Dr. Who Reaction - 10x9 - Empress of Mars
Added 2024-09-14 14:00:05 +0000 UTC
Comments
I agree with you. With one off episodes like Midnight or Tooth and Claw for example they set the stakes high for episodes like that. Yeah that Frozen joke made me smile as well. I liked it :) Thank you for the reassurance about the ice warrior, yeah I remembered something :) I´m feeling better already, thank you so much :)
Nicologik
2024-09-19 12:52:19 +0000 UTCI miss Moffat´s stories to be honest. I´m feeling a little better thank you :)
Nicologik
2024-09-19 12:43:46 +0000 UTCThank you for the backround story. Doesn´t make the episode better, but I do understand it more.
Nicologik
2024-09-19 12:42:58 +0000 UTCYeah I totally agree with you
Nicologik
2024-09-19 12:42:13 +0000 UTCI'll admit wasn't really looking forward to watching this as I find it a below average story. Actually found myself enjoying the reaction more than I thought but still not a story I'd choose to watch. I score it a 2/5 and have it ranked as 126th/140 so it's in my bottom 20. I do like the whole back story about the Colonel's cowardice and how it worked out in the end. And the appearance of Alpha Centauri at the end is great as I've watched classic Who.
Jade Ellis
2024-09-14 19:14:47 +0000 UTCThe writer of this story, Mark Gatiss, is a huge Classic Who fan; which is why this episode falls completely flat. He intended it to be a prequel to a particular Classic Who story,which I suppose is all well and good - but I had never seen that Classic story when Empress was first broadcast; so it meant little to me,and lacked significance. I subsequently watched the Classic story in question,before coming back and watching Empress again....and I still felt the same way. Clearly,then,Gatiss' writing is at fault. When only the final 90 seconds (presumably written by Moffat) are the best things about the story,then I think you have every right to be dissatisfied :) From you,a 6 is damning. I tend to rate rather more sternly myself - so a rating with the 3 category would be more likely!
Ian Smith
2024-09-14 16:43:09 +0000 UTCWhile I like Mark Gatiss as an actor, I find his writing of Dr who episodes not as good as Moffat’s I remember not enjoying this one as much when it came out and it hasn’t improved much over time. I’m sorry you are not feeling so well I hope you feel better soon. x
Jenny Smyth
2024-09-14 15:55:45 +0000 UTCI agree with your assessment about this episode's merits compared to some others but I must admit I still rather enjoy it. In fact I generally enjoy these "filler" ones in their own way. Some episodes are just jaw dropping drama with twists and shocks all the way through. Some are just a good story with aliens or historical characters or both. That's kind of fine with me. The trouble is that the best stories set the bar so high that it's hard not to be disappointed with the ones that are just ok. And I think I agree with the decision to place this type of average story shortly before the finale of a series. I gives us a kind of pause or breather before things start to get really serious. If a series opened with a story like this I would feel a bit concerned about the whole thing. i.e. "You opened with that??" I think the whole point of Bill's earlier references to popular films was just to provide a set up for The Doctor's punch-line about Frozen. I doubt that they had any other significance. Again, not the funniest joke in the world but it made me smile. You are right about an Ice Warrior being on board that submarine. They also appeared in classic Who. So did the lady whose voice we heard (and whose eye we saw!) at the end saying "welcome to the universe". Decades later they got the same actress to do the voice which pleased a lot of older fans. I hope it is ok to say that sort of thing. If you would rather not have any information of that kind about the classic series, do tell me and I will try to keep more quiet about it. I am showing a lot of restraint about the finale and will just say that I look forward to your reaction! And (edit because I forgot to say) I hope you will be feeling much better soon.
Stephen Males
2024-09-14 15:31:51 +0000 UTC
