I am – Hercules!!
Next Saturday the Brits get the last regular "Doctor Who" episode until 2010. Today they got the almost-last one, and everybody in Blighty seems pretty keen on it. “Doctor Dan” says:

DOCTOR WHO 4.12 – "The Stolen Earth" (Part 1 of 2) Writer: Russell T. Davies Director: Graeme Harper Cast: David Tennant (The Doctor), Catherine Tate (Donna), Billie Piper (Rose), Freema Agyeman (Martha), Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah-Jane Smith), John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness), Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper), Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto Jones), Thomas Knight (Luke Smith), Bernard Cribbins (Gramps), Jacqueline King (Sylvia Noble), Adjoa Andoh (Francine Jones), Julian Bleach (Davros), Michael Brandon (General Sanchez), Andrea Harris (Suzanne), Lachele Carl (Trinity Wells), Richard Dawkins (Himself), Paul O'Grady (Himself), Marcus Cunningham (Drunk Man), Jason Mohammad (Newsreader), Paul Kasey (Judoon), Kelly Hunter (Shadow Architect), Amy Beth Hayes (Albino Servant), Gary Milner (Scared Man), Nicholas Briggs (Dalek, voices) & Alexander Armstrong (Mr. Smith, voice) When the Earth is moved to a secret celestial location, The Doctor and Donna travel to the Shadow Proclamation for help, as his stricken former companions try to defeat the Doctor's greatest nemesis... In typical Russell T. Davies fashion, The Stolen Earth is about as subtle as a kick in the face; riddled with illogical moments, grating comedy and performances that beggar belief at times. It's also a stupendous amount of fun once it navigates its way around the silly reactions of regular people as yet another epic alien disaster blows their minds. If there's one thing new Who's has problems with (under RTD, anyway), it's how it fails to make these epoch-shaking events plausible through peoples' reactions to them. The Stolen Earth finds The Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna (Catherine Tate), fresh from their BAD WOLF scare from Rose (Billie Piper), bemused to find the Earth isn't in any danger whatsoever. However, seconds later, the entire planet is whisked to a secret celestial location, leaving the TARDIS hanging in empty space. As the perplexed Doctor travels to the oft-mentioned Shadow Proclamation for help, the episode spends most of its time showing us the fallout from four unique perspectives on Earth: New York-based Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman); the Cardiff-based Torchwood team of Captain Jack (John Barrowman), Ianto (Gareth David-Lloyd) and Gwen (Eve Myles); Ealing-based Sarah-Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and her son Luke (Thomas Knight); and the inter-dimensional Rose, who rather conveniently stumbles upon Donna's mother Sylvia (Jacqueline King) and Gramps (Bernard Cribbins). Of course, it's no secret that the culprits who have plucked the Earth from its orbit, and deposited it amongst 25 other planets, are the notorious Daleks. Arriving in waves of flying saucers, the Daleks ravage the planet in a few impressive CGI sequences, before proclaiming a victory – thanks to the efforts of rogue Dalek Khan (last seen teleporting away in season 3's Evolution Of The Daleks), who has subsequently gone insane, but not before resurrecting the creator of the Dalek race: Davros (Julian Bleach). It takes awhile for The Stolen Earth to settle down, cursed once again by RTD's fondness for unsubtle excessiveness, cheesy dialogue, clunking comedy and silly cameo's. I mean, shoehorning chat-show host Paul O'Grady into proceedings was eye-rolling stuff that took you out of the show's reality – as if the TV schedules would trundle on as usual when the night sky fills up with alien worlds! The crossover appeal was generally good fun, but only effective regarding the Torchwood team – who you can believe exist alongside Doctor Who, thanks to crossovers for Captain Jack and Martha Jones that have laid the foundations. Less successful is Sarah-Jane, whose kid-friendly spin-off sits awkwardly in the context of its parent series. Martha Jones, having already been re-branded as a UNIT super-soldier this season, is slightly better utilized, but it's amazing how much goodwill for Martha has dissipated since she left Doctor Who as a regular. Her scenes alongside UNIT superior General Sanchez (Michael Brandon) are written very broadly ("gentlemen, we are at war!"), and require suspension of disbelief when she acquires top-secret access to "Project Indigo" and is given a secret "key" that will likely come in handy for next week's conclusion. Meanwhile, Rose marches around London with a Men In Black-style gun, intentionally kept out of the loop until the last 10-minutes, still without an explanation for her inter-dimensional travels. The long-awaited return of Davros is curiously matter-of-fact, after some shadowy teasing. He's not a disappointment; he's just exactly what you'd expect, and nothing more. It's a testament to Classic Who's FX team that Davros' design and prosthetics haven't altered that much (like Terry Nation's pepperpots), and actor Julian Bleach (also the villain in Torchwood's From Out Of The Rain) does a great job of complimenting the three previous Davros actors; Michael Wisher, David Gooderson and Terry Molloy. His synthesized voice is quietly malicious and spine-tingling stuff to give kids the creeps. But, with so many "treats" for the fans in this whirlwind of an episode, the spectacle of Davros' return isn't really able to stand apart as anything truly special. Still, the foreshadowing of missing planets and bees during season 4 gets a decent pay-off, and the sense of expectation for the "God"-like Doctor to find the missing Earth and swoop in to save the day (after getting mobile phone "prayers" sent to him en masse) worked very well, and built some genuine excitement in the last 20 minutes. And then, there's the unexpectedly emotional gut-punch of the finale. I'm not going to spoil things here, but suffice to say the Doctor and Rose's reunion scene was pitch-perfect stuff, with a surprising sting in its tail that will leave fans gobsmacked and debating what will happen next week. Rest assured, the cliffhanger is probably Doctor Who's finest in years, and I was genuinely left agog as the credits rolled. Have the producers managed the impossible, and kept you-know-what a secret all these months? Or will there will be a cop-out solution to the frankly stunning last shot? Next week's conclusion "Journey's End" can't come soon enough for the answers to be revealed. Overall, if you're being critical and evaluating everything on its own merits, this is a solid but unremarkable episode. It's an enthusiastic, everything-and-the-kitchen-sink plot that will have fans and especially children salivating, while the final 10 minutes are perfect big-scale, big-stakes storytelling. It's too big for its own good, really – but you'll certainly enjoy the ride once it's over some initial bumpy ground, and clamouring for part 2 by the end. For sheer indulgent joy, this comes heartily recommended. I just wish RTD could develop a story that's logical, consistent and not riddled with plot-holes. But he clearly adores huge, broad-stroke, kid-friendly, feverish, emotional, dumb, silly, extravagant, excessive entertainment – and on that level, this is a pinnacle. The Good 1. Sure, they're totally overexposed on new Who, but the Daleks are always great entertainment. The addition of Davros elevated their return, and I got a kick from the crazy gibbering of Dalek Khan, too. Hilarious. 2. It's not perfectly handled, but the novelty of the Who, Torchwood and Sarah-Jane Adventures crossover is nevertheless fun to watch. 3. Some great visual FX from The Mill; particularly the night sky of planets and the flying Daleks destroying the Valiant. 4. The heart-wrenching Doctor/Rose street "reunion"... and THAT totally unexpected cliffhanger. Seriously: wow! 5. I liked the way Davros can claim to being the Daleks' "genetic father" now. It gives him a fresher edge. 6. The continued foreshadowing of Donna being something "special" and that a companion will die next week. My money's on Rose. The Bad 1. These big-scale alien invasions are frankly a bit repetitive, and sit awkwardly in the series. You just know that there'll be a future episode where we're expected to believe people still don't believe in "men from mars", etc. 2. The comedy and cameo's were largely forced and unnecessary. Only Donna's reaction to seeing dashing Capt. Jack on a viewscreen made me chuckle. 3. Rose and Martha; both underused here and increasingly tired-looking on Who. Sarah-Jane, her son, and their super-computer Mr. Smith also looked out-of-place, really. 4. While I love epic sci-fi stories as much as anyone, there's a feeling of desperation and throw-everything-at-the-wall to see what sticks about the storyline. 5. I'm beginning to think RTD doesn't have an explanation for Rose's return, and don't quite understand all that BAD WOLF goings-on last week. I hope part 2 gives us answers for the multitude of questions her return has brought up, but I'm not sure we'll get them. The Geeky 1. Guest star Richard Dawkins (famous atheist and author of the best-selling book "The God Delusion") is married to Lalla Ward, who played Romana II alongside her ex-husband Tom Baker. 2. Shakespearian actor Julian Bleach (Davros) played the villainous Ghostmaker in Torchwood's season 2 episode From Out Of The Rain. 3. This episode is the first big-scale crossover between Doctor Who and its spin-offs Torchwood and The Sarah-Jane Adventures, following a few guest appearances of supporting actors and villains. 4. The Doctor has only ever been shot by a Dalek twice before -- in Planet Of The Daleks ('73) and Genesis Of The Daleks ('75). 5. Bernard Cribbins has faces the Daleks before, as he played Tom Campbell in the Doctor Who film Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. The red Supreme Dalek in this episode is a nod to the Dalek Controllers seen in this film, and others. 6. The Daleks tried to move the Earth once before, in The Dalek Invasion Of Earth ('64). Time Lords moved the Earth in The Trial Of A Time Lord ('86) as part of a cover-up. Rating: 4 / 5

“Seth” says:

Hey Herc, I've written in on occasion but never for TV before - largely because in the UK we don't get much first and also because i don't really watch TV much. But i had to write in now because i just got done watching a stunning episode of Doctor Who! Okay so i didn't write in post Blink last year (which remains the best ep of the Who reincarnation, now on series 4 - I won't refer to it as just series 4 as the BBC does because i grew up on Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy and won't consign them and all previous incarnations to oblivion) but damn it, Russell T Davies gets a bad press and often from me but he excelled himself here as he prepares to depart as show runner. The Stolen Earth (Episode 12 of Series 4 of the reincarnation Who) really throws everything (including the kitchen sink) in but rather than overloading it works. This is where Davies scope as the Time Lord's overlord comes into play. While his single stories (such as last weeks dull one which saw Donna take centre stage in a "what if" scenario) often leave a lot to be desired his knowledge of the whole beast that is Doctor Who helps him to craft a gripping thrill ride here for the finale. SPOILER WARNING!!! - NOT KIDDING, IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN AND DON'T WANT TO KNOW JUST WHO IS INVOLVED IN THIS WHO FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T READ ON!!!! I was worried given the trailering for the show in the UK that showed the Daleks were coming back that this would be another trip to the well that wasn't needed. The last couple of Dalek appearances in Who (always under Davies) have been tedious. And the Daleks shouldn't be tedious. Damn it as a kid i was scared shitless by the Daleks. In Stolen Earth I had a sense of that again, that danger, that adrenaline. The Daleks really are back. But part of that regained fear is the return of Davros. Yes, that's right, the Daleks creator and lord is back. Sure it was obvious, if you have any pre-reincarnation series knowledge of Who, that the voice lurking in the shadows was Davros a good 25 minutes before he's finally revealed, but that didn't make the sense of foreboding any less real. And he is the master stroke here. For me the Daleks without Davros is like the X-Men without Xavier (sorry best analogy i could come up with quickly), they are still deadly but the uniting element that creates the true danger is absent. The adrenaline also comes from the pacing though. This episode doesn't let up. This is partly because of all the characters involved. Captain Jack, Gwen and Ianto are involved in Cardiff as Torchwood, Rose Tyler is back and largely interacting with Donna's parents, Martha is fighting with Unit in New York, Donna and the Doctor are trying to find their way to Earth (which the Daleks have transported along with 26 other planets from different points in space and time to the Medusa Nebula - i think) by way of the space police replete with Judoon (sic) forces, Sarah Jane and her son are somewhere in London (sorry haven't seen that show so don't know!), and the marvellous Penelope Wilton returns as former prime minister Harriet (forget the surname) remember her? The plot runs around with all of them, each getting their moments. Personally my favourite moment was the look on Gwen's face as she opened up which a machine gun on the Daleks! - the kind of agression you've never seen from her, the sensible one, on Torchwood. HUGE SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN BUT ARE STILL GOING TURN BACK NOW By the end you are breathless as Sarah Jane and Gwen and Ianto at Torchwood find themselves in seemingly impossible situations against Daleks while Captain Jack reaches the Tardis as Rose and the Doctor are reunited in front of Donna. However, Davies holds the real coup for the end. The Doctor, hit by a Dalek ray, is whisked into the Tardis by Jack. He is badly injured. Rose knows what that means. Jack knows what that means. We know what that means. And as Donna's cries of "what's happening" ring out the episode ends with the Doctor about to regenerate! This episode is quite simply awesome television. It reminded me how good Davies can be and how great television can be. It was genuinely thrilling from beginning to end and I was left gasping at the end. About the only utterances I was capable of for 5 minutes were "Wow!" and "Bloody hell!" Bravo Russell T. Just hope the second half of the two-parter that ends the series can live up to this one (last year's two-parter second half being a bit of a let down). Stolen Earth was easily the best finale set up the new Who has had yet and besides Blink i would say is the second best episode. For sheer stamina and the balls to through the Daleks, Rose, Martha, Torchwood, Sarah Jane, Judoon, Davros and a regeneration all into 50 minutes this has to be seen. It is quite simply stunning!

“jadsterdad” says:

I prepped myself before this weeks big Who 1/2 by revisiting some old new series episodes. Specifically the end of Chris Ecclestone's season; the two-parter Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways and a Tennant stand-out; School Reunion. First.. the Daleks. I was surprised by how much I found wanting in this one on looking back at it. Ecclestone was great, of course, and perhaps I was blinded at the time by the glory that was regenerated Who and a season finale. The new Daleks were very cool, of course, though the Emperor (despite being impressive) was a let down for me simply because he was not Davros. Piper...was ok. Ish. At least her teeth were working (I do feel sorry for her. Even my 8-year old step daughter, on seeing last weeks episode said "...but Rose has changed!"). As for those Big Brother/Weakest link elements, though.....yeuck! Also Jackie. I never liked her. But the whole 'SuperRose' thing with the Tardis etc. and Mickey/Jackie and the tow truck....well. You get it. In hindsight I was underimpressed. The Army of Ghosts/Doomsday fared better but had its faults. Last years Utopia/etc. 3-part.....well. The first two were among the finest new-Who, but the i'm with what appears to be the consensus in thinking that RTD blew it in the end and the promise of the Master too. School Reunion. This represents the other extreme for Who. Mostly quiet, character-driven and solidly acted, with much pathos and nostalgia. An understated and brilliant performance from Tennant, Rose at her least annoying, Sarah-Jane........brilliant! And the surprise of the season; the beginning of Mickey coming into his own as an enjoyable character. Spoilt only by Murray Gold's action pieces, on one of his manic days. I was sure this new finale would be in the tradition of the previous, outrageous and larger-than-life stories. I was heartened by last weeks prep but still a bit nervous. Excited and hopeful, but nervous. I needn't have worried. RTD has come good. There is some well-placed humour, great spectacle and solid acting from all the returning guest stars. Rose was not given the pivotal role (in this episode, at least) that we were led to believe. Brave and right. Sarah-Jane was perhaps underused. Jack - good. Martha - pretty ok. So we have UNIT, Torchwood, Sarah, Rose, and Uncle Tom Cobbly. The Daleks were superb. But it was the long-awaited return of Davros that rocked. Perfectly realised. Genuinely scary and reverent to the old design at once. For once, all the mayhem seemed on the ball. The Earth really seemed in peril. Big talking point, though......the regeneration at the end. That's right. No point in trying to hide it, it'll be all over the place. Or PART regeneration, because - in perhaps the greatest cliffhanger of all - we never get to see the result of the injured Doctors change. I've heard rumours that this will not be a straightforward regen. That Tennant will remain (at least in the long term). I'm not sure. Part of me thinks that that would be a giant cop out and a monumental red herring. There's an awful shadow of the way the Master story was treated last year. But let's be hopeful. And what if it's real and final? Surely the best kept secret on the net. WHO could it be? Who SHOULD it be? Tune in next week, for there was no teaser. Just geekoid coitus interruptus. 10/10 for this one, methinks.

“The Handsome 12th Doctor” says:

Well that was an A1 tip-top sandwich of fun. Exactly what I want in a Who season finale (part 1). It had excitement, humour, splosions and a great monster. The Daleks at last seemed like a genuine threat. No silly convoluted plan. Just straightforward exterminating the hell out of humans from the word go, exactly like they're supposed to do. Leading them was old favourite Davros. It was pleasing to see they mostly kept his classic appearance, with only a few little tweaks. He scared me when I was a kid so by rights he should be scaring kids tonight. You may be aware that his wasn't the only returning face. Tonight's ep could have been called The League of Extraordinary Spin-offs. Amazingly though it didn't feel as hectic as I'd feared. Some of the characters got far more screen time than the rest, yet each of them were given chances to shine. The best for me was Donna's "You never give up" speech. Closely followed by all of Penelope Wilton's scenes. And I can't leave out Rose and Sarah Jane and Martha, each of them great. And I especially can't leave out Bernard Cribbins as Wilf. Again outstanding work from him. "Do you wanna swap?" being my favourite line of the whole show. I also enjoyed watching everyone's varied reactions to the Daleks initial transmission of "Exterminate!" Meanwhile at the centre of it all David Tennant continued to be tremendous. Come on David, do season 5. Please. Michael Brandon was a fine addition to the cast, pitching his performance just right. The other cameos were hit and miss. Or to give them their full names, Richard Dawkins and Paul O'Grady. Damn you RTD and your pesky pop-culture obsession. That though was his only distinctive flaw on display. So far that is. We'll have to see how he wraps it up next week. But for now I'd like to commend him on a job well done. It was an extremely fast moving story without being muddled. He was able to blend in all the many references that had been set up this season (yes, even the bees). While still finding time to pose new questions to be answered next week. Such as what is the relevance of the planet formation? What does Martha's key do? (please don't be a Deux Ex Machina). And is there a mystery behind the Red Dalek? But more significantly what the hell is happening with that cliffhanger?? That was crazily unexpected. If you haven't seen this ep and somebody has told you about this ending then shame on them. Shame on them. Cleverly there was no "Next week" trailer to give anything away. This means I'll be looking forward to next Saturday all the more. God I love this show!

“Candy Ass Monkey Suit” says:

Hi Herc Just thought id give a rundown on the latest Doctor who episode just broadcast in the u.k "THE STOLEN SKY" WRITTREN BY RUSSELL T DAVIES Well Doctor who has been a hit n miss affair over the last 4 weeks, even steven moffetts 2 parter was underpar for him and the last 2 weeks have been just ok and no more. Well i can say hand on heart that "The stolen sky" the foirst of a 2 part season finale is one of the best who episodes ever made. God this has everything and dispels completely that RTD is a bad who writer,if theis was to be his swansone,which we know it isnt,it would be a fiting way to go out. You know when ray winstone said that indy 4 started with a gallop and just got quickr and quicker..well that statement is so true of this,there is barely time to breathe in this ep as it crams so much into 45 mins. SPOLIERS AHEAD! We start with the disappearing,we see the torchwood gang,sarah jane smith,martha jones and unit,donnas family and of course one lovely Rose tyler too. Rose is trying to locate the dr without much success to warn him when the daleks invade earth and take the planet away. We see torchwood,sarah jane and rose all trying to help out and discover what is going on..meanwhile the dr and donna are just as perplexed when they find out the earth has gone and take a visit to the shadow proclomation (first mentioned in the revived who's very first ep) they are sort of galactic police who have the judoon (seen in smith and jones) as teir soldiers etc. After discussing what is possibly happening the council declare the dr the perfect leader to fight any upcoming war,the dr and donna make a quick escape before the council knows wtaht is going on. Back on earth martha and unit have a divice salvaged from the sontarans which is a primitive teleporter and the leader of unit (played by american actor michael brandon) tells martha to take the teleprter and a disc which has a programme on it (we do not know what this is yet) and go find the doctor. thwe nest 20 kmins see harriet jones,ex prime minister make contact with sarah jane,torchwood and martha but not rose as no ones knows she is on our earth yet,there she helps the doc and donna locate earth by sending out a powerful intergalactic signal,the dr discovers this and ends up seeing all his former friends/companions on the view screen but again not rose as she is out of the loop and cant contact him. We see the dalek ship and see finally DAVROS creator of the daleks..thought dead in the time war he has been resurected and has created new daleks after the final dalek to survive..caan (last seen in daleks in manhatten)travelled back to the time war to rescue davros. The time war was locked in time says the dr yet caan still made it. The dr looks horrified at what is to come. The dr and donna land on earth and wants to look for rose "well tell her that youself" donna says..Rose is behind up the street..the 2 run to each other..with tears in their eys..but suddenly!!...a dalek comes out of no-where and shoots the dr..the dr falls to the ground mortally wounded!! Rose,jack and donna take the dr aboard the trdis but you knw what is going to happen next...THE DOCTOR STARTS TO REGENERATE!! TO BE CONTINUED !! Phew..i nearly had a heart atack what an episode..amazing stuff..one of who's greatest ep's and the pace nevr lets up! As for the regeneraion..well god knows what happens there..we know tennant is coming back for 4 specials nest yr..or is this all just a ruse to throw the scent off the dogs?? i hope not as we all love tennant..i have seen pics of the xmas special which is called "ghosts in the mahine" and tennant si in them,so RTD has something up his sleeve,canrt wait to find out! THE GOOD Every bloody thing,the pace is elecrric,the fx are superb..miles better than the cartoon fx battlestar galactica throws out every week,great performances,touching reunion between rose and the dr,davros superbly played by julian bleach..the list goes on and on. THE BAD Noting at all..perfect ep. THE GEEKY Loads again..virtually evrey companion/friend etc the dr has met since the shows revival is in this ep. im exuasted! ROLL ON NEXT WEEKS SEASON FINALE..ITS GOT TO GO SOME TO TOP THIS THOUGH 10/10

“dj bollocks” says:

Let's start with something controversial for the talkback - that Mugabe feller, what a nice guy... *jokes* So The Stolen Earth- the penultimate RTD regular episode... Here's the shimmy... Rose, Donna, Martha, Sarah Jane, Torchwood posse in full effect... Then let's begin... It all starts with roof tiles and milk bottles... "The entire planet... it's gone...." UNIT - a bit f*cked.... Torchwood - a bit f*cked... Sarah Jane's house - a little bit f*cked Wilf & Sylvia's house a bit f*cked... All "impossible" apparently... Rose Tyler arrives and a quick look to the skies shows that there are 26 planets in very close proximity. "I'm taking you to the Shadow Proclamation" The end of the world it would appear all our heroes doing some quick analysis - then some spaceships appear... Wahey our first thinly veiled gay joke of the evening... stands back.... Message for the humans - goes a bit like this.... "Exterminate... Exterminate... Exterminate... Exterminate... Exterminate... Exterminate... " Everyone looks a bit despondent.... "There's a harvest on the way" Dempsey of Dempsey & Makepeace fame says "Ladies and Gentlemen we are at war..." Here comes the Supreme Dalek "Soon the Crucible will be complete" "Daleks are the masterful form" "What are the Shadow Proclamation anyway ?" "The sort of Outer Space Police" Hello J'Doon "Someone tried to move the Earth a long time ago.... Can't be...." "Project Indigo is being activated..." The Daleks invade Manhattan - Martha is given some key - nice audio mixing there... and teleports out of New York A quick chat between the Supreme Commander, Davros and an insane Dalek Caan ! Chief Superintendent Shadow Proclamation woman mentions Donna's back and "The loss that is yet to come" Migrant bees - Tandoka scale and trail... "Course I will... I'll just go and get you the key...." "You will come with us - Resisitance is useless...." Wilf uses his paintgun knowledge... "My vision is not impaired" and Rose save's the day.... "I'm Rose Tyler and I need you." More buck toothed goodness... "Where is he ?" ...and we're at The Medusa Cascade "The centre of a rift in Time and Space.... end of the line...." More despondency with our characters.... Harriet Jones is 'calling all the heroes...' "The subwave is undetectable" - developed by The Mr Copper Foundation ??? "The Osterhaagen key".... Forget about it.... Harriet gets paid a visit - they know who she is - Exterminate "It's like an Outer Space Facebook" Dalek Caan goes a bit mental again and Davros reveals himself "Welcome to my new empire Doctor" mention of "The Nightmare Child" and Dalek Caan's "Emergency Temporal Shift took him into the time rift..." "Everlasting death for the most faithful companion" Captain Jack's temporal wristband work's again as the Dalek's invade Torchwood... And everyone is looking for the Doctor... More buck tooth action as Rose and the Doctor run for a snuggle only there's a Dalek on hand who shoots the Doctor... Sarah Jane is trapped... Everybody's about to get exterminated and the Doctor's regenerating.... Well there will be many a fanboy sat in a pool of their own body fluids right now.... and as set ups go we've got a Best of Both Worlds Part one style set up here - the predicament cliffhanger doesn't come much more serious than this... there's humour, there's campness - only there's not a great deal of substance to it... Lots of the the previous loose ends are intertwined but it does all feel a little crowbarred again. Everybody has a personal touch with the Daleks but the plot is a messy... Hopefully we'll see more plot next week but as a way to go out with a bang consider me cliff hung drawn and quartered...

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