Review of Death Podcast #19 - Doctor Who: Blink vs Love and Monsters

[@JamesHellyer]

Maybe Ursula could go to Gallifrey after Elton's demise. She could date one of the immortal stone heads on Rassilon's tomb.

[@konradh6893]

This podcast is the highlight of my week! Loved Review Of Death since the beginning and been a viewer of Matt since I was 9 (I’m 22 this month!) Thank you guys for the great content, this new podcast format is perfect 🙏

[@tardisnet9487]

I've always liked Love and Monsters. Growing up watching the Tennant era this was one of my favourite stories. When I got into fandom is 2010 I was confused to why everyone disliked it. Whilst its no longer one of my favourite stories its still one I enjoy and have a lot of fun with. I think it falls apart in the last 10 minutes with the Abzorbaloff but up until that point its a very strong story. Its very charming in the way it reflects the Doctor Who fandom and Victor Kennedy represents a toxic Doctor Who fan. I also love how it tackles the character of Jackie Tyler and Elton is a very likeable character with a clear purpose and motivation across the story. Its hardly perfect but I think it is genuinely very good in how it develops the characters and how they build connections and one I do enjoy revisiting

[@CulturePhilter]

I’ve been to many weddings where some people are sneakily watching football during the reception and everyone seems fine with it so I say it’s time that doing the same to watch Doctor Who is given the same respect! 😄

[@bbbproductions7299]

I wonder how batmanmarch feels about "the batman" coming out on march, i dont think its a coincidence, matt is a timelord!!! *cliffhanger doctor who theme tune *

[@midwintermakes]

Something about the way Billy says "Jackie Tyler... in HEAT." Killed me off.

[@Thomas_of_the_forest]

The Hoix was named in Torchwood too, but I imagine the toy came out before Torchwood's episode

[@dragonsideentertainment849]

As a New Zealander, Billy is more than welcome to come over and watch Legend of the Sea Devils.

[@harleyhartley3168]

in the 00s my family and I always assumed love and monsters was a fan favourite because of how full of heart it is, both in a fun way and in a touching way with Elton's mum dying as well as the excellent soundtrack, so much better than fear her

[@lewisgibbs4665]

I seem to recall when series 13 was announced it was reported as 8 episodes worth of filming. That would align with the idea of LOTSD being originally planned as episode 8 (i.e. special 2) and Jodie’s final story. So sounds like the centenary was tagged on.

[@ohmydinosare]

Did you know that Blink was adapted from a short story that Moffat wrote for the 2006 Doctor Who annual? Because I had read and really enjoyed that more than a year before the episode came out and I had trouble moving past that when I watched it. Both are great, the short story has no weeping angels, it's really just the "conversation with someone who is leaving messages from the past" part, the wallpaper bit is in there, then we have 9 on home video vhs instead of 10 on dvd easter eggs. It's worth a read, I actually did a video reading it a few years back.

[@EddJones25]

It's better if you subscribe to the theory that Victor Kennedy is representing people like Ian Levine, spoiling things for others

[@christopherjohnston3569]

I don’t get after 10 years why people still assume they just look like statues when they move. Their behaviour in flesh and stone is the outlier not the norm. The change from blink is that them becomming stone is a fact of nature as a defence than an uncontrollable thing. But that’s about it. 11 states that they are too distracted by the crack, and are not interested in Amy. He says that they will assume she can see them by her behaviour and their natural instinct will kick in to be stone. So they become stone as a natural instinctive defence mechanism. Like putting your hands in front of your head ultra fast when something is coming towards you. Survival instinct. They turned to stone from that survival instinct rather than they just do 10 is not an expert on them so it’s more builds from blink than destroys it. 10 said that they become stone as a fact of their biology. Survival instinct is a fact of biology. So when the angels move in flesh and stone, their just having a natural survival instinct. They are not stone normally when they move. .

[@stevetayler9518]

Thank you so much for this one. “Lol” is so overused nowadays; and the fact is I’m someone who doesn’t “lol” very often regardless. An approving chuckle is more usual if somethings funny. But damn. Guys, I haven’t laughed so hard, or so genuinely for a very long time. I won’t go into it, but currently there are things happening in my life that are v stressful and upsetting. So, this unexpected delight was very much needed.

[@batmanmarch]

Sorry to hear you're having a hard time Steve, I hope things get better for you and I'm glad the podcast proved to be some light relief!

[@stevetayler9518]

@@batmanmarch Thanks. It really cheered me up. “Jackie likes the double P” is engrained on my memory. 😁

[@JoshSnares]

"Jackie Tyler in heat" 💀

[@IsaacWhittakerDakin]

Ursula is given a worse fate than Borusa in The Five Doctors and I hate how it's perceived as a good thing....

[@sadako24]

Yeah the ending is profoundly creepy and tonally off.

[@s.g.woolf-hoyle4578]

The end of Blink made me terrified of Nelson's column as a kid. I remember winking as I passed it and constantly looking back because I was scared Nelson was chasing me!

[@jackboulter4901]

Thankyou both for another top notch episode. I get where you're coming from with love and monsters, I haven't watched it in forever but might re watch it soon. Plus I definitely think the hoix was done better service in torchwood, Again with Blink I haven't watched it in ages. However when I first watched it I got absolutely terrified, I also agree with matt in terms of how village of the angels is a better story than blink.

[@jeremythomaswebb1485]

Ironically the 2 highest ranking and lowest ranking stories of the David Tennant era are both episodes where David Tennant is hardly in it being Doctor Lite stories.

[@PaulMason99]

I like Love and Monsters because it's fun. It's got good-hearted protagonist and a gentle rom-com at its centre. And a story about a group of people bonding. If it wasn't for a single line of dialogue it would be remembered much more kindly. I still don't think it would hit many top 10s but it would be liked well enough. The villain is a bit poor but speaking as someone who's going through the Pertwee era for the first time, the Absorbaloff isn't any worse than a lot of the monsters from those series.

[@louisthorpe]

I noticed near the beginning you mentioned "The Writers Tale" book, which I have also read and wondered would you guys ever do a review or an episode on it?

[@ShadowHero97]

I’ll never accept the moving stone Weeping Angel, they’ll always be a monstrous fully flesh and feathers harpy-like creature when un-observed to me. Perhaps the only monster I’d seek out a life size replica of to scare the crap out of people with (almost £3000 is a bit out of budget though).

[@AnthonyP73]

Never had an issue with L&M. Good cracking fun, a welcome departure from the norm.

[@Jwnewall]

Is that a bloody Death to the Daleks cliff-hanger case!

[@AnthonyP73]

When did people start ragging on the Fifth Doctor? In my top 4 Doctors for sure

[@EloImFizzy]

The fact that not a single person in that writers room saw Ursula's fate in the script and was like "That's clearly a fate worse than death" is insane to me.

[@Kytori95]

I'm only 20 mins in.... I absolutely think this is better than Fear Her just on cast level, I think the cast of Love and Monsters are quite good, whilst with Fear Her, the child unfortunately is just unbearable imo. Being a Power Rangers fan, child actors tend to have a curse against them for being notorious crap in the story and I think that logic somewhat extends here, it's an interesting concept, but I don't think it's executed as well as Love and Monsters. In terms of the structure, I think it's more structured like a spin-off, given the Doctor-lite nature of it. I love Blink, I think it's one of the best episodes of television ever, never mind introducing the Angels, it legit feels like a different genre, almost horror like, and that's down to the Angels and the cast carrying it. Having thought about it for a minute, I think Blink would be in my top 10, maybe top 15 at a push, I love it. I do think it has been surpassed recently with Village of the Angels, but the mystery it introduces and it holds up effects wise with the Angels, I just love it. Having said that maybe I do love it for the Angels more so than the story itself, as I think they are top 3 monsters now in my mind, top four including Sontarans after Flux. Oof I'm writing too much here ... Maybe I should make my own video ...But anyway, I think the thing I admire about Blink the most it transcends the genre (The genre being Doctor Who itself), I think it's a story I could show someone who isn't a fan and it have the biggest amount of potential to hook them in. I just searched and it looks like TARDIS tennis is still up! Unfortunately the death of flash means I can't play it :/

[@robindavda8967]

really love the podcast but sometimes I'm not one hundred percent sure what you mean when you talk about classic stories without naming them like when you were talking about stewart Bevan's passing and the stories he was involved in without naming them. in the future I would really appreciate some filling in

[@BillyGarrattJohn]

Hey Robin! Thanks for the feedback and kind words! 😁 x

[@robindavda8967]

@@BillyGarrattJohn reading my comment back, I feel like I was being too harsh. I didn't highlight how much I really love the podcast. I feel like it's refreshing to see people not just hating on the current series even though I'm personally not a huge fan and you guys are always a delight to listen to

[@LukSter18998]

@@robindavda8967 he was a big part of 3rd doctor era and 3rd doctor big finish

[@robindavda8967]

@@LukSter18998 cheers thanks

[@OldManFerdiad]

Oh gods, I don't think I can bring myself to re-watch Closing Time!

[@peterthompson1989]

Do enjoy blink but never understood why people recommend it as a first episode for new fans as it's not really an episode they represents the series as a whole. Yet it always is in these kind of lists

[@dragonsideentertainment849]

Regarding Blink, did you ever notice when all four Angels are looking at each other at the end, there's one Angel whose not being looked at, and therefore should be able to move

[@H0lyMoley]

I love Blink, but it absolutely falls apart when you think about it for more than five minutes. How come none of the "past people" try to get their future selves to never meet the Angels in the first place? Surely not all of them ended up with a husband and four grandkids? Why didn't whassisface immediately freak at the sight of a single angel, if he had heard the whole "hidden DVD track" over and over before, including the bit about the monsters that look like statues? Also, what happens when the lightbulb fails? Do you just have four loose angels merrily feeding on people in London for the next thousand years or so? (Actually that would kinda explain a lot about contemporary London.) Again, love the episode. Not picking it apart to be "that guy". More to make the point that it feels very... Moffatt. Nails the feels, not quite so much the logic.

[@LukSter18998]

this is gonna be a spicy one !!!

[@guygrist4436]

I don’t really care for either of the episodes, Blink didn’t really do anything for me when I rewatched it the other year it just didn’t scare me at all.

[@TheAppeyes]

For me, Love and Monsters is a good episode up until the Abzorbaloff reveal, then it's one of the worst. Fear Her is the worst episode of the RTD era, absolute bore-fest with half-baked ideas. I would rather they only had 12 episodes that series. In terms of memorable monsters from New Who: Ood, Judoon, Weeping Angels, Vashta Nerada and The Silence all spring to mind. The last 3 all have a gimmick to them that makes them scary and good adversaries, and all created by Moffat (sorry Billy). I wasn't able to guess the highest ranking Cyberman story but I was spot on with the bottom 2. Nightmare in Silver is so much worse than Closing Time. Closing Time is redeemed by comedy and talking to a baby, whereas Nightmare in Silver has overpowered Cybermen who can upgrade virtually instantly.

[@jamesloganhart]

I have to say I love, love and monsters. I always thought it was a good story so maybe I'm clouded with nostalgia. It's silly Peter Kay hams it up at the end but the character development and ending puts it up there for me tbh

[@benbastianiartmusic1421]

Do a video discussing what makes a good / bad Doctor?

[@wonderproductions3949]

I actually like Love and Monsters and Blink.

[@dalekemperor1984]

Isn’t the lowest ranked Tennant story Fear Her? It’s only one place above The Twin Dilemma

[@gjwilson]

My takeaway moment from this episode: Jackie likes DP 😱

[@Thomas_of_the_forest]

I mean, the forming the band is a bit cringe, but definitely intentionally so

[@loudbrownhorn]

Ah yes, the best and worst episodes of the new series. I think it's quite obvious which one would win. Love and Monsters is easily the best episode of all television

[@loudbrownhorn]

Yes this is a pisstake.

[@sadako24]

Blink is great fun. Love & Monsters is an abomination.