Series 5, Episode 8 - "The Hungry Earth"

pixelburp

The Silurians are back - yay! Now this could be interesting, as the Silurians were one of the few Old-Who enemies that were a bit more layered & three-dimensional than the generic pantomime monster, they weren't all about taking over the world. Their original appearance was also in one of the best Who adventures of the old series - "The Silurians" with Jon Pertwee, so it has a lot to live to.

Preview clips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw7Ao5swt8E

Daemos

Looking forward to this one. Chibnall, the writer, also wrote "42" from Series 3, and some of the better Torchwood episodes, including the Series 2 finale.

As a side note, I only just found out that the Silurians are from Earth :eek: And looking over a summary of their previous appearances, at least there's a good reason why they're underground, which 99% of the time needs a rubbish explanation

Aoifums

The doctor has a slingshot :eek:

I love his tardisised pockets

ixoy

"It's rubbish" "Don't you diss the sonic!" I think that joke was especially for me

I enjoyed this. It wasn't spectacular but above average for a two parter. Matt Smith still does the comic very well and Amy still shone, despite having less screen time ("Don't you shush me!"). I liked how they folded Rory into the story too and I think he works very well and hope they let him survive the season!

Not too sure what I thought of the new look Silurians. I know they were a different branch but they looked too human for my liking.

BuffyBot

I liked it. The slower pace that two parters allow always seems to make for better episodes.

Daemos

Agreed, very good. When the credits started rolling I was thinking "Wait, it's over already?" Next week should be very good.

Slightly off-topic, I just bought The Dalek Invasion Of Earth today (the Hartnell one, not the movie one) so am looking forward to getting stuck into that as well

angelll

That was good,next week looks good too. I think the mum will kill the warrior. Loved the effects at the end, very like city of ember.

BlitzKrieg

it was ok, but there was that pretty damn big lag in the middle when they were preparing for attack. didnt feel it was spending the time well.

but learning its a two parter, it seems they moved most of the highlights to next week.

Banjo Fella

Good episode, I thought, really built up expectations for the conclusion. It flew by for me, which is always a good sign.

Matt Smith's performance was as great as ever, that last scene between him and Amy was particularly affecting. Other stand-out moments included the Doctor's chat with the kid while in the church, sonic screwdriver mockery, Amy being completely pissed off during her "let me out!" scene, and the CSI-esque moment with the shades.

What was that bit with Amy and Rory's future selves about, I wonder? The trailer for next week's episode mentioned that this is set around an alterable point in time, so maybe the incarnation of Amy and Rory we saw are actually from the very near future, sent back to stop the drilling? Perhaps it's got nothing to do with this, but it would seem like a flippant addition if nothing more was made of it.

BlitzKrieg

i thought rory putting the ring in the tardis might have affected it when it went mental near the end and could have thrown things out of whack

pixelburp

Yes, the 2 parters really do work better simply because the stories have more time to breathe (as well as allowing for cliffhangers for extra tension), I wish we had more of them.

I thought it was a decent if unspectacular first part; the scale of it all felt so small. (a hamlet in wales & only 4 human characters. The trailer for next week though shows it'll be epic down with the Silurians) I'll tell you what, would anyone else agree with me that Season 5 has easily been the darkest in tone since the series came back to TV screens? Corpses stolen from graves & live dissection - we really are a long way from cute aliens made of fat.

As is standard by now, the Doctor / Amy / Rory interaction was faultless, with Rory showing his colours as a worthy companion. He's such a loveable dolt & reminds me of Harry Sullivan in many ways. Though I thought the Doctor wasn't quite as jittery and quirky as previous episodes, maybe Chris Chibnall isn't as good at that brand of chirpy weirdness - there certainly were less quotables than last week!

Also Starring LeVar Burton

I loved it... As mentioned already the episode flew by and it only felt about 15 minutes long to me, which meant I was really engrossed in it... I love the Silurians - the concept is really cool... Most of what I thought of the episode has already been mentioned, so I won't go on about it too much, but thought The Doctor, Amy and Rory were all great and its good that Rory is becoming more prominent as a character - I'd like to see him become an official companion alongside Amy, because that makes the most sense at the moment, that he remain in the TARDIS during Amy's tenure as companion...

Manach

I rather enjoyed the episode. For some reason it seemed style in a 1970s tone, instead of 2020. As a side-note, I don't think too much of a Silurian warrior who allowed herself to be captured by two civilians - perhaps I've been playing too much counter-strike lately.

ixoy

Manach wrote: »

I rather enjoyed the episode. For some reason it seemed style in a 1970s tone, instead of 2020.

Me too. I reckon it's the whole drilling thing, like "Inferno". I also then draw something like "The Green Death" in my head and, of course, quarries! Little towns fit right into that too.

pixelburp wrote:

I'll tell you what, would anyone else agree with me that Season 5 has easily been the darkest in tone since the series came back to TV screens? Corpses stolen from graves & live dissection - we really are a long way from cute aliens made of fat.

Yep, I'd agree. Definitely more of a horror vibe this year, which has worked very well in the '63 run. I can't believe that some people consider this season though more immature!

BaconZombie

Great episode, but I do have a few issues with it:

How did Roy open the Tardis door without a the key?

Why did Amy and Roy not insist on talking to their future selves and where did they go?
Which Amy was captured or were both ?

And on a nerdy side, why did they connect a DV camera to a DLink wireless router?

dmcg90

Banjo Fella wrote: »

What was that bit with Amy and Rory's future selves about, I wonder? The trailer for next week's episode mentioned that this is set around an alterable point in time, so maybe the incarnation of Amy and Rory we saw are actually from the very near future, sent back to stop the drilling? Perhaps it's got nothing to do with this, but it would seem like a flippant addition if nothing more was made of it.

Well I thought:

You're right I thought that they were maybe trying to warn them, seeing as they couldn't get through the barrier/shield

Doctor DooM

ixoy wrote: »

I can't believe that some people consider this season though more immature!

It's amazing how quickly ones spectacles can develop a rose tinted hue.

It was pretty good, not the best, not the worst.

The future amyrory has to mean something.

As does the ring.

You don't waste time on shots like that for nothing on smellyvision

mewso

Enjoyable with the "be the best humans" speech being the only thing that didn't feel right. Oh and a scottish lizard was a bit weird too.

mewso

I was just thinking actually about the dynamic between the Doctor and Amy and that it can be a bit much sometimes. Picture the scene. You work in a facility working on a drill and you walk into your work area to see two strangers in the room with one of your collegues. You ask who they are and what they are doing there. Amy replies "Amy, the Doctor. We're not staying, are we Doctor?". First thought. Who are these twats?

Daemos

BaconZombie wrote: »

Great episode, but I do have a few issues with it:

How did Roy open the Tardis door without a the key?

Why did Amy and Roy not insist on talking to their future selves and where did they go?
Which Amy was captured or were both ?

And on a nerdy side, why did they connect a DV camera to a DLink wireless router?

The Tardis recognises that Rory is a good guy and not being coerced to get in by a bad guy, so... it lets... him?

If I remember correctly they did want to talk to them, but The Doctor stopped them. And we might see them again next week perhaps, and explain where they went?

Because it's 2020, technology can do more

Spiritoftheseventies

Dont like the new Dr Who at all. Far too like Tennant in his mannerisms.

ixoy

Spiritoftheseventies wrote: »

Dont like the new Dr Who at all. Far too like Tennant in his mannerisms.

It's the Doctor! It's not Doctor Who! ARGH!

Anyway, I disagree. He initially seemed to channel DT in the first episode but I think he's got his own manic charm. DT did not create the idea of a Doctor with energy and inquisitiveness - that's always been there.

Spiritoftheseventies

Might give the new doctor a chance but just seems too alike the old doctor.

ixoy

Spiritoftheseventies wrote: »

Might give the new doctor a chance but just seems too alike the old doctor.

Give him a chance. The Doctor can't be 100% different - there's a certain quality to the Doctor that they should all embody to some degree or another. One of those is a passion to help others, another is a natural curiosity (at times a dangerous one), and another of course is the quirky mannerisms.

It could be Troughton playing a flute, racing around for his "giddy aunt". It could be Pertwee's dandy or Baker storming around the screen. The Doctor is rarely a stable person and I think Smith's done a very good job of individualizing himself within the parameters of the role.

I'll put it another way - I've four more episodes to watch of Season 6 after which I'll have seen, in some form or another, all 30 seasons, specials, and half of a 31st. That's over 600 episodes of Who goodness (and badness) and I still believe Smith is doing a very good job in the role (and I wasn't a huge fan of DT).

Motley Crue

I think the season is slowly getting worse, I'm tempted to just switch off from now on because I don't think it works for me anymore...sorry, but Tennant made it work for me, I like Matt Smith but nobody else seems to have any acting ability

Pittens

I think the companions are doing fine. Opinion is divided on Amy. I dont get it. I would put her as the second best companion. Rory beats Mickey and keeps the doctor-amy potential romance at bay. Stories are good. So I dont see the problem.

pixelburp

Spiritoftheseventies wrote: »

Might give the new doctor a chance but just seems too alike the old doctor.

Ok, first the new series is more immature, and now the new doctor is too alike #10? I know everyone has their own opinion, but I just don't see either of these two viewpoints. At all.

#10 was shouty & pushy, and certainly never afraid to play the "I'm the biggest authority in the universe" card: he could be a bit of a bully when he wanted to. He was regularly loud-mouthed about the human species, "awww you humans, brilliant!" or anything else for that matter. And lets not even get into the emotional baggage he carried around ...

#11 is way more understated than that: he's nervous and twitchy and while he does push his way into scenarios, isn't that the point of the Doctor in the first place? Jeez, Tom Baker would just bull on into a situation with no psychic paper in sight.
As for mannerisms, again #11 is twitchy and nervous - always fidgeting with his hands and definitely a lot more socially awkward than #10 (who tended to just stand around with his hands in pockets when he wasn't running about).

As I see it, it's totally chaulk and cheese between #10 and #11, with #11 actually edging it simply because he's less of an overemotional jerk.

Nevyn

Motley Crue wrote: »

I think the season is slowly getting worse, I'm tempted to just switch off from now on because I don't think it works for me anymore...sorry, but Tennant made it work for me, I like Matt Smith but nobody else seems to have any acting ability

I agree, I don't think Matt Smith has the range or the maturity, the Dr needs more depth and I just don't think he's a seasoned enough actor.

jasonb

I actually enjoyed this one, I seem to enjoy the 2-parters better as they're not rushed. It felt a little 'old-school' too, with things like the cameras from the aliens' POV etc.

However, I do have one issue. A few episodes ago the Doctor finally saw the cracks that we were getting 'hints' about, so I thought he'd try to investigate them. Instead, there hasn't been a mention of them at all since then. Why get him to finally see them and then not investiage? I'm sure it'll all come together in the last couple of episodes, but it's almost like the writers ( and the Doctor ) are just ignoring it.

I'm worried that everything that doesn't quite sit right with me this season won't in fact be all brought together at the end of the season and I'll be left with lots of 'but what about this?' questions!

J.

Chrussell2

jasonb wrote: »

I actually enjoyed this one, I seem to enjoy the 2-parters better as they're not rushed. It felt a little 'old-school' too, with things like the cameras from the aliens' POV etc.

However, I do have one issue. A few episodes ago the Doctor finally saw the cracks that we were getting 'hints' about, so I thought he'd try to investigate them. Instead, there hasn't been a mention of them at all since then. Why get him to finally see them and then not investiage? I'm sure it'll all come together in the last couple of episodes, but it's almost like the writers ( and the Doctor ) are just ignoring it.

I'm worried that everything that doesn't quite sit right with me this season won't in fact be all brought together at the end of the season and I'll be left with lots of 'but what about this?' questions!

J.

Hey if Lost can do it, then so can Doctor Who!

ixoy

pixelburp wrote: »

#11 is way more understated than that: he's nervous and twitchy and while he does push his way into scenarios, isn't that the point of the Doctor in the first place? Jeez, Tom Baker would just bull on into a situation with no psychic paper in sight.

Very true. I recall Tom Baker just striding up to troops trying to arrest them, grinning madly and saying "Take me to your leader!"

Smith recalls Troughton more to me - he was nervous and a bit edgy and tended to flay the hands a bit too. He was also one of my favourite Doctors.

As I see it, it's totally chaulk and cheese between #10 and #11, with #11 actually edging it simply because he's less of an overemotional jerk.

Emotional jerk - hah I like it! I believe some people think DT is better because he shouted that much more and wore his heart on his sleeve. In fact he did that far more so than other Doctors making him less Doctor like in my opinion.