Topic: DSig's Short List of what I'm Watching

[DSig]

8/31 - TV Shows

	Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series 187b - Doctor Who - S03E12 - The Sound of Drums Part 2 Complete Info "The Sound of Drums" is the twelfth episode of the third series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 23 June 2007,.[1] It is the second of three episodes that form a linked narrative, following "Utopia" and followed by "Last of the Time Lords". The Master arrives in the 21st Century — as Harold Saxon, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom — and the world enters a period of terror when contact with an unknown alien race whom the Master calls the Toclafane is announced. 4.0 Great second of three parts.  The british writers do a nice job of making POTUS look like a horses ass .. of course most of the time they are   Great bit making the Doctor older .. I really like the script on this one.  Of course the real news here is the depth of the masters insanity. 187c - Doctor Who - S03E13 - Last of the Time Lords Part 3 Complete Info "Last of the Time Lords" is the thirteenth and final episode of the third series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 30 June 2007.[1] It is the last of three episodes that form a linked narrative, following "Utopia" and "The Sound of Drums". One year after the events of "The Sound of Drums", the Master has conquered the Earth and enslaved its population. He holds the aged Doctor prisoner, and prepares warships for a new Time Lord Empire. Now it is up to Martha Jones to carry out the Doctor's plan and save the universe. This episode shows the departure of Freema Agyeman and John Barrowman as Martha Jones and Jack Harkness respectively until Series Four. 4.5 With the Master growing more insain (if that is possible), The Doctor getting older and Captain Jack out of commission it is up to Martha Jones to save the world.  Good fun script, pretty good cgi and very good acting.  Can't ask for much more.  And who knows .. maybe the Face of Boe realy is ..
	Okay, to be truthful, season 4 is not one of my favorite seasons.  It has the re-appearance of Donna Noble ( Catherine Tate ) who i really don't enjoy.  But I am going to try to be objective about the episodes.
	Doctor Who: The Complete Fourth Series 188 - Doctor Who - S04E00 - Voyage of the Damned - Christmas Special 3 Complete Info "Voyage of the Damned" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. First broadcast on 25 December 2007, it is 72 minutes long and the third Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005. The narrative continues from the final scenes of both "Last of the Time Lords" and the mini-episode "Time Crash", when a luxury space cruiser called the Titanic, a pastiche of the historical ocean liner, breached the walls of the TARDIS. The ship's captain, Hardaker (Geoffrey Palmer), sabotages the ship shortly after the Titanic's collision with the TARDIS. The Doctor (David Tennant) works with a waitress named Astrid Peth (Kylie Minogue) to prevent an imminent collision with Earth. The episode features the only performance in Doctor Who by the Australian singer and actress Kylie Minogue. Executive producer and writer Russell T Davies described her casting as a "very exceptional case", having written the part of Astrid specifically for Minogue. On its original airdate, "Voyage of the Damned" was watched by 13.31 million viewers, the highest viewing figure for Doctor Who since the 1979 serial City of Death. It was the second most-watched programme of 2007, beaten only by the episode of EastEnders which aired immediately after it. Critical opinion about the episode was divided; the writing and Minogue's performance were both praised and criticised. 3.5 Astrid Peth (portrayed by Kylie Minogue is a nice addition to this Christmas special.  Especially after the last episode and losing another companion.  I like Kylie Minogue's performance here and think the script is fun and exciting.  Also, this has Russell Tovey who is great in Being Human (bbc).  Really fun episode overall. 189 - Doctor Who - S04E01 - Partners in Crime Complete Info "Partners in Crime" is the first episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 5 April 2008. The episode reintroduced comedienne Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, who previously appeared in "The Runaway Bride". Donna and the Doctor (David Tennant) meet while separately investigating Adipose Industries, a company that has created a revolutionary diet pill. Together, they attempt to stop the death of thousands of people in London after the head of the company, the alien Miss Foster (Sarah Lancashire), creates the Adipose, short white aliens made from human body fat. The episode's alien creatures, the Adipose, were created using the software Massive, commonly used for crowd sequences in fantasy and science fiction films. The episode is stylistically different from other Doctor Who episodes; "Partners in Crime" has no clear antagonist, and the creatures are in a different style to Doctor Who's regular "big [and] scary" monsters. "Partners in Crime" features the return of three supporting characters: Jacqueline King reprises her role as Sylvia Noble from "The Runaway Bride"; Bernard Cribbins reprises his role as Wilfred Mott from "Voyage of the Damned", to replace the character of Geoff Noble after actor Howard Attfield died; and Billie Piper briefly reprises her role as Rose Tyler for the first time since the second series' finale "Doomsday", in a scene that was not included in preview showings. The episode received many positive reviews. Most critics liked the special effects used to create the Adipose. Critics also praised Tate's subdued acting in comparison to "The Runaway Bride"; Donna was changed from a "shouting fishwife" to a more emotional person when she became a full-time companion. Critics' opinions were split over the episode's plot: opinion on executive producer Russell T Davies' writing ranged from "pure pleasure" to "the back of a fag packet". 3.5 Okay .. so Donna is not SO BAD in this one.  Not as irritating as her first appearance.  Of course the best news is that Rose Tyler played by Billie Piper is back briefly.  Good storyline .. good acting .. makes for a fun watch 190 - Doctor Who - S04E02 - The Fires of Pompeii Complete Info "The Fires of Pompeii" is the second episode of the fourth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 12 April 2008. The episode takes place shortly before and during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. In the episode, the Doctor is faced with a moral dilemma: whether to save any of the population of Pompeii. The Doctor's activities in Pompeii are impeded by the rock-like Pyrovile, and their allies, the Sybilline Sisterhood, who are using the volcano to convert the humans to Pyroviles. The episode was filmed in Rome's Cinecittà studios, and was the first time the Doctor Who production team took cast abroad for filming since its revival. The production of the episode was impeded by a fire near the sets several weeks before filming and problems crossing into Europe. Critics' opinions regarding the episode were mixed. The premise of the episode—the moral dilemma the Doctor faces—and Donna's insistence that he save a family from Pompeii were widely praised. However, the episode's writing was criticised, in particular, the characterisation of the supporting cast: the dialogue was described as "one-dimensional" and Peter Capaldi and Phil Davis's dialogue as "whimpering and scowling". 3.5 Once again not as bad as I remembered it .. and maybe the character of Donna is warming on me.  Great writing playing the morality play of what to do if you could change the past. 191 - Doctor Who - S04E03 - The Planet of the Ood Complete Info "Planet of the Ood" is the third episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 19 April 2008. It features the return of the Ood, who appeared in the second series episodes "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit". The episode takes place in the year 4126 on the Ood-Sphere, the titular planet of the episode. The Doctor (David Tennant) and his companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) investigate Ood Operations, a company that is selling the Ood as a servant race, to discover the reason the Ood are happy to serve. When they find a group of unprocessed Ood, they become horrified at the alterations performed and resolve to free the Ood. The episode was well-received for its central theme of slavery. 3.5 This is a pretty good episode (though Donna still bugs me).  Good story depicting how even those born to slavery will move to freedom.  Good script and glad to see the Ood are back. 192a - Doctor Who - S04E04 - The Sontaran Stratagem Part 1 Complete Info "The Sontaran Stratagem" is the fourth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 26 April 2008. The episode and its following, "The Poison Sky" were written by Helen Raynor, who previously wrote "Daleks in Manhattan" / "Evolution of the Daleks" in the third series. "The Sontaran Stratagem" features the first appearance of the alien Sontarans to the series since the 1985 Colin Baker story The Two Doctors, as well as former companion Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), last seen in "Last of the Time Lords". The episode takes place on present-day Earth, where Martha and UNIT summon the Doctor (David Tennant) for assistance concerning ATMOS (Atmospheric Omission System), a revolutionary piece of green technology that is available in around 400 million cars worldwide, yet is later revealed to be part of a Sontaran plot to poison the atmosphere. Show runner Russell T Davies always considered making the Sontarans return since the revival of the series, and wanted to change Martha's personality since her departure. The episode was viewed by 7.06 million viewers after original broadcast on BBC One, with an Appreciation Index of "87". It was also met with generally positive reviews; mostly reacting positively towards the return of the Sontarans, Christopher Ryan's portrayal as Staal, and Raynor's writing; many stating Raynor made an improvement from her previous episodes. 3.5 Good to see Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) again.  192b - Doctor Who - S04E05 - The Poison Sky Part 2 Complete Info "The Poison Sky" is the fifth episode of the fourth series (since revival) of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 3 May 2008. The episode features both former companion Martha Jones and the alien Sontarans. It is the second of a two part story, following "The Sontaran Stratagem" 3.5 "Are you my mommy?" <G> says the Doctor while talking to Colonel Mace with a gas mask on (see "The Empty Child" / "The Doctor Dances").  Great second episode .. liked it very much.

[Dragonfire]

I didn't like Donna too much in her first appearance....I can't think of the episode title at the moment.  My brain is fried I think.  Anyway, I didn't like her that much then, but I ended up liking her a lot in her season.  She just didn't irritate me as much in the full season. 

[DSig]

I didn't like Donna too much in her first appearance....I can't think of the episode title at the moment.  My brain is fried I think.  Anyway, I didn't like her that much then, but I ended up liking her a lot in her season.  She just didn't irritate me as much in the full season. 

Yep .. 178 - Doctor Who - S03E00 - Runaway Bride  I didn't like that one or really any of hers .. until this time around.  Maybe the sting of losing Rose is not as strong now. <shrug> But many of the stories are very strong and a good watch.  Nice thing about us is the ability to change our minds <G>

[DSig]

9/01-02-03 - TV Shows

Doctor Who: The Complete Fourth Series 193 - Doctor Who - S04E06 - The Doctor's Daughter Complete Info "The Doctor's Daughter" is the sixth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 10 May 2008. 4.0 The song goes "Janie's Got A Gun" but in this episode it is "Jenny's Got a Gun" .. and because she is the Doctors daughter she has 2 hearts.  Doctors daughter Jenny is played by played well by [utl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Moffett]Georgia Moffett[/url] very well and with a very fun script this episode is a hit. 194 - Doctor Who - S04E07 - The Unicorn and the Wasp Complete Info "The Unicorn and the Wasp" is the 7th episode of the fourth series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was aired by BBC One on 17 May 2008 at 19:00. Perhaps due to its later broadcast, it received an overnight audience rating of 7.7 million, making it the most successful episode in this series since "The Fires of Pompeii". The episode is a pseudohistorical story set in 1926, in a manor owned by a character named Lady Eddison, which crime fiction novelist Agatha Christie is visiting, and is a comedic episode with a murder-mystery storyline. 3.5 Great "who done it" when the Doctor and Donna match wits with the greatest author Agatha Christie (played by ) 195a - Doctor Who - S04E08 - Silence in the Library Part 1 Complete Info "Silence in the Library" is the eighth episode of the fourth series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on 31 May 2008.[1] It is the first of a two-part story, followed by "Forest of the Dead", and is the second two-parter Steven Moffat contributed to the series after "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances" in 2005. A few days before the episode aired, the BBC announced that Moffat was to become head writer of the programme for the show's fifth series in 2010, replacing then-current head writer Russell T Davies, who held the role since Doctor Who returned to television in 2005. This episode is also significant for introducing the character of River Song, who plays an important role in future stories. 3.5 Good excitment with River Song (played by Alex Kingston) is a great character who will become more important in a future series.  For now it is all good fun with this episode.  Great script and acting and a great PART 1 of 2 part story. 195b - Doctor Who - S04E09 - Forest of the Dead Part 2 Complete Info "Forest of the Dead" is the ninth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast by BBC One on 7 June 2008.[1] It is the second of a two-part story, following "Silence in the Library". 3.5 "Hey! Who turned out the lights" it starts.  All in the mind of a child, Donna now has a family and the Doctor and River are chased by the Vashta Nerada.  A good ending episode with lots of hits about the future or past and plenty of action.  And how does one die before one is known? 196 - Doctor Who - S04E10 - Midnight Complete Info "Midnight" is the tenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 14 June 2008. The episode placed much more emphasis on the role of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor than in the rest of the fourth series, with the Doctor's companion, Donna Noble (played by Catherine Tate) playing only a minimal role. For this reason Stephen James Walker has described this episode in his book Monsters Within as being "companion-lite" (in his analysis of this episode's successor, the "Doctor-lite" episode "Turn Left"). 4.0 I really like this episode .. maybe it is the clastraphobic nature of the episode or the fear created by the unknown.  Kind of like "Twilight Zone" episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" with the fear .. 197 - Doctor Who - S04E11 - Turn Left Complete Info "Turn Left" is the eleventh episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by showrunner Russell T Davies and broadcast on BBC One on 21 June 2008. David Tennant only makes a small contribution to this "Doctor-lite" episode as the Tenth Doctor. The story instead focuses on the Doctor's companion, Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and her encounters with the Doctor's previous companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). The episode's narrative focuses on an alternate history where the Doctor dies during the events of the 2006 Christmas special "The Runaway Bride". The episode depicts a dystopia caused by the Doctor's death, leaving Rose to convince Donna to save the world. The beginning and end of the episode take place in the show's normal continuity, and features a cliffhanger that leads directly into the series finale "The Stolen Earth". Davies' writing and Tate's performance were acclaimed, and the episode was praised for its depiction of dystopia in a scene, characterised by the internment of a foreign citizen. The episode was the fourth most-watched programme in the week it was broadcast, with 8.1 million viewers, and the Appreciation Index of the episode was 88, considered excellent. The episode was one of two Doctor Who stories in the fourth series to be nominated for a Hugo Award in the Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form category. 3.5 Oh boy, Rose Tyler played by Billie Piper is back even for another bit .. this time warning about the coming of "Bad Wolf".  This is primarily an episode with the story line being about Donna Noble.  Good story with good acting .. yep even Catherine Tate.  Great leadup to the next two series final. 198a - Doctor Who - S04E12 - The Stolen Earth Part 1 Complete Info "The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the fourth series and the 750th overall episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The episode was written by show runner and head writer Russell T Davies and is the first of a two-part crossover story; the concluding episode is "Journey's End". It was first broadcast on BBC One on 28 June 2008. The finale's narrative brings closure to several prominent story arcs created during Davies' tenure as show runner. In the episode, contemporary Earth and twenty-six other planets are stolen by the Daleks, aided by their megalomaniacal creator Davros and a shattered but precognitive Dalek Caan. As the Doctor (David Tennant) and his companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) try to find Earth, his previous companions Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) convene to contact him and mount a defence against the Daleks. In the episode's climax, the Doctor is hit by a Dalek death ray and begins to regenerate. The episode marks the first appearance of Davros since the 1988 serial Remembrance of the Daleks; he is portrayed by Julian Bleach. It also marks the return of several recurring characters, and crosses over with Doctor Who's spin-off series Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. It is the first Doctor Who appearance of Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper; Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones; Tommy Knight as Luke Smith; and Alexander Armstrong as the voice of Mr Smith. Adjoa Andoh and Penelope Wilton reprise supporting roles as Martha's mother Francine Jones and former Prime Minister Harriet Jones respectively. Paul O'Grady and Richard Dawkins make cameo appearances as themselves as television personalities who attempt to assuage public fear. The two-part finale's epic scale and underlying plot was first conceived in early 2007 as the last regular-series story for departing producers Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, and Phil Collinson: the fourth series finale is the last story produced by Collinson; and Steven Moffat and Piers Wenger replaced Davies and Gardner as show runner and executive producer respectively in 2010. Major concepts were already specified by July 2007 and the script was written in December 2007; Davies began on the 7th and finished on the 31st. Filming for the finale took place in February and March 2008, and post-production finished in mid-June 2008, only two weeks before the episode aired. To conceal as many plot elements as possible, "The Stolen Earth"'s title was not disclosed until sixteen days before broadcast, preview DVDs omitted the scene where the Doctor regenerates—the last scene is the Doctor being shot by a Dalek—, and the episode aired without a preview trailer for "Journey's End". The episode was reviewed positively by the audience and professional reviewers. The Audience Appreciation Index score was 91: an unprecedented figure for Doctor Who and one of the highest ratings ever given to a television programme. On its original broadcast, it was viewed by 8.78 million viewers and was the second most-watched programme of the week; at the time of broadcast, it was the highest position Doctor Who had ever reached. Critical reaction was overwhelmingly positive: Nicholas Briggs and Julian Bleach were commended for their portrayal of Dalek Caan and Davros respectively; and most aspects of Davies' writing were applauded: most notably, the twist ending of the episode was universally appreciated. The shock regeneration created an unprecedented level of public interest in the show, which continued until the transmission of "Journey's End" 4.0 Great 2 parter.  This is basically a wrap on all things David Tennant.  Although there are still a couple of David Tennant episodes to go .. this really seems to tie it up.  All the biggis are here ..  Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) and the death of Harriet Jones .. former Prime Minister (played by Penelope Wilton.  Of course great 'lovers' episode because 'they' were so close .. Great leading episode followed by and even better closing episode.  Bravo 198b - Doctor Who - S04E13 - Journey's End Part 2 Complete Info "Journey's End" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who first broadcast on BBC One on 5 July 2008. It is the second episode of a two-part crossover story featuring the characters of spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, preceded by "The Stolen Earth". At 65 minutes in length, it was the longest regular episode of Doctor Who, approximately 20 minutes longer than a standard revived series episode. 4.5 There is not much I can say about this episode except that I love it.  I think the writing and direction is great.  The acting ... all the characters fit well.  And with the Daleks .. well let's just say great synconicity.  I have heard/read some not liking this series .. and I said at the beginning I didn't really like this before.  But now a couple years after first watching I seem to appreciate it more and more. It is a GREAT watch. 199 - Doctor Who - S04E14 - The Next Doctor - Doctor Who Christmas Special 2008 Complete Info "The Next Doctor" is the first 2008-10 specials episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was broadcast on 25 December 2008 as the fourth Christmas special of the revived series.[3] During its original airing, the episode had an audience of 13.1 million viewers[4] and was the second most-watched programme of Christmas Day 2008.[5] The Cybermen (of the design of the parallel universe's Cybus Industries Cybermen) return in this episode, following their appearance in the two-part finale of series 2 in 2006, "Army of Ghosts"/"Doomsday". David Tennant stars as the Tenth Doctor with companions Jackson Lake (David Morrissey) and Rosita Farisi (Velile Tshabalala). 3.5 Fun episode where the doctor finds a 'new' doctor and helps in destorying another Cybermen plan to rule the earth.  Good fun this one. 200 - Doctor Who - S04E15 - Planet Of The Dead - 2009 Special Complete Info "Planet of the Dead" is the second 2008-10 special of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was simultaneously broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD on 11 April 2009. It was the second of five special episodes (including the animated serial Dreamland) broadcast throughout 2009 and early 2010, which served as lead actor David Tennant's denouement as the Tenth Doctor. He is joined in the episode by actress Michelle Ryan, who plays Lady Christina de Souza, a one-off companion to the Doctor. The episode was co-written by Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts, the first writing partnership since the show's revival in 2005. The episode depicts Christina fleeing the police from a museum robbery by boarding a bus that accidentally travels from London to the desert planet of San Helios, trapping her, the Doctor, and several passengers on board the damaged vehicle. After the bus driver dies trying to return to Earth, the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, headed by Captain Erisa Magambo (Noma Dumezweni) and scientific advisor Malcolm Taylor (Lee Evans), attempt to return the bus while preventing a race of metallic stingray aliens from posing a threat to Earth. At the end of the episode, one of the passengers delivers a warning to the Doctor which foreshadows the remaining three specials. "Planet of the Dead" is the first Doctor Who episode to be filmed in high definition, after a positive reaction to the visual quality of spin-off series Torchwood and the financial viability of HDTV convinced the production team to switch formats. To ensure that the desert scenes looked as realistic as possible, the production team filmed in Dubai for three days, sending several props—most notably, a 1980 double-decker Bristol VR bus—to the United Arab Emirates for filming. After the bus was unintentionally damaged in Dubai by a shipping container, Davies rewrote the script to explain the damage in the narrative. The audience gave the episode an Appreciation Index of 88—considered excellent. 3.5 Fun episode with a "Pitch Black" twist to it.  Michelle Ryan (Lady Christina de Souza) plays a great Cat Burgler.  Makes for a good 'companion' for the Doctor even if it is only for 1 episode. 201 - Doctor Who - S04E16 - The Waters of mars Complete Info "The Waters of Mars" is the third 2008-10 special of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, broadcast on BBC One on 15 November 2009. It aired on BBC America on 19 December 2009 and was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on 11 January 2010 and in the US on 2 February 2010. The story is set on Mars in the year 2059 where the Doctor encounters the first human colony, Bowie Base One. This is commanded by Captain Adelaide Brooke who turns out to be a pivotal character in the history of humanity.[7] The Doctor must decide whether to use his knowledge of her fate to change history. According to Doctor Who writer and producer Russell T Davies, the special is closely linked to the next two episodes but is not the first part of a three-part story. The special was dedicated to Barry Letts, the former writer and producer of Doctor Who who died in October 2009. The episode won the 2010 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form. 3.5 This is another great episode.  Although the Doctor is alone (well companionless) he carries the show quite well.  Tight writing and very good acting.  This is a very fun watch. 202a - Doctor Who - S04E17 - The End Of Time - Part 1 Complete Info 202b - Doctor Who - S04E18 - The End Of Time - Part 2 Complete Info The End of Time is a two-part Doctor Who special, originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 25 December 2009 and 1 January 2010. This is the last story for David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and sees his character regenerating into his eleventh incarnation, played by Matt Smith.[1] It is also the last Doctor Who story written and produced by Russell T Davies,[2] who shepherded the series' return to British television in 2005 and served as the series' executive producer and chief writer.[1][3] Davies was succeeded as executive producer and showrunner by Steven Moffat.[1][3] Bernard Cribbins, who appeared in the story "Voyage of the Damned" and throughout Series 4 as Wilfred Mott, grandfather of Donna Noble, acts as the companion to the Doctor in this two-part story.[4] The special also features the return of many other actors to the show, including Catherine Tate, John Simm, Jacqueline King, Alexandra Moen, Billie Piper, Camille Coduri, Freema Agyeman, Noel Clarke, John Barrowman, Elisabeth Sladen, Tommy Knight, Jessica Hynes and Russell Tovey. The story also features the Time Lords, returning as a civilisation for the first time since The Trial of a Time Lord in 1986. Since the series returned in 2005, the race had been absent due to its destruction as a result of the Time War, although there is a brief flashback involving Time Lords during "The Sound of Drums". 4.0 I think this was Russell T Davies last episode.  He was a great producer and writer for the Series and I think you really start to see a change in the *story* of the Doctor as Steven Moffat takes over. This is a great ending to what I consider the second chapter to the "new" Doctor Who.  Really good script and storyline.  Very good acting and fun bits throughout.  A great watch for all Doctor Who fans.  With the return of the Time Lords .. with Timothy Dalton as the Lord President of the Time Lords.  A fight between the Lord President and the Master .. great bits. Good by Doctor .. it has really been great to know you.  Hello doctor hope you have a good run.

Doctor Who: The Complete Fifth Series "We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one. A daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away. You'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time. Brand new and ancient. And the bluest blue ever. The Doctor and Amy pond." 203 - Doctor Who - S05E01 - The Eleventh Hour Complete Info "The Eleventh Hour" is the first episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD on 3 April 2010. It was written by new head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat and directed by Adam Smith. In the episode, the newly-regenerated Doctor (Matt Smith) crashes his time and space machine the TARDIS into the small English village of Leadworth, where he meets a young Scottish girl named Amelia Pond (Caitlin Blackwood). The Doctor is forced to leave, but promises Amelia he will return in five minutes. However, he arrives twelve years late and is confronted by the grown-up Amelia, now known as "Amy" (Karen Gillan), who does not trust him. He attempts to gain her trust to help return the shape-shifting alien Prisoner Zero to the galactic police the Atraxi before they destroy the planet. The episode is the debut of Smith as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor and Gillan as his new companion. It also introduced Arthur Darvill as Amy's boyfriend Rory Williams, who would later become a main cast member. In the history of the show the Doctor typically rests after he regenerates, so Moffat decided to have him have to save the world instead. The episode sets up the main story arc of the series by introducing the cracks in the universe. "The Eleventh Hour" was seen by 10.08 million viewers in the UK, the highest rated premiere since "Rose", and also attracted popularity on the online BBC iPlayer and on BBC America in the United States. The episode received a generally positive response from critics, who welcomed Smith and Gillan into the cast. 3.5 Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor starts a new series.  He does take time to grow on you.  A little goofy and at times a bit more serious/dangerous.  New companion, Amy Pond played by Karen Gillan.  She has an infectious smile and plays well against the Doctor. 204 - Doctor Who - S05E02 - The Beast Below Complete Info "The Beast Below" is the second episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by showrunner Steven Moffat and broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD on 10 April 2010. In the episode, the Doctor—a time travelling alien played by Matt Smith—and his new companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) arrive on the Starship UK, a ship constructed to house the United Kingdom when it abandoned Earth due to harmful solar flares. However, they discover that the government of the ship secretly tortures a Star Whale that guides the ship, the abandoment of which is believed will destroy the ship and kill everyone on board. The episode, which featured the first time Amy was away from her home world, was designed to show how important she was to the Doctor and his need for a companion. As part of the second production block of the series, the episode's production took place in Autumn 2009. "The Beast Below" was seen by 8.42 million viewers on BBC One and BBC HD, the fifth most-watched programme in the week it was broadcast. It was met with a mixed reception from critics; many praised the chemistry between Smith and Gillan, but some thought that there were too many imaginative concepts that did not make a satisfying conclusion, or that the message of the episode was not as strong as it should have been. 3.5 Like Jonah in the mouth of the Whale, Donna and the Doctor find themselves swallowed by a ship.  Great storyline .. seen this type before but still very good fun.  Great second episode .. still not sure of Matt Smith but will continue to watch. 205 - Doctor Who - S05E03 - Victory of the Daleks Complete Info "Victory of the Daleks" is the third episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by Mark Gatiss and directed by Andrew Gunn, it was first broadcast on BBC One on 17 April 2010. In the episode, the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) arrive in London during the Blitz, where Winston Churchill (Ian McNeice) has employed "Ironsides", a scientific creation from Professor Bracewell (Bill Paterson) to be used as weapons in the war effort. However, the Doctor recognises the Ironsides as his arch-enemies the Daleks, who plan to destroy Earth by activating a device located inside Bracewell, an android. Wishing to incorporate the popular Daleks into the series, showrunner Steven Moffat instructed Gatiss to write an episode about Churchill and the Daleks. The episode introduces a new "Paradigm" of Daleks, which were designed by Gatiss to be bigger and more colourful than the previous variant. "Victory of the Daleks" was seen by 8.2 million viewers on BBC One and BBC HD, placing second for the night it aired. Critics were mixed to positive; both McNeice and Paterson's performances were praised, but some felt that the episode was too rushed and would have worked better if it was spread over two episodes. 3.0 Fun episode .. though not one of the better.  There is a difference between this series and the last several. 206a - Doctor Who - S05E04 - The Time of Angels Part 1 Complete Info "The Time of Angels" is the fourth episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on 24 April 2010 on BBC One. It is the first episode of a two-part story written by showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Adam Smith; the second episode was "Flesh and Stone". Moffat utilized the two-part episode to bring back a couple of his previous creations: the Weeping Angels from his series three episode "Blink", and River Song (Alex Kingston) from the series four episodes "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead". The Doctor—a time travelling alien played by Matt Smith—and his companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) are summoned by River Song, a mysterious woman from the Doctor's future. She takes them to the planet Alfava Metraxis, where the spaceship Byzantium has crashed. Hidden inside is a Weeping Angel, a creature that can only move when unobserved by others. With the help of Father Octavian (Iain Glen) and his militarized clerics, the Doctor, Amy and River Song travel through a stone labyrinth to reach the ship. On the way, they discover that all the statues in the maze are Angels, which are slowly restoring and planning to trap them in the labyrinth. Inspired by the relationship between the film Alien and its sequel, Aliens, Moffat wrote the episode as a more action-oriented sequel to "Blink". It was the first episode to be filmed in the series; filming began 20 July 2009 at Southerndown beach, Vale of Glamorgan which was used as the surface of Alfava Metraxis. Most of the Weeping Angels in the episode were portrayed by painted young women dressed in costumes, which director Adam Smith found difficult to work with as they had to remain still for long periods of time. The episode was watched by 8.59 million viewers in the United Kingdom and received the highest Appreciation Index given to the fifth series at time of broadcast. 3.5 River Song played by Alex Kingston is back, and first time with this Doctor so there is always something strange going to happen. And of course the 'strange' is the return of the Weeping Angels.  Good cliff-hanger 206b - Doctor Who - S05E05 - Flesh and Stone Part 2 Complete Info "Flesh and Stone" is the fifth episode of the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Adam Smith, the episode was first broadcast on 1 May 2010 on BBC One. It is the conclusion of a two-episode story that began with "The Time of Angels" that features the Weeping Angels as primary villains and sees the return of the character River Song (Alex Kingston). Following the cliffhanger of the previous episode, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith), his companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), River Song, and Father Octavian (Iain Glen) and his militarised clerics have escaped entrapment by the Weeping Angels, creatures who only move when unobserved by others. They take refuge inside the crashed starship Byzantium, but the Angels pursue them and Amy is on the brink of dying from the imprint of an Angel in her eye. Both the Angels and the Doctor's team face danger from a widening crack in space and time which has the power to erase persons from history. Moffat wrote the two-part story as a more action-packed sequel to his 2007 episode "Blink", inspired by the relationship between the film Alien and its sequel, Aliens. The episode contains vital information concerning the main story arc of the cracks in time, and contains many instances which are character-motivated. "The Time of Angels" and "Flesh and Stone" were the first two episodes to be filmed; filming for "Flesh and Stone" took place in late July, with location filming in Puzzlewood and Southerndown beach. The episode was watched by 8.495 million viewers in the United Kingdom and received generally positive reviews from critics, though many commented that it did not live up to the quality to the first part and disagreed about the decision to show the Angels moving. Additionally, a scene in which Amy attempts to seduce the Doctor generated some complaints to the BBC. 3.5 And here we are .. running from the Weeping Angels and at the same time River Song is under control of the military.  Note that this series, especially this episode deals with the 'crack in time'.  Good episode. 207 - Doctor Who - S05E06 - The Vampires of Venice Complete Info "The Vampires of Venice" is the sixth episode in the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was broadcast on 8 May 2010 on BBC One. It was written by Toby Whithouse, who previously wrote "School Reunion", and was directed by first-time Doctor Who director Jonny Campbell. Following from the end of "Flesh and Stone" where his companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) had kissed him, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) picks up Amy's fiancé Rory (Arthur Darvill) and takes the two on a romantic trip to Venice in 1580. There they are intrigued by a girls' school whose students appear to be vampires and discover that they are really alien refugees in disguise, who plot to make Venice their new home. The episode replaced a different script Whithouse had planned to write, and was designed to be a romantic episode that could also be a good introduction to the show. Whithouse chose the setting to be Venice, and vampires soon entered the plot as he felt they belonged in the setting. The episode was filmed in Trogir, Croatia in late 2009, with the old-fashioned village portraying Venice. The episode was seen by 7.68 million viewers in the UK and received an Appreciation Index of 86. The episode received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the comedy, production design, and acting of guests Helen McCrory and Alex Price, but thought that the plot elements were very similar to other episodes. 3.5 Here we add Rory Williams who comes to be known as ..  "Lone Centurion", played by Arthur Darvill to the list of companions.  And Vampires in Venice .. this is fun.  Species of "fish people" that was a fun twist.

[DSig]

Still a bit behind in posting .. Yesterdays watch

9-4 Films - Needing a little 'brain wash' i picked one of the most irreverant classics I know

M*A*S*H One of the world's most acclaimed comedies, M*A*S*H focuses on three Korean War Army surgeons brilliantly brought to life by Donald Sutherland, Tom Skerritt and Elliott Gould. Though highly skilled and deeply dedicated, they adopt a hilarious, lunatic lifestyle as an antidote to the tragedies of their Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, and in the process infuriate Army bureaucrats. Robert Duvall, Gary Burghoff and Sally Kellerman co-star as a sanctimonious Major, an other-worldly Corporal, and a self-righteous yet lusty nurse. 4.5 one of the great classic films by Robert Altman .. in fact one of the classics of the period.  Was knocked out when I saw it on first release and still love it today.  War is hell .. for some

TV Shows -  And now Back to the Doctor ...

Doctor Who: The Complete Fifth Series "We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one. A daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away. You'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time. Brand new and ancient. And the bluest blue ever. The Doctor and Amy pond." 208 - Doctor Who - S05E07 - Amy's Choice Complete Info "Amy's Choice" is the seventh episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One on 15 May 2010. It was written by sitcom writer Simon Nye and directed by Catherine Morshead. In the episode, lead characters the Doctor, a time travelling alien played by Matt Smith, and his human travelling companions Amy (Karen Gillan) and her fiancé Rory (Arthur Darvill), are in a trap set by the mysterious "Dream Lord" (Toby Jones), wherein they repeatedly fall asleep and wake up in a different reality. In one, Amy and Rory are happily married but pursued by elderly people possessed by aliens, while in another they are on board the Doctor's time machine, the TARDIS, where they anticipate being frozen to death by a nearby astronomical phenomenon. They must decide which is the real reality and die in the phony one, to wake up in reality and escape the trap. At the episode's conclusion, the Dream Lord is ultimately revealed to be a manifestation of the Doctor's dark side and self-loathing. Nye wrote the episode to explore and to test Amy's relationships with both the Doctor and Rory. Showrunner Steven Moffat suggested that Nye, a comedy writer by trade, build the episode around a split dream concept, and encouraged Nye to create a "monster" for the episode, which influenced his writing of the retirement home dream. The dream scenes in Amy and Rory's village was filmed in Skenfrith, Wales and used CGI and prosthetics. "Amy's Choice" was seen by 7.55 million viewers on BBC One and BBC HD and received generally mixed reviews from critics. The most positive praised the episode's surrealism and commended it as one of the year's strongest scripts, but other reviewers felt the episode's horror was unsatisfying, or that Morshead's direction was "flat". 3.5 This is a great .. though possibly disturbing episode.  I think i remember a "Stargate SG-1" or "Star Trek NG" episode that was similar (different reality by dreams) but this one is unique on it's own.  Good episode with some fun bits then turning disturbing.  Very good. 209a - Doctor Who - S05E08 - The Hungry Earth Part 1 Complete Info "The Hungry Earth" is the eighth episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 22 May 2010 on BBC One. It was written by Chris Chibnall, who had previously written for Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. It is the first episode of a two-part story, the second episode being "Cold Blood", and features the return of the Silurians, a reptile-like humanoid race last seen in 1984's Warriors of the Deep. In the episode, the Doctor—a time travelling alien played by Matt Smith—and his companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) land in Wales in 2020, where a drilling operation headed by Nasreen Chaudhry (Meera Syal) is drilling deep into the earth and disrupting a civilisation of Silurians who dwell beneath the earth. The Silurians cause holes to open in the earth, one of which consumes Amy. The Doctor and Rory capture one Silurian, Alaya (Neve McIntosh), and the Doctor instructs Rory and a local family to not harm Alaya, as it could spark a war. He then takes Nasreen in the TARDIS to the Silurian civilisation to rescue Amy and a local boy. Executive producers Steven Moffat and Piers Wenger contacted Chibnall and asked him to write a two-part episode involving Silurians and a drill. Moffat wished to redesign the Silurians and worked together with Chibnall to create the idea of distinguishing prosthetics for their faces. Being in the fourth production block of the series, the episode was filmed in October and November 2009, with location filming in Llanwynno, Wales. The episode was watched by 6.49 million viewers on BBC One and BBC HD and received mixed reviews from critics. While some praised the horror, some noted that the story was very simplistic, and critics disagreed about the redesigned Silurians. 3.5 First of two-parter, this one starts right off and goes from there.  Fast action with Rory and Amy following behind. 209b - Doctor Who - S05E09 - Cold Blood Part 2 Complete Info "Cold Blood" is the ninth episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 29 May 2010 on BBC One. It was written by Chris Chibnall and directed by Ashley Way. It is the second episode of a two-part story, the first episode being "The Hungry Earth", which features the return of the reptilian humanoid Silurians. Continuing from the previous episode, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) and geologist Nasreen Chaudhry (Meera Syal) have taken the TARDIS deep below the ground to the Silurian city where the Doctor's companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), a local man named Mo (Alun Raglan), and Mo's son Elliot (Samuel Davies) are being held hostage. Meanwhile, above ground, Amy's fiancé Rory (Arthur Darvill), Mo's wife Ambrose (Nia Roberts), and Ambrose's father Tony (Robert Pugh) keep watch over Alaya (Neve McIntosh), a captured Silurian who is the key to freeing the hostages. When Ambrose kills Alaya, the Doctor attempts to prevent Alaya's sister Restac (McIntosh) from wiping out the human population as revenge by offering to share the planet with the Silurians. Chibnall was elected by executive producers Steven Moffat and Piers Wenger to write a two-part episode about the return of the Silurians. Chibnall wanted "Cold Blood" in particular to be about the mistakes people made under pressure and conflict that could come out of protecting a family. The episode is also connected to the series' story arc, as at the end Rory dies and is consumed by a crack in the universe. "The Hungry Earth" and "Cold Blood" were filmed in October and November 2009, with scenes in "Cold Blood" shot in Llanwynno, Wales, Cardiff's Temple of Peace, Plantasia, and an array of locations and sets for parts of the Silurian city, which the production team did not want to look like a cave. The episode was watched by 7.49 million viewers in the United Kingdom and received generally mixed review from critics. Some reviewers were disappointed by the plot and characteristics of the Silurians, but the emotional ending was widely praised. 4.0 Great follow-up to the "The Hungry Earth".  This one has all the bits a great episode should have .. with the moral of the story being "not trust the humans".  Rory dies and the "crack in then universe" wipes him from Amy's mind.  There is very good passion in this episode .. well done. 210 - Doctor Who - S05E10 - Vincent and the Doctor Complete Info "Vincent and the Doctor" is the tenth episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One on 5 June 2010. It was written by Richard Curtis and directed by Jonny Campbell and featured an uncredited guest appearance from actor Bill Nighy. Intrigued by an ominous figure in one of Vincent van Gogh's paintings, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) go back in time to meet van Gogh (Tony Curran) and discover that Provence has been plagued by an invisible monster, known as the Krafayis, which only van Gogh can see. The Doctor and Amy work with van Gogh to defeat the Krafayis, but in their attempt to have van Gogh realise his legacy through bringing him to the future they ultimately realise that not all of time can be rewritten and there are some evils which are out of the Doctor's reach. Curtis, inspired by the fact that van Gogh never knew he would be famous, had the idea for an episode centred around him. He left the script open to criticism from the crew and made many revisions as a result. Curtis wanted to portray van Gogh truthfully, rather than being cruel by writing jokes about his madness. The episode was filmed in Trogir, Croatia and many of the sets were modelled after van Gogh paintings. The episode was watched by 6.76 million viewers on BBC One and BBC HD. Reception to the episode varied, ranging from very positive to mixed to very negative. While the amount of emotion in the episode was debated over, most reviewers agreed that the Krafayis was not a threatening monster. Curran's performance as van Gogh was also praised. 3.5 with Tony Curran playing Vincent van Gogh with striking resemblance shown between Curran and "Self-Portrait in Straw Hat".  This is to me a very good episode.  This episode contains highs/lows of emotions but the script seems strong throughout. 211 - Doctor Who - S05E11 - The Lodger Complete Info "The Lodger" is the eleventh episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One on 12 June 2010. It was written by Gareth Roberts, who based the story on his 2006 Doctor Who Magazine comic strip "The Lodger". The episode features the Doctor (Matt Smith) stranded on Earth and separated from his companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), when an unknown force prevents his time travelling spaceship, the TARDIS, from landing. To investigate, he moves into the flat of Craig Owens (James Corden) and attempts to fit in with ordinary humans while unknowingly playing matchmaker for Craig and his good friend Sophie (Daisy Haggard). Showrunner Steven Moffat was a fan of Roberts' original comic strip and enthused him to adapt it into an episode for the series. While some elements of the comic strip remain, Roberts wrote most of it from scratch. "The Lodger" replaced a slot held by an episode that was pushed back due to budgetary constraints and was consequently one of the last to be filmed. The episode was watched by a final 6.44 million viewers, the least-watched episode of the fifth series of Doctor Who. However, it achieved the joint highest Appreciation Index of the series at the time of broadcast and received positive to mixed reviews from critics. Praise was given to the acting of Smith and Corden, but reviewers expressed disappointment over the resolution. 3.0 This is a good but somewhat strange one.  Liked the characters and story-line okay.  Just something that made it not as good as most of the others .. for me.  Tryit ..

[Dragonfire]

Yep .. 178 - Doctor Who - S03E00 - Runaway Bride  I didn't like that one or really any of hers .. until this time around.  Maybe the sting of losing Rose is not as strong now. <shrug> But many of the stories are very strong and a good watch.  Nice thing about us is the ability to change our minds <G>

I haven't watched the episodes again yet.  Once Donna was the companion for the season, she wasn't annoying as much.  I loved how she and the Doctor found each other again..pretty funny.  The way things end is good...but I wasn't overly thrilled about something.

(click to show/hide)

I thought that the way Donna's time as the companion ends is devastating..in some ways it is worse than what happened with Rose.  Donna and the Doctor were just such good friends by that point...and she clearly wanted to keep traveling with him.  Yes Rose wanted to stay too...but at least she remembers him and their time together.  Donna not being able to remember any of it is horrible.  I loved how the Doctor stood up to her mother there at the end...I can't remember exactly what was said, but he said something about how she should have treated Donna better. 

I liked the last specials and how they wrapped things up.  I think we get to see a very....different view of the Doctor in Waters of Mars...and it proves that he really needs a companion for more than just friendship..he needs someone to keep him on track so to speak and from...well..flipping out.

There were a few things that really got to me in End of Time.  Good ending for Tennant..powerful and emotional. 

[DSig]

I have to agree with just about everything you wrote .. (well it had to happen didn't it )

Still working on liking Matt Smith .. he is no David Tennant but his character is still good and I like chemistry with Rory and Amy.

And I really agree with how the Doctor talked to Donna's mom.  Always felt bad for her granddad.

[DSig]

What I am watchin on 05sep2012 -
TV Shows -

Doctor Who: The Complete Fifth Series "We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one. A daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away. You'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time. Brand new and ancient. And the bluest blue ever. The Doctor and Amy pond." 212a - Doctor Who - S05E12 - The Pandorica Opens Part 1 Complete Info "The Pandorica Opens" is the twelfth episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on 19 June 2010 on BBC One. It is the first in a two-part finale which was continued the next week with "The Big Bang". The episode was written by head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat and directed by Toby Haynes. In the episode, the mysterious character River Song (Alex Kingston) summons alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) to Roman Britain in A.D. 102, where underneath Stonehenge lies a fabled prison called the Pandorica that legend tells holds the most fearsome being in the whole universe. However, it is discovered that the Doctor has been put in a trap by an alliance of his greatest enemies to save the universe from cracks in time that were caused by the Doctor's space-time vessel the TARDIS. Amy's fiancé Rory (Arthur Darvill), who had previously been erased from existence from one of the cracks in the universe, makes a return, though he is revealed to be an Auton duplicate outfitted with his consciousness. Moffat wanted the episode to be "big" and "mad". Filming was done at the real Stonehenge and at a replica in early February 2009. The "Underhenge" set was the largest built on Upper Boat Studios and Haynes helped get the actors into the mood by playing music from the Indiana Jones franchise. The alliance of enemies was the first time such an assembly had been seen in the show, and the production team made sure they used the most iconic monsters that they had in good condition. "The Pandorica Opens" was seen by 7.57 million viewers in the UK and received an Appreciation Index of 88, the highest of the series at the time. The episode was well-received by critics and the two-part story won the 2011 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form). 4.0 Bravo!! This is a great episode which promises to just get better as there is a second part.  Rory is back with Cybermen, River Song and the Roman Legions.  Oh my, and don't forget about the "Pandorica".  Oh my with just about all of the Doctors enemies .. 212b - Doctor Who - S05E13 - The Big Bang Part 2 Complete Info "The Big Bang" is the thirteenth and final episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, broadcast on 26 June 2010 on BBC One. It is the second part of the two-part series finale started with "The Pandorica Opens", written by Steven Moffat and directed by Toby Haynes. Following the end of the previous episode, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) is trapped in an unescapable prison, the TARDIS has blown up with River Song (Alex Kingston) inside, and the Doctor's companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) has been shot by an Auton replica of her fiancé Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill). As the universe is collapsing, the Doctor uses time travel to solve these problems and ultimately reboot the universe. The episode sees the climax of Amy's character arc and the story arc of the series regarding the cracks in the universe, though Moffat chose to leave a few things unexplained. Taking place mainly in a museum, most scenes in the episode were shot at Brangwyn Hall in February 2010. "The Big Bang" was seen by 6.696 million viewers in the UK and received the highest Appreciation Index of the series at 89. It received mainly positive reviews from critics, though many commented on the complicated nature of the plot and whether some aspects made sense. The two-part story won the 2011 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form. 3.5 Great bits with time.  Amy bits as she was young .. led by the Doctor.  And why is he wearing a Fez?  Great love scene with Amy and Rory .. the original 2000 year old man .  Great episode with a great conclusion.  Anything more, as River Song says .. "Spoilers" 213 - Doctor Who - S05E14 - A Christmas Carol - Doctor Who Christmas Special Complete Info "A Christmas Carol" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the sixth Doctor Who Christmas Special since the programme's revival in 2005, and was broadcast on 25 December 2010 on both BBC One and BBC America, making it the first episode to premiere on the same day in both the United Kingdom and United States. It was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Toby Haynes. In the episode, newly wedded companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) are trapped on a crashing space liner which has been caught in a strange cloud belt. They call the Doctor (Matt Smith), who lands on the planet below and meets the miserly Kazran Sardick (Michael Gambon), a man who can control the cloud layer but refuses to help. Inspired by Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, the Doctor attempts to use time travel to alter Kazran's past and make him kinder so he will save the spaceship. Moffat enjoyed writing the episode, and was a fan of Dickens' story himself. The story features flying sharks and fish, which was something Moffat was afraid of as a child. The episode features the acting debut of Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins, who also sang in the episode with a song written specifically for her. "A Christmas Carol" was filmed though July and August 2010 mainly on sets designed by the show's new set designer Michael Pickwood. The special was seen by 12.11 million viewers in the UK and received generally positive reviews from critics. 3.5 Good strong episode.  Good script and a very fun watch.  Little of Rory and Amy but that is ok as the Doctor and others carry it quite well.  Fun watch.

Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series 214a - Doctor Who - s06e01 - The Impossible Astronaut Part 1 Complete Info "The Impossible Astronaut" is the first episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by show runner Steven Moffat, and directed by Toby Haynes, the episode was first broadcast on 23 April 2011 in the United Kingdom, as well as the United States and Canada. It also aired in Australia on 30 April 2011. The episode features alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill), and is the first of a two part story, which concluded with "Day of the Moon". In the episode, Amy Pond, Rory and River Song are summoned to Utah by the Eleventh Doctor, who is killed by a mysterious figure in a space suit. The dead Doctor is revealed to be an older self, after his younger version returns. They try to understand what the future-Doctor said and are sent to Washington D.C. The team deals with the Silence, a race of aliens with the ability to make people forget their encounter with them when they look away. Moffat wrote the episode with the intention to improve the series. The Silence was created to compete with other past aliens in terms of "scariness," including the Weeping Angels. The episode was partially filmed on location in Utah; the first time in Doctor Who that principal photography took place in the United States. Before the broadcast, a fan leaked the plot of the episode following a press screening. The episode was seen by 8.86 million viewers in the United Kingdom, and received generally positive reviews from critics. "The Impossible Astronaut" gained an Appreciation Index of 88 - considered excellent. The episode was dedicated to Elisabeth Sladen, known for playing former companion Sarah Jane Smith, who died from cancer on 19 April 2011. 3.5 The episode begins with a still-caption tribute to former Doctor Who actress Elisabeth Sladen following her death from cancer on 19 April 2011 .. my birthday.  She was the companion Sarha Jane Smith for the Doctor and starred in her own show The Sarah Jane Adventures.  Good by Sarah Jane .. This story starts a new arc and is the first of 2 parts .. followed by "Day of the Moon".  The Doctor is killed by a strange figure in a space suit.  Starts new group of 'evil' called Silence.  I really don't like the Silence .. they are creapy .. like the ones in Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode Hush.  But I like the looks of "The Gentlemen" much more 214b - Doctor Who - s06e02 - Day of the Moon Part 2 Complete Info "Day of the Moon" is the second episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by show runner Steven Moffat, and directed by Toby Haynes, the episode was first broadcast on 30 April 2011 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on BBC America in the United States. The episode is the second of a two part story that began with "The Impossible Astronaut". In 1969 America, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) attempts, alongside newlyweds Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill), occasional assistant River Song (Alex Kingston) and FBI agent Canton Everett Delaware III (Mark Sheppard), to lead the human race into a revolution against the Silence, a race of aliens who cannot be remembered after they are encountered. "The Impossible Astronaut" and "Day of the Moon" were designed to be a darker opener to the series and were partially filmed in the United States, a first for the programme. Moffat was keen on incorporating Area 51, the moon landing, and President Richard Nixon (played by Stuart Milligan) into the plot. The episode received final viewing figures of 7.3 million in the UK. It received generally positive reviews from critics, though many worried about the number of questions that had been left unanswered. 3.5 I think that River Song must have had something to do with the Infinite Improbability Drive with the way she shoots at the end .. but leaving that aside I really like this episode.  It is a bit involved and you have to pay attention as it goes along .. but the story seems tight and the execution is all Doctor.  Another good watch.

[Dragonfire]

I do like Matt Smith as the Doctor...yes he is no Tennant, but he's still good..just in a different way. 

Oh I really liked Donna's grandfather.  I liked the way the Doctor explained regenerating to him in End of Time.  That really reinforces that it is more than just a change in appearance. 

I really liked the Christmas Carol episode..so good..and touching.

I think the Silence makes a good villain with how they work.  There were a few things in this season that I didn't expect at all.

[DSig]

Few days late on posting so a couple of days here .. Been shuffling drives around .. moving my ripped shows etc.  So will be watching the first episode of Season 7 Doctor who before finishing the old ones.

What I am watchin on 06sep2012 -

TV Shows -

Doctor Who: The Complete Series 7 225 - Doctor Who - S07E01 - Asylum of the Daleks Complete Info "Asylum of the Daleks" is the first episode of the seventh series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This episode marks the return of the Daleks. It was broadcast on BBC One, BBC America and Space on 1 September 2012, and will be on ABC1 in Australia on 8 September 2012. The episode features the alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) being captured by the Daleks, along with his companions Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill), who are about to divorce. They are sent by the Daleks to the Asylum, a planet where insane Daleks are exiled, to enable the Asylum to be destroyed before the insane Daleks can escape. The Doctor is helped along the way by Oswin (Jenna-Louise Coleman), a woman who lives on a spaceship that crashed on the planet a year ago and has been trapped there since then. Coleman makes her first appearance in Doctor Who in this episode, before returning as the Doctor's new companion in the 2012 Christmas special; her appearance was successfully kept a secret from the general public prior to the episode's broadcast. 3.5 I really liked this episode.  It took me a while to work out some bits which i really enjoy.  Script is good and tight.  I am looking forward to some other bad guys though.  Good start to season 7. Kingdom Hospital: The Entire Series Stephen King Presents Kingdom Hospital is the haunting new 15-hour drama series developed directly for television by the award-winning, best-selling master of horror. Using Lars Von Trier's Danish miniseries "Riget" (a.k.a. "The Kingdom") as a point of inspiration, King tells the terrifying story of The Kingdom, a hospital with a bizarre population that includes a nearly blind security guard, a nurse who regularly faints at the sight of blood and a paraplegic artist whose recovery is a step beyond miraculous. When patients and staff hear the tortured voice of a little girl crying through the halls, they are dismissive of any suggestion of mysticism of unseen powers ... but at their own peril. Kingdom Hospital Episode 1 -  Pilot - thy Kingdom Come Complete Info Peter Rickman is admitted to hospital and, while in surgery, begins to discover Kingdom Hospital is more than it seems; Dr. Stegman asks vacuous Chief of Staff Dr. James to help him rid the hospital of hypochondriac Mrs. Druse; and earthquakes hit Kingdom. U.S. ratings: 14.04 million US viewers and a 9.8/14 rating/share. 3.5 Great start to the series.  Dr. Hook (not the great musical group Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show) played by Andrew McCarthy, Dr. Stegman insainly .. wonderfully played by Bruce Davison, head of the Hospital Dr. Jesse James played by the ever great Ed Begley, Jr., the psychic Sally Druse played by Diane Ladd and the little girl ghost who appears to propel the whole thing .. Mary Jensen played by Jodelle Micah Ferland.  With a large supporting cast along the way. I have seen this before but it has been a couple of years since last view.  Seeing bits I have either missed or forgot.  Very fun .. one of Kings best TV/Film bits. Kingdom Hospital Episode 2 - Deaths Kingdom Complete Info Peter's hit-and-run driver arrives at Kingdom, becoming one of the first to witness the strange events building there; Elmer attempts to attract Lona during a dinner in the morgue; and Hook schemes to keep Mrs. Druse on for observational purposes. U.S. ratings: 8.5 million viewers and a 5.7/10 rating/share 3.5 Kingdom Hospital Episode 3 - Goodbye kiss Complete Info Dr. Hook becomes drawn into Mrs. Druse's plight after seeing the ghost of Mary; a prisoner and his girlfriend plan a suicide pact gone wrong when the prisoner is saved by the staff; Dr. Stegman is accused of malpractice again; and Peter is visited by the spirits of Kingdom in the form of Mary and Paul. U.S. ratings: 7.1 million viewers and a 4.9/8 rating/share 3.5 Dr. Stegman is at his ever best .. thoughtless, unfeeling and totally out of touch with humanity of any kind.  Shacking his fist at the sky ... "There will be reprisals for this! ... Reprisals!" kingdom Hospital Episode 4 - The West Side Of Midnight Complete Info Dr. Traff's ex-wife dies on the operating table; Elmer dreams of Antubis; the deceased Lenny helps Mrs. Druse in her quest; Stegman goes crazy after finding his car defaced and decides to find the culprits; Paul uses Pedersen to get rid of Mrs. Druse. Kingdom suffers a second earthquake. Note: also known as West of Midnight ; Christine Willes guest stars. U.S. ratings: 5.4 million viewers and a 3.8/7 rating/share 3.5 Well as bad health-care provider gets it back, Kingdom Hospital, its staff and patients go into another day of oddity.  Stegman goes a little more crazy as he loses control about his car being vandalized .. and the hospital suffers another earthquake.  Great episode following on the heals of the previous 3. Kingdom Hospital Episode 5 - Hook's Kingdom Complete Info Paul and Antubis face off; Pedersen plots to kill his roommate; Dr. Gupta is stunned by the likeness of a dead patient to Elmer; Elmer and Lona flirt in the sleep lab; Dr. Hook shows Draper his home in the bowels of the Kingdom; Mary reaches out to Peter; Abel and Christa ask a favor of Dr. James; and the believers gather in "Hook's Kingdom". U.S. ratings: 5.1 million viewers and a 3.5/6 rating/share 3.5 Still good continuation of the series.  Script running tight along the way.  Kingdom Hospital Episode 6 - The young And The Headless Complete Info Dr. James holds a dinner to get funding for an investigative project into the earthquakes, which involves the accidental destruction of a recovering alcoholic seismologist; Steg's initiation goes ahead, while Brenda destroys documents incriminating him; Peter, Paul, Mary, Antubis and the headless victim wander the bowels of the hospital and Elmer uses a corpse to play a trick on Lona, but it goes wrong. U.S. ratings: 3.7 million viewers and a 2.5/4 rating share 3.5 Stegman losing it more.  Dr. Hook conspiring against him and helping the psychic.  What I am watchin on 07sep2012 - TV Shows - Drive shuffling over so back to finish off the Doctor ... Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series 215 - Doctor Who - s06e03 - Curse of the Black Spot Complete Info "The Curse of the Black Spot" is the third episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by Stephen Thompson, and directed by Jeremy Webb, the episode was first broadcast on 7 May 2011 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on BBC America in the United States. It features the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill). In the episode, the TARDIS materializes in the 17th century on board a pirate ship whose crew is being terrorized by a Siren-like creature. After receiving an injury, however minor, a black spot appears on their palms and then the creature apparently disintegrates them. The producers wished to develop a pirate-themed episode for the sixth series and allow the protagonists to "sit back and have some fun" on the adventure. The episode was primarily filmed at a dock in Cornwall and Upper Boat Studios in Wales. "The Curse of the Black Spot" was seen by 7.85 million viewers and received generally mixed reviews from critics. It gained an audience Appreciation Index of 86 – considered excellent. 3.5 Great episode.  Playing on most everyone's love of pirates .. great script and acting in this one.  Love the twist in the end .. although i think this is similar (like General Disarray kept explaining to Professor Chaos in Simpson's Already Did It except .. in this case .. )to an episode in the original "Star Trek".  Oh well there really are only so many stories in the world .. different twists and interpretations ..  Loved it. 216 - Doctor Who - s06e04 - The Doctors Wife Complete Info "The Doctor's Wife" is the fourth episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was broadcast on 14 May 2011 in the United Kingdom, as well as in the United States. It was written by Neil Gaiman and was directed by Richard Clark. In the episode, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) receive a distress call from a living Time Lord, though all other members of the Doctor's race were thought to be extinct. However, they discover that the call was bait to lure the Doctor to an asteroid outside the universe, where previously the energy of Time Lords' TARDISes have been consumed by an entity called the House (voice of Michael Sheen). The matrix of the Doctor's TARDIS is removed and placed in the body of a woman named Idris (Suranne Jones), who proceeds to help them escape. "The Doctor's Wife" was originally intended to be produced as part of the previous series, but was pushed back due to budget constraints. Gaiman drafted the script many times, having to add and remove characters and events as production saw fit. The episode was filmed in the autumn of 2010, and featured a makeshift TARDIS control room which was the design from a winner of a contest on the children's programme Blue Peter. The episode was seen by 7.97 million viewers in the UK and was met with generally positive reviews from critics. The episode won the 2011 Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation and the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form. 4.0 I really like this episode .. meeting the Tardis was a great treat.  Interesting concept with fun execution.  Maybe the Doctor has recognized his all time companion. 217a - Doctor Who - s06e05 - The Rebel Flesh Part 1 Complete Info "The Rebel Flesh" is the fifth episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 21 May 2011 on BBC One and on BBC America in the United States. It is the first episode of a two-part story written by Matthew Graham and directed by Julian Simpson, concluded in "The Almost People". In the episode, the TARDIS is hit by a solar storm, sending the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) to a monastery on an island on Earth in the 22nd century, which has been converted into a factory to pump acid off the island. To prevent death from the acid, the workers have utilized a "programmable matter" called the Flesh, which creates a doppelgänger (called "Ganger") controlled by the worker. As the solar storm hits, the Gangers become independent, and the Doctor, Amy and Rory must work to prevent the two groups from breaking into a war. Showrunner Steven Moffat specifically asked Graham to write the episodes about "avatars that rebel", although the Flesh and the monastery were Graham's original ideas. The episode was filmed in the late months of 2010 with some location filming at Caerphilly Castle to represent the monastery. Prosthetics were used to create the Gangers' facial features, while doubles of the actors were used for scenes in which a character and his or her Ganger were both in a scene, but did not both show their face. The episode was seen by 7.35 million viewers in the UK and achieved an Appreciation Index of 85. Reviewers were generally positive about the episode; some praised the setting and characters but others commented that the story had not developed enough even though it was only the first part. The computer-generated effects used for one scene was also disapproved of by a couple of reviewers. 217b - Doctor Who - s06e06 - The Almost People Part 2 Complete Info "The Almost People" is the sixth episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was first broadcast on BBC One on 28 May 2011. It is the second episode of a two-part story written by Matthew Graham and directed by Julian Simpson which began with "The Rebel Flesh". Following from "The Rebel Flesh", alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) are on a acid-pumping factory on a remote island in the 22nd century where the crew of the factory create "Gangers", Flesh duplicates who they control. However, a solar storm has caused the Gangers to become conscious, and the Doctor must prevent a war breaking out between the humans and Gangers. "The Almost People" ends on a cliffhanger which brings several plot threads of the series to a head. The two-part story was filmed through November 2010 to January 2011, mainly at Caerphilly Castle. The Gangers were achieved with the aid of prosthetics, as well as computer-generated imagery for their contortions. "The Almost People" also features a Flesh double of the Doctor, which marked Smith's first time in prosthetic make-up and allowed the Doctor's internal dialogue to become external. The episode was watched by 6.72 million viewers in the UK and received mixed to positive reviews from critics, many noting that the cliffhanger overshadowed the actual story of the episode. 4.0 Great 2 parter with the Doctor becoming very involved.  Another morality play dealing with humanity and its definition.  It is always sad to the bad decisions .. 218a - Doctor Who - s06e07 - A Good Man Goes To War Part 1 Complete Info "A Good Man Goes to War" is the seventh episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was first broadcast on BBC One on 4 June 2011 and served as a mid-series finale. Written by Steven Moffat and directed by Peter Hoar, it is the first episode of a two-part story, which is continued in "Let's Kill Hitler", broadcast on 27 August. The episode follows the cliffhanger of "The Almost People", which reveals that Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) had been operating a Flesh duplicate of herself and is in fact held in a remote location and about to give birth. Alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy's husband Rory (Arthur Darvill) muster an army of allies and set out to find both Amy and her child with Rory, a girl named Melody Pond. The episode reveals that the recurring character River Song (Alex Kingston) is Amy and Rory's child. River's identity was kept in top secrecy, and only a few members of the cast and crew were issued the correct ending of the script. The beginning of the episode contained many different locations which were challenging for the production team. The main setting, Demon's Run, was filmed in a military base and hangar in Cardiff. "A Good Man Goes to War" was watched by 7.57 million viewers in the United Kingdom and received an Appreciation Index of 88. Critical reception was mixed to positive, and the episode has been nominated for the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form). 218b - Doctor Who - s06e08 - Let's Kill Hitler Part 2 Complete Info "Let's Kill Hitler" is the eighth episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was first broadcast on BBC One, Space and BBC America on 27 August 2011. It is the second episode of a two-part story, continuing from "A Good Man Goes to War". "Let's Kill Hitler" was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Marcus Wilson. In the episode, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and her husband Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) crash land in 1938 Berlin when the TARDIS is hijacked by Amy and Rory's childhood friend, Mels (Nina Toussaint-White). They accidentally save Adolf Hitler (Albert Welling) who was scheduled for torture by the Teselecta, a time-travelling justice department. When shot by Hitler, Mels unexpectedly regenerates into River Song, the grown version of Amy and Rory's child who had been taken away from them. As River is a criminal herself due to her future execution of the Doctor, the Teselecta pursue her instead, whilst the Doctor faces death from her poisoned lipstick. Moffat intended for "Let's Kill Hitler" to be more lighthearted than the series opener, and he intended to make fun of Hitler. The episode concludes many elements of River Song's arc. The episode was filmed around March and April 2011, although the opening sequence, set in a cornfield, was filmed much later in the final scenes shot for the series as they had to wait for the corn to grow. Much of Berlin was filmed in Swansea, while The Temple of Peace in Cardiff was also used as a location. In the UK, the episode attracted 8.10 million viewers, the second most-watched episode of the series. Critical reception was generally positive, though some were critical of the Teselecta and various aspects of the setting and characters. 4.0 Great double episode with many of the Doctors friends and enemies.  Great battle for Amy and her baby.  Good script .. do like seeing the Doctor get pissed.  And the cliff hanger of the first part was shocking .. Love Crop Circles .. And fun twists with Amy, the baby and a time-travelling shape-shifting robot(?) containing tiny humans.  More than that would be .. as River Song says .. Spoilers

[Dragonfire]

I really enjoyed The Doctor's Wife episode.  Very interesting..I never would have thought of the TARDIS in that way before.

[DSig]

What I am watchin on 08/09sep12 -

TV Shows -

Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series 219 - Doctor Who - s06e09 - Night Terrors Complete Info "Night Terrors" is the ninth episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was first broadcast on BBC One and BBC America on 3 September 2011. It was written by Mark Gatiss and directed by Richard Clark. In the episode, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) decide to make a "house call" to an eight-year-old boy named George (Jamie Oram) who is terrified of almost everything, and especially dreads the cupboard in his bedroom. While the Doctor discusses this with George's father Alex (Daniel Mays), Amy and Rory become trapped in a dolls house with terrifying life-size peg dolls. "Night Terrors" was inspired by Gatiss's fear of dolls, and the ones in the episode were designed to be scary and crude-looking. The episode was moved from the first half of the series to the second, which necessitated changes to make it fit into the series' story arc. It was the first to be filmed, with production taking place in September 2010 at a council estate in Bath, Somerset and at Dyrham Park, where the doll's house interior scenes were filmed. The episode was watched by 7.07 million viewers in the UK and received generally positive reviews from critics, though some were critical of how it fit into the overarching story as it came after a heavy story-arc episode. 3.5 I love a good scarey bit and this episode fills that bill.  Fun script and good execution makes this a very fun watch.  Even Amy and Rory look stunned at the end 220 - Doctor Who - s06e10 - The Girl Who Waited Complete Info "The Girl Who Waited" is the tenth episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was first broadcast on BBC One and BBC America on 10 September 2011. It was written by Tom MacRae and was directed by Nick Hurran. In the episode, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) takes his companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and her husband Rory (Arthur Darvill) to the planet Apalapucia for a holiday, but they find that the planet is on quarantine as the two-hearted natives are susceptible to a deadly plague. Amy accidentally gets separated from the Doctor and Rory but when they try to rescue her they arrive 36 years later in her timeline. The older Amy does not trust the Doctor, who is forced to remain on the TARDIS as he also has two hearts, and will not allow the Doctor and Rory to leave and rescue her at the correct point in her timeline. "The Girl Who Waited" is designed as a "Doctor-lite" episode, and focuses more on Amy and Rory rather than the Doctor. Gillan played the older version of herself and prosthetics were applied to make her appear older. The episode was filmed on a lower budget, and MacRae decided to make the main sets all white in colour. "The Girl Who Waited" was seen by 7.6 million viewers in the UK and received generally positive reviews from critics. 3.5 This is a very good episode both in writing/acting and execution.  This is mainly a Amy and Rory episode and there is a lot of emotion well writtin into it.  A great view. 221 - Doctor Who - s06e11 - The God Complex Complete Info "The God Complex" is the eleventh episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One 17 September 2011. It was written by Toby Whithouse and directed by Nick Hurran. In the episode, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and her husband Rory (Arthur Darvill) find themselves trapped in what appears to be a 1980s hotel with constantly changing corridors. They meet humans Rita (Amara Karan), Howie (Dimitri Leonidas), Joe (Daniel Pirrie), and the alien Gibbis (David Walliams) who have also appeared in the hotel without any idea how they arrived. The Doctor learns that each hotel room contains the greatest fear of someone who has been in the hotel, and that a minotaur-like creature is feeding off their faith. Whithouse originally developed the concept of "The God Complex" for the previous series, but due to it being similar to episodes in that series it was pushed back, with Whithouse contributing "The Vampires of Venice" instead. The episode ends with the departure of Amy and Rory, though this was not a permanent leave. "The God Complex" was filmed during the early months of 2011, mainly on sets constructed for the hotel. The episode was seen by 6.77 million viewers in the United Kingdom and received positive to mixed reviews from critics. While the performances in the episode, especially Smith's, were praised, not all critics were impressed with the plot. 3.5 When the opening sequence of any show/movie starts with a scarey Clown like characer (sure it can be formula .. but it never gets old ) then you know you are in for a bumpy ride.  Much more would just be spoilers .. but it is a very good episode worth a good watch. 222 - Doctor Who - s06e12 - Closing Time Complete Info "Closing Time" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was first broadcast on BBC One on 24 September 2011. It was written by Gareth Roberts and directed by Steve Hughs. It is a sequel to "The Lodger", an episode Roberts wrote for the previous series. In the episode, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) is going on a "farewell tour" before his impending death and visits his friend Craig (James Corden), who has a new baby son, Alfie. Though not initally intending to stay, the Doctor becomes intrigued by a Cybermen invasion at a local department store. Roberts and showrunner Steven Moffat wanted to bring Craig back, having enjoyed "The Lodger" and Corden's performance. Though "Closing Time" was designed to be fun, with comedy built around the double act of Smith and Corden, it contains themes and an epilogue that lead into the finale. The episode marks the first appearance of the Cybermats in the revival of Doctor Who, and they were appropriately redesigned. Much of the episode was filmed in a department store and a private home in Cardiff at night, with shooting going early into the morning. "Closing Time" was watched by 6.93 million viewers in the UK and received generally positive reviews from critics; while the performances, comedy, and emotional moments were praised, many critics were not pleased with the usage of the Cybermen. 3.5 "Don't worry .. I have an app for that" .. what a great line.  This is a very fun episode with the return of Craig Owens (played by James Corden ) from the episode The Lodger.  223 - Doctor Who - s06e13 - The Wedding of River Song Complete Info "The Wedding of River Song" is the thirteenth and final episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was first broadcast on BBC One, BBC America and Space on 1 October 2011. The Doctor makes his final journey to the shores of Lake Silencio in Utah, knowing only one thing can keep the universe safe: his death. But has he reckoned without the love of a good woman? 3.5 As the last episode of Series 6 (well actually there is a Christmas special coming up ..) this episode wraps up a lot of bits dealing with the Doctors death.  I really liked bits of this episode, but there are also bits that I did not like.  It is a good watch and a must for any Doctor Who fan

[DSig]

*********************************************************************
What I am watching on 10sep12 - (a very long day at work - not sure what is wrong with formatting .. will look into it)

TV Shows -

	Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series 224 - Doctor Who - S06E14 - The Doctor  the Widow and the Wardrobe Complete Info "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. First broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2011, it is the seventh Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005. It was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Farren Blackburn. Internationally, the special was shown on BBC America in the United States and on Space in Canada the same day as the British broadcast, with ABC1 in Australia showing it one day later. In the special, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) is the caretaker of recently widowed Madge Arwell (Claire Skinner) and her children Lily (Holly Earl) and Cyril (Maurice Cole) during their holiday vacation away from the London Blitz. The Doctor plans to take them on a treat to a snowy planet through a portal in a present he has placed under the Christmas tree, but Cyril opens it before Christmas and wanders through. They become separated looking for him and discover that the trees of the planet are about to be melted down with acid rain for energy. "The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe" marked the end of Piers Wenger's tenure as executive producer, and the debut of Caroline Skinner in the same position. Loosely based on C.S. Lewis's children's novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Moffat intended the episode to be the most "Christmassy" of the Doctor Who Christmas specials, while Blackburn felt there was "magic" in it. It was filmed in September and October 2011, with some scenes taking place in an authentic Lancaster bomber. "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" was watched by 10.77 million viewers in the United Kingdom, making it the third most-watched programme on Christmas Day. Critical reception to the episode was generally positive, though some felt that the high-profile comedic guest stars Bill Bailey and Arabella Weir were underused. 3.5 Just a good ole Christmas tale with some sci-fi bits.  Good watch but not high on my list of re-watchables
Doctor Who: The Complete Series 7 225 - Doctor Who - S07E01 - Asylum of the Daleks Complete Info "Asylum of the Daleks" is the first episode of the seventh series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This episode marks the return of the Daleks. It was broadcast on BBC One, BBC America and Space on 1 September 2012, and will be on ABC1 in Australia on 8 September 2012. The episode features the alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) being captured by the Daleks, along with his companions Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill), who are about to divorce. They are sent by the Daleks to the Asylum, a planet where insane Daleks are exiled, to enable the Asylum to be destroyed before the insane Daleks can escape. The Doctor is helped along the way by Oswin (Jenna-Louise Coleman), a woman who lives on a spaceship that crashed on the planet a year ago and has been trapped there since then. Coleman makes her first appearance in Doctor Who in this episode, before returning as the Doctor's new companion in the 2012 Christmas special; her appearance was successfully kept a secret from the general public prior to the episode's broadcast. 3.5 (NOTE: I just watched this again .. and put it here to complete the bits .. )I really liked this episode.  It took me a while to work out some bits which i really enjoy.  Script is good and tight.  I am looking forward to some other bad guys though.  Good start to season 7. 226 - Doctor Who - S07E02 - Dinosaurs on a Spaceship Complete Info "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" is the second episode of the seventh series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It first aired on BBC One in the UK on 8 September 2012 and on BBC America on the same date in the United States. It was written by Chris Chibnall and directed by Saul Metzstein. The episode featured alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) accompanied by Rory's father Brian (Mark Williams), Queen Nefertiti (Riann Steele), and John Riddell, an English big-game hunter (Rupert Graves). The group landed on a large spaceship that contains dinosaurs. 3.5 Good fun episode with Nefertiti and dinosaurs .. what else could one ask for.
	Kingdom Hospital: The Entire Series Stephen King Presents Kingdom Hospital is the haunting new 15-hour drama series developed directly for television by the award-winning, best-selling master of horror. Using Lars Von Trier's Danish miniseries "Riget" (a.k.a. "The Kingdom") as a point of inspiration, King tells the terrifying story of The Kingdom, a hospital with a bizarre population that includes a nearly blind security guard, a nurse who regularly faints at the sight of blood and a paraplegic artist whose recovery is a step beyond miraculous. When patients and staff hear the tortured voice of a little girl crying through the halls, they are dismissive of any suggestion of mysticism of unseen powers ... but at their own peril. Kingdom Hospital Episode 6 - The young And The Headless Complete Info Dr. James holds a dinner to get funding for an investigative project into the earthquakes, which involves the accidental destruction of a recovering alcoholic seismologist; Steg's initiation goes ahead, while Brenda destroys documents incriminating him; Peter, Paul, Mary, Antubis and the headless victim wander the bowels of the hospital and Elmer uses a corpse to play a trick on Lona, but it goes wrong. U.S. ratings: 3.7 million viewers and a 2.5/4 rating share Kingdom Hospital Episode 7 - Black Noise Complete Info Fleischer schemes to get himself moved up the transplant list, by making a deadly deal with Antubis; Natalie and Mrs. Druse discover more secrets about Mary and the Gates Mill Fire of 1869; Hook uses the missing head to gain Elmer's help in bringing down Steg; Steg's day goes from bad to worse as he begins losing his sanity; Massingale and Elmer experience a bizarre dream experience; Hook learns of the 1869 and 1939 fires on the site of Kingdom; and Draper and Mrs. Druse suffer at the hands of Steg, the former losing credit on a story in a medical journal, the latter being confined to her bed. U.S. ratings: 3.8 million viewers and a 2.6/4 rating/share Kingdom Hospital Episode 8 - heartless Complete Info The day of the World Series final brings excitement to everyone at Kingdom, except Steg, but a suicide attempt by disgraced former New England Robins player Earl "Error" Candleton sees tension building amongst the staff, and it is up to Peter and Mary to save Candleton from Paul, and an untimely death. U.S. ratings: 2.6 million viewers and a 1.8/3 rating/share Kingdom Hospital episode 9 - butterfingers Complete Info Kingdom Hospital Episode 10 - The Passion of Reverend Jimmy Complete Info Reverend Jimmy is crucified in a back alley, and his body becomes the source of a series of miracles which profoundly affect Nurse Wright. As the miracles grow, thousands converge upon Kingdom Hospital, waiting for the anticipated resurrection of the Reverend. Elsewhere, Massingale, Havens and Otto are trapped in the morgue after an earthquake; Dr. Schwartzon predicts the future; Steg entices Brenda to destroy incriminating evidence against him, while Hook schemes to get that evidence back with Elmer's "help"; and Natalie and Mrs. Druse continue to learn more of Mary's death. Note: also known as On the Third Day. U.S. ratings: 3.0 million viewers and a 2.0/3 rating/share. Kingdom Hospital episode 11 - Siezure Day Complete Info A mounted policeman patrols near the hospital and gets knocked down by a blinding light, and is brought to the hospital where he convulses and has seizures. Dr. Hook sees a pattern of the people revolving around the hospital who experienced the same thing. Bobby Druse is sent by Sally to retrieve old hospital files about Mary, Elmer is sent by Hook to retrieve a file related to the Mona Klingerman case and Brenda is sent by Stegman to retrieve the same Klingerman document. Stegman hallucinates during an operation on a patient's brain; he sees the disease that Antubis "eats". While Steg meets with lawyers in the Klingerman case, Lona investigates Elmer's strange dreams, and Hook and Draper get closer together. U.S. ratings: 2.6 million viewers and a 1.8/3 rating/share Kingdom Hospital Episode 12 - Shoulda' Stood In Bed Complete Info Dr. James continues work on his "Operation: Morning Air" badges; Elmer gets his head back; Hook publicly shames Steg in the Mona Klingerman case, leading to Steg's suspension as a surgeon; and - as he rejects Brenda - she gets revenge on him; Antubis shows Peter and Mrs. Druse a possible future; Paul convinces Steg to end it all; and Peter brings everyone together to hold a seance, before it is too late. U.S. ratings: 2.4 million viewers and a 1.6/3 rating/share Kingdom Hospital Episode 13 - Finale  Complete Info On All Souls Day, with only hours until the destruction of Kingdom Hospital, the doctors, patients and staff of Kingdom come together to hold a seance where they learn the truth about the Gates Falls Mill fire, and Mary's death, and must make one last attempt to set things right; while an insane Steg wanders the halls searching for them, certain that they brought about his destruction. U.S. ratings: 3.7 million viewers and a 2.5/5 rating/share 3.5 The finale starts with the great anthem "Time Has Come Today" (discussion or song long version).  The finale, "On All Souls Day" is a great wrapup to this series.  Along the way we have had some fund guest stars like Wayne Newton, Charles Martin Smith and Callum Keith Rennie.  Along the way we have learned many stories .. and in the finale it all comes together with the story of Mary and the killing of the children. This is/was a great series and I do so love watching many bits of it over and over.

[DSig]

What I am watchin on 11sep12 -

TV Shows -


Movies -

	The 39 Steps Using the style and technique that were to make him famous, Hitchcock gained immediate audience sympathy for the plight of his central character, an innocent Canadian (Robert Donat) who, while visiting England, is implicated in the theft of national secrets and murder. The music hall sequence is unforgettable. A Hitchcock masterpiece! Complete Info 3.5 This is a great early thriller of Alfred Hitchcock's staring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carrol.  Great film and always a good watch.
	The Man Who Knew Too Much Film buffs argue which version of exciting story is better. We vote this one, with Hitchcock in fine form weaving dry British humor into a story of heart-pounding suspense; young girl is kidnapped to prevent her parents from revealing what they've learned about assassination plot. Complete Info 3.5 This is another great example of early Hitchcock.  Note that this one was before "39 Steps" watched earlier.  This film has great actors/actresses including url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Banks]Leslie Banks[/url], Edna Best, Peter Lorre (who at time of filming could not speak english as he just escaped from Nazi Germany), Nova Pilbeam and Frank Vosper.  I really like these early films where the tension/thrills are created with camera and great acting/expressions.  Good story line and fine execution.  I am not sure that this version is better or worse than the 1954 version of the film I will be watching later.  I think they both stand on their own merits.
	Lifeboat In Hitchcock's "provocative" (Variety) thriller based on John Steinbeck's novel, eight Americans and a German captain await rescue in Nazi-infested waters. Complete Info Lifeboat (1944) is an American war film directed by Alfred Hitchcock from a story written by John Steinbeck. The film stars Hume Cronyn, Mary Anderson, Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix, Walter Slezak, John Hodiak, Henry Hull, Heather Angel and Canada Lee, and is set entirely on a lifeboat. The film is the first in Hitchcock's 'limited-setting' films, the others being Rope (1948), Dial M for Murder (1954), and Rear Window (1954). The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Director, Best Original Motion Picture Story and Best Black and White Cinematography. 3.5 A great film with a great cast including Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix, Hume Cronyn, Mary Anderson and the ever great Walter Slezak.  With a cast like this it would be hard to make a bad movie, and believe me this isn't a bad movie.  Being made in 1944 and having "nazi" bits it has a lot of tension.

[DSig]

What I am watchin on 12sep12 -

Movies -

	Dial M for Murder Alfred Hitchcock’s screen version of Frederick Knott’s stage hit Dial M for Murder is a tasty blend of elegance and suspense casting Grace Kelly, Ray Milland and Robert Cummings as the points of a romantic triangle.  Kelly won the New York Critics and National Board of Review Best Actress Awards for this and two other acclaimed 1954 performances (Hitchcock’s Rear Window and her Oscar®-honored work in The Country Girl). She loves Cummings; her husband Milland plots her murder.  But when he dials a Mayfair exchange to set the plot in motion, his right number gets the wrong answer – and gleaming scissors become a deadly weapon.  Dial “M” for the Master of Suspense at his most stylish. Complete Info 4.0 For Alfred Hitchcock this film was done during what is considered the golden years of his creativity.  Although, of course, there are some great films on either side of this period (for example during the 30's and 40's there were "The Man Who Knew Too Much", "The 39 Steps", "Sabotage", "Rebecca", the Great "Shadow of Doubt", "Lifeboat", "Notorious", "Rope" and then during the 60's there is "Psycho", "The Birds" and "Marnie" .. Complete Filmography ), the 1950's did show a complete coming of age of his technique and mastery of screen.  What an incredible genius.   For Grace Kelly this is only her 4th performance and first of three with Alfred Hitchcock.  She only did 11 films, which is very sad as she could have become a truely legendary actress.  What a powerhouse performance.  There is a reason her first name is Grace.  The poise and beauty that she moves on the screen .. and through her roles .. oh my.  Ray Milland does a very good job as her husband and Robert Cummings is good as her would be lover.  But for me, other than Grace Kelly, the stand out here is the GREAT John Williams, one of the great character actors of the 40-60's.  This film is one of the great classics and a must for anyone who likes films from this period.
	Strangers on a Train Strange thing about this trip. So much occurs in pairs. Tennis star Guy (Farley Granger) hates his unfaithful wife. Mysterious Bruno (Robert Walker) hates his father. How perfect for a playful proposal: I'll kill yours, you kill mine. Now look at how Alfred Hitchcock reinforces the duality of human nature. The more you watch, the more you'll see. "Isn't it a fascinating design?" the Master of Suspense often asked. Actually, it's doubly fascinating. For Hitchcock left behind two versions of 'Strangers on a Train'. The original version (SIDE A) is an all-time thriller classic. A recently found longer prerelease British print (SIDE B) offers "a startling amplification of Bruno's flamboyance, his homoerotic attraction to Guy and his psychotic personality" (Bill Desowitz, 'Film Comment'). The laying bare of Bruno's hidden nature, along with great set pieces (head-turning tennis match, disintegrating carousel) and suspense as only Hitchcock can deliver, makes for a first-class trip. Complete Info 3.5 A great Hitchcock film, though not one of my favorites, "Strangers on a Train" seemed to create a sub-genre of "criss cross", as said in Throw Mama From a Train type movies.  Robert Walker brilliantly played Bruno Anthony .. a slightly psychotic man.  His best role was possibly in "The Clock" with Judy Garland.  Sadly he died at just 32 years of age.  Farley Granger, also known for his portrayal of Phillip Morgan in Alfred Hitchcock's brilliant Rope does a great job as the frustrated husband who seems to have talked/vented to the wrong person a train (Robert Walker). And what a delight to see Marion Lorne in the film.  It was her screne debut .. at the age of 63.  Of course she is *best known* for here role as Aunt Clara in the TV show "Bewitched".  An interesting tidbit .. along with Marion Lorne, another cast member here was also in "Bewitched".  Kasey Rogers who played the wife to be killed also played Louise Tate in "Bewitched". As mentioned, this is not my favorite Hitchcock film but it is very very good.  Both filming (great black and white sequences), direction/script and acting.  It never lets you down.
	The Trouble with Harry Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock directs a delightful comedy-mystery set in New England. It stars John Forsythe, Academy Award®-winner Edmund Gwenn, Mildred Natwick, and little Jerry Mathers. In addition it marks the noteworthy screen debut of Academy Award®-winner Shirley MacLaine. What is THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY? Well, it's the fact that he's dead, and while no one really minds, everybody thinks they are responsible. After several unearthings of the corpse, plenty of humor a la Hitchcock, and love affairs between the major characters, the real cause of death is revealed, and Harry troubles no one again. It's a delightful romp and a decidedly different movie from the Master of Suspense. *Edmund Gwenn,1947,Miracle on 34th Street (Best Supporting Actor) Shirley MacLaine, 1983, Terms of Endearment (Best Actress) Complete Info 4.0 Filmed during the "sweet spot" of the directors career, this film includes the combination of suspense and humor  creating a brilliant texture.   This is the first role for Shirley MacLaine just 21 years old upon its release.  It will be 5 years/10 films until the GREAT The Apartment and 8 years/16 films until the equally GREAT Irma La Douce (both with the great Jack Lemmon).  Yes she is positivly breath-taking in this.  John Forsythe does a great job playing alongside Shirley MacLaine as a quirky artist who falls in love.  Also featuring Edmund Gwenn as the Captain who does/doesn't shot Harry.  With great additional cast of Mildred Natwick, Mildred Dunnock, Jerry Mathers (The Beaver) and Royal Dano. The combination of humor and suspense always makes for a good script.  And with this cast, direction and filming ... photography in beautiful Vermont (where the leaves had to be glued back on the trees .  This is one of my favorite Hitchcock films and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes "sophisticated" dark humor.
	Murder In this suspenseful who-done-it adapted from the novel "Enter Sir John" by Clemence Dane, famous thespian Sir John Menier (Herbert Marshall) is selected to serve on the jury of a murder trial. Although he does not believe the young actress Diana Baring (Norah Baring)  is responsible for killing another woman in her acting troupe, he voted guilty along with his fellow jurors. Sir John is haunted by his decision and so becomes an amateur sleuth in order to find the real murderer. As the truth is uncovered, the gumshoe actor sets out to trap the culprit! Complete Info 3.0 Something like Hitchcock's 12 film and only his third *talkie*, this film shows great promise in the shot selection and lighting.  Although it can be slow at times, bits of humor and good strong performances make this a film worth watching.  Not on my list of films to watch a lot .. it is a good watch.