The Christmas Invasion

[khaosworks]

What can I say except... fantastic? It was fun, it was moving, and David Tennant just slides into the role of the Doctor like a second skin. Bits of Tom in his grins and nattering on — especially when he was grinning with delight over the "blood control" console — and shades of Chris showing through in his "no second chances" look, but definitely his own man.

I don't think I was the only one that, when he winked at Rose while asking if he was going to be "sexy", had a flash back to Richard E. Grant and his "lick the mirror handsome" Doctor in "The Curse of Fatal Death". Or maybe I was. Sorry.

It was Christmas, so I'll even forgive the idea that regeneration trauma can be solved with a good hot cup of tea, and the confusion about whether the Sycorax were here for the Doctor, or the planet... or both? But they seemed to forget about the Doctor rapidly enough. But I digress. Poor Harriet. I hope they'll follow up on this in Series 2, or Torchwood. She is supposed to be elected for three terms, after all.

Ultimately, though, this was scene setting. Torchwood, check. Mickey and Jackie becoming more welcome in the Doctor's world, check. UNIT, check. Rose learning to trust the new Doctor, check. The new Doctor using his predecessor's catchphrase to assure everyone he is the same guy, check. And so it comes as no real surprise that the real treat was the Coming Soon trailer, of which I will provide screenshots for those who haven't seen them yet.

Keywords for the trailer: Oh, Sarah! K-9! Christ, the new Cybermen look very powerful, very heavy... and very scary!

It's gonna be another long wait.

Mmm. No further comments on "The Second Coming"? Not even to tell me it's crap?

Comments

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the Second Coming so can't comment on it. I've always regarded CoFD as worthy of being at least AU canon (I'm sure Jim Broadbent's Doctor would have sorted himself out given a bit more time), so while it didn't occur to me while watching, I can see the likeness now.

The Sycorax were here bcause something was going down. They're basically the biker gang from the beginning of season six of Buffy ("Sycorax strong! Sycorax mighty! Sycorax ROCK!") and as such I think they were just winging it. No cunning master plan, no organisation as such, just start a rumble and see what happens. Not your usual DW style of baddie, but all the more refreshing for that. And of course the cure for practically everything (or at least a very good way of hastening the healing process) is a nice hot cup of tea.

Poor Harriet crossed a line, I'm afraid, and yes, I think there will be consequences. It's entirely possible that Interim!Doc was talking about the timeline as it appeared from when he was, in which she went the sane way and stood Torchwood down. As it is, we now know that the Earth is getting noticed, and what will have been noticed on this occasion is that we shoot our enemies in the back after they have surrendered and are leaving peacefully. There is an unfortunate precedent in our recent history...

Scene setting? More than that, I think. This was getting the Doctor back on track after an unfortunate aberration. This Doctor has shown that he's both nicer and nastier than Placeholder!Doc: he's fully in touch with all his feelings and able to cope with "domestic," but he's also pretty much over his survivor guilt, and he's not going to let us get away with being "stupid apes."

[zanda-myrande.livejournal.com]

Ah. Sorry. Your story. Excuse me while I go and rebore my brain...

[solcita.livejournal.com]

Ack...did I miss The Christmas Invasion?