Don’t say I’m not good to you, but here’s four minutes of this Christmas’ Doctor Who episode, The Runaway Bride. Spoil yourself in low-quality camcorder-o-vision if you want:
Articles by Rob Buckley
US TV
Fifth-episode verdict: Smith
I was wondering a while back if three episodes were enough to really know if a show is good or bad. I then expanded my reviewing policy to include fifth episodes if the third episode was on the cusp.
Smith was very much on the cusp by its third episode, after which it was cancelled. But CBS was nice enough to put the remaining episodes onto its InnerTube service. So it’s an interesting test of this new policy: cancel at episode three, or wait till episode five before making a final decision.
I’ve now managed to wade my way through the remaining four eps and I have to say, if they’d let it get as far as the fifth episode or possibly even the sixth, I think Smith would have started to have found its feet. While Ray Liotta’s and Virginia Madsen’s storylines were still a bit dull, Jonny Lee Miller and Simon Baker were starting to develop an entertaining double act. They were also managing to inject some excitement into the storylines. Had the show progressed, I’m pretty sure TPTB would have given them more to do and made Smith a lot more entertaining to watch.
So the moral of the story is, if it’s on the cusp, always wait until the fifth episode. At least. Particularly if you’re a big US network.
Uwe Boll’s bout – the full write-up
Curious about how all of Uwe Boll’s critics fared in that boxing challenge? Wired has a full write-up under the wonderful headline Raging Boll.
He picked a right bunch of nancies to fight against though, don’t you think, given the number of potential opponents out there? But then again, the upper weight limit was 180 pounds (less than 13 stone, 82kg) so maybe there wasn’t a fine array to pick from after that.
Torchwood’s Greeks Bearing Gifts: any good?
I managed it. Just like I said I would and despite a lone request for me to tune in, I avoided Torchwood yesterday. I didn’t watch it on the tele. I didn’t set the PVR. I feel a certain sense of freedom.
But now I’m curious. Was it any good? The first of the Behind the Sofa reviews says it was both rubbish and offensive, which is what I suspected, but would anyone else like to chime in? There are going to be about 17 different repeats of it, if I need to catch up, I suppose…
News
Weekend Who and Torchwood news
Doctor Who and Torchwood stuff from the weekend:
- Cardiff council’s TARDIS flower display is to appear at the Chelsea Flower Show.
- John Barrowman’s named the day and place where he’s getting married: surprise, surprise, it’s the St David’s Hotel and Spa.
- The time slot for the Christmas episode of Doctor Who, The Runaway Bride, is going to be announced today. More importantly, the Beeb has confirmed that plans for series four are now underway, the 2007 Annual is going to be more popular than The Beano’s, and retailers have sold out of the Cyberman voice-changing mask.
- There’s still been no confirmation of a second season for Torchwood, according to John Barrowman. But Captain Jack will be in three of the four final episodes of the next series of Doctor Who. Barrowman also admits Captain Jack’s personality changes according to which show he’s in…