Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Blink

This past Saturday was this season's Doctor Lite episode.

I'm not certain why when they only do 13 episodes a year, 14 if you count the X-mas eps, there is a need to do an episode without much of the Doctor and his companion.

And after last series lite episode, I had hoped they'd not try again this year. But it seems that they want to make 13 episodes, and want to give the lead actors some time off.

So as this episodes started I was well ready to not like it. As it started with characters we had never heard of, I was thinking why not tell a story that gives more background to Martha's family a bit as they are actually connected to the show already, and that could flesh out more of what's to come for the rest of this series.

But as the episode progressed, I was soon hooked.

Spoilers and timey-wimey stuff follows.

This story was so far above last years lite episode that it's not even fair to compare the two.

Blink 01
An important message from 1969.

The premise that there are creatures that send people back in time was an inventive way to trap the Doctor and Martha in the past and have to communicate with someone in the future to get the TARDIS back.

Blink 03
"It's a timey-wimey detector. It goes ding when there's stuff."

While it would be fun to see more of the Doctor and Martha's adventures in 1969, the actual story unfolds much better when told as a mystery being unraveled in the present. And the Doctor communicating via DVD easter eggs was very inventive.

Blink 05
You know this will be an easter egg on the season 3 set.

This was probably the most creative use of time travel in a Doctor Who story to date. And as such it may leave some people scratching their heads, but that's a good thing. get them thinking a bit.

Blink 06
Blink and they'll getcha!

This story is already one of my all-time favorites.

If the final three eps are as good as these last three, and I have to admit my hopes are up after these, this season will be the best of the new Who.

Fingers crossed.

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