DW 5x11 - The Lodger

[caz963]

I've still got a smile on my face after that one :-) Moff & Co seem to have been saving up the best episodes until last (assuming the last two are awesome of course!), what with last week's wonderful Van Gogh episode and now another one from Gareth Roberts. I was pleased to see he was on board again this series, becuase he wrote two of my favourite episodes of nu-Who - The Shakespeare Code and The Unicorn and the Wasp.



As an aside, the problem with saving the best until last of course is that people have to actually want to watch all the others to get there and I know some people who were so underwhelmed by the first part of the season that they stopped watching.

Anyway. This was billed as the "comedy" episode, and it certainly delivered on that score (excuse the pun!) as the Doctor finds himself stuck in Colchester (aka Cardiff because it didn't look like any bit of Colchester I'm familiar with!) with no TARDIS and an alien to track down.

James Corden was wonderfully sweet and funny in a nicely understated performance where he played the straight man to the Doctor.

It was clear from the first episode that Matt Smith can do comedy and I can't fault his performance here. He was very good at being that little bit "other" - different, but not so different as to stick out like a really sore thumb; he was engaging and funny and a bit barmy and I thought the relationship between the Doctor and Craig worked really well.

The thing about having a woman as a best friend - "works for me" - was a nice touch and I liked his observations in the scene with Craig and Sophie (who was also wonderful) - "6 million people on the planet; looking at you two, I wonder how they all got here".

Clearly, however, the Doctor has missed his vocation - he should set himself up as a yenta. First Amy and the dear departed Rory and now Craig and Sophie.

If headbutting is Eleven's way of establishing a psychic link, I think I prefer Ten's method. I know that was done for the fun value, but seriously, there will be kids in the playground on Monday morning butting heads trying to read each others' minds. It won't be pretty. Was the Doctor literally supposed to be putting thoughts into Craig's head or something? We got the very quick flashback of his other faces, and Craig understood what and who the Doctor is, and the second time, the "story so far" bit. I'm nit-picking, but that bit came across as a bit dafter than all the rest!

The space ship in the attic was an interesting development... someone was attempting to BUILD A TARDIS? Even before that was said, it was obvious from the look of the set that we were supposed to see the similarities. Is that important or was it just a throwaway line? (And aren't they grown?)

And finally - at the end of that scene... I saw THE Doctor. Talking a mile a minute about why he's "too much" for the ship, and the "is that a lie?" exchange with Craig - of course it's a lie! was spot on.

After all that - just when you thought it was safe to go back into the kitchen... the return of the Crack! I've been thinking for a while now that it might not be following Amy around. What if it's following the Doctor around? It could have been sitting waiting for him in little Amelia's bedroom for a few years, and then, BAM! - he turns up and off we go.

Then Amy finds her engagement ring. That was on the cards, I suppose, given how big a thing was made of it in the Chibbers two-parter. As those last scenes were a set up for the finale, I imagine we'll find out what she makes of suddenly finding a ring in the Doctor's pocket next week.

I'm sure the internet is currently exploding and that the brains of a million Matt fangirls are currently in meltdown. Personally - meh. But I'm not going to rain on their parade on this one; I've ogled David Tennant's pert little arse enough times to not be in a position to call any pots black.

All in all a fun episode and I enjoyed it rather a lot :-)

Comments

[hooloovoo_42]

I'll d/l it from iPlayer, but I'm not in any great hurry to see it. I can't stand Cordon, I think he's about as funny as piles, and his presence alone is enough to put me off it. I'll probably watch the next couple, if it's going to explain the crack, although probably not in real time.

[caz963.livejournal.com]

Have you seen last week's yet? The monster was crap, but the rest of it was fab.

I've seen James Corden in a few things (I haven't seen Gavin & Stacey) and he was good in this; very sweet. Give it a go - you might be pleasantly surprised :-) I seem to remember your not liking a certain Ms Tate very much but being won over by Donna...

[hooloovoo_42]

At least Ms Tate was never rude to Captain Picard!

[crossoverman.livejournal.com]

Yes, that whole Corden v Stewart thing made me worried about this episode and yet... I kinda liked him in it anyway.

[cheesygirl.livejournal.com]

I've ogled David Tennant's pert little arse enough times to not be in a position to call any pots black.

Wet, nekkid Matt is very pretty, but I'm feeling cheated that we've seen Matt sans kit twice in his first series and only got nekkid David once during his entire turn--and dry, not wet!

[caz963.livejournal.com]

Well, yes. Quite. I was listening to the commentary for The Shakespeare Code the other night was reminded that the original script had called for David to strip down to his underwear. Gareth Roberts obviously likes writing nekkid Doctors!

[crossoverman.livejournal.com]

I think most seasons of New Who have usually get better in the second half of the season, but these last couple have been a dramatic improvement. I can't wait for next week!

This episode was really strong, even with such a simple premise. Smith was convincing with the comedy and the football (perfectly timed for the World Cup) and the wet-in-a-towel ;-)

The headbutting thing was weird but also... after Rusty was very restrained in ever showing previous Doctors, Moffat is throwing in pictures and flashbacks to them at every possible moment. He even had Matt say "Eleventh!" I hope this is leading to something because otherwise this seems like a bit too much.

That trailer for next week looked superb!

[caz963.livejournal.com]

Moffat is throwing in pictures and flashbacks to them at every possible moment

He is - although it might be lip-service to fans or a massive red herring. Unless whatever the Pandorica is is somehow tied into the actions of ALL the Doctors...

I have to say though, that those who moaned about the excesses of Rusty's series finales must be laughing on the other sides of their faces! We're going from a companion-fest at the end of S4 to an alien-fest - and Romans! - at the end of this one.

Spoilers

[crossoverman.livejournal.com]

I don't think your spoiler thing worked, but you're right...

I do think whatever is inside the box has something very much to do with the Doctor. Or all the Doctors.

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

>>>>the Doctor finds himself stuck in Colchester (aka Cardiff because it didn't look like any bit of Colchester I'm familiar with!) with no TARDIS and an alien to track down.

it looked exactly like several streets I know in Chelmsford!

[caz963.livejournal.com]

Heh. Chelmsford, Colchester, Cardiff... as long as it begins with C!

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

To be fair, the first two are in the same county!

[houselover87.livejournal.com]

I loved this episode. While it didn't surpass "Vincent and the Doctor" as my favorite of the season, it is definitely a close second. I'm not a huge fan of football(or soccer as we Yanks call it)but I enjoyed watching Matt Smith own.

Also I have ogled David Tennant's arse more times than I care to admit...but when Matt was naked, I was looking more at the crazy hair than anything else!

As for nest week...*shudder*River's back...and that's almost enough to make me not want to watch it.

[caz963.livejournal.com]

It's true, the crazy hair did have a drawing power all of it's own!

I have to say that I like River - more with Eleven than I did with Ten - so I'm looking forward to seeing her again.

I said in my rewatch post for SiL/ForD that I don't get the River hate, and I still don't, really. She's a bit of a slippery character, it's true, but in a series when overall, the characterisation has been rather flat (*cough* AMY *cough*), she is at least interesting.

[canterlevi.livejournal.com]

I didn't like River in SiL/FotD 'cos she was smug.

[toledom.livejournal.com]

Not a lot to say, other than I also enjoyed this episode very much. As you say, Matt is always great at portraying weirdness and this was no exception. I really liked the scenes you mention, and the football match too; a year ago I would have never expected to see the Doctor playing football and it was a very pleasant surprise to see the character allow himself to enjoy such mundane things.

Corden and his girlfriend were good too, very sweet, and lovely to see their relationship finally falling into place at the exact moment everything was going to blow up.

Very good episode. Matt's very good at comedy and Karen has made me laugh many times (and if you consider that to make a man laugh she has to distract his attention from her legs, then you have to admit she's got to be good at comedy) so it's not a surprise like Vincent and the Doctor, but a very nice, well-rounded episode nevertheless.

I also noticed that "other" series-long story arc, not the crack in the universe but the Doctor as a matchmaker. Arguably, it goes back all the way to the ending of The End of Time, with Jack and Alonzo! I think we may be onto something here :)

[caz963.livejournal.com]

I also noticed that "other" series-long story arc, not the crack in the universe but the Doctor as a matchmaker.

Hah! Indeed :-)

There's one thing that's occurred to me since I wrote this though, which is that while different Doctors all have different quirks and characteristics, they presumably have the same memories... and the Doctor has spent a lot of time on Earth and among humans. Ten was probably the most human of them all, and I've started to wonder why, when his must be the Doctor's most recent memories, Eleven is so much more a fish out of water than Ten would have been? It's a minor nit-pick, I know, and obviously the episode was good enough to make me forget that, so I'll accept it as a dramatic/comedeic necessity.

[nostalgia-lj.livejournal.com]

I so hope he is forced to propose to River to explain away the ring.

[caz963.livejournal.com]

BWAHAH! That would be awesome. And she'll roll her eyes and tell him "maybe when you're older"... *g*

[nostalgia-lj.livejournal.com]

It's weird, so far I feel like she's had Ten but not Eleven.

[caz963.livejournal.com]

Eleven's not man enough for her - she'd eat him alive!

[nostalgia-lj.livejournal.com]

I think he is probably good at sex once he gets used to the idea that he's doing it. Like he talks about not doing it until about halfway through he's like "Oh, I'm quite good at this. I think I like this now."