raven | Doctor Who

It's been nearly a whole year, but it's back! As

gwynnega was saying earlier, Saturday night ritual recommences.

I am writing this and watching Doctor Who Confidential in the background, and, well, I have come to a realisation. There is going to be a problem writing this review. You see, I fancy David Tennant. To be exactly specific, I'd quite like to shag him senseless. This is a problem, because I am trying to write a balanced and critical review, but every time the man says a word and I think: eeeee squeee he is sex and ohmygod Scottish accent squeeee.

(The Scottish accent is in Confidential, by the way. It is sex. But you knew that.)

Ah, here we go. New Earth!

Overall, a solid, lovely episode. There's a lot to like about it. But it does have RTD's hallmarks of Being A Bit Silly. At times. But enough of that, there's lots of stuff to like:

-A new planet! An alien planet! New York! New New York! New new new new.... new York! I like how Rose is clearly thinking oh, fuck, it's Futurama.

-"Our first date". Huh. It's still not openly shippy, thank god, and actually, I thought Rose and the Doctor were terribly, terribly sweet all the way through. I love them both.

-the Sisters of Plenitude. Are cats. For no reason whatsoever. And I absolutely love the randomness of the detail and how well the effects have been done.

-the whole thing is delicious, actually, in terms of setting; it looks gleaming and modern and funky and as usual, the effects are seamless.

-the Duke of Manhattan has his own personal disclaimer person. I like it.

-the Face of Boe. I knew they couldn't have introduced it, and kept it going throughout the previous series, without using it in this one. And I really liked the set-up, that the Face of Boe has to tell the "great secret" to a "man without a home". The description of the Doctor as a "lonely god" was new, and interesting.

-Cassandra! Who is now the skin off her back!

Oh, says Rose, "you're talking out of your-"

"Ask not!"

All the body-swapping is fun, but gets a little wearing as RTD gets carried away. But as Cassandra kisses the Doctor while she's in Rose's body, I went "eeee!" All those Doctor/Rose shippers who think they're using Doctor/Rose ship icons.... HEEE.

Sorry, I'm a bad person.

-And then Cassandra in the Doctor's body! Eeee. David Tennant plays a woman far, far too well. And I guess this is the closest we'll ever get to

girl_doctor!

-the Doctor versus the plague people. That was quite horrifying, especially as the Doctor yells and is dark and scary and the cats yowl at him and yes, this is "no second chances"!Ten.

-On the same note, the Doctor's arrogance is there, muted, but there. "You're looking for a higher authority? There isn't one."

-Okay, whole new levels of bad science with the anti-toxin stuff. Whole new levels of bad.

-the Doctor being obsessed with the lack of NHS shop (hell, I grew up in NHS hospitals, I'm with him on that). I think I may love him. And yay for seeing his glasses again!

-the fact that the Doctor has known all along that something's fucked up with Rose, and just not mentioned it.

-the bit over the PA with "all new-life forms to be taken into care." I had actually been wondering what they were going to do with them.

-and finally, the scene at the party at the end. I liked this younger, strangely compassionate Cassandra, and the Doctor, standing in the dark with head turned - as displayed in this icon, of course, which I didn't know before! - gave me chills. The good kind.

And, the preview for next week! The Doctor with a Scottish accent! The moon! The werewolf! That's all I need out of life, I swear. I rather think that the series is going to get better from hereonin, especially in the episodes that aren't written by RTD.

Also, David Tennant is such a fanboy. I love him. Have I mentioned that?

Sadly, there has been no post-ep squee with

hathy_col, who is working, but other than that, gleeee.