Doctor Who (again) [SPOILERS]

[Thufir]

'Utopia' Part 1/3 (Season Three, Episode Eleven)
Same format as before.

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But a local Whovian friend of mine told me, upon finding out I was watching this episode blind, that Sir Derek Jacobi once acted in a Doctor Who webisode where he played The Master.

I'm glad you didn't grasp that they'd just spoiled the episode for you until later.

Cut to some punk rocker humans with . . . you know what, I'm going to make the joke. I am. They're Sharpteeth.

...I expected this to prompt me to rewatch the episode. Not Land Before Time.
Wait, I don't have it on DVD do I? Damn.

Chanto

Chantho, I think.

Huh. The end of the universe is the BBC quarry. I was expecting something a little more dramatic considering it's well, the heat death of the entire universe, but maybe they blew their budget on something else. Like Sir Derek Yana.

I dunno, the whole point of it being the heat death of the universe means that things are just gradually vanishing. Whimper, not bang.

And while I'm at it, I know Doctor Who is made by BBC Wales, but what's their love affair with Cardiff? I'm pretty sure Torchwood is set in Cardiff. And there've been four or five episode set in Cardiff or featuring said city in a relevant way in Doctor Who alone.

Well, originally it was a joke in The Unquiet Dead. I think every recurrence after that is related to the space-time rift which was established as existing there in that episode.

Will you just shut up bitching over Rose and look around! END OF THE UNIVERSE PEOPLE!' He's acting like a dad.

The Doctor as surrogate father to his companions is definitely something which could happen. More so back in the days of One, of course, when he looked significantly older than them as well as being so.

And then Cpt. Jack wakes up. Apparently he can tell when people are snogging him from beyond the grave. Sex powers: his are omnipotent and omnipresent.

It is his true superpower. Being invulnerable is just a minor little bonus.

I got Cadfael and Queen in my Doctor Who!

And Jareth. And a couple of other things. I'm surprised I'm not witnessing an all-out fangirlsplosion.

OH MY GIDDY AUNT IT'S A CHAMELEON ARCH! PROFESSOR YANA IS A TIME LORD!

Funnily enough, my immediate thought was instead that it was the Doctor's watch that he used and then gave to Tim. I mean, sure it's just a watch at that point, but it's a Time Lord watch. It could've survived to the end of the universe.

Seriously. Was anybody expecting that?!

Mmm, there were rumours the Master was coming back, so once we arrived at the conclusion Yana was a Time Lord...
On the other hand, it was still a little confusing, because it was generally reckoned that John Simm (Who had been confirmed to be appearing in the finale) was going to be the Master, so it was still a surprise.

How does Ten know who the new Time Lord is?

It's a Time Lord thing. They always recognise each other, regardless of regenerations.

Also, is it me, or is this exchange slashy?

Oh, just wait for the next episode.

Best. Episode. Of the series.

Don't think I'd say that. But it is a brilliant episode.

It was a fantastic wham episode. Everything made sense, was laid out as early in advance as season one's Christmas special (or 'The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances' if you include characters) and wait.

I don't think it was all planned out in advance so much as some things having been introduced and then RTD decided to make use of them. Certainly I don't think that use of the Doctor's spare hand was planned.
On the other hand, I think they were definitely planning for the return of the Master back when the Doctor saw the Face of Boe in New Earth. So, yeah, still pretty well done.

Someone said Mr. Saxon was running for PM. The Master is Mr. Saxon.

Now, you remember I said there was some major speculation which turned out to be right, partly by coincidence?

MISTER SAXON
MASTER NO. SIX

Anagram. And that would have been the right number... were it not for the inclusion of Sir Derek Jacobi in-between. Thanks to this, John Simm is in fact the seventh actor to play the Master. (EDIT: Actually, on wikipedia-ing, it depends how you count it I think. But there was definitely some logical train of thought which would lead to Derek Jacobi counting as the sixth Master) So it was a coincidence (As RTD pointed out, 'Mister [anything]' is likely to anagram to 'Master [something]') but still, they were right.

And poor Prof Yana!

That's one of the really notable things for me - the Doctor, while he bounced back into his own life, was obviously sorry for the fact John Smith had had to effectively die for him to live, and for Nurse Redfern being left on her own. The Master didn't give Professor Yana a second thought, and murdered Chantho.
Oh, also, earlier on in the episode I remember thinking that Professor Yana would have made a brilliant companion. Which sort of tipped me off something bad was going to happen to him.

I don't really have a feel for Simms!Master yet; but he gave me a very manic Ten feel. Huh. We're gong to see what Ten would be like if he was evil and quite probably insane.

Yeah, Tennant and Simm are very well matched as Doctor and Master.

Wow.
I need to.
I need to go fangirl out somewhere.
Take a walk. Calm down.
Thinking is right out the window this was so cool.

So, if I go outside now, and cup my ears in the direction of Oxford, will I hear fangirly squeeing noises?

[Reverent-One]

Couple of random thoughts in response to CurlyKitGirl's review.

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Opening theme! You know, they missed a trick here. Should have CG'd Cpt.Jack into the opening holding onto the TARDIS. (Writer: RTD)

You are so right, they totally should have. It would have been awesome.

Then Cpt. Jack comes back to life and it literally takes him five seconds to go from back-from-the-dead (05.53) to flirting with Marth (05.59). And half of that was spent gasping. I like Cpt. Jack when he flirts. So does Martha. So does Cpt. Jack when Martha flirts back. The Doctor does not. Cpt. Jack, your omnisexual powers know no bounds.

Here you are incorrect. His omnisexual powers have a distinct bound, the Doctor.

[CurlyKitGirl]

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Indeed and for those who haven't read this on Wikipedia Mister Saxon rearranged is Master No. Six

Do keep these going with these

Cool. So John Simms, Jacobi, that guy from the movie (was it two?), Ainley, Delgado . . . do the ones from Curse of the Fatal Death count?
And don't worry, I will, it's fun. Three seasons to go, and some other things too.

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I'm glad you didn't grasp that they'd just spoiled the episode for you until later.

They were right though, he was in Curse of the Shalka which was an animated webisode. They got to spoil it without spoiling it.

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...I expected this to prompt me to rewatch the episode. Not Land Before Time.
Wait, I don't have it on DVD do I? Damn.

It's online. Or you could buy it I suppose.
And hey, as long as it encourages you to watch something nostalgic or awesome.

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Chantho, I think.

I transcribe what I hear.

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I dunno, the whole point of it being the heat death of the universe means that things are just gradually vanishing. Whimper, not bang.

I suppose. Still odd though. Course, I don't think I've seen the BBC Quarry before in Doctor Who so I can roll with it.

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Well, originally it was a joke in The Unquiet Dead. I think every recurrence after that is related to the space-time rift which was established as existing there in that episode.

*shrug*
Long running joke then. Works, but still a little peculiar to me.

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The Doctor as surrogate father to his companions is definitely something which could happen. More so back in the days of One, of course, when he looked significantly older than them as well as being so.

I think the Doctor tends to be slightly paternal to his Companions anyway, not always, but sometimes. Mostly when he's comforting people or telling them off like they're misbehaving schoolchildren.
I'd love to see a properly surrogate father relationship going on though with a recurring character.

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It is his true superpower. Being invulnerable is just a minor little bonus.

Well obviously. Just imagine what would happen if you got him and Jareth in the same room.

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And Jareth. And a couple of other things. I'm surprised I'm not witnessing an all-out fangirlsplosion.

I internalised much of it for later.

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Funnily enough, my immediate thought was instead that it was the Doctor's watch that he used and then gave to Tim. I mean, sure it's just a watch at that point, but it's a Time Lord watch. It could've survived to the end of the universe.

Different design on one of the faces. You're right in that it could definitely survive until the end of time. Crazy fanon theory now: every Time Lord has a chameleon arch, and each one has its own unique carvings and swirling things.

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Mmm, there were rumours the Master was coming back, so once we arrived at the conclusion Yana was a Time Lord...
On the other hand, it was still a little confusing, because it was generally reckoned that John Simm (Who had been confirmed to be appearing in the finale) was going to be the Master, so it was still a surprise.

Well, glad I missed those spoilers then. But it was nice that there was still a little bit of a fake out even for people who had been spoiled.

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It's a Time Lord thing. They always recognise each other, regardless of regenerations.

neat trick.

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Oh, just wait for the next episode.

*is hopelessly intrigued*

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Don't think I'd say that. But it is a brilliant episode.

Fangirl. I fangirled, you didn't.

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I don't think it was all planned out in advance so much as some things having been introduced and then RTD decided to make use of them. Certainly I don't think that use of the Doctor's spare hand was planned.
On the other hand, I think they were definitely planning for the return of the Master back when the Doctor saw the Face of Boe in New Earth. So, yeah, still pretty well done.

Even so, that's still what? Two seasons of planning then. And being able to weave all those possibly unrelated threads into one coherent story is still a very impressive feat.

[spoiler]Now, you remember I said there was some major speculation which turned out to be right, partly by coincidence?

MISTER SAXON
MASTER NO. SIX

Anagram. And that would have been the right number... were it not for the inclusion of Sir Derek Jacobi in-between. Thanks to this, John Simm is in fact the seventh actor to play the Master. (EDIT: Actually, on wikipedia-ing, it depends how you count it I think. But there was definitely some logical train of thought which would lead to Derek Jacobi counting as the sixth Master) So it was a coincidence (As RTD pointed out, 'Mister [anything]' is likely to anagram to 'Master [something]') but still, they were right.

Maybe some of them don't count depending on what they were in? Even if it was a coincidence, it was still a fun one.

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That's one of the really notable things for me - the Doctor, while he bounced back into his own life, was obviously sorry for the fact John Smith had had to effectively die for him to live, and for Nurse Redfern being left on her own. The Master didn't give Professor Yana a second thought, and murdered Chantho.
Oh, also, earlier on in the episode I remember thinking that Professor Yana would have made a brilliant companion. Which sort of tipped me off something bad was going to happen to him.

Oh, Prof. Cadfael - Yana would have made a wonderful Companion. We need to start getting some older types in on the Companion thing. Yes, yes, lots of people in their mid-twenties mean sex appeal; but give me a Companion who's also older than normal. See how a young Doctor deals with an older Companion.
And yes, in those first few moments after the Master is awakened you can really see the difference between him and the Doctor. The way he dismisses Chantho instantly, and the way he just. Didn't. Care. About. Anyone. Else.
Just another comparison in how the Doctor and the Master react to the same events happening.

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Yeah, Tennant and Simm are very well matched as Doctor and Master.

I'll certainly see that for myself soon enough!

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So, if I go outside now, and cup my ears in the direction of Oxford, will I hear fangirly squeeing noises?

I don't know. Did you hear anything about half an hour ago? It might have gone supersonic.

Couple of random thoughts in response to CurlyKitGirl's review.

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You are so right, they totally should have. It would have been awesome.

[...]

Here you are incorrect. His omnisexual powers have a distinct bound, the Doctor.

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Maybe they edited it in for the DVD release? Just a special bonus for the fans?

And to your second point, I can refute that. In either 'The Empty Child'/'The Doctor Dances' there is definitely some flirting going on between Cpt. Jack and the Doctor, and in a later episode Cpt. Jack gives Nine a big kiss right on the lips. And Nine seemed fairly pleased about it.
Ten might not be especially attracted to Cpt. Jack, but Nine certainly was.

[Thufir]

Maybe they edited it in for the DVD release? Just a special bonus for the fans?

They didn't, sadly.

[SuperPanda]

EDIT: forgot my spoiler tag, bad panda.

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The Nu Who Trek continues. And now, to boldly go where many have gone before. [*cue TNG theme (I love that theme song so much)*]

I've been waiting for this for a while, this easily fills my Who "Need" for the weekened and reading this was actually as enjoyable as last week's A good man goes to War. Very much props to you on that.

Ponies. I got carried away.

Forgiven completely. The first 10 minutes don't have too much to do with it.

So. To explain why I'm fangirling so massively over Sir Derek Jacobi, let me explain. He is a proper Shakespearian actor having acted alongside on the cinema's all-time greats: Lawrence Olivier, as well as having pulled off a stunning performance as Claudius in I, Clavdivs. But personally, I know him from Cadfael which is set on the Welsh border in the twelfth-century. In this show he plays the titular Anglo-Welsh ex-Crusader turned Benedictine monk, doctor and part-time mystery (typically murder) solver. I love this show. Amazing costumes, setting, direction,

I have been deprived. I adored Yana throughout this episode and I will now start watching Cadfield.

But a local Whovian friend of mine told me, upon finding out I was watching this episode blind, that Sir Derek Jacobi once acted in a Doctor Who webisode where he played The Master.

Its much more fun to find that sort of thing out afterwards, but happily it didn't spoil anything for you.

On with the show!
Cold open in Cardiff? The hey? Since when has the TARDIS needed to refuel before? Except that one time back in season one. Cute callbacks to 'The Unquiet Dead' and 'Boom Town' though. Hey. Running dude.
Hee. Like this bit: (re: the earthquake from 'Boom Town' "It was a long time ago. A lifetime in fact." Hehe. Oh look, more running guy. He looks familiar. Cpt Jack! Wait, wait, wait. Cpt. Jack was left behind on Station Five after 'Bad Wolf'/'Parting of the Ways' which took place in the hundreds of thousands AD. One: How did he get back to C21^st Cardiff? Two: Who or what is he running from? Oh. The Doctor. Okay. New Two: How did he know when the Doctor would show up? Three: Why is he running after the Doctor? Four: Am I missing some sort of - yes, I am. He had that Torchwood spin-off didn't he? Okay. So, how much of Torchwood is applicable to the current scenario?

RTD did very well at keeping spin off continuity in line with the main series and yet without crossing over so that you have to see the spin-off to understand what is happening.

Opening theme! You know, they missed a trick here. Should have CG'd Cpt.Jack into the opening holding onto the TARDIS. (Writer: RTD)

That would have been an incredible detail to add in there.

Sir Derek Jacobi hopes there'll be better coffee in Utopia than here, shame really, his accent and clothing are so delightfully British I was expecting him to favour tea. Chanto(toe?) says she's just fine "drinking [her] own internal milk, toe". Ick. Still, different strokes for different people.

yes, well that's quite enough information, thank you.

By the way, those makeup for Chanto is amazing. Those mandible move very realistically. She does have Klingon head ridges though.
So Prof Yana (Cadfael) is a scientist who seems to have run head first into a spot of scientist's block constructed out of an impenetrable wall of technoTreknobabble. I think the gist of it is they're trying to build a . . . warp core. But they can't reverse the polarity of the jelly baby without a flux capacitor, so they need to run a level three diagnostic to make sure the spacio-spatial temporal hyperlink is secure on the intra-trajectorial flow before engaging the swirly energy thingies before initiating the chatter chatter jargon strange words, computer stuff, random words, technical blatheration.

Dear gods I love this. This is even more fun than "Goes ding when there's stuff."

He's even zoning out as Chanto speaks. You can tell because the audio fades away and the music ramps up. Cadfael starts breathing heavily and there are drums? Why? Catchy beat though.

Almost hypnotic I'd say.

Then Cpt. Jack comes back to life and it literally takes him five seconds to go from back-from-the-dead (05.53) to flirting with Marth (05.59). And half of that was spent gasping. I like Cpt. Jack when he flirts. So does Martha. So does Cpt. Jack when Martha flirts back. The Doctor does not. Cpt. Jack, your omnisexual powers know no bounds.

Personally I thought it was telling that the Doctor got miffed at Martha being interested in Jack and get's miffed about Martha being jealous of Rose. Rebound much? On the other hand, Jack is hilarious. Since the actor is not actually attracted to women I find it fun that when he's on Doctor Who he mostly flirts with women while when he is on Torchwood he mostly flirts with men (though on both shows he flirts with both). Still, with him being from the 51st century I can understand him having a more liberal dance-card. Actually, that's why I don't mind either when he flirts.

Doctor: "Have you had work done?"
Cpt. Jack: "You can talk" [He has a point]
Doctor: "Oh! Oh, yes, the face." [Does Martha even know about regeneration at this point in time?] Now we come to a bit of callousness. Despite the Doctor having referring to Cpt. Jack as his friend and former Companion not one minute ago, he claims to have completely forgotten that he'd left Cpt. Jack behind on Station 5. Regeneration trauma maybe? Either way it's callous.
Then we have a - oh no. ROSE! And just when I thought she was gone for good. Time to reinstate my count.

Yeah, I was really really ready for her to be gone by this point. I think in the remaining two episodes of this season you've got 1 reference left, but all bets are off in season 4.

It's still sweet this scene though, with the Doctor telling Cpt. Jack that their mutual friend is alive and happy elsewhere, complete with a manly brohug. (Funny Face Time: Bunny-face Martha at 06.48) Martha looks a little sulky at this celebration. Now, I want to call this selfish and mean, her being depressed and snappy over their mutual happiness about Rose still being alive, but on the other hand, it's Rose. Really, I can see both points of view here, so I rest unhappily on the fence.

I was on Martha and Jack's side in this scene and the resulting outburst the Doctor had about blogging. My main problem with season 3 has been the Doctor's treatment of Martha.

At first I was frustrated with her school girl crush, but the more I watched the more I saw him flirt with her and entice her and then slap her for being interested. He keeps pushing her just out of reach and then beckoning her closer and then pushing her away again.

Jack traveled with Rose (who doesn't get mentioned at all in Torchwood if I remember) though his personal crush was probably on the Doctor. He saw Rose more as a little sister, someone to protect and watch over (well, after the events in Doctor Dances. During that one they had chemistry.)

And while I'm at it, I know Doctor Who is made by BBC Wales, but what's their love affair with Cardiff? I'm pretty sure Torchwood is set in Cardiff. And there've been four of five episode set in Cardiff or featuring said city in a relevant way in Doctor Who alone.

Doctor Who is filmed and produced out of Cardiff, all the jokes about Cardiff on the show as some horrible little backwater (judging from the way the name keeps getting delivered) is the production team poking fun at themselves. This is one of the reasons I love this show, there are tons of little things like this that let you know the whole production team is laughing along with us and waving to their mum's in the back row (just like the kindergartners I teach when they do a play of some sort). I mean this in the cute way, because these people are beyond professional (unlike my students).

Sir Derek Cadfael! Hey, is it just me, or does Prof. Sir Cadfael's laboratory from certain angles look a little like a TARDIS after the Doctor's been rebuilding it? Heh. Always knew the Doctor was a genius scientist.
And doesn't he just get adorably excited and flustered when he finds out there's a fellow "Scientist!" in the Silo. He has an honest-to-God fanboy moment. And it's precious. Very precious. He even scurries excitedly as he leaves his laboratory.

At this part of my first viewing I was really hoping Professor Yana would become a new companion of the Doctor's.

On a side note I didn't notice the looking like a Tardis thing until you said it. Really with all the hints we've been given its amazing that the reveal is a reveal at all. Major props to Sir Derek Jacobi for selling Yana so convincingly and for RTD for setting up a story where all the pieces were there and the audience just doesn't put them together until the last moment.

Kindly old genius scientist, a bit eccentric; with a charming young female companion; in a space-agey-TARDIS like control room;trying to save a group of humans from the perils of the universe; willing to sacrafice himself; with a fob watch; played by an actor who has been a Time-Lord before. Now, as to which time-lord, we really didn't have many hints.

. But then after the Scottish kid with a clipboard (and an adorable accent) helps Running Dude find his family

Yeah, that's not a face I forgot. Really cute kid.

(kicking off a running gag where the Doctor basically give Cpt. Jack a slap on the wrist any time he starts flirting),

Or talking, or simply saying Hello.

HEE! DEREK JACOBI!
And he geeks out over the Doctor.
This is adorable.

Its good apparently.

And Cpt. Jack's Doctor-Detector (oh I so called that name!) is the hand from way back in 'The Christmas Invasion'! Wow. Long planning. never thought that would show up again. Three seasons, that's a long time to wait to pull the trigger of Chekov's gun. Cue regeneration explanation. With flashbacks!

RTD certainly thought that was a handy plot device. He kept it close to his heart in case the story ever needed a hand out.

Puns aside, the hand shows up in background shots throughout Torchwood Season 1 which ran concurrent to Doctor Who season 3 (or in between Doctor who seasons 2 and 3 - I'm not sure there). Since the hand had no relevance to Torchwood, RTD had been laying that groundwork throughout Torchwood along with some Vote Saxxon posters mentioned earlier in the thread.

But the point is: Cpt. Jack is going to be turned into ashes again and again, in immense pain all the time. And the Doctor just volunteers him for the job, although Cpt. Jack's obviously up for it as we cut to more running with wonderfully epic coat flapping. To epic rock music.
Does this mean Cpt. Jack is the Wolverine of the Whoniverse?
Cpt. Jack: "I'm taking off my clothing [...] I look good." He does.

Jack's revenge on the Doctor's prudishness is a gift to the viewers. I loved that exchange:

Doctor: Why are you taking your clothes off, from the look of it the radiation doesn't affect clothing.
Jack: Yeah, But I look good though.

Also 10's expression as he leers through the window at Jack is creepy, even more creepy when you imagine how much pain Jack must be in and that the Doctor voulenteered him for it. Jack's banter back with the Doctor is wonderful though.

"So what you're saying is, your predjudice."
"Didn't think of it like that."
"Shame on you."

OH MY GIDDY AUNT IT'S A CHAMELEON ARCH! PROFESSOR YANA IS A TIME LORD! The Doctor isn't alone! They're going to be so happy when - oh no. John Smith 'died' and he was adorkable. I don't want Cadfael to 'die'. He's just too sweet.
We then get a flashback to 'Human Nature' as Martha realises at the same time as we do (more or less) that the watch isn't a watch.
The drumming's gone all parade style now. And terrifying in its quiet omnipresence. DON'T MARTHA! ZOGMAGOG! It's got the circly swirls on it! AND THE DRUMS!
Don't open the watch Professor Jacobi. Don't open the watch! Marth get your skinny butt to the Doctor now! She's found him. Come on Doctor, frantic music is frantic. And the Doctor is in denial about it. Big denial. Is it "brilliant" the Time Lord's aren't dead? The Doctor's freakin' petrified practically by the possibility they're back (check him out 36.00 - 36.36), so maybe not.
Don't open it Cadfael!
Oh my God it's whispering to him! "The never-ending drumbeat. Open me, be cruel, open the light and summon me up receive my majesty" This Time Lord's a nutter who is ordering his human persona to effectively die to bring his Time Lord self back to life.
Bloody Hellfire this is creepy and terrifying and you're not going to do it Cadfael. You're not. Wait. Yana. Y A N A (I saw it writ like that on the comm. system) Y A Not A. You Are Not Alone.
THIS IS TERRIFYINGLY AWESOME AND AWESOMELY TERRIFYING!
Watch: "Destroy him! And you will give your power to me" Resist Cadfael. Resist. You can do this. You survived the Crusades. This is - God that music.
And then you intercut the creepy music with the rock music of success.
THE DRUMS! HE OPENED THE WATCH!
No!

Amazingly sums up the same feelings I had through that sequence, so wonderfully shot, edited, and acted.

Flashback to Boe's death where I figured out what happened barely a minute before it happened. And the music is tense and drums and guitar and orchestra and aaaahhh! 38.18. How can Sir Derek Jacobi be so terrifying just by turning around and having that expression on his face?! Which Time Lord is he?
(The humans get a happy ending)
Sir Jacobi's gone all scary. Look at how stern his face is. And how his entire body language is more commanding and stricter. He let the rage-Sharpteeth into the compound.

As one door closes, another must open.

Oh smeg me. He sounds so scary. Chanto's shaking and waving a gun at him, and he just turns around and oh so calmly says "Oh, now I can say I was provoked." He almost sounds pleased about it. And he's waving that live cable around.
And there's some running in between the awesome Jacobi scenes.
Oh God. He's so scary. So angry. Tranquil fury, and the - "You and your 'chan' and your 'to', you're diving me insane!!" And Chanto is literally quaking in fear, backed up against the wall as he unleashes this tidal wave of invective fury. And then "Chan, who are you, to?"
And in one of the most scary whispers I've ever heard he replies, "I. Am. The Master."
SO MANY CENSORED WORDS! This. WOW! Oh my giggy aunt. Bloody Nora!
I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT! Oh you, you little sod WHovian friend of mine! YOU SPOILED THE EPISODE AND I DIDN'T EVEN REALISE! YOU'RE SO DEAD.

And yet, looking back, knowing that Yana was played by a past incarnation of the Master makes it all so perfect.

Also, I laughed so hard at "So many censored words!"

Seriously. Was anybody expecting that?! I thought maybe (after I figured out the YANA etc.) it was Random Time Lord; but The Master. And The Master is the kindliest, gentlest, sweetest old man in the universe?!
So. Much. Awesome.
And then he goes and kills Chanto! AAAAAHHHH! That's a fangirlish squeak of horror and happiness (he does petrifying so very well!) and all sorts of conflicted tangled emotions.
Christ Almighty. What's the Doctor going to think?
Ah. SWEET! A three-parter with a Jacobi!Master. Kick. Butt.
More rage-Sharpteeth. I don't care. The music's gone all electro-synth and urgent, and the Master's reaching for the Doctor-Detector hand. Now he's not. And he's t - what? Utopia isn't Utopia? And he's left everyone else outside the lab.
NO! Chanto shot my Jacobi!Master! And then he stole the TARDIS!
Amazing. But sad. And Jacobi!Master locked it from the inside and stole the TARDIS.
The Master's upset he died via insect girl. And he's regenerating. And the music - and that line. "The Master. Reborn" And the scream?! WHY?! And the music soaring triumphantly over evil.
And the violins!
And things have gone so very wrong.
And the New!Master has the drums (but metallic), the TARDIS, the Doctor-Detector hand, and he's all manic and very Tennish! And genre-savvy! No Bond Villain speeches.
How does Ten know who the new Time Lord is? Also, is it me, or is this exchange slashy?
Master: "Use my name."
Doctor: [quietly, hoarsely] "Master. I'm sorry." And this music is excellent!
The TARDIS is rebelling against the Master, but fails, the rage-Sharpteeth are winning, and the Master vworp-vworp-vworps away in the TARDIS!
Holy bloody Nora.
They lost.

This is really one of the reasons why Seasons 3 and 5 of NuWho have been some of my favorite so far. Its not that the doctor is facing his "biggest threat ever, its not that reality is on the line, its that "They lost."

Someone beat the Doctor. Honest to goodness, straight up, beat the doctor. Now we're not dealing with an insane person who looks like their are on superior footing because of their army of insane murderers... we've got someone who is mentally matched with the Doctor and the only feeling you've got when watching is "god help us all."

Preview thoughts: He's the PM! basketball aliens? And people have to "RUN!" And UNIT's back?! "What this country really needs right now, is a Doctor?" *faeces eating grin*
People. This is going to rock my socks off.

An amazingly fun stylistic point in RTD's favor. The preview for the next episode doesn't feature even one glimpse of Martha, Jack, or the Doctor. For all the viewer knows they are stuck at the end of time while The Master is Prime Minister of Great Brittan.

[Raddish]

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Seriously. Was anybody expecting that?! I thought maybe (after I figured out the YANA etc.) it was Random Time Lord; but The Master.

I think sadly before the first time they showed that episode here in UKland it was given away by the tv guides and other general tv related magazines. That is if my memory has not failed me, it was such a long time ago and I have terrible remembering abilities.

Did enjoy reading your reaction to it, I got a strong vibe of surprise from it, with a little hint of WOW.

[Triscuitable]

Hey wait a minute: What happened to the Slitheens space ship? Did London forget about it? Is it xurrently in a lab with all its inner text slowly leeking into the world?

Due to the totally unfair rips in time and space, which very well may have prevented characters from ever meeting the doctor, humanity totally forgot about the aliens, save Torchwood Three, and it's

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only two living members.

Oh yeah, and UNIT.

[TheArsenal]

Due to the totally unfair rips in time and space, which very well may have prevented characters from ever meeting the doctor, humanity totally forgot about the aliens,

What a ****ty cop out.

Its the laziest reset button I have herd. Even worse than reset potion.

[Kato]

Wonderful review again even if my lacking knowledge prevents me from fangirlboying over Jacobi as much as you did it was still a pretty amazing episode. Best... hm... I'd argue but certainly among them.

Problem is... Simms is an AWESOME master but even though next episode will be great the season finale was kind of disappointing me... but not to spoil your hopes, many people liked it, and maybe you will love it, too. It's definitely great to see Simms and Tennant together.

And... well, no, I didn't see it coming either. But I didn't have any kind of indication to expect the twist (I was thinking Doctor's Watch for quite a while)

[CurlyKitGirl]

They didn't, sadly.

Curses.

EDIT: forgot my spoiler tag, bad panda.

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I've been waiting for this for a while, this easily fills my Who "Need" for the weekend and reading this was actually as enjoyable as last week's A good man goes to War. Very much props to you on that.

Whoa. High accolades. Really high accolades. I should add that your Who Fix should be getting the second part some time tonight.
Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed this write up, and now I know why everyone was, and still is, looking forward to my reactions to this serial.

Forgiven completely. The first 10 minutes don't have too much to do with it.

Ponies are amazing. And now I really want to see how elegantly I can get an MLP:FiM reference into a write up soon.
Those ten minutes were fairly interesting too, and I got to geek out over Sir Derek Yana twice over. Could have been a worse ten minutes.

I have been deprived. I adored Yana throughout this episode and I will now start watching Cadfael.

You won't regret it. Warning: there are some violent images. Also, it's very excellent. Also, it's educational! Seriously. I picked up so much about twelfth-century Anglo-Welsh and Anglo-French politics from that series.

It's much more fun to find that sort of thing out afterwards, but happily it didn't spoil anything for you.

True. And now I must go find Scream of the Shalka so I can enjoy more Jacobi!Master.

RTD did very well at keeping spin off continuity in line with the main series and yet without crossing over so that you have to see the spin-off to understand what is happening.

He's a good tellybox EU manager in that respect I suppose. Certainly this is a better way of doing things then having multi-crossover events with tie-in events in other shows that aren't mentioned fully in the main show itself.

Dear gods I love this. This is even more fun than "Goes ding when there's stuff."

I've seen a fair bit of sci-fi in my times. I can even tell you where everything comes from. Because I'm a sad sack.
And because of that fact, here goes (in order): Star Trek (all series); Doctor Who (referencing both Three and 'A Good Man Goes to War'); Back to the Future; Star Trek: TNG; Doctor Who ('The Girl In the Fireplace'); Torchwood or Star Gate; Red Dwarf; Gunnerkrigg Court; myself.

Personally I thought it was telling that the Doctor got miffed at Martha being interested in Jack and get's miffed about Martha being jealous of Rose. Rebound much? On the other hand, Jack is hilarious. Since the actor is not actually attracted to women I find it fun that when he's on Doctor Who he mostly flirts with women while when he is on Torchwood he mostly flirts with men (though on both shows he flirts with both). Still, with him being from the 51st century I can understand him having a more liberal dance-card. Actually, that's why I don't mind either when he flirts.

Martha does call herself the rebound girl. Jack is hilarious though, I saw a thing on Youtube where Tennant kissed Barrowman and Barrowman had an honest-to-God fanboy moment.

Yeah, I was really really ready for her to be gone by this point. I think in the remaining two episodes of this season you've got 1 reference left, but all bets are off in season 4.

Kill me. Now.

I was on Martha and Jack's side in this scene and the resulting outburst the Doctor had about blogging. My main problem with season 3 has been the Doctor's treatment of Martha.

At first I was frustrated with her school girl crush, but the more I watched the more I saw him flirt with her and entice her and then slap her for being interested. He keeps pushing her just out of reach and then beckoning her closer and then pushing her away again.

Jack travelled with Rose (who doesn't get mentioned at all in Torchwood if I remember) though his personal crush was probably on the Doctor. He saw Rose more as a little sister, someone to protect and watch over (well, after the events in Doctor Dances. During that one they had chemistry.)

I suppose there are flirtatious moments between the Doctor and Martha (although I can't really remember any), but my bias really does interfere at times with all possible readings. It's mostly my distaste for Martha and general belief the Doctor shouldn't have a romantic relationship with one of his Companions (although, as with Rose and Nine, I could definitely acknowledge that there was potential, and it may have even been good) that block those moments.
In retrospect, once you hit about the halfway points, there's definitely some flirting on both sides (or it can be read that way) i.e. the key to the TARDIS, along with some of the remarks he made then.
I do agree with you though, the Cpt. Jack does seem to have a fair crush on the Doctor, need we forget the time he kissed the Doctor? Or the disrobing?

Doctor Who is filmed and produced out of Cardiff, all the jokes about Cardiff on the show as some horrible little backwater (judging from the way the name keeps getting delivered) is the production team poking fun at themselves. This is one of the reasons I love this show, there are tons of little things like this that let you know the whole production team is laughing along with us and waving to their mum's in the back row (just like the kindergartners I teach when they do a play of some sort). I mean this in the cute way, because these people are beyond professional (unlike my students).

Subtle lampshading? In-jokes? I can enjoy those, and at least they're not completely in your face.
Especially ones referencing the Classic series such as John Smith's parents being called Sidney and Verity; or like the 'reverse the polarity of the jelly baby' line. Once a show hits a certain age, in-jokes and self-referential (or self deprecating) humour become something of a must. Almost.

At this part of my first viewing I was really hoping Professor Yana would become a new companion of the Doctor's.

On a side note I didn't notice the looking like a Tardis thing until you said it. Really with all the hints we've been given its amazing that the reveal is a reveal at all. Major props to Sir Derek Jacobi for selling Yana so convincingly and for RTD for setting up a story where all the pieces were there and the audience just doesn't put them together until the last moment.

Kindly old genius scientist, a bit eccentric; with a charming young female companion; in a space-agey-TARDIS like control room;trying to save a group of humans from the perils of the universe; willing to sacrafice himself; with a fob watch; played by an actor who has been a Time-Lord before. Now, as to which time-lord, we really didn't have many hints.

Wow, that's actually a lot of similarities, which just means that the Master really does reflect all that can go wrong with the Doctor. Sir Derek Jacobi and RTD really did an amazing job at both concealing and exposing exactly what was happening all at the same time.
Prof. Yana would have made an amazing Companion. He's a lot like the Doctor, but his compassion, intellect, and everything he had in common with the Doctor seems so much grander because he was human and the Doctor isn't.

Yeah, that's not a face I forgot. Really cute kid.

He is. I think it's a combination of the curly mop and accent. Shame he's probably dead now.

Or talking, or simply saying Hello.

Haven't seen that so far yet.

RTD certainly thought that was a handy plot device. He kept it close to his heart in case the story ever needed a hand out.

Puns aside, the hand shows up in background shots throughout Torchwood Season 1 which ran concurrent to Doctor Who season 3 (or in between Doctor who seasons 2 and 3 - I'm not sure there). Since the hand had no relevance to Torchwood, RTD had been laying that groundwork throughout Torchwood along with some Vote Saxon posters mentioned earlier in the thread.

Sometimes so many puns leap into mind it's tricky to resist using a handful.
You do realise all this is just tempting me to watch Torchwood now as well? I mean, that's a lot of care to plan and display a major plot point to another show in a show set in the same universe.
Did The Sarah Jane Adventures ever do the same thing?
Either way, still took a lot of balls to do that, and then some very good writing in the show itself to explain everything.

Jack's revenge on the Doctor's prudishness is a gift to the viewers. I loved that exchange:

Doctor: Why are you taking your clothes off, from the look of it the radiation doesn't affect clothing.
Jack: Yeah, But I look good though.

Also 10's expression as he leers through the window at Jack is creepy, even more creepy when you imagine how much pain Jack must be in and that the Doctor voulenteered him for it. Jack's banter back with the Doctor is wonderful though.

"So what you're saying is, your predjudiced."
"Didn't think of it like that."
"Shame on you."

Ten and Cpt. Jack do have a lot of good chemistry together, and the banter certainly encourages any flirty or slashy readings one cares to make. But in this case, that almost eagerness to basically submit Cpt. Jack to severe pain he has to endure because he can't die was fairly sadistic.
I know Cpt. jack must have agreed, and I can see the idea behind it: the needs of the many outweigh the -
I? Am a moron!
It's a captain. In what is basically a nuclear reactor. Sacrificing his life (or he would be) fiddling with buttons and nuclear cores and getting a face full of radiation and death for his troubles.
As his friend looks on through the window/door.
I COULD HAVE MADE A WRATH OF KHAN JOKE!!!!!
I'm devastated. How could I miss that?!

Amazingly sums up the same feelings I had through that sequence, so wonderfully shot, edited, and acted.

Yes. One of the best scenes in the episode, and certainly (in my opinion) one of the best in the season so far.

As one door closes, another must open.

And as one Master dies, another is born and must impress me all over again.

And yet, looking back, knowing that Yana was played by a past incarnation of the Master makes it all so perfect.

Also, I laughed so hard at "So many censored words!"

Link to Scream of the Shalka. Haven't had a chance to check it out yet though.
Well, I don't really like swearing at all, and tend to use overly elaborate language rather than swear. But in this case going for the blunt felt right, plus my thought at the time was "If I tried to express how I really felt, this would just be a string of stars and lots of really weird metaphors," so I went for that.
Besides, I do try to make people have fun reading this stuff, so attempting to get people to at least smile is a key goal.

This is really one of the reasons why Seasons 3 and 5 of NuWho have been some of my favourite so far. It's not that the doctor is facing his "biggest threat ever, its not that reality is on the line, it's that "They lost."

Someone beat the Doctor. Honest to goodness, straight up, beat the doctor. Now we're not dealing with an insane person who looks like their are on superior footing because of their army of insane murderers... we've got someone who is mentally matched with the Doctor and the only feeling you've got when watching is "god help us all."

The Doctor is a literal superhero who almost never loses. So when he does you know something big is going to go down. For him to be outsmarted and beaten in a serious way is something Big.
That the Doctor losing often comes tied in with world/galaxy/universe ending problems is just a plus.
I mean, nobody likes seeing their hero lose.
Especially when he is a genius. For the Doctor to be mentally outsmarted, not just physically or numerically is more intimidating because we can normally trust the Doctor to outthink his enemies.
For him not to do that is . . . wow.

An amazingly fun stylistic point in RTD's favour. The preview for the next episode doesn't feature even one glimpse of Martha, Jack, or the Doctor. For all the viewer knows they are stuck at the end of time while The Master is Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Oooh, I never considered that.

I think sadly before the first time they showed that episode here in UKland it was given away by the tv guides and other general tv related magazines. That is if my memory has not failed me, it was such a long time ago and I have terrible remembering abilities.

Did enjoy reading your reaction to it, I got a strong vibe of surprise from it, with a little hint of WOW.

I hate when the press spoil things like that. I think lately though, not that I read TV pages and things often, they've taken more care to conceal some of the twists. Or at least, they try.
I was surprised by this episode. I was wowed by this episode. For me to fail to convey these basic reactions in writing would be appalling especially when doing a blind run of something.
As an aspiring writer of some sort, I try to pour as much emotion into something as I can.

Wonderful review again even if my lacking knowledge prevents me from fangirlboying over Jacobi as much as you did it was still a pretty amazing episode. Best... hm... I'd argue but certainly among them.

I was reacting literally moments after something happened on screen. Hyperbole is to be expected.
But I truly do believe 'Utopia' to be a fantastic episode, one of the top four
of the season so far. Whether the rest of the serial stands up, I don't know.
I did also mention my massive bias towards Sir Derek Jacobi factored in as well.

Problem is... Simms is an AWESOME master but even though next episode will be great the season finale was kind of disappointing me... but not to spoil your hopes, many people liked it, and maybe you will love it, too. It's definitely great to see Simms and Tennant together.

And... well, no, I didn't see it coming either. But I didn't have any kind of indication to expect the twist (I was thinking Doctor's Watch for quite a while)

First reactions come first. Then retrospectives.
I'm looking forward to . . . *checks page* 'The Sound of Drums' though, the Master's going to wreak havoc down upon an unsuspecting world. The Doctor's got to find a way to escape the end of the universe as they know it (do they feel fine?) and those basketball aliens are really interesting.
My hopes are up.
The past four episodes have been a never-ending escalation of excellence so far. I don't know if they can keep escalating it, or keep the same level of it, but they'd better try.
The writing's been great. I love it.

As far as the twist goes, I didn't really think of Timothy's watch at all. Different design, but probably a lot of people were caught out by the Doctor's watch.

[Thufir]

I've seen a fair bit of sci-fi in my times. I can even tell you where everything comes from. Because I'm a sad sack.
And because of that fact, here goes (in order): Star Trek (all series); Doctor Who (referencing both Three and 'A Good Man Goes to War'); Back to the Future; Star Trek: TNG; Doctor Who ('The Girl In the Fireplace'); Torchwood or Star Gate; Red Dwarf; Gunnerkrigg Court; myself.

Wait, which bit was Gunnerkrigg Court?

Kill me. Now.

No.

Haven't seen that so far yet.

Yeah, you have, that was series one.
"Stop flirting."
"I was just saying hello!"
"For you, that's flirting."

You do realise all this is just tempting me to watch Torchwood now as well?

It's not as good as Who I'm afraid.

I hate when the press spoil things like that. I think lately though, not that I read TV pages and things often, they've taken more care to conceal some of the twists. Or at least, they try.

Yeah, they're being much more careful about their reveals since Steven Moffat took over. I am pleased, since that was one thing which consistently bothered me during the RTD era.
Hell, by something said on the last Confidential, apparently sometimes Moffat keeps things secrets from most of the people making the episode, let alone the audiences across Britain.

[Giggling Ghast]

I finally got to see the Doctor Who finale tonight. "The only water in the forest is the river." I totally get that now!

[Triscuitable]

I finally got to see the Doctor Who finale tonight. "The only water in the forest is the river." I totally get that now!

Holding off on River's super secret brother when the series resumes in Sept., Forest Song.

[The Big Dice]

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Especially ones referencing the Classic series such as John Smith's parents being called Sidney and Verity; or like the 'reverse the polarity of the jelly baby' line. Once a show hits a certain age, in-jokes and self-referential (or self deprecating) humour become something of a must. Almost.

That's an even more subtle reference than you might think. The Third Doctor, the late great Jon Pertwee used John Smith as his name when he needed something other than The Doctor. And I think it started with the Second Doctor, along with things like the sonic screwdriver.

[TheArsenal]

Anywau I loved the Dancing master. Im sorry, but I loved his pure joy of brutal killing and murder, and his attitude relating to all of it. And I liked the music.

Edit:

And sue me but....I dislike the Daleks. I do! Im sorry but they feal like a mary sue villain.

Because when they began, they started off so pathetic that every single incantation after had to go around fixing them. Im sorry, I like the idea behind them, but every time they add another thing to fix them with (Stairs, sight, arms) on it just feals its fixing a creature that was broken from the start and all that effort could have gon towards a different desighn of creature. I mean come on! They where based on a guys robotic wheelchair!

[Dienekes]

Anywau I loved the Dancing master. Im sorry, but I loved his pure joy of brutal killing and murder, and his attitude relating to all of it. And I liked the music.

Dancing Master didn't bother me, though I can see why some didn't like it. Too many shows try to make a bit of moralizing when the villain wins they get bored or realize that their evil was for nothing or some such nonsense. But with the Master he was quite obviously having the time of his life. I enjoyed that.

And sue me but....I dislike the Daleks. I do! Im sorry but they feal like a mary sue villain.

Because when they began, they started off so pathetic that every single incantation after had to go around fixing them. Im sorry, I like the idea behind them, but every time they add another thing to fix them with (Stairs, sight, arms) on it just feals its fixing a creature that was broken from the start and all that effort could have gon towards a different desighn of creature. I mean come on! They where based on a guys robotic wheelchair!

... ...

EXTERMINATE!

[Triscuitable]

After realizing I missed last night's episode in a bout of Team Fortress 2, trying out that Engy Sonic Screwdriver Wrench (thank goodness for DVRs!), I was still able to watch it this morning. And I realized something: the headless monks have been referenced before, like last season's serial, "The Time of Angels".

[Eldan]

After realizing I missed last night's episode in a bout of Team Fortress 2, trying out that Engy Sonic Screwdriver Wrench (thank goodness for DVRs!), I was still able to watch it this morning. And I realized something: the headless monks have been referenced before, like last season's serial, "The Time of Angels".

Wait, I thought there weren't any new episodes until autumn? Was there one yesterday I missed?

[Avaris]

Wait, I thought there weren't any new episodes until autumn? Was there one yesterday I missed?

I believe america is a week behind us atm.

[Drolyt]

I believe america is a week behind us atm.

Apparently we are. I don't even get BBCA, so I wouldn't know. Still, I'm used to the anime threads where everyone, and I do mean everyone consumes the media through means we aren't allowed to discuss on these forums. Come to think of it, this is also probably the only thread dominated by the British...

[Szilard]

I just didn't feel like waiting the extra week. But yeah, in America we got The Almost People and A Good Man Goes To War a week later. Legally anyway.

[Drolyt]

I just didn't feel like waiting the extra week. But yeah, in America we got The Almost People and A Good Man Goes To War a week later. Legally anyway.

What was the reason for that? I recall earlier in the year they were making a big deal out of us getting Who on the same day it comes out in the UK.

[Eldan]

Apparently you had some kind of holiday on which they didn't broadcast any Who so you got delayed? I vaguely remember reading something like that.

[Weezer]

I think it was because of Memorial Day throwing things off, there wasn't any Who that weekend. Though why they didn't show it I have no idea.

[Mauve Shirt]

Yeah, can't be watching Doctor Who two days before Memorial Day.

[Raddish]

Apparently we are. I don't even get BBCA, so I wouldn't know. Still, I'm used to the anime threads where everyone, and I do mean everyone consumes the media through means we aren't allowed to discuss on these forums. Come to think of it, this is also probably the only thread dominated by the British...

We Britlanders are attempting to cr4eate an empire again, first the thread and then the world. It's mean that we have tow ait an age for the next parts, so mean of the meany mean peeps.

Although I believe the next series of Torchwood will be shown soon so that will keep me going until Dotcor Who returns.

[Syka]

I finally got to see it Saturday, because (as mentioned) BBCA decided to run a marathon of Seasons 5 and 6 the Saturday before Memorial Day instead of a new episode.

Alas, a friend of mine spoiled the ending Monday via Facebook. Innocently looking through my feed on my phone, I read her status update regarding the big end-of-episode reveal and...well, it was something like ".... ... ... OMG HATEHATEHATE WHY DID SHE NOT WARN US OF SPOILERS? x.x"

Loved the Doctor's reaction, though. :) Overall, I really enjoyed the episode even knowing the reveal (which I don't think is as huge of a cliff hanger as the Moff thought it would be, sadly). Rory has officially been catapulted into Favorite Companion status. <3

[Drolyt]

Memorial Day? Since when are TV shows canceled for holidays? Actually... I don't watch much TV, maybe they do that all the time, but it sounds silly.

[CurlyKitGirl]

Geeze. I'm pretty much exactly half way through the next episode and wow.
That phone call.
I've spent the last age on that phone call.
Bleedin' 'eck.
No way was that unintentional.

[Starscream]

Geeze. I'm pretty much exactly half way through the next episode and wow.
That phone call.
I've spent the last age on that phone call.
Bleedin' 'eck.
No way was that unintentional.

Rest assured, it will get worse.

(Or I suppose, better, depending on your preferences.)