Don't Blink, Don't Turn Your Back or you'll miss this Blog!

Hold on a mo though. Just before I get into this one I want to put right something that was maybe a little cloudy last week. And that is this: I really DID like the two-part story "Human Nature / Family Of Blood". Probably the best of Series 3 so far. And the character of Jeremy Baines was BRILLIANTLY done. So although I had my criticisms of the second of the parts, the story as a whole stands up to anything else over this series. And the last series, and even Series 1.

There, that's put the record straight.

A Doctor-light episode .... Last time they said that we had the biggest and most complete load of DROSS OF ALL TIME with 'Love And Monsters' featuring the Abzorbaloff. When I saw they were doing ANOTHER one I froze with horror.

Ah, but THIS one was written by one of my favourite Dr Who writers, Steven Moffat. He is the man responsible for possibly my favourite story of Series 1 - 'The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances'. And he has a forthcoming BBC serial update of Jekyll And Hyde to be shown later this year. So he is GOOD!!

Before transmission of this story, we were, as ever, promised the world. Promised a monster that would make us jump - REALLY jump! A real behind-the-sofa Doctor Who monster of old! I tell you what - they certainly got the hype machine going for THIS one!

Oh, but it WAS good. And it DID make me JUMP even especially in that sequence towards the end when Larry Nightingale is left staring his heart out at the advancing Weeping Angel which gets oh-so-much-closer every time he takes his eyes off it, and it gets to within inches of his face with teeth and claws showing for all at home to see.

GREAT STUFF! And it really DIDN'T matter that The Doctor wasn't much in it this time. I guess they learnt from last time to involve him just a little more. Or was it all really EXACTLY like last time with the Abzorbaloff and I just didn't notice this time round? Not sure.

And it was such a clever idea for a story too. Most of it anyway. The idea, as The Doctor put it, that Time Is Not A Linear Progression But Is More Of Wibbly-Wobby Timey-Wimey Kind Of Stuff gave us the basis perhaps. It was one of those story lines that leaves you with a LOAD of, "How Did They ....?", or, "How Could He .... If ....?", kind of questions. Keeps you talking and thinking about it all evening and even all night. A similar thing happened to me when I watched two other - completely unrelated - films: "Total Recall" and "The Talented Mr Ripley". The kind of plots where after you've watched them fill you with so many unanswered questions, Why's and Who-Was's and How-Could's that you just HAVE TO sit back and admire just how good those writers are.

At first I didn't get why Kathy Nightingale was transported back to the past and then later why Billy Shipton was too. If they were not dead then was the story of how they would return to the present, I wondered. Ah, but on second viewing I quickly realised what was going on. Oh, darn - there I go analyzing again! Bloody adult mind that I have!!

And I certainly didn't understand why the Weeping Angels suddenly started coming after them. But it was THE KEY, stupid!! Yes, of COURSE it was!

And then the Grand Finale - the final chase of Sparrow and Nightingale through the building, through the car park, into the Tardis (and HOW could those mere HUMANS get IN THERE?? ANYTHING could have happened!!). That was then followed by the final sequence in the shop where Sally Sparrow sees The Doctor get out of a .... TAXI!! .... and then rushes out to give them all the scripts and other stuff that they would need ..... kind of ..... later .... or is it earlier? No LATER definitely because they said so.

Yes, we've definitely passed that middle-dip in the series and all the naff episodes are out the way now. Good Bye 'Shakespeare Code'! Good Bye '42'! And next week we hold onto our seats again for what the pre-episode promos call "A Pivotal Doctor Who Moment", featuring Captain Jack's return and Derek Jacobi as .... The Professor ....

Feeling a bit low myself for a moment here. Do you realise out there that in ONLY THREE WEEKS TIME it'll be the end of Doctor Who until .... well, CHRISTMAS I suppose!! WAAGGHH!! WHAT the hell are we gonna do every Saturday evening at 7 o'clock?

So until That Pivotal Moment comes I will wish you goodbye.

Now, next time I write, it'll be about some really great Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker stories I've been watching recently. And not-so good Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker stories too. But not at the same time! See ya!!