Friday 27 December 2013

Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor

Clara: 'And now it's time for one last bow, like all your other selves. Eleven's hour is over now, the clock is striking twelves.'

Like 'The End of Time' before it, tonight's episode had a horrendously complex brief. It had to generate pathos over a festive canvas, introduce a new Doctor, incorporate a surprise cameo, drum up a world ending threat, and then drape it across a yarn worthy of a departing Matt Smith. Unlike its predecessor, however, it worked. The story served the characters (rather than the other way around), the loose ends were tied in a neat(ish) bow, and by the time Matt finally took off his bow-tie, I was in tears.

Thursday 12 December 2013

Misfits: Episode Eight

Rudy: 'They chose the wrong day to do that, Finlay, because I'm feeling very hormonal.'

A solid series finale, although probably not as good as I was hoping. The show's produced some cracking stories in the past: from Curtis' zombie noir, to Simon and Alisha's eternal love cycle, to Kelly head-butting Hitler. Tonight's episode wasn't quite as epic, although Alex stealing Sam's power mid-air will take some beating in terms of iconic show moments. And at least the misfits finally became heroes. What a pity we'll never see them in action.

Thursday 5 December 2013

Misfits: Episode Seven

Rudy 2: 'We're going to be unstoppable.'

Tonight was party time at Wertham Community Centre, and what a disaster it turned out to be. It was always going to be a risky proposition, packing the place full of strangers with superpowers, but it was Rudy introducing the power-reversing ecstasy which really tipped it into the chaotic. Tim got iced, Finn now knows about Jess and Rudy, Stuart and Greg danced up a storm, Jess is (or soon will be) pregnant, and Mark the tortoise became a real boy—right before being turned inside out. Colonel Saunders would've been proud.