I am – Hercules!!
“Doctor Who’s” 29th season, which just concluded on something called “the BBC,” hits America’s SciFi Channel on Friday. Here’s what our British cousins thought of the series’ 29th season finale, “The Last of the Timelords.” “ApocalypseGuy” says:

Hi Herc, Another one of those long time readers first time writers here. Just finished watching the Doctor Who finale on the BBC in "limey" Britannia here tonight and thought I'd write in with a few thoughts for you. I don't know what it is about Doctor Who but whenever Russell T. Davies puts pen to paper the story seems to either fall flat on its face or to build and build and build... and then fall flat on its face. I don't understand what it is, but time and time again he somehow manages to do it. Take this weeks episode for example; after an unprecedented brilliant all out episode last week, Davies takes the concept of the Master's return, a genocidal prime minister and sending the Earth to war, builds everything to boiling point and then... what should have been a brilliant conclusion somehow ends up being a bit of a mess with only the surprise involving Captain Jack having anything close to the pay off that the rest of the plot should have had. Maybe that sounds harsh, but I hear time and time again how Doctor Who is supposedly British science fiction at its best and to be honest I don't think that counts for much. Occasionally, maybe; the World War one episode from earlier on in the season was brilliant, it was cinematic. The Blink episode this season was also pretty damn good, I've already expressed my love for last weeks episode. But with this episode, I'm not sure what it is, but in terms of plot, it never seemed to quite reach the heights that Davies wanted it to. At the end of the last episode he had everything working for him, an alien menace threatening the Earth, the Doctor in peril, Martha being forced to go off and save the world on her own and so much more working in his favour. But instead of throwing us straight into the thick of the action, a subtitle saying One Year Later is one of the first things that we see. Things don't appear to have changed much at all since the last time that we saw the characters, despite Davies trying to convince us that the world is close to "extinction". And to be honest, the only reason that the story has moved forward a year is a) kind of nice but one of those ill advised curveballs Davies seems to enjoy throwing at his audience and b) has been undone by the end of the episode anyway. Obviously. The episode then spends its first half building us up to the state of suspense that we were already in at the end of last week. Don't get me wrong, Davies' characterisation is fantastic, the Doctor, Martha, Jack, The Master - and about one hundred and one other characters - are all absolutely fantastically realised and the acting, despite the campness, has been brilliant as well. The best scenes of any Davies episode come across when it's just one on one character moments; the final scenes between the Doctor and Martha and the Doctor and the Master were brilliantly written and acted and really make the Doctor feel like a tragic character worth caring for. I guess this is what Davies is aiming for, he's mentioned on a number of occasions how much Joss Whedon and Buffy have inspired him and it's visible; the dialogue is very Whedon-y, the characters, especially how the Master comes across in the last two episodes, have been undeniably Whedonesque. But what Davies hasn't quite got the hang of yet is making his end of the world scenarios feel like the end of the world. With Buffy, Whedon and co. had a knack of making you think that this could really be it this time, even if in the back of your mind you knew there was another X many series still left to come. But Davies never quite manages it, it's always a case of waiting for the Doctor to save the day somehow, usually from the aforementioned ill advised curveball. The problem with Doctor Who seems to be that it can't make its mind up what it wants to be. Buffy knew that behind its camp, almost child like title it was a very adult show, dealing with a lot of pretty difficult themes and ideas without ever patronising its audience. (I hate to keep comparing Doctor Who to Buffy, but Davies seems to like doing it so it only seems fair) Doctor Who on the other hand, can't decide whether it's a show for kids or for adults, probably because of the horrible time slot that it's been lumped with. Take this week's theme of mass genocide - does the show ever deal with any of this? Not really. The Master's fate comes out of, yep, you've guessed it, left field and the consequences are never really dealt with; the episode all but ends with a reset button being pressed. The build up of having Saxon in charge of the world killing people for a year is barely seen and only occasionally spoken about - why have a genocidal British Prime Minister (which an article in the Times this week seemed to feel was quite topical at the moment) if you're not going to look at just how dark the issue is? And making it all go away with the infamous reset button? Come on! Making the Master insane just isn't good enough if you're trying to convince us that this is the pinnacle of British science fiction. At least it didn't turn out that there were Daleks inside the sphere thingies. Anyway, I'm gonna round things up now. Like I said, maybe I have been slightly harsh. I enjoyed the episode, the previous episode even more so. This entire season has been a marked improvement upon the previous two seasons of the new Doctor Who - but it still has some way to go before I'd be proud of it for having the title of the best British sci-fi has to offer. There's some really nice moments in this episode and you can almost see what it's striving to be, but as a whole it falls just a little bit short. I'd give it four out of five, despite my bitching. With half a star being earned by the brilliant twist involving Captain Jack, which has been brewing for nearly three years now, and the set up for what could be a brilliant Christmas special... emphasis on the could be. One final thing before I head off Herc, if nothing else can someone please explain to me why the production designers on the BBC make so many brilliant period sets, and in the case of the bridge of the aircraft carrier, occasionally the odd good looking futuristic set... and then resort to using those horrible yellow and purple lights in futuristic corridors? Why, BBC, why?!?! Just leave them in darkness for God's sake, we don't need to see how crappy the low budget sets look!!

“Sean” gives it 2.5 out of five and says:

Hi there, I'm not sure how you contribute reviews to your site but I thought I'd give it a go. And so season 3 of the revitalised Doctor Who draws to an end. After 5 weeks of episodes which have spoiled Who fans old and new with old foes returning, some of the best storylines the series has ever and a lot of clever self-referencing, we arrive at the epically set up finalé. And you know what? It's a bit rubbish... Maybe I expected too much, or perhaps Moffat and Cornell's more adult storylines spoiled us, but whatever way you look at it, Russell T Davies' final act in his 3 part conclusion decides to go sentimental-blockbuster-epic on us, and falls at the final hurdle. The revamped Doctor has introduced a lot of new themes; social commentary, more ambitious effects, greater prominence on the companions' storylines, ambiguous sexuality, camp o-t-t parodies of sci-fi clichés - but the balance of throwaway fun and standout episodes has always meant the energy won through, masking the weaker episodes and letting us look back on each series with a sense of warm fuzzy love, and intrigue as to what'll come next. Well, apart from that episode where we knew Catherine Tate would be in the next one... But I digress. The problem with "Last of the Time Lords" is that it feels terribly dated already and retreads themes explored to death in previous episodes. I'll gloss over the storyline for fear of spoiling it for you (its on Wikipedia anyway fact fans), but the Toclafane's real identity is revealed (and is slightly underwhelming and predictable), The Master and The Doctor get their scene together and Martha gets to save the human race. Again. In between we get the now compulsory freedom fighters fighting to save their families, too many non-important characters, lots of running, reliance on satellite signals and mobile phones to explain plot details, daft musical interludes, a fair amount of shady cgi, some slightly hammy acting, a global invasion (for the 3rd series running), the assistant (and annoyingly her entire family's) storyline overshadowing The Doctor's (for the 3rd series running) and a scandalously brief resolution of the episodes main raison d'etre - The Master and The Doctor. And that's my main problem with episode 13; it had all the elements leading up to it to be a classic, but RTD wastes away the first 40 minutes with all the aforementioned, leaving pitifully small screen time for the series' 2 finest protagonists and wrapping it all up with a weak tear-jerking conclusion. Those last few minutes are indeed good entertainment; the scenes between Tennant and Simms sizzle, and we get two wonderful surprises at the very end regarding the assistants' future fates that'll go down as one of RTD's most inspired moments to date, but it feels like it could have been so much more. What RTD's reinvention of Doctor Who ultimately all boils down to is a thinly disguised modern love story between the assistants and The Doctor, and The Doctor and the human race (mainly for fear of isolation at being the last Time Lord). We know the Doctor loves the human race unhealthily (because its us lot paying his license fee), which is fair enough, but for the 113th episode in a row we have a slightly sickly "humans are evil and nasty but, you know what, aren't they unique?" message rammed down our throat. I loved those themes too when he initially introduced them, but it's sure as hell time to change the record. Predictably, it gives us a sneaky look at the Christmas special and a new direction for Series 4, something the show now needs desperately to freshen up the now rigid formula. Yet for all it's faults, essentially I still want more. And for that reason alone, Doctor Who is still the most entertaining 45 minutes on British television. 2.5 / 5 Keep up the good work!

“Jadstersdad” gives it an eight out of ten and says:

No. By no means. This series has been pretty much triumphant. With classic episodes throughout, Tennant in his stride (as all the actors previously accomplished once settled into the role) and Martha proving a much better companion than Rose, we come to the last story. This was technically a three-part, although 'Utopia' set up the two-part finale. In retrospect, people have moaned about Derek Jacobi not remaining The Master. I don't think there was ever hope of that. And maybe it wouldn't have worked. Instead..... we had John Simm. I didn't post a review of last week's episode 'The Sound of Drums' but I can say now, even from this position, that in my opinion it was the best episode of the new incarnation. Back to the old menace, thrills, the Doctor vulnerable, the effects better than ever, The Master BACK, for god's sake! I really connected emotionally with that episode. A terrific cliffhanger that left this fan drooling for more. Russell redeemed! And tonight.... the conclusion. Several things dawned on me while watching this. Last week was so good precisely because it set this up and was the first half. The second half just does what RTD does best... go over the top. And this time in spades! The only bum note in 'Drums' was the speedup effect of the Doctor ageing. This time we get more.....and more......and more of that. The song last time was a pretty off-the-wall touch. Interesting. Tolerable. This time......another one. Neither of these things. The Doctor's 'old man' makeup? Inspired. Can we leave it at that, then? No. He has to become something more......or less. I read an interview where Russell justifies his decision to update the Master by saying he didn't want a Bond-type villain. But lord, what do we get? Armies of missiles......Brosnan-style machine-gunning from Cap Jack.......a countdown......Simm going way overboard and (yes) The Master saying 'revenge is a dish........', albeit tweaked. Does it stop there? No. We also get STAR WARS! A key scene from 'Jedi' lifted wholesale. This is not what the Doctor is about. Oh... and Mr Gold going epileptic as he's conducting his orchestra (a given for any series finale, it seems). But......... This sounds like I didn't like the episode. I did. I was just disappointed by the inability to follow through on the monumental and inspired first half. Then again....wasn't that always the case with classic Who? Weren't the cliffhangers and the build-ups always better than the resolution? The perplexing thing is that just after you sighed at each misstep or lost opportunity, there were moments of brilliance. The opening - one year later (eh?) with Martha and the resistance. Great. Expertly done. Professor Docherty. Really believable. The twists (now engineered, I'm certain, to fox those who are sure of a plot line. Me included!) The lost opportunities? Much of this is down to the fact that the great chemistry between Tennant and Simm is squandered because the Doctor is simply not present in any real sense for most of the story. UNIT is mentioned but the promise is not delivered. And The Master finally dead?!! It's a neat chance for the Doctor's 'humanity' to be foregrounded, but there's an overwhelming sense of loss when such a great villain is dispatched. Especially after his much-vaunted resurrection! Thankfully there's a coda that should rectify this. The Master must return. And he must be Simm. But hopefully a little less manic and in a story that's not quite so epic. Finally... there's a nice little revelation involving Captain Jack. That's all from me. 8/10 tonight. And I can't wait to see the Talkback!

“DJ Bollocks” rates it only two out of five and says:

We start of with a recap and the fact that Earth is now closed for business on some inter galactic scanner probably in the skybase... It's now a year later and we see Martha arrive late at night on a beach - her first time on British soil for a year...She's been travelling the Earth and so the legend goes is the only one that can defeat the Master - she meets a Doctor Tom Milligan who is here to help finish off what she's been working on all year Back on the sky base - The Master has gone slowly more bonkers (singing and dancing routine anyone ?) - and declares that today is the day when the new timelord home world will rise. He still wants to know what the Doctor said to Martha.... Martha still on Earth has the teleportaion device and still has the perception filter which is why she can't be seen by the Toclafane. Everything is building up for 3.00pm and all the family prepare to take control but fail The Master and the Doctor reminisce... "How did he ever come to this...?" Martha meets Professor Docherty and the Master broadcasts to the world... More laser screwdriver action supposedly to suspend The Doctor's ability to regenerate whilst evolving him by a further 900 years - "a wisened creature with a thin wooden neck !'... And some weird evolutionary head ? CGI awful.... Docherty realises that the Master's weakness is with the psychic Archangel network... The Toclafane had previously been damaged in a lightning storm in South Africa and the supposedly last words that the Doctor passed to Martha is revealed to be the necessary way to destroy them which is some kind of electrical specifications... The Doctor is now in some enlarged bird cage and CGI (humunculous !) - Martha's mum and Dad and sister are locked in a cell - Captain Jack is shackled in chains The Master witters on about creating a fracture in space and the stopping the drumming. His wife looks hotter and even more out of it - one suspects she will be his downfall at this stage... Docherty examines the Toclafane and it contains the collective evolved hive mind of all the humans that were sent to Utopia in the first episode of the trilogy... The Master returned to Utopia (given that he could only travel there and and back in the Tardis when the Doctor fused it when the Master escaped) and the universe collapsed around them - the Master offers to take them back to Earth but to prevent them killing themselves creates the Paradox Machine in the Tardis to keep it all in place... "The Human Race - The Greatest Monsters Of Them All" Back on Earth Martha also tells Professor Docherty and Tom that The Doctor told her about a gun that had been created that contains 4 chemicals that is the only way to kill a time lord - Martha has three and the other is in a old Unit Base in North London - sounds a little far fetched... Professor Docherty double crosses Tom and Martha as the Master has her son in captivity - meanwhile Tom takes her to a refuge where The Master finds her... Martha gives herself up and the Master destroys her equipment - Tom takes one for the team as The Master realises that if she is to die the Doctor should witness it... Martha arrives back on the Sky Base for summary execution and kneels before the Master - The fleet of billions of Toclafane is ready... The gun in the four parts was a red herring to get her on the skylab - to spread the message about the doctor - faith and hope... and an instruction to think about The Doctor and to use the countdown... one word, one thought, one time - the telepathic network - she spent the whole year spreading the word The Doctor spent the year integrating with the psychic matrices... "The one thing you can't do is stop them thinking..." The Doctor becomes some sort of immortal - and overpowers The Master... "I forgive you... " and they both teleport away - Cap'n Jack goes to sort out the Tardis, and destroys the paradox so time starts reversing... and the Doctor and the Master end up back on the sky base - Planet Earth is restored to just after the President is assasinated... Martha's mum Francine has a gun and wants to kill the Master... but doesn't... The Doctor plans to keep the Master in the Tardis but The Master's wife decides to shoot him instead... The Master refuses to regenerate and dies in the Doctor's arms.. The Doctor then burns his body on a funeral pyre.. Epilogue - back in Cardiff Cap'n Jack returns to Torchwood with The Doctor giving him two trips left on his teleportation - and we discover that Cap'n Jack is the Face of Boe ! The Doctor enters the Tardis with his hand still intact and Martha is talking with her family. Martha calls to check on Doctor Tom having given flowers to Professor Docherty who of course didn't know who she was... Martha decides that she has to stay at home and look after her family and do her job as a Doctor... she leaves the Tardis... and then comes back in to confront the 'love' issue... and how she should get away from someone who doesn't feel the same way she does about him, but she gives him a phone in case of emergency. Meanwhile we get a flashback to see a woman with red painted fingernails pick up the Master's ring or watch that hadn't been destroyed in the pyre... and as with last season we get a cliffhanger for the Christmas episode as the Titanic crashes into the Tardis control room - Voyage Of The Damned is your Christmas episode.. The poignant moments of this episode are really good but I'm sorry RTD you've pissed in this playground and going down the dangerous territory of John Nathan Turner pantomime, particularly the campy Scissor Sisters dancing scene... I feel somewhat underwhelmed as the whole premise of the season has ended up a complete mess with the old reboot mechanism a lazy writers excuse for a plot... No feelings of largesse, grandiose in a pompous way and character cliches and uncharacteristic behaviour that just left you scratching your head - Martha's mum wanting to kill the Master ? Professor Docherty double crossing - lazy lazy lazy... There's just too much crazy stuff here that doesn't make sense... Ho hum... I think in summary we know that the great stories of this season are the character and period based ones this has just been a sprawling mess that overstretched way beyond it's means... 2 out of 5

“Nick” says:

Hi Herc, Just caught the last episode, 13/13 for this season of Doctor Who here in the UK. I'm not a Who-la-Cook, if I've ever been behind the settee during an episode it'd have been featuring Sylvester McCoy and I'd be searching for the controls. However, I've been caught up by the endless discussion of the series over at the Film/TV thread of The Engine (Warren Ellis' board) and so in between the odd episode, I've made a point of watching the last few to see what the fuss was about. It's been a very pleasant surprise. And this final episode seems a perfect end. Not only is it a fantastic bit of sci-fi, but it's the first time I've looked at the Doctor as anything more than a foppish gimmick. I can't tell whether it's the writing or David Tennant in the role, but every moment he's on screen the character just shines with potential. He's both vaudeville and vivisection; charming us while at the same time analysing our strengths and weaknesses. It's a real credit to those involved that a Saturday, pre-watershed entertainment can dazzle us with the philosophy of identity and humanity, moments of great grief, and great joy with all the gleeful campness I'd once dismissed as artifical as the old BBC sets. Not since Blader Runner has there been dialogue that felt epic ; the writers hitting us with tantalising snatches of star systems or sobering glimpses into the death of nations. Two main positives- That they seemed to tie up perfectly an overarching plot, with a final twist that felt both absurd and right. Secondly, that the climax of this series hinged on, not a mission to destroy evil, but in fact to save it. That the Doctor wished to rescue The Master, not for the good of mankind, but for the good of himself; that for all the Doctor's superiority over us 'stupid apes', he too suffered the flaw of loneliness. I don't know if Tennant is sticking around, but on the basis of the few episodes I've seen I do hope so. He's really opened my eyes to the true potential of his story. It's a real British export and one that should be cherished and developed for the generations to come. Hope you can use this man, love the site and all the work you do over at Coaxial.

“tm” gives it a five out of five and says:

First time writer... rubbish spelling but hey ... one heck of an episode im reviewing. Well where to begin.. i donno how to write this my mind I've just finished the episode and its fantastic... Amazing.. best episode of the past 3 seasons. Well here goes.. We start off with the excellent John Simm's incarnation of the Master, he just steals every bit of screen time, a real delight to watch, hes virtually tourturing the doctor, and the rest of Marthas friends and family, and the rest of the world, a true villain, and we finally know what the Dr would be like if he was on the other side. The years are dark, and it feels like we know what has happened in the year that hasn't been shown with slight touches here and there, and i just cant spoil this for anyone, its just a fantastic episode, find a way to watch it !!! Well everything thats good there must be some wrong, well yes there was some wrong... At times there were dodgey effects on the Dr, and sometimes there weren't, you'll know what i mean when u see it, i just don't wanna spoil you poor people who haven't seen it. Thats the only problem i have with this episode, the rest was excellent. Spoilers: (can u put this in inviso txt or somin plz) The Master is killed, or so we believe, ( one of the final shots have his ring being puck up by what i believe to be a woman with red nails.( Gender bender timelord?) Everything is reversed, so all the evil is reversed... part from that pain in the ass of a president being killed... But one of the biggest shocks of the episode is.... Captain Jack Harkness.... is The Face of Boe Ohh.... and the Christmas Special... oh man i knew what this ship was when it hit the Tardis... well the Christmas Special is going to revolve around the Titanic. Rating 5/5

I am – Hercules!!

49% Off Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Warren Ellis – creator of “The Authority,” “Planetary,” “Global Frequency,” “Black Summer” and “NewUniversal” – wrote a non-Harry Potter novel that’s coming out in July!!