This is a really good episode and pairs nicely with the previous one.
It’s got really nice character work - Nancy being street smart enough to turn tables on the home owner, and a touching twist of her being a single teen mother (and everything else that implies). Jack is a lot more tolerable on this one now he’s stopped his fake persona, even if the sonic pissing match is a bit much for me.
The direction in this one is really nice - multiple times there is a sequence where the characters are chatting away and not realising something critical has happened around them. For that I absolutely love the scenes in the doctors room, with the typewriter, and the teleport during the dance.
The explanation of how the child is able to control radios and all the hints leading to the final answer to the puzzle of what’s happening are well written. It’s a story straight out of black mirror with an all powerful AI gone wrong - a story still very of our times. My only gripe there is his on earth does the child remote control the typewriter, but given how well that scene was done I don’t mind it.
The set design of the bomb site is great and really gets the vibe of a hastily erected military encampment. Music wise I again feel that it was a bit much, especially when it interrupts the sweet but creepy lullaby.
Random other remarks :
why on earth was Jack riding the bomb? It’s so ridiculous but it works for his character
the doctor says he’s done a software patch and will email the upgrade - even in 2005 those words in that order are a bit dated
doctors final words to doctor Constantine made me wonder if this was meant to be a real historical person, but I did a quick search and apparently that’s not the case. Maybe a missed opportunity there?
doctors final words to doctor Constantine made me wonder if this was meant to be a real historical person, but I did a quick search and apparently that’s not the case. Maybe a missed opportunity there?
I noticed that, as well. Now I think that Dr Constantine is meant to stand in for every real person who does good kind and difficult work during oppressive times.
My thinking was he was almost dead. What’s a kid’s last words going to be if he’s almost dead? “I want my mummy”. If that was the last thing coursing through his neurons, the nanogenes would pick that up and might think it “normal”.
This is a really good episode and pairs nicely with the previous one.
It’s got really nice character work - Nancy being street smart enough to turn tables on the home owner, and a touching twist of her being a single teen mother (and everything else that implies). Jack is a lot more tolerable on this one now he’s stopped his fake persona, even if the sonic pissing match is a bit much for me.
The direction in this one is really nice - multiple times there is a sequence where the characters are chatting away and not realising something critical has happened around them. For that I absolutely love the scenes in the doctors room, with the typewriter, and the teleport during the dance.
The explanation of how the child is able to control radios and all the hints leading to the final answer to the puzzle of what’s happening are well written. It’s a story straight out of black mirror with an all powerful AI gone wrong - a story still very of our times. My only gripe there is his on earth does the child remote control the typewriter, but given how well that scene was done I don’t mind it.
The set design of the bomb site is great and really gets the vibe of a hastily erected military encampment. Music wise I again feel that it was a bit much, especially when it interrupts the sweet but creepy lullaby.
Random other remarks :
I noticed that, as well. Now I think that Dr Constantine is meant to stand in for every real person who does good kind and difficult work during oppressive times.
That’s right up there with, “how/why is he looking for his mummy if he was already dead when the nanogenes found him?”
My thinking was he was almost dead. What’s a kid’s last words going to be if he’s almost dead? “I want my mummy”. If that was the last thing coursing through his neurons, the nanogenes would pick that up and might think it “normal”.
Yeah, that has to be it, even though that’s not what the Doctor actually says.