Poll: Rate & Review The Beast Below

[The Doc]

As decided a few weeks ago, NuWho stories will now be shown in pairs. The second of this weeks stories is The Beast Below. The other, Gridlock, Can be found HERE

The Doctor takes Amy on her first trip in the TARDIS to the future, where Britain is in space. Starship UK houses the British people as they search the stars for a new home. As Amy explores, she encounters the terrifying Smilers and learns a deadly truth inside the Voting Booth.

The Beast Below was the second episode of the fifth series of BBC Wales Doctor Who. It was notable for featuring Amy Pond's first trip in the TARDIS. It also brought up some of the Doctor's past interactions with royalty and what effects they've had.

The next story will be posted on February 19th.

[Tardis-Console]

I'm giving this a three. I liked the setting a lot and the characters were pretty good, too, but the smilers/winders never really hit the mark. I remember after watching TEH and seeing the advert for this one and thinking they would be terrifying, but they just weren't. I also wasn't keen on the way Moff wrote the ending. He had Amy repeat the same thing 3 times as though we wouldn't understand otherwise. It felt a bit patronising and the political stuff a bit preachy. It has just as many good points though so I think 3 is fair.

[Roranicus]

I've given this a two. It had a few elements that I liked but for the most part it wasn't very enjoyable. For the most part I think it's biggest issue, at the time especially, was that it followed The Eleventh Hour. A hard act to follow by any standards.

[Peri-Peri]

I've gone with a three. This was very much a filler episode I think. The Smilers had a lot of potential but ended up being a bit of a letdown. The plot itself was sort of interesting but just felt a like a vehicle for Moff to voice his political annoyances and take swipes, right down to Scotland having its own independent ship. It wouldn't have been so bad if he was more subtle about it. The more I'm writing, the more I'm thinking I should have gone with a 2

[ardalyon]

I agree it wasn't as great as The Eleventh Hour but I loved it just the same. One of those where things aren't what the seem and gives us something more complex than the standard good/evil plot, although for much of the time it does seem like that is what it is going to be. I found the whole thing very atmospheric and Matt Smith really cemented his place as my favourite Doc after Tom Baker. Has any Doc had such a freat debut in his first 2 stories?

[Aneurin]

Just a two from me. Generally quite disapointing and a bit of a let down after the hype that surrounded it before it aired. There were moments of greatness in it. Matt Smith being particularly good and the first ten to fifteen minutes after the opening credits were quite good too.

[Vampyros Adric]

The second story of a new Doctor's tenure are incredibly difficult shoes to fill. Hartnell had The Daleks, Pertwee had the Silurians, Tom Baker had The Ark in Space, Colin Baker had Attack of the Cybermen and Ecclestone had The End of the World. I honestly thought that The Beast Below was wonderful and sits proudly alongside these iconic stories. I think it also fits in very well with the dramatic new direction that the Moff has taken the show. It had some great scary moments, a good underlying plot and a genuinely touching finale. I thought Matt Smith was simply amazing and Liz 10 was pretty awesome as well.

I have given this a five, partly because of how amazing I thought the actual story was (by this stage in the shows development I was genuinely beginning to think that Moff could do no wrong) but partly because of the thrill of excitement i got when I realised that the performance of Matt Smith in this story meant that we had a genuinely gifted actor and someone who was - and remains - capable of such a wide range of acting.

[Nyki]

I gave it 4.  The story had its faults, but I always loved the central concept of the way they misunderstood the whale's motives.

[Exterminate]

3/5 for this one from me. I liked the story. I thought the concept was pretty interesting and the questions it raised were thought provoking enough, but it got a bit boring and way too political. I don't mind when Who does a political subtext. Loads of the classics did it. But this was so obvious and in your face it was like a futuristic, outer space party political broadcast.

[Exterminate]

3/5 for this one from me. I liked the story. I thought the concept was pretty interesting and the questions it raised were thought provoking enough, but it got a bit boring and way too political. I don't mind when Who does a political subtext. Loads of the classics did it. But this was so obvious and in your face it was like a futuristic, outer space party political broadcast.

[TheDoctorDonna]

I've gone with what I think is a very generous three. There are elements to it that I enjoyed, but as others have said it seemed like one big political speech by Moff. Ignoring that, I think the Smilers were a let down and the rhyme was really annoying.

[Oh-Wise-One]

I was tempted to go with a 1, but gave it a two instead. The story is way too preachy for my tastes and while I understand Moff was still trying to find his footing with the characters, they all seemed too inconsistent/

[hannahcole93]

Three from me, I love the setting and the concept behind this, (especially the whale ) I always find on rewatch this one improves but it still isn't one of my favourites.

[Joshua]

3/5 from me too. It's enjoyable enough to watch, but it isn't one of the best.

[Kovarians-Eye-Patch]

I've given this a three. It's not a great story, but its not too bad, either. I wasn't keen on it the first time I watched it, but I think that is down to how much I loved TEH. I watched that about 8 times in the week it aired and was expecting so much from this story and it felt like a let down. The more I watch it now, the more I enjoy it, though.

[Scott]

4/5 from me. I quite like this. I do understand why it isn't so popular, but I thought as a one off story it sort of works, especially as one of its main focuses was just to bed in the new Doctor.