Friends of The Beast Below
CoalHillJanitor
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Since a lot of people have been slagging off The Beast Below in another thread, I thought it deserved an appreciation thread of its own. Anyone have something good to say about it?
(Note: The answer 'no' is not exactly in keeping with the spirit of this thread.)
(Note: The answer 'no' is not exactly in keeping with the spirit of this thread.)
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Never understood why it got so much hate. It might not be the best episode ever made, but is nowhere near the worst. Not by a long shot.
The thing is it does all of that very well with a story that is at the very least average to good. Every time I see that episode I can't help but admire Moffat's writing all over again as it really is a huge info-dump and it hides it remarkably well. It's also a great first proper outing for 11 and does a good job at hinting how different he is from 10. More importantly it's also a strong outing for Amy and lets her stand on her own for a good chunk of time as well as actually showing us why she's considered companion-worthy (not by out-doing the Doctor as some seem to think but by having a different perspective and actually doing what the Doctor told her).
So to sum up: A good solid episode that gets through a lot of necessary exposition while still remembering to bring a plot along and establishes both 11 and Amy very nicely indeed.
society, a good ethical dilemma for the Doctor and a dash of Douglas Adams-style humour.
Thought Liz 10 was fab too, hope we see her again
The episode continues the introduction of Amy Pond as a great companion for The Doctor by how well she fits into his world. The moment at the end where she figures out how to save the day is a moment that is when she proves her worth as a new companion both to the Doctor and to the viewers.
It is also a good episode to introduce new fans who may have come onboard with S5. The most important thing to know about the Doctor is that he is very old, very wise, and cannot bear to see a child cry.
All of this was told in a old-school science fiction setting of a type that you don't see too much of anymore and had a fairly decent moral dilemma at its core.
I didn't think it was anywhere near as good as episodes like The Eleventh Hour or Amy's Choice, but in my opinion it was no where near the worst of series five like The Hungry Earth two parter or Vampires of Venice.
However, that isn't in with the spirit of the thread, so I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed the moral aspect of the story, and in particular the Doctor's frustration at the humans later on
I loved the line "There's an escaped fish..."
I've grown to appreciate the writing and performances through multiple viewings as well. It's our first insight into the personality of the fully 'cooked' Eleventh Doctor and we get to see his full range of emotions-- his compassion, his whimsy, his anger, as well as his 'alien-ness' in general.
I particularly like the way Moffat reworked the 'you-look-human', 'you-look-Time-Lord' exchange from Planet of the Dead. Whereas POTD charged that dialogue with inter-species sexual tension, TBB completely reversed that by having the Doctor emphasise how ancient the Time Lords are and almost imply that humans are an inferior copy.
Other great dialogue:
'Did he do the thing?'
'Say wheeeeeeeeeee!'
'This isn't going to be big on dignity.'
'Mysterious stranger, MO consistent with higher alien intelligence, hair of an idiot.'
'People phone you?' - 'Well, it's a phone box.'
And the Hartnellesque foretaste of the next episode with Churchill and the Dalek shadow is a brilliant touch.
The Beast Below is one of only two episodes my 3-year-old asks for by name. Well, not actually by name. He calls it 'the one about turning around' (as opposed to 'the one about the space monster' - The Eleventh Hour).
I think the one that got the most abuse at the time was Victory of the Daleks. I don't remember so much dislike for TBB. Possibly some were disappointed because it wasn't as epic as TEH.
I loved that too
Awwwww how lovely
I agree with all of the above, but I also liked the fact that the Doctor was going to get it wrong, it just shows that even with his vastly superior intellect he can still make mistakes, gives the rest of us mere mortals a bit of hope
Leaves some room for them to return somewhere else one day. I'd like to see Genesis of the Smilers.
Personally, I think they might evolve into the headless monks :eek:
By which I meant, not actually turn into them, but become the foundation of the order.
Oh I dunno, how many anticlockwise turns can you make without your head unscrewing?
Personally I have it on good authority that I have been screwed up for years
or have a screw loose
Sounds like an interesting idea....
i don't get that???? What problems was it trying to fix...in fact what problems is the series still trying to fix???
I loved this episode myself...after being quite disappointed by TEH....this was teh first episode of the Moff's since the Empty Child two parter, which coverd a subtext....politics in this case. And i enjoyed that element very much....I felt it was a mix of the Long Game and Gridlock in its themes...and had its own uniqueness as well. The ending, while I don't mind, got a bit too "all is well now" considering what choices the Queen had made, and that people had died....not that I expected her to be exiled or killed by the Doctor....I think just being told by Amy that the Queen will not let something like that happen again was a bit, "yeah the story is over"....and Amy repeating the whole the Doctor being old and kind got a bit annoying too....but loved it otherwise....looked very beautiful too....
FBB ..... BFF!
Well alright. But it's a shame to make me forego my usual Liz 10 getup. Most people are quite complimentary.
I liked the beast below. It definitely showed that Amy earned her place. She stopped him from doing something he would be haunted by for a very long time.
If I were the police state I probably would not have been sending people's kids down chutes to be eaten - drawing attention to the secret - but it did show that the smilers were more than just a grumpy face.
I understand some thought the portrayal of the police state was a bit muddled and a few plot holes. hmmm. I still thought the idea was good and if they had a little more time would probably have ironed those out. They used to take their time with stories and show carefully thought out police states and realistic opposition movements - the Space Museum for example. No, wait....