Diggery Dum

[nmg]

• Just because you can see the deus ex machina resolution coming a mile off, doesn't make it any better. In fact, it makes it sloppy, lazy storytelling.
• Insane cackling while an unknown hand recovers the ring of the bad guy was cliched when it happened at the end of Flash Gordon.
• Linking the Tochlaphane with the human remnants from Utopia is a nice touch.
• "They called me the Face of Bo" - priceless

Comments

[pinguthegreek.livejournal.com]

I literally had to switch over at some points, never, ever done that for an ep before.

I really felt like it was just too big. I mean, oh a Companion becomes a world heroine ? A time frame of a year ?

No, RTD overegged the pudding. Oh and what a convenient way to get Freema out of the Christmas ep.......

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

With you on the Toclafane and Face of Bo. And the other points (not to mention the Dobbying of the Doctor, and the burning of Darth Master's corpse).

RTD, just because it's sci-fi, you don't have to use all of the truisms!

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

Insane cackling while an unknown hand recovers the ring of the bad guy was cliched when it happened at the end of Flash Gordon.

Indeed.

"They called me the Face of Bo" - priceless

Yes, that was fun. And we always knew Jack had a big head.

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

Disagree: I thought moving the storyline on an entire year was quite a bold move, even if he stole it from Battlestar Galactica.

[nmg.livejournal.com]

Oh god, I'd forgotten the funeral pyre. Felt a bit Return of the Jedi, did that.

[tamsinj.livejournal.com]

saying what it's spoilers for might help though.

[john-callaghan.livejournal.com]

This wasn't an unsatisfying deus ex machina for me - the protagonists are using the villain's device against him and in a plausible way.

I've never got excited about all the messianic stuff, though. The final episode with Eccleston made the point: you can make a difference, whoever you are! Most Tennant stories have had the subtext: wait for someone magical to save you! Say a prayer! Not such a positive message...

[nmg.livejournal.com]

If you can't recognise a sonic screwdriver, you don't matter.

[lionsphil.livejournal.com]

I was wondering why you were using an otoscope for an icon.

[ah-see-argh.livejournal.com]

If only all the homages had such lineages, I fear that the "Temporal Reset Button" was done well and
truely to death in star trek voyager.

Although the hypnotic device that suddenly has telepathic and psycho-kinetic powers may well, (IF We are very lucky.) be unique.

[(Anonymous)]

"Just because you can see the deus ex machina resolution coming a mile off, doesn't make it any better. In fact, it makes it sloppy, lazy storytelling."

Things like this are RTD's biggest weaknesses as a writer - he loses all subtlety when the story needs it most.

"Insane cackling while an unknown hand recovers the ring of the bad guy was cliched when it happened at the end of Flash Gordon."

It's not a cliché - it's an homage! Honest!

~QuaternionBoy

Deus Ex Machina

[andylandy.livejournal.com]

I can't help but notice that all three series of New Who have had "Deus Ex Machina" endings. Maybe RTD just doesn't know how to do an ending properly.

1. Rose looks into the time vortex and absorbs magic "Erase the daleks and bring Jack back to life" powers.
2. The Doctor puts the Torchwood Ghost Shift thingy into reverse and all the bad guys simply get sucked back into the vortex.
3. Some bizarre combination of lots of people saying "Doctor" and the Archangel network magically bring the Doctor back from "Dobbyfication" and allow him to fly at the Master and save the day. Switching off the Paradox machine will make it all back to normal again.

The thing that gets me the most is that all the episodes leading up to this one were so good. It's a shame that they couldn't keep that up for the finale.