This was a creepy episode. There’s just something about a mysterious little town, a graveyard and something running around in the dark that makes for a fun show. Spoilers to follow.

It was great to see another classic villain return in the new series. The Silurians aren’t top tier like Daleks and Cybermen, but they have a history going all the way back to Doctor #3 in 1970 and this was a perfect way to reintroduce them. All the pieces fit together nicely and the conflict being based on unintended harm made for a better story here than an invasion or anything directly hostile. Of course, before the episode finishes it’s clear that there may be some hostile intent yet to be revealed.

I liked seeing Amy removed from the central action to allow The Doctor and Rory to interact more directly. In fact, Rory actually had a much larger part in this episode than any other this season and I actually have a lot more interest in the character because of it.

I always enjoy when a “to be continued” takes me by surprise. The idea that The Doctor has to convince his enemies (and his allies) to see the best in humanity really drives the story into part two next week. I’ll reserve judgement on the episode until everything wraps, but this was a good part one of two.

More on Doctor Who 2010:
Amy’s Choice / Cold Blood

This was a truly weird episode. The preview had me thinking I might not like it so much, but my doubts were quickly erased as the episode got underway. Spoilers ahead.

The central conflict of the story pitted The Doctor, Amy and Rory against a mysterious entity calling himself the “Dreamlord,” who challenged them to determine whether they were in a dream or reality. How exactly were they to do this? Well, they would be presented with two threats one real, one a dream. All they had to do was die in the correct one and they’d be free. Of course, if they died in the wrong one they’d simply die.

The title of the episode is really used nicely as it’s a simple reference to letting the next destination be “Amy’s choice” and it’s also the center point of the episode. It’s put on her to choose which reality is the true one and she reaffirms her choice in Rory as the man she loves. There are some great twists as the story progresses, particularly with regard to the “Dreamlord’s” true identity.

The story works really well as a stand alone episode with the new cast. While it doesn’t necessarily advance the major plot of this season, it makes great strides in telling us more about who these characters really are both in terms of how they view themselves and each other. Also, the threat of the TARDIS falling into a star that burns cold and everything around them freezing really struck a chord with me. I just love frozen stuff.

More on Doctor Who 2010:
The Vampires of Venice / The Hungry Earth

As the month of May comes to an end, so do the seasons for a slew of shows that Angie and I spend our time watching. I thought this would be a quick wrap up, but clearly, we watch too much TV. The chart at the right is included for simple reference. It’s good that the season is ending, we need a break…

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There was a ton of hype around Glee when it first started.  I think I wanted to watch it in the beginning.  Maybe we had recordings that conflicted.  Either way, I didn’t.  I think maybe we tried to watch once, but didn’t make it through the episode.  It’s been officially picked up for a 3rd season by Fox, and I just watched my first full episode.

My viewing was inspired by the inclusion of Lady Gaga.  Well, the inclusion of her music.  Gossip Girl had THE Lady Gaga.  Just saying, Glee, just saying….  So I watched.  A whole episode.  Not impressed.  The singing was not believable.  Over produced?  Under-produced?  I’m not sure which one.  But it seemed like a really bad music video to me where the music just doesn’t match the mouth quite right.  I’m sure the story of the characters pulls plenty of people in, and there was enough in one random episode that I sort of got the gist of things, but this will probably be my only episode.

What can I say?  Acapella groups and 12 year old’s on YouTube are more entertaining/impressive for Lady Gaga covers than this was.

The series finale of ABC’s Lost aired Sunday night and this is one of the rare places where our interests here at MLD all converge. Seems poetic given the nature of the conclusion. Please feel free to share your reactions with us as well. So the question that gets it all rolling: what’s your verdict?

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