Posted: Apr 20, 2010 11:37 am
Paul wrote:"Broadsword calling Danny Boy"
In Where Eagles Dare, Broadsword was the call sign of the Admiral at MI6, Danny Boy was the call sign for the Richard Burton character.
Oh... interesting, and possibly a dual-function reference. As a nerd who has read all the novels (some by Gatiss, interestingly enough) I seem to recall Broadsword mentioned as an organisation, the Whoniverse's WWII precursor to UNIT.
Byron wrote:
So was the writing, tho' to be fair to Gatiss, he might have been constrained by the decision to wheel out the new Daleks. Which felt pointless, the "old" (2005) design was fine, and these Daleks look like bloaters, with their bulging midsections. That's where the ep went wrong. Plot shouldn't serve product placement. There were great elements, like the opening 10 mins when you wondered what the Daleks' game was, but it all fell apart when the Technicolor(TM) Wonder Daleks rolled out. The episode felt like a vehicle for a new toy line, although some elements, like the absurd "talk the robot out of going boom" scene, are just bad writing, hangovers from the sloppier moments of the Russell T Davies era.
Still not worried for the new series. If Moffat pulls off the weeping angels/River Song two-parter, all shall be well on track.
I actually agree with every single word here. You've read my mind pretty much.