Doctor Who : Fifty Years of Phone Box Travel

[Werthead]

Very solid episode. Amusing to see Davos Seaworth and Edmure Tully working together :) Also it's great that they didn't mischaracterise the Ice Warriors as ravaging monsters, but correctly showed them to be honourable soldiers who, under other circumstances, could have been allies.

What other episodes are there with the Ice Warriors?

There are four serials from the original series:

The Ice Warriors (1967, 6 episodes)

The Seeds of Death (1969, 6 episodes)

The Curse of Peladon (1972, 4 episodes)

The Monster of Peladon (1974, 6 episodes)

The Ice Warriors were also due to encounter the Sixth Doctor in Mission to Magnus and the Seventh in Ice Time, but both stories were cancelled before they were filmed (both have been adapted into audio plays, and the former as a novel as well). In the New Adventures range of novels, Gary Russell's Legacy is also pretty good (it is a sequel to the Peladon stories).

As for their history, the Ice Warriors are indeed native to Mars, but left thousands of years ago when the planet became uninhabitable (incidentally, there is some fanwank postulating a relationship between the reptillian Silurians of ancient Earth and the also-reptillian Ice Warriors of Mars, hinting at some ancient connection between the two planets millions of years earlier). They scattered into space and made an aborted attempt to re-invade the Solar system in the late 21st Century (in The Seeds of Death). They later peacefully joined the Galactic Federation in the latter part of the 4th Millennium, working alongside the Federation in bringing the planet Peladon into the alliance (in The Curse of Peladon). In The Monster of Peladon, set 50 years later, a splinter group of Ice Warriors rebelled against the Federation but was defeated. The Ice Warriors, their first story (from the POV of the Doctor), is not dated on-screen but according to supporting materials was supposed to be set in 3000 AD and featured a bunch of humans encountered an Ice Warrior craft in Antarctica that had been frozen for millennia. It was fairly self-contained.

[Chupacabras]

I haven't seen the last episode (willing to see Liam Cunningham) but the second half of 7th season is quite infantile. And there's so much quality difference between Moffat's episodes and the others...

[red snow]

I enjoyed this one. Good to see some old aliens pop up in the show and besides his casual killing of half the crew didn't seem too "evil".

[Derfel Cadarn]

The site with the guy and his wife watching all of the classic episodes was great. Some really good quotes:

Sue, in response to the 1st Doctor apparently being useless and companion Ian Chesterton doing all the work: "It should be called Ian"

"[A Movellan] expresses his death through the medium of dance".

My issue with the renewed series is that they don't seem to be realising the show's potential. All of time and space to explore, and stuff seems rushed. I don't know if writers are hampered too much by 'rules' , i.e this must happen, the Doctor must do that, must use the screwdriver and flail around madly. Plus his bi-polar "Humanity suck!/Humanity rules!" must be referenced in part.

Too much silliness at times. I loved the 2nd episode, where the Earth gets destroyed (for like the 2nd time, but never mind). Then the following 2 episodes in that timezone were disappointing. In the year 5 billion humans will still need glasses. And will have devolved to the point of stupidity where a 50 year traffic jam doesnt bother them.

The less said about Love and Monsters the better. The Doctor was so out of character. The girl's head being preserved in a paving slab is normally a horrific event that would end a classic series episode. In Love and Monsters it was shown as a good thing. And RTD seemed to think the fan backlash was because the Doctor wasn't in it much. They actually worried Blink would flop because the Doctor wasnt in it much, and its one of the best episodes of the entire show.

[Former Lord of Winterfell]

Anyway, if I had to complain about something (though I'm slightly grateful for it) would be how completely irrelevant Clara was to the episode. All companions help one way or another, even if only giving their opinion, and she simply does as the Doctor says? Gods, I miss Donna. I hope she gets some character development soon, because a mystery is not enough to keep people interested in her without something more.

Clara is being really underutlized. I really didn't like this episode, because that's now two in a row where Clara essentially gives a little speech to a dangerous alien that leads to the saving of one species or another. Last week the leaf, this week the "why did you hesitate when you could have killed him" line. But after reading your post, I think it's a bit unfair of me. This was actually a better ep. than the last, and simply had the misfortune to be the one that came second -- not the writer's fault. Still, she's immensely more intelligent and appealing than Amy, and it is disappointing that the last two scripts sort of have her stuck in the exact same rut.

[The Kingmaker]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/articles/The-Name-of-the-Finale

Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame.

[red snow]

http://www.bbc.co.uk...e-of-the-Finale

Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame.

It's also going to be a cop-out where we don't hear his name being spoken. They've done it before. It's one of those things where the answer is never going to be as good as the ambiguity. He'd have to be called "the Master" or "river song" or "Jesus" for it to mean anything.

[williamjm]

It's also going to be a cop-out where we don't hear his name being spoken. They've done it before. It's one of those things where the answer is never going to be as good as the ambiguity. He'd have to be called "the Master" or "river song" or "Jesus" for it to mean anything.

If they do reveal his name then I agree it's inevitably going to be either underwhelming, or not make any sense (possibly both).

[Lady Octarina]

Nah, I really don't see why people are making such a big deal of this. It's obvious they won't reveal his name, especially not in an episode with that title. If the title was "Trenzalore", though, we could have reason for worries, but "The Name of the Doctor"? Not even Moffat would reveal something like that in an episode that makes us think of Umberto Eco.

He'd have to be called "the Master" or "river song" or "Jesus" for it to mean anything.

The whole universe would start making sense if his name was River Song - or, actually, Melody Pond.

[Former Lord of Winterfell]

It's one of those things where the answer is never going to be as good as the ambiguity.

So...you're saying his real name is "Cosmo"?

[Black Wolf Smith]

I like the latest ep, more then the other couple of Clara ep's. I am not worried about Clara because she/they are still founding the character. With most new companions it take time to develop the character fully.

Anybody else get a funny feeling by that poster? Shouldn't both Matt Smith and David Tennant both be on it? I know that when the did the Next Doctor w/ David Morrissey both were on it (in a fake out) but we already know that Tennant is going to be on it. Is this also a fake out? could letting us know about Tennant and Piper be the tip of the ice berg? could there be others?

[polishgenius]

Anybody else get a funny feeling by that poster? Shouldn't both Matt Smith and David Tennant both be on it?

I don't think so? Tennant's in the 50th special, right, which isn't the same as the season finale?

[Black Wolf Smith]

I don't think so? Tennant's in the 50th special, right, which isn't the same as the season finale?

OH, damn, totally messed that up. Did not know they promo for reg season shows.

[polishgenius]

OH, damn, totally messed that up. Did not know they promo for reg season shows.

This season has had a theme of standalone, high-concept stories that was given the unifying banner of 'movie-poster stories'. So they decided to basically give each story its own movie poster.

[Jon AS]

Well this one would have really creeped me out as a kid. It did pretty much run out of steam when the nature of the ghost was revealed, though.

The TARDIS making her dislike for Clara more obvious was funny (you've got to respect the ability to insult someone just by the method of communication you've chosen), but hopefully we'll get some hints concerning what is up with that (and Clara in general) before too long and won't get it dumped on us just in the final episode.

[polishgenius]

Cracking episode, I thought. Just shy of being classic but the best of season 7B so far for definite and up there with Asylum of the Daleks over the whole season. And the fact that Clara as a character got a lot of focus was very welcome. Great little scene in the Tardis during the time travel.

[Jon's Queen Consort]

I think that Hide was OK but nothing special

anyone knows if Matt Smith will leave after the anniversary ep?

[Black Wolf Smith]

Well this one would have really creeped me out as a kid. It did pretty much run out of steam when the nature of the ghost was revealed, though.

The TARDIS making her dislike for Clara more obvious was funny (you've got to respect the ability to insult someone just by the method of communication you've chosen), but hopefully we'll get some hints concerning what is up with that (and Clara in general) before too long and won't get it dumped on us just in the final episode.

Is it just me, or would it have been better if it were someone other then clara avator? Amy, Rory, Rose or Mickey even would have been a nice touch. It was good ep. For once it did seem a bit scary, for a while.

[Jon AS]

anyone knows if Matt Smith will leave after the anniversary ep?

I think it's been announced that he'll be around for at least another year.

Is it just me, or would it have been better if it were someone other then clara avator? Amy, Rory, Rose or Mickey even would have been a nice touch. It was good ep. For once it did seem a bit scary, for a while.

Wouldn't really have been an insult to pick anybody else, especially not if it was somebody that Clara doesn't know.

[Jon's Queen Consort]

I think it's been announced that he'll be around for at least another year.

I would loved it. A friend of mine had shown me this http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/4854006/matt-smith-set-to-leave-doctor-who-at-christmas.html and I asked in case that someone knew something else. Thank you :thumbsup:

He is my fav new Doctor.