Fury from the Deep episode 3 discussion:
Sc: “This weed, it’s giving off a gas. Hand me that plastic bag.”
Sp: So, I retract my concerns from the past couple of recaps about the whole prisoner thing. I’m very glad both the Doctor and the NPCs all addressed it directly within the first three minutes. It all worked great now for me. Also, SCIENCE!
R: Really? Where?
Sp: Okay, sorry. Practicing Science!
P: So the depth of this investigation is “here’s some seaweed. I’m going to pour some natural gas on it. Now it produces a toxic gas.” It’s not like he tried out a bunch of combinations and measured the results. He just picked the one right answer.
K: The one right answer that made sense. The base was drilling for natural gas. The obvious cause of the seaweed freaking out would be exposure to the contaminate of the natural gas. Environmental plot. Makes sense to me.
H: Also that wasn’t the only thing he did. We came in most of the way through the investigation. We saw that he had Victoria doing all kinds of other experiments. The daughter of a scientist.
Sp: So, there were test tubes. There were microscopes. They isolated the weed in a tank. The Doctor asked if a container was hot before taking it. I’m pretty sure there was a Bunsen burner involved. And they were happy as they discovered things. Oh, and lastly, I was a communications major. So to me, this was science. I rest my case.
K: I was a science major, and this was totally TV science.
Sp: Thank you.
P: I thought Robson was bad before – now he really quacked out.
Sp: I enjoyed hating him, and I’m disappointed that I can’t hate him as much now because A) Stress, and B) Seaweed. And I empathize with both of these.
H: You empathize with seaweed?
Sp: I’ve said to much…
H & Sp: Unch unch unch unch untz untz untz untz
R: I have to agree Robson is a lot less effective as an administrator now that he’s insane, but he’s a lot more fun to watch.
K: He has joined the mind controlled bad guy team.
P: Apparently he’s been on it for a while.
K: No, just when he got attacked during his nap I think. Before that it was all his own crazy. Bummer about the wife though.
H: By the way, that scene of her walking into the ocean is another one of the ones that Neil Gaiman, among other people, cite as one of the scary moments of Doctor Who that they remember from their childhood.
Sp: Yeah, that was a pretty creepy moment. Seaweedcide?
H: No.
H & Sp: Unga unga unga unga untz untz untz untz
H: Rocket sounds?
E: Seaweed sounds?
R: You guyeees. So, I do have a beef to raise with this…
H: Just one?
Sp: We’ve already had the starter salad – go ahead.
R: Yes, about the salad. So, the Doctor knows from science, right?
Sp: Absolutely!
K: Yes, seaweed is NORMALLY alive.
R: And um, everything in the ocean is alive?
P: Nope.
H: Well, not everything.
R: According to the Doctor.
K: Most everything in the ocean is alive, except for pollutants and sand.
R: And water.
K: But there’s so many microbial things in the water.
M: By that measure everything is alive, not just the ocean.
Sp: I do just want to point out that this was made in 1968…
R: When they thought smoking was good for you.
Sp: And everyone knows all the real polluting of the sea didn’t happen until the late 70’s. So the ocean was clean and alive in 1968. Whoots given? Zero.
<That’s a reference to Woodsy the Owl. Look it up. Most of us are old.>
R: So, yeah. Just little disappointed, that’s all. I realize Doctor who is much more fiction than science, but I am disappointed with the whole “oh, the whole ocean is alive…”
H: But most things in the ocean are alive. I thought’s that’s what the problem was. I thought the revelation of “the seaweed is alive” thing was what bothered you, because seaweed is obviously alive.
R: It was his whole definition of alive and live that they kept coming back to. The statements by Jamie, the counter statements by the Doctor, the description of the seaweed when they look at it under the microscope, and then the Doctor makes the final statement “the seaweed is alive everyone, like human beings.”
H: That last bit is the line I had a problem with.
P: The exact line is “the seaweed is dangerously alive.”
H: But when he’s talking to the base crew he does say that it’s alive, like human beings are alive.
K: It’s disappointing. If they just said it was animal-like instead of vegetable-like then the statement would have made sense.
H: On another subject, how about Van Luteyan’s amazing changing accents. “Yah! Vat do you thik about that, peuple in da hog.”
R: Yeah. The other cast has a better pronunciation than he does. “I am Mr. Von Lutens from Holland.” “Okay, Mr. Van Luteyans – elbow elbow.”
Sp: Back to the whole life thing…
H: Yeah?
Sp: It occurred to me the Doctor has traveled with Katerina. His bar for living, or sentient, might be kinda low.
K: Spoiler spoiler spoiler… because Victoria’s screaming is really starting to get to me.
R: Yeah. At the moment I heard “I wonder what drove them off” I thought “even the weeds can’t stand her shrieking.”
Sp: There’s an interesting exchange with a set of lines between her and the Doctor and I wonder if that’s going to become relevant later.
H: “It’s the spice of life, Victoria.” I love that scene. It’s one of the best scenes in the episode, in my opinion.
R: I found myself mentally drifting away during the Von Luteyns / Robson exchange. Picturing Robson as captain Kirk saying “I need that intercoolant fixed! You’ve got 10 minutes Dutchy.” “I’m working as it as fast as I can, Captain.” He’s sort of Captain Kirk without the charisma, skill, or raw physical power.
Sp: So Janeway!
P: Janeway rocks. Don’t diss her!
Sp: Nerd fight! Nerd fight!
SG: Voyager rocks once it got past the first season.
<discussion of the quality of Star Trek: Voyager.>
A: Sisko was the best.
K: Doctor Who please!
H: Aaaaaanyway! Yes, Ronelyn, I will agree that this episode had a bit of padding in it.
Sp: What the hell did you call the last two episodes then?
M: Sometimes you have to pad the padding.
H: And parts where neither Doctor nor bad guys were evident… were kinda on the dull side.
K: More Oak and Quill! They were barely in it, just sneaking out before the Doctor noticed them.
H: And Oak locked Robson in.
R: What happens when people get infected by seaweed? They turn into creepy janitors.
E: That explains my experiences with all the janitors I ran into in high school.
K: Your high school was on a beach?
P: No, but the janitors were on weed.
<general applause>
K: Okay. So… are we ready for final thoughts?
E: This was a really good episode.
K: Really?
H: Okay.
P: On weed.
E: Its seemed a little more intense and exciting than what we usually get. Well, it certainly started off with a bang. And I’m never going to not find it amusing when Victoria says what we’re all thinking. That was probably my favorite part of the episode.
M: She can shade lamps like no one else.
E: That she can. Hehehehe.
P: I like Jamie being rescued through the roof. Yes, I was freaked out by the woman going into the sea, and I liked it. That’s it.
MS: Derp.
K: That’s it? Just derp?
MS: Yep. I really don’t know what to say.
SG: I have things to say.
H: Then say away.
SG: So first, I think Jamie has come along quite nicely. From when he first joined and was totally freaked out by the flying dragons, aka air planes, to know just totally rolling along with microscopic particles and other scientific tests and studies.
Sp: <bad Jamie accent> Aye Doctor! Science! Wee beasties. Got it! When are they going to eat us?
M: Couldn’t you let me have anything Spoo?
Sp: The description of Jamie going up the skylight is all you.
M: <inarticulate sputter> It was still frames! There was no… interesting angles.
Sp: Theater of the mind.
SG: Still my turn. I don’t think this actually is a reconstruction. I think it’s just moving so slowly that we don’t realize that this is an actual episode, and just assumed it was a recon.
K: Wow.
H: Okay… Mr Mother?
M: I came in just in time to see a fabulous meltdown by Robson and then there was a room full of foam and techno music. So, a great episode.
H: So, a regular Saturday night?
M: Yeah. There was weed and gas and a room full of foam and techno music. Typical Saturday night in Sodo.
Sp: I yield the floor to Ronelyn.
R: “Stay turned for next week’s episode – The Lady of the Lab, or, Foam, Foam on the Rigs!”
H: <Bullwinkle voice> “Gee Rocky, watch me pull a plot out of this hat!”
R: <Rocky voice> “Oh, Bullwinkle, that trick never works.”
H: <Bullwinkle voice> “Nothing up my sleeve.” Unga unga unga “Oops, wrong hat!”
Sp: I’ll never be able to watch Bullwinkle again. Lions go untz untz untz now.
K: Okay. So this one, once again, ran hot and cold for me. Some good bits, like with the Robson foam attack, Victoria and Doctor scene, anything with Oak and Quill it (love those creepy, creepy creepy guys). But then snooze worthy bits with Van whatsisname, and rig guys, and babbling about swirlyfans and arguments and blagh. So boring those parts! So yeah. I guess it was better than last week.
H: I’m gonna blow your mind, Ketina. I agree with you entirely. With one addition. It had an awesome cliffhanger.
K: No, I agree. I’ve just been typing so much I forgot than the walk into the ocean was the cliffhanger.
H: But yeah, I remember loving this story. But this is one of the first six parters I’ve seen with the project that I actually agree, so far, could have been a four parter. I might change my mind by the end. Mind blown.
K: <laugh>
