Marines: I understand that we have a little less reason to celebrate here, since Series 1 was only 13 episodes, but some of those first few (or 7) were rough....
When I originally wrote my part of this recap, three months ago, this was a lot of squealing about finishing a 13-episode season. Well, that took us a bit longer than anticipated between holidays and relocations and naps and stuff, but still: HOORAY FINISHING EVEN SHORT THINGS! Now, episode:
The Daleks all scream at Rose to predict the Doctor's next move, since she knows and understands him. She doesn't tell them that knowing the Doctor means knowing he's a bit unpredictable. I mean, a wide tooth smile, waving around his sonic screwdriver, a convenient way out of trouble. That's all I got.
Kirsti: Honey badger don't need no stinking plan!
The Daleks all scream at Rose to predict the Doctor's next move, since she knows and understands him. She doesn't tell them that knowing the Doctor means knowing he's a bit unpredictable. I mean, a wide tooth smile, waving around his sonic screwdriver, a convenient way out of trouble. That's all I got.
Kirsti: Honey badger don't need no stinking plan!
This episode is off to a great start because the title is Bad Wolf which means we kick off the drinking game BEFORE we start watching. This pleases me greatly.
We start 100 years after the Simon Pegg episode. The Doctor wakes up in a tiny spinny elevator. He falls out and a girl with pigtail buns helps him up as he stumbles about, terribly confused by how he got there. Pigtails explains that he's been "chosen" to be in some sort of Big Brother type house. The Doctor is summoned into "the diary room" where he sits down in a big red chair with a giant case of "Are you fucking kidding me?" which is a fair reaction.
We start 100 years after the Simon Pegg episode. The Doctor wakes up in a tiny spinny elevator. He falls out and a girl with pigtail buns helps him up as he stumbles about, terribly confused by how he got there. Pigtails explains that he's been "chosen" to be in some sort of Big Brother type house. The Doctor is summoned into "the diary room" where he sits down in a big red chair with a giant case of "Are you fucking kidding me?" which is a fair reaction.
After a bunch of previouslies reminding us about the Slitheen, a worried man tells someone off screen that he's looked at the plans for something and they're unsafe. He pleads with Mystery Person to put a stop to it immediately before millions of people die. The camera pans around to show us Margaret, now in some position of authority. After establishing that he hasn't shared this information with anyone else, he turns away and says that the plans are almost as if someone wants the project to go wrong, wants to wipe the entire city off the map. He turns and screams because Margaret has taken off her skin suit and is all Slitheen-y. She attacks and we throw to the credits.
We pick up right where we left off, with the Empty People closing in around the Doctor, Rose and Jack. The Doctor yells at them all to go to their room. They pause. With more conviction and a hand point, the Doctor says he's very cross and again orders them to their room. We cut between him and the Empty Child who was closing in on Nancy. The Empty Child hangs his head, chastised, turns around and leaves. All of the Empty People do the exact same.
We begin with the Doctor and Rose frantically chasing something with the TARDIS. It's mostly a lot of frantic camera motions and the Doctor explaining to Rose that "mauve" is the universally recognized by-everyone-who-isn't-human color for danger, and what they are chasing is totally mauve. Also it's headed for the center of London, as dangerous wibbly wobbly timey wimey things tend to do.
We open with a slightly terrifying close-up of a ginger bloke and Rose voiceover-ing about her dad, the most wonderful man in the world. I feel like I know the ginger bloke from something, but IMDb informs me it's just One Episode of Every British Police Show Ever. (M: A+) That throws us into a flashback of Jackie showing Mini!Rose photos of her father and telling her about the day he died, how it was the same day that friends of hers got married. In the TARDIS, Rose asks the Doctor if they can go and see her father when he was still alive. The Doctor is briefly concerned and tells her "be careful what you wish for" but agrees with a grin nonetheless. He pulls some controls and the TARDIS vworp vworps.
A TV screen (on my TV screen) is showing a news broadcast about solar flares. We pan away from it as we hear what my closed captioning describes as the "throbbing hum" of the TARDIS materializing. The Doctor and Rose disembark and he quickly gives her the lowdown: it's 200,000 and they've landed on a space station. He points out a gate in the corner and tells Rose to start there.
Before she can start whatever in the over there (I'm being as vague as the teaser so far, not trying to write best selling erotica, FYI), Rose knocks on the TARDIS door and tells Adam to come on out.
Before she can start whatever in the over there (I'm being as vague as the teaser so far, not trying to write best selling erotica, FYI), Rose knocks on the TARDIS door and tells Adam to come on out.
Sorry this post is late. I have Angel levels of, "I DON'T WANNA," feelings about this right now, but seeing the episode title, I'm moderately excited because I know that Daleks are A THING and literally the only reason I am watching this show is because I hate feeling left out of cultural references and this show I don't yet enjoy watching happens to be a BFD with my corner of the internet. "Ha! I get that joke!" I will say as I laugh into my internet martinis and choke them back a little faster so I don't have to share my true feelings.
We pick up exactly where we left off. The Doctor fights off the electricity and gathers it into a ball in one hand. "Deadly to humans, maybe!" he says, and shoves the electricity ball into the Slitheen's chest. It and MP Sugar writhe in pain.
DOOO WEEE OOOOH!
After the credits, we see that the Slitheen in the Cabinet Room and the one in Jackie's flat are both writhing in electricity covered pain too.
DOOO WEEE OOOOH!
After the credits, we see that the Slitheen in the Cabinet Room and the one in Jackie's flat are both writhing in electricity covered pain too.
The TARDIS appears in front of Rose's less than fancy looking apartment complex. (K: For the Americans among us, allow me to teach you about council estates, otherwise known as "where Rose Tyler lives.") Rose and the Doctor get out and her first question is how long she's been gone. Only about 12 hours. Rose laughs and promises not to take long, as she just wants to check on her mother. She tells the Doctor not to disappear on her. He gives her a cute little smile in return.
Cute in a, "yeah, yeah, whatever you say," way.
Sweeney: I mentioned this last time, but to reiterate: while I'm still not really enjoying this show, these bits are cute.
Cute in a, "yeah, yeah, whatever you say," way.
Sweeney: I mentioned this last time, but to reiterate: while I'm still not really enjoying this show, these bits are cute.
I have been putting this off for an unreasonable amount of time, mostly because I've been busy but partially because of my struggle to get into this show. I was feeling kind of guilty about it, too, because I want so badly to love this thing that everybody else loves. Then I remembered that (a) the 1x01 comments are filled with amazing stories of many a devout Whovian's struggle to come into the light -and- (b) There are a half dozen, "LOL you gave Sweeney that episode to start with?" comments on the last post. So, you know, these are all things. What I'm saying is THANKS, GUYS.
(In truth, there's no winning for you - either you don't warn me and I'm all, "WHAT ARE WE WATCHING? WHY WHY WHY?' or you do warn me and I'm all, "THANK YOU FOR PLANTING SEEDS OF DREAD.")
(In truth, there's no winning for you - either you don't warn me and I'm all, "WHAT ARE WE WATCHING? WHY WHY WHY?' or you do warn me and I'm all, "THANK YOU FOR PLANTING SEEDS OF DREAD.")
We pick up exactly where we left off, with Rose running into the TARDIS. Only this time, the shot is from the inside. The Doctor grins and asks Rose where she wants to go first - forwards or backwards in time. She picks forwards, one hundred years. The Doctor flicks some switches and gizmos on the TARDIS console, and they vworp vworp their way to the 22nd century. But when they land, the Doctor declares 100 years to be nothing and suggests going further. Rose agrees, and he flicks some console stuff again. More vworp-ing, and they're 10,000 years in the future, at the height of the New Roman Empire. Rose smirks that the Doctor thinks he's impressive, and he decides they're going further. He mans the console again and we see the TARDIS flying through a time vortex. (L: Flying with our old, dear friends, Bad Special Effects. Man, those guys stay busy!)
First and foremost, Kirsti is the long time fan, this is my second watch and Sweeney is the first time watcher. As always, we try to keep things as spoiler-free as we can, for the benefit of the Snow.
I started watching Doctor Who and quit after 1.5 episodes because it was boring me to tears. At some time while season 7 was still airing, Kirsti convinced me to power through season 1, with the expectation that it would get way better. And so I did (except I skipped episode 3. It's the only episode I've never seen.) and I fell in love.
Kirsti: I find it really interesting that so many people have skipped episode 3 of season 1.
I started watching Doctor Who and quit after 1.5 episodes because it was boring me to tears. At some time while season 7 was still airing, Kirsti convinced me to power through season 1, with the expectation that it would get way better. And so I did (except I skipped episode 3. It's the only episode I've never seen.) and I fell in love.
Kirsti: I find it really interesting that so many people have skipped episode 3 of season 1.