Right, yes, logic. I have no answer that isn't completely pulled out of the ass of the King of Handwavium.

I like that her race is an issue because it often doesn't when I think it should, like when they went back to Stratford.

oh yes, I appreciate that they finally acknowledged it, but the Tardis could have picked a better place/time for them to hide. She can't help him here.

I'm guessing that contingency plans were not high up on the list of needs, since there most have been more inconspicuous places to tuck him too.

A bit of a clumsy way to get to conflict, but I think that if they needed Martha constrained in her ability to help they could have done it a number of ways. Hmm. I'm going to have to ponder a little more, since I'm not sure how much of that opinion is coloured by having seen the whole thing.

ah, I've only seen the first half.

but I think that if they needed Martha constrained in her ability to help they could have done it a number of ways.

yes, absolutely. And without her scrubbing floors!

Okay, I loved this episode -- that kid from Love, Actually is very good, isn't he? Also, the Banes actor -- I could swear I've seen him before. And I cannot believe that they are making us wait two weeks for the second half.

Evil.

I know! Bastages!

Also, the Banes actor -- I could swear I've seen him before.

Back when it first aired, someone mentioned that he's Will Scarlet in the new Robin Hood.

Oh, okay - wow. He couldn't be more different. Good job Will Scarlet.

And the woman who played the Matron also played Bridget Jones' friend Magda in the Bridget Jones Movies.

In terms of hiding places - I get the feeling that in spite of his occasional burblings about how wonderful the human spirit is, or how awful the things humans sometimes do that the Doctor does not really get humanity. If someone had pointed it out to him, he might well have chosen Paris, but since no one did point it out, it simply did not occur to him that Martha would suffer any special disadvantage in England over Paris. The doctor is smarter than humans the way you are smarter than cats and dogs. Just because he keeps pets, does not mean he can always predict the fine points of the species he happens to be fond of; even in areas where he theoretically knows how humans behave, he doesn't always feel it in his guts; he can miss stuff that would be really obvious to a human.

I am looking forward to the second half next week. One thing I hope to find out.

We can take it for granted that the Doctor survives in some form, and defeats the evil family. My question, at the end of the day, is whether there will turn out to have been any gain from hiding and going human. Any strategic or tactical advantage? Or will whatever means the Doctor uses to defeat the bad guys be something that could have been used without going through all this. I hope the writers did think of that.

Oh, and I caught a bit of FG again; normally I'd agree with Matt that non-renewable of Painkiller Jane put it out of our misery. But Flash Gordon makes Painkiller Jane seem like a work of genius by comparison.