The State of Who

Doctor Who has sucked this year. I don't normally want to bog this blog down with reviews, but having emptied my DVR of a few past episodes over the weekend, including the truly unwatchable 'The Power of Three', I have to wonder if the stink of complacency and rotting cheese will linger over the rest of Matt Smith's time in the Big Blue Box.

Asylum of the Daleks

There have been a few storylines that have neutered the Daleks, but none so effectively as this one. Oswin's tragic storyline was the only thing that makes the episode watchable and I'm genuinely curious as to how she'll come back.

 

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

The Doctor Who version of 'Snakes on a Plane': intriguing title, limp execution and not nearly enough Sam Jackson. 

 

A Town Called Mercy

I'd love to see a sci-fi western show about Ben Browder and his cyborg buddy, fightin' crime! Otherwise a fairly rote episode marked with some truly useless Amy moments. I think almost everything out of her mouth was a very tired cliché. Rory was even less than useless here, but at least the character seemed aware of the fact.

 

The Power of Three

A prime example of 'Spatterplot': just hurl everything at the screen as fast as possible and hope that the audience doesn't notice that it doesn't even remotely hold together. The little black cubes that, uh do … what exactly? (Though the look of horror on Amy's face when she finds the one playing 'the chicken dance' was priceless). Daddy Weasley's bizarre vigilance that looks like it might be going somewhere before you realize he's just senile. Qbert men and a kiddie robot in a hospital that have absolutely NOTHING to do with ANYTHING, and a cheap makeup baddie that worships (if I followed the story correctly), some apocalypse that is preceded by counting of bananas, all wrapped up with a literal 'wave the magic wand' ending. 

 

Throw in Matt Smith mugging for all he's worth, Amy and Rory as smug yuppies and the liberal application of something I think that was supposed to be humour; and in the end it only adds up to a giant mess on the floor and a guilty look from the dog.

 

Next week they're bringing back the Stone Angels. I sincerely hope they can pull out of this before it becomes a full on nose-dive.