The Sontaran Stratagem (3004/404)

[Reefgirl]

I mentioned that to my brother, as we both had to learn it in PE. We restrained ourselves from doing it though...

May one ask why?

A mate of my ex hubby wanted the Timewarp to be their rugby club's Haka

[Major Clanger]

Apart from the fact that I am sick and tired and fed up of all military operations and operatives having to have only one brain cell between them, I loved that ep.

Especially the grammar thing. Very good.

[Hulabaloo]

I love that ep, it was very good. I loved the way Martha was reintroduced and the 'no fighting'. But I found myself cringing when she was shouting over the radio, did it look really bulky in her hand?

The Doctor is fantastic in this episode. Especially when he thought Donna was leaving, and another mention of the Medusa Cascade!
But, I think it was a squash ball not a tennis ball that he used to disarm the Sontaran.

2) He corrects someone's grammar. Please can he be real so I can marry him?

OMG YES! I'd be right there with you...

Overall 8/10

[The_Carpenter]

I see UNIT are hiring from the shallow end of the gene pool again, honestly those two squaddies deserve everything they get 'I can hear banging from inside an alien box, lets open it' D'OH

But one of them was cute.... oh dear god I'm a bloke.... *panics*

Ok so you know that the emission gizmo in your car is made by aliens, it's given off poisonus gases and you know the Sat Nav has a mind of it's own, so what do you do, you get in the car, D'OH

Thought the same

And why didn't Donna or the Doctor break the car's window to let fumes out.

Again I thought the same...and I have a feeling that the cliffhanger resolution will be just that making everyone look stupid

All that talk of the 70s, and no mention of the Brig?

Well theres another week of UNIT fun so maybe he will get a mention when everythings calmed down I hope so anyway, but it would of been nice to of had benton or yates be the General

[Flyboy]

Mmm yes. Shouting into radios... another pet peeve.

RSVP. Rythm, Speed, Volume, Pitch. The first three are meant to be steady and at a normal rate, the latter being slightly higher.

[Reefgirl]

Again I thought the same...and I have a feeling that the cliffhanger resolution will be just that making everyone look stupid

At that point I was yelling "Break the window you pillock" at the TV

[Flyboy]

Well theres another week of UNIT fun so maybe he will get a mention when everythings calmed down I hope so anyway, but it would of been nice to of had benton or yates be the General

Benton was a Warrant Officer by the end, there's little chance of him becoming General, and Yates was encouraged to retire from UNIT.

[Reefgirl]

Mmm yes. Shouting into radios... another pet peeve.

RSVP. Rythm, Speed, Volume, Pitch. The first three are meant to be steady and at a normal rate, the latter being slightly higher.

All I can say is thank God my OH wasn't watching it with me, he'd have spent the entire episode picking holes in the military tactics, just like he does with Atlantis and SG-1

[Flyboy]

All I can say is thank God my OH wasn't watching it with me, he'd have spent the entire episode picking holes in the military tactics, just like he does with Atlantis and SG-1

Ha! Brilliant.

Did anyone else question the use of the word "surrender" in the raid on the factory? Considering no arms had been drawn, it appeared a little OTT...

[Alipeeps]

I enjoyed this episode - although there was so much going on I feel I need to watch again to really catch everything. Loved the Doctor's reaction to Martha getting in touch and the little bit of tension at first - which soon dissolves into hugs. Lovely funny moment of the Doctor expecting a cat fight (well, tbh he had reason, given how Rose and Sarah-Jane reacted when they met) and instead Martha and Donna just got on and ganged up on him - "He's so thin if you hug him you get a paper cut!"

Also - loved loved loved Donna calling the Doctor, "You prawn" in utter disparagement.

I wasn't entirely convinced by Martha in this episode (but then, I wasn't entirely convinced by her in Torchwood either) and did find myself wondering why a medical doctor - even one with UNIT - was giving the orders and running the military side of the operation. Seemed odd, even if they did try to explain it away with her thanking the Colonel for letting her do so. I also found myself a tad annoyed at her for walking into such an obvious trap - for a UNIT special agent or whatever she is, she seems to have an amazing knack for getting herself captured/into trouble, both in Torchwood and now Dr Who.

The two UNIT goons annoyed me - it should have been obvious right from the blank eyed "guards" outside the room that something was off but do they call for back-up? No. Do they even report they've found something - or even found some more members of staff? No. Do they notice the men don't seem quite right? No. Instead they act like cocky a-holes and walk into a room leaving unsecured enemy standing outside what is (as far as they know) the only exit. Geez. I wasn't overly impressed with the actors but the majority of what annoyed me here was just poor writing. I know it'd fantasy etc and suspension of disbelief and all that but there's a limit to how far I can suspend my disbelief when it comes to idiocy like that.

Anyway, enough of the negatives, there was however lots to love. DT again rocked the socks off the Doctor and I really enjoyed his interactions with UNIT, with Martha and with Donna. Oh and as a helpless grammar nitpicker myself, I think I felt just a little bit further in love with DT's Doctor when he corrected wunderkind's grammar!

And yes... they should have smashed the window...

That was rather bugging me. I was telling the TV, "Well get something and break the window!"

Though it did make for some tension I guess (please don't let them kill Wilf - I love Wilf!) and did leave me wondering hwo they're gonna get out of this with half the world being gassed...

I knew there was something else I should have said. Did anyone else think that the Sontaran war dance looked more like the All Black's Haka?

Heh! Yes! I was totally thinking that when I was watching that bit.

One other thing that springs to mind about this ep is that it seemed a little odd/premature to me to have Donna musing on the dangers and highs and lows etc of travelling with the Doctor (when she was walking down the road to her family's house) when she's barely been with him five minutes - other than the first episode when she was actively seeking him out, we've only seen her go to two places with him.

Ooooh though that reminds me that I forgot to mention how much I loved the first scene of them with him actually letting her (reluctantly) fly the TARDIS! None of the others really got to do that (that we saw) and I coudl totally imagine Donna badgering him until he gave in and let her have a go.

[The_Carpenter]

Benton was a Warrant Officer by the end, there's little chance of him becoming General, and Yates was encouraged to retire from UNIT.

Ahhh I knew one of them retired couldnt recall which one, and I dont know much about the ins and outs of military ranks thanks for clearing that up anyway

[Flyboy]

Ahhh I knew one of them retired couldnt recall which one, and I dont know much about the ins and outs of military ranks thanks for clearing that up anyway

No problem. Basically you have two sets of ranks. Officers and 'Other Ranks'.

In theory officers are the leaders, other ranks are the followers, though it doesn't necessarily work like that.

Officers include the following ranks:

Army (in ascending order): Officer Cadet, 2nd Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, Brigadier, Major General, Lieutenant General, General, Field Marshal.

Other Ranks include

Private, Lance Corporal, Corporal, Sergeant, Staff/Colour Sergeant, Warrant Officer II Class, Warrant Officer I Class, Warrant Officer I Class: Conductor.

The idea used to be that those of a higher calibre went in as officers and lead the grunts below them, this is not necessarily the case any more, Sergeants are usually very clever. But the two ranks systems are very seperate, and the lowest ranking Officer (except Officer Cadet) is superior to all other ranks except for Warrant Officers, who answer only to a select few officers.

Basically an officer will decide what he wants done, and he'll tell his Sergeant or Warrant Officer, that rank will then "make it happen" by ordering the troops about.

There are instances where an "other rank" has applied for a commission to become an officer, but they're rare, and they start off low down. Basically, Benton becoming a Warrant Officer (which is not a commissioned post) was one of the highest privilidges he could achieve.

[The Prophet]

May one ask why?

A mate of my ex hubby wanted the Timewarp to be their rugby club's Haka

I'm not sure either. I think it was considered dancing on our curriculum, which we had to have a breif period of learning that too, to recieve a whole range of PE. I think they decided on teaching the Hakka so us guys wouldn't think it was too feminine to be learning dance...

It was all very tactical

[Reefgirl]

I'm not sure either. I think it was considered dancing on our curriculum, which we had to have a breif period of learning that too, to recieve a whole range of PE. I think they decided on teaching the Hakka so us guys wouldn't think it was too feminine to be learning dance...

It was all very tactical

Did it work?

[Admiral Mappalazarou]

Liked this episode.