On the one hand I think this is a hugely underrated, very high quality story but on the other hand I do not think this was quite as amazing a finale as the 10th Doctor deserved or Russell T. Davies era deserved.
This incredible era was, for MY taste, the most consistently high quality era since the Hinchcliffe & Holmes era with Tom Baker in classic Seasons 12 to 14. My ratings for the 10th Doctor's era edge ahead of even the hugely consistent 3rd Doctor era. So it is slightly unfortunate this era comes to an end with a story that is not one of the very best.
Having treated us with stories like Midnight, Turn Left, The Stolen Earth and The Waters of Mars in his recent writing efforts, RTD seemed to slightly over extend his ideas in this story in my opinion. However, I still think it gets very overly harshly judged by some fans because I think it is actually very good.
The downsides in my view are:
A few aspects of the plot which are a bit overblown.
The Vinvocci aliens are a little bit cheesy and silly imo.
Naismith, his whole entourage and his plans are all a bit underwhelming.
The Master turning into a superpowered, super hungry monster and then turning all humans into him are entertaining but a bit over the top.
Loads in this story is of top standard though:
It is exciting, fun and emotionally strong.
It features the Doctor's great nemesis the Master and has brilliant scenes between him and the Doctor.
It has powerful aspects about the return of the Time Lords.
It has superb acting from Tennant, John Simm, Timothy Dalton and the wonderful Bernard Cribbins.
It has a mysterious cameo from Claire Bloom and a small, touching return for Catherine Tate as the great companion Donna.
It is very well produced with effects, music, direction etc all at top level.
It has some amazing dialogue, particularly between Tennant and Cribbins which are extremely moving right up to the tear jerking regeneration scene.
All of this deserves huge praise and it shows off Davies' writing skills and Tennant's immense acting prowess.
Overall this is very high quality in most respects. While I think it falls slightly short of reaching the greatness it deserved, it is still a very strong finale.
David Tennant was, for me, one of the best Doctors with his awesome acting and emotional range. He was a joy to have as our hero.
Russell T. Davies deserves huge thanks and praise for all his excellent work in bringing the show back, making it so successful and creating so many incredible new stories for us to enjoy.
Thanks David & Russell, your era was one of the best ever.
My ratings:
Part One - 8/10 Part Two - 9/10 Overall - 8.5/10.
This incredible era was, for MY taste, the most consistently high quality era since the Hinchcliffe & Holmes era with Tom Baker in classic Seasons 12 to 14. My ratings for the 10th Doctor's era edge ahead of even the hugely consistent 3rd Doctor era. So it is slightly unfortunate this era comes to an end with a story that is not one of the very best.
Having treated us with stories like Midnight, Turn Left, The Stolen Earth and The Waters of Mars in his recent writing efforts, RTD seemed to slightly over extend his ideas in this story in my opinion. However, I still think it gets very overly harshly judged by some fans because I think it is actually very good.
The downsides in my view are:
A few aspects of the plot which are a bit overblown.
The Vinvocci aliens are a little bit cheesy and silly imo.
Naismith, his whole entourage and his plans are all a bit underwhelming.
The Master turning into a superpowered, super hungry monster and then turning all humans into him are entertaining but a bit over the top.
Loads in this story is of top standard though:
It is exciting, fun and emotionally strong.
It features the Doctor's great nemesis the Master and has brilliant scenes between him and the Doctor.
It has powerful aspects about the return of the Time Lords.
It has superb acting from Tennant, John Simm, Timothy Dalton and the wonderful Bernard Cribbins.
It has a mysterious cameo from Claire Bloom and a small, touching return for Catherine Tate as the great companion Donna.
It is very well produced with effects, music, direction etc all at top level.
It has some amazing dialogue, particularly between Tennant and Cribbins which are extremely moving right up to the tear jerking regeneration scene.
All of this deserves huge praise and it shows off Davies' writing skills and Tennant's immense acting prowess.
Overall this is very high quality in most respects. While I think it falls slightly short of reaching the greatness it deserved, it is still a very strong finale.
David Tennant was, for me, one of the best Doctors with his awesome acting and emotional range. He was a joy to have as our hero.
Russell T. Davies deserves huge thanks and praise for all his excellent work in bringing the show back, making it so successful and creating so many incredible new stories for us to enjoy.
Thanks David & Russell, your era was one of the best ever.
My ratings:
Part One - 8/10 Part Two - 9/10 Overall - 8.5/10.