NuWho Review: Series 2 Episode 3 "School Reunion"

By: Toby Whithouse

**Spoilers**

If you have not yet watched this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.

            Poor Rose has competition, it would seem. And we’re not just talkin’ the return of the fabulous Sarah Jane Smith!

         Miss Smith (played by Elisabeth Sladen) was first introduced in the 1973 Third Doctor story The Time Warrior where she was infiltrating a top-secret research facility, posing as her aunt, Lavina Smith, who was a famous virologist. She sneaks aboard the TARDIS and aids The Doctor in a battle against a militaristic alien (a Sontaran).

             Sarah Jane went on to further travels with The Doctor as well as to work with The Brigadeer, leader of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT). She faced off with Cybermen and Daleks, even meeting the latter’s creator, Davros. She was there for The Doctor when he regenerated from the Third to the Fourth.

               Her last regular appearance was 1976’s The Hand of Fear where The Doctor receives a summons to Gallifrey and leaves Sarah Jane in Aberdeen (rather than the promised Hillview Road, South Croydon) because humans are not allowed on the Time Lords’ planet. After that, Sarah appeared in numerous specials including, but not limited to: The Five Doctors, Dimensions in Time (a canonically debatable Doctor Who/EastEnders crossover for Children in Need), and A Girl’s Best Friend (pilot to the failed K-9 and Company where The Doctor fulfils his promise not to forget her by sending her his beloved metal dog).

          

           School Reunion is an episode that thrives on campy horror and acting. The plot is rather cheesily threadbare and, if the episode depended on said plot, I rather think it would have gone the way of The Long Game. Thankfully, this was not the case.


Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- Have you ever had the nightmare that you were back at school? Given the look of this high school, I don’t blame you. The opening scene to this episode takes place in one of many school hallways as the Headmaster returns to his office to find that the nurse has sent a girl who had a headache to him because she is an orphan from a children’s home. Naturally, he has great compassion on the poor young thing.“Poor, thin child. I see why the nurse sent you; please step inside, it's nearly time for lunch.”

- Anthony Head does a wonderful job of playing the delightfully smarmy Headmaster Finch; striking just the right vibe between class and creep that will have children everywhere diving behind the sofa cushions in revulsion. Hopefully, though, they will come out soon enough to get our first glimpse of the newest teacher: Doctor John Smith.

- It is doubtlessly the dream of many a youth (geek or not) to get a chance to be taught physics by The Doctor...or any class at all, come to think of it. But these kids are less than impressed by the pinstripes and the brainy specs; they look bored out of their mind . Not even The Doctor's best efforts at interjecting some humor or excitement into a situation take hold in this class. You can just see the students thinking about what a dork this new substitute is and how they would rather be anywhere but in class. The complacent mood is soon shot right out of the water, though, when a young boy named Milo demonstrates an unusual aptitude for the subject, much to The Doctor’s joy at first…

*

- But he quickly senses that something is wrong when Milo recites off the equation and method for travelling faster than the speed of light. Before he can interrogate the little genius further, however, the camera cuts to the cafeteria where we get to see Rose serving platefuls of some unidentified slop (I think it’s supposed to be mac n’ cheese) and large quantities of chips. 

- She does not look best pleased about her new vocation, despite all of The Doctor’s grins, but I don’t really blame her for giving him the evil eye. If I had to work with Frau Blucher and the minions of sourpuss, not all of the chips in Britain would be enough compensation.

 - Turns out that it’s not The Doctor Rose should blame her new job on but her ‘boyfriend’ Mickey. Seems he gave them a call when a local UFO sighting corresponded with unusual occurrences at the school and asked that they investigate. Before Rose and The Doctor can really have a proper conversation (although not before she swipes some of his chips) the head dinner lady comes over and firmly shoos Rose back to her post. While hiding out in the kitchen with creepy dinner ladies and creepier looking oil, Rose calls up Mickey who is once again hacking into military files. I guess The Doctor’s password must still be working even after all this time. And there’s our arc word reference when ‘Torchwood’ locks Mickey out of getting any photographs. Rose quickly cuts the phone call off, though, when one of the fellow workers gets hurt. T

- When we finally get a glimpse of the ‘special classes’ that the teachers have been going on about, they would have been rather anticlimactic were it not for the music and sickly green lighting. All of the children are sitting mesmerized by their computer screens, fingers typing madly as they try to solve what looks like a virtual super Rubik’s Cube. Y’know, this episode is quite scary when one watches it at a computer while wearing headphones, simply because that means you are in the same position as the hypnotized kids. This is what Doctor Who is about: somehow managing to make a typing class terrifying.

- At last the school day comes to an end and Headmaster Finch brings a special visitor into the teacher’s lounge. She is a journalist who is writing a profile about him for a local newspaper. Her name? Sarah Jane Smith. It is great fun to listen in on her conversation with Finch (the man oilier than the chips in his menu plan) as she relentlessly butters him up to dig for information and he falls for it hook, line, and sinker. She ingeniously uses the man’s own ego against him and says that she’s gotten a very clear view of the school.

- Then she meets the new Physics teacher, John Smith, who greets her with a wide, enthusiastic smile. Not all of The Doctor’s reaction is acting. Some of it is just pure David Tennant fanboying. I love how this shows that The Doctor does care about his companions even after they leave. He might move on, but he never forgets. The look he gives Sarah Jane when he notices her digging a bit deeper into the Finch case is so fondly proud that it put a smile on my face as I watched.

- In addition to Sarah Jane, we are also introduced to a young man named Kenny who stumbles on something odd in one of the empty classrooms. Now this is what many kids would be dying to discover about a hated teacher, although I’m sure Kenny was not so happy, considering the way he legged it out of there.

- That night, all is dark and silent in the school save for in that very classroom where someone is breaking in. Good old plucky Sarah Jane is coming in through a window to do a bit more snooping around without having to deal with Finch’s ego. But unbeknownst to her, a similar team of investigators are walking in through the front doors.

- I actually like Rose in this episode. She is smart and helpful and doesn’t end up being captured so that The Doctor has to save her (nor is she just there to be there). Her teasing of Mickey seems less condescending and smug and more like a sort of fond banter between friends. I even enjoy the barbs she exchanges with Sarah Jane. Some of them are actually quite witty, despite being clichéd and jealously driven. Besides, Sarah Jane instigated it to begin with. 

- But within this episode, Rose feels like an actual person. She is rather snappish upon first meeting Sarah Jane, but that is a legitimate reaction given the situation. And she doesn’t keep on being antagonistic to the older woman. They actually establish a wonderful rapport throughout the episode. Many of the problems Rose had in the past was that she was too focused on how the world revolved around her and never really stopped to consider others unless it was convenient for her to do so. It was so refreshing to watch School Reunion and find myself enjoying Rose, rather than wishing I could get my hands on the scripts to fix her.

- The reunion between The Doctor and Sarah Jane is beautifully done, with her finding the TARDIS and then meeting the Time Lord face to face again. Tennant and Sladen are excellent here and you really get the feeling that their characters were friends for years before this (which they were, but you really need the chemistry to be convinced). Sladen especially amazes as she allows all of Sarah Jane’s conflicting emotions to flit across her face: wonder, joy, bitterness, sorrow, and (at Mickey’s scream) excitement.  

- The lines of Doctor and Mickey interaction turn out to be great fun to watch in this episode as well, striking just the right balance between banter and antagonism without going too far either way. Much as I love the Ninth Doctor, sometimes his ridiculing of Mickey could get quite nasty...nasty to the point that Rose should have stepped in. But within this episode you get the feeling that they are more rivals than enemies. Mickey also gets some of the best lines: “Oh ho, mate – the Missus and the Ex; welcome to every man’s worst nightmare.”

- Sarah Jane has something to show The Doctor, something that she says will help him analyse the oil from the kitchen which Rose collected since Mickey doesn’t want to go back into the gigantic bat infested school. She drags the Time Lord over to her car and opens the boot to reveal none other than K-9 Mark III. The Doctor’s affection for his metal pooch is heart-warming to see and the looks Rose and Mickey shoot him as he pets K9 are simply hilarious.

- Sarah Jane and The Doctor get a further chance to have a cosy reconnecting session as he works on repairing K-9. The cute and nostalgic vibe doesn’t last long, though, as she takes him to task for dumping her back on Earth the way he did.  And I’m glad it addressed the fact that he basically dumped her and never came back. He needed someone to call him out for that (especially the Aberdeen bit) and she needed the closure that the discussion brought. The range of emotions both of them show (just as poignant as earlier) this is Tennant at his best and I really wish that he had had more scripts to work with on the calibre of this one.

- While K-9 was speaking, what happened to the lady behind the counter? Y’know – the one who sold Rose the chips? Hopefully she was on coffee break. If not, I’ll bet she thought that they all were nutters – particularly when The Doctor starts rambling on about the Killitanes taking on the forms of every race they invade. Speaking of the Killitanes…

- I should very much like to know why all Who monsters seem to have the illogical and strategically erroneous habit of announcing their presence with an ear-splitting screech or ominous growl. I mean – it’s creepy as all get out when a giant bat swoops down from where it was hovering in front of the ridiculously bloated full moon, but it just seems like they’re asking for their prey to get away. If anyone can explain the thought-process behind that decision, I would be all ears. Well, not all ears – although, according to The Doctor, there are species that fit that description perfectly.

- While The Doctor and his companions are hanging out inside the café, we the audience are treated to the incredible and slightly disturbing sight of Mr. Finch practicing his pliés on a nearby rooftop alongside one of his bat-like brethren. Huh...I never knew aliens were into interpretive dance. Guess you learn something new every day. I guess when The Doctor poked his head into the Headmaster's office earlier and disturbed their slumber they decided they'd better follow incognito and do a bit of eavesdropping. Too bad it's ruined when the batty one (no joke - the literal bat) swoops down with one of those fog-horn-decibel shrieks.

- I really appreciate what this episode does for Mickey (and not just concerning his relationship with The Doctor) His realization that: “Oh my God, I’m the tin dog” is, I think, the first step he takes in the right direction (i.e. away from Rose’s shadow). For so long Mickey has been there as the lost puppy who was supposed to provide comic relief. He’s been walked over by The Doctor, Rose, and even Jackie; not to mention the writers who have him crashing theatrically into a wall or stepping over-dramatically in a bucket every time he shows up. Here his character is consistent in that he is still a bumbler, but Mickey Smith also officially becomes a character, not a caricature. People often credit his trip to the alternate reality in RotC/TAoS as being the defining moment in his life where he grew up, but I would suggest that it really began here in a parking lot with Sarah Jane Smith and a tin dog.

 

- I know I’ve talked a lot about this portion of the episode, but I just have to mention the whole “I don’t age, I regenerate” speech. We’ve needed this for a long time. Not only is it a much-needed wakeup call for Rose (both that she’s not the only companion to ever travel with The Doctor but that she really can’t promise him forever) but it allows the happy-go-lucky façade that Time Lord wears to fall away and reveal the weary heart underneath. The emotions from both The Doctor and Rose in this scene are just amazing: believable and poignant.

- Anthony Head makes chewing the scenery into a kind of art form. He’s such a delightful villain as he simpers and smirks about how the Time Lords were such a pompous, stuffy race. 

- What makes him so effective is a combination of Head’s smarmy acting and the fact that Mr. Finch is not a brainless psychopath bent on conquering the Earth. True he may just be after all of creation, but we can at least give him points for thinking big. In this conversation he toys with The Doctor like a cat with a mouse, dropping hints and goading the other alien with every word from his mouth. Here we are introduced to the ‘one warning’ rule that Ten will live by as he tries to get answers from the annoyingly enigmatic Krillitane.

- While The Doctor faces off with ‘Giles’, Sarah Jane and Rose are exchanging more sarcasm and finally descend into a shouting match where they each list the impressive adventures they’ve gone on with The Doctor. Rose puts the shouting match to an end when she is completely nonplussed over Sarah Jane getting to meet the Loch Ness Monster. This whole conversation leads to the two women forming a tentative truce and friendship. The way they bond over some of The Doctor’s stranger habits is hilarious (especially when he walks in and is completely befuddled as to why they are laughing at him).

- Both Elisabeth and Billie had a chance to display their excellent acting skills and they both deliver. It’s a shame that Billie doesn’t have more scripts like this to work with. Rose could have been a likable character, but apparently only Toby Whithouse is able to actually make her into one.

- So the children are ordered back to class early (a fact they are suspiciously ecstatic about), all staff are ordered to the teacher’s lounge and…oh my, they ate the teachers! This act of violence happens off camera, but is nastily emphasized by Finch employing the use of a toothpick later. I’m surprised he had any appetite, given the amount of scenery he had eaten by this point, but it makes for a shocking and campily horrific happening.

- Kenny had the right idea when he hung back from the chip-possessed student hoard and didn’t go into the computer class (he wasn’t allowed to eat the chips so he didn’t get the intellect-influencing effects of the Krillitane Oil). As soon as he saw what was going on, he turned around and tore for the nearest exit, enlisting the help of Mickey when he couldn’t get the doors to open. Mickey then promptly turned around and elected to pick K-9’s mechanical brain for a solution. 

- K-9’s answer is a bit of a surprise and the poor dog has to repeat it several times before Mickey finally catches on. “We are in a car.” Is that a hint of exasperation in the robotic voice? 

- On the bright side, Mickey is actually adorkable here (like he was intended to be) rather than just pathetically annoying as so often has happened in the past. 

- The tension builds beautifully throughout this sequence, rather like the turbine scene from The End of the World, culminating in The Doctor realizing that what that equation the children are working on is the Skasis Paradigm which controls the building blocks of matter. It actually makes a twisted kind of sense that the Krillitanes would need the Children’s relatively uncluttered minds and vibrant imaginations to crack the equation and I have to say that it is so nice to have a villainous scheme which actually makes sense.

- Of course right about then Captain Krillitane the Smarmy shows up and tells The Doctor that he has no intention of using the Skasis Paradigm to rebuild an empire under his name – but he would follow The Doctor’s lead. I love the way The Doctor actually considers Finch’s offer. It just highlights that he’s human (in a manner of speaking: he makes mistakes) too and how much guilt he still feels over the Time War, how lonely he is. It takes the hard-earned wisdom of Sarah Jane to pull the Time Lord back to reality. As soon as he recovers his wits, he grabs a chair and dramatically smashes the main computer screen before sending Finch packing with a firm refusal.

- We are then treated to an extraordinarily lovely view of Finch’s tonsils as he calls for his brethren. The other bat-people come running (flying?) and there is a fine chase sequence as the Krillitanes chase The Doctor, Sarah Jane, Rose, Mickey, and Kenny through the school. They are momentarily trapped in a closet, giving the characters and the audience a bit of a breather before Kenny (once again demonstrating his quick thinking) sets off the fire alarm, allowing them to slip past the bat-creatures with relative ease. That is, until Finch punches through the wall and rips the cords apart. But it was still a darn good plan!

- At last our heroes are trapped in the cafeteria with the Krillitanes advancing, intent on a feast. Although how they could still be hungry after devouring all of the other teachers is beyond me. Probably all that screeching works up a healthy appetite. I’ve also noticed that The Doctor must have been taking fighting lessons from Mickey (he employs a chair to fend off the batboys). Thank goodness K-9 was there to save the day with his maximum defense mode laser otherwise they would all have been lunch. Quite literally.

- “Forget the shooty dog…thing.” 

- Well, wasting time on K-9 will prove to be the downfall of the Krillitane’s brilliant scheme because while they were chasing the others, Mickey Smith has made his way into the computer lab and sought to break the students free. Despite complaints from various fans, there is actually a scant possibility that all of those computers were plugged into a common surge protector so while it is a bit annoying that the problem is resolved with one yank, the next scene more than makes up for it.

- The Doctor figured out that the Krillitanes have changed their biological makeup so many times that even their own oil is toxic to them (hence the dinner lady’s earlier anguish). He sends the others outside and sets up all of the barrels so that when the Krillitanes come into the kitchen, his faithful dog will be able to blow the barrels up. K-9 is more than happy to help, but informs The Doctor gravely that his batteries are failing and that for maximum impact he must be stationed directly in front of the barrels. The Doctor, knowing that this means K-9 will also be drenched in the oil which will surely react badly to his gears and possibly even explode tells the little robot that he simply cannot allow such an act. K-9 replies that there is no other alternative and bids his beloved master farewell.

              *sniff *

- Dear little K-9! I never thought that I would get so attached to a metal dog, or be so upset at its heroic sacrifice. But between his parting words to The Doctor and Sarah Jane’s distress at his being left behind, the loss of K-9 Mark III hit me hard. Did I mention that, along with being epically heroic, he also gets the best snark in the entire episode? Behold:

- Somehow the oil also managed to blow up the school, but I’m not complaining because it means that those insufferable Krillitanes are gone for good (and poor K-9 who was more that just a daft metal dog).

- After the students celebrate the explosion (and The Doctor shares a comforting hug with Sarah Jane) the scene cuts to Sarah Jane’s garden where The Doctor is inviting her into the TARDIS for a cup of tea. There are so many things to love about this scene from Sarah Jane’s reaction to the new desktop theme to the friendly, teasing exchange between Rose and herself. But the real scene-stealer is the touching goodbye between The Doctor and his Sarah Jane (all the more sob-inducing now that Elisabeth Sladen has tragically passed away). As always, the acting of Tennant and Sladen was wonderful and the dialogue in this scene is so perfectly written that you forget you are watching television. It is sheer magic and the scene where The Doctor says "Goodbye, my Sarah Jane" sure to leave the most cynical of souls with a lump in his or her throat.

 

        So School Reunion is not just good; it is a great episode. It is funny and scary and touching and sad all at once. It also serves as an unofficial promotional for the excellent children’s series The Sarah Jane Adventures. With a decent plot and excellent character and relationship growth, nothing about this episode is tedious to watch. It started out great and built to an amazing climax and a bitter-sweet ending. I give it a 5/5 and hope that future episodes will take inspiration from the story of a Time Lord and his best friend, reunited at last.

What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?

NuWho Review: Series 2 Episode 2 “Tooth & Claw”

By: Russell T. Davies

**Spoilers**

If you have not yet watched this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.

 

             Named after a line in Lord Tennison’s poem In Memoriam A. H. H. (a favourite of Queen Victoria) which says: “Nature, red in tooth and claw” this episode was clearly meant to tackle the mythology of werewolves and the fascination with life after death. Unfortunately, problems crop up within the first three minutes when a group of monks commandeer the Torchwood Estate for some (doubtlessly nefarious) purpose.

          Seriously, less than two minutes into the episode the gothic-horror mood is completely ruined by the monks who mistakenly think they're auditioning for Mortal Kombat. So they beat up the household staff and lock everyone (including the landlord’s wife) in the basement, but not before bringing the Wooden Crate of Doom in and unveiling it with a flourish. Cue horrified screams from the prisoners as something unseen breaths heavily from within its constraints. 

Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- After the credits roll, we get a reference to The Muppet Movie as The Doctor rambles at a grinning Rose about this and that before stepping out of the TARDIS and looking down the barrel of several guns (still nattering on about his attachment to his thumb).  Apparently he got the coordinates just a bit off – try roughly one hundred years – and a blue box looks quite odd in the middle of a moor.

- After realising that they are in Scotland in the 1800’s, David Tennant slips into his native accent as he tries to explain Rose’s outfit to the soldiers. (She had dressed in overalls and stockings because they were supposed to be going to a concert). The look Rose gives him when he calls her a ‘wee naked child’ and ‘timorous beastie’ is pure, unbelieving indignation. I thought she was going to let him have it right then and there, especially when he decries her rather painful attempt to adopt a brogue.

- So it’s Queen Victoria in the carriage. No wonder The Doctor decided to introduce himself under an alias (he had met her before twice, once at her coronation as his Third Regeneration and once again years later in his Fifth). James McCrimmon, the name The Doctor takes, was a Scottish piper and a companion to the Second Doctor in the sixties. The Doctor takes on this name (adding the obligatory ‘Dr.’ to the beginning) and claiming that he graduated with honours from Edinbourough University. He doesn’t do anything by halves, does he?

- Pauline Collins has such gravitas in the role of Victoria that as you watch you really can believe that she is Queen of the British Empire. She carries herself with aplomb and majesty, yet manages to find the person behind the personage and avoids making her character into a caricature. 

- Gee, what’s with that bet? Why are The Doctor and Rose behaving like a pair of goofy teenagers all of a sudden? It’s so annoying and breaks the mood more than the Karate Kid wanna-be’s did. I guess Davies was trying to make it into a running gag…but it never quite took. It just ends up ruining the dark mystical feel of the episode and makes both The Doctor and Rose looks like the epitome of juvenile jerks. 

- Sometimes a bit of comic relief is just what the doctor ordered to release the tension before the next jump-scare, but it has to fit within the context of the scene. The whole “I am not amused” joke just felt shoehorned in like Davies realised that the script was going to send kids running from the room rather than just behind the sofa and so hurriedly sat down at his keyboard and thought up something that he deemed to be funny. Remember, the Slitheen were supposed to be funny too. But they definitely were a better fit in their episode than this pathetic running literal gag does here. It isn’t witty, it isn’t funny, and it doesn’t fit so I don’t understand why it’s here.

- I do, however, love the way the telescope was introduced. At the time it just seemed like filler conversation and rather insignificant to the plot as a whole, yet in the end it was a major, major thing. I do like the way they are all standing around (The Doctor is accidentally being rude again) and Sir Robert redeems himself a bit by trying to warn Queen Victoria of the danger. 

- So how did anyone not notice that blatant redirection by Father Angelo? That practically dripped ‘suspicious’ and ‘we’re hiding something’! I think The Doctor looks a bit wary for a moment, but I have to say I’m surprised Victoria didn’t notice anything.

- So Rose is going to try and pull a Gwyneth conversation with Flora now? While it’s encouraging that she hasn’t actually lost that part of her character (because I did wonder) such moments of actual thoughtfulness just make her seem worse during the ditzy, childish moments. Rose is terribly inconsistent and it’s a shame because I want to like her, I really do. 

- The talk where The Doctor and Victoria discuss her wanting to know about the afterlife is just great because I think every person who’s ever lived contemplates something similar at some point in his or her lives. Victoria would have been no different and it adds another layer to her character, not to mention leading very nicely into Sir Robert’s story.

- The tale of the wolf has a very Hound of the Baskervilles feel to it and the way Tom Smith delivers his lines it seem epic. I’ll admit it: I got chills when he said that there was something of the wolf about Rose. And the part where he observes that she burns like the sun but he needs only moonlight? Ugh! That actually made me shudder. 

- One of the things that is so effective about this episode is that it doesn’t rehash what we all already know about werewolves. In fact, there is little to none Davies Forced Exposition within the dialogue because there doesn’t need to be: people already know about werewolf lore and so can fill in the blanks themselves with their imaginations.

- The Host looks quite sinister as well, what with his yellowed teeth, sibilant voice, and dead black eyes. His transformation sequence is impressive as well: the motions are fluid and believable and inspire a real sense of terror as he howls to the skies. This scene also finally has Rose using her brain as she organizes the movements of the other captives to help pull the running chain loose before the wolf breaks free.

- But it is not only the Host that has a frightening design. The wolf itself looks very three-dimensional and solid and is possibly best piece of CGI work this series! No wonder The Doctor stopped to admire it, despite the danger, because there is a kind of feral and frightening beauty about the creature.

- The first death happens off-camera, but is suitably gruesome through the use of sound effects (and our own imaginations working off of previous knowledge of werewolves). Suddenly the stakes are raised as we realize that this wolf means serious business. From here on the episode is one huge chase at a breakneck pace with a few moments to stop and gasp for breath in-between sprints.

- First order of business for Sir Robert and The Doctor is to get the Queen to safety. The Doctor, genius that he is, comes up with a brilliant solution: “Pardon me, your Majesty, but you’ll have to leg it out of the window.” She prepares to do so with much dignity until the bald monks outside decide to use that window for target practice. So much for The Doctor’s amazing plan!

- The atmosphere by this point is perfect: dark and frightening with tension that could be sliced with a knife. Between the visuals, non-stop running, and Gold's music the chase through the Torchwood Estate is sure to have you at the edge of your seat.

- While they are barricaded in the library, the cameras show us a shot of The Doctor and a wolf on either sides of a wall. Bit of foreshadowing, maybe? The moment doesn’t last long, but it’s definitely there.

- The group then stands in a tense huddle as the wolf prowls around the room, looking for a way in. Nothing is more creepy than standing there while something unseen pursue’s you – even more so if you can hear it but have no way of knowing where it will break through. This is tension at it’s best right there. Unfortunately, the moment is ruined by The Doctor and Rose’s giggling about “Werewolf?” “I know!” No wonder Victoria snapped at Rose when she tried again to get the queen to say: “I am not amused”. Her timing stunk!

- Doctor, you seriously need to grow up. I’m all for putting up a slightly childish façade, but once business starts (like it did some time ago here) and people start dying, then it is time for that to stop and the Oncoming Storm to come out. Tennant keeps trying to follow that tried-and-true pattern, but the script keeps foiling every attempt.

- So mistletoe will repel a werewolf? And here I thought it was silver! Interesting, I’ll have to remember that one. I like how both the women in the kitchen and The Doctor in the library discover that fact at the same moment.

- After a few tense moments, the wolf lopes away to presumably terrorise some other innocents while it looks for an alternate route. Queen Victoria expresses the sentiment that she would sooner take her own life than allow herself to become infected and bring about ‘The Empire of the Wolf’. The Doctor says he hopes it won’t come to that and Sir Robert says that they should arm themselves against the monster’s return. “We’re in a library – books! The best weapons in the world! This room’s the greatest arsenal we could have.”

- I couldn’t agree more, Doctor! 

- And they certainly find what they need after much searching. After hearing about a star that fell from the skies and burnt in the vale (where the monastery of the bald monks is), The Doctor realizes that Sir Robert’s father soaked the wood of the library door in mistletoe oil because he and Prince Albert believed in the legend of the wolf and planned accordingly. He then has the epiphany that the reason the diamond that Queen Victoria is carrying was never considered finished was because it was meant to be a conductor of light for the ‘malfunctioning’ telescope on the estate’s roof.

- Good thing he realized it too because at that moment, the wolf found its way to the glass ceiling and broke in. Thankfully it was rather dazed by its fall so they had time to un-barricade the door and run out, but not before Rose gets the chance to release some excellent Companion Screams. 

- They race up and up through the house, all the while pursued by the wolf, until at last they reach the observatory. Here Sir Robert sends the others inside while he holds the wolf off long enough for them to complete its trap. 

- Out of all the people who die in this episode, Sir Robert’s death is the most epic. It’s what I call a Boromir Death because, having turned traitor for the sake of his wife, Sir Robert regains his honor by sacrificing himself for the Queen by taking on the rabid beast armed with only a ceremonial sword. He knows the consequences, but he does it anyway to protect his wife and his monarch. That is an example of a heroic man.

- The Doctor uses the Koh-i-Noor diamond to focus the moonbeams caught by the specially crafted telescope in order to drown the wolf in moonlight. I guess that it worked better than silver bullets in this case. That scene was powerful and beautiful and thankfully not broken by any “I am not amused” moments. Although I would like to know why the light lifted the creature into the air. This scene actually made you feel a bit sorry for the Host who had so long been trapped by the creature within.

- Queen Victoria got a scratch, although I cannot find any real glimpse of contact between her and the wolf (no matter how hard I try). I do find the scene where she knights The Doctor and Rose just a wee bit cheesy...but the problems of having a happy-sappy ending are quickly cleared up when she scolds and banishes them (not that it seems to sink in since they are giggling again as they return to the TARDIS).

            So there are some things I genuinely love about this episode. I love the mythological theme and the dark, horror-inspired tone. The scenery is amazing too, both exterior and interior. The historical characters are played and feel like real people. There is an excellent set-up to the mystery and a wonderful climax. But, unfortunately, the bad parts of the episode are the parts with our two heroes: The Doctor and Rose. I can’t bear all of the smug giggling – particularly when it is put in extremely inappropriate places. This episode is very important because it sets up the Torchwood Institute and I do appreciate that the Series 2 arc word was set up earlier than ‘Bad Wolf' in Series 1. In light of these observations, I give Tooth and Claw a 3/5. 




What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?

NuWho Review: Series 2 Episode 1 "New Earth"

By: Russell T. Davies

**Spoilers**

If you have not yet watched this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.

 

           So Rose is going to take another trip into the future, this time with her new, new Doctor at the helm. At least she said goodbye to her mother this time, although I’m not sure what to make of the kiss she gives Mickey. I thought they broke up (this time for real) during the Christmas Special. I guess we’ll just have to assume that it was a rather lingering peck between friends.

            The destination is New Earth, the planet that humans eventually settled on after the destruction of Old Earth which we saw last series. New Earth lives up to its name – futuristic flying cars and all. Rose also takes a moment to indulge in a bit of sappy sentimentality with The Doctor, stating about how travelling with him is the best thing that’s ever happened to her. Somehow I don’t see her ever saying that to Nine and I don’t think it works for her to say to Ten either, especially when he responds. I know that The Doctor is a new man whenever he regenerates, but he’s also essentially the same character and - at the very least - his companions' reactions and treatment of him should stay the same for a while as they adjust to his new self. So this is horribly out-of-character for both Rose and The Doctor (maybe it was just a bit of the hormones that we'll hear about later).


Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- Whoa, whoa, wait! The End of the World was a first date? Since when? Sheesh, writers, pushing the romance a bit hard, aren’t we? 

- Great, return of the pesky spiderbots and…Holy Chameleon Circuit - is that Gollum?!?!?

- What’s he doing in Doctor Who? Did Jackson not pay him enough? Oh, he’s here to serve that pain-in-the-neck which is the return of the trampoline. Yes that’s right; Cassandra is back with a new piece of skin and twice the amount of lipstick, not to mention a nefarious scheme up her…er…sleeve?

- The disinfectant lift scene is something that I find inexplicably humorous for some strange reason. I mean, just look at it! The Doctor’s just chilling as he’s drenched, powdered, and dried while Rose is freaking out. To be fair, it would be quite a shock to be in a lift and then suddenly have it turn into a shower – but it’s still funny to watch their very different reactions.

- The Doctor ends up in his desired destination: Ward 26, while Rose is taken to the rundown basement and summoned to meet ‘Mistress’. Hey, at least she thought to get some sort of weapon before following Gollum-boy (always a wise move, given that the last person he called ‘Mistress’ was a giant, ravenous spider) but it is not Her Ladyship Shelob that awaits our blond heroine but Lady Cassandra, former villainess of Platform One and current skulking skin. Cassandra beckons Rose closer, but Rose backs up wisely. Unfortunately, Cassandra obviously knew that people would do this when confronted with her and planned accordingly, placing her illegal compression-thingy behind Rose so that the girl backed right into the trap. I almost feel sorry for her...

- While Rose is hobnobbing around the basement with Creep and Creepier, The Doctor is touring the ward in search of the sender of the psychic paper message. While there, he meets the Duke of Manhattan. At least, he would have met him if the Duke’s PA hadn’t been quite so uptight and concerned about what I’m assuming was the possibility of bad publicity. I guess there are still tabloids even in the year five billion or so. I weep for the future of the human race! The Duke is infected with some sort of disease that is turning him into stone (maybe he breathed in volcano fumes, had a staring contest with a Weeping Angel, or something foolish like that). At last The Doctor meets a familiar face…quite literally.

- Meanwhile in the basement, Cassandra has completely taken over the body of Rose Tyler, rejoicing in her new blond hair and curves, even though she says Rose has no class. Billie Piper does a perfect job of taking on the inflections of Zoë Wanamaker while playing Cassandra/Rose (I think I’ll just call her Cassandrose in future just because it’s slightly easier to type). 

- This episode was created so that Billie would have the chance to be funny, and boy does she ever deliver! I like Cassandrose much better than Rose. They could have kept her this way and I would have been delighted. Her efforts to speak in Old Earth Cockney are entertainingly bad and her reaction to The Doctor’s new look is that of wroth. “The same man with a new face? That hypocrite!”

- Matron What’s-her-face Kitty-Cat is really annoying from the moment she steps on screen, not in the least because she is so obviously evil? You have to try to be that obvious, really you do. She is also our introduction to the downfall of New Earth. No, I’m not talking an earthquake that’s going to split the planet apart like Atlantis. The downfall I speak of applies to the episode rather than the world and that downfall is called Intensive Care. So far this had been a mediocre episode; not great but not truly terrible either. It suffered from lack of focus and failure to deliver on a compelling mystery or piece of lore, yet had some genuinely (if only mildly so) enjoyable parts, courtesy of Billie Piper. But then we are taken down into the Intensive Care space and have social commentary rammed down our throats.

- More on that later. First we need to talk about one of two scenes that actually make this episode bearable to watch. Cassandrose notices that this new Doctor is rather attractive with his brainy specs and pinstripes and spends a bit of time eyeing him up as he bustles around the ward rambling on about science, medicine, and conspiracy theories. Then she does this to him:

  

  

- Cassandrose will meet her defeat at the terminals where her knowledge of computers tips The Doctor off that something is wrong. (He probably should have guessed from her initiating that kiss, but he seemed to put it down to his incredible hair working its magic). But whatever the reason, he keeps mum and keeps Cassandrose close at hand as he investigates the Intensive Care ward and finds all of the patients are really clones specially grown for lab use. Here the famous “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry” makes its first appearance. Get used to it, you’re going to hear those words a lot during Tennant’s run.

- I feel like this episode is just chock-full of Davies Forced Exposition, especially once the clones show up. Novice Hame, for instance, gets a ridiculously long monologue where she recites all of the clichéd justification about cloning for the purpose of science, managing to sound rather like a calmer version of Hitler’s infamous Jews Are Not Fully Human speeches. That just is out of place in an episode like this. The tone has already been established as light-hearted, fluffy fun, thanks to Cassandrose, and adding in a serious social commentary/satire about a dividing and serious matter just makes for the biggest 180 an episode could make. And it doesn’t work. The tone should have been kept frivolous and the main mystery focused on the Face of Boe and Cassandra’s Machinations, not trying to make an ethical point through long, tedious discussions.

- So Cassandrose knocks out The Doctor with some perfume and demands to see the Matron. Novice Hame, speech interrupted, scurries away and by the time she returns Cassandrose has locked The Doctor inside one of the empty clone cells. 

- How did she lift The Doctor to get him inside that cell? Rose needed both Mickey and her mother to carry him in the last episode and he was just as unconscious then as he is now! Did having two minds compressed into her skull somehow make Rose's body a bit stronger?

- Matron Whooligig refuses Cassandrose’s demands for money and threats of blackmail and Cassandrose, for some reason, brings up the fact that the sisters aren’t armed. 

- “Who needs arms when we have claws?” I can’t believe Dona Croll actually managed to say that line and make those motions without cracking up in incredulity. It’s just so painfully comical to watch and fails so much at being awesome or brilliant or epic or even just good. Did Davies even edit this script? And how did the plague zombies learn to speak and walk if they had never been outside their cells? Mentally they would have been babies, unable to form that coherent argument which so amazed the sisters.

- Hang on! If it’s every disease in the world, why do they all look like they’ve got a nightmare case of acne? Moffat’s Gas-Mask zombies were far more effective than these plague victims could ever dream of being. The empty child inspired fear and terror through the pitiable cries of Jamie, and the hospital full of transformed people was both creepy and horrifying. Here I just feel like I’m watching a cheap Halloween movie or a poorly-made spoof of The Walking Dead! So when a zombie touches you, you instantly break out into what’s supposed to be boils so why is the Matron looking like she’s a piece of cheese being baked? 

- Gosh! This is so awful. I felt no fear or adrenaline while watching this, despite the best efforts of Murray Gold to move us through music. Even when the zombies descended on the rest of the hospital I felt nothing. Not when people ran away screaming and not when a random lady was caught by the plague-carriers. So you tell me this: why did random lady just stand there as she broke out rather than trying to pull away with everything? Was she looking deep into the afflicteds’ eyes? That action makes even less sense than her having temporary paralysis.

- While The Doctor and Cassandrose race down the stairs and back to Cassie’s lair to escape the freed clones, Chip finds his own hidey-hole to escape their lethal touch. Somehow, though, I don’t think a medical waste barrel would be any more sanitary than those zombies. So while Chip is squatting in old needles and dirty bandages, The Doctor orders Cassandra to leave Rose’s body. Then we get the second worth-enduring-the-rest-to-see scene in the form of this:

- If you look closely you can see Billie desperately trying not to laugh while David hams it up as Cassandra-Possessed-Doctor. This scene and the kiss are about the only thing that makes this episode bearable. Tennant’s facial expressions are hilarious and his comic timing is excellent as always. He completely owns the character whether it’s rudely calling Rose ‘Blondie’, saying that two hearts beat out a Samba, or screaming like a little girl when the zombies catch up with them. 

- The careless way he’s holding the sonic at the top of the ladder makes me scared that he’s gonna drop it.

- Matron Blankety Blank (who followed Rose and Doctor Cassandra up a ladder to escape from her former patients) has a Disney Villain Death where she is infected before plummeting who knows how many feet to her off-camera death. Good riddance.

- After much body-swapping, and to avoid suffering the same fate as the Matron, Cassandra momentarily inhabits the body of one of the clones so that The Doctor will sonic the door open for them. Before he can close it, though, she quickly jumps back inside Rose’s head again. What I would like to know is how did Cassandra go from an indignant “I look disgusting” while in the clone to “All their lives they’ve never been touched” once back inside Rose? That was a dreadfully quick change-of-heart, especially for the sort of shallow villainess they’ve built Cassandra up to be. Thankfully, though, this moment doesn’t last long as The Doctor runs into the Duke of Manhattan’s PA again and decides to use his extensive medical degree to cook up a healing cocktail.

- Somehow I don’t think mixing medicine is a particularly safe way to do things (that is, if it’s even medicine…it looks more like hummingbird nectar) and definitely opening them with your teeth like that is not at all sanitary. It probably wouldn’t cure everyone with a single touch like that anyways…they’d all need to go through the showers and be completely soaked through. I guess the giant love fest is designed to highlight The Doctor’s healing touch and put a smile on our faces, but all it got out of me was a yawn.

- This tedious affair wraps up with an unnecessary and stupid scene where the shallow Cassandra goes into Chip and is taken back to tell herself that she is beautiful before finally kicking the bucket (a decision that she came to only too quickly: one minute she’s sobbing about not wanting to die and then waxing poetic about ‘all things must end’ the next. She makes Rose look consistent!). Somehow I don’t think that Cassandra would have ever been so good to someone who looks like Chip. The scene is cumbersome and really has no place with the rest of the episode, despite the original intended feelings of poignancy.

So what do I think of New Earth? It’s almost bearable the first watch, but dull the second. There are really only a few good spots (see videos above) and those can be found on YouTube. The episode had no imagination, no cohesive plot, and was full of Davies Forced Exposition. Not to mention in-your-face and out-of-place social commentary. It was an experiment that did not pay off. I rate it as a 1/5. 

What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?

Sherlock Review: Series 1 Episode 2 “The Blind Banker”

By: Stephen Thompson

**Spoilers**

If you have not yet watched this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.

          Will “Trilbee” Carlisle of MrTARDISreviews has an extremely astute review of this episode, one that I highly recommend that you check out. In that review he talked about the pitfalls and clichés that cop-dramas so often fall into. He then made the observation that this second episode of Sherlock sadly falls into many of those clichés, a statement that I find myself having to agree with the more I think about it. Don’t get me wrong, The Blind Banker is still an excellent episode (and certainly better than a lot of things on television these days) but it is definitely the weak point of Series 1.  


Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- So, The Blind Banker begins in a museum as a pretty young woman demonstrates a tea ceremony for the visitors, explaining how the tea actually burnishes the clay pots and keeps them from cracking. 

- Later, as the girl is finishing her work in a strangely empty building (maybe she was just working late) she hears a noise and heads out to investigate. It’s just like Rose Tyler in the basement. Why do they go and look? Why do they always look? Haven’t they ever heard that when you go and look bad things happen? Here is no exception to that rule as the episode gives us our first example of a cliché: her terrified stare at something unseen and then a direct cut to the credits...

- We then do not learn anything more about the nightmare at the museum, but we are treated to the sight of John shopping (no doubt as a part of his ongoing quest to make his flatmate eat properly). The ‘two battles’ are definitely one of the highlights of this episode and serve to contrast the two friends’ characters quite well. Sherlock is back at 221B having an epic battle with a masked swordsman while John is at the store doing battle with a piece of non-sentient machinery.

- Dr. Watson, I feel your pain. I HATE those self-checkout machines! I guess that is what makes this scene so hilarious and empathetically frustrating for me, because I’ve been there and it is humiliating! An interesting fact, though, is that people who have PTSD often find that their frustration at contrary inanimate objects is somewhat less easy to bear and it is nice to see that the writers haven't completely forgotten about John's problems. It may be played for laughs here, but the issue is genuine. 

- In direct contrast to John’s rather unorthodox approach to his battle (shouting abuse at a machine) Sherlock sure has style in the way he dispatches his opponent. It’s just a swift punch and then the man is out cold while Sherlock double-checks his appearance and straightens his suit. I do wonder what he did with the unconscious man once his jacket was suitably brushed off (stuffed the body in a taxi, probably). His bemusement at John’s row with the chip n’ pin machine is comical; as is the way he hides the confiscated sword like a naughty little boy.

- And now we know why Sherlock never could keep a flatmate before…he has no concept of personal space or possessions – not to mention manners. When John finally returns to the flat (having conquered his foe at last and got the groceries) he not only has to take care of the bags himself, but he finds his flatmate cheerily surfing the email with his computer. Apparently Sherlock couldn’t be bothered to go to his own bedroom (less than twenty steps away) and retrieve his laptop. This takes the whole ‘what’s mine is yours’ principle to the extreme, not that John looks pleased at this development.

- Poor John barely gets a chance to sit down after his harrowing morning before Sherlock is up and out, heading for the bank. I love the glimpse this episode gives us of how Sherlock notices everything even when he’s not officially on the case. As they enter the bank he is analysing the different floors and signs and the way the doors open and the people around him. NO wonder he needs ‘the work’ to help him focus his mind!

- Sebastian, Sherlock’s new client and an old university peer, is smarmy and oily and just gives off unpleasant vibes with that incredibly fake and wide smile. I don’t entirely blame John for correcting that he is Sherlock’s colleague, not friend, given the look Sebastian was giving both of them. 

- The smarmy banker also gives us an interesting insight into Sherlock’s youth. “Put the wind up our backs, we all hated him.” 

- The vibe between Sherlock and John is so much more comfortable than the one between Sherlock and Sebastian, despite the fact that Sebastian has known the detective much longer. And John, believe it or not, is not just looking out for himself when he accepts the check from the smug banker, nor is it just a plot device to get something with Sherlock’s name on it into John’s possession. If you noticed, he was looking through overdue bills earlier that day and clearly is the one who takes care of the mundane things Sherlock can’t be bothered with (like buying milk or paying the phone bill). Also one thing you won't want to miss is the Whack-a-Mole: Sherlock Edition as the great sleuth tries to determine who can see the mysterious graffiti on the bank office wall and from where would they see it. For such a dignified man, he’s certainly not afraid to look foolish while on the game. Talk about tunnel vision!

- So they decide to go and investigate a trader’s flat, except he’s not at home. So Sherlock puts on a fine display of being cute and sheepish as he figures out a way to get into the flat without getting arrested. 

- Sherlock looks a bit too familiar with breaking in places. Poor John got left outside, though, in an action that seems to miff him. I would have loved to see his reaction when the police came screaming up and Sherlock was still in the flat (because Sherlock did phone Lestrade). But given some of his comments later in the series, one gets the feeling that being arrested might not be so unusual for the duo.

- So after proving that Van Coon (the trader) was murdered through a stunningly brilliant deduction scene, Sherlock and John depart to find Sebastian and make a report. They find him in a lunch meeting telling an outrageous story that I would pay money to hear the rest of. (Seriously – some guy Sebastian knows was trying to cut his hair with a fork!) It is here that the smarmy banker manages to redeem himself just a bit. He’s still a jerk, but at this point he’s just a rather spoilt young man who never fully grew up and has millions of dollars and a private jet to play with. The twinge of sadness he shows over Van Coon’s death helps to redeem him quite a bit, even if he later wimps out and tells Sherlock to mind his own business. Hey, at least he had a bit of heart!

- Come the next scene, with an abrupt change of mood, romance enters the picture. Or more specifically, John Watson goes for a job interview at a local clinic. A clinic run by the pretty, charming Sarah, no less. She is a great character and I wish she would stick around for Series 2. She is smart and practical and has great (awkwardly cute) chemistry with the good doctor. John tells her in the interview that:“Mundane is good.” It’s sad when the doctor’s office is saner than your home life!

- Sherlock also seems to take great pleasure teasing John about his little slip-of-the-tongue when the latter returns to the flat full of news about the new girl…er…job. The dynamic between them is just great, particularly considering how much of a jerk Sherlock is to everyone else. Part of the fun of this show, beyond the witty writing and intriguing mystery, is the friendship between Watson and Holmes. True he might confiscate John’s computer and call him across London just to send a text, but Sherlock does care about Watson in his own way (even if he won’t admit it).

- Poor Dimmock is also being bullied by Sherlock again, even though they’re in the heart of Scotland Yard itself. No wonder Lestrade warns the other DI’s to try and not punch the Consulting Detective. But at any rate, Sherlock is given access to the journalist/cliché’s flat and snoops around a bit making cryptic statements and causing Dimmock to invoke the name of Spiderman. But I’m not worried about that. What I would like to know is how Sherlock zoomed in on that library book so fast, let alone how he saw the due date stamp considering how it was laying on the steps. The man must have eyes like a hawk! 

- And why would this mysterious assassin go to all the trouble of spray painting the library shelf? I mean, it makes for an interesting and mildly creepy reveal and a wonderful deduction/recap sequence courtesy of Sherlock and John, but it just seems a bit impractical.

- John is quite gleeful that Sherlock has to admit he doesn’t know everything and is quite surprised that his ‘expert’ is a graffiti artist and a rather cynical one at that. Poor John gets stuck holding the bags – and then his flatmate isn’t even listening as he rants about the ASBO. Hmm…I wonder if Sherlock pulled a few strings to let him off later. (Calling in a favour from Mycroft, maybe)

- John also finds some symbols painted at a rather odd place: alongside the tracks. Because they are painted over when he comes back, one must beg the question of who was there to see them besides John? I mean - it was night and quite dark and in a rather isolated area.

- Sherlock seems to agree and proceeds to spin John around frantically, trying to boost John's 'mediocre' visual memory (mediocre meaning that it's not Sherlock's). John, in great frustration, finally breaks away from his eccentric flatmate's grip to reveal that he got a picture of the cipher on his phone. This is wonderful because it shows how Sherlock, for all his brilliance, sometimes can't see the forest for the trees. He needs John, both for moral support and for a slightly more practical point of view.

- Later John once again gets the chance to one-up Sherlock, although it is Sherlock’s own fault since he let John have the diary and restricted himself to receipts and scrapped tickets (I’m still amazed at how he managed to piece together Van Coon’s movements from just those little pieces). Nonetheless, John gets to stretch his ‘not a sidekick’ muscles a bit more here as he directs Sherlock to a small shop which is apparently the drop-off point for the smuggling ring Van Coon and the dead journalist/cliché were a part of. 

- Those Lucky Cat statues bother me. They did the first time I saw them and they still do now. If Moffat is ever looking for a new Doctor Who monster, he might just consider a plastic, waving kitty.

- Finally someone who doesn’t assume that Sherlock & John are a couple! It must be so refreshing when that little old lady in the shop tells John that his wife would probably like one of those accursed kitty cats. And John gets to prove once again that he’s not a sidekick but a partner when he spots the symbol from the cipher. Lucky that he picked up that cup, eh?

- There is also a creepy lady with a camera across the street. If I were John I’d invest in some sunglasses and maybe a lawyer, especially considering the fact that she was lurking around 221B too. 

- Sherlock’s baritone is nicely recovered from near-strangling by the time they get to the museum and he is his usual cold, analytical self. 

- Poor Soo Lin! I’d scream too if Sherlock loomed up out of the shadows like that. She is our next cop-drama cliché: the young witness, the only one who can solve the mystery (the ciphers John photographed at the tracks), gets to give out half of the information before being bumped off. I take umbrage here with John because while Sherlock is upstairs being shot at (and loudly demanding that the gunman respect the centuries old skulls) the army doctor leaves the girl (the one being targeted) alone to go and look for his buddy. Bad move, doctor.

- But we’ll never know about Soo Lin's true loyalties because her brother murders her in cold blood, leaving an origami black lotus in her limp hand. This death in particular seems to get to John (perhaps because he left her alone) and he starts aiding Sherlock in grilling Dimmock. When Dimmock asks for proof, Sherlock makes a beeline for the canteen at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital to find one Molly Hooper.

- In the last episode, Molly was shown to have a bit of a crush on the enigmatic detective. A crush that he clearly did not reciprocate nor even seem to notice, nonetheless. Well, this episode makes it very clear that Sherlock not only knows about Molly’s feelings, but that he exploits them to get borderline illegal access to the morgue occupants. As soon as she denies him access to Van Coon’s body (the paperwork had already gone through) he makes an abrupt change of topic and comments on her new hairstyle, making it look as though he honestly just noticed. Molly looks a bit suspicious, probably knowing only too well how out-of-character this is for Sherlock, but about the time he says he likes the new style and gives her a small smile, she melts like butter and promises him the cadavers. His ‘Mr. Nice-Guy Act’ is just that, though, for as soon as Molly turns her back his smile immediately drops and he looks rather self-satisfied. It’s rather pitiful to watch, actually, given that she is blushing and smiling to herself that he finally noticed something positive and we all know that he’s just manipulating her all the way.

- Even as he stalks around the morgue with Dimmock, basically bullying the detective into conceding the point, Molly still has a smile like she feels she and Sherlock are working together. Of course Sherlock quickly ignores her once he puts in his rather unusual request to a sheepish Dimmock. I would love to see the explanation Dimmock gave his superiors for hand-delivering every book from the banker and the journalist’s flats to that smug consulting detective. It must have been galling to go to all that trouble and then be dismissed like an annoying toddler.

- Book code isn’t particularly reliable. I mean, supposing you use Great Expectations and my issue is printed in a different year than yours? Oops! Still, it does make for a cracking good mystery and some humour as, after a long, fruitless night of book-searching, John ends up falling asleep in his office at the clinic. Somehow he still manages to snag Sarah for a date…I’m still trying to figure out how he did it (though I suspect it has something to do with that adorable smile).

- John's date with Sarah gave us Sherlock fending off another swordsman with a can of spray paint. That was interesting.

- Quick note, did anyone besides me notice the sheet of Elvish Runes among the other stuff on Sherlock’s desk? Clearly he did an in-depth analysis of all possible languages while steadying the cipher. 

- While John is scouting out the kitchen, Sarah is winding Sherlock up as the latter tries to continue deciphering the code. He is clearly annoyed with her innocent, friendly questions and Sarah takes him to task for it. Then, to add insult to injury, she is the one to spot that Soo Lin started the translation for him.

-  Some people have complained about Sarah noticing that when the great consulting detective didn’t. I say that a fresh eye is always best. Sometimes just never seeing a picture before will help you to notice little things that experts who spend hours staring at it have become desensitised to. In true Sherlock fashion, once Sarah has made the revelation, the detective grabs his coat, scarf, and the paper and rushes out into the street while his two companions drink punch and order food in (deciding to eat off of trays rather than risk Sherlock’s most recent chemistry disaster).

- Sherlock, while out having a good walk-and-mumble to get the brain waves flowing, notices that several people around him are carrying a London A-Z. While I still don't really think this could possibly be accurate (despite the fact that within the context of this plot it is true) he deduces that the book everyone must own is the London A-Z, and so begins to finish deciphering the code Soo Lin began. Meanwhile, back at the flat, John answer the door for the delivery man and recieves a friendly gunbutt across the face.

- It’s really quite a beautiful moment when Sherlock comes bounding back into the flat, all exuberant over solving the puzzle only to stop dead in horror when he finds John gone and a new cipher painted on his windows. Personally, despite my getting caught up in the tense emotion of the scene, I can’t help but wonder what happened to Mrs. Hudson. I don’t imagine that Sarah would have gone down without a fight (John wasn’t given much of a choice) and Mrs. Hudson surely would have heard fighting or yelling. Hmmm.

- The next time we see John it is as he groggily wakes up to find himself face to face with General Shan, who seems to have the grossly mistaken idea that he is Sherlock Holmes and that he knows where the missing treasure the Black Lotus have been looking for is. We are then treated to a fine scene where the oversized crossbow from the circus makes reappearance, this time menacing a bound Sarah unless ‘Sherlock’ tells where the missing jade pin is. Of course, John hasn’t the foggiest notion and all looks rather black until the man himself comes to the rescue in typical flourishing style (even if his heroic rescue of the damsel in distress is rather interrupted by yet another session of strangling). The day is saved, however, by John who struggles his way over to the crossbow and manages to kick it enough to the side that it misses Sarah, killing Soo Lin's brother instead. General Shan escapes, Sherlock straightens his scarf, and John promises Sarah that the next date wouldn't be this bad.

        

            The Blind Banker does indeeds suffer from second-episode-blues, not to mention many clichés that, were it less wittily written, would ruin the entire experience. As it is, while not as brilliant as its predecessor, it is still an excellent piece of television. I rate it as a 3/5 and still enjoy watching it to this day.   

What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?