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Review: Doctor Who, "The Fabulousness of the Daleks"
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Merlin Missy
Merlin Missy has been active in online fandom since 1994. She likes fanfics with plots and happy endings. 
By Merlin Missy
Published on 04/1/2008
 
Well, we did think Nine and Jack had a thing, right?

"Any bug you can build, I can build better. I can build any bug better than you!"

Of all the old-school Who companions to bring back for a guest shot, I would not have guessed that Jamie would be that high on the list. Sarah Jane was an obvious choice, and I'd have guessed Romana would at least rate a mention. (Is she still in E-space? Can the TARDIS use Adric's equations to find her? Or was she really the last President of Gallifrey? Inquiring minds would like a freakin' answer, here.) Susan's gotten lip-service. Ace is at least remotely current.

But no.

When last we saw Jamie, his memory had been wiped and he was back smacking Englishmen around. (Or possibly, he was saving Troughton from Sontarans. Pick your timeframe and continuity and run with it.) Frazer Hines has not aged well, and I have to say, "old guy in a kilt" does nothing for me. Nevertheless, it was nice t see him again, and while I'm not really a slash fan personally, the kiss really brought a tear to my eye. (Also that throwaway line. Was the Doctor talking about Jack? From what the previews were saying, we shall see sooner rather than later.)

Now, I know it's been said before, but Rusty? Please stop it with the Daleks for a while. We love 'em. We know that you love 'em. But there's a lot more back-catalogue to work through of Who villains, even if you did already pay for the models. Okay, the pink-and-purple repaints were pretty snazzy, I'll admit, and we did establish the whole show tunes precedent last season. Still, I don't think anyone was expecting the Dalek-Cybermen musical face-off to "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better."

Well, I wasn't, anyway.

Poor Martha. I mean, she's faced down evil witches, angel statues, an angry star and the Master. She didn't need to see Jamie's bare butt, too. Nice "Braveheart" shoutout, though.

Honestly, I thought this was a weak episode overall. The musical numbers padded out the plot too much, and while I could appreciate the nods to the past and the character-touches, it left more questions than answers. How is the dynamic going to change with such a classic Companion back in the mix, one who has no idea who Rose is? Will this spark a crossover event with SJA, as the Doctor continues to have to sidestep questions about his once-and-future Companions? Where did David Tennant learn to dance in high heels?

Here's hoping net week will be better. The mecha-zombies in the previews looked pretty snazzy.