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I wish I could put my finger on what makes this episode so brilliant. I think David Tennant's run so far has been phenomenal and I really love him as the Doctor. This episode however was just incredible. I think it has to do with it being off planet for just about the first time in the entire series. Not Earth, not New New New New New Earth, not a space station revolving around Earth in the year 5,000,000,000, an entirely new planet! I love the Pertwee era of Doctor Who but since he was mostly stuck on Earth for his run, as a kid I fell in love with Doctor Who mainly because Tom Baker was my Doctor. Not just because he was such an awesome Doctor, but the worlds he visited and the adventures he had. It's been said many times before but you never knew where he would land next week. With the ninth and tenth so far you didn't know when you would show up and it was always an adventure but you had a pretty good idea it would involve Earth in some way. Granted there are Earthlings in this story but this episode takes from some very excellent previous Doctor stories most notably Ark in Space and The Daemons. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WOW. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last night I sat down to watch an episode of Doctor Who I knew very little about. Not much pre-publicity by the Beeb (oddly), but I did know that there were no returning monsters or companions and it was going to be our first proper visit to an alien planet (don't count New Earth as we didn't see any of it). And it was superb. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I did not have high hopes for this story. Whilst I loved Matt Jones Bad Therapy, a very sweet character piece in the final third of the New Adventures but I couldnt stand Beyond the Sun, his Bernice Summerfield novel and I regularly found his column in DWM the most annoying thing about the magazine. Add to that the fact that this episode has the least WOW factor in this series to date (One had Zoe Wanamaker, Two had Queen Victoria and warewolves, Three had Sarah Jane, Giles and K.9, Four had Sophia Myles and Mickey as a companion, Five and Six had Cybermen and Seven had Maureen Limpman) and that last weeks teaser was hardly an appetite whetter and the best thing you could say is that that bloke from Casualty is in it. Hmm
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Forget the fact it's on an actual alien world. Forget the Cthulhoid monsters in the Ood. No, what makes this episode all the more amazing is that it was written by Matt Jones, and it didn't make me want to claw my eyes out with a garden tool. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Such a shame. Ratings slump. Smugness abounding. A distinct drop in quality compared to last season. I'm afraid the BBC might well ignore the critical claim, awards, overseas sales, DVD sales etc. and start planning a surefire hit for Saturday evenings. Never mind the audience appreciation figures, feel the ratings. Panic has probably ensued and already something like 'X Brother Strictly Big Celebrity Factor On Ice...in a Jungle' is no doubt being mooted to enliven our Saturday evening viewing. After all, reality television is popular...and cheap. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wow. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Doctor and Rose step from the TARDIS, apparently drunk and giggly, for the new series first proper deep space adventure. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The series continues to surprise us. After an atmosphere drenched period piece set in the 1950s we are plunged into a tough, gritty, dirty SF base under siege epic. If the Cybermen two parter was popcorn cinema Who this is horror SF Ridley Scott style for the small screen. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After convincing many of my friends that the new Doctor Who is well worth viewing (both Ecclestone and Tennant) the one criticism that I keep hearing is "They never seem to go anywhere other than Earth". Well personally I have no problem with the Earthbound episodes as long as the story is a good one, which by and large they have been in my opinion, but now with The Impossible Planet maybe there is something to satisfy those who want to see more space and alien planets in Doctor Who. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marvellous. Planet of Evil, The Daemons, The Robots of Death, Alien, Event Horizon, Solaris say what you like about similarities with past episodes and other things but this was marvellous. I was disappointed with last weks ep but this brought us back on track with a vengeance. I liked the way that they stretched the boundaries of the usual base under siege story. Instead of the usual, 'you're strangers you must be responsible for this', it's subverted by the doc just saying to the base commander, 'you trust me don't you?' and the commander basically saying, 'yeah OK'. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Were on a planet that shouldnt exist underneath a black hole. Yeah
start worrying about me. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
First off- The impossible Planet. Wow. Its at the top of my list; along with the Parting of the ways and the Doctor dances. For some reason I always prefer the follow on, whether its a 2 parter tv episode or a sequel to a book. So I have high hopes for the Satan Pit! Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Being a Doctor Who fan can sometimes be likened to being in a long term relationship. The first introduction to the world of fandom is that rush of intoxication, Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After some fairly cosy fun with 'The Idiot's Lantern' last week, Doctor Who takes a decidedly dark turn in its eighth episode. And it's surprising just how dark things get. Similarities to the 'Alien' movies, 'Event Horizon' and even 'The Omen' have already been mentioned, but hang on a moment, aren't those all 18-certificate scare-fests designed to turn cinema goers into quivering wrecks? Well they're certainly not family friendly tales for seven o'clock of a Saturday evening, sandwiched between 'Strictly Dance Fever' and 'The National Lottery'... Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I've now seen this twice. My first viewing was in the games room of a camp site, where the wife and I were joined by four children. Second viewing was at home for the BBC3 repeat. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After the joys of "The Girl In the Fireplace" I didn't expect the series to throw up something else so superb so soon. Yet this episode seems to have slipped under everyone's radar. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
My expectations were high for The Satan Pit after the cliff-hanger ending to last week's excellent episode. Would Rose and the crew of the Sanctuary Base be zapped by the possessed Ood? Would the planet be sucked into the black hole? And just what was rising out of the pit to confront the Doctor and Ida? Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A high-quality denouement to last weeks excellent opening episode of this two-parter gives The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit top spot in my pecking order of this seasons stories thus far and the last four episodes are going to have to be spectacular to dethrone this one. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The pit is open and I am free..' Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Whoopee! Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Most people reviewing "The Impossible Planet" said that it was written so well (surprisingly so considering Matt Jones' books were not some of the best) that even if "The Satan Pit" tanked, it would still be a great two-part episode. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oh dear oh dear oh dear - after last week's cracking episode full of tension and excitement and almost reminiscent of the Sandminer crew in Robots of Death, the Satin Pit quickly sank into the most of cliche of SF plots - a chained up monster on a planet trying to escape with inhabitants of space base being chased around corridors by monsters (in this case the Oods which had shown great potential last week). For the majority of the episode the Doctor dangles on a rope, eventually crashes to the bottom and has pointless dialogue with a growling devil like creature whilst faithful Rose is left to deal with the creature's intelligence in the space rocket fleeing the black hole. Then bingo the Doctor finds the Tardis at the foot of the pit and saves the remaining humans - hoorah!! Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Devil rides out...on a rocket ship. Or *a* devil, anyway. A Beast of some sort, certainly. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Doctor, tell me theres no such thing. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
So, um, "The Satan Pit," then. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This second and concluding episode had a lot to live up to. Perhaps it ended up not being quite as good as last weeks The Impossible Planet but Pit did not disappoint. If I have two criticisms they would be that the Tardis appears somewhat miraculously when it needs to, this could perhaps have been handled more imaginatively. And the line where the Doctor claims that the Time Lords invented black holes should have been removed, if for no other reason than it seems implausible that the Doctor would find initial situation so impossible if his people invented and understood black holes. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As I'm sure my review of 'The Impossible Planet' demonstrated, I loved last week's episode. I was slightly concerned, however, that this week's resolution would not live up to the potential of part one's setup. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode 'en masse'. The crew and Rose being trapped on the space-station being hunted down by 'Legion' and the fantastic Ood changing from gentile, essentially stupid creatures into these possessed, almost 'demons'. The sight of one on all fours charging through the ventilation shaft was quite disturbing. Indeed, just before they escape the shaft the scene with Toby/Satan telling the Ood to be quiet; the knowing grin coupled with the fact that if he was actually the devil why would he need to tell his minions to hush made it very dark. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
To avoid redundancy I won't do a precis of the story as other reviewers have already done it. What I want to say is that about 30 years too late the BBC have finally put into Doctor Who the money it deserves. The "Satan Pit" has set the bar for the visual look of any Doctor Who story so far with a definite cinematic feel to rival or beat American TV Sci-Fi. For anyone but the casual viewer the influences of Robots of Death/Quatermass/Alien/Event Horizon etc may have been a little too obvious though. Thankfully the corridors are also getting better. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What a disappointment that a story as fantastic as the Impossible Planet/ the Satan Pit should attract a comparatively paltry audience of under six million. There was a feeling or maybe a hope that the Impossible Planets audience of 5.9 million represented something of the hardcore of the programmes current viewing audience and that the figures were unlikely to dip further but my high of yesterday has become my concern of today now that the overnights have been revealed. Filters: Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Tell Rose... awwhhh.. She knows." Filters: Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deep in space, an impossible planet orbits a black hole in an impossible way. It emanates an impossible cone of gravity while beknown to the human explorers on its surface, the impossible planet has an impossible, devilish secret. Filters: Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
And so to The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit, much vaunted when it was first announced as the new series first on-screen foray to an alien world. In fact that was New Earth, which didnt feel at all like a new planet, and thus The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit represents the first truly alien, hostile environment seen in the series albeit it one with that is uninhabited by anything or anyone except the ultimate personification of evil. As such, what we get is less The Web Planet and more The Dæmons on another planet with a bit of Aliens thrown in for good measure. Regardless of this however, its unlike anything seen thus far in the new series, and that is its great strength. Filters: Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I have to put my hands up and admit that I wasnt expecting much from this one. Yes, I was very keen to see what the new series made of its first out-and-out alien world even though New Earth was in a whole different galaxy, the very fact that it was new Earth didnt make it feel all that alien, did it? Filters: Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oh dear. Having just glanced over the reviews already posted on this page, it seems that I am destined to become largely outspoken in my opinion of these two episodes. You see, I thought they were just damn awful. There you go, I said it. The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit. Awful. Filters: Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Newcomer Matt Jones has contributed essentially one of the most solid scripts in new Who to date. Chiefly because this is fairly unpretentious stuff, offering little that it cant deliver, though it is debatable whether the second episode delivers what is so accomplishedly promised in the superior first episode. Filters: Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In 'The Impossible Planet' and 'The Satan Pit' we got what 'the Guardian' described as 'Alien plus The Matrix divided by The Exorcist'. You didn't need to look too hard to find other influences from various precursors in the sci-fi and fantasy/horror genres but it was all brought together with such panache, and with enough that was original and fresh, that there was never any hint of schlock. 'Derivative' is not a disparaging criticism when the sources are as impeccable as they were here. Of course, give a bad cook a platter of even the finest ingredients and you'll still end up with an inedible meal. Fortunately for us, what we sat down to here was a banquet, lovingly prepared by a gathering of master chefs. Filters: Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Since "Doctor Who" came back to TV, the makers have so far been going down a checklist of things that either the original series or the spinoffs in the wilderness years did and bringing them to full-screen and fully-updated life. This story covers some of the few remaining "big" items to check off, like "visit hostile alien planet," and "meet Devil," and now having seen these done and done so well, I feel like we are at last back to "normal," or at least what normal was before the cancellation crises of the mid-80s started, or what normal should be today in 2006. Strange that such a gripping, suspenseful, and terrifying story should bring about in me a feeling of relaxation, like the series is finally well and truly "home." What a pleasant feeling to have. :) Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor |