dw: partners in crime

[usuallyhats]

I must admit I was not terribly impressed. So consider this fair warning that there will be negativity in this here review. Do not read if you like your squee unharshed!



It was a bit flat, rather by-the-numbers really, despite the vast amount of "gosh wow isn't this bit exciting?" music. I loved the fact that Donna was investigating Adipose too (made me think of Sarah Jane) but then it turned out that she was just looking for the Doctor. Marginally better than her telling her grandfather "I'm not drifting, I'm waiting" for a specific man (quickly clarified as not meant in a romantic way, just so we don't try and ship them or anything ridiculous like that), but still annoying. Though apart from that the scene with her grandfather was quite sweet. On the other hand, rolled my eyes a bit at how her grandfather was the sympathetic ear and her mother was the nagging, obstructive one. I was also not happy that Donna never got to go around the world on her own.

Some of the comedy bits worked, some didn't - I laughed at Donna accusing the Doctor of never changing his suit.

The plot really reminded me of Invasion of the Bane, especially the villainess.

The scene with the Doctor all alone and sad in the TARDIS did not make me feel sorry for him, I'm afraid. He did say Martha was brilliant, that things got "complicated" with her and that it was his fault (YAY!) but it did imply a bit that it was because he got her involved in the Year That Never Was and the fact that she fancied him (which, according to Donna, makes her mad and blind - not sure what to make of that) rather than his treatment of her (boo).

But then Rose turns up in the last minute. Not cool! This was supposed to be Donna's episode. I have a horrible feeling that this season really will be all about Rose. Just when I was starting to like her again! And it seems she's been downgraded from "so alive" to "still lost", harrumph. >:(

Also, I had the confidential on whilst I was cooking, did RTD really say that all women argue with their mothers all the time? If so, between this and that thing he said ages ago about how little girls never used to watch Who I do wish he'd stop denying my existence.



Also, some more evidence that the Guardian really is the newspaper for me, their review of "Partners in Crime":



"The Doctor's back, but you may want to hold the applause until next week as first we have to get the obligatory Russell T. Davies-scripted season opener out of the way. While RTD has done great work in getting the show back on air he's really not much cop at writing for it. Here we get a very flatly filmed and unmysterious mystery for the Doctor to solve involving diet pills, call centres and the dumbest looking creatures the show has presented since Sylvester McCoy was pitted against that Bertie Bassett lookalike monster."

Comments

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

I was forewarned about Rose's appearance, so I was impressed -- I'd expected it to be much bigger. I've decided to withhold judgment for a few more episodes where that plot thread is concerned.

[usuallyhats]

I think I wouldn't have minded it so much a few episodes down the line, and I am curious about how she got there and where she went, but I just felt that for this episode at least it should've just been Donna. The mentions of Rose and Martha were fine, but it feels like the production team didn't think the audience'd keep watching just for Donna and they had to throw Rose in there too. And I had no idea that she was going to appear! So I will give them points for surprising me at least, I suppose.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

I recognised the back of Billie's head. *is lame*

I'd have liked them to hold Rose off for a few eps, but I'm pretty sure the next Earth-based story is "The Sontaran Stratagem", and I'm really glad they didn't have Rose and Martha back at the same time.

[usuallyhats]

That's a good point, that would have been worse.

I didn't recognise her until she turned round, but then I'm quite unobservant!

[velvetfascism.livejournal.com]

Miss Foster had nothing on Mrs Wormwood!

Hehe, oh I like the Guardian! My kind of paper.

[usuallyhats]

She was just a cheap Mrs Wormwood imitation!

The Guardian is fab, I love it muchly.

[stoplookingup.livejournal.com]

Re: The Guardian -- Take THAT, Mr. If-people-don't-get-my-writing-it's-because-they're-stupid-not-because-my-writing-sucks T. Davies!

[usuallyhats]

Exactly! Ah, vindication.

[runtling.livejournal.com]

Oh my, I think I love The Guardian, ahaha. :D

Oh course her mother was the nagging one. That's all women can do, after all.

I do wish that the Doctor had made some mention of his treatment of Martha, but RTD is probably completely oblivious to what a shit Ten was to her, so he couldn't really stick that in, could he?

I can't wait for him to leave.

[usuallyhats]

*hugs the Guardian happily*

Yeah, I really wish we could have the Doctor admit he treated Martha badly, but RTD seems to be hung up on the whole "the Doctor is always right" thing so I'm not holding out much hope. At least there was some acknowledgement that things weren't perfect.

[ghostpaw.livejournal.com]

I agree that the episode was spectacularly meh, but then RTD's opening episodes historically are. Someone let him loose with a dictionary again, didn't they? And yes, what is it with that man and casual misogyny? ooh, I seem to be stuck in rhetorical question mode. Bad grammar!

Donna has grown on me already. Not difficult, given I thought she'd be desperatly irritating, but hopefully, hopefully she won't spend the entire time making cow-eyes at the Doctor and actually slap some sense into the emo twat.

(I still feel the urge to throttle Ten in the hope he'll regenerate into less of a self-obsessed berk.)

I don't get why Donna didn't go traveling on her own, either. The only thing I can think of is a lack of funds, but that doesn't stop most people. Does the Whoniverse not have hitchhikers backpackers?

I was quite disappointed with the appearance of the Blessed Saint Rose so soon. Actually, I'm quite dissapointed that Billie Piper threw her toys out the pram and demanded to come back at all, but that's beside the point. Am I really the only person who would like Rose to go away and let people get some closure?

(If she even thinks about coming to Cardiff she's going in the Severn)

[usuallyhats]

Donna was growing on me by the end of The Runaway Bride - I think Catherine Tate's really good at the subtler bits so hopefully she'll get more of those to do. Her no-nonsense...ness is great and I hope it lasts.

I don't get why Donna didn't go traveling on her own, either.
If there's one thing I've learned about watching new Who it's that humans, especially female ones, can't manage anything without the Doctor's help >:(

I'm inclined not to blame Billie for Rose's reappearance - even if she did ask to come back it was RTD's decision to do it and it's up to him how it gets handled. I was hoping for a bit longer without her too..

[sushigal007.livejournal.com]

But then Rose turns up in the last minute. Not cool! This was supposed to be Donna's episode. I have a horrible feeling that this season really will be all about Rose.

Are you in my brain? That's pretty much excatly what I thought!

[usuallyhats]

I'm in ur brains, stealing ur thoughts. (sorry, I couldn't resist saying it!)

I'm quite fond of Rose, most of the time, but this should be Donna's year, it's her turn!