Love & Monsters

I can understand why there's loathing for the series' Marmite episode, but I fall firmly into the "love it" camp. Love and Monsters dares to be different. It's often grouped with Fear Her as being terrible or lazy, but that's unfair - Fear Her's script was lazy, this one isn't. It's fresh, full of life, and packed with laughter. The script fits together beautifully, delivering something quirky, touching, and very Doctor Who.

The humour works throughout, blending silliness with genuine warmth. The opening with Rose and the Doctor sprinting in pure Troughton-era chaos sets the tone perfectly. Camille Coduri is utterly brilliant - her seduction of Elton is comedy gold, played with warmth and just the right hint of absurdity. Even Bella Emberg's cameo had me in tears of laughter; she's a joy to see.

There's also great heart beneath the comedy. The Doctor's visit to young Elton, and the quiet sadness around his mother's death, add real poignancy. The scenes of the LINDA group bonding are beautifully written, full of humanity and sincerity. The climax is touching and bittersweet, and Marc Warren's performance gives the whole episode emotional weight.

Peter Kay clearly had a blast playing Victor Kennedy and the Abzorbaloff. He's a larger-than-life presence, both funny and menacing, and the effects hold up surprisingly well. It's one of those episodes where everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, and it shows.

I love the subtle connections back to Aliens of London and Rose, and the wider continuity touches are lovely too - Victor's home planet Clom reappearing when the Daleks steal the worlds in Series 4, and that first sly mention of Harold Saxon for Series 3's arc. (Plus, spotting my friend Eve's face behind Marc Warren - fantastic!)

It's a story with warmth, humour, sadness, and energy. A bold experiment that paid off. Love and Monsters is just a joy - a misunderstood gem that celebrates fandom and feeling.

One I'll always defend with a smile.

10/10.

Series two of the new Doctor Who could well be one of the very best television series ever to appear on British television. I really mean that; I'm not just some raving fan. Love And Monsters was to DW what Revolution #9 is to the Beatles and will draw polarised reactions. Me, I applaud its originality, its zest, its supreme cleverness, and the fact that it was fresh, funny, satirical and wise. Peter Kay, truly proving that 'all planets have a north' was fantastic, as were the rest of the cast. But we've come to expect that from this series now, standards have been set so high. I suggest anyone who disliked this episode should expand the boundaries of their mind - there is really is an incredible world out there, just as the script said.

Doctor Who episodes always follow from the Doctor or Roses' point of view. This made a different change, but i seem to find that children didn't like it so much. They want to see more Doctor not a different person.

Adults will find this episode a different and nice change to the usual episode. But still nothing like a normal Doctor Who episode. Russal Davis had a good crack at writing this one, he took a chance a writing something slightly different for the series as a kind of test, somehow i don't think there will be any more of these kind of episodes.

6/10

In a season that has bee populated by shoddiness - often good ideas are either poorly executed or laden with useless plot gratuities that have become so ho hum lately or the character of Rose is just annoying - this one is more like a little science fiction romantic comedy that just happens to feature the Doctor and Rose and could easily be viewed and enjoyed without ever seeing any other episode of the series ever again.

The plot concerns a guy who becomes very interested in this mysterious figure the Doctor and hooks up with a club devoted to the same pursuit that he meets online. The club is filled with the same kind of awkward but friendly types and their discussions of the Doctor eventually morph into pot luck dinners and a cute, silly little rock band that does ELO covers - until a mysterious fellow shows up and commandeers the group in order to find more out about the Doctor.

Marc Warren is sweet and goofy as Elton and Peter Kay is nicely over the top as the mysterious guy who takes over. It's very light entertainment, but nonetheless touching and funny . . . and out of left field, really. It's nice to see that in this season of retreads and by-the-numbers half thought out junk that writer Russell T. Davies could take a moment to try something a little different for a change.

I'm not normally one to post reviews, but I couldn't let the one negative post sit here as testimony to this episode. Yes, it wasn't perfect. The broad comedy and grotesque nature of the central villain would obviously not be to everyone's tastes. But Marc Warren turned in an excellent performance, as did Camille Coduri. The group of people who set up the "club" were portrayed as decent sorts who didn't deserve what became of them, and there were moments of charm and sensitivity. The use of E.L.O. in the soundtrack is also a plus point! Overall, the episode was an interesting experiment. If I met Russell T Davies I'd happily discuss it with him (without resorting to the violence another on this thread seems to expound) and of course thank him for making Doctor Who popular with a mainstream audience again.