The Waters of Mars

[caddyman]

I rather enjoyed that, but I will know better after it's soaked through my brain a bit more.

They spent quite a lot of seasons 2-4 pointing out Ten's high-handed tendencies when having no companion to restrain him. They have also, over the years, hinted that he and the Master were two sides of the same coin. After some time travelling alone the restraints are wearing thin and the Doctor's non-human motivations and ethics are beginning to show through.

The Doctor has always had an ego and without a human conscience nagging him or Time Lord power and society regulating him and forcing him to be circumspect, the safeties are slowly coming off.

Comments

[budgie-uk.livejournal.com]

The Doctor has always had an ego and without a human conscience nagging him or Time Lord power and society regulating him and forcing him to be circumspect, the safeties are slowly coming off.

That's rather nicely put...

[fencingsculptor.livejournal.com]

That was more like it !

An absolutely fantastic episode.


Doctor Who Confidential was an excellent insight into the making of, and motivation for, the story.

Great stuff.

[kneeshooter]

I really enjoyed it. So much so I couldn't believe that RTD was involved in writing it.*

I was very worried that he'd just come back, save the day and then everyone would go 'Oh Doctor, that's wonderful' rather than the decidedly bittersweet epilogue.

* Except for the obvious and wonderfully understated 'husband' anecdote.

[ed-fortune.livejournal.com]

Phil Ford also co-wrote, and he's responsible for Sarah Jane Adventures (Season Two) being as much fun as it is.

[phil99.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed most of it, and while accepting it is intended s a family show, found a couple of bits a little cheesy for my liking, but on a scale of RTD to 10? Definitely above 8 :)

[ed-fortune.livejournal.com]

Enjoyed it immensely.

[fractalgeek.livejournal.com]

I too was surprised it was an RTD. The captain killing herself to reverse the Doctor's actions (without hunting down the rest of the survivors), after challenging him to save them.

Freeze-framing some of the shots in "Confidential", the "Lightspeed ship" appears to have visited Mars - and the names of both crews are the same. Conspiracy or cock-up?

Finally, what is/was under the ice?

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

What was under the ice?

Well surely, if the water itself was alive, it would be the unfrozen part below the glacier breaking through?

[fractalgeek.livejournal.com]

But just "more" of the same?

It's a godawful small affair...

[the-hooded-crow.livejournal.com]

The Doctor's actions disappointed me, and I felt for the Captain, robbed of her heroic death on Mars - although setting time straight is equally heroic, it was a depressing end for her. I would have preferred the episode to have ended with the Doctor walking away when he had the chance, though I can see all of the reasons why he didn't, and am interested to find out how this is going to set him up for his ultimate downfall.

'Bowie Base One' made me smile though.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

I really liked the aspect you mention. Unfortunately, the rest of the plot was god-awful, in my opinion.

And I found the Captain's death anti-climactic.

Consider it from her grand-daughter's point of view. Granny is out there pushing forward the final frontier. Then, impossibly, she's back on earth, in her front room, with her brains blown out. There is _no_possible_way_ that could have happened.

Except one. The Mars Mission was all a lie. It was all filmed in a warehouse in Tottenham and Granny's suicide is because of her remorse at pulling the wool over the eyes of the world.

Is that going to inspire you towards becoming a pilot? It wouldn't me.

I didn't get to freeze frame and read the 'survivors' wikipedia page; did they have any explanation as to how they survived the base blowing up and getting back to Earth?

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

I thought the plot was okay and I enjoyed the episode a great deal. It's the first Who story for some time that hasn't left me trying to talk myself into having enjoyed it (and not always succeeding!).

I do agree, however, about the suicide/inspiration aspect. It's the sort of loose scripting that spoils things needlessly. Given that things are likely to get rather dark in the two episodes culminating in the regeneration, they might have let 'future history' unravel and have the Doctor be forced to try and lever it back on course.

[wulfboy.livejournal.com]

Not a bad episode, all told.