DW "The Sound Of Drums" (spoiler alert!)

[James Smith]

Right, some thoughts.

1) Wow....Martha's mum done screwed up baaaaad....
2) Episode was brilliant. Lord knows how they're getting out of this one. It seems pretty bleak.
3) I liked the jelly baby moment.
4) I'll say this much criticism about it though - these stories have to move at a helluva clip to fit into the timeslot, and I don't think it does them any favours at times. Bits of this story needed the pace. Others....it just got a bit rushed.
5) And another thing....this version of the Master is very....different. Roger Delgado's Master was smoothly brutal, seeking dominion over the universe. The Peter Pratt/Geoff Beevers Master (the emaciated wreck of "The Deadly Assassin" and "The Keeper Of Traken") was simply out to do anything to survive. Anthony Ainley's Master was a combination, made a bit over-the-top by the makers of the show but really rather good in "Survival" when Ainley got to play him how he wanted. John Simm seems to be playing him almost more OTT than Anthony Ainley did. This is a Master resurrected by the Time Lords to fight in the Time War, but he ran. Ironic, that. The Master kills with no real regard, yet he ran and hid from the war. The Doctor, a self-confessed coward at times and a man who doesn't like to kill, doesn't run - he ends it in a blaze of fire and destruction.
6) One other touch I loved - the Master enjoying Teletubbies. In "The Sea Devils" you see him watching The Clangers on TV ;D

Judging by the trailer, it's all on Martha to sort things out from here. Jolly good. She needs to snap out of the "in Rose's shadow" pattern she's been in.

Rose obliterated the Dalek Emperor. Now it's time for Martha to step up and ruin the Master's plan.

[MajorRacal]

Personally, I think there was a good episode trying to get out with that one - the tone is horribly all over the place and often undermines the credibility of the story. I agree with the pacing criticism, but that's been an issue since the series was resurrected as the tension and mystery rarely have a chance to build before its all solved with a flick of the magic wand/sonic screwdriver (I remember cheering when the Doctor dropped it on the Empire State Building, which I suspect isn't the reaction Helen Raynor was aiming for).

Ooh, and the Timelord in full regalia was a nice touch... given that they've gone to the effort of showing us the citadel (in flashback)could their return be on the cards?

[Atrahasis]

Want...to...see...

...But I'm not on British time!

Btw when did the Doctor stop eating jelly babies...was that only a Tom Baker thing or do I recall Davison or McCoy carrying them around as well?

[MajorRacal]

For some reason I think Pat Troughton did that (and the sonic screwdriver) first. They became indellibly linked to Tom Baker, even though in some instances he was clearly eating liquorice allsorts.

[James Smith]

Paul McGann's Doctor also had a bag of jelly babies, and Sylvester's Doctor at the start of the TV movie was eating them while reading in the console room.