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| I give you my word I'll never do this again, from this day forth all my reviews will be plain. |
Boys and girls, it's finally here, the story that's said to have no peer. Is it a gem? Or an unspeakable travesty? This is The Greatest Shooooow... In The Galaxy, the Galaxy, the Galaxy!!
WRITTEN BY
His name's Stephen Wyatt and we've seen him before, all the way back in season 24! Paradise Towers is what he wrote, and that story sure grabbed us by the throat.
PLOT
The Doctor and Ace receive some mail, a tiny robot with a hell of a sale. To the Psychic Circus they're meant to go, but something's wrong(of course it's so). The show's now led by bullying Gods, and the Doc and Ace are at their odds, and amidst all this we've still time too, to pull off one crazy metaphor for you, cause the show's decline, it parallels, you see, Doctor Who's own downfall at the BBC.
ANALYSIS
Alan Wareing's direction sure is the star, shame the source material is not on par. Though the ideas it promises are pitch-perfect Who, it never went as far as I think it could. And what do I think of the Doctor's magic tricks? Too silly. Cast 'em in the River Styx.
Those flaws aside, it's a joy to watch. Productionwise, it is top-notch. Thanks to JNT, we got it all, filmed inside a car park y'all. You couldn't ask for a finer tale to showcase a creepy circus fair.
CHARACTERS
Sylvester's a little off here I feel, pushing Ace when her fear is clear, yet when he has no plan to reveal, he just comes across like a nitwit, for real. Well, at least we got that explosion walk, and outside context, his magic tricks do rock.
Sophie Aldred's quite phenomenal. Like an Oreo, she's tough, but adorable.
Now let's talk clowns. Ian Reddington definitely gets the crown. He's really the freakiest thing in this town. So creepy he'd make a kid have a nervous breakdown. Throughout the Psychic Circus, his terror's been strown. Everybody run when he's got a frown. Can we squeeze in here another noun? No.
T. P. McKenna's an interesting figure, this 1920s explorer who's gotta be the winner. A clever performance, starting off all silly, yet by the end Captain Cook's quite chilling - literally!
Jessica Martin's punk vampire's badass, should have been a companion, oh well, alas. Her vulpine nature would've been good to explore, but I suppose it's best to leave you wanting for more.
And is there anything cooler here than Ricco Ross? That guy is one muthahumpin' rapping boss. Spitting out lyrics left and right, that guy alone made my viewing bright.
NOTES
*Now how would a tiny robot, pray tell, make its way through the TARDIS shell?
*The Doctor's had reports that the natives are friendly, but now who gives him all this information aplenty?
*Young Ace must have a lot of energy to walk on mountains when the road's less tiresome than they'll ever be.
*With Cook and Whizz Kid, I've only got one gripe: why are they such comic book stereotypes?
*Same with the Circus and its 1950s cars, why must the whole universe take fashion tips from Earth parts?
*The Doctor's reaction to being told he's a hippie is absolutely hilariously snippy.
*Ace is clamping about, but the ticket lady don't hear, what, have the Gods given her a deaf ear?
*Kingpin fears the moon etched into the caves, yet runs into the tunnel, what a weird way to behave.
CONTINUITY
1) Ace drags out Tom Baker's scarf, and Mel's Paradise Towers outfit... I laugh. Sweet callbacks, nothing else to be said, so let's just finish this review up instead.
CONCLUSION
It ain't perfect, but it's a wild ride through. Still, I prefer Paradise Towers, who knew?
Overall, 25 was a blast. The Doctor is smarter, and Ace is steadfast. The stories are pacy, and imaginative too. But now it's the end, the moment's prepared for you.
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