Doctor Who: The Complete Second Series (Repackage/DVD)

How do you improve on the near perfection of the reborn "Doctor Who" starring Christopher Eccleston? Quite easily, when you have stories like "School Reunion," "The Girl in the Fireplace," "The Impossible Planet," and "The Satan Pit," to name just a few, but... I'm getting ahead of myself here! For those of us of a "certain age," as we say in England - that's the wrong side of 40! LOL! - and remember the origins of the series waaaaaaaaay back in the 60's, then spent the subsequent decades suffering through more cardboard sets and rubber monsters than you could shake a stick at - the Daleks being honorable exceptions of course! - the rebirth of the venerable Doctor in 2005 was a revelation. The stories had been tightened-up considerably - no running up and down endless corridor filler here! - the budget for a single episode appeared to be more than was spent on an entire series from the good-old-days, the production values/sfx were stellar, the writing tight and dramatic, bringing the Doctor and his Companion thoroughly up-to-date without losing the essence of the original. In Chris Eccleston they had, at last, a genuine, heavyweight Thesp playing the Doctor, an actor who could not only handle the edgier, more grown-up aspects of the new stories, but could also inject an element of the manic/slightly unhinged into his performance, similar to the much-loved Tom Baker. And any worries that Billie Piper would not be up to the job, dramatically, were soon laid to rest... and how!!! To say that us fans were spoiled by the 2005 series was putting it mildly, then as the season climaxed with the superlative "Bad Wolf" and "Parting of the Ways," we were all thrown for a loop when given a "regeneration scene" and a NEW Doctor! What were the BBC thinking about, were they crazy?!?!?! The short answer is "No," the casting of David Tennant was every bit as inspired as his predecessor; he actually managed to up the manic-quotient without going completely bonkers, and brought a kind of geeky coolness to the character we hadn't seen before! And then there was "Rose;" oh my goodness, in all it's years, there has NEVER been a companion for the Doctor like Rose Tyler. Unlike practically all previous companions, Rose is a character in her own right, with her own back story, fully realized, she is, dramatically at least, the Doctor's equal. Her development, from London shop-girl, to time traveler, explorer of the universe, and killer of Daleks, helps drive the stories in a new, more emotionally fulfilling direction. After the roller coaster ride of Season 1 with it's "Bad Wolf" story arc, Season 2 scaled things back ever so slightly, but invested even more time and effort in exploring the relationship between the unearthly Doctor, and the all-too-human Rose. This is tackled head-on in the 4th episode, "School Reunion," which goes some way to answering the question of what happens to the companions after they have stopped travelling with the Time Lord; a stand-out episode, it re-introduces Elizabeth Sladen's "Sarah Jane Smith." I don't want to say too much about any particular episode for those who haven't seen the series yet, but the scene where Sarah Jane discovers the TARDIS and its owner made the hair on the back of my neck stand up! Later in the episode there's an affecting scene between the Doctor and Rose as he tries to explain to her why he can't allow himself to become emotionally involved with his Human companions... he's practically immortal, we're not. The next episode, "The girl in the fireplace," perfectly illustrates the preceding point, when the Doctor allows himself to become attached to Madame de Pompadour, whilst simultaneously battling clockwork androids on a derelict starship in the far future! "Rise of the Cybermen" and "Age of Steel" successfully reinvents one of the Doctors most popular adversaries, whilst "The impossible planet" and "The Satan pit" set-up some very Alien-esque chills in a wonderful two-parter. The series ends, just as did Season 1, with another amazing two-part story, "Army of Ghosts" and the aptly titled "Doomsday," which sees the Daleks fighting it out with the new-and-improved Cybermen for control of planet Earth; to steal a line from the totally execrable AvP, "Whoever wins, we lose!" LOL! It's difficult to know which fate would be worse, having the whole planet "upgraded" by the Cybermen, or flayed and filleted through the Daleks genetic labs to help create an even bigger and more murderous Dalek army!!! This is a superb story to end the season, but be warned, the finale is... emotional! There's a nice recurring theme in the series concerning the "Torchwood Institute," which becomes central to the final two episodes, and if this set is the first you've seen of Season 2, DO make sure you watch the "Children in Need" episode in the "Special Features" section of the set FIRST. It acts as a coda to Season 1, as well as a prologue to Season 2, and explains the somewhat crazed materialization of the TARDIS, as well as the Doctor himself, in the rollicking first episode, "The Christmas Invasion." Any worries I had that the quality of the first season could not be maintained were unfounded... if you enjoyed Season 1, grab Season 2 immediately, you won't regret it!

When Doctor Who returned to our screens in 2005, even for the disinterested, it was probably THE British TV event of the year. For the die hard fans, it was a dream come true. Finally the BBC was giving it the profile, the budget, the schedule and the kudos that they felt it had always deserved. Russell T. Davis had reinvented a classic TV icon and made it even more exciting than ever and Christopher Eccleston brought a new edge to the world's longest running sci-fi TV hero. But before the first season had even run its course, Eccleston was gone. Never explaining why, after the huge relaunch, the BBC were already having to recast the role, running the risk of losing everything they'd built up in such a short space of time. Thankfully, (unlike so many times in the 1980's) the production team made a truly inspired decision to cast David Tennant in the role of the Doctor and keep the new found dynamism on track. Here is the complete first season of Tennant's stint as the Time Lord from Gallifrey, which I personally hope will be the first of many. He really has taken the role to heart and developed a truly engaging and charismatic Doctor - one that's on a par with the great Tom Baker for sure and outdoing many others who've taken the role in the past. All 14 episodes are included, starting with the hour-long 2005 Christmas special, followed by the 13 45-minute episodes from the spring of 2006. There are many fans of course who aren't particularly enamored of the new approach to their favorite time traveler. It is fair to say that the whole concept has become rather `soapy'. It's certainly no stretch to see that Eastenders seems to have a big influence over the style of the new direction. Whereas it brings an edge of reality to the series to flesh out the lives and emotions of the Doctor and his companions, it has to be said that in this particular season, that emotion is being somewhat overplayed. Sarah-Jane Smith is back at the Doctor's side in `School Reunion' after having been dumped from the TARDIS back in 1976. It's great to see Elisabeth Sladen back on form, but from a continuity point, it's not really true to the original series. Sarah-Jane did already meet up with the Doctor again, back in the 1983 20th anniversary special, The Five Doctors, and the hurt and despair explored now ignores that particular narrative completely. Every episode seems to have some emotional turmoil between the Doctor's current companion, Rose, and the Time Lord himself, which seems to always be edging them towards at least a romantic relationship, if not a full-blown sexual one. After a while, it seems this sub-text is always getting in the way of the main narrative of each story. Even the long awaited and definitely overdue clash between the Doctor's two most famous enemies, The Daleks and The Cybermen, is eventually pushed into the background to develop more of the Doctor/Rose relationship. It's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just overplayed. I for one would like to see less of Rose's emotions and those of her family and hopefully in the 2007 season, new characters will be handled differently. There are fewer extras than were included on the Eccleston season release, possibly to accommodate the extra episode. The short interim piece shown on the BBC's Children in Need charity telethon is included and there's a commentary for each story, often with on-screen visuals. A sixth disc includes the accompanying Doctor Who Confidential, behind the scenes documentaries, but there's little else. It's still a great package nonetheless. I hope the rumors of David Tennant's departure during the 2008 season are false. He's such a great Doctor; it would be a shame to lose him. But so far, most of the rumors about the series that have done the rounds have all pretty much turned out to be true. Still, they moved effortlessly from Eccleston to Tennant, so presumably they can do the same again. In the meantime, here's some wonderful Doctor Who to enjoy again.

We are completely hooked on this series. The BBC does everything with such depth of plot and character development. Even the fact that this is total fantasy there are plot issues that are very applicable to today's world issues. When we started watching Dr. Who it was with some trepidation, thinking maybe this is not for us...baby-boomers, but we were so pleasantly surprised and drawn in to the characters and themes that I can honestly say we're hooked and have recommended the series to all of our friends.

Russell T Davies has achieved something of a miracle over the last few years. Bringing back a series like Doctor Who so brilliantly was a feat in itself, and the ratings and awards success (BAFTAs!) are surely beyond anything anybody expected. But perhaps his greatest trick was managing to make the second series even greater than the first. The major change, of course, is the Doctor himself, from Christopher Eccleston to David Tennant. Eccleston's performance was always going to take some beating, but amazingly, Tennant manages it. He fills the role naturally, and is an electrifying presence as the Doctor. He doesn't quite the dramatic weight of Eccleston, but then, who does? Tennant compensates with raw energy and enthusiasm, and you simply can't take your eyes off him. He also has what Eccleston lacked - perfect comic instinct, and a natural eccentricity that never feels forced. And when called upon for it, his quieter, reflective, emotional moments are as good as have even been seen in the series. A superb performance. "The Christmas Invasion" was the perfect entrance to the tenth Doctor. It's fun, epic, emotional, with a fantastic climax - it's "Independence Day" with a good writer. "New Earth" is a fun way for the series to begin properly, but mainly stands out as a showcase of Billie Piper's acting - her transformation into the villainous Cassandra is effortless and natural, and she shows a range of performance that I didn't expect, even after her brilliance last year. "Tooth and Claw" is where the series kicks into gear, and starts a run of three episodes which are as good as anything the series has ever seen. It's a scary horror runaround, but as it's written by Russell T Davies, it's full of fun and humour, and stands out as one of the highlights of the series. Next comes the return of Sarah Jane and K9 in "School Reunion". Like "Boom Town" last year, the Doctor vs The Alien plot is secondary to the emotional story of the characters, and writer Toby Whithouse handles this superbly. Elisabeth Sladen is as good as ever, and the list of great guest performances in this series continues with Anthony Head. Then comes the highlight of the series, one of the best and most beautiful pieces of television I have ever seen - Steven Moffat's "The Girl in the Fireplace". It is as close to fairy tale as the series has ever come, and works perfectly. The "Doctor in love" story is well handled, and there's an air of magic and whimsy about the story which makes it totally engaging. One of the best episodes of Doctor Who ever made, and certainly the best of the 2005-6 series. After that, the "Rise of the Cybermen" two-parter couldn't help but come as a bit of a disappointment. It's not bad, it just feels a little flat and pedestrian when compared to the rest of the series. That said, the Cybermen themselves are superbly realised, and it features a wonderful performance from Noel Clarke as Mickey. "The Idiot's Lantern" is certainly an improvement on Mark Gatiss's previous story, the dreary "The Unquiet Dead", but isn't particularly memorable. The series gets right back on form with "The Impossible Planet", a sci-fi/horror story set on a planet orbiting a black hole. Episode 1 is terrifying; episode 2 handles questions about the existence of Satan himself with great skill. It's one of Tennant's best performances, and may be remembered as his "Empty Child". Then there is "Love & Monsters", which has divided audiences like no other episode. Personally, I loved it. Russell T again shows his incredible skill for characterisation, making secondary characters more sympathetic in 45 minutes than most Hollywood main characters are in 2 and a half hours, and Marc Warren carries the episode superbly. Another highlight, though it may not be to everyone's taste. Like "The Idiot's Lantern", "Fear Her" is one of the more forgettable episodes. It's not exactly bad (the series is still yet to produce a real duffer), it just doesn't grab the imagination quite like many of the other episodes. But there's no doubt that the epic finale "Army of Ghosts" will go down as a classic. The Dalek vs Cybermen war is handled well, and Russell T again does well to realise that the story is not about the war, it's about the characters. He brings all of them back for the fight - the Doctor, Rose, Mickey, Jackie, Pete - I was half expecting Captain Jack to show up as well! The ending is truly heartbreaking, one of the most beautiful and emotional pieces of television I have ever seen, and David and Billie's greatest moment. Russell T has a talent so brilliant it is almost unfair. Overall, series 2 shows more confidence than series 1, and the stories are generally of a higher quality - I can think of four or five truly superb stories from series 1, while seven spring to mind from series 2. David Tennant as the Doctor is also a step up from series 1. If series 3 improves at the same rate as this, we could be in for something very special. This box-set is well worth the purchase - quite simply, the best sci-fi/fantasy series on television at the moment.

Questa serie è molto bella e di gran lunga superiore alla prima. David Tennant veste benissimo i panni del dottore, non ha nulla da invidiare a Matt Smith! Sicuramente è uno dei migliori interpreti del dottore! Spedizione ok! I dischi sono 4 ed a differenza della prima serie, non ci sono i sottotitoli in inglese, cosa molto utile se si vuole guardare la serie in lingua originale! Per il resto tutto perfetto, qualità audio/video migliorata rispetto alla serie 1.

I thoroughly enjoyed this Dr Who DVD, owning it is the icing on the cake. Thank You once again Amazon.

ＤＶＤボックスの外箱は、多少すれ傷がありましたが、中身は全く問題ありませんでした。 3枚組のＤＶＤケース2個はそれぞれ非常にきれいで、映像も再生には問題なく、満足しています。 配送も早く、ストレスなく手元に届きました。 ありがとうございました。