38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
A time travelling triumph.
After all the hype surrounding the excellent first series, this second one continues where that left off with 13 more episodes of equally good quality.
Whilst it is sad that Ecclestone left after just one series of the show the impact is lessened for two reasons. Firstly the format allows there to be a change of lead actor, and secondly the fact that Tennant...
11 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
Maddeningly not quite there
Yes, it's three stars, no it's not right it should be higher. The second series of the new Doctor Who was high quality. The stories on the whole were great with the exception of New Earth (too many ideas never dealt with effectively), Fear Her (an okay premise ruined by an over the top finale) and the slightly boring 50s episode (which doesn't really make sense). Oh...
After all the hype surrounding the excellent first series, this second one continues where that left off with 13 more episodes of equally good quality.
Whilst it is sad that Ecclestone left after just one series of the show the impact is lessened for two reasons. Firstly the format allows there to be a change of lead actor, and secondly the fact that Tennant seems to be more in keeping with Doctors of the past. While Ecclestone has confessed he was never a huge fan of Doctor Who, Tennant is the total opposite and this can been seen in some of his performances in how he portrays The Doctor. There appears to be little bits of previous Doctors creeping out every now and then. The chemistry with Billie Piper also remains strong and she still appears to be having the time of her life.
With series one it was Daleks and this year the main villains are (my personal favourites) the Cybermen. They are in four episodes in total across the series and they are all excellent. To say any more about these may spoil it for people who haven't yet seen them.
The remaining 9 episodes vary in quality from the sublime (Impossible planet/Satan pit) to the truly dreadful (The idiots lantern). That said the stories vary so wildly that I'm sure peoples favourite episode will also vary in the same way.
Overall if you enjoyed the first series then you will love this. There is enough for a new generation of viewers (although my 6 and 8 year old nephews are still getting their heads round how the Doctor can change!) but also enough nods to the past to keep us over 30s happy. In short, "Fantastic"!!
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This series of Doctor Who is amazing from start to finish.
The opening episode The Christmas Invasion introduces the new doctor David Tennant. It starts a little slow but picks up well.
The start of the season proper is New Earth. This episode brings back the villain Cassandra from Series one's End of the World. The episode is highly entertaining with a truly emotional ending.
The following episode Tooth & Claw is when the series really heats up. Tooth & Claw set in 1879 sees the doctor and Rose meet Queen Victoria. The villain in this episode is a werewolf. This episode is truly scary and with a story that keeps your focus on the screen for the entire 45 minutes.
School Reunion brings back the much loved assistant Sarah Jane Smith with the also highly loved K-9. However, seeing these two characters return is not the only high-point of the episode. Anthony Head plays the alien headmaster of a school hoping to decode the laws of the universe to try and change it to benefit his species.
The Girl in the Fireplace is one of the best episodes of Doctor Who since the revival. A love story set in the future and the past with the doctor and a mysterious girl from the other side of a fire place become unexpectedly close after the Doctor saves her.
Rise of the Cyberman/Age of Steel sees the return of the Cybermen - a classic enemy from the old series. When trying to bring back old foes it can sometimes seem a bit forced, however here it is done professionally well. The cybermen are a scary enemy that will have you hiding behind the sofa :P
The idiots Lantern is a weaker episode of the series but still worth watching. Set in the 1950's for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. An alien gets inside the televisions and eats the souls of of people watching.
The impossible planet/Satin Pit is possibly the highest budget doctor who to date and the story does not disappoint. the doctor and rose land on a planet that is underneath a black hole but for a mysterious reason is not being sucked in. The crew of a space craft on the planet are drilling to the centre of the planet to discover what is down there to keep the planet safe. The doctor loses the TARDIS in a quake and is therefore stuck on the planet with them. What they discover down the pit is the biggest enemy of them all.
Love & Monsters is an episode that is either loved or hated. The episode doesn't focus on the doctor and rose but those of a cult group who wish trying to find out about the doctor. This episode is enjoyable if not looked upon too seriously.
In the episode Fear Her, it is evident that a low budget was used. Set in London at the time of the 2012 Olympics, children keep disappearing but no one knows why. It is up to the Doctor and Rose to discover the problem and save everyone that has gone missing. Not the best episode of the series but again worth watching.
The finale of the series - Army of Ghosts/Doomsday is a great episode. Bringing back the classic enemies Cybermen and Daleks. A war on Earth between three species. Humans, Daleks and Cybermen with a timelord fighting the human corner. Who will win the battle. See the emotional story of the end of Rose.
The series is brilliant, defiantly worth the price. Believe me, you will not regret the purchase of this 6 disc DVD.
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I'm trying to figure out the hate for the man who's at the core of this great series...even the worst written episode of the Eccleston and Tennant runs is much better than most things available in the US or UK...and that episode wasn't written by Davies.
While this review is only written halfway through Tennant's first run as the Doctor, the series continues to be fantastic. Tennant has managed to top Eccleston (which is no easy task), and Billie Piper has some excellent moments (especially playing dual roles in New Earth)...although Rose isn't written nearly as well in the middle episodes. We get some great villians (sadly, Tony Head was not The Master....here's hoping his character isn't dead), a fantastic reimaging of the Cybermen, and a damn good werewolf for a TV show.
There's even an unintentional drinking game...every time Torchwood is mentioned, take a drink.
We're in good hands with Tennant, Piper, and the entire crew, from writers to production.
Yes, even Russell T. Davies.
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David Tennant is superb. Absolutely superb! His Doctor is funnier, more active, and generally more likable than any other Doctor. Billie Piper is as good as ever, but David Tennant is absolutely fantastic!
There was only one or two dissapointing episodes of this series, namely the 'Love and Monsters' and 'Fear Her' episodes. But overall, the series was absolutley brilliant! With three excellent two-part episodes and some fantastic singular ones. I preferred this series to series 1 or 3 as it contains some of David Tennant's best moments as the Doctor and has some fantastic episodes.
BUY! BUY! BUY!
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I preferred Ecclestone's Doctor to David Tennants, but by the end of the 'second' series I was convinced that Tennant really now is The Doctor!
I'm not going to do an in-depth run through of each episode as this has already been done by other reviewers, but here are my thoughts...
I felt the series got off to a slow start, `The Christmas Invasion' gave us fans a good fix of Doctor Who whilst we waited for Series 2, then `New Earth' seemed a bit weak. The conclusion to the story seemed hurried and a bit naff. It did have some fantastic moments though.
The series then improved with `Tooth and Claw' (excellent CGI werewolf!) and for the fans of the classic series with School Reunion.
The series then became spectacular!
`The Girl in the Fireplace' was such an emotional episode, it brought a tear to my eye. David Tenant gave a fantastic performance, and both he and the gorgeous Sophia Myles had an electric on-screen chemistry (well, they did start seeing each other in real life!).
The relationship between Rose and the Doctor became interesting at this point, she was jealous over Madame du Pompadour, and also felt sorry for The Doctor. In the previous episode he had opened up and explained how hard it was for him to deal with love as he knows that those around him will grow old and die.
Just as you thought things couldn't continue to be quite this good - the Cybermen are back with a new look. This double bill got off to a slow start, but it didn't fail to please. There was controversy over the whole Parallel Universe thing, but maybe in future we'll see two different races of Cybermen try to delete each other!
`The Idiots lantern' was okay, the next two episodes finally left Earth! `Love and Monsters' and `Fear Her' were nowhere near as strong as the previous few episodes - but still good.
And then...
...WHAT A FINALE!
`Army Of Ghosts' and `Doomsday' - there can't have been a dry house in the UK after Doomsday! So atmospheric. Helped hugely by Murray Gold's phenominal score which had been a centrepiece of the entire series. "Song for Ten" Which appeared in the Christmas Invasion has been used throughout the series to great effect (available on the Murray Gold Album of the series!).
So overall - I'm not saying that this is the best ever Doctor Who series, but it was a damn good one! It certainly had some of Doctor Who's best ever moments (Daleks and Cyberman arguing - class!). Watching all four of the Cybermen episodes is like watching a second Doctor Who movie - infact, `The Impossible Planet' and `The Satan Pit' also watch very much like a film.
I can't wait to watch the third series (At the time of writing this - it is due to be aired in 2 days time.)
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Russell T Davies has achieved something of a miracle over the last few years. Bringing back a series like Doctor Who so brilliantly was a feat in itself, and the ratings and awards success (BAFTAs!) are surely beyond anything anybody expected. But perhaps his greatest trick was managing to make the second series even greater than the first.
The major change, of course, is the Doctor himself, from Christopher Eccleston to David Tennant. Eccleston's performance was always going to take some beating, but amazingly, Tennant manages it. He fills the role naturally, and is an electrifying presence as the Doctor. He doesn't quite the dramatic weight of Eccleston, but then, who does? Tennant compensates with raw energy and enthusiasm, and you simply can't take your eyes off him. He also has what Eccleston lacked - perfect comic instinct, and a natural eccentricity that never feels forced. And when called upon for it, his quieter, reflective, emotional moments are as good as have even been seen in the series. A superb performance.
"The Christmas Invasion" was the perfect entrance to the tenth Doctor. It's fun, epic, emotional, with a fantastic climax - it's "Independence Day" with a good writer. "New Earth" is a fun way for the series to begin properly, but mainly stands out as a showcase of Billie Piper's acting - her transformation into the villainous Cassandra is effortless and natural, and she shows a range of performance that I didn't expect, even after her brilliance last year.
"Tooth and Claw" is where the series kicks into gear, and starts a run of three episodes which are as good as anything the series has ever seen. It's a scary horror runaround, but as it's written by Russell T Davies, it's full of fun and humour, and stands out as one of the highlights of the series. Next comes the return of Sarah Jane and K9 in "School Reunion". Like "Boom Town" last year, the Doctor vs The Alien plot is secondary to the emotional story of the characters, and writer Toby Whithouse handles this superbly. Elisabeth Sladen is as good as ever, and the list of great guest performances in this series continues with Anthony Head. Then comes the highlight of the series, one of the best and most beautiful pieces of television I have ever seen - Steven Moffat's "The Girl in the Fireplace". It is as close to fairy tale as the series has ever come, and works perfectly. The "Doctor in love" story is well handled, and there's an air of magic and whimsy about the story which makes it totally engaging. One of the best episodes of Doctor Who ever made, and certainly the best of the 2005-6 series.
After that, the "Rise of the Cybermen" two-parter couldn't help but come as a bit of a disappointment. It's not bad, it just feels a little flat and pedestrian when compared to the rest of the series. That said, the Cybermen themselves are superbly realised, and it features a wonderful performance from Noel Clarke as Mickey. "The Idiot's Lantern" is certainly an improvement on Mark Gatiss's previous story, the dreary "The Unquiet Dead", but isn't particularly memorable.
The series gets right back on form with "The Impossible Planet", a sci-fi/horror story set on a planet orbiting a black hole. Episode 1 is terrifying; episode 2 handles questions about the existence of Satan himself with great skill. It's one of Tennant's best performances, and may be remembered as his "Empty Child". Then there is "Love & Monsters", which has divided audiences like no other episode. Personally, I loved it. Russell T again shows his incredible skill for characterisation, making secondary characters more sympathetic in 45 minutes than most Hollywood main characters are in 2 and a half hours, and Marc Warren carries the episode superbly. Another highlight, though it may not be to everyone's taste.
Like "The Idiot's Lantern", "Fear Her" is one of the more forgettable episodes. It's not exactly bad (the series is still yet to produce a real duffer), it just doesn't grab the imagination quite like many of the other episodes. But there's no doubt that the epic finale "Army of Ghosts" will go down as a classic. The Dalek vs Cybermen war is handled well, and Russell T again does well to realise that the story is not about the war, it's about the characters. He brings all of them back for the fight - the Doctor, Rose, Mickey, Jackie, Pete - I was half expecting Captain Jack to show up as well! The ending is truly heartbreaking, one of the most beautiful and emotional pieces of television I have ever seen, and David and Billie's greatest moment. Russell T has a talent so brilliant it is almost unfair.
Overall, series 2 shows more confidence than series 1, and the stories are generally of a higher quality - I can think of four or five truly superb stories from series 1, while seven spring to mind from series 2. David Tennant as the Doctor is also a step up from series 1. If series 3 improves at the same rate as this, we could be in for something very special. This box-set is well worth the purchase - quite simply, the best sci-fi/fantasy series on television at the moment.
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With this series we are fresh off the regeneration from the previous Doctor played by Christopher Eccleston and now David Tennant has a lot to live up to; he does it and he does it with style. Billie Piper comes back as the magical Rose Tyler and we are given a series where she not only has to handle the notion of a different looking Doctor, but she has to handle the fact that she's falling in love with him and we're given hints that he's falling in love with Rose.
Episode 1: New Earth: In the year 5 Billion and 23 the Doctor takes Rose to the new home of the human race, simply called New Earth and he takes her to the aptly named New New York. There the Doctor meets up with an old friend the Face of Boe but he stumbles upon a secret in the hospital basement, who is lurking there and what have they done with Rose?
Episode 2: Tooth and Claw: Landing in 1879 Scotland, the Tenth Doctor and Rose meet Queen Victoria, travelling with her to spend the night at the Torchwood Estate. However, a group of warrior monks have sinister plans for the monarch, and the full moon is about to summon a creature out of legend.
Episode 3: School Reunion: The Doctor goes undercover in a school as John Smith, children are mysteriously going missing and the Doctor needs to find out why. He meets not one but two old friends and Rose finds a bit of competition in one of them.
Episode 4: The Girl In The Fireplace: The Doctor accidentally stumbles across a derelict spaceship that seems to just be floating unmanned. The weirdest thing is that the spaceship has a fireplace but as he looks through it, he discovers it's a time window to 1727 Paris. What he finds there isn't a bunch of French Aristocrats, he finds something much more sinister
Episode 5: Rise of the Cybermen: After the TARDIS makes a crash landing on the Earth of another universe, Rose discovers her father is alive and rich, Mickey encounters his alternative self, and the Tenth Doctor learns one of his oldest and deadliest foes is about to be reborn.
Episode 6: The Age Of Steel: Lumic sends out a signal across London through the earpieces to get everyone walking towards Battersea Power Station to get the upgrade. The Doctor isn't just fighting a robot army, he's fighting the conscience of Rose who's determined to save her Father.
Episode 7: The Idiots Lantern: In 1953 London, the police are abducting people from their homes. The people of Britain gather around their new-fangled "tele-vision" sets to celebrate the new Queen's coronation -- but something strange is affecting the signal.
Episode 8: The Impossible Planet:The TARDIS lands in a base on a planet orbiting a black hole, an allegedly impossible situation -- according to the physics of the show -- that stumps even the Tenth Doctor. The base crew are drilling to the centre of the world, to claim the power that keeps it in orbit for the good of the Human Empire. However, an ancient evil is down there too, and he is awake...
Episode 9: The Satan Pit: With the TARDIS seemingly lost, Rose and the remaining humans are trapped on the base with the possessed Ood, while the planet floats helplessly towards a black hole. Meanwhile, the Tenth Doctor is about to discover exactly what "Beast" is trapped in the heart of the impossible planet...
Episode 10: Love & Monsters: An ordinary man named Elton Pope becomes obsessed with a man called the Doctor and his strange blue box, joining a group of like-minded people in hopes of finding him. But when the mysterious Victor Kennedy joins the group, the fun stops and Elton discovers a darker side to his hobby.
Episode 11: Fear Her: It's the 2012 London Olympics and in one street children are going missing and there's no explanation for it. Rose and the Doctor go on a quest to find out what's happening to the children but the key to this is a young girl called Chloe who likes to draw.
Episode 12: Army Of Ghosts: As the ghosts of loved ones appear, the whole world celebrates. But as the Doctor investigates he believes that there is a more sinister motive behind their appearence. And deep within the Torchwood tower, a mysterious sphere containing the greatest enemies of the Doctor is opened...
Episode 13: Doomsday: Earth becomes the battlefield for the greatest and deadliest war of all time, as the Daleks and the Cybermen clash with the whole universe at stake. The Doctor and Rose, reunited with old friends and Cybermen experts Mickey and Jake, race to find a way to bring the war to an end before it brings about the destruction of the whole of space and time. But the Doctor soon faces an even bigger dilemma - could ending the war mean the death of Rose?
This is an amazing series but we are given an unfortunate goodbye to Rose Tyler, how do we say goodbye? Well you will have to see for yourself.
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I love the second series of Doctor Who, mostly because of the brilliant writing of Russel T Davies and the amazing charisma of David Tennant, especially when coupled with Billie Piper. Every episode has one or two quotes that you will remember that will make you laugh everytime you think of them.
Mickey:"What's a horse doing on a spaceship?"
Doctor:"Mickey, what's pre revolutionary France doing on a spaceship, get a bit of perspective."
The Girl in the Fireplace is a masterpiece, the monster in The Satan Pit and the Impossible Planet terrifying, the Absorbalof hilarious.
I would reccommend it to anybody!
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As a long Dr Who fan, i thoroughly enjoyed watching this new series after seeing the regeneration from Christopher Eccleston into David tennant, it made me even more intereted in seeing the new actor in his role, and i wasnt totally dissapointed;
The Christmas Invasion- I really enjoyed watching this on the night of Christmas Day, it was a very good way to begin the new series and the new dr- 10/10
New Earth- A very different episode than what ive seen before, but i found the Billie Piper and David Tenants acting outstanding in their different characters- 8/10
Tooth and Claw- An episode which intended for the children to be hidden behind the sofas, proved to be an amzing episode- 10/10
School Reunion- An emotional return of Sarah Jane Smith, meting the drs new companion was made into a comic scene where they were stating how the dr hasnt changed from the old series, very funny scenes. Great acting by all stars including Elizabeth Sladen and Anthony Stewart Head- 9/10
The Girl in the fireplace- The best episode ever of dr who- 10/10
Rise of the cybermen- After around 17 years, the cybermen returned for an amazing battle against the dr and Rose- 10/10
The age of steel- Another amazing episode- 10/10
The Idiots Lantern- Not th greatest, but still a good episode, with some good CGI images- 8/10
The Impossile Planet- Another spooky episode where it seems theres no way out for the dr and rose- 9/10
The Satan Pit- Amazing acting and amazing CGI images makes this a great episode- 9/10
Love and Monsters- Im sorry to say that this is a dr who episode, considering the dr and rose had 5 mins in the episode. Bad story, but ok acting- 1/10
Fear her- One of those stories that remind you of the film Boogeyman, "he's coming to get you" sort. A great story, with ok acting- 7/10
Army of ghosts- The beginning of the end of the series, with the one of the greatest shocking moment ever in the history of the series- 10/10
Doomsday- I admit it, i hardly ever cry at tv programmes, but this one had me in tears, because of the climax and the AMAZING acting from all actors- 10/10
With great special features. I am definately going to buy this DVD and i recommend it to anyone interested in Dr Who or/and Sci-fi.
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I love this, I love it so very much! "The Christmas Invasion" is a brilliant episode, when it gets going. "New Earth" is very exciting! "Tooth And Claw" is quite thrilling, keeps you on the edge of your seet. "School Reunion", Sarah-Jane Smith and K9 are back,WOW! "The Girl In The Fireplace" an action-packed love story. "Rise Of The Cybermen"+"The Age Of Steel" WOW! A brilliant double-parter, and if that isn't enough, the Cybermen are back! "The Idiot's Lantern" quite good, if a little boring. "The Impossible Planet"+"The Satan Pit" the Devil is in Doctor Who! How brilliant can life get! "Love And Monsters" crap, boring, lame, one of the worst and most pathetic monsters I have ever seen. "Fear Her" a little bit good, but not the best ever. "Army Of Ghosts"+"Doomsday" brilliant! Rose and the Doctor get separated-bless! Still good. One of the best boxsets in the world! Buy it!
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