Doctor Who: Fear Her

[thedivinegoat_archive]

This I think, is the worse epsiode so far. I really, really didn't like it.

The premise was OK, but the execution was appalling, particularly the dialogue. At one point it was as if they'd distilled the worst of the schmaltz from Batteries Not Included without any of the stuff that made the schmaltz bearable. *Iz ded from syrup*

Actually, I'm probably being unfair. There were bits I liked in it - the scribble monster and Rose knowing she shouldn't open the door, but was going to anyway. Tarmac guy and the Doctor sticking his finger in the jar. I was a dad once. (Hah! Canon all the way now!) Edible ball bearings and the Shadow Proclamation. And Rose was the best we've seen her all season.

But all of the nice/cute/cool bits were over-shadowed by the direness that was the dialogue in the second half, and the Doctor taking on the Olympic Torch. *Cringe* At the moment I can't decide whether it's bad characterisation, or whether it is simply the way the Tenth Doctor is. In which case he is quickly plummeting towards the bottom of my favourite Doctor listing. And as to the dialogue - I know that Buffy has been a big ifluence, but at the moment the writing is less Joss Whedon and more George Lucas.

I also didn't care much for the Chloe's dad coming alive bit either. It just rang false for me, and seemed tacked onto the plot. As was the whole "Nothing's going to split us up" "I wouldn't be so sure, I hear you've been offered some movies in the states" *Foreshadowiing Anvil bounces heavily in background* bit. It didn't flow with the rest of the scene, in fact the rhthym of the whole episode was off.

I read in the Radio Times that writer wanted a more psychological scare, along the lines of The Empty Child, but he fell massively short of the mark. He also said the RTD's Doctor Who was "overflowing with heart". The problem with overflow is that it has a tendancy to wash away the good stuff too.