The Fires of Pompeii (3002/402)

[Naonak]

It was in "Rose", said by the Doctor to the Nestene.

But I think it's nothing more than an equivalent of "parlez" / "parlay" said in a pirate film, or a flag of truce in a historical epic. I don't think it's a plot element - it's never been before - it's just been a phrase used to initiate negotiation.

Well, RTD has said that stuff going back to the beginning will be important this year.

They mentioned it three times in the first two seasons (the third was in 'Fear Her'), not at all last year, but then two episodes in a row (making quite a big deal of it in 'PiC')... To me that just seems to be more than coincidence.

[Madeleine]

It's just not a very interesting-sounding sort of coincidence. If the geneva convention had been mentioned three times in a series set on Earth, it wouldn't be a terribly startling thing, or a good place to begin a mystery or an arc. I reckon the 'lost planets' thing has more scope for development.

[Willow'sCat]

It's just not a very interesting-sounding sort of coincidence. If the geneva convention had been mentioned three times in a series set on Earth, it wouldn't be a terribly startling thing, or a good place to begin a mystery or an arc. I reckon the 'lost planets' thing has more scope for development.

I am not sure if anyone else mentioned this but "Volcano Day" was mentioned in The Doctor Dances. I heard it tonight while watching the "next on Doctor Who" thing after watching the repeat of Empty Child.

I completely missed it in the episode (TDD) first, second and yes third time around.

Maybe New Who just gets its rocks off by slipping these little words & reffereces in every so often... sometimes a cigar is just a cigar!

[Flyboy]

I am not sure if anyone else mentioned this but "Volcano Day" was mentioned in The Doctor Dances. I heard it tonight while watching the "next on Doctor Who" thing after watching the repeat of Empty Child.

I completely missed it in the episode (TDD) first, second and yes third time around.

Maybe New Who just gets its rocks off by slipping these little words & reffereces in every so often... sometimes a cigar is just a cigar!

I was desperatly hoping we'd see a pre-empty child Jack skulking around!

[Major Clanger]

I was desperatly hoping we'd see a pre-empty child Jack skulking around!

we can live in hope...

[Merlin's_Legacy]

If this means we're heading towards a showdown with a bunch of evil shadows then can I just say w00t! It's always fun when my kind shows up to the party.

If the Vorlons show along with them, then it could get really interesting....

[Willow'sCat]

I was desperatly hoping we'd see a pre-empty child Jack skulking around!

Hee, I so didn't get that until I re-re-watched The Doctor Dances. I really need to pay more attention to the dialogue when Jack is on screen.

[Flyboy]

Hee, I so didn't get that until I re-re-watched The Doctor Dances. I really need to pay more attention to the dialogue when Jack is on screen.

Now Now, you can be forgiven for that. It is afterall, Jack. And I'm straight for God's sake.

[MasySyma]

Hee, I so didn't get that until I re-re-watched The Doctor Dances. I really need to pay more attention to the dialogue when Jack is on screen.

You mean you plan to stop drooling long enough to hear? How dreadful!!!

Jack is always delightfully distracting.

[MasySyma]

Another amazing episode. I'm loving this Season.

I agree that I appreciate DT's darker Doctor, and Donna is wonderful. The "save someone" scene was powerful, and the entire episode balanced comedy and tragedy well. Only Doctor Who could show the deaths of 20,000 people after making the viewer laugh about a guy with a watergun. I also thought the scene with both of them pushing the lever down was quite moving.

Donna has quickly replaced Martha as my new favorite companion. I like that she doesn't moon over the Doctor; I appreciate that she asks questions that Rose and Martha would not ask; and I enjoy her ability to think for herself.

I noticed that Donna seperates from the Doctor at times. It is nice to see a companion who is not attempting to channel her inner lemming and find the nearest form of death and destruction (Rose) or who is so amenable that she follows the Doctor everywhere and only leaves his side when forced to by alien intervention (Martha). Donna's plan to warn the family didn't work, but at least she tried to do what she thought was right. I like that Donna just seems to be a good person. She isn't the wise child who always aids the Doctor or the amazing medical student who can't think logically.

I also appreciate that Donna isn't fast. She can't always outrun the Doctor, and perhaps this is why she thinks instead of reacting by instinct as often.

I just hope the rest of the series stays as good. I want more episodes like this one.

[ShadowMaat]

Watched the ep on SCIFI. Looked kinda like Donna's breath was fogging up as they entered the volcano. LOL! Maybe she was just inhaling and exhaling the fake smoke.

[Alipeeps]

Watched the ep on SCIFI. Looked kinda like Donna's breath was fogging up as they entered the volcano. LOL! Maybe she was just inhaling and exhaling the fake smoke.

Now come on. It's a quarry in Wales, what do you expect?!

[ShadowMaat]

Now come on. It's a quarry in Wales, what do you expect?!

Ahhh, so it was rock dust??

[Alipeeps]

Ahhh, so it was rock dust??

Just be thankful it wasn't torrential rain. Actually, it probably was but they're pretty good at disguising that when filming..

[nx01a]

I love Donna more by the episodes. "With a water gun! I bloody love you!"

An interesting episode, complete with The Doctor once again becoming a mass murderer for the greater temporal good. This time, however, he has an accomplice who pulls [well, pushes] the trigger with him.

The psychic aspect was really flimsy. Ok, so massive earthquakes and eruptions can affect the Earth's rotation and axis, but the whole 'micro-rift' thing was really iffy. I really wish the naming of the aliens would be a bit less transparent... Plasmavores. Adiposians. Pyrovile... Ooooh. Evil fire. Ooooh. They didn't look particularly scary, either.

Donna does what most of us would do and tries to save everyone, but ends up failing miserably. The scene with her trying to save the boy was particularly sad. She's doing a good job of calling The Doctor on his actions and forcing him to explain himself, something viewers like me have been irked about for years.

The drama/humour was oddly mixed in the scene on the hill. When Daddy Pompeii is describing the destruction in relation to Vulcan's anger and starts coining the terms 'volcanic' and 'volcano', I'm there laughing while watching 20,000 people burn or choke to death. If he had said that in the 'six months later' scene, I'd feel far more comfortable about it. And The Doctor, Donna and the Tardis as household gods... Good stuff!

And yet another planet just disappeared, eh? Just like the bees. And Rose. I think we have our recurring theme for S4.

And just what is/will be on Donna's back?

And Brits speaking Latin to Latin-speakers is translated into Welsh by the Tardis. Brilliant!

Another enjoyable episode. Keep em coming.