I've done another written review of 'The Empty Child' and 'The Doctor Dances'. I'd like to know your thoughts on the episodes, but also I'd appreciate feedback too. I've posted a link to my video review below too...

I'd already discovered the delights of the tenth Doctor before I'd ventured into the world of Eccleston's 'fantastic' Doctor, but it didn't take me long to realise that the first series of the show was just as mesmerising as the second. By the time I reached episode nine, I was already head over heels in love with the leather-jacket wearing, all grinning all bounding nineth Doctor and knew that no matter how dire an episode plot would be, nothing could dampen the mood of such a glorious man. Having skimmed over the plot briefly before viewing however, I felt I had nothing to worry about. I only hoped my prejudgement was going to be correct.

The two parter episodes, 'The Empty Child' and 'The Doctor Dances', may have aired in May of 2005, but it removed us completely from present day and sent us back to London in 1941, during the Blitz. Almost immediately, Rose goes off to venture around, leaving the Doctor to try and source a missing companion. However it's not long before he has even bigger problems, when he realises a lonely little boy looking for his mother is carrying an infectious disease that the Doctor thought could only be alien. Whilst trying to route to the source of this threatening problem, Rose finds herself in the arms of a charming Time Traveller, away from the Doctor.

I'm a massive History Geek, so to have two episodes set during the Second World War was brilliant. The thought alone of combining said era with one of the greatest TV shows of all time was thrilling. Kudos to the costume department - I was incredibly impressed with the array of 1940s clothes used to create the ideal feel. The street sounds, the set designs, the blackened sky lit up by fleeting airplanes; it all created the perfect atmosphere for viewers to experience. I've seem some shoddy shows over the years which simply didn't carry across a genuine enough Blitz presence, but this one was golden.

The quality of the acting was brilliant. I'd have expected nothing less from Chris (Eccleston) and Billie (Piper) - I knew what they were capable of and this they had delivered. However, being a first time viewer of John Barrowman, I was incredibly impressed with his portrayal of Captain Jack Harkness - he allowed me to fall in love with the character immediately, which is only a good thing. Florence Hoath was lovely as Nancy - you could see clearly the mixed emotions which were sunk deep behind her eyes; the fear in her heart for Jamie, which was bundled around the love she helf for him.

I've yet to be disappointed by an episode written by Steven Moffatt - that man's a genuis. I can say the same for James Hawes, director of the two episodes in question. There are some especially beautiful scenes throughout both, ones which have you on the edge of your seat with your heart in your mouth, and others which make you blink furiously to fight back the tears. Hawes also directed my three other personal favourite episodes - definitely fine work there.

If I were to recommend any particular series one episode to a first time Doctor Who viewer, it would without a doubt be these two. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that they're not just one of the best in the series, but one of the best out of the entire twenty-first Century 'Doctor Who' series'. I struggle to find even a smudge of imperfection upon both 'The Empty Child' and 'The Doctor Dances'. They're beautifully frightful and will certainly leave a scar in your mind.

Amy x

Video review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qbFp6dFASA

Blog:
www.mcleanamy.blogspot.com

definitely agree with this. For me it's the first out and out classic post 2005 story.

Loved the bit where The Doctor goes into the nightclub and asks if anyone has noticed anything falling from the sky

My favourite Moff story ever!!!!! So clever, so brilliant, so charming...and well just fantastic!!!!

Still my favourite story (and favourite Doctor) to date. Fantastic

Definitely the highlight of series 1, fantastic story well acted. My girlfriend of the time was really freaked out by the child and the" are you my mummy?", specially the bit where the tape runs out and you can still hear him. It actually gave her nightmares, a 38 year old woman and she wouldnt even watch the second part

Superb episode. Still strong now. The ending is sublime. "Everybody lives!" - Eccleston delivers that line with such conviction. Don't think the later Docs could have done it justice or given it that much gravitas.

It was a special series... <sigh>

not sure about that. Chris, John and Billie, along with some good guest stars, undoubtedly do excellent work with some very patchy material.....some real gems like this story, and the finale, a few good/very good stories, but also a lot of medicore to poor stuff too.

series 1 is all about the show finding it's feet in my view. Take away the great cast and I'm not sure it would have flown quite as well as it did.

I think they could.

My own opinion is that these episodes shine in an otherwise poor to middling series.

The Doctor Dances is my all time favourite episode. I reviewed the whole of series 1 in the DW fan thread over the summer.

The cast certainly were superb and I agree it wouldn't have worked as well with lesser actors.

However, I don't think series 1 was any patchier than the others. Disclaimer- I'm biased, 9 is my favourite Doctor and hence it's my favourite series.

But all series have highs and lows- often we disagree about where these fall, and I think they largely come from trying to appeal to such a wide audience. In my opinion, in series 1 the highs are particularly great and the lows not bad at all. I think series 2 is the worst so far (a few great moments, but mostly not up to the standard of the rest).

Series 3, for example, had some amazing high points (Blink, Human Nature/Family of Blood, the final few minutes of Utopia) but also some of, in my opinion, the worst episodes (The Lazarus Experiment, Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks, 42- which was a great idea ruined by a pub quiz!).

I agree that all series have their ups and downs, but series 1 had more than the average for me.

That said, your example in relation to series 3 is interesting. People often rate that series much more highly than series 1, but i would say it is only slightly above it. I think people do place an awful lot of emphasis on the Human Nature - Utopia quartet of episodes and tend to overlook it did have quite a lot of very average episodes as well.

I agree with this, although extend that quartet into a five-way streak or something, as I thought The Sound of Drums was pretty good too.

well i would add Sound of Drums in myself, but I think it wasn't quite viewed in the same bracket as the other four by fandom as a whole, which is why i left it out...

Withseries 1...depsite some "bad stories" wha I love about it is tht it has a certain simple charm to it...while I love the other series' as well....you know they are always trying to up their game in some form...whether that be effects, storytelling power, story arcs, types of actors....and so on, But Series 1 just seems to have one aim, to get Doctor Who back on the screen, and give the best they can in what ever way they can....and its simplicity is beautiful.....even the weak stories like the Slitheen two parter, or Long Game, there is a sense of wanting to try different things...not being hundred percent sure what will work, and just having a go...and I love that feeling....


On top of that....if I indeed had not likedseries 1....then I wouldn't be here now.... so it will always hold a special placein my heart....

one thing i do really like about series 1 is the liner simplicity of it, which i guess ties in a little with what your saying.

Despite my reservations about CE, I thought these two episodes were two of his better performances. His humour in this was a bit more liberal than usual, espaclly when he goes into that club and asks if anything has fallen out of the sky....

I liked the cliffhangers as well, it's one of those where you really can't possibly imagine how The Doctor could get out of it, the situation really does seem bad. I also liked the Richard Wilson transformation into the gasmask thingy and off course, the 'Everybody Lives' sequence was brillant.

And off course, Captain Jack. In hindsight, more than at original viewing, it serves to remind us just how much the character has gone from conman to hero. That's what I call character development!!!!!

Not the best episodes of Series 1 but I liked them nonetheless.

i love the resolution to it even more...."go to your room".

Love it!

But I have to disagree with your view it isn't the best story of series 1....I think it's the best by a country mile! One of the the very best nu who stories 2.

IIRC it came in 5th in the Mighty 200 poll, making it the favorite nu who story other than Blink.

I guess it is the kind of story that benefits from being almost universally liked.

I just think the finale is better, and I also like Father's Day as well, doesn't mean I think any less of it, there were just better stories.

And yes, it was a good resolution!!!

I love the finale too, till this year it was my favorite finale: I love the uncluttered feel of it, and the fact it stands mainly on three high quaility acting performances from the three lead cast, they all have moments that stand out as all time greats:

The Doctor - his reaction to Roses 'death' and "fantastic"
Rose- "I'm just sitting here eating chips"
Jack -"see you in hell" and defiantly standing down the daleks

Still my dream nu who tardis team!


Father's Day has some top notch performances, but i find the story oddly dull and i find myself quite emotionally detached.

How weird, because I thought that about Vincent and The Doctor, an episode I know you love!!!!!

I prefer Father's Day, I like the time concept of the episode and it moved along just nicely, I didn't really feel that with VATD.

Yes, the finale is good, it's number three out of five for me, Doomsday is my fave, but also like Season 4's Finale as well which I watched this afternoon, has a reunion of your dream team in that!!!!!

Although I later came to get annoyed by Rose I have to agree on this. I adore all the last five episodes. My love of Captain Jack is well known and I love his development in series 1. I also love the comedy from CE

Jack - 'You're such hard work!'
Doctor - 'But worth it!'
I could watch these five episodes time and time again like no other sequence.

Doctor - Do you mind flirting outside?
Jack - I was just saying hello!
Doctor - For you thats flirting!

Glad you do!


That's a comic line!





Definitely fantastic!


The finale is great too!


I do wish Jack/John would treat me the way he treats Rose. In fact...I wish he'd treat me any way! x