My dislike of the Slitheen is well documented on the forums so I am not going to bore everyone with it all over again.

The scripts for AOL/WW3 were rather juvenile in comparison to others in the series. Boomtown did redress the balance as it had far more depth, less emphasis of the farting gags and a sterling performance by Annette Badland.

Series one had a lot of strength but equally it was weak and flawed in places. Nothing is ever perfect and you can only please some of your audience some of the time..otherwise we would be viewing it through rose tinted glasses.

We can only hope that when they came to plan series two they took a constructive look back at what worked and what didn't and used that knowledge to strength it even more. Some of the early signs we are seeing are encouraging with the casting of fine actors Maureen Lipman, Roger Lloyd Pack, Tracy Ann Oberman et al and returning faces Liz Sladen, Zoe Wanamaker etc...

We also have a fine pedigree of writers and directors this series two so all bodes well.

I think a lot of people are feeling uneasy at the inclusion of people like Trisha, Derek Accorah etc even if they are only cameos..it reminds them of the unhappy 80's when the series used far too many lightweight 'names'.

The proof of the pudding is always in the tasting so whilst I have my reservations I am trying to keep an open mind but I refuse to don those rose tinted spectacles when it comes to an honest appraisal of each episode I watch.

Nicely put, BG - and you saved me a lot of typing.

thank you Mr Watts!

Yes I agree with the Black Guardian really, nicely put indeed.
I am looking forward to season 2, believe it or not, but I do hope the writers pay attention to the flaws in series 1.
It isn't an easy series to write for as everone has an opinion on it even if its just as mundane as who should have the lead role.
David Tennant looks very promising, I just hope the scripts don't let him down. I hope there are fewer overly emotional aliens.
By the Way, I don't even don the rose tinted glasses for Jon Pertwee or Tom Baker episodes (which are generally my favourites) as many of those, especially Tom's, are also flawed but good television nevertheless.

I don't have a problem with emotional scenes as it keeps it real. The scene between The Doctor and Jabe when she tells him she knows who he is and the one with Rose telling Jackie that she had met her father really stood out and were quite powerful.

If you can't emotionally identify with certain characters and perhaps what they are going through then you can't really believe in them as people or aliens for that matter.

Agreed. My gripe is that I think there was a bit too much of it and that it was overplayed at times.

Did you have anyone or any particular scene in mind?

My gripe is and always will be Jackie and Mickey...though I concede Jackie was much better in TCI.

I agree with you about Jackie and Mickey, and yes she was better in TCI, Mickey was not.
I thought "Rose" worked well as an introductory episode, and showed great promise of what was to follow.
I still think the Dalek in "Dalek" would have been better suited to being Davros, whether it was mad or not.
The Slitheen in "Boomtown" was also another upset alien, and although done very effectively I just think there were too many of these sentimental scenes in series one.
There are more scenes and characters I could mention, but I must admit I haven't watched them since last year. What I am talking about is my overall perception of series one, and that is that there was too much sentimentality and soap. If there had been less "soap" with Rose et al, then the emotional aliens may not have been so much of a problem for me.

I found Boomtown a far more satisfying story in that it explored not just Margaret's predicament but also The Doctor's in that he had to face up to the responsibility of his actions.

Not fond of the soap element either but it has worked to a degree in that it anchors Rose to Earth and shows how her travels and experiences impact on others and just the person who is travelling in the TARDIS. Just think the actors overplayed the 'council estate' stereotype a bit too much to the point it was painful to watch.

Thankfully Jackie was much better in TCI but Mickey is best used for what he was intended....a table leg or something equally wooden!

Have to say Noel is amazing in Kidulthood and it is brilliantly written.

Absolutely agree, BG. Interestingly enough, it took a second viewing for me to really enjoy the emotional depth of this ep, as it (somehow) failed to click with me on the first viewing.


For me, one of the successes of new Who is that characters, whether human or alien are (generally) quite rounded and believable, which engages me beyond and above the drama, conflict and danger of stories.

As I mentioned before scenes like the one with Jabe and The Doctor, Rose with Pete Tyler, Rose with Jackie when she told her about meeting her father and a few more I could mention did work. There were some nice touching moments in series one I agree but equally there were some that were utterly contrived. I never really bought into the fact that someone like Rose would have such a wet blanket of boyfriend as Mickey either. She is strong and feisty. Not suggesting she would go out with a city type but I would imagine her with someone with a bit of 'umph' in them!

The script book (or is it the annual) explains that Mickey is Rose's safety net, and that she did have a relationship with someone a little bit more exciting (and more like the doctor)

Surely that makes Mickey even more of a doormat and doesn't reflect well on Rose...he will do until someone better comes along!

Or he will do until someone more dangerous comes along...

Perhaps that will be her undoing..

Maybe this person will make a reappearance in her life during series two, possibly causing Rose to rethink her desire to travel with the Doctor?

What has Rose been missing or lacking all her life and she has been longing for?

Her father!

True!

And when it comes to her father Rose always goes to pieces..as demontrated when talking to Jackie inside the TARDIS in POTW.

I'm predicting an "Orange Wednesday" moment very soon.

Two for the price of one?

Are we back to discussing David Tennant again?

So what did you mean by an orange Wednesday then?

You're right - I thought someone was going to put two and two together, join the dots, leap out of their bath and run yelling down the street...

Erm, maybe not that last one.

i thought you meant two for the price of one