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Not too sure about this one. Very mixed feelings about it. There were good bits of it and there were not so good bits of it and I canÂ’t decide which outweigh which. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tooth and Claw was going back to the old hammer horror route and it had some genuinely scary scenes in it. Going back to Scotland for the second story of the new Doctor brought back reminders of "The Highlanders" and the Dr's nod back to Jamie McCrimmon was neatly done. The We are Not Amused scheme was a bit of a laugh. The reference to Bad Wolf was a neat bit of continuity with Rose and you wonder if this might lead on further again later in the series. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Two stories into the new season with the promise of Sarah Jane Smith and K9 to come, Tooth & Claw sees mention of another former companion as the Doctor assumes the identity of "Dr James Mcrimmon" of the lands of Balamory ("What's the story in . . . ??"). Yes - some typical RTD contemporary jokes come into this rather untypical RTD script - The Muppet Movie, Ian Dury and the Blockheads and Margaret Thatcher also get a mention in the first 10 minutes! This is a very dark story contrasting with the season opener "New Earth". The very classy looking opening daylight shots of the slow motion fighting monks and the Doctor and Rose's introduction to Queen Victoria leads into mainly night and dark interior shots - ideal settings for the werewolf! Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This is the episode I've been waiting for. Simply and utterly amazing. This beats most of my favourite Doctor Who episodes to the top spot, and so it should. When Liverpool won the football 2-1 I breathed a sigh of relief as I awaited what I thought would be another average RTD story, and oh how I was wrong! Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Phew! Well thank Gallifrey for that ... Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What can I say? Absolutely everything I look for in Doctor Who and more. There were a few minor blemishes here and there but the overall package here is impressive it would get tops marks from on any viewing. Whilst it may not be the best Russell T Davies script yet (his witty lines were lost amongst all the atmosphere) it was great to see him trying something totally different (ie not a soap or a space opera) and pull it off with real style. If horror aint your bag bugger off, but I love horror and this was without a doubt one of the finest Doctor Who has ever dished up. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We are not amused. We are ecstatic! Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A strong and brooding opening to this episode with a shot of the windswept highlands was slightly undermined by the proverbial contemporary filmic cod-Celtic pan-pipe incidental music jarringly reminiscent of the rather intrusive and annoying score of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (the worst aspect to an otherwise well-realised trilogy). Nevertheless, this was a strong opening with a noticeably gothic tinge, and sufficiently intriguing to keep one watching. It was palpable from the beginning of this episode that this is RTD's personal answer to the new Who-style pseudo-historical cannon set up dextrously by Mark Gatiss's The Unquiet Dead. The mood of both episodes is similarly subdued and moody (apart from some incongruously farcical elements to early scenes of Unquiet Dead), befitting the dim lighting of the Victorian scenarios. The shots with the monks infiltrating the castle are a little far-fetched and overtly Matrix/Crouching Tiger influenced, sitting very incongruously against the bleak 19thc. Scottish setting, but despite the slightly annoying disorientation of camera angles during these scenes (so typical of modern TV, re Green Wing and even aspects of the recent adaptation of Bleak House), they served their purpose in a peculiar, very Un-Who-ish way, and I was glad to see were largely confined to the opening of the episode. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I had a few issues with New Earth, but expected Tooth and Claw to restore my faith in the belief that Series Two could be the finest in Doctor Whos rich history, and Im pleased to say Russell T Davies second script for the 2006 season did just that. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Much better. Much much better. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tooth and Claw is an exceptional piece of drama. The direction is virtually perfect, the atmosphere is oozing and the acting is top notch. You cant fault the flawless production and the story has a confident depth which shows Russell T Davies doing what some fans suspected he couldnt; good old fashioned suspense and terror. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hmmmm
.well I should admit that I've never cared for the Russell T. Davis episodes and so was pleasantly surprised at how much I found myself enjoying the first half of Tooth and Claw. And then it all went so wrong - unsurprisingly, around about the same time that the characters stopped running from the wolf and started talking. Why was the diamond constantly re-cut if its only purpose was to be thrown on the floor at the last minute as opposed to, oh I don't know, say, forming an intricate part of the telescope; where did the monks go when they still had the house surrounded with guns; why did Queen Victoria knight the Doctor and Rose only to banish them from the kingdom immediately afterwards; why did we have to listen to the world's worst, most blatant and completely unnecessary plug for Torchwood (incidentally, if Torchwood has been around for 100 years, how come we've never heard of it before, despite the Doctor working for UNIT both in the old and NEW series); why did Russell think 'we are not amused'' was a funny running gag; how was the house supposed to be a trap for the werewolf when nobody knew about it; and where did the monks get their matrix-like kung-fu abilities from? Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This episode oozed sheer quality. The opening teaser was perhaps one of the best since the show has returned to our screens; anyone who turned over after seeing it needs their pulse checked. From then on, Tooth and Claw demonstrated what a superb writer Russell T Davies really is. The script crackled with wit and energy, and the all of the performances were up to the task. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Since this series was announced I have been very excited. I looked forward to New Earth with great anticipation, only to be dissapointed. Perhaps this was just a weak opening episode? Perhaps. so would Tooth and Claw be any better? it certainly looked good on the trailers, and the tardisode gave a nice little taster. So would it live up to expectations? Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Well done RTD! I thought hed be on safer ground with a pseudo-historical and indeed he was: the overriding impression is of a very traditional Who tale, scary, suspenseful, atmospheric, and thoroughly enjoyable. The blistering pace is par for the course these days but despite that it all flowed rather well from the superb opening scenes as a more(traditionally) vulnerable Tardis gets it wrong and lands 100 years earlier than intended, with the Doctor and Rose stepping out onto the windswept highlands for a meeting with Queen Victoria herself! Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Let me begin by saying all the Russell T Davies detractors are missing the point. I am 41 years old I can vividly recall the Pertwee and Baker eras. I even remember Patrick Troughton episodes as a child. If I was a 10 year old now I would be wetting my pants in anticipation of Saturday. This is the Dr who I have been waiting all my life for the BBC to make. Having said that though the first two episodes of the "new season" have been a little disappointing. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
When I reviewed New Earth on these pages last week, I had made the comment that Russell T Davies seemed to concoct his scripts from a shopping list of ingredients and then create a semblance of a plot by simply joining the dots together. One of my initial fears about Tooth and Claw had been that same worry, that it was a case of throwing in Queen Victoria, a Werewolf and some Monks and hoping that that was enough to divert an audience for 45 minutes, distracting attention away from the scantily dressed plot built up around it. Well for once I am glad to have been proved wrong, for virtually everything that New Earth did wrong last week, Tooth & claw did right this week. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For two years running Russell T. Davies winning formula has succeeded spectacularly. Establish the characters in an episode where they deal with a threat at home, fling them into the far distant future for an outer space romp and then send them into the (relatively) recent past to face a supernatural monster! The third step in that master plan, Tooth and Claw has to be one of the best episodes produced since the rebirth of Doctor Who. It has the headline Queen Victoria!; it has the wonderfully realised monster; it has intriguing characters and most important of all, it has a Doctor that is in his element. Add to the mix some of the best direction that the show has ever seen, and the audience is left with a non-stop 45-minute rollercoaster ride! Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It was said many times that the new series has taken some of its lead in characters and writing from shows such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Now that's been taken one step further and we have an episode that's got "Angel"-like subject matter, and more startlingly, a much more modern directing style never before seen in "Doctor Who," one which fits this story perfectly and gives a real shot of adrenalin straight to the heart of the production. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tooth and Claw' was an episode of two halves. The first half was, on the whole, a chilling, beautifully filmed & nicely paced horror story. The colours, in particular, were absolutely gorgeous! I loved the two carriages at the beginning each carrying boxes with secrets, and the build up to the monster reveal was masterfully handled & extremely scary. The scene where chained Rose talked to the being in the cage was a lovely partial inverse of the scene from 'Dalek'. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wonderful. What a terrific episode. Rather than begin at the beginning, I'd like to highlight one particular scene. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tooth and Claw
Or, The One In Which Russell T Davis Proves He CAN Write Decent Incidental Characters And Dialogue
But Screws Up the Regulars Big-Time! Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
One of the many criticisms levelled against new Doctor Who is its pacing. The 45 minute episodes being seen to force the expulsion of great swathes of development and backstory- paring the series down into little nuggets of edited who-lite. Pish and tosh, I say. Yes, this new series is a different beast- but this new, short form, Doctor Who is as capable of being as dynamic, affecting, smart and magnificent as any work of shorter fiction. More is not always better. And nowhere, to my mind, has this been demonstrated with greater effect than in Tooth and Claw. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Who let the wolf out?" RTD cetainly did with "Tooth and Claw": a gripping and entertaining ode to the werewolf legend with an expected whovian alien twist. This episode was a vast improvement from "New Earth" - The fear factor was raised up a notch or two and the plot was well paced with the rising body count. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Im more than a little surprised at how critical some of the views have been again...one in particular. Im just glad its back on. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Who says Russell can't write Doctor Who? Eat your words all who say such a thing, and enjoy. An erratic Tardis takes the Doctor and Rose to 1879 instead of 1979, and in so doing, they meet Her Majesty Queen Victoria herself. Pauline Collins excelled herself here, as she does in almost every part she ever plays. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Christmas Invasion and New Earth convinced me that Russell T. Davies Doctor Who scripts are improving, but nothing could have prepared me for Tooth and Claw. Visually impressive, action packed and gripping, and with a great script the episode is easily the best new series episode since The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tooth and Claw begins at a frenetic pace, and once started on that road never lets up for any of the following forty-five minutes. It has been well-documented that one of BBC Head of Drama Jane Tranters specific notes for series two of the new Doctor Who was that the historical episodes should be given a kick up the arse, and this seems to have been very much taken to heart by director Euros Lyn, making a welcome return to the show for the first time since The Unquiet Dead last year. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Way back in 1981, after his opening series as Producer had been aired, John Nathan-Turner gave the first of his annual Doctor Who magazine interviews. When asked at the end of the interview what hed like to see in future stories, he said hed like to see an adventure featuring a Werewolf. As Id always found these creatures very creepy indeed, I kept my eye out for a story featuring them, and low and behold along came The Greatest Show in the Galaxy in 1988, and Doctor Whos first Werewolf, in the form of Jessica Martin as Mags. But although the transformation was quite effective and pretty scary in an old Hammer Horror type of way, the resultant beast failed to impress, being more or less a green skinned woman with hair stood on end and a mouth full of fangs, not to mention the sequence being over as soon as it had started. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
If there's anything the latest Star Wars trilogy taught us, it's that just because you can render and realize an impressive looking digital character on screen, that doesn't necessarily make it a good idea to do so. (Jar Jar, anyone?) Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This was an absolute belter of an episode, in which Russell T. Davies has shown that he can be an excellent Doctor Who writer. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In short, I hated it. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I thought this episode of Doctor Who was a decidedly mixed affair. It had a fairly silly beginning, a good middle and a groan inducing end. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tooth and Claw is not a bad Doctor Who story, but it is one that could have and should have been so much better. It does have a lot of good things going for it. There was an excellent monster which looked fairly frightening. The cast as a whole put on a good performance and were convincing in their roles. The setting looked nice and managed to feel fairly authentic from a historical point of view (Alright as a Scot with an interest in history I did have some issues with some parts of the plot, but no more than I have done with any number of period dramas). Together these elements had the potential to make a classic story. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
There are a lot of little details in Tooth and Claw that ought to have been cut somewhere. Too much of the authors personal politics and too much pop culture knowledge projected onto the Doctor really grate, as no doubt theyre intended to. In other words, I think Mr. Davies and some of the other writers enjoy taking jabs at the fans. The Doctor seems less like a mysterious alien and more like a teenager be-bopping around Earths history, listening to pop music and indulging in movies. These little asides never really come across as authentic character moments for the Doctor that weve been watching for 40 years now. Filters: Television Series 2/28 Tenth Doctor |