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Post by theotherjosh on Nov 30, 2018 14:28:56 GMT
I enjoyed it. I'll get my only quibble out the way right now: It got a little wobbly in the third act. I don't know if it would have worked as a two-parter without some expansion, but the conclusion felt abrupt. Too quick and too much happening off-screen.
Now, the stuff I liked:
I'm not at all well informed about King James, but I certainly enjoyed Alan Cumming's portrayal. The perfect mix of absolute camp and painful sincerity, which is just about my favorite way to tell a story.
I also enjoyed Tilly Steele as Willa Twiston. She reminded me a bit of Kacey Rohl as Abigail Hobbs in Hannibal, which is a doubly interesting coincidence, because Abigail Hobbs was the name of one of the figures in Salem witch trials here in the United States.
The Doctor was a bit slow on the draw with her psychic paper, though in her defense she probably wasn't expecting the accused to drown to death in six seconds. (I expect that the mechanism of the ducking stool either forces the air out of the lungs as the accused is dropped or more time elapsed than was shown on screen, but the way it filmed made it look like she drowned/died of exposure very quickly). Still, it seemed like the old woman could have been saved if the Doctor had acted more decisively. It seems like a Davison era trope. (Not a dig, just an observation.)
Jodie has the absolute best face. Also, that hat has launched a thousand cosplays.
Siobhan Finneran was a great baddie as the human Becka Savage. (Less so as the alien version.) The crop of villains has not been great this series, and I think she may have been the best to date. The worst thing I can say is that her best scenes come near the end when everything is rushing towards the conclusion and she didn't get enough time to express them fully. I also appreciate that they cast her, as a somewhat older actress, in the role, rather than an ingénue. That's a little thing, but she brings a weight that a younger performer would have had to struggle to convey. Got a little bit of a Lady Peinforte vibe from her, which is a good thing. I forget who said it upthread, but while we're talking about Seventh Doctor adversaries, I was also reminded of the haemovores.
Fun story! More Alan Cumming!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2018 14:46:20 GMT
Yes, in the rush to celebrate Alan Cumming's terrific turn, it should be mentioned that the other supporting cast members were great too. Especially Tricia Kelly as Old Mother Twiston and Siobhan Finneran (Rita from 'Rita Sue and Bob Too'), who added immeasurably to the more frightening aspects of the story.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2018 16:58:31 GMT
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Post by theotherjosh on Nov 30, 2018 21:32:35 GMT
Also, I kind of want a King James/Ryan buddy comedy box set from Big Finish.
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Dec 3, 2018 20:02:07 GMT
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Dec 7, 2018 19:10:26 GMT
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Post by mark687 on Dec 28, 2018 12:59:20 GMT
28 Day Viewing Figure
7.6 Million
Regards
mark687
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Post by Ela on Sept 13, 2019 22:52:01 GMT
Finally got around to watching this and I have to say I enjoyed this fun little pseudo-historical. Those aliens were certainly weird looking though. Loved the dialog between the Doctor, her team, and others. The end was a bit rushed, seemed to end abruptly, but enjoyable overall.
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,062
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Post by ljwilson on Sept 14, 2019 10:14:21 GMT
From my childhood bedroom in Lancashire, I could see Pendle Hill looming about 10 miles away. It has quite a steep drop-off that should have been filmed a bit more in this episode as it is very distinctive. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendle_Hill
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Post by number13 on Sept 14, 2019 12:25:55 GMT
From my childhood bedroom in Lancashire, I could see Pendle Hill looming about 10 miles away. It has quite a steep drop-off that should have been filmed a bit more in this episode as it is very distinctive. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendle_HillThe filming was done around Cardiff as usual, during 'The Beast From The East'* too!
EDIT: *For our members who don't share the British national obsession with the weather, that was the nickname given to the big, freezing storm which swept across Britain in early March 2018. Nothing by US/Central European standards, but for southern Britain in March it felt like Absolute Zero!
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,062
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Post by ljwilson on Sept 14, 2019 12:46:49 GMT
From my childhood bedroom in Lancashire, I could see Pendle Hill looming about 10 miles away. It has quite a steep drop-off that should have been filmed a bit more in this episode as it is very distinctive. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendle_HillThe filming was done around Cardiff as usual, during 'The Beast From The East'* too!
EDIT: *For our members who don't share the British national obsession with the weather, that was the nickname given to the big, freezing storm which swept across Britain in early March 2018. Nothing by US/Central European standards, but for southern Britain in March it felt like Absolute Zero!
That would explain why the hill on view looked a bit small and crap, and nothing like Pendle!
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