User Reviews

The second series of the DOCTOR WHO revival will surely be remembered as being very inconsistent . The Satan Planet was an instant classic while Girl In The Fireplace and Love And Monsters split the fans in to love it or hate it camps while few had anything good to say about Fear Her and one wondered at the time how RTD was going to round off the series . By accident or design he wrote a story that summed up the second series perfectly

Army Of Ghosts is a rather inconsistent story that sums up RTD's writing style perfectly . THere's post modernist elements like the self reference to SHAUN OF THE DEAD and EASTENDERS , there's the human drama of Rose and Jackie talking about a dead relative etc etc which continues the feel that th revival of DOCTOR WHO is very different from the show that ran from 1963-89

Perhaps what spoils the entire episode is the same thing that has dogged the show's revival and that is over publicity . DOCTOR WHO is a success but it's also a victim of its own success . RTD publicly announced that he'd been unable to buy the rights to the Daleks for the second series but The Sun newspaper published details that the Daleks would be returning for the season finale while TOTALLY DOCTOR WHO published a photo of a Dalek behind some Cybermen . Unforgivablly the next time trailer of Fear Her showed someone being exterminated by a Dalek death ray . In other words this episode becomes rather flat if you can easily second guess that the eponymous ghosts are Cybermen from another dimension while the mysterious sphere contains Daleks

What an amazing first part two the 2006 series finale of Doctor WHo finally we get to see out what torchwood is all about the return of the cybermen a mysterious ship that doesn't exist in our space or time , this episode begins with ghosts appearing all over the world the the doctor decides to investigate and ends up in the Torchwood Institute an institute setup to defend great Britain against the alien menace as stated previously in the episode "tooth and Claw".

As is standard within Doctor who this episode end on a bit of a cliffhanger which leaves me braying for more excitement........The Daleks Have returned

The Cybermen are back, and they're not alone!

The episode builds the tension well, if not slowly. We're shown glimpses of the Cybermen, and of ghosts, and of a mysterious golden sphere. Whilst not much seems to be happening for a lot of the episode (there's a lot of talking) you get a sense that somethings going to kick of any minute and the final 5/10 minutes do not disappoint!

Although every Who fan has probably seen this episode by now I won't spoil the surprise of the sphere for those few that haven't but needless to say it's good!

One bone I have to pick with this episode and it shows the start of those god awful celebrity appearances in series finales. They're supposed to be funny (I think), but they're really, really not and it kind of sums up what was wrong with RTD's era of the show. Lots and lots of mentions to pop culture which we really don't need and kind of distract from the plot at times.

8/10

This is the first part of a two part story which forms the finale of series 2 which was David Tennant's first season as the 10th Doctor.

The story is that 10 and Rose arrive in London to find the population of the world, including Rose's mum Jackie have all become convinced their dead relatives and friends are visiting them as ghosts. Torchwood, an organisation set up following the Doctor's encounter with Queen Victoria on the Torchwood estate (in the episode Tooth and Claw) is facilitating these encounters which utilise a tear between this reality and a parallel universe which turns out to be the alternative Earth the Doctor and Rose visited earlier in the series (Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel) where they battled Cybermen and where they left Rose's boyfriend Mickey. The Doctor investigates and it turns out to be far more sinister than Torchwood or anyone understands, the Cybermen are breaking through from the parallel universe. In addition there is a very strange alien vessel being kept at Torchwood which has a dark secret.

The way this story links in different threads and brings things to a hugely dramatic and satisfying climactic pair of episodes is brilliant. Russell T. Davies has done a magnificent job weaving all the elements into such an excellent story which is complex but still makes sense and is thoroughly great quality. This is exciting, entertaining and beautifully executed.

Over the 2 episodes there is great humour, great thrills and some very moving drama as Rose gets separated from the Doctor. The acting, the writing, the effects and the action are all top notch. This is up with the best of the great history of Doctor Who. One of my top 30 ever stories.

There is a genuinely surprising and hugely exhilarating end to this first episode making a great cliffhanger leading to the tremendous finale in the follow up episode Doomsday.

10/10.

There are some things to like about this episode. The return of some classic enemies. And some familiar faces from past episodes. But the cringe in this episode is strong. From the beginning the corny Torchwood theme music is very distracting. You half expect to see Jack Harkness standing on top of a large building. I suppose it is intended to build excitement, but it is quite out of character with DW.

The next competitor for most cringeworthy was the Doctor saying 'who you gonna call?' to which Rose replies 'Ghostbusters!'. As the Doctor jumps out of the subfloor of the Tardis wearing a spray-painted backpack. Really guys?

In short this is the kind of episode that a lot of the much younger fans, say between the ages of 8 and 16, probably love. While their parents are cringing and hiding their faces. This is where I think Moffat often misses the mark. When the show pulls it off right, the whole family is enjoying it. The kids may not like the mushy romantic parts or the bitterly tragic parts, but they are still along for the ride. The grownups may not enjoy the corny stuff as much, but it's part of the overall story arc. I'd be happy to see this episode 'digitally remastered to remove that god damn music and the silly Ghostbusters line replaced with something a little less dorky.

An interesting episode, that delivers on some key elements that ran through Rose's era on the show, focusing more on the relationships the characters had with each other. Part 1 of this epic Finale does it incredibly well though however.

At the start, we get a fairwell speech, " This is the day I die " from Rose that's beautifully acted out by Billie Piper. The Slow music also was the right choice as it gave more of an impact and had more emotion. The Ghosts was a good plot point to build up to who they really were. They smelt like relatives that had past away, it's interesting and it builds up the family dynamic well, and better then in previous episodes. Because it has more focus, and the families think its there relative because they want it to be. They smell the same, and that's why they don't want to think anything else. The Doctor, isn't convinced and neither is Rose. So the Scooby gang go and investigate the area.

Torchwood,

It had been leading to this moment all along, the arc of Siries 2 had previously been mentioned in a couple of episodes, like Tooth and Claw for example. So to see it fully set up, and have the episode baste in the building leads to some more great world building for the Doctor who universe, and is a great set up for Torchwood the siries as well. Torchwood are bringing the Ghosts, to try and find out who they are. Whilst Rose searches around the Torchwood building. When she stumbles into a room, and the expression she gives when she sees the golden egg, is more great acting and leads us wanting more. Her fear, to see that the egg is a Dalek egg. Surrounded in the room, with a helpless man and Mickey is truly terrifying, the man doesn't realise what it is. What danger he is in, is more brilliant writing. Because we as an audience know that Daleks are unstoppable, unless up against the Doctor. So him not knowing means he's puzzled and now somewhat ready to fight them, with his Gun. Shock Value of this episode is on another level, it's truly a masterpiece and there's no other way to describe it. We now think the Ghosts could be Daleks. The twists and turns left right and centre makes it such an unpredictable episode, with some fantastic character drama and elements of Torchwood that get touched upon more frequently in this bendy and wibbly wobbly universe with turns that just don't dare to stop. There's just edge of your seat action. And it is conveyed in such a way that the audience mouths are draw dropped. And we find out that the Ghosts aren't actually the Daleks, they are the Cyberman.

Cliffhanger,

Both the Cyberman and for the Daleks as we see them reveal there true form. Which the episode was getting to, leads to the audience not expecting what is going to happen next in this topsy-turvy episode. With great Music, Storytelling, writing and Directing this has to be considered as one of the best finales.

9,5/10.

Army of Ghosts, the first part of the epic series two finale, expertly builds momentum and anticipation for the upcoming showdown between the Cybermen and Daleks. Brimming with suspense, heartbreak, and a few well-placed comedic moments, it earns a near-perfect 9 out of 10.

The episode's opening is disarmingly light, luring the audience into a false sense of security before everything falls apart. The introduction of Torchwood is superbly done, with Yvonne Hartman oozing charisma and hidden menace. The reveal of the ghosts is genuinely unsettling and sets the stage for a chilling mystery.

Billie Piper's performance as Rose is outstanding here. We see her courage alongside her deep-rooted fears about losing the Doctor. Jackie Tyler even gets a few moments to shine with a welcome dose of humor and a surprising moment of courage. The Doctor is characteristically brilliant but has a touch of darkness foreshadowing the tough choices he'll have to make.

The final act delivers a shocking twist. The Cybermen's return, while expected, merges seamlessly with the reveal of the Daleks from the Void. This iconic clash, while teased only briefly here, sets up an unforgettable showdown for the final episode.

Army of Ghosts isn't quite perfect. Some of the plot points with Mickey and Jake feel a tad underdeveloped and the pacing dips slightly around the midway point. However, these are minor nitpicks in a grand, emotional episode.

This episode delivers on the high stakes and sets the stage for the epic Doomsday. With chilling atmosphere, emotional performances, and a shocking cliffhanger, it's near-essential viewing for Doctor Who fans.

So for it's second series finale Doctor Who decided to go big and give Rose a good send off at the same time, well I say good.....

The first part of this epic 2 part finale oddly enough begins on quite a small scale. We are reintroduced to Torchwood who have taken it upon themselves to guard earth against extra terrestrial threats whilst simultaneously using alien technology to better the British empire, cringe inducing but very truthful in my opinion.

I also enjoyed the character work in this episode and the scene between Rose and her mum on the TARDIS was a stark reminder to Rose and the audience of just how grim her future could really be. The Doctor is essentially immortal and Rose is not.

Obviously with the opening of this episode we all know where it's going to end....

Well, technically no ghosts unless you count Rose's father - - from an alternate dimension! Actually now I can't remember if he appears in the first part or not. Oh well, not the point. The point, is that this episode, first part of the season finale two-parter, artfully weaves together the threads of the second season.

Positives: good characterization (as always), good comedic beats to counter the more dramatic aspects, and a cliff hanger that leaves the audience dying to see the next episode. And, Mickey is back! :) I actually miss that character now.

Negatives: how everyone can somehow be duped that these are ghosts of dead loved ones when there's absolutely no evidence to support that is beyond me. And how are people not able to escape the cybermen?! They are not fast nor do they seem to aim all that well. But even with the camp factor (sigh) this episode is a strong setup for the season two finale. 8/10