30 April 2012

Series 2 Episode 5: Rise of the Cybermen

Summary:
The Doctor, Mickey and Rose land in a parallel version of the Earth where Rose's Dad is still living and quite successful. She wants to meet him and after some discussions the Doctor goes with her. It's Jackie's birthday and Rose and the Doctor help to serve the guests, so Rose gets a chance to talk to her Dad. Meanwhile Mickey visits his grandmother but he is kidnapped by some people and soon meets his parallel self Ricky. Ricky is the head of a resistance group in London who have noticed that people go missing. The Doctor soon finds out what happened to the people when the birthday party is attacked by Cybermen, another old enemy of the Doctor.

The episode is the first part of a two parter in which the Tardis lands in a parallel London. This is the second time Rose is able to see her Dad and talk to him and he somehow knows her deep down inside. It's a cool idea to have an episode in a parallel universe because you can use the same characters but they can behave totally different because different universes aren't exactly the same. In this episode you can see how Mickey changes and how different Ricky is. Now the comment of the Ninth Doctor makes sense because he normally called Mickey Ricky. This is the first episode of New Who where the Cybermen appear another old enemy of the Doctor beside the Cybermen. It's interesting that Cybermen are originally humans but they are transformed and robbed of their emotions. A really good episode with a dramatic cliffhanger.

29 April 2012

9 Crimes of River Song (video)

I think this is a beautiful video of River and the Doctor made by LoisLaneFan. I hope you like it too.

27 April 2012

Torchwood: Children of Earth

It's my Fan Art Friday and I thought you would like to see something of Torchwood again. So here is a Children of Earth wallpaper made by SilentThunder for you.

Torchwood-IV

25 April 2012

Quotes from "The Unicorn and the Wasp"

Today I have some quotes from the Agatha Christie episode "The Unicorn and the Wasp" for you.

The Doctor: Oh, smell that air, grass and lemonade, and a little bit of mint. Just a hint of mint, must be the 1920's.
Donna: You can tell what year it is just by smelling?
The Doctor: Oh yeah.
Donna: Or, that big vintage car coming up the drive gave it away.

The Doctor: A terrible day for all of us. The Professor struck down, Miss Chandrakala cruelly taken from us. And yet we still take dinner.
Lady Eddison: We are British, Doctor. What else must we do?

Donna: That poor footman. Roger's dead and he can't even mourn him. 1926? It's more like the Dark Ages.

The Doctor: She is the best selling novelist of all time.
Donna: But she never knew.
The Doctor: Well, no-one knows how they're going to be remembered. All you can do is hope for the best. Maybe that's what kept her writing. The same thing keeps me travelling. Onwards?
Donna: Onwards.

23 April 2012

Series 2 Episode 4: The Girl in the Fireplace

Summary:
It is Mickey's first trip in the Tardis, which brings him, the Doctor and Rose onto a spaceship in the future. There are no people on board but a fireplace that is a time portal. Through the fireplace the Doctor meets Reinette as a girl and discovers that she is haunted by clockwork robots who scan her brain. He meets her in different stages of her life and soon finds out that she is Madame de Pompadour. Rose and Mickey have a look at the spaceship and they find human body parts integrated into the ship. When the clockwork robots try to kill Reinette the Doctor tries everything to save her even if that means that he can't return to Rose and Mickey. Can he find a way back?

I really liked this episode especially because of the time jumps but in the end it's a really sad episode because the Doctor comes too late. The clockwork robots look amazing and it must have been so much work to build them but they are really brilliant and a bit scary. There is a lot of emotion in the episode, for example when Rose thinks she has lost the Doctor forever or when the Doctor reads Reinette's last letter. I love the scene with the horse on the spaceship and how the Doctor keeps it as a pet. That's really cool. You somehow feel the joy of Mickey who is on a spaceship for the first time. All in all, a beautiful episode with a bitter sweet touch.

22 April 2012

Tears for Sarah Jane (video)

It is more than a year now that the wonderful Elisabeth Sladen passed away. Therefore I thought it would be time again to post this beautiful tribute video made by Babelcolour.

18 April 2012

Quotes from "The Doctor's Daughter"

Today you get some quotes from the episode "The Doctor's Daughter".

The Doctor: I don't know where we're going but my old hand's very excited about it.
Donna: I thought that was some freaky alien thing! You're telling me it's yours?
The Doctor: Well...
Martha: It got cut off. He grew a new one.
Donna: You are completely impossible!
The Doctor: Not... impossible. Just a bit unlikely.

The Doctor: What are you staring at?
Jenny: You keep insisting you're not a soldier, but look at you! Drawing up strategies like a proper general.
The Doctor: No, no. I'm trying to stop the fighting.
Jenny: Isn't every soldier?

Jenny: You don't have a name either. Are you an anomaly too?
The Doctor: No I'm not.
Donna: Come off it. You're the most anomalous man I know!

The Doctor: Donna, I've been a father before.
Donna: What?
The Doctor: I lost all that a long time ago. Along with everything else.
Donna: I'm sorry. I didn't know. Why didn't you tell me? You talk all the time but you don't say anything.
The Doctor: I know. It's just... when I look at her now, I can see them. The hole they left, all the pain that filled it. I just don't know if I can face that every day.
Donna: It won't stay like that. She'll help you. We both will.
The Doctor: When they died, that part of me died with them. It'll never come back, not now.
Donna: I'll tell you something, Doctor. Something that I've never told you before. I think you're wrong.

The Doctor: I'm the Doctor, and I declare this war is over!

Cline: Jenny, what you doing? Come back.
Jenny: Sorry, can't stop. What are you gonna do, tell my dad?
Cline: But where are you going?
Jenny: Oh, I've got the whole universe. Planets to save, civilisations to rescue, creatures to defeat... and an awful lot of running to do!

Happy Birthday, David!

Today is the birthday of David T, our beloved Tenth Doctor. He is a Scottish actor and starred in different TV and film productions. He also played different roles on stage like his brilliant portrayal of Hamlet. David has also read many audio dramas for the radio or CD.
Happy Birthday, David Tennant.

16 April 2012

Series 2 Episode 3: School Reunion

Summary:
Mickey has told the Doctor and Rose about strange things going on in a school and so the Doctor works there as a teacher and Rose in the canteen. The Doctor is quite surprised when Sarah Jane Smith crosses his way and starts her own investigations at the school. First she doesn't recognise him because he has regenerated since they last met but then they are both happy to see each other again. Rose is a bit jealous because of the relationship of Sarah Jane and the Doctor but they have other things to think about. The headmaster and a big part of the staff are bat-like aliens who use the children to solve a puzzle, which would give them the power over time. Can the Doctor stop them with a little help of his companions and K9?

This is the first time where Rose is confronted with a former companion of the Doctor and she sees what he does to the people who travelled with him. Sometimes the people decided that they don't want to travel with him anymore but more often they either die or he leaves them behind like he did with Sarah Jane. Rose has to deal with the thought that the Doctor will leave her behind one day and will never return. This episode has some great emotional moments especially when the character of Sarah Jane Smith comes back and when the Doctor tells Rose that she can spend her whole life with him but not the other way round. In moments like this you can also see that being a Time Lord is a burden most of the times. It's funny to see similarities between Mickey and K9 but I'm also glad that he got some space in the series to evolve from Mickey, the idiot, to a very brave man and good character. A great reunion episode, which connects the old Doctor Who episodes with the new ones.

15 April 2012

Torchwood: Miracle Day: Web of Lies

I don't know if you have watched the "Web of Lies" episodes, which accompanied the last Torchwood series. If you want to watch them all together you can do it in the video below.

14 April 2012

Human Nature by Paul Cornell

"Human Nature" by Paul Cornell features the Seventh Doctor and his companion Bernice Summerfield.
It is early summer in the little town Farringham where John Smith works as a teacher. He's a house master at Hulton College but he's struggling with this post because the boys on this school are made into soldiers. Smith doesn't really know what he should think about war and he has these strange dreams about people from a place called Gallifrey. He falls in love with Joan Redfern, the science teacher, but soon strange things begin to happen. In reality John Smith is the Doctor who wanted to be human for a while. Bernice Summerfield tries to change him back when aliens attack but she can't find the pod where the Doctor's memories are stored and then he doesn't want to change back. Can they defeat the aliens?

When you know the episodes "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood" with David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, you know what will happen in this book because they have used it for these episodes. To be honest I like the TV episodes more than this book. That doesn't mean that it's a bad book because the story is nearly the same just with another Doctor and companion but sometimes it's a bit confusing, especially the bits at the beginning when we read parts of Benny's diary. Maybe it was just because of the formatting because I read the ebook version of the book but it was hard to get into the book. Sometimes it was a bit longish in between but all in all it's a good Doctor Who book.

You can download the book here:
Human Nature

13 April 2012

Torchwood Fan Art

Today I have a mix of different Torchwood Fan Art for you, which you can find on Redbubble. So, if you like it, you can go to Redbubble and buy it.

11 April 2012

Quotes from "The Poison Sky"

Today I have quotes from the episode "The Poison Sky, the second part of a two-parter, for you.

General Staal: The planet is going nuclear! I admire them. The bravery of idiots is bravery nonetheless.

General Staal: There was no planetfall. Castor 36, indeed. We only needed you for the installation of the ATMOS system.
Luke Rattigan: No, but I'm on your side. I did everything you wanted! And it's not ATMOS system, that's a tautology, it's just ATMOS!
General Staal: Execute him!

Donna: What's happened, where are you?
The Doctor: Still on Earth, but don't worry. I've got my secret weapon.
Donna: What's that?
The Doctor: You.

Colonel Mace: Attention all troops! The Sontarans might think of us as primitive, as does every passing species with an axe to grind. They make a mockery of our weapons, our soldiers, our ideals. But no more. From this point on, it stops. From this point on, the people of Earth fight back and we show them. We show the warriors of Sontar what the human race can do.

09 April 2012

Series 2 Episode 2: Tooth and Claw

Summary:
A manor house is taken over by mysterious monks who bring an unnatural being with them. Rose and the Doctor land in Scotland where they meet Queen Victoria. The search shelter in the manor not knowing about the danger they are in. Soon they find out that the monks want to kill the Queen and therefore they have brought a werewolf with them. Rose discovers that the werewolf is not a wolf but an alien who needs a human host to survive on earth. When they run from the beast, the Doctor notices that it can't get into some of the rooms and that these are protected through mistletoe. It seems that someone had been prepared for this trap and has set up a trap of their own. Does the Queen have the key to their rescue?

This is the episode where the origin of Torchwood is revealed and also the reason why it exists. I think that's a quite clever explanation for the Torchwood institute. To watch the Doctor and Rose adapt to the time and place is really funny and it was a chance for David Tennant to use his Scottish accent, which is really charming. I really like the costumes, although the monk look a bit out of place with their bright orange robes. For me it was quite clear that the monster was not a normal werewolf but an alien because Doctor Who belongs more into the SciFi sector and doesn't have a lot of Fantasy element, which are werewolves and vampires. Nonetheless it's a nice story with a lot of humour in it, especially when Rose tries everything so Queen Victoria says that she is not amused. 

08 April 2012

Come Undone (Video)

Happy Easter everybody.
Here is a little treat for you in form of a Doctor Who/Sherlock video, which was made by Liisakee. I hope you enjoy it.

06 April 2012

Torchwood Wallpaper

I thought my blog needed a bit of a change, so you get some Torchwood Fan Art today. The wallpaper was created by deedeedee123. You should check out her other stuff on livejournal. It's brilliant.

04 April 2012

Quotes from "The Sontaran Stratagem"

Wednesday is quote day as usual and so I have quotes from the episode "The Sontaran Stratagem" for you.

General Staal: Remember your status, boy. We do not take orders from humans.
Luke Rattigan: I said "recommend."
General Staal: Then your advice shows military wisdom. She will be terminated.
Luke Rattigan: Cool.

The Doctor: Getting a bit too close to the 1980s.
Donna: What am I gonna do, put a dent in it?
The Doctor: Well, someone did...

General Staal: (observing the UNIT soldiers) Observe their troops. Thin fabrics. Exposed skin. Feeble weapons. These are toy soldiers. The playthings of children.

Martha: That's why I thought we needed an expert.
The Doctor: Really? Who did you get?
(everyone looks at him)
The Doctor: Oh right me, yes.

Private Harris: Someone's growing a body. A human body.
General Staal: Excellent skills of deduction. I would rate you above average, soldier. Well done. (to Private Gray) Whereas you… you smell of sweat and fear.
Private Harris: Yeah? Well, we're not the ones who got out of school early, sonny. Now stop playing Humpty Dumpty and tell us who you are.
General Staal: Is that a reference to my height?
Private Harris: Short answer: yes.
General Staal: A pity. Words are the weapons of womenfolk. I must judge you unfit.
Private Harris: What you gonna do? Bite our ankles?
(Staal shoots Harris in the ankle, crippling him)
Private Gray: I'm warning you!
General Staal: A proper soldier gives no warning. Fire. I order you. Fire! (Gray pulls the trigger but the gun doesn't work) The room is contained within a cordolane signal, exciting the copper surface of the bullet and causing expansion within the barrel, rendering your guns useless and your radio signals have been blocked.
(Staal cripples Gray)
Private Gray: My legs. I can't feel my legs.
General Staal: I apologise for disabling you. Death has more honour, but you are needed for the stratagem.

Martha: Do they know where you are, your family? I mean, that you're travelling with the Doctor?
Donna: Not really. Although, my granddad sort of waved us off, but I didn't have time to explain.
Martha: You just left him behind.
Donna: Yeah.
Martha: I didn't tell my family. Kept it all so secret, and it almost destroyed them.
Donna: In what way?
Martha: They ended up imprisoned, they were tortured. My mum, my dad, my sister. It wasn't the Doctor's fault but you need to be careful. 'Cause you know the Doctor is wonderful, he's brilliant, but he's like fire. Stand too close and people get burnt.

Colonel Mace: According to the records, you travel by TARDIS.
The Doctor: Yeah, but if there is a danger of hostile aliens, I think it's better to keep a super-duper time machine away from the front lines.
Colonel Mace: I see, so you do have weapons but you choose to keep them hidden.

The Doctor: And your name?
General Staal: General Staal, of the tenth Sontaran fleet. Staal the Undefeated!
The Doctor: Oh, that's not a very good nickname. What if you do get defeated, "Staal: The Not-So-Undefeated Anymore But Never Mind"?
Ross Jenkins: It’s like a potato, baked potato, talking baked potato.
The Doctor: Now, Ross, don't be rude, you look like a pink weasel to him.

Luke Rattigan: How… do you tell each other apart?
General Staal: We say the same of humans.

Commander Skorr: Tell me, boy, how many ATMOS devices have been installed?
Luke Rattigan: They've gone worldwide but only about half.
General Staal: Which means four hundred million cars converted. A fine arsenal.
Commander Skorr: Is it sufficient to trigger the conversion?
Luke Rattigan: More than enough, yeah, and that test signal proves that it works. Fifty-two deaths in the same second, man, that was just so cool!
General Staal: Is the temperature significant?
Luke Rattigan: No… it's just a phrase.

General Staal: There is an enemy of the Sontarans known as the Doctor. A face-changer.
Luke Rattigan: Do you mean he's an alien too?
General Staal: Legend says he led the battle in the Last Great Time War. The finest war in history and we weren't allowed to be part of it. Oh, but this is excellent! The last of the Time Lords will die at the hands of the Sontaran Empire in the ruins of his precious Earth!

02 April 2012

Series 2 Episode 1: New Earth

Summary:
The Doctor takes Rose to the planet New Earth but soon he is called to a hospital through his psychic paper. There, cat-nuns take care of the patients and it seems that they can heal every disease. Rose and the Doctor get separated. He finds out that he has been called to the hospital by the Face of Boe and Rose meets Lady Cassandra again. Cassandra takes over Rose's body who wants to find out what the nurses are doing in the hospital. The nuns use people who produce the medicine for the sick. That is something the Doctor can't tolerate but is he able to find a solution for the situation? Then there is the problem with Cassandra in Rose's body who doesn't want to die.

This episode is the first travel episode of Rose and the new Doctor and you can see that the dynamic between them is a bit different than before. It was a great idea from Russel T Davies to bring Cassandra back because this connects the first and second series with each other. The cat-nuns look quiet harmless when you first see them but they have something a bit creepy about them. I like that the Face of Boe is in this episode because he is one of my favourite aliens in Doctor Who. It is interesting that the Doctor is able to save nearly everybody and he is the one to save the day again. I also like how Cassandra is able to let go of her long life at the end and that she finds some peace in death. A nice series opener and a good "first" episode for Rose and the Tenth Doctor, which is just the beginning of their journey.

01 April 2012

We are broken (video)

This is a beautiful video, which is a tribute to the Tenth Doctor. I hope you'll like it too.