New Who Review for the Unicorn and the Wasp

[puppetmaker]

So does anyone else want to play Clue or Charades now?

This is a nice historical piece placed within the timeline of Agatha Christie life with a nice science fiction twist. Fenella Woolgar looks like a young Dame Agatha and plays the part with the right touch of drawing room drama that is all through out this piece which makes sense since she is a theatrical actress who studies at RADA.

Again my love for Donna increases. This one felt like the writer was not quite sure what to do with her. Some times she felt very Donna and others it felt like she was being used as a sidekick.

And does anyone have a tally for how many times the Doctor and Donna have declared themselves not a couple?

Of course spoilers behind the cut and in the comments.

Next week, from the new producer of Doctor Who who also informed us not to Blink, we now have to avoid the shadows. Ariel slept with her light on for two nights after the next two and that is my only comment until the episodes air.



OK best part for me was the Doctor trying to tell Donna what he needs to counteract the cyanide. That bit had both the ticking clock and the comedy that works so well for Tennant and Tate. What is that? Salt! No too salty! Shock to the system! It was all great fun.

It did feel like an Agatha Christie novel being acted out and it worked for me. I loved everyone being called to the drawing room for questioning (well everyone who was not a servant because they don't count). And the reveals were timed well.

All in all this was a silly bit of fun and sometimes I think we need to be reminded that Doctor Who can be a silly bit of fun. We don't alway need Emo stories for the show to work.

Comments

[yendi]

I loved the number of Christie titles that were name dropped (and, of course, the season opener, "Partners in Crime," is another Christie book).

What I really wonder is, which author will the next companion visit? Rose met Dickens (as he was working on Drood), Martha met Shakespeare (and answered the Dark Lady question as well as finding out what happened to "Love's Labours Won"), and Donna met Agatha and explained her disappearance.

[querldox.livejournal.com]

Just came up with a weird possibility; Alan Moore, in a story set around his mystic beliefs. With, of course, Moore playing himself (hey, he did it for The Simpsons).

Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett would also be fun. With Adams having the meta-fun of having written Dr. Who himself.

[bangdrum.livejournal.com]

Douglas Adams would be great, but they'd absolutely have to find the right actor to play him... :/

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

I loved this episode! You're right -- it had just the right touch of all the Agatha Christie movies I've seen. I didn't mind Donna being a sidekick -- it added a little fun and some chuckles!

[bangdrum.livejournal.com]

Agreed, U&W was excellently done. After it aired, I went and read an Agatha Christie book (I actually had never read one before) and it hit just the right tone.

I cheat, i.e., download the new ones the second they're online, but I'm not going to spoil the Moffat two-parter for you. Except to say: 1. It's amazing (as Moffat stories always are), 2. It's scary as hell (possibly keep an eye on Ariel, as the first part, unsurprisingly, has a cliffhanger), and 3. It comes up with lots of questions you might not have thought of before.