Sunday, January 11, 2004
Doctor Who - Scream of the Shalka: parts 3 & 4
The time was when I would have leaped at the chance to watch some new Who, but it shows how unimpressed I was by Scream of the Shalka that it's only now that I've got around to listening to part 4 (out of 6). Listening to the early episodes again, it's not surprising that I couldn't really be arsed about it.
The Doctor continues to be very poor. Grant sounds like he's just reading it from the script, and it's a bloody awful one. "Ground floor - caves, aliens...", "Take me home, big boy" - give me strength. The weapons of mass destruction and regime change reference seem so laboured and right-on that they come across as ridiculous. And as for the TARDIS answering machine...
So the Master is an android. I wonder if they'll bother to explain how this situation occurred? Or whether it'll be relevant to the plot? If it's not, then you have to wonder why they bothered and anyone other than a hardcore fan won't have a clue or give a toss about it anyway.
On the acting front, Sophie Okonedo is still the best thing about it, Derek Jacobi is still underused and everyone else is just going through the motions.
The time was when I would have leaped at the chance to watch some new Who, but it shows how unimpressed I was by Scream of the Shalka that it's only now that I've got around to listening to part 4 (out of 6). Listening to the early episodes again, it's not surprising that I couldn't really be arsed about it.
The Doctor continues to be very poor. Grant sounds like he's just reading it from the script, and it's a bloody awful one. "Ground floor - caves, aliens...", "Take me home, big boy" - give me strength. The weapons of mass destruction and regime change reference seem so laboured and right-on that they come across as ridiculous. And as for the TARDIS answering machine...
So the Master is an android. I wonder if they'll bother to explain how this situation occurred? Or whether it'll be relevant to the plot? If it's not, then you have to wonder why they bothered and anyone other than a hardcore fan won't have a clue or give a toss about it anyway.
On the acting front, Sophie Okonedo is still the best thing about it, Derek Jacobi is still underused and everyone else is just going through the motions.
