Change Your Image
Andrew_in_NH
Reviews
Game of Thrones (2011)
An unexpected masterpiece
Despite being acquainted with Martin, and multiple recommendations of the books by friends of good taste, I have never read the series. I saw trailers for the HBO series, and they looked lovely, but my wife and I never quite found the time to try it.
A couple of days ago my wife wasn't feeling well, and we wanted to watch something...and a teaser about the second season caught our eyes. We both admitted to curiosity, so we started the first episode.
The next day we finished the last of the ten episodes making up the first season. We never do this kind of viewing marathon, but Game of Thrones grabbed us completely.
The acting varies, sometimes by intent and sometimes by the capacity of the actors, but the overall quality is far above average for TV drama. The cinematography is superb. There are visual elements from the season that I'm still processing two days after the marathon. (The last television I saw that had this combination of beauty and quality was Downton Abbey, and I never would have thought to link the two until this moment.) Best of all? There is a strong story, with multiple lines, and I have to think about and figure out the ways in which it works. Nothing is handed to me, and I often have no idea what will happen next. I have a chance to discover this world, and figure out parts, at least, of how it works.
I have been delighted by the first season, and now am eagerly waiting until the second season begins. I have a nasty feeling that I have the first book in the series lurking in my bedroom, and I don't know whether I can resist the urge to begin reading....
Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars (2009)
Not the monster you were looking for
This episode covers a wide range. It made me laugh out loud, and it made me cry. It had a silly robot. It touched on very human reactions to an uncanny event. It had some excellent performances, but from David Tenant and Lindsay Duncan that is hardly surprising. Finally, we have an act of selfless bravery in the face of something we have seen in the series before, but that I never expected to see this way. If you have been watching for the last four years, you may remember the Doctor uttering the phrase, "there is nothing so extraordinary as an ordinary man." Look for him to return to that phrase, and for its memory to make the scene and the story into something entirely new.
The episode is scary, but not quite in the old "hide behind the couch" way. I wonder just how many kids will refuse to bathe after seeing this story.
Doctor Who: The Girl in the Fireplace (2006)
My favorite episode ever
I've seen a lot of the Doctor over the last thirty-odd years, and this episode has the greatest emotional depth I've ever encountered. It doesn't hurt that it presents a complex story with skill, charm, and sensitivity. It also doesn't hurt that the twists of the story surprised me regularly through the entire hour, or that the performance by Sophie Miles was superb. It was also nice that Rose was in great form, and that Micky was finally showing solid promise as a character.
Still, the best parts for me were the personal interactions, and the new slant on some of the questions raised in Schoold Reunion. This has helped make the Doctor a more complete character, and also one who is more sympathetic. It's a powerful reply to the questions raised throughout the New (and the New, New) Doctor as to whether evil follows him, or whether he goes where it is inevitable in order to try to prevent its effects.
This is a great episode, and it is my favorite of all I have seen thus far.
Doctor Who: Army of Ghosts (2006)
Lots of surprises and high-intensity action make a great episode
This isn't my favorite episode. That ranking still belongs to The Girl in the Fireplace, but this hour may be the most intense episode of Doctor Who yet. It has a number of surprises that I wouldn't dream of spoiling for those who haven't seen the episode yet. Be warned that the worst part of seeing this episode is having to wait a week for 2.13.
It should be safe to say that Rose is at the top of her form. Jackie is back, and coping better with Rose and the Doctor than we've seen before. The ghosts of the episode title make a great starting place for the Doctor's inquisitive spirit, and even with dramatic foreshadowing, the resolution of the nature of the ghosts is chilling. What comes immediately afterward takes everything in a new direction, and makes it far worse than I had expected.
There is a pleasant surprise in the return of an old friend, but without having seen 2.13, I have no idea who will survive. Relax, and prepare for a great episode of Doctor Who. Just don't expect to stay relaxed for long.