Ever since I heard that Carole Ann Ford would be returning to do a full cast drama as Susan I was excited. Then I heard that it would be the Eighth Doctor that would be the Doctor in this story that changed to curiosity. An Earthly Child is a subscribers special which is set 30 years after the events of The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964). Following the return of Krotons in 2008 and Zarbi in 2007 this was a return that I think everyone wants and there was a lot riding on it.
Susan is exactly what I expected she would be like. She has become political and more importantly she has become more grown up, she isn’t the screaming brat that always got into trouble acting like a 5 year old instead of a 16 year old alien who would be should be more mature than a human. She’s still respectful of alien races like she was in Here There Be Monsters.
It was quite unusual to discover that even though she has become a political power figure she has enemies who are trying to harm her and her son. Earth is restarting after Dalek Invasion and politics and terrorist organisations are starting up again. The Watch organisation seems to portrayed as a trouble making group. The Peacemakers seem to be trying to calm things down and are portrayed as the good guys. Hope is offering a desperate civilisation the opportunity for a better life even though we know they are up to something.
The moment when Susan and the Doctor met for the first time was played exactly the way it should have been with both actors sounding like they have known each other for years not a few hours. Nice little reference to Ford’s appearance in The Five Doctors was nice. Strange though to have the Eighth Doctor referred to as Grandfather, that’s a title is associated with the First Doctor.
All the cast worked brilliantly. It seems strange when Paul McGann has an adventure without either Charley or Lucie but he shows how versitle he is with putting in a superb performance. Carole Ann Ford was the star of the show and rightly so. She played Susan superbly and she also reminded us of the Susan when she was on TV but more importantly she has grown up and Ford should be applauded for giving a superb performance. Hopefully she will do another one soon. Leslie Ash returns to Doctor Who having appeared in The Haunting of Thomas Brewster. Its quite good timing she appears in this as she is currently in the BBC drama/soap Holby City. She plays Marion Flemming and also voices Hope. Hope-fully she will be in another Doctor Who sooner rather than later.
The story was more about the emotional re-connection between the Doctor and Susan and not about the alien threat and in that sense it was well done. The ‘B plot’ was essentially Susan doing something noble but equally stupid in trying to seek the first piece of alien help. Once it was revealed the true intent of the aliens everyone seemed to quickly sort things out. An Earthly Child is the best of the special subscriber releases since they became a regular thing in 2005.
Susan is exactly what I expected she would be like. She has become political and more importantly she has become more grown up, she isn’t the screaming brat that always got into trouble acting like a 5 year old instead of a 16 year old alien who would be should be more mature than a human. She’s still respectful of alien races like she was in Here There Be Monsters.
It was quite unusual to discover that even though she has become a political power figure she has enemies who are trying to harm her and her son. Earth is restarting after Dalek Invasion and politics and terrorist organisations are starting up again. The Watch organisation seems to portrayed as a trouble making group. The Peacemakers seem to be trying to calm things down and are portrayed as the good guys. Hope is offering a desperate civilisation the opportunity for a better life even though we know they are up to something.
The moment when Susan and the Doctor met for the first time was played exactly the way it should have been with both actors sounding like they have known each other for years not a few hours. Nice little reference to Ford’s appearance in The Five Doctors was nice. Strange though to have the Eighth Doctor referred to as Grandfather, that’s a title is associated with the First Doctor.
All the cast worked brilliantly. It seems strange when Paul McGann has an adventure without either Charley or Lucie but he shows how versitle he is with putting in a superb performance. Carole Ann Ford was the star of the show and rightly so. She played Susan superbly and she also reminded us of the Susan when she was on TV but more importantly she has grown up and Ford should be applauded for giving a superb performance. Hopefully she will do another one soon. Leslie Ash returns to Doctor Who having appeared in The Haunting of Thomas Brewster. Its quite good timing she appears in this as she is currently in the BBC drama/soap Holby City. She plays Marion Flemming and also voices Hope. Hope-fully she will be in another Doctor Who sooner rather than later.
The story was more about the emotional re-connection between the Doctor and Susan and not about the alien threat and in that sense it was well done. The ‘B plot’ was essentially Susan doing something noble but equally stupid in trying to seek the first piece of alien help. Once it was revealed the true intent of the aliens everyone seemed to quickly sort things out. An Earthly Child is the best of the special subscriber releases since they became a regular thing in 2005.
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