The Shakespeare Code (2902/302)

[Willow'sCat]

Sure the witches were cliche... but that cliche actually comes from Shakespeare. They are cliched Shakespeare witches.

Well for me that image is now cliche, and doesn't that mean in Doctor Who Shakespeare had no imagination? If his witches just look like the actual ones.

I guess I was looking more for the subtle Witch then this full on cliched one, whether it was cliched then is irrelevant it IS a cliche now, but maybe I am just being pedantic.

[Easter Lily]

Maybe I should watch this episode again... everything moved at such a frenetic pace that I wasn't able to keep pace especially because it's such a talky episode and I'm so tired. Others have mentioned background noises which could have been an issue.
I really wanted to like this episode primarily because it features well, only the greatest writer in the English language but I found myself constantly comparing it to Shakespeare in Love and not necessarily in a good way. I didn't care for the witches as villains of the week (cliched maybe...) although I did like the suave, flirty Will.
It's clever and witty as far as postmodern anachronisms go but lacked an interesting villain.
DT, of course, was wonderful.

[Major Clanger]

totally totally brilliant
loved the HP references, loved the overdone Shakespeare line-exchanges and the Dylan Thomas line had me and my mum rolling around

3 generations of my family watched that, between us we've been watching Who for around 80 years, so it was pretty cool that we all got something out of it

The best bit for me? the 57 academics line was pretty good (as Shakespeare said the line leading to that, I immediately thought "and all the Lady Writers Of Slash just ran to their keyboards")

but for me it was the "Witches" saying they were going to turn the earth into a blasted heath. I really really really wanted the Doctor to go into Scottish mode and refer to the Scottish play, but that would have been overdone.


One thing though - when the Queen showed up, and went into a paddy fit about it being the doctor, were we getting some hint of Tooth & Claw there?

[The Signal]

What wasn't to love in this? The Shakespeare quotes left right and center, the Harry Potter lines ("Wait 'till you read book sever, I cried!") Just a job well done by *runs and checks* Gareth Roberts, give that man a job next season!

The witches were, as its been said, cliched, but they are there to explain the cliche, where it came from, and how Shakespeare got his ideas.

Martha, oh move aside Rose, sorry, but after two episodes she has become a much better companion IMO than Rose was. Sure she's got a crush on the Doctor, but I dunno, seems to be a very different sort of attraction to Rose. Anyhow, I think it's her intelligence that gets me, she picks things up almost as fast as the Doctor, without being over the top.

Overall, a brilliant episode, wouldn't change a thing.

Favorite Line: Has to be "Fifty seven academics just punched the air"

[TheWarrior]

One thing though - when the Queen showed up, and went into a paddy fit about it being the doctor, were we getting some hint of Tooth & Claw there?

Don't think the Queen was in a hissy with the Doctor over events in "Tooth and Claw" - the Doctor said at the end he hasn't meet Queen Elizabeth yet so he doesn't know what he's done to annoy her.

Possible future episode maybe ;-)

[Naonak]

One thing though - when the Queen showed up, and went into a paddy fit about it being the doctor, were we getting some hint of Tooth & Claw there?

Don't think the Queen was in a hissy with the Doctor over events in "Tooth and Claw" - the Doctor said at the end he hasn't meet Queen Elizabeth yet so he doesn't know what he's done to annoy her.
Possible future episode maybe ;-)

Uh... Elizabeth I was just a couple of years before Victoria...

Brilliant episode - probably one of the best of the last couple of years.

Everything about it was great - it was well-written, the witches/Carionites (or however it's spelt) were great bad guys, and Shakespeare was a really good character. I loved the bits with him getting his lines off the Doctor, and coming up with a couple.

The brown suit rules...

I would have thought the Doctor would have a better taste in books than Harry Potter, though...

9.5/10

(And, off-topic, but UKTV Gold are showing old DW omnibuses again! Yay!)

[Pitry]

"Expeliarmus"! Ha!

I was afraid from the previews that it would be Unquiet Dead redux, the setting seemed mightly similar (and, well, it was...) but I'm so glad to have been proven wrong. Loved every second of it - and while I'd have preferred the Marsha shippiness bits weren't there, I actually did enjoy the Rose references. It'd have been mightly annoying had they jsut wiped the slate clean and ignore she ever existed, after going to all the trouble to show how much they care for eachother. And it did balance off with the Martha things just nice (yeah, the bed scene...). I'd rather they didn't go in that direction, but if they arleady choe to, this is the way,

Loevly Shakespeare bits, quoting all around - and the "you can't use that, it's someone else's".... The butterfly conversatino at the beginning was gerat to, aswas the Doctor's philosophy on getting to place, walk like you own the place! ha. And yeah, Back to the Future, Harry Potter (multiple times, I laughed so hard I think the neighbours heard...) and the "57 acacdmic s line".

Yay! Once again.

[Scoobing]

I loved the line that went something like this:

DOCTOR: "We can't tell them what it really was they'll think it's witchcraft"

MARTHA: "What was it then?"

DOCTOR: ".......witchcraft."

[Reefgirl]

I really liked this episode

Loved the cliched Shakespere witches anyone else quote "When shall we three meet again, in Thunder, Lightning or in Rain. When the Hurley-burley's done, when the battle's lost and won" when they saw them

I thought Martha getting the huff with the Doctor when he was going on about how Rose would have said the right thing and how she would have done this, that and the other, there's nothing worse than your new boyfriend banging on about his ex It's perfectly ok for Martha to have a crush on the Doctor, who wouldn't in her situation, good looking man with a time machine sweeps her off her feet and whisks her away from her mid-life-crisis dad and bitter mum, I'd be in like a shot.

Anyway I digress, I thought the youngest witch was great, nice to see that not all witches are old crones. I thought the whole witch-opening-up-vortex-to-bring-back-their-brethrin (or sisterhood) thing was a bit too 'Charmed' for my liking.

Personally I think Martha should have snogged Shakespere, just to annoy the Doctor.

On the whole I'd give it 8/10

[Major Clanger]

what I meant with the Tooth & Claw and Queen thing is... are they building on that suggestion in Tooth & Claw that the monarchy are aliens?

[ShadowMaat]

Snogging someone who has never brushed his teeth in his entire life? Can't say I blame Martha for not doing it, however great the temptation.

As for the witches... their "cliche" appearance didn't bother me at all. We've seen plenty of other "cliche" monsters/aliens already, so why would witches be any different?

If you'd seen a monster and you were writing a story about said monster, would you change its appearance/behavior just to prove how creative you are or would you be more or less faithful to your memories of it? Why change it? The witches made good monsters as is and perhaps it'll also serve as a warning of sorts to others.

Speaking of which (witch?), I wonder if the whole bad luck thing surrounding "the Scottish play" (or saying its name, anyway) has to do with the fact that it has witches in it, or if that's just a coincidence. 'Twould be funny.

[Alipeeps]

what I meant with the Tooth & Claw and Queen thing is... are they building on that suggestion in Tooth & Claw that the monarchy are aliens?

The theory doesn't work though.. the suggestion that the monarchy are part alien comes from Victoria's injury in Tooth & Claw... so only her descendants would be affected. As mentioned above, Queen Elizabeth I came before (a good bit before!) Victoria.

[Missster.Freeman]

Missster.Freeman Were you listening through surround sound or something? I find I have to watch a lot of these shows with mono. I just can't stand being able to hear what the third extra from the right is saying while the main cast are talking! Mind you, I would assume it would be bloody noisy.

Heh. Good guess. I could hear random audience member No. 47 over Shakespeare. Luckily I taped the episode, so I'll stick the telly on a mono channel when I watch it again.

I definitely got the Back to the Future reference. I was half expecting a throwaway line like: "I was the technical advisor on that film, you know" by the Doctor.

[marty2006]

Luvved the back to the future reference lol

[ShadowMaat]

I had a hard time hearing some of the dialogue, too. Made me wish for closed captioning, but that'll have to wait a while.