Planet of the Dead,

[dalekboy]

Here are my non-spoilery thoughts on Planet of the Dead.

I had quite forgotten this was the 200th story, and as the 200th story I would have hoped for something a little more than average. This is not bad, but not good. It has a couple of chances to elevate the tale and do something a little more interesting, but shies away from them in the most boring of ways. And it telegraphs other aspects of the story with all the subtlety of an American sitcom.

I have no problems with a story having no plot, but if you're going to do that, you need to really do something with the characters and/or set-pieces. By way of example, the fourth season story Midnight has absolutely no plot whatsoever, but it becomes totally gripping as it progresses.

Worth a look, and it has some nice ideas, but the lower you set your expectations, the more enjoyment you'll receive from it.

Comments

[dalekboy.livejournal.com]

I tend to think if you're doing specials instead of a series, you really do need to aim high. This was the 200th story, and a special, and it was average.

The Doctor without an ongoing companion is a chance to investigate some different sides to the Doctor, ala The Deadly Assassin. Unfortunately Russell and co. are tied to this 'temp companion for the story' idea, which hamstrings the chance to explore the Doctor's nature when he's alone.

[angriest.livejournal.com]

The trailer for The Waters of Mars looked amazingly atmospheric though. Then I looked it up and discovered Graeme Harper was directing it - so no surprises there.