The name of the ship is the reason the robots were after her.... the writer of this story is 1 of the best, he wrote the gas mask child one from last season and he's written some EPIC stories in coming seasons.... finally, tennant actually dated Sophie after this story for a,while before marrying the daughter of the 5th doctor from classic who...
This episode is in my top 5 for sure. The emotions are so pure and true. Reinette's longing, the Doctor's fascination, Rose's quiet jealousy. Sophia Myles was amazing in this
I seem to be one of the few who doesn't like it. The way the doctor just abandons Rose and Mickey completely thinking there's no way back. It was so cruel and uncharacteristic of him
This is an example of Moffat at his very best. Charming, terrifying, brilliant, and thought-provoking in equal measure, with simple reveals that were hiding in plain sight all along. You'll see it again with Blink and Forest of the Damned. When he gets it right it's incredible
I do think that for one-off stories, Moffat might just be the best writer the show has had. He's certainly miles better writing single stories than he was as showrunner, which was comparatively hit and miss.
Steven Moffat has written some of the best stories. In Series 1 he was the writer of The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances two-parter. He will continue to amaze.
The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances is actually the only Moffat story during the (original) Russel T. Davies era (before Moffat, himself, was the showrunner) I don't absolutely love. He probably accounts for the majority of my very favorite stories.
Did we mention in The Doctor Dances that Moffat uses "dancing" as a metaphor? Then in the next Moffat episode, the Doctor comes back from a party half-cut, singing I Could have Danced all Night... Yeah. They totally "danced".
I'm so glad you enjoyed this one. One of my friends who's also a Doctor Who fan asked me, "Is there an episode you can think of that would be a good introduction, would give someone a sense of what Doctor Who is all about without too much background?" Without hesitating I said, "The Girl In The Fireplace. It has a historical setting, a spaceship, robots, adventure, and a weird mystery." It's an episode someone might stumble upon without knowing anything about Doctor Who and they'll come away from it thinking, "I want more of this."
This episode happened to be the first one I ever saw of Doctor Who, 16 years ago. It truly was a great introduction, I instantly fell in love with the show (and also got a massive crush on David Tennant at the same time).
To me its this and Blink which are also probably my 2 favorite episodes of the show. Blink is even more standalone but I agree that this would still work very well as an intro for someone. I think about about of these episodes very often. They're both brilliant.
Reinette is my favorite one-off character of the show. She is such a vibrant character and I always wished she could be a companion. This is one of my favorite episodes.
This episode is often cited as a favorite among all DW fans and is usually included in most top ten lists or even top five. Steven Moffat consistently has some of the best written stories throughout the runs of Ecceleston and Tennant, which is why it made so much sense that he took over as showrunner in season 5 when Matt Smith took over as the Doctor. Moffat would run the show and be responsible for much of the writing throughout Smith and Capaldi's tenures.
This story has such an gentle heart-warming charm despite the crazy mix of a spaceship, Madame Pompadour, murderous robots and...a horse of all things! The lonely angel - probably the best description of the Doctor ever.
I love this episode. She was indeed special to be able to look back into the Doctor's memories. And it explains why he would agree to "dance" with her, since this is the first time he's with someone who truly knows him, he doesn't have to hide anything, he doesn't have to explain anything, he can just be himself. Beautiful.
This is one of my all time favourite episodes, for all the reasons you’ve mentioned, but mostly for the portrayal of Madame Du Pompadour, just a wonderful actress
Adore this ep. Reinette is SO respectful, open-minded, eloquent, and intelligent. I'm totally charmed and smitten with her character. The ending always broke my heart, because she remained the wonder she was until the very end. Always wished she was the companion over Rose haha. "A lot of decisions he makes are from a place of pain." Wow, love that insight. Your reactions are super fun!
What a fantastic episode. There are so many Steven Moffat-isms in this episode that will become staples during his tenure as showrunner. His era of the show wasn't perfect, but by god was it special. I'm sure you'll love it.
this is definitely one of, if not my favourite episode of doctor who, I might be biased because I'm french so having the doctor interact with french history is always amazingly fun
Did you get the point why they punched the hole in time? You seemed to not notice at the end that the ship was named after her. „SS Madame de Pompadour“. That was the final reveal for the story to make sense. The Doctor never found out.
Yes, the name of the ship appeared right before I said “legacy” so I kind of waved down at the ship as I said the word. It was a nice touch for the audience, but kind of wild to think the doctor will never know.
When I got into this show in 2008, one of the things I did was start collecting the action figures from episodes that resonated with me. Usually the unpopular figurines, or the odd choices to make into action figures. They didn’t make a Reinette figurine, but I got one of the mechanical men from this episode because of how the episode made me feel sort of watched over by the Doctor.
I remember I had like a big doll version of the clockwork droids with a removable mask. It was really cool but I had to hide it before going to sleep because of how creepy their masks are.
This was a good stand alone episode. But coming so shortly after school reunion was odd, because we saw how jealous Rose could be. Turns out when Steven Moffat wrote it he thought it was for the ninth doctor. I love seeing Mickey time traveling
During lockdown there were a lot of Doctor who watch alongs and mini sequels to certain episodes, short stories, some cast appearing on video to film certain bits, some cgi little mini clips here and there and there’s actually a mini sequel to girl in the fireplace. Except it’s just sort of grim and depressing It’s called Doctor Who Lockdown: Pompadour. If you do watch it, only watch this one of course as other lockdown clips, shorts etc will contain spoilers
This is my favorite episode of the season, and I always cry at the end. What really elevates it, aside from Steven Moffat’s writing, is Murray Gold’s score. That hauntingly simple melody that goes through the episode really sets the mood.
"Oh, and I met a horse." While I think I had already accepted David Tennant as the Doctor from the beginning, this is probably the episode that made me fall in love with this version of the Doctor. It's also what made me fall in love with Sophia Myles, she is absolutely _brilliant_ in this. Sadly, it's one of only two or three things I've seen her in. She apparently did reprise her role in a minisode published on youtube, I have yet to watch it, but it sounds interesting.
Your Doctor Who reactions are one of the highlights of my week too! This was a great episode and Moffat is an amazing writer - he's also the brains behind Sherlock (with another DW writer - Mark Gatiss)
He's so enthousiastic in his reactions, I assume he hasn't seen 'Sherlock' so I hope one day he'll dive in that one too. Very easy as it's got only 13 episodes in total.
I have indeed seen Sherlock! I'm looking around for some people who have seen less content than I have so maybe I can add that in a different way and MAYBE there will still be a 5th season?! 🤞@@channyh.221B
@@CasualNerdReactions Did your sister see it? Cause if not, kidnap her Snorlax and tell her she'll only get it back if she watches Sherlock with you.... What? To much? Ugh, the chances are more likely she already has seen it, right?!
This is also one of my all time favourite Doctor Who stories. Steven Moffat always seems to have a knack for creating perfectly crafted episodes. Really enjoying your reactions, your thoughts on certain episodes and aspects of the stories seem to be very close to mine at this stage. Looking forward to seeing more from you, whether that carries on or changes!
I think this is the episode that people start having Tennant as their favourite Doctor, or at least 2nd favourite if they get a new one in a later series 🙂
Thank you as always Chris, I'm loving sharing my re-watch with your first time through these episodes. None of us are surprised you loved Sophie Myles' performance, we all did too, hers is one of the most memorable (in a good way) guest roles the show has. She was fabulous. The clockwork bad guys remain among the creepiest villains we meet, there's something about being so relentless while also being utterly emotionless that is just... scary! Looking forward to next week already.
The original show had a lot more historical based episodes. So I really was happy to see this episode. It was originally a half historical based kids' show. And to focus on Madame Poisson is amazing to this scientist and history nerd.
this is possibly my all time favourite episode, i watched this episode so many times as a child, i remember my excitement when i came home from school one day and my mother has bought me the blue clockwork man figure while she was out shopping, then the next week she got me the black clockwork man figure, i would just sit with those figures and watch the episode acting out the scenes. this episode makes me feel like a kid every time i watch it, bringing me back to a time when i hadn't a care in the world.
No lie, I often use Madame de Pompadour's theme when I need a good cry LOL. That gentle music mox sound is just so lovely and because it plays while The Doctor reads the letter... kills me... in a good way. LOL
Hi Chris, This episode was definitely a winner for me! Especially early on, very memorable. Sophia Myles nailed the role of The Girl in the Fireplace! If you want to see her in a couple other fun roles. She played a reporter in a Vampire series called Moonlight, which was great. And she played a vampire in Underworld. So lots of Sci-Fi roles but a great actress! I was sad they didn't keep her character around too!❤
I agree that the tone and atmosphere of this episode feels so special - like a sci-fi fairy tale, which slowly becomes a tragedy. Definitely an all-time favorite (and also the first episode where I FULLY fell in love with Tennant's Doctor).
This is Doctor Who firing on all cylinders. Well written, well acted, incredible stakes while making every step of scifi and history fall in line with one another. Great episode.
I just saw "new favorite" in the title and immediately knew what episode is that 😄 16 years (damn...) since i first saw it, and it is still one of my favorites... Perfect episode, perfect story and setting with perfect casting. Steven Moffat is a name to remember... I didn't scroll through all of the comments to see if it was already mentioned - the doctor didn't know why the droids think Reinette is compatible, but at the end we see that the ship is named after her, which make sense. Don't know if you've connected those dots at the end there. And ofcousre - Great reaction as always!
Steven Moffat was perfect for Doctor Who. (Some of the concepts he plays with in Doctor Who surface in his earlier work, too - if you watch the sitcom he did called "Coupling", there are some brilliant episodes dealing with things like different perspectives on interlinking experiences - basically, training for writing Doctor Who.
This is probably my favorite episode of Doctor Who. There are several others I love, but I'm not always in the mood for, but this one I'm willing to watch pretty much any time.
Of the (non-special) episodes that feature a famous historical figure, this one is my favorite. It ticks all the boxes for what makes the show special. Even the monsters are cool.
Fun fact: David Tennant and Sophia Myles, who met here for the first time, were dating after that and were a couple for one or two years. Not sure how long exactly. He also met his later girlfriend and wife on the show. I met Sophia Myles once, she came over for the weekend. Very nice lady but a bit troubled, too.
Wild. Makes since David would make strong connections with people he works with. Good for him. Cool you got to meet her, we’re all a little troubled I suppose.
She came over for the weekend? Her xtwitter feed used to be full of positive affirmations. Lately, she just retweets posts mentioning her. (She follows me for some unknown reason) David said on a commentary track that he was nervous about working with her again because the first time (Foyle's War) she didn't seem to like him or she snubbed him or something like that. She didn't even remember having worked with him before. lol David and his wife have a bit more in common.... And they are adorable.
It’s been years but I remember a commentary track that Tennant and Sophia did together about this episode that covers this. They seemed to be friendly if not actually dating and at one point Sophia said that this “Doctor Who” episode was the first time they worked together, but Tennant said that was not the case. He said they were in a thing years before (“Foyle’s War” I assume?) where he was a walk on and she was one of the big guest artistes. One day he mustered the courage to approach her in a friendly way but she didn’t respond in kind at all so he took himself discreetly away and said to himself, “Oh, well - there goes another pretty girl who won’t talk to me.” Sophia clearly did not remember this at all and she sounded like she didn’t know what to do with it even though Tennant couldn’t have been more chill about it when he told the story. We just got their voices on the commentary but I’d swear Tennant was not trying to be mean but Sophia was embarrassed that she couldn’t remember him. It happens. 😊
He can have an historical figure as a companion - he just has to return them to their time period as close the time when he picked them up as possible - but all bets are off oif they die in the meantime.
I cried so much, so bitterly when I first watched this episode. (And it gets me every time, probably triggers something in me). And after I collected myselt I started googling about madame de Pompadour. And I adore both actresses and the character delivery here. Also if I remember correctly it was not a CGI David Tennant really galloped through the glass (of course, some special glass but nevertheless)
When Moffat wrote the episode he didn't know exactly what came before. Which is why rose was so reluctant about Micky in the end of last episode but fine with him now
Yes its great! Along with the impossible planet its one of the best and as you say v emotionally satisfying. A weird thought l had is that the premise is so good and the simple device of the fireplace is so effective, the episode could have been shot in the 60s Who era - black and white/shaky sets etc. and still been great. Brilliant reaction thks.
This is one of my absolute favourite episodes of Doctor Who (1963-2023). It really is amazingly well crafted, and the only 'issue' is the lack of continuity from the previous episode where Rose clearly was not thrilled for Mickey to join them, and then - this episode she's fine. That's it. Otherwise, 10/10 in its sleep.
A great episode. In the very previous episode, the Doctor tells Rose that he will never leave her like he did Sarah Jane. Then he does exactly that in this episode! He leaves Rose and Mickey stranded on a spaceship thousands of years in the future to save Reinette!🤣. They have no way to return to Earth and the Doctor has no concern or regret about doing this. While with Reinette, he's busy thinking about how he will adapt to life in 18th century France and Rose is totally forgotten. ahahaha
Steven Moffat's scripts are particularly strongly surrealist when it comes to juxtapositioning distant and far flung realities. I've often wondered if he gets his inspiration from some of the various Surrealist painters. The visual aspects of the show under his authorship seem to echo the atmosphere of Rene Magritte and Dorothea Tanning's works.
Favorite line is easy… I might even have it memorized or close to it, lemme give it a shot… “You. You’re my favorite. Because you’re so thick. You’re thick thick thickety thickface from Thicktown, Thickania. And so’s yer dad.” I also enjoy Rose coming across like a house wife scolding her husband for coming home drunk late at night when she is in fact laying on a table about to be dissected and has every right to scold. The fact that she can keep her wits about her to do the scolding is pretty metal. And you’re right, this one was a nice, well-rounded story and has been a fan favorite from the first airing.
When Madam Pompadour was on a ballroom floor Said all the gentlemen, "Obviously" "The madam has the cutest personality" - Johnny Mercer It’s hard not to love Madame de Pompadour.
I mean, interestingly in the Big Finish audio adventures Mary Shelley does become a companion of the Eighth Doctor. So, there is no reason historical figures couldn't become companions.
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The name of the ship is the reason the robots were after her.... the writer of this story is 1 of the best, he wrote the gas mask child one from last season and he's written some EPIC stories in coming seasons.... finally, tennant actually dated Sophie after this story for a,while before marrying the daughter of the 5th doctor from classic who...
"You're not keeping the horse."
"I let you keep Mickey!"
No matter how often I've watched this episode that still makes me laugh out loud. 🤣
This episode is in my top 5 for sure. The emotions are so pure and true. Reinette's longing, the Doctor's fascination, Rose's quiet jealousy. Sophia Myles was amazing in this
There were several great quotes in here as well, mostly by Reinette. Let alone the comedic bits.
Mine, too.
I seem to be one of the few who doesn't like it. The way the doctor just abandons Rose and Mickey completely thinking there's no way back. It was so cruel and uncharacteristic of him
This is an example of Moffat at his very best. Charming, terrifying, brilliant, and thought-provoking in equal measure, with simple reveals that were hiding in plain sight all along. You'll see it again with Blink and Forest of the Damned. When he gets it right it's incredible
I do think that for one-off stories, Moffat might just be the best writer the show has had. He's certainly miles better writing single stories than he was as showrunner, which was comparatively hit and miss.
Steven Moffat has written some of the best stories. In Series 1 he was the writer of The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances two-parter. He will continue to amaze.
Definitely can’t wait to see whatever his next story may be.
Yep, pretty much all Steven Moffat episodes are my favorites.
Definitely. My favourite episodes of the first four seasons are ones he's written.
His episodes always top the polls, he’s got something special when it comes to imagination and great story telling.
The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances is actually the only Moffat story during the (original) Russel T. Davies era (before Moffat, himself, was the showrunner) I don't absolutely love. He probably accounts for the majority of my very favorite stories.
The ending of this one is a real tragedy, I love the reveal of the ship’s name and the reason the droids were after her in the first place too.
Did we mention in The Doctor Dances that Moffat uses "dancing" as a metaphor?
Then in the next Moffat episode, the Doctor comes back from a party half-cut, singing I Could have Danced all Night...
Yeah. They totally "danced".
I'm so glad you enjoyed this one. One of my friends who's also a Doctor Who fan asked me, "Is there an episode you can think of that would be a good introduction, would give someone a sense of what Doctor Who is all about without too much background?" Without hesitating I said, "The Girl In The Fireplace. It has a historical setting, a spaceship, robots, adventure, and a weird mystery." It's an episode someone might stumble upon without knowing anything about Doctor Who and they'll come away from it thinking, "I want more of this."
It also doesn't spoil anything
This episode happened to be the first one I ever saw of Doctor Who, 16 years ago. It truly was a great introduction, I instantly fell in love with the show (and also got a massive crush on David Tennant at the same time).
To me its this and Blink which are also probably my 2 favorite episodes of the show. Blink is even more standalone but I agree that this would still work very well as an intro for someone. I think about about of these episodes very often. They're both brilliant.
Reinette is my favorite one-off character of the show. She is such a vibrant character and I always wished she could be a companion. This is one of my favorite episodes.
The thing about this episode is, it is a microcosm of the entire Amy Pond plot line, from start to finish, all crammed into one episode.
in my opinion this show is very much at its best with rtd as the head writer and moffat doing single episodes and two parters
100% agree!
During this era it was a dream team.
Steven Moffat won a Hugo award for best script that year, well deserved.
As presented to him by Ultraman.😂
“Pack a bag!” the most heartbreaking words in Doctor Who… 😔😭
I love moments where the audience knows something even the Doctor doesn't
I feel mischievous. Like I should tell him, but I can’t. And it’s fiction. 😭
This episode is often cited as a favorite among all DW fans and is usually included in most top ten lists or even top five. Steven Moffat consistently has some of the best written stories throughout the runs of Ecceleston and Tennant, which is why it made so much sense that he took over as showrunner in season 5 when Matt Smith took over as the Doctor. Moffat would run the show and be responsible for much of the writing throughout Smith and Capaldi's tenures.
This story has such an gentle heart-warming charm despite the crazy mix of a spaceship, Madame Pompadour, murderous robots and...a horse of all things!
The lonely angel - probably the best description of the Doctor ever.
I love this episode. She was indeed special to be able to look back into the Doctor's memories. And it explains why he would agree to "dance" with her, since this is the first time he's with someone who truly knows him, he doesn't have to hide anything, he doesn't have to explain anything, he can just be himself. Beautiful.
This is one of my all time favourite episodes, for all the reasons you’ve mentioned, but mostly for the portrayal of Madame Du Pompadour, just a wonderful actress
Adore this ep. Reinette is SO respectful, open-minded, eloquent, and intelligent. I'm totally charmed and smitten with her character. The ending always broke my heart, because she remained the wonder she was until the very end. Always wished she was the companion over Rose haha.
"A lot of decisions he makes are from a place of pain."
Wow, love that insight. Your reactions are super fun!
Not only was Steven Moffat at the top of his game here, but so was Murray Gold with that music.
One of my favorite episodes in the whole series 😊
I know there are many great episodes ahead of me, but I’m willing to declare this one of mine as well.
This is one of mine as well ♥️
No recency bias. It remains one of the top new Who episodes - certainly for standalone stories.
I hope you noticed the name of the ship at the end, as it explains why the repair droids believed only one particular brain could repair their ship.
I did indeed! I tried to motion at it as I was talking about legacy, but it didn't really translate all that well lol
What a fantastic episode. There are so many Steven Moffat-isms in this episode that will become staples during his tenure as showrunner. His era of the show wasn't perfect, but by god was it special. I'm sure you'll love it.
this is definitely one of, if not my favourite episode of doctor who, I might be biased because I'm french so having the doctor interact with french history is always amazingly fun
Did you get the point why they punched the hole in time? You seemed to not notice at the end that the ship was named after her. „SS Madame de Pompadour“. That was the final reveal for the story to make sense. The Doctor never found out.
Yes, the name of the ship appeared right before I said “legacy” so I kind of waved down at the ship as I said the word. It was a nice touch for the audience, but kind of wild to think the doctor will never know.
When I got into this show in 2008, one of the things I did was start collecting the action figures from episodes that resonated with me. Usually the unpopular figurines, or the odd choices to make into action figures. They didn’t make a Reinette figurine, but I got one of the mechanical men from this episode because of how the episode made me feel sort of watched over by the Doctor.
Love the sentiment! A Reinette figurine would be nice, but I can understand the mechanical men makes sense. Very memorable villain.
Did you get an 'exploded' Cassandra?
I remember I had like a big doll version of the clockwork droids with a removable mask. It was really cool but I had to hide it before going to sleep because of how creepy their masks are.
@@GrubStLodger no, just a regular one. But I really wanted the exploded one, with Chip.
just remember most stories have connections to real people from history i love it
This was a good stand alone episode. But coming so shortly after school reunion was odd, because we saw how jealous Rose could be. Turns out when Steven Moffat wrote it he thought it was for the ninth doctor. I love seeing Mickey time traveling
During lockdown there were a lot of Doctor who watch alongs and mini sequels to certain episodes, short stories, some cast appearing on video to film certain bits, some cgi little mini clips here and there and there’s actually a mini sequel to girl in the fireplace. Except it’s just sort of grim and depressing
It’s called Doctor Who Lockdown: Pompadour. If you do watch it, only watch this one of course as other lockdown clips, shorts etc will contain spoilers
This is my favorite episode of the season, and I always cry at the end. What really elevates it, aside from Steven Moffat’s writing, is Murray Gold’s score. That hauntingly simple melody that goes through the episode really sets the mood.
This was one of my favs from this series. Totally heartbreaking they couldn’t see the stars together.
This is my second favourite episode. The soundtrack is incredible and deserves a mention as well.
The scream when Young Reinette turned to look at the Clockwork Robot sent my wig to the moon 😂😂
🤣🤣🤣
"Oh, and I met a horse."
While I think I had already accepted David Tennant as the Doctor from the beginning, this is probably the episode that made me fall in love with this version of the Doctor. It's also what made me fall in love with Sophia Myles, she is absolutely _brilliant_ in this. Sadly, it's one of only two or three things I've seen her in. She apparently did reprise her role in a minisode published on youtube, I have yet to watch it, but it sounds interesting.
Your Doctor Who reactions are one of the highlights of my week too! This was a great episode and Moffat is an amazing writer - he's also the brains behind Sherlock (with another DW writer - Mark Gatiss)
He's so enthousiastic in his reactions, I assume he hasn't seen 'Sherlock' so I hope one day he'll dive in that one too. Very easy as it's got only 13 episodes in total.
I have indeed seen Sherlock! I'm looking around for some people who have seen less content than I have so maybe I can add that in a different way and MAYBE there will still be a 5th season?! 🤞@@channyh.221B
@@CasualNerdReactions Did your sister see it? Cause if not, kidnap her Snorlax and tell her she'll only get it back if she watches Sherlock with you.... What? To much? Ugh, the chances are more likely she already has seen it, right?!
This is also one of my all time favourite Doctor Who stories. Steven Moffat always seems to have a knack for creating perfectly crafted episodes.
Really enjoying your reactions, your thoughts on certain episodes and aspects of the stories seem to be very close to mine at this stage. Looking forward to seeing more from you, whether that carries on or changes!
Charming and terrifying 😌 yep. That is Moffat in a good day.
I love when Ten gets giddy with the creatures and creations that they encounter.
I think this is the episode that people start having Tennant as their favourite Doctor, or at least 2nd favourite if they get a new one in a later series 🙂
Makes me so happy you are liking the show! More to come! Show has its ups and downs, just need to get through some of the misses to get to the gems.
Thank you as always Chris, I'm loving sharing my re-watch with your first time through these episodes. None of us are surprised you loved Sophie Myles' performance, we all did too, hers is one of the most memorable (in a good way) guest roles the show has. She was fabulous. The clockwork bad guys remain among the creepiest villains we meet, there's something about being so relentless while also being utterly emotionless that is just... scary!
Looking forward to next week already.
The original show had a lot more historical based episodes. So I really was happy to see this episode. It was originally a half historical based kids' show.
And to focus on Madame Poisson is amazing to this scientist and history nerd.
I KNEW you would love this episode. It is one of my favorites, and for obvious reasons. Good stuff.
this is possibly my all time favourite episode, i watched this episode so many times as a child, i remember my excitement when i came home from school one day and my mother has bought me the blue clockwork man figure while she was out shopping, then the next week she got me the black clockwork man figure, i would just sit with those figures and watch the episode acting out the scenes.
this episode makes me feel like a kid every time i watch it, bringing me back to a time when i hadn't a care in the world.
One of my favorite episodes of any show ever, that music always brings tears to my eyes
I'd forgotten how beautiful Sophia Myles was..❤🎩
No lie, I often use Madame de Pompadour's theme when I need a good cry LOL. That gentle music mox sound is just so lovely and because it plays while The Doctor reads the letter... kills me... in a good way. LOL
Hi Chris, This episode was definitely a winner for me! Especially early on, very memorable. Sophia Myles nailed the role of The Girl in the Fireplace! If you want to see her in a couple other fun roles. She played a reporter in a Vampire series called Moonlight, which was great. And she played a vampire in Underworld. So lots of Sci-Fi roles but a great actress! I was sad they didn't keep her character around too!❤
It's also in love with this episode and the soundtrack of Madame de Pompadour. The end breaks my heart every time but I also love it at the same time.
Technically, if she faked her death to travel with the Doctor, she could definitely have been a companion. I mean, it's workable storywise.
One of my top three eps. Great writing, great acting.
I agree that the tone and atmosphere of this episode feels so special - like a sci-fi fairy tale, which slowly becomes a tragedy. Definitely an all-time favorite (and also the first episode where I FULLY fell in love with Tennant's Doctor).
This is Doctor Who firing on all cylinders. Well written, well acted, incredible stakes while making every step of scifi and history fall in line with one another. Great episode.
This is my favorite episode of my favorite show. I must've cried for five minutes after it ended.
This is still one of my favourite episodes of doctor still to this day
I just saw "new favorite" in the title and immediately knew what episode is that 😄
16 years (damn...) since i first saw it, and it is still one of my favorites...
Perfect episode, perfect story and setting with perfect casting. Steven Moffat is a name to remember...
I didn't scroll through all of the comments to see if it was already mentioned - the doctor didn't know why the droids think Reinette is compatible, but at the end we see that the ship is named after her, which make sense. Don't know if you've connected those dots at the end there.
And ofcousre - Great reaction as always!
Steven Moffat was perfect for Doctor Who. (Some of the concepts he plays with in Doctor Who surface in his earlier work, too - if you watch the sitcom he did called "Coupling", there are some brilliant episodes dealing with things like different perspectives on interlinking experiences - basically, training for writing Doctor Who.
This is probably my favorite episode of Doctor Who. There are several others I love, but I'm not always in the mood for, but this one I'm willing to watch pretty much any time.
It's totally fine if this is your favorite episode; it is a popular choice because this episode is SO GOOD
Even after watching all of Dr. Who, still easily a top 20 episode today... great episode for sure and always will be!
Whenever I see this episode I am reminded of a future companion with a similar story... but I can't mention her here.
Steven Moffatt's episodes during Seasons 1-4 were all the best epidodes of their respective series IMHO.
Of the (non-special) episodes that feature a famous historical figure, this one is my favorite. It ticks all the boxes for what makes the show special. Even the monsters are cool.
12:50, in the words of... "Professor" - he's so young here.
There was a vote and the clockwork droids was considered one of the top 10 monsters in the series
This is one of my all time favourite who episodes
Science fiction and history. Doctor Who's best mix. Amazing episode, glad you loved it.
Good News, an earlier version of the Tardis will land in France 36 years later. He could have set a timer.
This ranks as one of my all time favorite episodes.
Fun fact: David Tennant and Sophia Myles, who met here for the first time, were dating after that and were a couple for one or two years. Not sure how long exactly. He also met his later girlfriend and wife on the show. I met Sophia Myles once, she came over for the weekend. Very nice lady but a bit troubled, too.
Wild. Makes since David would make strong connections with people he works with. Good for him. Cool you got to meet her, we’re all a little troubled I suppose.
She came over for the weekend? Her xtwitter feed used to be full of positive affirmations. Lately, she just retweets posts mentioning her. (She follows me for some unknown reason) David said on a commentary track that he was nervous about working with her again because the first time (Foyle's War) she didn't seem to like him or she snubbed him or something like that. She didn't even remember having worked with him before. lol
David and his wife have a bit more in common.... And they are adorable.
It’s been years but I remember a commentary track that Tennant and Sophia did together about this episode that covers this. They seemed to be friendly if not actually dating and at one point Sophia said that this “Doctor Who” episode was the first time they worked together, but Tennant said that was not the case. He said they were in a thing years before (“Foyle’s War” I assume?) where he was a walk on and she was one of the big guest artistes. One day he mustered the courage to approach her in a friendly way but she didn’t respond in kind at all so he took himself discreetly away and said to himself, “Oh, well - there goes another pretty girl who won’t talk to me.” Sophia clearly did not remember this at all and she sounded like she didn’t know what to do with it even though Tennant couldn’t have been more chill about it when he told the story. We just got their voices on the commentary but I’d swear Tennant was not trying to be mean but Sophia was embarrassed that she couldn’t remember him. It happens. 😊
Sophia Myles and David Tennent were dating when this episode was filmed, which I think helped with that chemistry :) She's brilliant.
1:32 moffet takes over the series in season 5, he was actually responsible for the empty child
I absolutely love this episode. "Always bring a banana to a party. Bananas are good."
Never leave home without one, really.
Great reaction!
This is one of the BEST episodes of modern era Who - in the top 3 for most people I think :) And the music adds so much to the story
1. This proved Moffat delivers more than once (Empty child/Doctor dances).
2. As for carry over.... wait a couple of Doctors.
He can have an historical figure as a companion - he just has to return them to their time period as close the time when he picked them up as possible - but all bets are off oif they die in the meantime.
If you couldn't tell David Tennant briefly dated Sophia Myles (Madame de Pompadour) after this ep..They had some chemistry on screen for damn sure!! 🤯
"I might be in love with her."
Absolutely! I'm gay and was under her spell the very first time I watched this episode. How can one not be?
Steven Moffat always writes my favourite stories
I cried so much, so bitterly when I first watched this episode. (And it gets me every time, probably triggers something in me). And after I collected myselt I started googling about madame de Pompadour. And I adore both actresses and the character delivery here. Also if I remember correctly it was not a CGI David Tennant really galloped through the glass (of course, some special glass but nevertheless)
14:08 Casual Nerd Reaction: "Obviously, you can't take on a real historical figure on as a companion. It would be odd."
Me: *Laughs in Big Finish*
When Moffat wrote the episode he didn't know exactly what came before. Which is why rose was so reluctant about Micky in the end of last episode but fine with him now
Yes its great! Along with the impossible planet its one of the best and as you say v emotionally satisfying.
A weird thought l had is that the premise is so good and the simple device of the fireplace is so effective, the episode could have been shot in the 60s Who era - black and white/shaky sets etc. and still been great. Brilliant reaction thks.
This is my favourite episode in all of Doctor Who! I don’t think it’s technically the ‘best’ but it’s my favourite.
This has always been a favorite episode of mine. David Tennant era has tons of amazing episodes imho.
This is one of my absolute favourite episodes of Doctor Who (1963-2023). It really is amazingly well crafted, and the only 'issue' is the lack of continuity from the previous episode where Rose clearly was not thrilled for Mickey to join them, and then - this episode she's fine. That's it. Otherwise, 10/10 in its sleep.
Its not just your recency bias. Pretty much everyone loves this episode, and for good reason ❤️
Now I rewatch this episode. This kinda remind me of Amy Pond when she was young.
This is one of my favorite episodes starting 10
This is my favorite episode. There are so many great lines. Madam de Pompadour died of TB.
A great episode.
In the very previous episode, the Doctor tells Rose that he will never leave her like he did Sarah Jane. Then he does exactly that in this episode! He leaves Rose and Mickey stranded on a spaceship thousands of years in the future to save Reinette!🤣. They have no way to return to Earth and the Doctor has no concern or regret about doing this. While with Reinette, he's busy thinking about how he will adapt to life in 18th century France and Rose is totally forgotten. ahahaha
One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel
Despite what I felt (and still feel) about Moffat later on in the show, I can still admit he makes really fabulous individual episodes.
Steven Moffat's scripts are particularly strongly surrealist when it comes to juxtapositioning distant and far flung realities. I've often wondered if he gets his inspiration from some of the various Surrealist painters. The visual aspects of the show under his authorship seem to echo the atmosphere of Rene Magritte and Dorothea Tanning's works.
This is one of my favorites from this season.
There's actually a minisode sequel to this story, doesn't contain any spoilers for future episodes so might be worth a gander for you
Favorite line is easy… I might even have it memorized or close to it, lemme give it a shot… “You. You’re my favorite. Because you’re so thick. You’re thick thick thickety thickface from Thicktown, Thickania. And so’s yer dad.” I also enjoy Rose coming across like a house wife scolding her husband for coming home drunk late at night when she is in fact laying on a table about to be dissected and has every right to scold. The fact that she can keep her wits about her to do the scolding is pretty metal.
And you’re right, this one was a nice, well-rounded story and has been a fan favorite from the first airing.
When Madam Pompadour was on a ballroom floor
Said all the gentlemen, "Obviously"
"The madam has the cutest personality"
- Johnny Mercer
It’s hard not to love Madame de Pompadour.
"and we are French" in the strongest English accent 😂
I mean, interestingly in the Big Finish audio adventures Mary Shelley does become a companion of the Eighth Doctor. So, there is no reason historical figures couldn't become companions.