The Drills Have Eyes

Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth

Airdate: May 22nd 2010. UK. BBC1

Ok. This is probably not a review that’s going to be looked upon very favourably given some of the tweets I’ve seen flying about but... well I’m sorry... I was bound to turn up a positive review for a Doctor Who episode at some time for the current series and this one is it.

It might be that I had considerably low expectations but The Hungry Earth seemed to me to have all the hallmarks of a classic, mid-seventies Doctor Who story... but certainly not because they “revived” the Silurians. Has anyone else noticed that the current series feels very Jon Pertwee in style? The bit in this where Amy and Rory from the future (we are told, we’ll see what they do with that later I guess) are waving at themselves is typical of the Pertwee era. Remember The Doctor and Jo Grant running into themselves in one of the Dalek stories (think it might have been Day of the Daleks but don’t quote me on that... can’t quite remember).

Anyway... a refreshingly A to B storyline (which makes a change for this series and is much needed to get one’s breath back, I think). No real surprises but, then again, no real need for them. Just a clear, linear, classic Doctor Who story and the best bit, for Matt Smith, is that they get Amy Pond out of the way for most of the screen time. Yeah, yeah. I know. Amy Pond is the best companion since The Doctor took a piece of sliced bread into the TARDIS but she drowns out Matt Smith’s personality something chronic. Believe me.... if they started up a show called Time Travels With Amy Pond I would be watching it noon ‘til night. It’s not called that though... it’s called Doctor Who and with Amy out of the way, Matt Smith is really allowed quite a lot of glory on this one.

So saying, they’d better get Amy Pond into it again, pronto! She’s the best thing about the new show. And she got the best line again... “Did you just shush me?”

And the Silurians would be a good monster... except they’re SO NOT the Silurians. What happened to those great Silurians from the Pertwee and Davison eras with the third eye in the middle of their heads? First they bugger up the Daleks... now the Silurians. What’s going on!

Okay, that’s about it... not much to be said. Fully anticipate the second part next week to go back to being rubbish again. Now if I can just keep those low expectations going I might enjoy that one too!

Now I have a different dilemma however. By a really bizarre and unlikely twist of fate I have come into quite a lot of information about the penultimate episode... Pandorica Opened. Now I know stuff about... um... appearances in this episode asides from the already publicised ones that the BBC obviously don’t want the public to know yet. Including what the Pandorica is and why it is and which character in which episode (which also hasn’t been aired yet) is kinda responsible for the Pandorica in the first place. But I can’t bloody tell anyone because I don’t want to compromise anyone. So that’s out the window then. Ever have a secret you’re just itching to tell someone but you just know you really shouldn’t? Rats. I so want to give a hint but even a few words would be major spoilers.

Never mind. Not that many more weeks to go.