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The Zygon Invasion: Review Round-Up

Andrew Reynolds is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

A thoroughly modern story about tolerance and extremism, The Zygon Invasion, like the finest examples of sci-fi, held a mirror up to society and asked difficult questions for what is still ostensibly a bold, prime time family show.

Was it an entirely successful exploration of modern Britain – with the trappings of a blockbusting, international thriller – or were the intricacies of multiculturalism and radicalisation painted too broadly to ever coalesce into a satisfying whole?

Well, the reviews are largely favourable – with some declaring Peter Harness’ script the best of the series so far. Digital Spy were particularly taken with the ‘rich vein of absurdity running through the whole thing’ that kept the adult subtext from overwhelming the episode.

“Harness offers up some wonderful fuel for kids’ imaginations, realising everything from their wildest dreams – an alien command centre hidden under a school – to their worst nightmares – parents replaced by sinister duplicates. But, like a shape-shifting alien, there’s something under the surface that you don’t expect.”

In this respect, the smartest move the script makes in attempting to fire the imaginations of its younger viewers is in not confirming the true nature of Osgood; allowing instead a positive message of tolerance to dictate her actions – which is perhaps frustrating for fans looking for something more definitive.

TV.Com’s Kaitlin Thomas struggled to reconcile the overarching, burgeoning theme of death and duality and the resurrection of Osgood – which gave rise to questions about the justification for bringing her back altogether.

“When a series brings a character back from the dead, there needs to be a solid foundation and reason for resurrecting that character. Although Osgood was a fan-favorite and her return wasn’t like anything we’ve seen so far this season, her return doesn’t feel justified by what we’ve seen so far.”

Personally, within the context of the episode, her return works – perhaps the confusion lies in the way Doctor Who usually avoids making these inferences into contemporary life.

Looking at her inclusion in terms of the shows tendency towards philosophical, universal questions – say, taking a hypothetical situation like the one presented in The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood and its lack of analogy within society  – in this case, ‘the hybrid’ or the good/evil duality of Thomas’ point, then, yes, her inclusion perhaps raises more questions than answers.

It’s fair to say, her appearance here is largely down to a fair bit of retconning – just where was the other Osgood during the events of Death in Heaven? Although that in itself wasn’t strictly relevant to the narrative, it’s not outside the realms of possibility that Osgood shared a dual existence and the episode justifies it through her continued silence.

However, it’s the real world parallels that make the episode feel special. The Radio Times largely place this new focus on Harness’ own career-wide interest in how different worlds exist alongside each other.

“Peter wrote last year’s Kill the Moon, which earned a mixed response and was greatly enjoyed by me. He adapted the bizarre Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell for BBC1 earlier this year; but perhaps what’s more relevant to this task is that he’s the showrunner of Wallander (the British version starring Kenneth Branagh).

A key preoccupation of Henning Mankell’s Wallander detective novels (set in Sweden) was to show us the way we live now, how ethnic minorities try to rub along with a majority population; he would never demonise migrants or outsiders but humanise them as victims of circumstance, exploited by indigenous criminals. Peter Harness is steeped in all this and it informs his latest Doctor Who.”

All of which, argues The AV Club, say with the exception of Torchwood: Children of Earth, was perhaps for the best.

Quoting J.R.R Tolkien’s famous dislike for allegory – in this case, the Zygon’s aren’t terrorists but have elements that are applicable to that group, the review largely leaves the subtext down to the viewers own predilection to view it as so.

“That’s probably about the extent of the parallels, though, and it would be a mistake to say “The Zygon Invasion” is making any particularly deep point about the current geopolitical situation. It doesn’t need to. Rather, these connections serve to anchor the story in something more vital than your typical alien invasion plotline, while also offering viewers an opportunity to reflect on what this story might have to say about real-world situations, should they so choose—here again Tolkien’s observation that applicability “resides in the freedom of the reader” rings true. The Zygons’ motivations here are, not coincidentally, rather more nuanced than those in their two previous appearances.”

That ‘nuanced’ appearance stems from the evolution of their defence mechanism from simply copying and maintaining that copy to corrupting the memories of your loved ones and disposing of their bodies. It’s this development that Games Radar believes elevates the story above its predictability.

“The evolution of their modus operandi really works. Whereas the more we saw of the Weeping Angels the less scary they became – their chilling simplicity diluted – here the addition of the ability to use your thoughts to replicate a loved one is brilliant. The best moments in the episode come where soldiers are faced with the possibility of murdering family members.”

Ultimately, with its moral quandary, its startling change of pace and its willingness to at least attempt something more mature – even if that doesn’t quite gel beyond signifying something mature, The Independent could only see it as more evidence that this series keeps getting better and better.

“The episode barreled along with pace and panache, with the stakes being continually raised until we got one absolute belter of a cliffhanger. I’ll be furious if we’ve seen the end of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, but genuinely have no idea how it’s going to pan out. It seems like anyone’s game these days. With Peter Capaldi settled in the role and episodes like The Zygon Invasion, it feels like Who has got its groove back, as Doctor Disco might say. This is shaping up to be a very solid season indeed.”

So what did you think of The Zygon Invasion? Did you enjoy the change of pace? Is Doctor Who the right medium for this kind of discussion? Were you satisfied with the return of Osgood? Was the Zygon analogy work? Should we have seen the non-radicalised Zygons?

 

 

 

The post The Zygon Invasion: Review Round-Up appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

The Zygon Invasion: Overnight Ratings

Andrew Reynolds is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

The Zygon Invasion may have broken new ground in terms of story but the overnight ratings tell a worryingly similar story.

3.87 million viewers tuned in to watch the Doctor wrestle with the moral quandary of Zygon integration, putting it fifth overall for the day with a 19.4% share of the total TV audience.

Foxtrotting to the top of  Saturday’s figures was Strictly Come Dancing with an audience of 9.35 million watching – with a near 4 million lead over The X Factor which was placed directly opposite Doctor Who and managed 5.63 million viewers.

The Rugby Cup Final, shown on ITV in the afternoon, had 4.92 million watching, while Pointless Celebrities, for the first time this year, managed to beat the Doctor in the overnight figures, although this position is likely to be reversed when the final figures are published next week.

Overall Doctor Who currently stands as 38th for the week.

That figure places The Zygon Invasion fifth in terms of overnight ratings for Series 9 – while the AI rating (Audience Appreciation Index) and the final accumulative figure have yet to be confirmed.  The full figures are as follows:

The Magician’s Apprentice 4.58m (overnight) 6.54m (final) AI 84
The Witch’s Familiar 3.7m (overnight) 5.71m (final) AI 83
Under the Lake 3.7m (overnight) 5.63m (final) AI 84
Before the Flood 4.38m (overnight) 6.05m (final) AI 83
The Girl Who Died 4.85m (overnight) 6.56m (final) AI 82
The Woman Who Lived 4.34m (overnight) TBC (final) AI 81
The Zygon Invasion 3.87m (overnight) TBC (final) AI TBC

Scheduling Doctor Who opposite The X-Factor can’t have helped and, let’s face it, it was Halloween, where, you would imagine, a large proportion of the Doctor Who audience would be out trick or treating; so should we be worried by the decline? The figures are largely consistent, does that mean Doctor Who isn’t attracting new audience members? While that’s a concern for the BBC does the figures and the AI suggest that despite the dip in ratings fans are still relatively happy with the show? Just who is the Doctor Who fan base now?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Moffat on Doctor Who’s Longevity – and Peter Capaldi “Going Nowhere”

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Good news, folks: showrunner, Steven Moffat has confirmed there’s a solid future for Doctor Who in itself – and for its leading man, Peter Capaldi!

There had been rumours that Capaldi would be leaving the role of the Doctor very soon, but more recent speculation has hinted that he and Moffat would be around for Series 10. Steven has further told Variety:

“Peter Capaldi is going nowhere.”

Phew! Great to hear. Even greater is the fact that Steven’s apparently had some insight into the future of the show:

“It is definitely going to last five more years, I’ve seen the business plan. It’s not going anywhere. And I think we can go past that. It’s television’s own legend. It will just keep going.”

While we might be being a tad too optimistic here, Doctor Who has become an incredible cultural symbol, one valued by the BBC especially their commercial arm.

So what does Moffat think is the key to its success? He says:

“Doctor Who is the all-time perfectly evolved television show. It’s a television predator designed to survive any environment because you can replace absolutely everybody. Most shows you can’t do that with. For example, once Benedict Cumberbatch gives up Sherlock, what are we going to do? We are going to stop, that’s what we are going to do. Most shows have a built-in mortality. But here is a show that sheds us all like scales; a show that can make you feel everything except indispensable. It will carry on forever, because you can replace every part of it.”

Apart from the TARDIS. Nobody touch the TARDIS or I will hunt you down.

It’s true that Doctor Who is a bit of a legend now, having successfully lived past death many times – but notably between 1989 and 1996, then 1996 to 2005.

That means that it’s something passed down generation to generation, and that the people watching today will one day run the show with the same passion and enthusiasm and, yes, love that’s displayed by Moffat and Capaldi and countless others.

The post Moffat on Doctor Who’s Longevity – and Peter Capaldi “Going Nowhere” appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Boldly Going Beyond Who: Three New Star Trek Products From Lovarzi

Andrew Reynolds is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

You know them for their sterling Doctor Who and Sherlock range, but now, Lovarzi have a new mission: to explore sexy merchandise, to seek out new swag and new fully licenced loot, to boldly go where no company has gone before – with the launch of the first of three items of their officially-licensed Star Trek range – that’s two umbrellas to protect you from the perpetual rain of Ferenginar, and a pure silk scarf, to protect you from, well wind…

Honouring the ground-breaking 1966-69 run, the Original Series Emblems Stick Umbrella boasts bright panels representing the three main insignias from the original series emblazoned on their best-known respective colours: Science (prominently worn by Spock), Engineering (which you’ll recognise from Scotty’s uniform), and of course Command, (worn by Captain Pike – no, wait – Captain James T. Kirk).

Or perhaps you fancy something that demarks your love for all things Trek but can also fit inside a handbag? Then why not clutch tightly to the Live Long and Prosper Folding Umbrella. Pay tribute to Spock and his immortal adage with this Vulcan Salute adorned folding Umbrella, which also fits inside a specially-designed carry-case.

Now, we all know the TARDIS is the greatest ship in the gallery but you which ships have the better chairs? Starfleet crafts. So why not celebrate those crafts and their sexy chairs with a Ships of Line Scarf.

Naturally, this 100% pure silk scarf features the original U.S.S. Enterprise (registry number NCC-1701), as well as the NX-01 model from Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-05) and the Enterprise-D, used primarily in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987- 94) and the 1994 Generations movie but which also made brief appearances in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993- 99), and Star Trek: Enterprise.

Further ships on the space-coloured scarf include the U.S.S. Defiant (Deep Space Nine); U.S.S. Voyager (which was piloted by Captain Janeway in the 1995- 2001 series of the same name); and the U.S.S. Stargazer and Nebula Class in the Starfleet, both of which appeared in The Next Generation.

The Original Series Emblems Stick Umbrella, Live Long and Prosper Folding Umbrella, and Ships of Line Scarf will be available to pre-order over the next month from www.lovarzi.co.uk.

The post Boldly Going Beyond Who: Three New Star Trek Products From Lovarzi appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Tell Us What You Thought of The Zygon Invasion!

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

A sort-of sequel to Terror of the Zygons and The Day of the Doctor? On Halloween? The Zygon Invasion had a lot to live up to.

But did it? Advanced reviews were glowing, but what did you think?

Tell you what. How about we take some kind of poll to see what everyone thought, and then the kind folks who vote could then comment below and elaborate on their decision? Yes. Yes, I like that.

Oh, what the hell? Let’s do it!

What did you think of The Zygon Invasion?

Voted? Ta ever so.

So tell us more below, and we’ll relay a few of your thoughts to the masses very soon in a Reaktion Round-up. Savvy? Cool.

The post Tell Us What You Thought of The Zygon Invasion! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Perfect for Halloween: Karen Gillan’s Conventional

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Former Doctor Who companion, Karen Gillan, who played Amy Pond between 2010 and 2012 regularly, is set to horrify!

Conventional is a free short film, written, directed, and starring Karen – telling a tale of a horror actress dealing with her fall from fame.

And we’ve got to say, we’re impressed! We already knew she was a great actress, but she’s clearly a great writer and director too. Gillan has had previous horror form when she starred in last year’s Oculus, a movie about a haunted mirror. It didn’t get fantastic reviews, but she was excellent as ever.

Conventional does obviously feature some adult themes, so minors should beware. Nonetheless, it’s a perfect way to get you in the Hallowe’en mood!

The post Perfect for Halloween: Karen Gillan’s Conventional appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Capaldi and Coleman Introduce The Zygon Invasion

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Not long until The Zygon Invasion now – anyone else excited?

Just to add to the suspense, here’s Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman introducing the episode.

And oh yes! Brief clips too, including seeing the Twelfth Doctor come face-to-face with Colonel Walsh (Rebeca Front).

The serial, written by Peter Harness, is getting absolutely astounding reviews, including Impact Online, who says:

“While it’s still true that Doctor Who has lines it will never cross because of its need to appeal to all ages, it’s also  true to say that this Zygonian two-parter feels more ‘Torchwoodian’ than expected and this adventure will likely be seen as a benchmark of just what mature and nuanced thematic boundaries the main show can now approach and tackle while still remaining suitable for family viewing. That it does so with equal amounts of pathos, silliness, sleight of hand, righteous anger, topical social commentary and men in sucker-covered rubber-suits is impressive. This is Doctor Who raising its game.”

The Zygon Invasion comes to BBCOne at 8:15pm…

The post Capaldi and Coleman Introduce The Zygon Invasion appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

David Tennant Hosts Have I Got News For You?

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Catch Tenth Doctor, David Tennant hosting Have I Got News For You? tonight!

We’re not really used to seeing him presenting, but in the past, he’s done stints on Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Red Nose Day, so it’s not completely unprecedented.

The satirical show will, as always, feature Ian Hislop and Paul Merton, the former of whom is the editor of Private Eye, which pretty frequently has a story or two (and sometimes an exclusive) about Doctor Who. They’ll be joined by Grayson Perry and the comedienne, Katherine Ryan.

Tennant of course is returning to the role of the Doctor for Big Finish alongside Catherine Tate as Donna Noble (frankly, we’re all over the moon about it). He’ll also be appearing on the next series of Room 101, hosted by Mummy on the Orient Express star, Frank Skinner (and previously by Merton).

Oh, and he’ll also be appearing on Marvel’s Jessica Jones as the Purple Man!

Have I Got News For You? airs tonight at 9pm on BBCOne. And if you miss it, you can catch it on iPlayer too.

The post David Tennant Hosts Have I Got News For You? appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Advanced Review Round-Up: The Zygon Invasion

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

According to our statistician (he sits in the corner of the office, by the bin, with a calculator, a pen, and a battered copy of The Devil Goblins from Neptune), Doctor Who has only aired on Hallowe’en once before: in 1964, over 8 million tuned into the opening part of Planet of Giants.

I think we can all agree that the scariest thing in that episode was Farrow’s whistling teeth. Horrifying. Gives me the creeps.

But fear not… No, wait, that’s not right is it? I mean, don’t worry, The Zygon Invasion is here to scare and thrill you. You lucky people. And peering over the advanced reviews, we get the general impression it’s going to be… well, fantastic.

Case in point, then: the Radio Times‘ Stephen Kelly said on Twitter that it was his favourite Doctor Who since Vincent and the Doctor (2010)! In his full review, he says:

“Both thematically and tonally, this is unlike anything Doctor Who has done before… Let’s rejoice at just how incredible Doctor Who can be; how nine series in, it can still deliver one of its best – and most important – ever stories.”

But what makes it so good? Kelly further notes the paranoia and echoing real events that makes The Zygon Invasion both unsettling and current:

“Save for a soliloquy on water-boarding, or a cameo from Tony Blair, they couldn’t possibly make it clearer: this is Doctor Who’s take on immigration, Islamophobia and – blimey – ISIS. How surreal is that? To hear the word ‘radicalisation’ in Doctor Who? To hear an innocent Zygon plead that, “I just wanted to live here. Why can’t I just live?” To hear the Doctor assert again and again that the extremists don’t speak for the majority… Much like an episode of The X-Files, the whole thing plays as conspiracy thriller – one that riffs off the paranoia of shape-shifting in a way that 1976 serial Terror of the Zygons never did. ‘Any living thing in this world, including my family and friends, could turn into a Zygon and kill me any second now,’ says Rebecca Front’s Colonel Walsh. ‘It’s not paranoia when it’s real.'”

Simon Brew, of Den of Geek, highlights the fact that it’s great to have the Zygons themselves back:

“Visually, I’ve always found them icky, and thanks to some excellent work beneath the costume, the facial contortions at work here are really quite sinister. Additionally, whereas Daleks are sometimes played with a wink to the audience, we’ve not actually seen the Zygons that often, so they’re a less known, and more unsettling threat.”

Calling it a “movie blockbuster”, he also says it’s not like previous part-ones in Series 9: it’s very fast-paced and gives everyone a lot to do.

Doctor Who TV agrees that there’s a bigger scope at work:

“It zips around several locations and characters across the world showing the gradual break out of the Zygon threat. It’s been compared to having the feel of a finale and that’s not far off the mark… Director Daniel Nettheim must be praised for giving the episode a real cinematic edge. Intentional or not, given the timing of the new movie, there’s a bit of a grittier James Bond feel to proceedings. Nettheim also allows the creepier scenes to develop by keeping our orange foes mostly out of sight until a later reveal, the underground scenes being a highpoint.”

CultBox‘s Malcolm Stewart expands on the international theme of the story, stating:

“For a start, none of this looks like Wales. With a script that veers from London to New Mexico to the fictional Turmezistan (originally Azerbaijan), there’s a particular pressure on the production team to deliver visuals that are both convincing and differentiated; but full credit to the set design, foreign location filming and, yes, even ubiquitous picture grading: it works.”

Yes, we hear that Turmezistan is a village of Zygons – that should be interesting. They seemed to have claimed the Earth in a way similar to how the Silurians had hoped – but obvious shape-shifting makes things a tad easier!

Cameron McEwan (aka Blogtor Who) calls it “epic”, and explains:

“As the troops hunt down the shape-shifting aliens we discover a horrific new talent that the Zygons have acquired. (Don’t worry, I’m not saying what it is.) In a stand-off between UNIT and their enemies, you’ll be holding your breath for what seems like an eternity in a moment that will shock and perhaps haunt you a little. It’s also heartbreaking, and you may hate the Zygons just a little bit more.

“And this isn’t even the cliffhanger! And that’s a another cracker.”

And to round off our, uhm, round-up, we turn to Impact Online, adding:

“While it’s still true that Doctor Who has lines it will never cross because of its need to appeal to all ages, it’s also  true to say that this Zygonian two-parter feels more ‘Torchwoodian’ than expected and this adventure will likely be seen as a benchmark of just what mature and nuanced thematic boundaries the main show can now approach and tackle while still remaining suitable for family viewing. That it does so with equal amounts of pathos, silliness, sleight of hand, righteous anger, topical social commentary and men in sucker-covered rubber-suits is impressive. This is Doctor Who raising its game.”

What’s more, they say that next week’s The Zygon Inversion  raises the benchmark even higher.

Everyone at K Towers can’t wait…!

The Zygon Invasion airs on BBCOne at 8:15pm on 31st October 2015.

The post Advanced Review Round-Up: The Zygon Invasion appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Big Finish Review – Criss-Cross

Chris Swanson is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Bletchley Park. Britain’s most secret weapon in the Second World War.

Inside draughty huts, the earliest computers clatter day and night, decoding enemy transmissions and revealing intelligence crucial to the country’s defence. Leading WREN Mrs Constance Clarke directs her charges to provide vital assistance to the boffins stationed in the Manor House. But a recent arrival among the code-breakers, the mysterious Dr Smith, has attracted the attention of MI5’s spycatchers…

Over in mainland Europe, Nazi agents are briefed, covert operations planned, and a German submarine embarks on a very secret mission.

As encrypted radio waves criss-cross the planet, unearthly forces stir. And when certain ciphers are cracked, something will emerge to threaten all humanity, regardless of allegiance…

Also starring Paul Thornley (Robbie Flint/Cyril), Alistair Petrie (Major Harris/German Lieutenant), Hugh Fraser (Dr Schwartzmann/Rider), Charlotte Salt (Sylvia Wimpole/Waveform/Effy), and Robbie Stevens (Captain Unger/Dutch/British Captain/Chuadri), Criss-Cross is the first proper adventure for a new audio-only companion…

Despite having ventured fairly often into World War II territory, Doctor Who has never had a companion from that time. Or at least not until now, with Constance Clark (Miranda Raison, who you might know from Daleks in Manhattan/ Evolution of the Daleks) teaming-up with the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) to investigate odd goings-on at Bletchley Park. Soon the two are caught up in a spy-ring, dealing with Germans, and fighting off an alien incursion. As one does.

One of the nicer things about this story is that it gives us an origin for Constance. She was first seen in The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure, where we knew basically nothing about her. That story was intended to be released after this one, but Big Finish shuffled the schedule, so here we are. In this story, she’s far less of an… well, I want to say ENIGMA, but won’t… She’s far less of a cipher, though.

We know something about her past and have an idea what her motives are going forward. We also get to see her putting the Doctor in his place more than once, which is generally the sign of a good companion.

As for the story, written by Matt Fitton and directed by Ken Bentley, it’s standard alien invasion stuff, really. The World War Two setting is nice, as is the way Bletchley Park gets incorporated into it all.

The spy-aspect of the story works quite well; better than the alien invasion bit, truth be told. In many ways, this would have made a very good historical. As it was, it made for at least a decent alien invasion story, and I did very much enjoy it.

While it’s not perfect, it was nonetheless entertaining, and a great jumping-on point for anyone considering giving Big Finish a try!

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