antennapedia

Fabulous campy performance, fabulous take on the Master. Utterly crap plot details. Basic setup is interesting: Saxon, the wife, the election, the cellular network... supported by fairly stupid crack-y elements. The Toclafane business was stupid. And the arc needed to be twice the length, if only to give Simm more time to make our heads explode. But really I wanted the plottier elements to develop over more time. Also, I was intrigued by the clues that the Master was suicidal but couldn't act on it. It might have been neat to build the character a little further and see if it can exist beyond the series of Simm tics.

Also: I wanted Derek Jacobi to have more time in his turn as the Master. Dammit. The other thing I thought as I watched Jacobi act was that a good actor can sell the dorkiest lines. He was quietly shaming everybody else on the set with him. Though Tennant had his moment at the end.

I flatly refuse to clap my hands and believe in Time Lords, by the way. No. Please. No.

I note that Martha allegedly has a character arc, but it's all off-screen, and a parallel to Mickey/Rickie's plot arc. The lesson might be that strong people need to be separated from the Doctor to find themselves. Did Sarah Jane Smith need him?

So! In the end, my opinion is that it's great Russell T. Davies resurrected Doctor Who. But he's one of the worst writers for his own show. Somebody should stop him.

Random: Oh, gawd, Penny Arcade, how I love you.
Bonus random: Saving the Internet with hate.