Doctor Who: The Complete Second Series
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DVD details
Actor: Billie Piper, David TennantBrand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 645 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-09-15
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: E2786
Studio: BBC Worldwide
Product features:
- Can Rose trust a man with a new face? David Tennant (Viva Blackpool, Harry Potter) steps into the role of the Doctor, now his 10th incarnation. Following on from the phenomenal success of the first series, the second series is full of more thrills, more laughs, more heartbreak and some terrifying new aliens and old acquaintances. The Doctor and Rose meet Queen Victoria, an evil race of Cat Women,
DVD Reviews of Doctor Who: The Complete Second Series
DVD Review: Overall better than Series One... but some improvement could still be made.
Summary: 4 Stars
Series One was a tacky, self-mocking soap opera set on Earth with lots of trademarks from "Doctor Who" inserted just so the series title could be validated. But while series 1 has its problems, it did have a few worthy moments too. So, how does series 2 compare?
Series Two does feel more like 'traditional, Classic Who', especially compared to series 1. There are a few issues (just about all of it is Earth-based AGAIN), but all and all it's definitely a tremendous improvement.
David Tennant is a refreshing change from the do-nothing Christopher Eccleston. From the wacky to the serious, and from being pro-active and right down to the costume, improvements are all over the place.
The overall quality of series two's episodes is definitely sporadic. Series 1 has a similar feel with all of its stories, even if the stories themselves were lacklustre at best. Season Two goes all over the place in tone and intellectual quality, and despite its clunkers is definitely worth the different format (and actor!)
Indeed, the fact Tennant argued for the character's name in the end credits to be renamed to "The Doctor" is inspiring.
Rated on a 4 star basis, 4 is best and 0 is worst:
THE CHRISTMAS INVASION * * 1/2
The new Doctor spends most of the episode in a coma, leaving Rose and Mickey to figure out what's up with a bunch of mysterious and deadly Christmas figures and decorations. The only saving grace here is Tennant's performance, and he's kept to the side for most of it. Still, his presence gives us hope...
NEW EARTH 1/2
Think we'll finally get a story set on another planet? Not quite. The replacement for Earth is still called Earth. The whole thing felt like a throwback to Eccleston's era, right down to body function jokes and sexual innuendo -- mindless fluff that is not "Doctor Who". This one nearly had me calling it quits... glad I kept on.
TOOTH AND CLAW * * * 1/2
Queen Victoria, werewolves, odd karate monks... everything about this is rather good. But something called a Torchwood? Hmmm...
SCHOOL REUNION * * *
anthony Stuart Head steals the show as the villain. It also adds some new depth into Mickey. It also brings back Sarah Jane and K9. My problem with this one is, Sarah Jane is made out to be an ex-lover of the Doctor. (even Mickey states an obvious comment and we're grateful it wasn't the Doctor who said it.) It's got a lot of great moments (and in ways is what "Logopolis" should have been), but the bad moments (involving the verbal sparring between Sarah Jane and Rose) are cringing. still, all things considered, it's worth 3 out of 4.
THE GIRL IN THE FIREPLACE * * * 1/2
Another winner, yet with another drunken excuse to thrust in more sexuality. This time, it's the Doctor himself going after a lady. Everything else about this story is great... then consider the writer of it wrote the British comedy "Coupling" and it all makes sense as to why the Doctor has to have a sex life. Sigh... why??? Why continue to humanize an alien character for pointless ratings? On the flip side, the ship itself is an inverse of a Cyberman: Human organs operating a machine mind. That was way-cool. But the sexual flippancy that's prevalent in the new series in general, why why why?
RISE OF THE CYBERMEN * * *
An interesting twist on the re-invention of the Cybermen: a parallel dimension. (could this parallel Earth be Mondas, the Cybermens' home world in our universe?) We also get the big revelation the TARDIS is organic. (that's great if the idea of organic technology hadn't been developed by any number of sci-fi authors in the past, including "Doctor Who" back in 1971 with "The Claws of Axos"!) The cliffhanger is decent too... but this one is actually decent.
THE AGE OF STEEL * * 1/2
Mickey is still great. Unfortunately, that's about it. The sonic screwdriver, which has been misused and overused in the past, is really OTT in this episode as, amongst other things, it distracts a whole regimen of Cybermen. We also don't need the 59th reminder this is not "our" Earth therefore it's not "our" Jackie and Pete. The cliffhanger resolution is paltry... there are some redeeming scenes, such as getting to empathize with a converted human... but it's not a perfect resolution. And parallel technology seems quite compatible despite their universe being much more advanced. Still, if you don't think about plot holes, changed motives, or bad ideas in general, this story (along with most of them) would all be 4 out of 4 stars.
Also, the new Cybermen costumes aren't all that great either. Sci-fi fans will recognize it as an amalgamation of C3PO (Star Wars) with Melkur (from the Doctor Who story 'The Keeper of Traken')
THE IDIOT'S LANTERN * * *
Not the best explained, but definitely a creepy and interesting idea regarding technology consuming peoples' lives. (there are two themes in this series: 1 is Torchwood, which seems forced at times. The 2nd is the integration of technology into peoples' lives, usually for bad effect. This 2nd one is far more interesting and worthy, and the metaphor used in 'The Idiot's Lantern' is quite good indeed...)
THE IMPOSSIBLE PLANET * * * 1/2
Hmmm. Should be a classic. But why isn't it? The fear factor is there, many moments that could have ended up as hokey jokes were played straight... but there's no depth to the plot. Not even little hints of intellectual depth. Nothing to think about, it's just been spooned out to viewers. But it is tense, gripping, and worthy... but it's a tease. The first time we're away from Earth and there's no alien civilization. Just more bogeymonsters.
THE SATAN PIT * * * 1/2
Premonitions and resolutions. Indeed, this conclusion to "The Impossible Planet" is very good indeed, and while the Beast is too synonymous with a particular religion, it's venerable.
LOVE & MONSTERS ___
WHY? It's a parody of WHO fans, but at least it's parodying the new series rather than the classic one. Some bits do work, but others are awful. I like the idea of the monster, but they had to go overboard with the crass crudeness and bodily function jokes, of which series 2 has been mostly devoid of -- up until now. Oh well, I shouldn't have had high hopes. (the writer must be a fan of FOX cartoon shows...) I won't bother to mention the final gag scene at the end. All I'll say is "there's a literal meaning to that". It redefines low.
FEAR HER * * *
Hmmm. It seems to be a knock-off of a potential "Sapphire and Steel" story. (or for Americans, it's rather like an episode of "The X-Files".) The trouble is, the story loses its way at the 35 minute mark and never recovers. As usual, the more interesting points aren't explained. It's a real mixed bag, but the good points (e.g. the Doctor being trapped) make up for it. The lead-in to the next story was also great at the time.
ARMY OF GHOSTS * * * *
No more silly references, Torchwood is revealed. Smooth. Not quite the same theme as "Bad Wolf" (for "Bad Wolf", Rose created it but the circumstances were implausible), but it's not as loosely shrugged off either (we had no idea how Torchwood would be defined... or how it could exist without UNIT knowing about it, but that's fair too). This is Russell T Davies' best WHO story of them all. It's taut, gripping, has some intelligence behind it (though I was hoping it'd be more than parallel universe cybermen wandering into ours), and then there's that cliffhanger that nobody expected -- the return of Daleks.
DOOMSDAY *
Okay, let's turn the whole affair into a parody of a self-mockery. Apart from the initial Dalek/Cybermen spat, there is nothing worthy here. Even RTD can't decide if the Genesis Ark is Dalek or Time Lord technology and merrily mixes it up as he goes along. Worse, having been told 5,000 times that he's not our Pete and not our Jackie, the Doctor seems intent on getting Rose to stay with them. And for all the maudlin drivel over Rose saying she's dying, she's also suggesting she wasn't alive until she met the Doctor. This means she's only 2. Hmmm, sounds about right... Billie Piper is a great actress, but Rose was always a huge annoyance when not being a bland one.) So much plot potential was thrown out by empty excuses, and for the big build-up of Rose's death of fighting a big foe, this is one real cheat. And it's a real shame; I was expecting so much more from a terrific build-up.
I am looking forward to series 3. All in all, the improvements far outweight the silly quibbles that the production team and writers can't seem to wholly divorce themselves from, but series 2 is a massive improvement.
Description of Doctor Who: The Complete Second Series
DOCTOR WHO:COMPLETE SECOND SERIES - DVD MovieChristopher Eccleston's tenure as the time-traveling title hero in the venerable UK sci-fi series Doctor Who lasted just 13 episodes, but he left enough of a impression on fans to make some wonder how his replacement, veteran television performer David Tennant, might fare in the role. As this second-series boxed set proves, the answer is: he's a near-perfect Doctor who combines the eccentricities of earlier incarnations (most notably Tom Baker) with a fresh and youthful interpretation of his own, and even brings a healthy dash of romantic chemistry with his sidekick, Rose Tyler (the equally charming Billie Piper). And their adventures retain the solid blend of thoughtful speculative fiction, pulp action, and quirky humor that typified the series at its best. Among the 15 terrific stories contained in the six-disc set are the "Children in Need" (a.k.a. "Pudsey Cutaway") mini-episode from the 2005 Children in Need telethon that showed Eccleston's transformation into Tennant; "School Reunion," in which Elisabeth Sladen returns as Sarah Jane Smith; "The Girl in the Fireplace," which draws together robots in 18th century France with a derelict space station in the distant future; and the season finale, "Army of Ghosts/Doomsday," which not only revives the series' most popular villains, the robotic Daleks, in a head-to-head struggle against the Cybermen, but also marks the final appearance of another series regular. For fans and first-time visitors to the TARDIS alike, the Second Series is simply thrilling sci-fi TV.
As with the First Series set, the supplemental features are plentiful here; commentary by the show's cast and crew is provided on each episode, and four feature picture-in-picture commentary tracks; deleted scenes and outtakes are also included, as are video diaries by Tennant and Piper, and a lengthy featurette, "Doctor Who Confidential," which covers nearly every aspect of the series' production, including the introduction of the Torchwood Institute and the return of Sarah Jane, both of which would be featured in their own respective spin-off series (the first in Doctor Who's long history) in 2007. ? Paul Gaita
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