a house that had been specifically engineered to ensnare her. There was no talking for about ten minutes, only Mrs Peel trying to escape from the house.
It was magical television, totally enthralling and engaged me thoroughly. It was only when someone finally spoke that I realised I was on the edge of my seat.
And from the "Murray Gold is a genius" desk—
Just rewatched this episode and noticed the Master's theme/drums/theme tune baseline right at the very end, when the Sinister Woman confisgates Francine's phone. Very subtle prior to seeing Episode 12, but after watching "The Sound of Drums", ya really can't miss it here in episode 7.
The Gallifreyan Embassy - Forum
http://gallifreyanembassy.org/portal/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=14400