Doctor Who Project - New Who roundup

Ok I've been a bit lazy recently. I've watched a few episodes lately and haven't bothered to review them. Probably because I've been hankering for a bit of Classic Who after OD'ing on RTD era Who. Having refreshed my palette with the excellent 'Caves of Androzani' and 'Earthshock' here's my roundup of the next few Who stories:

Army of Ghosts/Doomsday

We finally get to see Torchwood, they're messing around with forces they don't understand (no change there then) and have let the Cybermen cross over from Pete Tyler's alternate universe and in doing so also release the Daleks. Way to go Torchwood! The Doctor saves the day, loses Rose (yay) and has some big overdrawn emo goodbye to her on Bad Wolf Bay (boo). Cybermen are made to look like a joke (no change there), getting their arses handed to them on a plate by just 4 Daleks (albeit there are considerable more later). Genesis Ark is a clever idea harking back to 'Dalek' as well as the TARDIS ie bigger on the inside. Final shots of the story DONNA!!

The Runaway Bride

Our first glimpse of the best companion in RTD's era (some would argue since the 2005 return), Donna Noble. Donna's a bit shouty in this story though although to be fair she has just been swept up from the wedding aisle and dumped in the TARDIS. Great chase scene with the TARDIS and taxi. Loved the scene where they travelled back billions of years too to see the creation of the Earth (so that's the creation and destruction of the planet that RTD has covered now) just to find it was a Racnoss ship. The Doctor saves the day and it snows (as always). One of the best New Who Christmas episodes yet.

Smith and Jones

Oh look it's Martha Jones, she looks familiar. The Doctor using his pseudonym John Smith, think this may be the 1st use of it in New Who. They end up on the moon whilst the silly brutish Judoon search for an alien. What they're really looking for is an old women with a straw that sucks human blood to disguise herself as human. Nice resolution sucking The Doctor's blood so the Judoon recognise her as alien. My problem is how Martha revives him with just CPR when he's had his blood sucked dry. Other than that it's a good intro to the character of Martha, let down by further appearances.

The Shakespeare Code

I quite like this story as it's playful. There's loads of Shakespeare references and even plays with the stuffy image of the Bard that is in this story he's not bald (though The Doctor warns him he'll go bald) and The Doctor gives him a big collar to use as a neck brace at the end. The villian just had to be 3 witches with it being a Shakespeare story! Of course because it's Doctor Who it's not magic it's the science of words. Loved the references to Back to the Future and Harry Potter. Experliarmus!

Gridlock

The Doctor returns to New New York but this time it's different, there's drug pushers selling mood enhancers and everyone wants to join the motorway, a place where people literally spend a lifetime in traffic (know that feeling!). Turns out New Earth is this way because of The Doctor's previous actions. He set the disease ridden people free, New Earth was quarantined, nothing survived but the people on the motorway which was sealed off to protect them. Before saving everyone again the Face of Boe (Captain Jack?) informs The Doctor that he is "not alone". The Doctor shoots Martha down when she says he's got her (arse!) by telling all that he's the last of the Time Lords. Tennant's Doctor is so emo!

So there's my brief synopsis of the end of series 2 and the beginning of series 3. No spectacular episodes (The Runaway Bride is prob the best of them) but no bad ones either. Once again Russell T Davies goes for the spectacular in his series finales and for once the 2nd part doesn't completely let the promise of the 1st one down too much. It's probably his best series finale after the series 1 finale. Put it this way it's no 'End of Time'. So far Martha is likeable (to be honest I always did like Martha but that might be because Freema Agyeman is hot!) but I know in hindsight they're going to ruin that.

Doctor Who Project - "New Earth"

The first thing I noticed about this episode is that it's the first story since the show's return to be set on another planet (OK we came pretty close with the Platform 1 and Satellite 5/the Gamestation but they were in orbit around Earth). Seems odd that I've only just picked up on that but maybe the first series was set predominately on Earth deliberately. OK not like a Pertwee banishment to Earth but more of a BBC budget restriction and the success of that first series allowed them a bigger chunk and the freedom to create new worlds?

Interesting point over. This episode is probably most memorable for the return of Cassandra and The Face of Boe from "The End of the World". Not sure why either warrants a return to be honest.

I guess "New Earth" is Russell T Davies commenting on colonialism (the human race expanding into the stars and naming new places after old places back home ie how many places in the US are named after towns and cities from the UK, Ireland etc? Even New York's name comes from York so what better than to add another new to the name. Of course it could just be a reference to Futurama!) and stem cell research (bodies grown for the purpose of infection in order to find cures). The morality of the latter being questioned in the story.

This story is also memorable for Cassandra possessing Rose. Finally Rose is sexy! Billie Piper's performance in this story (playing Cassandra possesing her body) reminds me of Billie Piper's post Who job 'Secret Diary of a Call Girl'. Also there's the further nod to cosmetic plastic surgery being taken too far. I like how it's resolved at the end with Cassandra (in Chip's body) telling her past self (ie when she was more than just a fold of skin and and a face) how beautiful she is. This was revealed earlier in the episode to be the last time that anyone told her she was beautiful. Very fitting, the last time she was told she was beautiful was when she was completely or fairly natural. Funny thing is it's  Cassandra herself that tells her that she is beautiful! Hmm self fulfilling?!