DOCTOR WHO was kept alive for years by new adventures in print since the early 1990s. Russell T. Davies was able to bring
the show back and 2005 was the right time for the good Doctor, the last surviving Timelord, to come back. I had a few issues
with season one and the second half was much better than the first half. Season 2 will not air in the United States for at
least a few months and yet I did manage to get hold of a few season 2 episodes. David Tennant works as the 10th Doctor and
his chemistry with Billie Piper (companion Rose) is smoking hot. The special effects still hold a high standard above the
low budget effects from the classic series (which still amazes me what they could do for so little money back then). Watching
the first four episodes of season 2 make me want to see the eps after that. Then again I'm just a big Doctor Who fan. It is
about time DOCTOR WHO is back for many years to come after season 2 (season 3 is a go and the TORCHWOOD spin-off airs this
Fall in the UK).
NEW EARTH- For a moment seeing the way New New York on New Earth looks like, I think of the future city look of the TV
series COLD LAZARUS written by Dennis Potter. This episode may not have a great story, but the actors make it work with the
dialogue and chemistry. Tennant and Piper make the most of variations of their characters when possessed.
TOOTH AND CLAW- Werewolves and the Queen Victoria makes this one a very interesting episode, but Rose trying to get the
Queen to say I'm not amused is the highlight.
SCHOOL REUNION- It's great seeing K-9 and Sarah Jane Smith. I remember seeing classic Doctor Who stories with both of these
characters and the awful K-9 And Company pilot that brought them together. I miss Sarah Jane Smith and Elisabeth Sladen hasn't
aged much in the last 20 years. If that isn't sweet enough for you, guest star Anthony Stewart Head will make you wonder why
the BBC never made the Giles spin-off series featuring the famous Buffy The Vampire Slayer character. here, Head is credited
as Anthony Head and he is menacing as a school headmaster. Like any episode during season 2 so far, the dialogue and character
interaction is better than the actual story. The big point that the episode brings up is the Doctor's relationships with his
companions. It is easy to say sometimes the Doctor was romantically involved with a few of his companions and others he loved
like great friends.
THE GIRL IN THE FIREPLACE- Definitely one of the best epsidoes of the new series with a bittersweet ending. The TARDIS
gets one more passenger and time travel is given a twist as the TARDIS crew discovers gateways through time to certain parts
of one person's life, the mistress of a French king. If you have seen UNDERWORLD, you will recognize the blond actress (Sophia
Myles) guest starring as the mistress. THE GIRL IN THE FIREPLACE is as good or better than last season's THE EMPTY CHILD and
THE DOCTOR DANCES.
this review is (c)6-19-2006 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission (except for excerpts and a link
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