The Shakespeare Code
Apr. 7th, 2007 09:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
owlMy review, spoilers under cut.
-Well, I suppose now we know where the idea of three witches came from in the Who-verse. The dawn of the universe must have been a busy place, races getting banished and imprisoned left, right and centre: Beelzebub (and Abbadon, or are they the same thing?), Spiderwoman, and now the evil witch people. And who were the Eternals? I don't know what they were on about in the Confidential, not female villains, have they forgotten the Christmas Special already?
-The idea of words having an inherent power is a very old idea, and fits in neatly to a story about Shakespeare. And the true name as power, also old; of course it doesn't work on the Doctor, no-one knows his name!
-Mancunian Shakespeare. Ah, well. And he never seems to do up his doublet either. You're right Martha, he doesn't look like his portraits. And he's a big flirt (fits right in with you and the Doctor, then). Apparently Hey nonny nonny is the 16th century version of Phwoaar!
-I had a feel that Martha was going to end up the original of the Dark Lady. Poor Martha, 16th century political correctness isn't exactly what you're used to. No-one apart from Shakespeare copped that she was wearing trousers either: given all those boys dressed as girls dressed as boys in the plays it would have been understandable for a bit of confusion there :-P And there was an excuse to have a companion in a skirt for a change, picking her out of a party. Evidently the TARDIS can project a Somebody Else's Problem field as well as the language translation. I'm not exactly happy with the Doctor's whole 'Everywhere is much the same as the 21st century, really' line. If it is, why bother travelling? And the way that New Who has done historicals and futures in the past doesn't give me much hope he'll be proved wrong.
-Okay, the audience would never have believed that something that spectacular could have been a special effect. But throwing Expelliarmus! in there was, to quote Ron, bloody brilliant!! And loved the Book Seven reference (bet that was written before the Deathly Hallows title was announced), although really seeing as Martha's timeline must be in about 2009 to allow for all the alien invasions, she should have already read it. I love that the Doctor is a Harry Potter fan.
-I bet the Doomsayer guy was really disappointed that it wasn't the end of the world after all. I could picture him with a sandwich board.
-Ten is such a fanboy! Although it doesn't say much for Shakespeare's genius that the Doctor was feeding him all his best lines in a classic temporal paradox. Though I did like the 'Hey, that's one of mine!'. I thought having him not fall for the psychic paper was nice, although working out that he's an alien and she's from the future without turning a hair is a bit of a stretch.
-It just had to be Love's Labour Won, didn't it? If that play ever does turn up a thousand stories will be Jossed (or Willed, rather).
-Martha continues good. I loved her , "Yes, and then I'd get sectioned" line. She does doctor stuff and she gets shouty about Bedlam even before Ten does. And she was a bit worried about being black in England's past (I never got the impression that Rose thought she didn't fit in anywhere, sorry, sorry, odious comparisons, I know), though I'm sure there are worse places to be black than London, being a port. She's getting used to time travel fast; I liked her instant pick-up on when are we instead of where, and that she's not blind to the possible dangers of grandfather-killing. Argh, Doctor, now you've just compared yourself explicitly to Back to the Future. You couldn't tell what the heck's going on with Sam Tyler and 1973 while you're at it, could you?
-Taking of Tylers, how many Rose mentions was that this week? Surely you've exceeded the most generous quota of Previous Companion Shout-Outs; poor Sarah Jane got none until she actually turned up! Ah, that name keeps you fighting. Bless. Bleagh. Why not Gallifrey, if she really wanted to make you jump? We all know all about Rose ad nauseam already. Okay, subtext ahoy, talking about the ex when you're in bed with the new girl. Staring you right in the face, yes, Doctor, are you listening to yourself? Stop comparing the poor girl to Rose. BTW, why are you sleeping in a probably flea-ridden inn when you could spend the night in the TARDIS?
-Ten really does not have a good track record with the queens of England. That's two out of five out for his blood. And she's Queenie 'Off with his head!' I love that so much!!
-Expelliarmus! I was so thrilled with it that I had to mention it again.
They're pushing next week back to 7:40 because of the football, bother them.
-Well, I suppose now we know where the idea of three witches came from in the Who-verse. The dawn of the universe must have been a busy place, races getting banished and imprisoned left, right and centre: Beelzebub (and Abbadon, or are they the same thing?), Spiderwoman, and now the evil witch people. And who were the Eternals? I don't know what they were on about in the Confidential, not female villains, have they forgotten the Christmas Special already?
-The idea of words having an inherent power is a very old idea, and fits in neatly to a story about Shakespeare. And the true name as power, also old; of course it doesn't work on the Doctor, no-one knows his name!
-Mancunian Shakespeare. Ah, well. And he never seems to do up his doublet either. You're right Martha, he doesn't look like his portraits. And he's a big flirt (fits right in with you and the Doctor, then). Apparently Hey nonny nonny is the 16th century version of Phwoaar!
-I had a feel that Martha was going to end up the original of the Dark Lady. Poor Martha, 16th century political correctness isn't exactly what you're used to. No-one apart from Shakespeare copped that she was wearing trousers either: given all those boys dressed as girls dressed as boys in the plays it would have been understandable for a bit of confusion there :-P And there was an excuse to have a companion in a skirt for a change, picking her out of a party. Evidently the TARDIS can project a Somebody Else's Problem field as well as the language translation. I'm not exactly happy with the Doctor's whole 'Everywhere is much the same as the 21st century, really' line. If it is, why bother travelling? And the way that New Who has done historicals and futures in the past doesn't give me much hope he'll be proved wrong.
-Okay, the audience would never have believed that something that spectacular could have been a special effect. But throwing Expelliarmus! in there was, to quote Ron, bloody brilliant!! And loved the Book Seven reference (bet that was written before the Deathly Hallows title was announced), although really seeing as Martha's timeline must be in about 2009 to allow for all the alien invasions, she should have already read it. I love that the Doctor is a Harry Potter fan.
-I bet the Doomsayer guy was really disappointed that it wasn't the end of the world after all. I could picture him with a sandwich board.
-Ten is such a fanboy! Although it doesn't say much for Shakespeare's genius that the Doctor was feeding him all his best lines in a classic temporal paradox. Though I did like the 'Hey, that's one of mine!'. I thought having him not fall for the psychic paper was nice, although working out that he's an alien and she's from the future without turning a hair is a bit of a stretch.
-It just had to be Love's Labour Won, didn't it? If that play ever does turn up a thousand stories will be Jossed (or Willed, rather).
-Martha continues good. I loved her , "Yes, and then I'd get sectioned" line. She does doctor stuff and she gets shouty about Bedlam even before Ten does. And she was a bit worried about being black in England's past (I never got the impression that Rose thought she didn't fit in anywhere, sorry, sorry, odious comparisons, I know), though I'm sure there are worse places to be black than London, being a port. She's getting used to time travel fast; I liked her instant pick-up on when are we instead of where, and that she's not blind to the possible dangers of grandfather-killing. Argh, Doctor, now you've just compared yourself explicitly to Back to the Future. You couldn't tell what the heck's going on with Sam Tyler and 1973 while you're at it, could you?
-Taking of Tylers, how many Rose mentions was that this week? Surely you've exceeded the most generous quota of Previous Companion Shout-Outs; poor Sarah Jane got none until she actually turned up! Ah, that name keeps you fighting. Bless. Bleagh. Why not Gallifrey, if she really wanted to make you jump? We all know all about Rose ad nauseam already. Okay, subtext ahoy, talking about the ex when you're in bed with the new girl. Staring you right in the face, yes, Doctor, are you listening to yourself? Stop comparing the poor girl to Rose. BTW, why are you sleeping in a probably flea-ridden inn when you could spend the night in the TARDIS?
-Ten really does not have a good track record with the queens of England. That's two out of five out for his blood. And she's Queenie 'Off with his head!' I love that so much!!
-Expelliarmus! I was so thrilled with it that I had to mention it again.
They're pushing next week back to 7:40 because of the football, bother them.
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no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 02:55 pm (UTC)Hey, curious, do you mean that there are other sets of three witches in Who, or are you referring just to these? I was wondering as I was watching if this was the first time the Doctor had met witches.
The Rose mentions definitely got gratiutious, there. I was okay with the first one, but then they just had to slip another one in...
no subject
Date: 2007-04-09 03:25 pm (UTC)Yes, how many Rose references have we had now?
no subject
Date: 2007-04-09 09:12 pm (UTC)Three? I was doing all right until the last one, but now I'm ready not to ever hear her name again. Which is sad.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 05:43 pm (UTC)I mean, I liked Rose, mostly. But could the scriptwriters move on, now, please?