Subj : 2005 BAD WOLF/PARTING - Doctor Who Does Buffy Season 4 (no spoiler review)
To   : rec.arts.sf.tv,rec.arts.drwho,rec.arts.tv,rec.arts.startrek.current,alt.tv.star-trek.ds9
From : electrictroy
Date : Thu Sep 22 2005 06:11:29

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.star-trek.ds9

2005 BAD WOLF/PARTING - Doctor Who Does Buffy Season 4 (no spoiler
review)

For those not familiar with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it's about a
young woman who is given great strength to fight evil & protect the
innocent - a hero.  In season 4 of this series, we see Buffy facing a
robot/monster named "A.D.A.M" who is essentially indestructible.  So
Buffy and her friends (Willow/Xander/Giles) use magic to combine their
strength, turn Buffy into a goddess, and kill Adam with a wave of her
hand.  Like magic.  -----  What's this have to do with Doctor Who's
story finale?  Because writer/producer Richard T. Davies says he was
inspired by Buffy... so much so that it appears he copied Buffy's
season-long arc format & final solution to defeating A.D.A.M.  (No it's
not exactly the same, but darn close.)

..

So is it good or not?  Many have complained it's "deus ex machina," a
crime  Star Trek DS9 was guilty of in season 6 (the station is attacked
& the enemy ships literally disappear -saved by the gods- the exact
definition of the term), but I'm not convinced that's true of Doctor
Who.  There are no gods here.  *Just a Tardis & a person willing to use
that tool for maximum effect.*  How is that any different than picking
up a gun & aiming it at the enemy?  None really, because whether you
use a gun, or the Tardis, you're still just using a *man-made tool*.
No gods involved.  -----  Plus, and most importantly, the use of the
tool has consequences.  The bad guy was destroyed, but in the process
of using that tool, you've also destroyed yourself.  It's not
"cheating" if you have to pay the ultimate price.

..

Plotwise, I thought this story was fantastic.  It starts off with a
mystery involving TV Game Shows that kill off their contestants, leads
into the Doctor discovering *he's* the one responsible for this mess
(the long game), and in the last 45 minutes, a great "base under siege"
story involving the Doctor's greatest enemy.  I was on the edge of my
seat for the whole 90 minutes!  So the bottom line, in my opinion, this
was a great story.  Not flawless.  Not perfect.  But it *definitely*
kept me entertained!  This is one I'll be re-watching over-and-over
with my coworkers & friends.

It's also definitely a season I'll buy on tape.  Rarely has a year of
episodes been *so* good, I'm willing to part with my hard-earned
dollars.  Babylon 5, Deep Space Nine, and now the New Doctor Who.

troy

.