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Reviews
Black Mirror: Beyond the Sea (2023)
Total Black Mirror
This will be a Black Mirror classic, I'm sure of it. Aaron Paul's acting is amazing, so much so, he should get an award for it. This is a slow burn but its satisfying without. The reason this isn't a 10/10 is because the story is somewhat predictable. After the first act, I had two predictions and one of which was correct. Nonetheless, I think this story/concept is done really well.
Technology is used the way it should be in Black Mirror, as a driving part which shows us human behavior in strange/unique situations. This episode is also very long, being at an hour and twenty minutes, making this the longest Black Mirror Episode (other than Bandersnatch but I don't think that counts). Its a slow moving story yet I'd say Aaron Paul's Acting and just how interesting the concept is, as well as you wanting to know how it ends, keeps you satisfied all the way.
I haven't finished Season 6 quite yet, but from what I can tell, this season is strong thus far. This episode is the best of the season far.
Doctor Who: Aliens of London (2005)
Do You Mind Not Farting While I'm Saving the World?
This is another interesting episode. It's the first two parter of the modern series and has a pretty decent first cliffhanger. Let's get into it. We're going to go over what I disliked first.
What I Disliked:
*Farting Aliens- Why is it farting aliens. Much of this story does take itself seriously except for the fact that the monsters are farting aliens. The Slitheen in general are just weird looking monsters, but maybe that's the point. But the farting, are you kidding. I personally prefer seriousness with these stories.
*Harriet Jones- The next episode uses her character much better but she's just an idiot in this episode. She wants to talk about Cottage Hospitals after an alien spaceship crashes into Big Ben. There had to be a better way to write her character and keep her in Downing Street until the Doctor and Rose arrive.
*Time Jump- The time jump to 2005 to 2006 is kinda dumb. First off, Rose did call Jackie in "The End of the World" which is never talked about. And then the whole time jump event is never mentioned again. What is the point of this? It screws up the entire Doctor Who timeline, making it confusing. It never really becomes fixed until "The Big Bang."
What I Liked:
*Perspective- I like how we see the events of the crash from the Doctor's perspective and how he's in the background until the end of the episode. He has to watch the news and is blocked by a crowd of pedestrians and such so he can't reach the river. Using news reports also helps worldbuilding and realism, something I always appreciate in this show.
*The Crash- It crashes into Big Ben, it looks awesome, even for 2005.
*The Mystery- I like how this episode creates its own mystery over the crash. We see a body being pulled out of the river and the Doctor discovers the pilot of the ship was a pig, creating a mystery. He solves it at the end of the episode that the ship was a diversion as the aliens take over the government. The Prime Minister being killed makes this plot very intense but the aliens farting all the time does take away from the tension.
In conclusion, this episode would be a lot better if the aliens/monsters weren't farting all the time, or Slitheen. Let's move forward!
Doctor Who: The Unquiet Dead (2005)
Charles Dickens!
What an interesting episode set in Victorian England. Let's get straight into it.
What I like:
*Charles Dickens: Simon Callow (I think that's his name) did an excellent job playing Charles Dickens. I see his character arc in this episode as ingenious. He starts off alone and grumpy and brooding but by the end, he's cheerful, saying merry Christmas to everyone he passes. The events in this episode obviously change him and it's very satisfying. His character really makes this great.
*Setting: Victorian Cardiff is an interesting setting. I understand this episode is basically a set up for Torchwood, which is also a great show, and I love the design of the locations (the architecture).
What I don't like:
*The Gelth: They're your simple alien species that are now refugees of the Time War. While this is an interesting concept, their design is horrible, their plan is stupid because they "all of a sudden" turn evil, and it just feels over the top. I think it also hurt's Gwynth's character in that she can see people's past and futures but not the Gelth's past. I don't know, I just feel like this could've been done better.
*Pacing: Unlike the first two episodes, the pacing in this episode is wonky. While the beginning and end are good, the middle is wonky and things slow down far too much.
*The Jokes: While I enjoyed the jokes in the first two episodes ("What are you gonna do, moisturize me?"), this episode tries to make jokes like the "pervy old man", "down boy", etc, etc. They fall flat, which is more of a nitpick but nonetheless.
In conclusion, while I like the Victorian Setting and definitely like Charles Dickens, the villains and basically everyone else other than Dickens, Rose, or the Doctor just fall flat for me, making it your basic historical setting episode. This only gets a 7 because of Charles Dickens' character and the actor's stellar performance
Let's move forward!!
Doctor Who: The End of the World (2005)
The World Ends, Not With Screams But With Silence
The End of the World is a really good episode. I respect Rose a lot for being the start but I enjoyed this much more even though it's still nothing in comparison to what's to come. I'm rating this on its own, so its rating is much higher than how it would be if compared to others.
What I Liked:
*The Doctor's Secret- I loved how the reveal of the Doctor's species is slowly brought up more and more. Classic Who fans probably thought this was just a way of informing new viewers of the Time Lords only for the Doctor to through a chair through the window reveal of the Time Lords being gone, how he's the last, and of the Time War. This is a great way for both NuWho and Classic Who fans to enjoy the reveal.
*Rose- In this episode, Rose has to deal with a lot, such as meeting new aliens, seeing the end of the world she's grown up on, and almost dying far from home. I feel as if the surrealism of the situation wasn't explored enough for her but nonetheless is still very prevalent in here which is great. And her statement about no one witnessing the destruction of Earth; though this comment would've been stronger if the viewer didn't actually see the destruction.
*Killing Cassandra- The Doctor allowing Cassandra to die shows that the Doctor isn't as merciful as he was before, making it clear that NuWho was going to take things much more seriously than in the 80s. Plus, the Doctor saying "Everything has it's time and everything dies" shows he still has a code and set of rules, it's just that Cassandra has gone beyond his rules. The debate on whether or not the Doctor should control other's lives like that is a subject for another day.
What I didn't like:
*Cassandra- I get I'm not supposed to like Cassandra but there had to be a better idea than making her look like a board or trampoline. It's ugly, though that's the point. This is a nitpick really yet still. New Earth, while I don't like it, does do a better job of exploring her character, though it's debatable if she needed it.
In conclusion, I realized I don't have many critiques of this episode that aren't nitpicks. Now, there also isn't anything that really makes this episode stand out which means this episode isn't rated very high either. This is your mostly mediocre future story for Doctor Who for the exception of the Time Lord/Time War reveal.
Let's move forward!
Doctor Who: Rose (2005)
Journey of a Lifetime
This is the start of my review of the entire show, slowly but surely. We're beginning with the first NuWho Episode. I've never seen the classic show but I know a lot about it. Coming out of the Wilderness Years for a new generation of television, this is a big step from the serials of the 80s. I'm going to go over what I liked, didn't like, and then give a conclusion.
What I Liked:
*The Doctor- the Doctor in this episode is fantastic. Eccleston is a great actor and Great Doctor and I wish he lasted longer in the role. He's witty, clever, and the 9th Doctor can carry an episode no matter what. The Doctor is definitely a highlight of this episode.
*Clive- Clive is played by Mark Benton who I don't know much about, but he gives an excellent performance. He's like a classic Who fan and you can tell he thinks that there isn't just Eccleston's Doctor but other versions of him by what he says to Rose. Also, his kid saying "it's on of your nutters!" is great. Clive's death is definitely unfortunate but come on, who wasn't expecting that to happen. I just wish there were more character like him who try to learn about the Doctor but are normal humans.
*Autons- Great villains to come back to. I'm sad we've barely seen them after this but I guess you can't do much with them. The Nestene Consciousness on the other hand is a little weird how it's just a giant blob but whatever.
*Rose- I like seeing the episodes events from the companion's perspective after Classic Who mostly followed the Doctor from what it seems. And Rose is a totally normal person which makes this really interesting how she gets thrown into the world of the Doctor.
*Pacing- This episode isn't too slow, it isn't too fast, it's just right.
What I didn't like:
*Time- Let's go to the less obvious one first; while it isn't an issue IN this episode, it becomes an issue for this episode as the Autons attacking humans is never brought up again throughout the show. Not even in Aliens of London are the Auton attacks mentioned. You'd think an event happening like that all across London (probably the world) would be mentioned at least once afterward.
*VFX- The visual effects are really bad. I know, it's 2005, but even compared to its following episode, this is just bad. Plastic Mickey looks god awful and so does the trash can. And why does it need to burp, that's just a little too goofy. I don't care that this is a kid's show, NuWho really isn't a kids show like its 1960s era.
*Mickey- Mickey becomes a better character, especially in Series 2 (one of the few good things about Series 2) but in here, he acts tough but then in crisis, he's a bumbling fool. Now, I know this is realistic (somewhat) but it just throws me off. Noel Clarke is a good actor but something about him just feels off for me.
In conclusion, the positives of this episode definitely outweigh the negatives. My issues with Mickey or the Auton attack never being mentioned are minor but the Doctor and Rose are great and these two characters really carry this episode. Plus, the scene in the beginning where the Doctor rescues Rose is just perfectly done. Great start to a great show.