I think this episode is more unpopular than it deserves. I found a lot of it pretty good with a mixture of fun and some tougher drama which is well acted and with some spooky elements to enjoy.
It is certainly not the greatest story as the way the plot is carried out is not that convincing and the cries of "hungry" and "feed me" etc are a bit silly and annoying. The reactions of people and the authorities are also not that convincing.
On the plus side most of the episode is entertaining. I thought the boy was a well acted and endearing character and the 1953 Coronation setting was a nice aspect. The humour is very good in places and the subplot of the bullying father and struggles of his wife and son is quite affecting and touching. The faceless people are done well and are suitably creepy. Rose being attacked and the Doctor's reaction provide quite powerful moments. Maureen Lipman is perfect for her role as the TV face of the adversary despite it not being the best idea for depicting the threat. The idea of a villain using a surge in TV viewing to gain power from a TV mast is perfectly OK but it is just not entirely written in the most convincing way by Mark Gatiss. It could have been done better. But it is not bad at all in my opinion.
The human drama, creepiness and entertainment are fine, it just falls short on being a believable story overall. It is an acceptable filler episode, flawed in terms of how the plot is developed but quite fun.
My rating: 7/10.
It is certainly not the greatest story as the way the plot is carried out is not that convincing and the cries of "hungry" and "feed me" etc are a bit silly and annoying. The reactions of people and the authorities are also not that convincing.
On the plus side most of the episode is entertaining. I thought the boy was a well acted and endearing character and the 1953 Coronation setting was a nice aspect. The humour is very good in places and the subplot of the bullying father and struggles of his wife and son is quite affecting and touching. The faceless people are done well and are suitably creepy. Rose being attacked and the Doctor's reaction provide quite powerful moments. Maureen Lipman is perfect for her role as the TV face of the adversary despite it not being the best idea for depicting the threat. The idea of a villain using a surge in TV viewing to gain power from a TV mast is perfectly OK but it is just not entirely written in the most convincing way by Mark Gatiss. It could have been done better. But it is not bad at all in my opinion.
The human drama, creepiness and entertainment are fine, it just falls short on being a believable story overall. It is an acceptable filler episode, flawed in terms of how the plot is developed but quite fun.
My rating: 7/10.