Watching Doctor Who

Hello. Here is my review of Tooth and Claw or, as I like to call it, “Queen Victoria, a Werewolf, and Kung-Fu Monks.” I believe that this episode is somewhere in the future for some of you out there, and in the past for others. So…that’s a sort of time travel, isn’t it? Well, if you want to know what I thought of this one, feel free to enter the spoiler zone!

Episode: Tooth and Claw by Russell T. Davies
Rating (1 to 5): 3.4
Baddie: Evil Monks, A Werewolf, and …Queen Victoria (a little)
Rose is trapped: Chained to a wall in the basement…near a werewolf. Then, in the Library with the Doctor.
The Doctor is trapped: In a Library with Rose, and a couple of others.
The Doctor enjoys: The Muppet Movie, His Thumb, Sir Robert’s Father, The werewolf. It’s beautiful.
The Doctor dislikes: Sir Robert’s lack of brains and the idea of The Wolf biting the Queen.
The Doctor apologizes to: No one?
Doctor-y Strangeness: Instant Scottish Accent & He licks the wall.
Scary Stuff: Werewolf! The Queen turning on The Doctor and Rose.
Torchwood? is the name of the estate. This is the Torchwood Institute origin story.
Does someone local help out? Sir Robert, His Wife, their staff, Queen Victoria, and her crew…quite a lot of folks, actually.
What we learn: The Doctor is a big old punk with a bit of Rockabilly thrown in. The Doctor is partial to his thumb. Skylab fell to Earth with a bit of help from him. The Doctor can do a Scottish accent. The Queen’s Husband and Sir Robert’s father planned against the wolf attacking the house. The Doctor becomes “Sir Doctor of TARDIS” and Rose is “Dame Rose of the Powell Estate.” The Doctor and Rose are banished from Victoria’s empire. The Torchwood Institute was started because of The Doctor.
My Favorite Bits: Kung Fu Monks! (in Victorian Scotland?!?) The Doctor and Rose circling the console to music. “Am I being rude again?” “There is something of the wolf about you.” “Where is she?!” “As a Doctor I recommend a vigorous jog. Good for the health.” Split Screen: The Doctor and The Wolf. Mid-danger hugging! “Books! Best weapons in the world!” Research Mode! The Doctor’s “Too Much Information” moment. Howling in the TARDIS.

Observations and musings:

Okay, let me just get this out of my system. Rose, shut up! I feel better now. Or, perhaps I should say…I am not amused. The rest of the episode I enjoyed, but Rose’s attempt to get the Queen to say “We are not amused” got annoying really fast. Even though she eventually won the bet. Poor Rose was obviously cold out there in her 1979 outfit. The Doctor should have lent her his coat. That would have also helped with the whole “nakedness” problem. I love Rose’s reaction to The Doctor’s rudeness, and the fact that he asks her if he’s being rude. Rose playing dress-up is fun, but I wish that she actually got to wear one of the dresses. (Okay, really I want the one she chose.) This episode sees another example of Rose’s transformation into someone who takes charge. She rallies the prisoners in the basement into freeing themselves from the wall, even though they are terrified of the wolf.

The Doctor has a Scottish accent this time out, and goes by the name Doctor James McCrimmon. I guess that the names of former companions come in handy when you need to come up with a new identity on the spur of the moment. (David Tennant had a wee bit of trouble playing The Doctor with his own accent, as he had, by now, gotten used to The Doctor’s character and accent. He did just fine, but I swear that there is one point in the telescope room where we see David and not The Doctor.) Mind you, if you’re going to do an accent, Doctor, you might take a bit more care to stick with it. Just sayin’. The Doctor gets the flight wrong once more, by…100 years. He really needs to work on that. He should also think twice before accepting someone else’s word about where Rose is. That way he doesn’t have to freak out and kick down doors so often. Also, folks need to listen to him more often. When The Doctor says “retreat upstairs” perhaps he knows what he is talking about. The Doctor’s reaction to Rose winning the bet was priceless.

I love the imagery in this one. Windswept heath, misty valleys, and moonlit stone. Fabulous. Ummm…Kung Fu Monks in Victorian Scotland? Perhaps it’s alien Kung Fu? But really well shot fight sequences. Well…it’s obviously directed by Euros Lyn. I love his work. Yea! The lady of the house has brains! Adventures with The Doctor…now with 20% more running for your life.

So…there you go. What did you think of the episode? Next review is: School Reunion.

Image Source: http://www.time-and-space.co.uk/

Tooth and Claw, Russell T. Davies