Don't be such a drip...

Mes Amis

I know I said mean and moody... but I didn't expect to get soaked! I mean if these photos don't give off a noir/mean streets vibe I don't know what will - - walk out the door, get caught in a downpour and my photographer, laughs as she snaps from the saftey of the corridor. Actually, I just got the pictures back and they look good. Dundee might be a pretty damn noirish city after all (When these photos go public, mes amis, I'll let you know. And let it be noted that the beard is manageable in these photos - I ain't Rasputin yet).

Who are you... Well, mes amis, you might have noticed I've been absolutely engrossed by the new series of Doctor Who. After a really pretty poor pilot (the more I think about it the more I realise how bad it was; poor pacing, poor effects, saved only by Mr Ecclestone and a few cheeky jokes) this has evolved into some one of the most pure entertainment shows on the box. And now its over - at least in this incarnation - I can't help but feel my Saturday teatimes are going to be a bit empty for a while.

ONCE MORE, MES AMIS, IF YOU AIN'T SEEN THE FINAL EP THIS IS A SPOILER WARNING

Chris Eccleston may just have been winging his performance as the Doctor, but thanks in part to the brilliant writers on this show and Mr Ecclestone's insticts for performance, he's turned in a truly convincing portrayal of the mysterious timelord. Alternately dark and goofy, he manages this fantastic balance that makes the doctor both alien and familiar to us as viewers. And in this final episode, his humanity really shone through. When about to pull the plug on the Dalek invasion force, it was great to see a play on Tom Baker's moral quandary in Genesis of the Dalek's as the doctor was forced to choose between the death of the Daleks and humanity or letting them both live and dooming the entire universe to destruction. This was grandstand stuff, overshadowed more by the Doctor's sending Rose back to her old life.

Speaking of Rose, Ms Piper has been a revelation in this series and here, in this final episode, she really tugged on the old (careful now!) heartstrings as she tried to get back to the Doctor and save his life, even though he'd sent her back with strict instruction to stay out of danger. The final revelation with Rose being (REALLY BIG FUCKIN' SPOILER IF YOU'VE BEEN WATCHING AND AIN'T SEEN THIS YET) the Bad Wolf was both thrilling and touching. They could have played this out in a more chilling fashion, but I'm glad that it finally came down to the doctot gently taking the terrible power she'd shouldered on his behalf.

And I should apologise here, folks, for making fun of Cap'n Jack's appalling American accent. Seems the poor bugger *is* American judging by the post-show interview they showed. And yes, he is continuing his transformation into a young John Travolta this episode, right down to the squinty eyes he uses when pissed off. Appalling accent or not he's really beginning to grow on me as a character and that kiss he shared with the Doctor was both amusing and tender at the same time (and bound to get the Daily Mail up in arms, too!). Its just a shame they had to take all the meaning out of his death (although God-Rose's ressurection of Jack does mean that the guy playing him gets to eat lunch for a few more months) as I think this episode could have gone really dark if it wanted to (Like Peter Davison's finale in Caves of Androzani where everybody including the doctor got slaughtered and the only survivor was Peri - and her big breasts!).

Anyway, I've loved this new Who - and yeah, I'm a freakin' geek who doesn't care who knows it - and I really have high hopes for next season. David Tennant's brief appearance at the end was almost reassuring but we should not judge an actor by five seconds of screen time. The true test will come with the Christmas special. But I'm worried; what kinda freakin' title is, "The Christmas Invasion"?

Anyway, mes amis, I'm off to walk the mean streets of Dundee...

Au Revoir

Russel