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The Impossible Planet [recap and review]
I was planning to do these episode by episode but I love the two parter so much I decided to bump this up rather than do the Unquiet Dead.
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The TARDIS appears in a cupboard in Sanctuary Base Six with a sort of grinding groan as if she didn't want to land, its probably saying landing here is a bad idea but the Doctor is insisting they land there. I can almost see the TARDIS bitching as it reluctantly lands: "If I fall I will blame YOU."
Much as I love Rose I have to admit this moment was very off putting it's not just because it comes out smug it's because it comes out forced. I don't know if it's the direction or Billie's acting.
The Doctor and Rose quickly realize they're in some scientific exploration base, or actually a Sanctuary Base. Rose finds an ominous graffiti on the wall -- Welcome to Hell. The Doctor becomes concerned when he realizes he couldn't read the writing and quickly sprints to the door to find out why that is only to be met by...
Squid head like aliens called the Ood (who really were sweet aliens who were enslaved by humanity) who kept repeating, "We must feed, we must feed..." Doctor and Rose jump back in alarm, Rose grabs a chair as a weapon and the Doctor reaches for his sonic screwdriver. My only thought throughout the scene was, 'What're you gonna do, Doctor? Sonic them to death?' Honestly, Rose's chair is a better weapon!
The sonic screwdriver is not a weapon! You said so yourself!
Good thing the Oods weren't acutally threatening them, turns out, after shaking their translator globes the Oods want to feed the Doctor and Rose and not eat them.
Mr. Jefferson, the head of security (who looks like Bill Nighy (sp?)) appears and stare at the Doctor and Rose in disbelief, actually the other crewmembers stare at them in disbelief too, much to the confusion of our heroes, afterall this was a space base they should be receiving guests regularly, right?
Rose introduces themselves, actually I love the shot on the left because it looked like Rose was checking out Mr. Jefferson's bum. She did say she liked a nice smile and bum... What? She did! Anyway, a quake hits shaking the control room and causing sparks and fires.
Rose and the Doctor sit on the steps, smiling pleasantly as Ida Scott introduces the rest of the crew, ending with Scooti Minista (for the longest time I thought she meant Scooti Minister and that was a title not a name), there was some speculation that Scooti and Ida may have been lovers.
Finally, Ida introduces home sweet home, Zach the acting Captain warns them that the sight of 'it' has sent a few people mad. The shutter ceiling opens to reveal a frightening and awesome image, a blackhole. And this is one of the reasons why I love this episode, the visuals were evocative and it's been a long time since EOTW since we last felt this awe and wonder. This is why they should have done other planets more often... And this is the things Rose is missing now, grounded as she is now in parallel Earth.
Rose correctly identifies it as a blackhole (I've always thought that before she travelled with the Doctor Rose was a closet space geek, I could easily see Rose vegging in front of her telly and watching documentaries on space in the Discovery Channel -- I mean I can't pull out the random facts about the sun expanding and the tectonic plates shifting. Or maybe that's just me.) The Doctor goes on a whole, "But that's impossible tangent.' Which Ida smoothly counters with "And yet."
Did I mention I love Ida? Her thirst for knowledge, for exploration is never ending. She wants to know, to discoverif they can move another step further than the last place humanity has stopped.
I love this scene, the Doctor and crew try to discuss how a planet can orbit a blackhole, when by all rights it should have fallen in a long time ago.
There is glasses porn and Rose looking on fascinated, examining the hologram of the blackhole then watching on amused as the Doctor went on how great humans were and proceeds to hug Capt. Zach. Zach tries to be all manly about it but you can tell he's real affected by it. Of course, the Doctor says, they're a bit mad going in the first place and they should leave.
I really like the last cap where Rose is just casually placed her hand on the Doctor's shoulder. The Doctor on the other hand had just realized that the TARDIS may not be as secure as he thought it might be and goes tearing out of the control room.
(Another reason why I loved this scene is Ida's explanation about the planet: "In the scriptures of the Falltino, this planet is called 'Kroptor'. The bitter pill. And the black hole is supposed to be a mighty demon. It was tricked into devouring the planet, only to spit it out. Because it was poison. "
I love it because it gives the planet history and layers and I love the words: bitter pill.
There's a scene I didn't cap where Ida mentions that the power source at the center of the planet could fuel the whole empire, do we assume that its the Fourth Bountiful empire? Or the First? I put my money on the first or second bountiful empire. And then the Doctor says that it could also be used to start a war earning him a glance from Mr. Jefferson who was clearly a military man. The Doctor returns the stare.).
Heartbroken, the Doctor peers in the porthole only to find a cliff where the cupboard had once been -- at the bottome of the pit the TARDIS is sulking and saying, "I TOLD you!" The SB6 crew and captiain refuse to redirect their drilling for the Doctor's blue box even as he pleads its the only thing, literally the only thing he's got left to add insult to injury he's being put into the laundry duty. The Doctor hugs Rose as she realizes they're stranded, personally, I thought she wasn't really all that troubled I just thought she was just making with the banter and conversation to take the Doctor's mind off losing the TARDIS.
The Doctor then dedicates most of his time trying to decipher the writing on the wall and since Rose could only do so much staring at the wall and the Doctor's notes she decides to go and eat. She makes conversation with the Ood, she used to stare at cat nuns and blue aliens but now she's finding the fantastic normal and making friends with them. This scene also brings in the ominous with the Oods translator spouting, in a quite pleasant voice: "The Beast and his armies will rise from the Pit to make war against God."
But since someone in LJ posted something related to this, about how it's a good thing to say to a catankerous customer, I can never take the scene seriously. I think the scene I read went something like this:
customer: *bitchycakes*
you: *gives food and says politely* "The Beast and his armies will rise from the Pit to harvest your soul."
customer: "What?"
you: "I said, I hope you enjoy your meal."
Plot thickens as the Beast possess poor Toby and an image of the Beast appears on Zach's holoscreen.
And this is one of my absolute favorite scenes in this episode, I love everything about from the cinematography to the music and the expression of rapt wonder on Ida's face and the words she said:
IDA (pointing)
There. On the edge.
A stream of red light is spiraling into the black hole.
IDA
That red cloud... that used to be the Scarlet System. Home to the Peluchi... a mighty civilisation spanning a billion years... disappearing. Forever. Their planets and suns consumed.
She's gazing up at it, fascinated, as are the Doctor and Rose. The last of the Scarlet System disappears into the black hole.
IDA
Ladies and gentlemen... we have witnessed its passing.
I love this scene so much it hurts. This is the reason why I love Farscape, why of all the title credits its the season 3 Farscape credits that almost always make me pause. '...they'll never know the wonders I've seen...'
Coincidentally when I first saw the blackhole my first thought was.. wow, that looks like the blackhole in peacekeeper wars! Now we can really do a crossover!
The Doctor and Rose are left alone with the blackhole looming above them. Rose asks the Doctor about the blackhole mentioning she's seen 'Films and things' that say blackholes are gateways to another universe-- see! space geek! or astronomy buff, whichever but see! Plus, Blackholes -- gateway to another universe, Doctor didn't refute the statement! Aha!
It sort of hits Rose that she won't be able to go home now as she gazes at her phone, observing it's the first time they've been out of range. The Doctor consoles her by pointing out the direction to Earth and past 500 years (honestly, I think all of the Doctor's companions are pretty great at directions after a spell with him -- he just spews them out and you just have to pray you remember) then of course, occurs the infamous mortgage scene. I love how awkward it was the Doctor's blank stare as if he didn't know what to say and Rose's awkward laugh and turn away. The Doctor comments on a promise he made Jackie, about always bringing Rose home and Rose answers, "Everyone leaves home in the end."
And the Doctor has this look, a mixture of astonishment, disbelief, a sort of wonder and something else I can't name. This was Rose stating plain as day that she's made her choice and growing-up.
Plot rears its head via Rose's phone and a voice announcing: "He is awake." I find the second cap to the right amusing, Rose's expression looks like she's thinking: "What daft thing is he thinking now?"
Danny explains that the Ood are low-level empaths and barely register a Basic 5 -- the computer promptly disabuses Danny of this notion. He asks Rose what the message was she heard from her phone Rose says the voice said: 'He is awake' the Ood quickly and creepily return: "And you will worship him."
That shot of the Doctor by the rails? Hot.
Of course, sane people would go away from the Ood, like, now but Rose and the Doctor are not sane, normal people they are weirdly attracted to danger and slaves to their curiousity. It's why I loves them!
Meanwhile, Scooti discovers that something is not quite normal in the habitation and Toby, since Toby's taking a walk in a freakin' vacuum. Toby shatters the protective glass and effectibely killing Scooti. I liked Scooti! But her death leads in to another fabulous scene where the crew scramble and try to find her...
The Doctor looks up and quietly says, "I've found her." Everyone looks up and stare, horrified as Scooti appears above them, floating slowly to the blackhole. Whatever Ida's relationship with Scooti was, she's affected -- anger and sorrow both reflected in her quiet: "She was twenty... twenty years old."
The music is again, fantastic, somber and solemn... moments ago they were celebrating the glory and wonder of where they are now they are mourning a death. The quiet is even made more solemn by Mr. Jefferson's whispered prayer: "For how should Man die better than facing fearful odds? For the ashes of his father... and the temples of his Gods."
And I just love this everytime. Everytime I watch it, it always hits the right notes. These are people alone in an impossible planet doing their work and doing it well, who like each other and stuck on that awful, awesome rock for two years and who in the course of those two years lost a lot of their crewmembers, their friends. This crew, these people are the Torchwood I signed-up to watch. It's why I can never get into Jack's Torchwood because no one in his team, except Toshiko is out there searching for the fantastic in hopes of touching something glorious. They don't like exploring for the sake of exploring, they like to keep it trapped behind a glass mirror and handle it with no reverence. These people in Serenity Base however, are there because, to quote Sam Seaborn, ''Cause it's next. 'Cause we came out of the cave and we looked over the hill and we saw fire. And we crossed the ocean and we pioneered the West and we took to the sky. The history of man is hung on a timeline of exploration and this is what's next."
David Tennant in an EVA suit is all kinds of hot, imagine him in Farscape's sleek black EVA suit, hmm? About Rose's speech on space travel as hard, I think she knows all along it is hard but it's only now that she faces the possibility of living in the improbabilities of that time's space travel that she articulates it.
Oddly enough,for a Doctor/Rose shipper I didn't find the kiss to the helmet romantic, I read it as goodluck but I love the Doctor closing his eyes, as if his receiving benediction from Rose.
I like Rose watching Doctor descend for some reason, the pose maybe? But I never cease finding Rose's worried, "Don't forget to breathe" and subsequent miming funny. Does the Doctor occasionally forget to breathe in the TARDIS? Is that Rose's main function in the TARDIS?
Rose glances at the Doctor and pokes him: "Oi, you're gettin' blue in the face again! Breathe!" Heh.
The Beast reveals itself via possessing poor Toby again, much to Rose and Mr. Jefferson's horror and surprise, the Beast desperses into the Ood and starts rattling:
"These are the words of the Beast. And he has woken. He is the heart that beats in the darkness, he is the blood that will never cease. And now he will rise."
Meanwhile, the Doctor and Ida find a massive trapdoor on the ground and as soon as the Ood begin attacking a planetwide quake shakes the planet and the voice goes on, speaking through the Oods: " We are the Legion of the Beast. The Legion shall be many. And the Legion shall be few... He has woven himself in the fabric of your life since the dawn of time. Some may call him Abaddon. Some may call him Kroptor. Some may call him Satan... Or Lucifer... Or the Bringer of Despair... The Deathless Prince. The Bringer of Night. These are the words that shall set him free. I shall become manifest. I shall walk in might. My Legions shall swarm across the worlds... I am the sin and the temptation. And the desire. I am the pain and the loss and the dead will come. I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more. The Pit is open. "
The trapdoor opens and Doctor and Ida stare down into the dark as the Beast ends: "And I am free. "
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Much as I love Rose I have to admit this moment was very off putting it's not just because it comes out smug it's because it comes out forced. I don't know if it's the direction or Billie's acting.
The Doctor and Rose quickly realize they're in some scientific exploration base, or actually a Sanctuary Base. Rose finds an ominous graffiti on the wall -- Welcome to Hell. The Doctor becomes concerned when he realizes he couldn't read the writing and quickly sprints to the door to find out why that is only to be met by...
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The sonic screwdriver is not a weapon! You said so yourself!
Good thing the Oods weren't acutally threatening them, turns out, after shaking their translator globes the Oods want to feed the Doctor and Rose and not eat them.
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Rose and the Doctor sit on the steps, smiling pleasantly as Ida Scott introduces the rest of the crew, ending with Scooti Minista (for the longest time I thought she meant Scooti Minister and that was a title not a name), there was some speculation that Scooti and Ida may have been lovers.
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Rose correctly identifies it as a blackhole (I've always thought that before she travelled with the Doctor Rose was a closet space geek, I could easily see Rose vegging in front of her telly and watching documentaries on space in the Discovery Channel -- I mean I can't pull out the random facts about the sun expanding and the tectonic plates shifting. Or maybe that's just me.) The Doctor goes on a whole, "But that's impossible tangent.' Which Ida smoothly counters with "And yet."
Did I mention I love Ida? Her thirst for knowledge, for exploration is never ending. She wants to know, to discoverif they can move another step further than the last place humanity has stopped.
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I love this scene, the Doctor and crew try to discuss how a planet can orbit a blackhole, when by all rights it should have fallen in a long time ago.
There is glasses porn and Rose looking on fascinated, examining the hologram of the blackhole then watching on amused as the Doctor went on how great humans were and proceeds to hug Capt. Zach. Zach tries to be all manly about it but you can tell he's real affected by it. Of course, the Doctor says, they're a bit mad going in the first place and they should leave.
I really like the last cap where Rose is just casually placed her hand on the Doctor's shoulder. The Doctor on the other hand had just realized that the TARDIS may not be as secure as he thought it might be and goes tearing out of the control room.
(Another reason why I loved this scene is Ida's explanation about the planet: "In the scriptures of the Falltino, this planet is called 'Kroptor'. The bitter pill. And the black hole is supposed to be a mighty demon. It was tricked into devouring the planet, only to spit it out. Because it was poison. "
I love it because it gives the planet history and layers and I love the words: bitter pill.
There's a scene I didn't cap where Ida mentions that the power source at the center of the planet could fuel the whole empire, do we assume that its the Fourth Bountiful empire? Or the First? I put my money on the first or second bountiful empire. And then the Doctor says that it could also be used to start a war earning him a glance from Mr. Jefferson who was clearly a military man. The Doctor returns the stare.).
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But since someone in LJ posted something related to this, about how it's a good thing to say to a catankerous customer, I can never take the scene seriously. I think the scene I read went something like this:
customer: *bitchycakes*
you: *gives food and says politely* "The Beast and his armies will rise from the Pit to harvest your soul."
customer: "What?"
you: "I said, I hope you enjoy your meal."
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IDA (pointing)
There. On the edge.
A stream of red light is spiraling into the black hole.
IDA
That red cloud... that used to be the Scarlet System. Home to the Peluchi... a mighty civilisation spanning a billion years... disappearing. Forever. Their planets and suns consumed.
She's gazing up at it, fascinated, as are the Doctor and Rose. The last of the Scarlet System disappears into the black hole.
IDA
Ladies and gentlemen... we have witnessed its passing.
I love this scene so much it hurts. This is the reason why I love Farscape, why of all the title credits its the season 3 Farscape credits that almost always make me pause. '...they'll never know the wonders I've seen...'
Coincidentally when I first saw the blackhole my first thought was.. wow, that looks like the blackhole in peacekeeper wars! Now we can really do a crossover!
 |  |
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It sort of hits Rose that she won't be able to go home now as she gazes at her phone, observing it's the first time they've been out of range. The Doctor consoles her by pointing out the direction to Earth and past 500 years (honestly, I think all of the Doctor's companions are pretty great at directions after a spell with him -- he just spews them out and you just have to pray you remember) then of course, occurs the infamous mortgage scene. I love how awkward it was the Doctor's blank stare as if he didn't know what to say and Rose's awkward laugh and turn away. The Doctor comments on a promise he made Jackie, about always bringing Rose home and Rose answers, "Everyone leaves home in the end."
And the Doctor has this look, a mixture of astonishment, disbelief, a sort of wonder and something else I can't name. This was Rose stating plain as day that she's made her choice and growing-up.
 |  |
 |  |
Danny explains that the Ood are low-level empaths and barely register a Basic 5 -- the computer promptly disabuses Danny of this notion. He asks Rose what the message was she heard from her phone Rose says the voice said: 'He is awake' the Ood quickly and creepily return: "And you will worship him."
That shot of the Doctor by the rails? Hot.
Of course, sane people would go away from the Ood, like, now but Rose and the Doctor are not sane, normal people they are weirdly attracted to danger and slaves to their curiousity. It's why I loves them!
Meanwhile, Scooti discovers that something is not quite normal in the habitation and Toby, since Toby's taking a walk in a freakin' vacuum. Toby shatters the protective glass and effectibely killing Scooti. I liked Scooti! But her death leads in to another fabulous scene where the crew scramble and try to find her...
 |  |
 |  |
The music is again, fantastic, somber and solemn... moments ago they were celebrating the glory and wonder of where they are now they are mourning a death. The quiet is even made more solemn by Mr. Jefferson's whispered prayer: "For how should Man die better than facing fearful odds? For the ashes of his father... and the temples of his Gods."
And I just love this everytime. Everytime I watch it, it always hits the right notes. These are people alone in an impossible planet doing their work and doing it well, who like each other and stuck on that awful, awesome rock for two years and who in the course of those two years lost a lot of their crewmembers, their friends. This crew, these people are the Torchwood I signed-up to watch. It's why I can never get into Jack's Torchwood because no one in his team, except Toshiko is out there searching for the fantastic in hopes of touching something glorious. They don't like exploring for the sake of exploring, they like to keep it trapped behind a glass mirror and handle it with no reverence. These people in Serenity Base however, are there because, to quote Sam Seaborn, ''Cause it's next. 'Cause we came out of the cave and we looked over the hill and we saw fire. And we crossed the ocean and we pioneered the West and we took to the sky. The history of man is hung on a timeline of exploration and this is what's next."
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David Tennant in an EVA suit is all kinds of hot, imagine him in Farscape's sleek black EVA suit, hmm? About Rose's speech on space travel as hard, I think she knows all along it is hard but it's only now that she faces the possibility of living in the improbabilities of that time's space travel that she articulates it.
Oddly enough,for a Doctor/Rose shipper I didn't find the kiss to the helmet romantic, I read it as goodluck but I love the Doctor closing his eyes, as if his receiving benediction from Rose.
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Rose glances at the Doctor and pokes him: "Oi, you're gettin' blue in the face again! Breathe!" Heh.
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The Beast reveals itself via possessing poor Toby again, much to Rose and Mr. Jefferson's horror and surprise, the Beast desperses into the Ood and starts rattling:
"These are the words of the Beast. And he has woken. He is the heart that beats in the darkness, he is the blood that will never cease. And now he will rise."
 |  |
 |  |
Meanwhile, the Doctor and Ida find a massive trapdoor on the ground and as soon as the Ood begin attacking a planetwide quake shakes the planet and the voice goes on, speaking through the Oods: " We are the Legion of the Beast. The Legion shall be many. And the Legion shall be few... He has woven himself in the fabric of your life since the dawn of time. Some may call him Abaddon. Some may call him Kroptor. Some may call him Satan... Or Lucifer... Or the Bringer of Despair... The Deathless Prince. The Bringer of Night. These are the words that shall set him free. I shall become manifest. I shall walk in might. My Legions shall swarm across the worlds... I am the sin and the temptation. And the desire. I am the pain and the loss and the dead will come. I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more. The Pit is open. "
The trapdoor opens and Doctor and Ida stare down into the dark as the Beast ends: "And I am free. "
And that was the Impossible Planet, the first of the breathetaking two parter. I think this may be the best music Murray Gold has done for series 2. On a shallow note I love Rose's jacket.
One last thing, of all the episodes, this is the time where I start believing Tennant was the Doctor, the quiet introspective intensity suits him better than the ADD acting he's putting on.
screencaps from here
excerpts from episode from here
One last thing, of all the episodes, this is the time where I start believing Tennant was the Doctor, the quiet introspective intensity suits him better than the ADD acting he's putting on.
screencaps from here
excerpts from episode from here