Series 5, Episode 11 - "The Lodger"

Also Starring LeVar Burton

^and 17th is where McGann ranks as people who've played the Doctor... hahaha

pixelburp

A good filler episode all right & as previously said it cements Smith's personality of the Doctor perfectly - "here, have some rent"

Perhaps it's no wonder some people are railing against the new season, both the tone and the Doctor are so dialled-back compared to the Tennant years. The plots are far more grounded & less melodramatic, and so is the the Doc: if people were used to Tennant's gritted teeth & shouting, it's easy to see how this funny, bizarre & innsecure version could grate.

Anyway - next week looks intriguing, though the prospect of having nearly all the Doctor's enemies appear seems ... suspiciously RTD.

Wibbs

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

this episode cements that matt smith simply does funny confusing mad man very well.

Yea I liked him in this. Reminded me of Tom Baker for some reason. maybe the alien awkwardness bit. Tennant would have made a more normal tenant(I'll get my coat:o:)). I still prefer Tennant mind. I found him more believable outside the ranty stuff. Smith cant do brooding nearly so well.

I was wondering

doesn't he say something about the time machine being a tardis near the end? The design was kinda similar. Plus it had a chameleon circuit thingy going on. Given he's tootling around in the only tardis left you would think more would have been said about what the hell another similar device was doing hanging around? Who was its pilot/creator?

Stark

Do we have to use spoiler tags for episodes already aired? All the other spoilered bits in this thread are for future episodes

Wibbs wrote:

doesn't he say something about the time machine being a tardis near the end? The design was kinda similar. Plus it had a chameleon circuit thingy going on. Given he's tootling around in the only tardis left you would think more would have been said about what the hell another similar device was doing hanging around? Who was its pilot/creator?

It was an attempt to create a TARDIS replica. Similar replicas have been created by villains in the past. Hopefully it will form part of a future storyline

Wibbs

Yea it defo deserves more of a storyline alright. I just dropped the spolier tags in case people were watching the repeat for the first time or

Feck off! :D

aidan_walsh

Loved the few references I picked up in this one. I enjoyed that the spaceship looked like a larger version of the McGann Console Room.

Thought I did think that the Doctor originally introduced himself as Troy Tempest of International Rescue, such was the Gerry Anderson geekout.

K-9

aidan_walsh wrote: »

Loved the few references I picked up in this one. I enjoyed that the spaceship looked like a larger version of the McGann Console Room.

Thought I did think that the Doctor originally introduced himself as Troy Tempest of International Rescue, such was the Gerry Anderson geekout.

Ah , that's why it was familiar. My wee fella picked up on it, but didn't know which Doctor. I'll tell him that.

Overall, thought it was a good episode, probably the funniest so far. Not a fan of James Corden, but he inter acted well here with the Doctor. The bit on Confidential about the football and the Football Focus part was great craic. Think most of us can relate to the jealousy of the star player! The part where Amy tells them, "there is no upstairs" was hilarious, oh and the cat!

campo

Best episode of the series imho but I am a big fan of James Corden
really looking forward to next week but again it is based on Earth this is the only issue I have had with this series not enough episodes based in other planets or even in the future,

The Recliner

Liked this one a lot

James Corden thankfully managed to restrain himself from being himself and was grand in it

Liked all The Doctor's eccentricities and general roommate weirdness

All in all a decent filler episode with lots of nice references in it

Sleepy

Looking at the preview with

all the bits of cybermen, daleks etc. around it

I can't help but wonder if it's actually containing

a future incarnation of the doctor / something along those lines...

Doctor DooM

Sleepy wrote: »

Looking at the preview with

all the bits of cybermen, daleks etc. around it

I can't help but wonder if it's actually containing

a future incarnation of the doctor / something along those lines...

I'd say it's more likely a play on pandora's box- all the worst monsters in the universe appear when it is opened.

Doctor DooM

Doctor DooM wrote: »

I'd say it's more likely a play on pandora's box- all the worst monsters in the universe appear when it is opened.

Yeah, but, to continue that metaphor, what will the last thing to come out be? Also I got the impression that the Daleks, Cybermen, etc, all came because the Pandorica is being opened rather than because it had been opened.

angelll

So in The who universe,what's the worst thing? I've only seen new who but from what i've read could it be something like the nightmare child? Must go onto gallifrey base and read some theories

amen

So in The who universe,what's the worst thing?

the Doctor obvioulsy. After all he destoryed both the Daleks and the TimeLords.

and he has manged to stop/thwart numerous other races.

Pittens

Good job he likes humans.

monkeyfudge

What was the deal with this?



It looks like Nick Cave gone wrong. It was odd how it was so obviously framed in the shot.

Doctor DooM

amen wrote: »

the Doctor obvioulsy. After all he destoryed both the Daleks and the TimeLords.

and he has manged to stop/thwart numerous other races.

I thought this too, immediately.

monkeyfudge wrote: »

What was the deal with this?



It looks like Nick Cave gone wrong. It was odd how it was so obviously framed in the shot.

He looks kinda gobliny. I was expecting his eyes to start moving and for the Doctor to be looking through the wall or something.

norrie rugger

Doctor DooM wrote: »

I thought this too, immediately.



He looks kinda gobliny. I was expecting his eyes to start moving and for the Doctor to be looking through the wall or something.

Yeah, all I could pay attention to was that picture.
Freaky

pixelburp

Anyone know or read about who it's supposed to be? It seems way to pointed and obvious to be just incidental. At first I thought it was the portrait of the 2nd floor resident, but it wasn't that. So who is he?

Doctor DooM

pixelburp wrote: »

Anyone know or read about who it's supposed to be? It seems way to pointed and obvious to be just incidental. At first I thought it was the portrait of the 2nd floor resident, but it wasn't that. So who is he?

It actually looks familiar. Like book cover art or something.

campo

Doctor DooM wrote: »

It actually looks familiar. Like book cover art or something.

For some reason it reminded me of Shakespeare but I agree there is defo something off with that picture

Daemos

During that whole scene all I could watch was the picture, the way the scene was shot must mean it's significant somehow

monkeyfudge

It's quite visible in the shot where she's looking up the stairs at the little girl too.

LoLth

"please hold, I have to eat a biscuit" have to use that one some time!

I noticed that picture as well. No idea who it is but it was certainly placed in frame deliberately.

As for the pandorica, wasnt the last thing out of Pandora's box Hope?

monkeyfudge

LoLth wrote: »

As for the pandorica, wasnt the last thing out of Pandora's box Hope?

Hope was the only thing left inside.

sceptre

angelll wrote: »

So in The who universe,what's the worst thing?

Bonnie Langford reappearing as Mel?
:pac:

Jessibelle

pixelburp wrote: »

So who is he?

Patrick Troughton: the wild years? (it reminds me strongly of Patrick Troughton for some reason )

ETA: Did anyone else see the eye on the monitor when Amy was looking in the ring box, or are my eyes worse than the Troughton comparisons would lead most to believe?

ixoy

I needed to rewatch this as I was far too tired for the first time. My conclusion? Quite possibly the funniest episode ever (saying a lot when there's 767 of them!).

This is the episode I've always wanted Gareth Roberts to pen. He wrote some excellent spin-off fiction some years back featuring Tom Baker's Doctor and I think Matt Smith captures Baker's eccentric nature more and probably suits Robert's writing.
There were so many great lines in it: "I'm the Doctor. They call me the Doctor. I don't know why. I call me the Doctor too".
"Hello Mr. Joergerson! Can you hold - I have to eat a biscuit".
"Annihilate them? No, no violence - not while I'm around.I am the Doctor - the oncoming storm! And you meant basically beat them in a football match."

Lot of it goes to Smith who does the slightly batty Doctor so very well. I think that's one of the key ingredients I seem to like (in Tom Baker's year as well as the scatter-brained Troughton). It's the perfect vehicle for him and he pulls it off far better than DT would have.

If this and "Vincent and the Doctor" are the standards we can expect, then more please!

BTW: Was there anything to that glove in the drawer that James Corden opens?

Banjo Fella

That bit where the Doctor mimed how to operate the zig-zag plotter was great. Matt Smith did some kind of wonderfully bizarre crab dance. :pac:

nicowa

I like how you have to be standing in the exact right place for the plotter to work!