Doctor Who Se 4 x 02 Fires of Pompeii(spoilerville, louisiana!)

Doctor DooM

Good episode, I thought.

Nice characterisation, loved the water pistol, the cult of sybil was interesting, the lava monsters were great.

Who is this 'she' who is returning, I wonder?

I like the fact the Doctor caused Vesuvius. It makes him less human, more like a force of nature.

I found Donna entirely standable, too.

As a side note, I had a Latin book in school which featured caecilius and his son Quintis in Pompeii...

monkeyfudge

I thought it was a fantastic episode.

Quite a few bob spent on it too. Watching Doctor Who Confidential right now and they did a full location shoot in Italy.

Certainly lots of foreboding in this episode. And like the Nusary planet last week we find that another alien race has lost a planet.

rossie1977

great episode, watching the trailer last week i had big doubts but glad i was wrong

a bit cheesy at times (the water pistol :rolleyes:) and rather historially inaccurate but hey who cares

nothing

Hah, totally historically inaccurate, the Doctor causes the volcanoe to erupt! Lol

Nice episode, liked how different Donna is compared to the others, if it had been Rose or Martha, they would have just left without any notion of saving anyone.

Doctor DooM

monkeyfudge wrote: »

I thought it was a fantastic episode.

Quite a few bob spent on it too. Watching Doctor Who Confidential right now and they did a full location shoot in Italy.

Certainly lots of foreboding in this episode. And like the Nusary planet last week we find that another alien race has lost a planet.

I would guess this is something to do with the shadow proclomation. That twice they've alreay been mentioned.

BlitzKrieg

goddamnit i hate not having a tv...

BuffyBot

I liked it. Donna was refreshing. Certainly Rose or Martha wouldn't give him the resistance she did.

Loved the pacing, loved the nod to "The Romans" at the start - a pretty good second episode all round.

The Master

Did anybody else catch the Fawlty Towers reference?

"You'll have to excuse my friend Shes from Barcelona"

Doctor DooM

Robster The Lobster wrote: »

Did anybody else catch the Fawlty Towers reference?

"You'll have to excuse my friend Shes from Barcelona"

LOL, no I missed that, but thanks for pointing it out! I am glad it was a good episode, after the weak opener it might have been a very bad thing for the series if this one was poor, too.

Doctor DooM

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

goddamnit i hate not having a tv...

I think you can watch the episode a few days after on www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho

pixelburp

I thought it was an excellent episode, and certainly much improved on the first. Though I always knew, from past form, that this would be the case. good characters, and a good episode to show us that the Doctor is indeed an alien and not just some hyper fella nipping about the universe having fun and games.

The SFX were also very good it has to be said

I'd be interested to know what the people who were trashing series3 & the latter episodes being produced thought of this one. Given there were insinuations that people were turning off their TVs; did this one change their mind?

BlitzKrieg

I would guess this is something to do with the shadow proclomation. That twice they've alreay been mentioned.

Havnt they been mentioned in every season though?

Its a sort of running gag by now, the doctor (or Rose in one episode) always states its authority and everytime the aliens just ignore it.

Its very season 2 with its arc, there's a chunk of it in your face in every episode (in season 2 it was torchwood) but its not the big part of the finale (again in season 2 it was dalek/cyberman war) So I say the planet thing is only part of the arc.

Doctor DooM

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

Havnt they been mentioned in every season though?

Its a sort of running gag by now, the doctor (or Rose in one episode) always states its authority and everytime the aliens just ignore it.

Its very season 2 with its arc, there's a chunk of it in your face in every episode (in season 2 it was torchwood) but its not the big part of the finale (again in season 2 it was dalek/cyberman war) So I say the planet thing is only part of the arc.

Yeah but they're NOT ignoring it this series. The nanny not Rani in the first episode was worried the Doctor would get the Shadow Proclamation involved in her scheme. I don't remember them being mentioned twice in a a row with such directness. Time will tell of course, it'd be cool if they were deliberatly trying to put us off the scent.

popebenny16

excellent ep, one that should be flagged to attract new viewers and also dipell the doubters. powerful perfomances from the leads, good focusing on the dilemma of a time lord, natural human reaction from Donna (how would Rose react I wonder) and a very good story and nice drama.

I found the segment where the two sayers were reveling everything about Donna and The Doctor chilling. Good Stuff all round.

Maybe he will free the Ood next week too!!!

monkeyfudge

popebenny16 wrote: »

I found the segment where the two sayers were reveling everything about Donna and The Doctor chilling. Good Stuff all round.

Yep. It was great that it had set it up so you thought that your man was going to be a bit of a spoofer but then he comes out with Gallifrey. Very well done even if his name was a bit ridiculous. I kept expecting Biggus Dickus to show up in the episode.

pixelburp

popebenny16 wrote: »

Maybe he will free the Ood next week too!!!

According to the press releases, this won't be the case. Seems to be the other way around.

The Master

next week is about the origin of the Ood so If he did free them the satan pit episodes couldnt have happened

aidan_walsh

Robster The Lobster wrote: »

next week is about the origin of the Ood so If he did free them the satan pit episodes couldnt have happened

Wibbley wobbley timey wimey to the rescue.

smurfit06

Still in all, Donna...... bit of a lauren/gran feel about her! still really good.

thelordofcheese

Robster The Lobster wrote: »

Did anybody else catch the Fawlty Towers reference?

"You'll have to excuse my friend Shes from Barcelona"

and my favourite bit
"I am..... Spartacus"
"and so am I"

Doctor DooM

thelordofcheese wrote: »

and my favourite bit
"I am..... Spartacus"
"and so am I"

And so's your wife

markw999

SDooM wrote: »

I think you can watch the episode a few days after on www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho

Only if you live in England. All those "watch free online" things dont work from irish IP'S

Doctor DooM

"In the corresponding edition of Doctor Who Confidential (The Italian Job) Russell T. Davies states - or confirms, for those of us who suspected - that Caecilius and his family are based on characters from a series of Latin text books used in secondary schools."

I have it at home.

BlitzKrieg

the cornelius family in the latin books right?

they go off to the colluseum in the 2nd or 3rd one and they have a slave named Davus?

god I hated latin