Tuesday 10 June 2014

DW 01-03: The Unquiet Dead

A Guide to Classic Who references in New Who episodes.


Doctor Who (2005): Series 1 episode 3 (Story 3): in which the Doctor and Rose visit Victorian era Wales.



Warning: May contain Spoilers for

"The Unquiet Dead"

Viewing Order

  • 1-01 "Rose(Suggested viewing - introduction of characters.)


References

[1ST] - The first appearance of things in Doctor Who series.
[NEW] - Stuff seen previously in the New Series.
[OLD] - Things that first appeared in the classic series (or the film.)  Episode List.


  • [NEW]  Time Vortex - as described last episode, but blue due to travelling backwards in time.

  • [OLD]  The unreliability of the TARDIS, and difficulty flying it - Although the TARDIS seemed to go were it was asked in the previous two episodes it, it misses the mark here (both spatially and temporally).  It also seems harder to control this episode.  Again, not unheard of in the old series.

  • [OLD]  Dressing for the occasion - Sometimes it is required or remarked upon, other times it is ignored.  In this episode all three happen.

  • [1ST]  Charles Dickens - Famous real word author, not previously shown or mentioned on screen.

  • [NEW]  Bad Wolf - the phrase is used again.

  • [1ST]  The Gleth - Not previously mentioned in a televised episode.

  • [NEW]  The Time War - Mentioned in the previous two episodes.

  • [OLD]  Time's in flux - Although not really referred to previously there is a constant battle between stories where time is, isn't and can or can't be changed.  In the first story, "An Unearthly Child" (Doctor Who (1963) season 1) the First Doctor and his companions influence and help a tribe of cavemen, whether this was the natural order of events or the tribe died out anyway is never address.  Later in the first season, in "The Aztecs" (Doctor Who (1963) season 1) history teacher Barbara tries to convince the Aztecs to stop using human sacrifice to stop their extinction, the First Doctor tells her that you cannot rewrite time.  Many episodes seem to confirm this with actions of the Doctor and companions causing (accidentally or deliberately) with the First Doctor being shocked in "The Romans" (Doctor Who (1963) season 2) when he discovered that his actions inspired Nero to burn Rome and that he had created history.  There seems to be little concern about changing the history of alien cultures, changing thing for future humans (who would be history for later still humans.)  The timeline is certainly changed in the Seventh Doctor story "Curse of Fenric" (Doctor Who (1963) season 26) when the a haemovore (one of a race of creatures evolved from humans) changed the past so his race never existed.

  • [OLD]  I saw the fall of Troy - In the First Doctor story "The Mythmakers" (Doctor Who (1963) season 3)    the Doctor even - reluctantly - suggested to the Greeks that they use a wooden horse when all their other plans failed.

  • [1ST]  World War V - Not previously mentioned in a televised episode.  Obvious, this implies a World War III & IV as well.

The 10 Rules to Doctor Who.

10.  TARDIS:  The TARDIS is used for travel at the beginning of the episode. [1]
9.  Meeting Yourself:  No one tries.  [X]
8.  Non-sequiturs:   Not really this episode.  [0]
7.  Serious/Frivolous:  Shows aspects of both personality.  [1]
6.  Series Final:  This is not a series final.  [X]
5.  Companion:  Rose, contemporary British female.  (Past British story).  [1]
4.  Emotionless:  Not applicable  [0]
3.  Title Spoilers:  The meaning of the title is clear from near the beginning.  [0]
2.  The Threat:  The viewer is aware of the zombies and the gaseous possession before the Doctor, the viewer learns the details with the Doctor but also explains it.  [1]
1.  Last of It's Kind:  The Gelth claim to be the last of their kind and are dangerous.  The Charles Dickens is more so.  [.5]

Score:  4.5/8.
Previous:  "The End of the World"

~ DUG.

No comments:

Post a Comment