I am – Hercules!!
“Doctor Dan” says:

DOCTOR WHO 4.2 – "The Fires Of Pompeii " Writer: James Moran Director: Colin Teague Cast: David Tennant (The Doctor), Catherine Tate (Donna Noble), Peter Capaldi (Caecillius), Tracey Childs (Metella), Phil Davis (Lucius), Karen Gillan (Soothsayer), Phil Cornwell (Stallholder), Sasha Behar (Spurrina), Francesca Fowler (Evelina), Francois Pandolfo (Quintus), Lorraine Burroughs (Thalina), Victoria Wicks (High Priestess) & Gerard Bell (Majordomo) The Doctor and Donna arrive in Pompeii on the eve of Mount Vesuvius ' eruption and come to loggerheads about whether to change the course of history... As is almost customary now, the second episode is an historical adventure -- this time focusing on the real-life disaster of Pompeii in 79 A.D, but with the expected fictional links to alien goings-on beneath the surface. Writer James Moran (who penned the excellent Torchwood episode Sleeper) crafts a far more expansive story here, and rarely puts a foot wrong with this crowd-pleasing adventure on a grand scale... The episode's big theme is something Doctor Who has touched on before: whether or not The Doctor (David Tennant) should change the course of history, if lives can be saved. The Fires Of Pompeii did a much better job of answering that question; as Donna (Catherine Tate) is amazed The Doctor just wants to leave (initially believing they'd arrived in Rome ), as he's adamant that some things are "fixed events". A later speech revolving around a Time Lord's intrinsic ability to know which events are in "flux" or "fixed" is also a handy explanation of how The Doctor operates – and the burden he's constantly under pressure from. As is usual, an extra-terrestrial explanation is offered for Vesuvius' eruption, in the form of dormant creatures called Pyrovillians; "underworld Gods" local soothsayers are being controlled by. One such "seer" is Lucius (a permanently scowling Phil Davis), while another girl called Evelina (Francesca Fowler) also has the gift, and is destined for recruitment by a fanatical group called the Sibylline sisterhood -- a group of psychics led by a High Priestess (Victoria Wicks), who keeps herself hidden behind a curtain. There's an invigorating mix of pace, comedy and action through this episode, which is indicative of Doctor Who at its most playful, yet deceptively emotive, best. Some of the gags Moran works into the script are cheesy ("he's armless enough!" exclaims The Doctor, after ripping someone's stone arm off), while others are acknowledged as naff by its characters ("don't get yourself in a lava!"). It's all good fun, and there are actually some genuinely amusing moments -- from Donna and The Doctor claiming they're both called Spartacus, to a Fawlty Towers reference when The Doctor apologizes about Donna, explaining that "she's from Barcelona ..." In the dramatic stakes, the connections between the psychics and the subterranean aliens aren't totally obvious, and manage to unspool logically -- with an increasing sense of peril. When the story shifts into full-on action spectacle mode -- with The Doctor and Donna battling creatures underground and the (inevitable) city-wide destruction -- the scale and ambition of the episode is second to none... Yes, visually it's a treat for the eyes. The production design is exemplary throughout (to be expected, as they filmed on the awesome sets created for the HBO/BBC series Rome ), the special effects are magnificent -- from Balrog-like rock-beasts (in Roman helmets), to a climactic volcanic eruption that's usually way beyond a TV episode's budget. Its superficial stuff to some people, but it's still enriches the episode and makes it easier to invest in the world being presented to you. Catherine Tate wasn't too bad, although the way she suddenly lurches into an aggrieved caricature undermined a few scenes. But generally, her involvement in the storyline was well-handled, and Donna's viewpoint on how to deal with the situation was nicely at odds with The Doctor's. It was particularly nice how the episode came down to a sad decision for The Doctor; to save the world, but at the cost of 20,000 peoples' lives, all at the throw of a lever. The dilemma reminded me of the classic moment with Tom Baker's Doctor, del iberating about whether or not to commit genocide by wiping out the Dalek race, by connecting two wires. Ultimately, while there a few gripes with the minutiae of the episode (especially an unnecessary and silly denouement set 6 moths later in Rome ), the general sweep and urgency of the episode was a welcome tonic after last week's simpleminded opener. The comedy and dramatics were balanced well, and there were even some nods to season 4's direction in one scene of prophesizing: "she is returning" The Doctor is told (Rose, surely), and Donna has "something on her back". Interesting... The Fires Of Pompeii is a very strong episode, one of the strongest in Doctor Who's history (visually speaking), and no slouch when it comes to telling a fast-paced, dramatic and funny adventure story. The guest cast were all good (especially David as Lucius and Peter Capaldi's Caecillius), and the pace never let up for one second – delivering humour, thrills, superb effects, and compelling family-friendly adventure. The Good 1. Magnificent sets, great costumes, brilliant make-up (especially for the stone-skinned High Priestess), excellent rock-creature CGI , and stunning panoramas as Vesuvius blew its top. It really was approaching "movie-quality" on a few occasions. 2. There was welcome explanation of The Doctor's "burden" regarding Time, which I personally found to be compelling and enriching. It added another dimension to The Doctor, as you don't always regard him as "alien" – just an energetic guy with two hearts and a time-machine. But his mind is constantly attuned to cause-and-effect. 3. The differences in opinion between The Doctor and Donna were handled brilliantly, as you could see and understand both arguments. 4. There were a few clunkers, but the jokes were generally pretty funny. "Oh, you're Celtic. There's lovely." The Bad 1. She wasn't terrible, but I don't understand why Catherine Tate suddenly starts spitting out lines of dialogue as if everything's just a comedy sketch. She was good fun for the most part, when not overacting. 2. The overuse of prophetic in-jokes has become slightly tiresome; with talk of "the blue box", revelations about Donna and The Doctor's history/future, and (particularly) the parting shot of "the household gods" -- which was unnecessary and a bit daft. 3. Not "bad" exactly, but the abundance of psychics was a little unwieldy at times, and mostly served to clutter up the story. I really don't see why Evelina had to have "the gift". 4. A massive Pyrovillian rocky beast was kept at bay with a water pistol that meekly dribbled out some water? Huh? The Geeky 1. The TARDIS not only psychically translates your comprehension of languages, but also visual writing. I think maybe we knew this already, but we also found out that if you speak in a different language on purpose, those you're talking to won't understand you. In the example here, Donna's attempts to speak some genuine Latin, resulted in people thinking she was Celtic! 2. The Doctor used the phrase "Volcano Day" when referencing Vesuvius' eruption, just as Captain Jack did in season 1's The Doctor Dances. 3. The Medusa Cascade (referred to by The Master in Last Of The Time Lords) is mentioned again, as is the mysterious Shadow Proclamation from Parners In Crime, The Christmas Invasion and Rose. 4. This episode was filmed in Italy on sets constructed for the HBO/BBC series Rome . While filming, a fire broke out in the Cinecitta studios – but it fortunately didn't spread to the Doctor Who set. This episode marks the first time principle actors have actually filmed outside of the UK , and they only had 2 days of filming time. 5. The characters of Caecilius, Metella and Quintus were based on real Pompeii inhabitant Lucius Caecilius Lucundus and his family. Rating: 4 / 5

“Jinky” says:

Hi Herc, First timeI've wrote a review so I hope you like. For the fourth time in four series the second episode is a historical piece that has a seemingly supernatural issue to solve. Is there a particular reason for this? I don’t know but it just seems a bit repetitive and unnecessary. “The Fires of Pompeii” was written my first time Who writer (I believe) James Moran and he has delivered a strong episode with enough intrigue to keep you waching. Being centred around Pompeii, the episode naturally focuses on the eruption of Vesuvius and the aforementioned supernatural problems, this is typical Doctor Who plot and doesn’t stray too far from the formula. Where this episode comes into its own is in the Doctors conflict between intervention and leaving well alone; he knows what he must do but he has Donna acting as his conscious making the black and white decision that little bit greyer. The only real issue I had with this episode is with the ‘villains’; both the soothsayer and the sisterhood had the same function, with the result being that neither had enough screen time to develop. As I said the episode for the most part is typical Who and this leads you to expect an almost flippant or quirky ending; Moran however avoids this with a surprisingly emotional ending that befits a tragedy of Pompeii’s scale. The other positive that I enjoyed is this continuing dialogue building the doctors legend. We had it in “Voyage of the Damned” at Christmas from the doctor himself, Donna done it last week when she explained the doctor too her Gramps and this week it was the soothsayer and sisterhood who waxed lyrical about who and what the doctor is. It’s a side issue but it’s something I’ve enjoyed. Tonight’s episode was a better chance to judge Catherine Tate after last weeks mixed bag, and this was an improvement. At times Donna was still too loud and obnoxious, which is a bad combination when she is supposed to have the viewers support and will to succeed against all odds. However the ending gave Catherine Tate a chance to act, not shout and she shone. What this has done is confirm my suspicions that given the right script and a director that understands her and knows what he wants from her then Catherine Tate will be a great companion.

“Kelvington” says:

This episode should be called "The Doctor Visits The Sets Of The HBO Show Rome", which is pretty much what they did. And while it made for some very lavish and exciting sets, they also stood out like a sore thumb if you ever watched the show. The subtitle of the episode should be, "Please turn on your closed captioning, because you won't be able to make out a freaking thing over all the freaking music". Murray Gold, whom I have nothing but respect for does great work with the show's music week in and week out, but seriously. Who ever is your sound mixer needs to TONE THE MUSIC THE FREAK DOWN! I could barely make out what the Doctor and Donna were on about over the winy soundtrack in the background. The one thing that I will give the writers here is that they have the people of Pompeii speak just like they probably really spoke, no long speeches, no booming Shakespeare, not even any "Deadwood" iambic pentameter, just people going on and talking about daily things. Of course there's a cult involved (isn't there always?) and the disappearance of the TARDIS is very clever, I'll grant you that. I also laughed out loud at how the Doctor introduces himself, as does Donna. It was a nice film tribute and has nothing to do with Whovian lore. The show does something very different than most Who outings, where it pits the morals of a human, and the laws of time at odds with each other. Where The Doctor accepts that what will happen is fixed in time and can't be changed, Donna argues openly with the Doctor about the all the people who will die, and how he SHOULD change it. It's very refreshing to see someone really go after the Doctor's ethics, we saw a touch of this in the Christmas Special a few years back as the doctor killed all the spider children. As with all episodes of the modern "Doctor Who" there are people (in this case oracles) who can see the Doctor for what he really is, and Donna too for that matter. But it doesn't stop the Doctor from sussing out what's going on, and what are all these vapors the oracles are consuming. The monsters this week looks very good, and I assume they had something on set, but the CGI was pretty amazing. Plus we get to see the Doctor fire a gun which is VERY VERY rare indeed. And did I mention Donna has some cleavage? We get to see the Doctor as truly a destroyer if that choice is the only one. Plus through the great writing of Donna's character we get to experience how terrible some of his choices in the past must have been. While this episode is epic in both scale and story, it's still really just about people in the end, and the choices they make. My final complaint of the episode is that there is too much music, not every single moment needs a musical underpinning. At this point I would pay REAL money to have a version of the episode without all that bloody music, just to know exactly what was being said. Just my 2¢

“Jadstersdad” says:

Hi from the UK Where we've had the 2nd episode of David Tennant's new series as The Doctor. I'll be really brief as, those who know me know, I don't like to do synopses. I'll leave that to the inevitable and worthy others. Instead.. just my raw opinions. I really didn't much like the season opener and (still) haven't warmed to Catherine Tate's Donna. I don't know why and I'll give her more of a chance. Perhaps it's that 'Londoner' thing she does, particularly when in peril. When you see tonight's episode you'll see what I mean. She single-handedly pulls the viewer out of a really tense moment. Tennant as the Doctor is streets better than last week. He's really hit his stride and, love him or leave him, is at a zenith as the Doc. STILL too much reliance on the Sonic Screwdriver, though. Last week was a joke. I'd like to see him lose it somewhere in the Tardis for a few episodes. He finds an alternative 'weapon' tonight and it's really refreshing (nod, wink). The Pompeii setting is marvellously realised and, mostly, well acted. They find a cheesy but necessary way around the language thing. The effects are really....really first-rate, for a UK TV show especially. The monsters are impressive (and that achievement is saying something these days). All in all, I really liked tonight's story. 8 out of 10 (with one knocked off for Donna's overly rightous stance, which doesn't really play. Not from her, anyway). Much to look forward to, I think.

“Motoko” says:

Doctor Who - 4x02 The Fires of Pompeii Written by James Moran Directed by Colin Tegue Another week, another famous historical event that the Doctor blunders his way into. This time the big blue box lands in the ancient roman city of Pompeii the day before nearby volcano Vesuvius erupts. When it does it will cover the whole area with ash and annihilate the entire population. Donna wants to evacuate the city, The Doctor is adamant that an event like Pompeii cannot be meddled with, all they can do is run. Which is difficult when the Tardis has been 'sold' to new money marble trader Caecillius as a piece of modern art. In a nut shell, the episode starts off corny, gets much better and then loses its way with sentiment in the last 5 minutes. SPOILERS AHEAD!!! OK, what we have here is a case of Who adventure 101. We have a famous historical incident to get involved in. We have a gaggle of familiar faces in supporting roles. We a chance at opulent sets and costumes. We have a deep question of conscience at the heart of the story. And we have lots of running. In many respects this episode could as a perfect example of the new Who formula. It's just a shame that the also relies on not really taking it very seriously. I will start be retracting a claim I put in long ago. Catherine Tate may very well turn into a great companion. Yes I know. I'm as shocked as anyone else to see those words but the truth is her character may be what the series needs. Rose and Martha came pretty much fully formed, there were some minor changes as their experience with The Doctor grew but they left the show pretty much as they started. Donna is a character that has room to evolve and grow up. Yes she was a screeching harpy in The Runaway Bride. Yes she was kind of annoying in Partners in Crime. Here you see her visibly trying to mature. The potential disaster of Vesuvius completely horrifies her. She must do something. She must try to save people. The fact that The Doctor sternly warns against it only makes her more determined. Not since Mickey has a character been given the chance to actually develop over time. Yes she still talks like a Londoner chewing on a brick and her biggest involvement plot wise is to be kidnapped by a sisterhood of oracles, but even her bolshiness is kind of endearing now. Tate CAN be funny, something Rose and Martha were never given license to do and it gives her character a little more dimension even when she is mostly cliche. In the final scenes where she pleads with The Doctor to save someone, just one person, anyone, you can almost see the last layer of her Runaway Bride selfishness being stripped away As for the rest... well again, formula takes hold. The oft used tactic of layering the 'humour' on thick in the introductory scenes so you can get it and the exposition out of the way only works when you have something funny to say. Peter Capaldi (Caecillius) is also perhaps best known for his comic roles in The Thick of It and Local Hero. Watching him swan around in a toga and barking at his teenage son for staying out late cavorting at the tavern or bemoaning that his daughters skirt is too short seems like something out of the 70's. When a visiting dignitary in the form of a firey Phil Daniels (who was much better in The Curse of Steptoe) arrives at his home you almost expect him to worry at his wife that dinner goes well so that he can finally get that promotion. Indeed so much of the Roman-esque-ness (which if it isn't a word, bloody well ought to be) doesn't even approach Life of Brian level, but seems stuck at Up, Pompeii. The Doc claims his name is Spartacus, there's confusion over whether the new visitors are celtic (which might be a nod to Tooth & Claw but does afford Capaldi to speak in cod-welsh) and Donna tries to connect with a teenager by asking if she goes shopping at TK-Maxximus. Ho-hum... When the plot does kick in things take a dramatic upswing in quality and fun. There be aliens beneath Vesuvius. Great big flamey and pretty decent CGI-ed ones. Pompeii seems to be awash with Oracles, Soothsayers and Seers all of whom seem to be pretty good at this prophecy lark. There are electrical circuits being carved out of marble. The Doctor faces down a magma beast with a water pistol. It's all quite good. And there's a deep dilemma for The Doctor in being able to involve himself with certain events and not others. Somethings are fixed and cannot be altered. 20,000 people will die. And The Doctor is not powerless to stop it, he's just not willing to stop it. He'll even take an active role in causing it if he has to. All of which seems to be setting up this seasons themes. If season 3 was about the Doctors loneliness, then season 4 is shaping up to be about the effect the Doctor's existence has on people, events and the universe as a whole. The knowledge that Rose, Sarah Jane, Jack and Martha are putting in appearances this season seems to make that ever more likely. Anyway, ultimately this is a really capable and solid episode let down by the often ill-thought out device that taking a modern cultural idea and transposing it to a historical setting is good for comedy or drama. I don't want to see the roman equivalent of a stroppy teen or witness the incredibly over dramatic moment in history when the word Volcano is invented. But watching lava monsters and prophecy mongerers battle it out is kinda cool. Next week The Ood return... Still not convinced that they can be a really scary villian in the Who-niverse but Tim MicInnery is involved and stalwart Graham Harper is directing, so things should be interesting at least. Till then, ta-ra

“Cany Ass Monkey Suit” says:

Hi Herc here is review of episode 2 of Doctor who's 4th season. "THE FIRES OF POMPEII" WRITER JAMES MORAN Spoilers below Well after last weeks surprisingly good season opener this week is the now standard period episode we always get in ep 2 or 3. The Doc and donna arrive in anciant pompeii on the eve of the eruption of mount versuvius,after looking around and getting to know the locals the doctor discovers the tardis has been sold by a local trader to a nearby family. So off the doc and donna gop to retrieve said tardis. This brings us then to the main story thread,an alien invasion of anciant pompeii which the doctor discovers. All sorts of strange goings on are happening with a cult of romans seem to have knowledge of future happenings and acute perception. The ancient romans are being controlled by the pyrovillians a alien race who have crashed to earth in their escape pod and who's planet has been destroyed..problem is the pyrovillians are creating a new race of pyrovillians and are using the power of mount versuvius to do this. The pyrovillians are kind of rock/fire creations. If they succeed in their plan not only will pompeii be destroyed as history remembers but the earth will be obliterated by the moltan ash and lava too! The doctor to cut a long story short stops the creatures and mount versuvius erupts as normal...it cant be changed as this is a historic event "thats a fixed point in time"-the doctor tell donna. Donna is appaled that the doctor has the means and power to save people but does nothing " I can't" he says but when donna asks him to save just one family,the doctor agrees and the tardis rematerialises as the city is being destroyed and takes the family to a hillside to watch the city being destroyed. The doc and donna leave and the doctor tell donna that "he needs someone to remind him of humanity" which donna does. THE END Well this is a cracking episode but only kicks in about half way through. First off,the first half of this ep is terrible..inane dialogue,silly technobable about a tardis equivalant of treks universal translator and romans talking in dodgy cockney accents! About half way through though the drama,action,fx and dilema really kick in and its a hell of a ride! A great 2nd half which reddems this episode completely. This is shaping up to who's best season yet cant wait till next week. Nect week "planet of the ood" WHATS GOOD Some amazing fx work done by the mill,stunning rock/fire creatures ..think of a rock version of the balrog from LOTR and your on track. The eruption of mount versuvius and the decemation of pompeii...epic in scale and deserving of the big screen David tennant,,god this actor is just amazing every week. This is one actor you americans arent getting for your next big show and thank god..were keeping him!! Catherine tate..amazing at the end of this ep but theres some bad too(see below) Great outdoor shots filmed at italy cincitta studios which used the same set as HB0/BBC's Rome tv series THE BAD Catehrine tates performance in the first half is akin to what she did in The Runaway bride..after last weeks subdued performance,she shouts herself through this early part of the show and i was cringing..2nd half though is totally differnt Some dodgy indoor sets which looked cheap and phil davis as Lucius was bad. All in all a great ep...very poor first half but redeemed by a stunning second. Roll on next week

“The Handsome 12th Doctor” says:

Firstly can I make a small apology about my review last week. I never should have used the phrase "winning dynamic". I'm amazed nobody in the talkback had a pop at me over it. I guess some of you had other things on your minds. Onto the episode.... The Fires Of Pompeii AKA.... Donna's First Trip Through Time I like the running pattern of each companion's first trip, where you get the sense that the Doctor is trying to show off what the Tardis can do. He took Rose to the end of the Earth. Martha to meet Shakespeare. And tonight Donna to ancient Roman times. More specifically Pompeii on volcano day. You could see he expected her to be impressed by this. And naturally for a short while she was. But then the matter of the fate of the Pompeians comes up. Donna feels she ought to warn everyone of the imminent disaster and save them. The Doctor knows they shouldn't mess with fixed history and change things (except of course when it really really suits him). This led the two of them to have a big moral quarrel. And allowed both Tennant and Tate to display their full acting chops. The dialogue in these scenes was skilfully written and delivered, notably the stuff about the burden of a Timelord. If the episode had just been about this issue then it'd still have been a quality watch. But this is a Doctor Who story, thus it had monsters in it. Monsters make all things better. And we're talking scary monsters this week. No more cute little blobbies. I could imagine if I were a kid today I'd be drawing an eye on the back of my hands right now to try to freak out my little sister. That bunch of psychic women were good at playing it suitably creepy. Particularly the high priestess hidden under a great make-up job. Then there were huge magma monsters. Terrific CGI thingys that had shades of the Balrog about them. Although a lot easier to deal with it seemed. The CG effects shots of Vesuvius erupting were also impressive. Likewise the rest of the production design was superb. Though they were aided by being able to shoot on the BBC/HBO 'Rome' sets over at Italy's illustrious Cinecitta studios. This was a shrewd move. They got perfect looking Roman locations, and a free holiday out of it. Sadly there was no Lindsay Duncan present. On the plus side there was Peter Capaldi and Phil Davis competing over who could ham it up the best. It was a close call but I've got to award that to Davis, purely for his delivery of the "Water can boil..." line. Mind you, the Doctor and Donna had their share of corny lines too. The Spartacus bit was pretty good. So to wrap this up I enjoyed it. Anyone who's been complaining that the series had become dumbed-down and wasn't offering intricate enough plots for kids any more, well...... watch this one. Let us now go have ourselves a warm and cordial talkback shall we?

“Palimpsest” says:

Hi Herc A quick overview of the new Who which premiered in the UK today. Episode 4.2: The Fires of Pompeii The Doctor and new companion Donna Noble land in Ancient Rome. Except there's a big smoky mountain looming in the background. The episode is, frankly, great. The plot revolves around The Doctor investigating a mysterious sect of seers, who seem to be accurate about everything, except about the volcanic eruption due in the next twenty-four hours. Cue: running, explosions, Latin jokes, plenty of use of the Cinecitta sets erected for ROME, prophecies, half-Transformers/half Sauron rock alien monster things, nifty CGI volcanitude and some splendid practical effects and makeup work, lots of dropping heavy hints about the season arc, and a surprising emotional impact. Though the tone of much of the ep is jokey (we're in ASTERIX territory for much of the humour), what's most interesting about the ep is the use of Donna's humanity versus The Doctor's alien sense of the (much) bigger picture. On top of this, Catherine Tate is settling in very nicely indeed as Donna Noble, and has an acting range the equal of David Tennant. The dynamic between the two is well-handled and plausible throughout. There's another mention of the Shadow Proclamation and of the Medusa Cascade (both of which were flagged up in the previous episode), and other buried winks and nods about where this season's going. Issues: the alien invasion plot was shoehorned in somewhat. Best line: plenty, though "TK Maximus?" made me laugh. So, pretty much all good stuff. You get the feeling that 45 minutes is not enough to establish a setting, a dilemma, have The Doctor sort it out as well as deal with the bigger arc story issues AND do a few jokes and be serious too, but this is still top breathless entertainment with lots for everyone, genre nerds and casual viewers alike. Next week: Planet of the Ood... Thanks again, Herc.

“DJ Bollocks” says:

Looking like they just stepped on the set of HBO's (and the BBC's) Rome, The Doctor and Donna arrive in 79AD, however, they discover psychic powers and beasts of stone running riot in the streets of old Pompeii. (Only with The Thick Of It's Peter Capaldi as Caecillius (I wish he would have said "Who the fuck do you think you are Doctor fucking Who ?") and Phil Cornwell as a Pompeii Del Boy and Phil (I used to be in Quadrophenia me) Davis - like James Moran was 'influenced' by last years Shakespeare episode we have some coven of females calling themselves The Disciples Of The Blue Box - an obvious I'm Spartacus gag - Peter Capaldi does Windsor Davies 'There's Luvely' Enter Phil Davis as Lucius Petrus Dextrous and things start to get a bit weird - channeling of spirits where The Sparatacus' (D&D) are outed as The Doctor from Gallifrey and the daughter of London - a quick investigation of Lucius lair finds him building 'The Future' whereas Donna is trying not to give the game away about the impending volcanic eruption... More witches coven action as they overhear the 'false prophecy' and 'The Noble One' signs herself a covenant death wish... Meanwhile the Doctor is accused of summoning the Gods whilst discovering Lucius' Energy Converter - he too incurs death but The Doctor asks to shake on it discovering Lucius arm is made of stone... Lucius summons the big bad... It's a fire breathing stone centurion thingy that (or a carapace of stone apparantly - or a Pyroval as we discover later) that Tiswas-style is doomed by erm... a couple of buckets of water - in the distraction 'The Noble One' is kidnapped and is about to be sacrificed when the Doctor penetrates the woman only temple..... The people of Pompeii are turning to stone before the volcano erupts... Their flesh is all turning to stone - some coven chanting - and Pyrovals.... apparently... is it me or is this getting John Nathan Turner pantomime ? The doctor's armed with a yellow water pistol now... The Shadow Proclamation is mentioned again.... "You fought her off with a water pistol - I bloody love you !" Back to Lucius and "the prophecy must advance" - The Cult of Vulcan is summoned "where Vesuvius awaits..." Peter Capaldi's daughter is wittering on about a terrible choice to be made... D&D are in the volcano and discussing the burden of the Time Lord not to change history... Lucius bringing his posse and circuit blocks and emerges a bigger Pyroval - presumably we're gonna need a bigger water pistol ? No the regular sized one will have to do... "Pyrovilia is lost - and everything will burn !" There's a Genesis Of The Daleks style quandry moment and then Pompeii is destroyed... some alright cgi bye bye 20,000 people and a classic "The Sky Is Falling" Poor old Peter Capaldi if he only knew that The fucking Blue Box is Fucking bigger on the inside... Quandry in the Tardis with D&D - to just "save someone" Peter and his family are saved and they all live happily ever after.... You know this was a piss poor attempt A Roman tragedy ?... Style over substance... with bad puns... Let's go to Rome and show off... only let's have a shit script that makes it up as it goes along... Interestingly the Doctor Who Confidential show on BBC Three afterwards capitulates on about a troubled production... it shows - however it looked nice.... it just viewed terribly... 1.5 stars out of 5 if you will Next Week Doctor Who: Planet Of The Ood (UK) The Doctor takes Donna to her first alien world, but the Ood-Sphere reveals some terrible truths about the human race. And in case you haven't seen here's the episode list for this year... Season 4, Episode 1: Partners in Crime Season 4, Episode 2: The Fires of Pompeii Season 4, Episode 3: Planet of the Ood Season 4, Episode 4: The Sontaran Stratagem Season 4, Episode 5: The Poison Sky Season 4, Episode 6: The Doctor's Daughter Season 4, Episode 7: The Unicorn and the Wasp Season 4, Episode 8: Silence in the Library Season 4, Episode 9: Forest of the Dead Season 4, Episode 10: Midnight Season 4, Episode 11: Turn Left Season 4, Episode 12: Episode #4.12 Season 4, Episode 13: Journey's End

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