Dork Adore » Doctor Who

Sherlock: The Hounds Of Baskerville – Dork Review

Nick Bryan — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:27:10 +0000

The second episode of new Sherlock! This time, The Hound Of The Baskervilles gets the treatment, as Moffat and Gatiss pound through Conan Doyle’s most famous stories. There’s also a guest shot from Russell Tovey, who has now shown up in almost every famous geek show of our time, not to mention BBC3’s excellent Him & Her.

So this episode comes with a pedigree, but how did it perform in the dog show?

The Horror Of The Baskervilles

After last week’s London-based run through the Sherlock scenery, we got a change of pace. Our heroes decamp to the country to search for a mythical hellhound, whilst Russell Tovey’s character steadily breaks down around them. And it’s a slowdown from the usual Sherlock headrush of images.

In fact, there’s a sense of horror shot through here, both during the scenes set in the woods and the military facility segments. Writer Mark Gatiss is a renowned horror fan, scripting the unsettling Night Terrors episode of Doctor Who, not to mention his documentary on the subject, and it made him a good choice for this Hound.

I especially liked Bluebell the rabbit, who not only provided a funny callback, but also primed us for the possibility that genetically engineered animals are real, so… maybe there is a monstrous super-dog on the loose? Well pitched. But poor little bunny.

The Mind Palace Of Being Human

Since the whole show pivots around the Holmes/Watson relationship, it’s fortunate that this episode allows some interesting interactions between them. The possibility of real monsters not only unsettles the viewer, but the great detective too, and I enjoyed the resultant tension.

Russell Tovey brings his normal charm to his part, which helps make the character sympathetic despite a descent into mania. I was disappointed that he was largely absent in the second half, but I guess his name isn’t in the title. Also saddening that the Hound itself didn’t turn out to be Tovey’s character transformed into a werewolf.

Even though the eventual truth wasn’t as outlandish as hinted by Bluebell or Being Human, there were borderline-scifi moments that sat oddly next to other episodes. The “mind palace” scene pushed Sherlock further into alien robot territory than I really like.

Nonetheless, a good middle story, much better than last year’s slightly disappointing The Blind Banker. And next week, the final confrontation with Moriarty, worryingly penned by the writer of that episode, but nonetheless, after a strong series, I’m looking forward to seeing how they end it. Even if it feels like it’s all over far too soon.

Check this episode out on iPlayer, and let us know how you’re finding the second series of Sherlock. Are you excited for the finale?

More Sherlock on Dork Adore | Sherlock: The Great Game – Dork Review

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Doctor Who: The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe – Dork Review

Nick Bryan — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 09:58:37 +0000

It’s Christmas, and that means another festive-themed outing for Doctor Who. And after swiping A Christmas Carol last year, this time writer Steven Moffat is borrowing from less obvious source material. And he plagiarised Dickens so utterly that he had to acknowledge it in the script, so maybe it’s for the best.

Does this bode well for the 2011 special? Or should Moffat have done a nativity adaptation with River Song in the manger?

Claire Skinner, Matt Smith and The Magic Wand

Well, if your main wish from your Christmas Doctor Who is obvious festiveness, this was a huge success. Whimsy, jokes, a big swelling emotional climax or three, and Matt Smith is great with the broad child-friendly material. The first half hour especially was a glowing example of a festive parable, unfolding with atmosphere, not explaining anything and letting us experience it.

And then they started explaining stuff, and things went a little off-track. The last few scenes were strong, but beginning from Madge’s arrival in the tower, there was a decent-length sequence of sci-fi shouting to explain the plot. Necessary, perhaps, but it broke the magic spell a bit.

Still, Claire Skinner was very good, both because she was endearing and fun, and since she’s most well-known as “Mum from Outnumbered”, casting her as the proverbial Mother Christmas works on a couple of levels. Even the child actors were convincing, which is always a relief.

Bill Bailey, The Ponds And The Female Empowerment

The little touches were particularly good in this one. The sonic screwdriver’s allergy to wood finally becomes a real problem, and Bill Bailey’s appearance, albeit brief, was great. Hope he’ll be one of these minor characters who comes back. Oh, and the Ponds scene at the end, as a quick kick for “proper” viewers, gave us a few firmer hints about the Doctor’s new “presumed dead” state.

Admittedly, the female empowerment theme kinda came out of nowhere at the end, and also that flashback about Madge’s future husband following her home… is it me, or was that more creepy than romantic?

Still, despite a few quibbles when I engaged my reviewer-brain, I came out of it with my heart warmed, and on a Christmas special that’s good enough. In a normal episode, the hand-wavey “magic wand” approach to plotting might rankle more, but at Christmas, you can get away with that.

And I don’t want me and the Doctor to part on bad terms, as it looks like this is all we’re getting until autumn. Check out the Christmas special on iPlayer, and let us know below how festive you found it.

More Doctor Who on Dork Adore | Doctor Who: The Wedding Of River Song – Dork Review

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Doctor Who Christmas Tree Decorations

Tamsin Worrad — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:13:34 +0000

The organised ones among you will already have your tree up and raring to go for Christmas. But if you’re more lax in your festive arrangements, you might like to cast your eyes over these trinkets.

These Doctor Who tree decorations are available from the BBC Shop. You can choose from a Tardis or a Dalek and they’re priced at £13.99 each or £27 for both.

This may seem on the expensive side for a tree decoration, but they’re made from mouth-blown glass and are hand painted. You can justify the investment since they’re a collector’s item rather than just an annual novelty item (that’s the story we’re telling ourselves, anyway).

You can also get them in various sets with DVDs and t-shirts, which would make the ideal present for the Whovian in your life.

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that putting a Tardis on your tree will result in an ability to time travel or a Matt Smith in your stocking, but a girl can dream.

Christmas is magical, after all.

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Sarah Jane Adventures: The Man Who Never Was – Dork Review

Nick Bryan — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:00:23 +0000

The last episodes of Sarah Jane Adventures series 5, and it’s hard not to feel a flush of sadness. Because this is the effective finale of the whole show, due to Elisabeth Sladen passing away.

Of course, The Man Who Never Was wasn’t written with the intention of providing final closure, but can they at least send the Bannerman Road crew off on a high note?

The Robot Dog And His Boy

The one thing that eases the blow, by complete coincidence, is the return of Tommy Knight as Luke Smith to meet his new adopted sister and indulge in banter with castmates. The way Luke pops back to visit, rather than flatly disappearing from existence, makes the family feeling of Sarah Jane Adventures more authentic.

We get a few Clyde/Rani moments (and yes, I did smile at “Clani”), reminders that Sarah Jane and cast are selflessly great, and a low budget version of the Teselecta from Doctor Who. The only thing missing was Luke bringing K9 back with him; they teased, but it was not to be.

The story itself wasn’t anything unusual, but it provided excuses for the cast to mix into different groups and play off each other. You may have also caught a sly genitalia reference from Clyde, angling for a new gig on Torchwood.

Goodbye, Miss Smith

So a fun story, but had to end eventually. And in the closing minutes, they slipped in a short montage to remind us that it was good, but now it’s all over. Part of me hopes for a revisitation; surely they could spare a Doctor Who episode to pop over to Bannerman Road, resolve a couple of storylines and pay homage to her?

But after watching this last series, maybe it is better to assume Sarah Jane kept going forever. She might get a brief mention once Doctor Who resumes production, but it’s been a great five years of a warm, funny and smart children’s show, and Elisabeth Sladen’s performance was a huge part of that.

To be honest, I’m glad they went out with a fun adventure rather than a weepy one, as this review would’ve turned sad pretty fast. Check the last episode out on iPlayer and let us know below how you felt about the ending. And so long, SJA. Shame you had to go.

More Sarah Jane Adventures on Dork Adore | Sarah Jane Adventures: The Curse Of Clyde Langer – Dork Review

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Sarah Jane Adventures: The Curse Of Clyde Langer – Dork Review

Nick Bryan — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:59:40 +0000

Now that the new character has been introduced, The Sarah Jane Adventures can get down to the serious business of child-friendly adventure. From the same writer as last week’s Sky, Phil Ford, this week sees jovial lead character Clyde Langer faced with a very real threat.

So, can he take it seriously? Can we?

Everybody Hates Clyde Langer

Pleasingly, this is way better than it looked like being, or even needed to be. The gimmick of leaving one character standing alone is one we’ve all seen before, Sarah Jane Adventures themselves did something similar in The Empty Planet. Still, Daniel Anthony as Clyde makes a great fist of it, really selling his character hitting rock bottom, even though we know he’ll probably climb back up by the end.

Obviously, the version of homeless life depicted on children’s TV shows is going to be a sanitised one, but I thought they did as good a job as could be expected ramming home to their audience that this really happens to perfectly normal people, and is horrible.

Helped by the introduction of Ellie, one of those characters clearly designed for the audience to quickly love so we’d all be sad at the end. Still, it worked on me, so I can’t get up on my cynical horse.

Everybody Loves Awkward Teenage Romance

In fact, this whole story managed to twang at my heartstrings far more than you’d expect from a so-called children’s show. Whether this is because I am over-emotional as we approach the untimely demise of the whole series, I do not know, but the fact remains, it worked on me.

Considering the show has teased the awkward teenage romance of Clyde and Rani for years now, it’s an intriguing development to introduce a competing love interest, but I can’t imagine they planned to bring her back. Much as I liked her after this episode.

Anyway, I’m happy to report this is one of the really good stories. If next week is decent, and it’s written by Gareth Roberts so really ought to be, at least Sarah Jane Adventures will go out on a high. The trailer reveals that Luke is returning for a visit, which is a good start.

For now, watch this episode on iPlayer if you haven’t already, and let us know how you’re enjoying the show, in advance of next week’s last episode ever.

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Sarah Jane Adventures: Sky – Dork Review

Nick Bryan — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:21:24 +0000

Back for one more series, it’s The Sarah Jane Adventures. Of course, it’s in less than ideal circumstances after the death of Elisabeth Sladen in April, but I’m pleased to see the completed episodes are still being shown, both as a tribute to her talent and because, well, I really like this show.

So, here we go, then. Hopefully I won’t start blubbing until the last week.

Sky From The Sky

In the first two-part story, after the semi-departure of Sarah Jane’s adopted son in last year’s premiere, the show finally introduces a direct replacement. Much as I was attached to Luke, bringing in a new kid was a wise decision if he couldn’t be enticed back full-time; the series felt a little empty with only Clyde and Rani representing yoof.

The newcomer Sky is noticably younger than the others, which gives her an angle, but also means dealing with a proper child actress. Fortunately Sinead Michael seems decent enough, and the blank confusion of the character would make it tolerable even if she wasn’t.

The plot itself is tied up in a rush of pseudo-science babble, but this is primarily a story to get the new character established quickly, so it’s not surprising that we can clearly see levers being pulled. Since Sky is sticking around, it seems likely that a more substantial ending to her arc was being saved for a later episode.

The Bad News

Alas, because the series has been cut short, that’s a resolution we may never see. I considered not reviewing any of it for this very reason – it’s not as if the BBC are putting this out there as a complete work of art, more because it would’ve been a shame if they hadn’t.

But I’m going to cover it anyway, mostly because I think the show and Elisabeth Sladen’s work still deserve the exposure. We did get a tip of the hat to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (played by recently deceased Nicholas Courtney) in the Doctor Who finale at the weekend, so perhaps there will be some kind of Sarah Jane revisitation in the future too.

In the meantime, though, this is another decent story in a fun spin-off series, and hopefully we’ll get a couple more like that before we finally say goodbye for good. You can catch the first episode on iPlayer and let us know if you too have been enjoying Sarah Jane Adventures.

More Sarah Jane Adventures on Dork Adore | The Sarah Jane Adventures – It’s Not Just For Kids

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Doctor Who: The Wedding Of River Song – Dork Review

Nick Bryan — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:28:40 +0000

The finale of Doctor Who has aired. The climax to a convoluted (if not complex) year long arc regarding the Doctor’s own death, not to mention the point where we get answers to all those fiddly River Song questions.

So… did it deliver on all of that? And aside from the pressure to resolve stuff, how was it?

Winston Churchill Downloads Pterodactyls

Not how one might expect; Moffat seemed more concerned with showing off ideas and images than providing heart-stopping drama. To be honest, once you’d processed the reappearance of the Tessalecta and the “touching kills” mechanic between the Doctor and River, it was possible to guess the plot resolution. As in, I more or less did.

So if you wanted edge-of-the seat action that left you crying and breathless, no, it didn’t go there. But to be honest, Russell T. Davies shot for that with every single one of his finales, normally with success, so I don’t object to Moffat doing something different. Also, I already felt crushing sadness during The Girl Who Waited and The God Complex anyway.

And the little images, one-liners and scenes really were cool, meaningful and effective. Loved the all-times-at-once world, as well as moments between partially-amnesiac Rory and Amy, the Silence referencing Rory’s many deaths, the big maternal discipline from Amy, many others. A great experience, and what more could I ask for? If your episodes are this enjoyable and sweet, I’ll forgive you a lot.

Undercover TARDIS

More interesting, almost, than dissecting the story itself is wondering where they go next. The Doctor is now “flying under the radar”, with no real companions? Does that mean Amy and Rory are only part-time? If he genuinely is going to play dead, that could be interesting. And I was ready to whine if they left The Question unrevealed, but no. Well played, Mr Moffat. Made me smile.

And, since this is the last review of series six, time to get my sweeping statements on. The back half, I think, has been amazingly strong. The weakest episode was Night Terrors, and only because it was merely good rather than excellent. I still think the first half this year rang hollow in too many places, but nonetheless, I’m back on board now. Shame we apparently don’t get series seven until this time in 2012.

So, now it’s all over, how do you feel about The Wedding Of River Song, and indeed Doctor Who series six? Catch up with the episode on iPlayer and chip in below.

More Doctor Who on Dork Adore | Doctor Who: Closing Time – Dork Review

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Doctor Who: Closing Time – Dork Review

Nick Bryan — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 19:16:21 +0000

Before the eagerly awaited finale, Doctor Who needs a break, so James Corden pops in to reprise his character from last year’s pre-climax comedy episode. However, this year they are faced with a terrifying new nemesis: Stormageddon.

The Cybermen are also in it. So, is the Doctor’s 2011 Essex holiday as funny as before?

The Lodger II – Lodge Harder

To be honest, I could cut and paste heavily from my review of The Lodger, last year’s Craig Owens episode: light relief, cultural mix-ups, Corden good in his part, Matt Smith also excellent at this sort of thing. So I suppose the real question is: did they do enough new to justify going back to the Owens well?

I think they did, actually. There are two pivotal differences here: firstly, the enemy isn’t a complete non-entity. This is still the sitcom episode, so the Cybermen are often played for laughs rather than pants-wetting terror, but there’s momentum to the threat. That won’t be much compensation to Cyberman fans who want to see them become top-level villains; sorry, guys.

Secondly, a role-reversal. Yes, the Doctor helps Craig again, but this time the big guy gets to return the favour. It’s genuinely sweet, and I also like the chance to see Matt Smith playing off a companion other than the long-running Ponds.

And yes, they whipped that “I speak baby” joke from A Good Man Goes To War until it cried, but I don’t care, it was funny.

The Last Five Minutes

And then we hit the final minutes, and the inevitable pre-amble for next week’s mega-ending. After some strong standalone episodes, I’m wary of returning to the quagmire of River Song /Silence continuity, but much like the Doctor and his death, we have to face it eventually.

At least we only had one scene of the Ponds and they didn’t say anything, so we reviewers can’t moan that they didn’t mention the damn baby. I was also expecting a reference to the apparent Silence spaceship from The Lodger, since Craig was back, but it seems that was yet another feint.

For now, much like last year, this was a fun diversion, with added drama as our two heroes mature towards their destiny. If they could persuade James Corden to come back for a longer stint on the TARDIS, in Catherine Tate style, I’d actually be pleased to hear it. File that under “Things I Never Expected To Type”.

So, did you think this episode lived up to The Lodger? What lunacy are you expecting next week? Watch it on iPlayer if necessary, and let us know below.

More Doctor Who on Dork Adore | Doctor Who: The God Complex – Dork Review

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Doctor Who: The God Complex – Dork Review

Nick Bryan — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 20:39:52 +0000

After last week’s sci-fi weepathon, we get a flavour of Doctor Who unseen for a while: the unsettling horror episode. In fact, the last occurrences might have been The Waters Of Mars or Midnight, back in the time of Tennant.

But just as there’s no such thing as nearly funny, being scary is an unforgiving business. How do they do?

The 80s Hotel Complex

The writer is Toby Whitehouse, creator of Being Human and last year’s Vampires Of Venice episode, so the fear factor is no surprise. However, no vampires, zombies or other horror classics; we’re facing down the unholy terror of… an 80s hotel.

It’s properly frightening as well, and I don’t just mean the decor. By establishing clear, creepy rules for the villain and being utterly ruthless when wrangling his incidental characters, Whitehouse successfully cultivates the prime horror directive: making us believe bad things could happen to anyone.

So yeah, I shouldn’t expect any less from the author of School Reunion (still one of the best episodes since Doctor Who came back, by the way), but this was intense, carefully directed and, much like last week’s The Girl Who Waited, successfully tapped into the key relationships of the show for one last big kick.

The Blue-Suited Approximation Complex

I was expecting this to be a stand-alone exercise in terror, but in the last few minutes, it hits some story arc buttons, and without feeling tacked-on. It’s even possible that the harrowing events of The Girl Who Waited might be playing on the Doctor’s mind.

It’s also implied that Amy is coping with the loss of her baby because that they did somewhat bring her up, as (half-)explained in Let’s Kill Hitler. Doesn’t ring true to me, but I had similar scepticism when Rose Tyler decided she could live without her beloved Doctor as long as she had a blue-suited approximation.

The Episode Sequencing Complex

The haunted-house ethos felt reminiscent of the recent Night Terrors; they could have ordered the episodes more flatteringly, I thought, and at times the slow start got me a little impatient.

But I liked the build to the climax, and after a run of four good to great episodes, I’m genuinely excited about this show again. Even looking forward to James Corden again next week – much like David Walliams in this one, I seem to only enjoy his work on Doctor Who.

The episode is up now on iPlayer for your repeat viewing pleasure, let us know how you’re finding this series as we reach the last couple of weeks.

More Doctor Who on Dork Adore | Doctor Who: A Good Man Goes To War – Dork Adore

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Torchwood: Miracle Day – Episode 10 – Dork Review

Nick Bryan — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:09:09 +0000

Torchwood: Miracle Day was only ten hours long, yet it felt longer than most other days on record. Still, it’s all over, dust settled, cost counted, and we can start asking the ultimate question: was it really worth it?

More importantly, where does this series rank among the other Torchwood efforts? Should we document this using some kind of list? Are we not dorks?

Captain Jack Menstruates Backwards

Unsurprisingly, this final episode doesn’t lack incident. In fact, it rushes along from start to finish, dealing out first revelations and then punishment to our poor characters. The series may have dragged at times, but at least the ending feels heavy, especially upon the shoulders of long-suffering Gwen Cooper.

I muttered last time that the explanation for “Miracle Day” would struggle to live up to nine episodes of build-up, and I was right, it does, it’s exactly what it looked like being in episode seven. But lest we forget, this is a Russell T. Davies story, so the sci-fi premise is merely a mechanism to get us sobbing. (And, well, it’s also apparently a gigantic vagina built into the earth, which our heroes must defeat by pouring blood into it. I dread to think what the symbolism is meant to be here.)

So we get the bizarre explanation out of the way, then the heart-wrenching agony starts. Even background players Rhys and PC Andy get to suffer, and I was surprised how awful Oswald Danes remains, right up to the end. Oh, and the big character death: suffice to say, I called it.

Next Time, On Torchwood

One thing that did surprise me, though, is how much they trailed a possible fifth series at the end. Unlike Children Of Earth, which could’ve easily served as a climax to the entire show, Miracle Day teases us with both new villains and (kinda) new heroes to explore next time.

But speaking of Children Of Earth, I will give Miracle Day this: it didn’t suffer from the same anticlimax problem as its predecessor; the ending felt a lot more final. But taken as a whole, Miracle Day hasn’t worked as well, simply because it felt dragged out. At five or six episodes, it could’ve been good; they had a strong concept, but filling ten hours made it sag.

And if US network Starz elects not to continue with it, will they come back to the BBC and lose the new American characters? That would be a shame, if only because they’ve hinted at two of them playing major roles next year. But for now, Miracle Day is all over, it was largely alright but very slow. Now, back to concentrating on Doctor Who, where the explanation is more important than the crying. (Except for this week’s The Girl Who Waited, admittedly.)

So, yes, see the final episode on iPlayer, and indeed for now you can still catch up with the whole series if the mood strikes you. Let us know if you too think there was potential that didn’t quite work out, or if I’m being too kind?

More Torchwood on Dork Adore | Torchwood: Miracle Day – Episode 8 – Dork Review

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Dork Adore » Doctor Who

Sherlock: The Hounds Of Baskerville – Dork Review

The Horror Of The Baskervilles

The Mind Palace Of Being Human

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Doctor Who: The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe – Dork Review

Claire Skinner, Matt Smith and The Magic Wand

Bill Bailey, The Ponds And The Female Empowerment

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Doctor Who Christmas Tree Decorations

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Sarah Jane Adventures: The Man Who Never Was – Dork Review

The Robot Dog And His Boy

Goodbye, Miss Smith

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Sarah Jane Adventures: The Curse Of Clyde Langer – Dork Review

Everybody Hates Clyde Langer

Everybody Loves Awkward Teenage Romance

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Sarah Jane Adventures: Sky – Dork Review

Sky From The Sky

The Bad News

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Doctor Who: The Wedding Of River Song – Dork Review

Winston Churchill Downloads Pterodactyls

Undercover TARDIS

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Doctor Who: Closing Time – Dork Review

The Lodger II – Lodge Harder

The Last Five Minutes

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Doctor Who: The God Complex – Dork Review

The 80s Hotel Complex

The Blue-Suited Approximation Complex

The Episode Sequencing Complex

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Torchwood: Miracle Day – Episode 10 – Dork Review

Captain Jack Menstruates Backwards

Next Time, On Torchwood

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