Doctor Who

This show is actually pretty good when it comes to one episode (or one two parter) characters, and this is no exception. There’s actually a handful of characters that I really liked. Let’s start with the villain Luke Rattington. I didn’t actually like the character; in fact, I despised him. But I was supposed to. He was psychopath who was willing to sell out the entire planet because he doesn’t quite “fit in”. And then you have Colonel Mace, whom the Doctor does not like. I assumed that they would just villainize him because of he didn’t do whatever the Doctor said, but Mace came through in the end. Sure, he made some mistakes, and yes, nuclear missiles would have done nothing to the Sontaran ships, but he was in a difficult position. He was helpless and he didn’t like it, and he was trying to do something to further his position. Plus, he was able to solve the problem of not being able to shoot their weapons, something the Doctor didn’t even try to do given his dislike of guns. And finally, you had the soldier Private Jenkins, who was pretty likeable and cheecky, and as a result was destined to die. Even the two soldiers who were brainwashed at the very beginning of the episode were given personalities.

And finally, we have the Doctor, going up against an old foe, with his most recent companions in serious danger, and the Earth at stake. I can’t help but to think that the Doctor’s diatribe against guns is a bit hypocritical. He preaches against guns, but he’s pretty capable of some serious destruction. Think it’s a kind of time lord arrogance, that he’s allowed a say in such things, and no one else is. I mean, yes, he did risk his personality in order to avoid killing the family last season. So, I understand that he holds life in high regard. But I also know that he killed the Racnoss, as well as two entire races (the Time Lords and Daleks). Is this dislike of guns something that every Doctor has felt, or just the Tenth? (I don’t quite recall how the Ninth Doctor felt about guns, if he expressed any opinion of guns at all.)

But, overall, I rather liked this two parter. Sontarans are ridiculous villains, but really entertaining and a legitimate threat. There was a lot of heart in the episodes as well, with Donna going home, the Doctor encouraging Donna to overcome her fears, and even Martha talking with the Martha clone, getting her to tell them the Sontaran’s plan. I’m really looking forward to the next episode, and hopefully we get more than just one more episode with Martha this season!
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"Oh look - a dumb idea just found a friend!"
- Emerson Cod

Doctor Who: Series 4, Episode 6 – The Doctor’s Daughter

I wonder if there was too much going on in this episode and as a result, the episode didn’t have the impact it wanted to. I thought it was really clever how the conflict between the two factions was literally a week old, but the humans were completely cliché and the Hath were boring (other than the one who sacrificed himself for Martha). And the climax was completely rushed and the general was a walking plot device. And as a result, everything he did was forced, including trying to kill the Doctor and inadvertently killing Jenny.

Speaking of Jenny, I actually came to like her. I’m a little ashamed to say that it’s partially because I think she’s really hot, but she also had a lot of spunk that made her character likeable. That, and she actually listened to people and adjusted as she learned new things. She also had the ability to observe things for what they are, like when she observed that the Doctor is a soldier in his own way. Her death was a bit cliché, which is why I’m glad that she survived, and I’m sure we’ll see her again someday.

This was a particularly emotional episode for the Doctor. It harkened him back to the days in which he had a daughter and family, all of which are dead now (due to the Time War, I assume). He claimed that he could never love like that again, but I think he learned that he could (aka that Donna was right). But having a pseudo-daughter made him go to emotional places that he hadn’t gone to in a while, and that was by far the best part of the episode.

Going back to the theme of trying to do too much in the episode, they had Martha finally have enough of the adventures here. She went on a pretty perilous journey to meet up with the Doctor, that included her almost dying and having a loyal Hath die for her. It was a very emotional sequence, but honestly, a bit rushed. I think this story would have greatly benefitted from being a two parter.

Overall, a rushed but interesting episode. I loved that Donna showed her worth again just by paying attention. Those temp jobs really aren’t a waste of time! And she’s really loving traveling with the Doctor. Now, obviously Martha’s warning is also foreshadowing, given that I know that Donna eventually leaves the show (to go on and be terrible on The Office), so I’m really curious to see what changes.
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"Oh look - a dumb idea just found a friend!"
- Emerson Cod

From: tearsofrage | #015

Though, I don’t think I buy that she’ll be the best selling author of all time, better than Shakespeare or Charles Dickens, nonetheless whoever might come in the future. But that’s a small detail.

She's the most translated author ever already.
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The visual of the Vashta Nerva walking around inside a space suit with a skeleton in it was surprisingly unnerving. But the Vashta Nerva were a pretty cool villains. There’s something so terrifying about a villain that you can see (though I’m never going to see those dots in the sunlight the same way again). And they were just doing what they must to survive. Their homes were torn down for the library, s they were just taking what was theirs. I loved the scene where they were reaching to get the Doctor, and he just stood there defiantly, and told them to read about him. And when they did, they retreated. I love it when he righteously declares himself a badass.

And finally, we have the Doctor. He shared with River his true name, something he would only be willing to do when…oh, wait, I guess I’m just going to have to find out. But in the world of Doctor Who, names are of great power. But I loved how he figured out how he saved her. Moffat loved these kinds of paradoxes. I watched the Time Crash special that he wrote as well, and he had the same kind of paradox with the Fifth Doctor. He knew what to do because he had already seen himself do it. But I can’t quite figure out River and his relationship. Did they fall in love? It certainly seemed so. Or was it more like a Rose situation, where the love was never realized (though I’ve heard it speculated that that love was realized…so yeah). Or was it a Martha situation, where she loved him, but he didn’t quite feel the same way. But I get the feeling it was something different. I mean, he knows her fate. He knows he can’t stop it, and what a terrible burden that’d be. Everytime he’d look at her, he’d know what she was going to end up doing. But I guess I’ll just have to wait and find out!

This is the second episode that Moffat wrote where the Doctor was able to save everyone. Last time, he danced, but he was more somber this time. He and Donna shared a wonderful thing about towards the end, about how they had both lost something that wasn’t quite real to them. I love his and Donna’s relationship, because it’s not romantic. They’re legitimately friends, and they feel like friends. And she knows him well enough to know when something is wrong, really wrong. He is just too afraid to open up to her. She’s wearing him down, but I’m not sure how long she’s going to last. Either way, she will die eventually. It may even be when she’s 90, but he’s going to have to go on without her eventually. I think that idea haunts him.

I almost thought that they were going to pull a Back to the Future at the end, though, and have the Doctor look inside River’s diary. Thank god they didn’t though, I’m really looking forward to seeing how this River thing will play out.
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"Oh look - a dumb idea just found a friend!"
- Emerson Cod

Doctor Who: Series 4, Episode 10 – Midnight

Wow, what an intense episode. Using such a small place was really brilliant because it fostered such a feeling of claustrophobia. But the best sequence of the episode was the buildup to the alien, with the ship inexplicably stopping. And then the Doctor going into cockpit, and then looking at the beautiful planet. And with the engineer seeing the shadow approaching them, and then suddenly there was knocking on the ship. And what wonderful set up, with the alien copying the Doctor and Biff’s knocks. It was a legitimately intense sequence. I’m not sure exactly how the alien entered the craft, but it was still very creepy.

But this episode was really about human psychology, and how people act in a panicked situation. Which is why, in the beginning of the episode, it was important to get to know everybody. But I did find their reactions somewhat realistic. They were legitimately and reasonably scared of the alien, who had killed two people already, and might’ve killed a third. There’s no way to know what it would do next. And, given how it took hold of the Doctor like that, I’m not sure they were wrong. I mean, yes, the situation obviously would’ve been better if they’d listened to the Doctor. But they weren’t completely wrong, which I think helped the episode. It made the drama of the episode better. And as mobs tend to do, they turn against whomever is in their way.

The scene where the alien took the Doctor’s voice was great as well. The alien was creepy in general, but that scene itself was great. I gotta say, I can’t imagine that scene was easy to act in, to get the timing down like that. Tennant and Leslie Sharp really pulled it off. Frankly, Sharp was pretty creepy through the whole episode.

Instead of a Doctor-lite episode, we had a Donna-lite episode (unless the next episode is the Doctor-lite episode of the season). I guess Catherine Tate was busy? Unless the next episode is Doctor-lite, but features Donna heavily, and the two episode were filmed at the same time. But, Donna actually would’ve been in the way here as well. She wouldn’t have panicked when the alien attacked, and she would’ve had the Doctor’s back the whole time, which would’ve ruined one of the crucial scenes of the episode. But she and the Doctor had another heartfelt exchange to close the episode, which is getting to be a frequent thing for these two. I think Donna might be my favorite companion so far.

Though, we did have another Rose Tyler sighting! And this one was the best yet, because it actually ratcheted up the tension of the scene. If only the Doctor had turned around…one thing I did like is that while the Doctor was the cleverest one in the cabin, Dee Dee joined the mod. But once the Doctor lost his voice and she became the cleverest one (beyond the alien), she became the voice of reason in the Doctor’s stead. I liked that.

One flaw might be I’m not sure if I felt the hostess’s sacrifice was well earned. She sacrificed herself not only for the Doctor but for everyone in the cabin, because she was also able to recognize the threat that the alien posed (as well as who the alien was). But she was also the least developed of all the characters, and I don’t think it completely made sense that she would’ve been so willing to die. I wish she had tried to survive and failed or something. I dunno, it just felt like Davies wasn’t sure how to wrap up the episode, and that’s the best he could come up with.

Overall, though, another excellent episode. This one was actually scary. This show can be pretty scary when it wants to be, something I wasn’t aware of when I began the series. It’s prolly the best standalone that Davies has written so far.
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"Oh look - a dumb idea just found a friend!"
- Emerson Cod