I am – Hercules!!

While we here in America are watching the 27th season of “Doctor Who” on the SciFi Channel, the wily Brits have already seen “Doctor Who” 28.2. The verdict:

“Doctor Dan” says:

Series 2, Episode 2
"Tooth & Claw"

Director: Euros Lyn (Cutting It, Casualty)
Writer: Russell T. Davies

Guest Cast:
Pauline Collins (Queen Victoria), Ian Hanmore (Father Angelo), Michelle Duncan (Isobel), Jamie Sives (Reynolds), Ron Donachie (Steward), Tom Smith (Host), Ruth Milne (Flora) & Derek Riddell (Robert).

Plot:
The Doctor and Rose arrive in 19th-Century Scotland, where they must protect Queen Victoria herself from a vicious werewolf and a group of warrior Monks...

Diagnosis:

Russell T. Davies' scripts come in for a lot of criticism from fans, myself included, but "Tooth & Claw" finally proves that Davies can write a decent Doctor Who episode if he puts his mind to it. Perhaps it's because "Tooth & Claw" is another episode set in the past -- by far the most successful setting for Doctor Who in terms production design (the BBC may have problems creating the future, but they can do the past in their sleep.)

"Tooth & Claw" is another old-fashioned horror story, similar in tone to last year's "The Unquiet Dead" by Mark Gatiss. Davies' story finds The Doctor and Rose helping thwart a secret society of warrior Monks, who have laid a trap to "infect" Queen Victoria with a werewolf gene and usher in the "Empire Of The Wolf".

David Tennant improves upon the tepid start last week, but his Doctor is still fairly ineffective until the final moments (heck, even the kitchen staff discover how to protect themselves against the werewolf before he does!) However, the sense of fun and eccentricity is more potent with Tennant than it ever was with Ecclestone, but so far it's been at the expense of feeling The Doctor is the all-knowing hero he should be.

The most notable guest star in "Tooth & Claw" is Pauline Collins as Queen Victoria (known to international audiences as Shirley Valentine, perhaps -- the actress, not the royal). She's pretty good all things considered, but isn't really given much to sink her teeth into beyond a few good speeches that remind you of Judi Dench's performance in "Mrs Brown".

As I mentioned earlier, the production design for the episode's Scottish location is exemplory. Windswept highland locales, sinister castle dungeon, luxurious dining rooms -- all classic Victoriana that truly breathes life and believability into the 1879 time period.

Fans of special effects won't be disappointed either. The effects for the werewolf are fabulous and a high benchmark for the show so far. The transformation sequence is very similar to the one in "Harry Potter & The Prizoner Of Azkaban", while the fully-transformed wolf reminded me of the creature in "Van Helsing". All very good, with only a few shots that don't stand up to very close scrutiny. There are even some "Matrix"-style wire-fu in early scenes, so plenty for FX lovers to admire.

Amazingly, Davies' script is also genuinely funny and not littered with weak gags that drag the show down. Of particular delight is Rose's attempts to get Queen Victoria to utter the phrase "we are not amused". By the finale, it's also very satisfying that every plot strand is properly resolved and the denouement even offers fans a few questions to ponder.

Overall, "Tooth & Claw" is one of the best Who episodes since the show returned last year, and a promising rebuttal to fans that Russell T. Davies has the chops to write decent adventure stories after all. I just hope this trend continues, and isn't just limited to shows set in the past...

A definite highlight for Doctor Whooooooo. Sorry, I held off for too long and just couldn't resist it...

The Good:
-- Rose trying to win a bet with The Doctor to have Queen Victoria say "we are not amused".
-- Some fantatsic effects work throughout, particularly for the CGI werewolf.
-- Great production design and location shooting
-- Pauline Collins gives a decent performance as the Queen
-- An exciting plot with complete resolution

The Bad:
-- The return of "enemy POV" shots for the werewolf (but not overused this time)

The Geeky:
1. The castle is the "Torchwood Estate" and by the episode's end Queen Victoria instigates the birth of the "Torchwood Institute". All this seems to prelude the upcoming Who spin-off show for John Barrowman (Capt Jack) in "Torchwood", and was also the name of the space-ship destroying laser in "The Christman Invasion".
2. The Doctor namechecks "Balamory" (a children's TV show set in Scotland)
3. So, was Queen Victoria bitten? The Doctor jokingly thinks so, but shouldn't he be more concerned by this? If true, the Empire Of The Wolf will begin now. Will this mean his prediction of a Victorian age with steam-driven flying saucers will come true? If so, this could provide the basis for the "alternative future" the Cyberman are due to appear in in a few episode's time... hmmm. Is any of this tied to last year's BAD WOLF...?
4. David Tennant gets to use his real Scots accent!

RATING: 4 / 5

NEXT WEEK: It's back to school with Anthony Stewart Head (Giles from TV's Buffy) guest starring alongside Elisabeth Sladen (returning as ex-Doctor Who companion Sarah Janes Smith), the return of robot dog K-9, and some flying monsters!

“Amir” says:

Much, much better this week. Episode starts off with the Doctor looking forward to seeing Ian Dury, of “Hit Me With That Rhythm Stick” infamy, circa 1979. Of course, he messes up and they land in Scotland circa 1879, meeting up with Ole Queen Vic, who is not amused at Billie Piper’s “nakedness” (sweaty-palmed teenage boys shouldn’t get their hopes up, the Victorians were notorious prudes). David Tennant gets to speak in his natural Scottish brogue, making a pleasant change. Elsewhere… Cue some gnarly bald monk action, complete with aerial acrobatics and staffs, at a Scottish estate, though the scene is marred slightly by the overused high-speed camera. I know the director was going for frenetic, but with all the great choreography it’s a shame we don’t see more of it.

No surprises, the Queen arrives at this Estate later, hiding something in a mysterious chest (not her bosom, for those perverts out there), and the man of the house is obviously at unease with all these new bald, muscular menservants at hand (why does my review seem to get loaded with more poor innuendo as I go along?). Well, turns out the rest of the household is being held hostage, and there’s some dude with huge pupils locked in a cage. And it’s a full moon…

Well, after the Doctor examines what he believes to be a rubbish telescope, all hell breaks loose as Rose returns to her chambers. And enter moonlight…

The werewolf/alien (Lupus extraterrialus or something along those lines) breaks free, and consequently all hell breaks loose. Typical chase scenes follow, and thankfully some people die (compared to last week’s “everyone lives” rerun). The CGI isn’t bad for the BBC, considering what a poor job ILM did with 500 times the budget on the Prisoner of Azkaban (plus this werewolf isn’t shrouded by complete darkness all the time), though, this being a kid’s show (as we are constantly reminded on making-of Doctor Who Confidential every week), there’s no blood. I was worried that when it turned out that mistletoe was the werewolf’s weakness, everyone would run around wearing the stuff and “everyone lives” would be the end result, but thankfully mistletoe isn’t deadly for lycanthropes.

Turns out Queen Vic is hiding the Koh-i-Noor (Farsi for Mountain of Light), what was once the world’s largest diamond. Well, that rubbish telescope was actually a cunningly designed light magnifier, which combined with said diamond works to enhances the properties of moonlight to the point that the werewolf/alien is banished to whatever planet it came from. Queen Vic knights the Doctor and Rose for their services, then promptly tells them to bugger off, and subsequently sets up the Torchwood Institute, named after the owner of said estate, to investigate such paranormal activities.

A decent episode in all, I was quite pleased, none of the saccharine plot-plodding of RTD, and some decent action, though what is the obsession with Victorian England? I’m not a Whovian (only really been watching the last two series), though what about a visit to the Tudor courts of Henry VIII or Elizabeth I? Hell, why stop at England, why not cross paths with Alexander the Great? It wouldn’t have to be a budget-busting episode with epic battles and tons of CGI, just a different setting is all (could even re-use some old Rome props).

Next Week, school kids wolf down (pun not originally intended) some nasty school dinners (is there any other kind), Anthony Stewart Head chews scenery, and the Doctor meets up with an old companion…

“JD” says:

Episode 28.2 - Tooth and Claw

Writer -
Russell T Davies (Controller of the current Whoniverse)

Director -
Euros Lyn (episodes 27.2 End of the World; 27.3 The Unquiet Dead)

Synopsis -
Yet another non-planned trip sees the Doctor arrive in 19th Century Scotland and in front of Queen Victoria, who is on a personal pilgrimage. Due to a fallen tree, the Queen is forced to take a carriage and make a stop-over at Torchwood House, where some mysterious and sinister wire-fu monks have recently taken over the house, and have brought something evil with them

Something Evil?
All you see at the start is a cage with a man in it, and the household staff held hostage in front of the cage. The reason for keeping them alive is to "encourage" the owner to take Queen Victoria in when she arrives

But why would she stop at a this house?
It seems Prince Albert used to frequent this house when he was alive.

Any other significance of the house?
It seems there have been 300 years of stories and reports of a wolf prowling the local glens, attacking livestock, with a sole male child stolen from the local villages once in a generation.

It also seems that the father of the current owner had done a lot of research into these stories, and the wolf may be a werewolf (all we need are the vampires, eh?!!)

Oh, and did I mention it was a full moon tonight?

So why the Queen?
In a short word, assasination attempt. In a long word? Nah, spolierific :-D

Any good?
Well, I think it may well be one of Davies' best episode as a writer - although the end of season two parter was Geraldtastic. Direction is solid, taut, and as scary as an episode about a werewolf is going to be at 7:15 in the evening. Effects were well done, the escape not too convoluted, and a couple of lovely twists to end it. There is also a development of the Torchwood story arc - this current incarnation has been very good at developing season long and beyond arcs, laying down the groundwork in early episodes for later payoff.

The establishing of this Doctor as a take no shit Doctor is also coming on well - he really is reminding me of the Tom Baker Who, and this can only be a good thing fo the future of Who

Compared to the previous 15 episodes, it's in the top half of episodes to date - still not quite at the pinnacle of the standards set in episodes like Dalek, The Empty Child/Doctor Dances or Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways, but it has proven that Davies can write decent Who when he sets his mind to it

How does it end?
Queen Victoria banishes the Doctor from her realm, then decides she needs to protect all her borders in casehe returns. Oh, and a theory as to why the current Royal Family are so barking......

Rating?
3 out of 5

“Kelvington” says:

Doctor Who – Tooth and Claw

Imagine an episode of Doctor Who which opens with monks straight out of “The Matrix” with impossible leaps and all! Well, that’s how tonight’s episode begins and only gets better from that point on.

The TARDIS lands in not exactly the right time or place, I know that’s a shocker, instead of 1979 we get 1879 Scotland. The Doctor and Rose try to explain their presence, complete with a hilarious scene of Rose doing her best Scottish brogue. Plus she is very naked here, well naked by 1879 standards.

It’s nice to see The Doctor meet people out of history, something that dates back to the Hartnell era, and tonight’s no exception. We get to meet Queen Victoria, and a hilarious bet ensues for which “I was very amused” We find out she stopping for the night because of an assignation attempt. And where she chooses to stop you hear tales of a wolf.

Now I can’t write about this episode without comparing it to The Big Finish Doctor Who audio drama staring Peter Davidson called “Loups-Garoux”. This is one of my favorite Big Finish audio plays, it tried hard to explain the concepts of a werewolf and give it a lavish history as well.

Tonight’s “Doctor Who” also sheds some minor light on origins and traditions of lycanthropy. Plus there are plenty of thrills and “Alien-esqe” moments, mixed in with laughs.

Since we first saw, “An American Werewolf In London” the bar for man to wolf transformation has been set pretty high. Now with CGI the bar can be met for much less money. This nearly completely CGI’ed transformation borrows heavily from it’s predecessors, but still is very cool to watch.

My favorite moment of the night comes when The Doctor, and the beast are on either side of a door sensing each other. Also there is a mention, however brief from last season, when the man version of the monster accuses Rose of having a bit of the wolf in her as well.

This is bound to be an instant classic among “Doctor Who” fans everywhere and it’s well worth watching it a few more times. And perhaps checking that your pet husky or German Shepard isn’t wait for his own full moon.

Just my 2¢,
Kelvington

Doctor Who 27.x

Look! Old-school Doctor Who!
Doctor Who: The Five Doctors
Doctor Who: The Androids of Tara
Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion
Doctor Who: Robots of Death
Doctor Who: Tomb of the Cybermen
Doctor Who: Vengeance on Varos
Doctor Who: Rare Episodes

Some of Herc’s favorite pre-“Star Wars” sci-fi movies:
The Abominable Dr. Phibes
Charly
Comedy of Terrors
Day of the Triffids
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Five Million Miles To Earth
The Fly
Forbidden Planet
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Metropolis
Quatermass 2
The Thing From Another World
Things To Come
This Island Earth (MST3K Edition)
2001: A Space Odyssey
When Worlds Collide