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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More Quality Time With The Doctor!, 30 April 2008
This is the 3rd series of the "new" Doctor Who and the second to feature David Tennant in the title role. He has really settled into this and his new sidekick Martha (well played by Freema Agyeman) proves to be an excellent foil. There are some first-class episodes in this series, particularly 'Blink', 'The Lazarus Experiment', '42', 'Human Nature', and 'The Family of Blood'. 'Blink' is one of the cleverest episodes of Doctor Who ever made. The last 3 linked episodes 'Utopia', 'Sound of Drums' and 'Last of the Timelords' work really well, including some outstanding make-up and special effects. I would say this is the best series of the new Doctor we have had. Extras include David Tennant's video diary and some promotional clips. This is great TV and I look forward to the release of the 4th series on DVD. Highly recommended!
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80 of 87 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
With the exception of a few duds it's Doctor Who (and just plain television) at its best, 20 Aug 2007
I got into Doctor Who a bit late in the game. By the time I finished Fear Her the first few episodes of the 3rd series had already aired, so I knew Rose left and was replaced by Martha. I was very very skeptical to say the least. Here's my episode by episode review:
The Runaway Bride: I'd only ever seen Catharine Tate in Starter for 10 (Yeah, I'm American) so I had no idea of her comedy show (or how repititive it was..killed a great thing, imho) so I only knew her strictly as an actress. I really really enjoyed this episode. I think it was refreshing to see a companion stand up to the Doctor in a way that we hadn't seen in a while and honestly wouldn't you be a bit overwhelemed and angry if that happened to you on your wedding day? All in all good Doctor Who 8/10
Smith and Jones: Great fun! A perfect introduction to Martha and a great season opener..! And I don't mind the blue suit at all. The pacing was great, I could've done without the "genetic transfer" but all in all a great episode! 9.5/10
The Shakespeare Code: One of my favorites episodes of the entire show. I'm a massive fan of Dean Lennox Kelly (Mostly because of Shameless) so I was happily shocked to see him play Shakespeare. The story was great as were the performances. 10/10
Gridlock: I didn't care for this episode the first time I saw it but after watching it a second time I found myself appreciating it a bit more. It was great to see Martha finally confront the Doctor and get a straight answer from him. It was also nice to see the Face of Boe again. 8/10
Daleks in Manhattan - I've only watched this episode once and I don't plan on watching it again. I live in NY so I'm biased but Tallulah's accent was way over-the-top, so that was a bit of a turn off for me from the minute she spoke. The story had great potential; it could've been quite epic really. It just felt tired and old and the episode began to drag quite a bit toward the end. Even though I had the second part available to watch right away I gave myself a couple of days to digest what I had just put myself through. 6/10 (which is only so high due to the acting, mostly by David and Freema)
Evolution of the Daleks - Take the pacing of the first part and slow that down by a hundred times and you get this episode. It wasn't terrible..the acting is great, the effects are good, the story had such potential (some moments are great while others fall terribly flat) but it's definitely forgettable. 5.5/10
The Lazarus Experiment - This is when I regained my faith in the series. While it wasn't great it was interesting to have the villian be human. Mark Gatiss was great (as always) as were the rest of the cast. The effects were good considering how complicated Lazarus was designed. All in all a decent episode. 8/10
42 - I know that everyone calls this the "The Impossible Planet" of series 3 but they're not THAT similar. Okay, maybe they are a bit, but the differences that are there are great enough to allow me to enjoy this episode. The story is interesting, the acting is absolutely superb (This is when I finally began to notice just how brilliant David Tennant really is). Once again a bit more of my faith in the series was restored. 8/10
Human Nature - Where do I even begin? This is, without a doubt in my mind, the best Doctor Who story ever written. Everyone is absolutely fantastic, especially Jessica Hynes and David Tennant! I'm used to seeing the former in strictly comedy roles but she is a great dramatic actress! David Tennant completely transformed himself! There was nothing of the Doctor in John Smith. Freema was great as well; she really shown in this episode, I was finally convinced she had what took to be a companion. The Family were brilliant as well. 10/10
The Family of Blood - This is what television should be. Plain and simple. I have never cried so much over an episode of a show in my entire life. The dilemma that John was faced with really got to me. I found myself even more upset when the Doctor reappeared (I just didn't think it was fair, I can't explain it in a short review). By far the best episode of any television show I have ever watched. 10/10
Blink - An amazing episode to follow the previous two with! Sally was a pleasure to watch, very relatable, and the Easter Egg bit is genius! David Tennant stole the last scene with his bow and arrow. The ending is also perfect; just when you think the danger is over..10/10
Utopia - Very very slow moving but the pay-off is well worth the wait. Having Jack back was great! It was also nice to see him back to his old Doctor Who self. I'm just a bit saddened that the Jacobi didn't stay on..though I do think John Simm was great as well. 9/10
The Sound of Drums - Great episode. It was interesting and exciting to see the group on the run as outlaws. The pacing is perfect and John Simm captures that manic insanity the Master now seems to have perfectly. 9/10
The Last of the Time Lords - I love this episode. It drags a bit in the middle but the Scissor Sisters sequence was perfect!! It was interesting and refreshing to see the Doctor stuck in a situation like that. The climax was great as well (if a bit cheesy and I was a little surprised at how no one seemed to care that the President had still been killed..mind you if it was our current President I wouldn't either, but still) but the ending ripped out my heart. But I'm convinced it's not the end of the Master. I just can't wait to find out how the Titanic was able to crash though the TARDIS.
All in all I'd give it a solid 9/10 (the crap episodes were crap but the amazing episodes really redeem it for me).
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Consistently good, 5 Nov 2007
Series 3 of Doctor Who had a point to prove. Whilst the first series was inventive and engaging, the second was smug and generally weak.
The surprising thing about Series 3 is just how consistent it is - there is arguably only one poor episode, the childish Shakespeare Code. But pretty much all of the others have more redeeming features than flaws.
Blink is the real standout episode - superb from start to finish - its unusual, absorbing and quite chilling - one of the best episodes of the entire new series. Its clever without being irritating, funny without losing its edge, and genuinely, properly scary.
Smith and Jones is a fresh, enjoyable opening episode. Freema Agyemann gives Martha a warmth and humanity that helps propel much of the series, and she's immediately likeable in her debut.
There are several moments of tender pathos in this series. As with series 1, the Doctor carries the burden of loss for much of the series. In the outstanding Human Nature, he even loses his own identity, and the tragedy of his human love for his colleague is handled with real skill. Similarly, the pitying plight of the humans trapped in the gridlock on New New York is surprisingly moving, as is the sense of impending certain doom in 42, the death of the Face of Boe and the loneliness of Professor Yana. You're even invited to feel pity for the Daleks.
Its a really strong set of episodes, which will be remembered as much for it's iconic moments as for its individual episodes. In playgrounds across the country, there are children now re-inventing Daleks in Manhattan's breathtaking 'I. Am. A Human. Dalek' cliffhanger.
But there are many other iconic visual moments - the opening of the fob watch containing the Time Lord essence, the weeping statues, the scarecrows lumbering across the fields, the TARDIS clattering down a busy motorway in The Runaway Bride, the drumming of the fingers to the 'sound of drums', and ultimately, the shock regeneration of the Master at the end of Utopia.
The concluding episodes feature everything that was good and not so good about this series. John Simm is astonishing as the Master - one of the finest television actors of his generation, he follows Christopher Eccleston in managing to bring something unique and fresh to an overly-familiar role. He's genuinely chilling and menacing, but also very funny - a bit like Jack Nicholson as the Joker in Batman. He acts everyone else off the screen and makes the final three episodes totally watchable.
The only real problem is the sense of anti-climax. Russell T Davies has become so fond of making the penultimate episode seem even more apocalyptic and irredeemable than the previous year's that the eventual resolution inevitably feels contrived, weak and hurried. The effort seemingly goes into the build up - then its a case of trying to unwind everything in a vaguely fathomable way. Last of the Timelords doesn't really pull this off, but its a minor criticism of what was otherwise a rewarding, tense, at times moving, and fresh series.
Recommended.
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