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81 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Epic, yet personal, 30 Jul 2008
Amongst fans, series four of Doctor Who has probably been more divisive than any of the the preceding three, causing some to lament that it had become little more than a soap opera, while others applauded its desire to push boundaries and experiment.
Personally, I fall into the latter camp. As time has moved on, the bar has been moved ever higher in terms of performance, scripting and production values, even since series 3. As good as David Tennant is, and he is VERY good, this is most definitely Catherine Tate's series. When she was cast, there was a vocal tranche of opinion that dreaded her appearance, based purely on her role in the 2006 Christmas Special (in the series 3 boxset). Even that was a little harsh; she had merely played the part as written, though there were clear echoes of her sketch show in it. However, as time went on, the audience went on a journey with Donna and gradually warmed to her, as she gained some kind of enlightenment and a sense of wonder at all the things she saw. Not just that, but her relationship with Tennant's Doctor, though platonic, had that wonderful kind of spark that Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn shared in their movies. I think the perfect example of that comes at the very end of the series; it was the major highlight of the series finale for me.
So, what of the episodes themselves:
First episodes of a series are tough to judge at the time and while series 3's 'Smith and Jones' had been the best at that point, 'Partners In Crime' trumps it. The Adipose plot was admittedly barely a cypher to bring CT and DT back together, but Sarah Lancashire held her own and there were obvious signs of the great chemistry to come. And if that wasn't enough, there was THAT scene to finish the episode off. Hands up who saw that one coming? ( Liars! :-) )
I really loved 'Fires of Pompeii', with its (in hindsight) predictions of what was to come later and in-jokes ofr all those Cambridge Latin Course veterans. 'Planet of the Ood' was a relatively low-key and downbeat affair, though it too subtly presaged later events. It did still give us glimpses of the fact that Tate's Donna was not going to be content to be a mere mute (or screaming) ornament in proceedings.
The Sontaran double bill, a Helen Rayner effort, was infinitely better than series 3's misfiring 'Daleks In Manhattan'. And Chris Ryan was wonderful as Staal. While it didn't hit the stellar heights of later stories it was certainly much better than merely adequate.
'The Doctor's Daughter' was, in hindsight, probably the weakest episode of the series, which sounds bad but isn't really meant to be. I rather enjoyed it, Its very simple premise and its sense of time and history being compressed as they were was a very interesting one. And of course we have a new character floating around the universe. Who knows when we'll bump into her again...
'The Unicorn and the Wasp' managed to keep up a tradition of doing nice historical author-ish episodes with some style and elan. Some quibbled about the effects and the climax, but such things border on the churlish in retrospect. The episode is a fun one, and perfect for peak-time Saturday family viewing.
From this point onwards, however, the series seemed to hit another gear entirely. Steve Moffat's Library double was, quite simply a stunning tour de force on so many levels. By now though, this is what we have come to expect of the man who manages to put the fear of God into the nation's ten-year-olds every series. Job done this time round - "stay out of the shadows"
For me, the two most surprising episodes were 'Midnight' and 'Turn Left'. The former's simple one-set staging reminding me very much of 'Twelve Angry Men'. It left RTD able to concentrate on what he does best, more than ably assisted by Lesley Sharp's performance. The mysterious and unresolved menace was beautifully realised. 'Turn Left' though, was the biggest shock of all. The usual Doctor-lite episode threw us into a world without the Doctor and shows us the consequences. It shows also how important Donna is in this context. And of course we get the return of Rose...
Then, the finale: if this really is to be RTD's swansong then I think the intention was to comprehensively clear the decks and prepare the way for Moffat to do his stuff. As a result, there was an awful lot to pack in and, towards the very end, a suitably RTD-ish tendency to ladle on the cheese, but he largely gets away with it. Once again though, Tate steals the show, with her half-timelord, half-human meta-crisis showing just how fabulous she was all along. The best bits for me were the crackles of dialogue, like when the half-human Doctor regenerates:
"It's you!"
"Oh yes"
"But..you're..NAKED!"
"Oh YES"
and then taking control of things once the threefold man is reunited with all the parts of himself.
There were lots of nice touches, such as the Sarah-Jane references concerning Genesis of the Daleks, especially the moment where Davros recognises her: chilling.
That all this was so wonderful makes Donna's fate all the more heart-rending and pathetic. We'll miss her. And Bernard Cribbins too: a national treasure. I'm not sure about Rose's resolution either, though it does tie up all those floaty, "wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey" bits, to steal a quote.
In the end, what is series 4? Well, in my eyes it is certasinly a progression from the series 3. This season had no clunkers at all and was of a generally high standard. Tennant's Doctor is now utterly fully formed, having recovered from some of the overwrought gurning of series 2. Now he's alone again, next year's specials and 2010 series give the writers and team a blank slate to work from. It alsd helps to have such a talent of cast and crew talent and a wealth of goodwill to go wit hit. You really do get the sense that eveyone concerned loves this show.
RTD has done a great job in reviving what many thought was a dead show and making it consistently the most popular, best produced, mote inventive and simply best drama on British TV.
When release time finally comes it will be an essential purchase for me. I hope it will be for you too.
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56 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A slow start but a wonderful finish; another great Who series, 6 Jul 2008
We needn't have worried. Although it seems that the bubble will burst on the new Doctor Who universe at some point, it hasn't come yet. Russell T Davis and his team at BBC Wales have pulled yet another very good series out of the bag, providing that compelling and unique formula which appeals to both adults and children, and managing to remain one of the most enjoyable British shows on TV.
David Tennant is clearly familiar with and at ease in his role as everyone's favourite time travelling General Practitioner. The charisma, energy and unbridled enthusiasm he brings to the screen is a joy, and it is very easy to watch and listen to his character, even if the episode itself is somewhat lacking. The BBC will have a very hard time replacing this much-loved actor when the time comes.
Initial concerns over Catherine Tate's suitability as the Doctor's companion are, for the most part, dispelled fairly quickly, although she does go in to 'shouty Donna' mode a little too often. She proves to be a bit of a sensitive soul, with her affection for granddad Bernard Cribbins (reprising his role from Voyage of the Damned) particularly warming, and her stubbornness and predisposition to lock horns with the Doctor on a few occasions prove her to be a suitably different character to both Martha and Rose.
Speaking of Rose, this series sees her much-talked-about return towards the end, if only for a few episodes - mainly for the climactic finale. Other old favourites returning including Martha, Sarah Jane and the Torchwood team (now less two members, if you also follow that excellent series). It's great to see all the related series cross over like this, something I hope the producers do more of in the future.
The episodes are well directed and the special effects are as good as any British TV show has ever been (in fact, often good enough to match some US TV shows). The sets all look authentic and suitably convincing, although some aliens still have a tendency to look a little silly and false - although admittedly no worse than Star Trek has been doing for years now.
Here is an episode-by-episode analysis of the series:
Voyage of the Damned - the Christmas 2007 special. The Doctor literally bumps into the Titanic, a luxury alien space cruise liner come to observe the 'primitive culture' of Earth. Before you can say "mind that iceberg" disaster has struck and the ship is on a collision course with London. With a small team of survivors in tow and a wrecked ship to negotiate, the Doctor must get to the control deck and stop the collision before it is too late, all the while avoiding murderous mechanical angels The Host and trying to find out what went wrong. Notable for a performance from Kylie Minogue as waitress Astrid, this is a classic disaster scenario obviously inspired by '70s movies such as The Poseidon Adventure. A decent adventure which, if anything, feels as though it's over too soon, but it's definitely the best Christmas Special to date. 7/10
Partners in Crime - a fun, fairly harmless Doctor Who episode in which the Doctor meets back up with Donna Noble, who is deliberately looking for trouble in the hope of coming across the enigmatic Timelord again after their encounter in the Christmas 2006 special, The Runaway Bride. Together they investigate the sinister Adipose Industries and its villainous leader, 'nanny' Miss Foster, and the foundation of their somewhat argumentative partnership is set. It's a decent if throwaway introductory episode with obvious references to real-life social issues, lots of running, not much by way of genuine peril and cute, pudgy little alien babies. 5/10
The Fires of Pompeii - this is more like it. The Doctor takes Donna back to Pompeii, mistakenly arriving the day before the infamous eruption of Vesuvius. Once there, they discover a curious sect of seers whose ability has the unusual effect of slowly turning them to stone. Investigating further, he finds an alien race under the city manipulating the people of Pompeii and is forced to make a terrible decision... 6/10
Planet of the Ood - the Doctor takes Donna to the Ood Sphere - the aliens last seen in Series 2's excellent double-bill, The Impossible Planet / Satan's Pit. The Ood are a fairly creepy enemy, but that's not really the idea of this episode; it's one of a couple of instalments this series which examines the awful, depraved things that people do, or indirectly support. There's a little (much needed) character development for Donna, and overall this is a fairly solid episode. 6/10
The Sontaran Stratagem - this double-bill sees the return of the lovely Martha Jones and the less lovely warmongering aliens, the Sontaran. Now working for international anti-alien agency UNIT (like a bigger, military version of Torchwood), Martha calls the Doctor back to Earth to help investigate the suspicious activities of the Rattigan Academy whose technology Atmos exists all over the planet. It's good to see Martha again, who has now got over the Doctor and is getting on with her life (engaged, no less!), and all in all this is a fast-paced, action packed episode which sets up part two with a decent cliff-hanger. 8/10
Poison Sky - this episode sees the Doctor meeting back up with his old enemy and trying to stop them from destroying Earth. Further, he must find out what plans child prodigy Luke Rattigan has and uncover why Martha is acting so strange... It feels a little too predictable in places, but overall is a good conclusion. 7/10
The Doctor's Daughter - an interesting episode which delves a little into the Doctor's past life and family ever so slightly, but also sets up potential storyline[s] for the future. Caught in a fierce conflict between a small group of human clones and a race of aqueous aliens called the Hath, a DNA sample is taken from the Doctor to produce a clone - a soldier - his 'daughter', Jenny. With Martha captured by the Hath and the two forces ready for a final confrontation, the Doctor, Donna and Jenny must hurry to discover the cause of the conflict and stop the massacre. 6/10
The Unicorn and the Wasp - for me, this was the weakest instalment of the series. It could have been a good murder-mystery in the classic Agatha Christie style, but I think it all got a bit silly when we find out that the murderer can turn into a giant wasp. Still, it features a good setting and costumes, and is a bold if disappointing attempt to answer a genuine mystery from the author's life. 4/10
Silence in the Library - this is where the series really started getting good. Called to the mysterious abandoned Library Planet through his Psychic Paper, the Doctor meets scientist River Song, who strangely knows him very well even though they've never met (again, setting up potentially interesting future plotlines). They soon discover the reason everything is abandoned - the Vashta Narada; flesh-eating creatures that travel in the shadows have infected the planet, and the computer is telling him several thousand people were saved from the creatures, yet they are nowhere to be found. What's more, there is a little girl who can see in to the library when she closes her eyes, but is she helping everyone, or hindering them? 9/10
Forest of the Dead - the second part of the above episode. A good conclusion, with a bit more development for Donna, some fascinating interaction between River and the Doctor and some very interesting ideas explored with the little girl and the nature of the Library. Writer Steven Moffat (of Coupling fame) again proves he is one of this series' greatest assets with this superb double-bill. 9/10
Midnight - definitely the highest point of the series for me, almost as good as (the standard-bearer) series 3's Blink; this is a simple but effective look at what people do when contained in unusual and frightening circumstances. While travelling across the uninhabitable planet Midnight on a sightseeing tour the transport breaks down, leaving the Doctor sans Donna stranded with a small group of people. As something approaches the craft one of them is seemingly possessed, and everyone bickers and argues over what to do while unbeknownst to them the entity gains in power... A brilliant episode, cleverly directed and excellently acted, with a chilling performance from Lesley Sharp as the possessed woman. 10/10
Turn Left - an interesting premise and a twist on the time-travelling idea; in this episode Donna visits a mystic lady who offers to read her future, only she traps the unwitting Donna in an alternate timeline where she never met the Doctor, and observes the series' happenings as an outsider. Seeing the return of Rose as a strong, charismatic leader in her own right, this is one of the best episodes and an excellent idea, well explored. 9/10
The Stolen Earth - here it is; the beginning of the epic series finale which is definitely on par with series 2's magnificent climax. Earth itself is pulled across the galaxy for dark purposes unknown, and whoever has done it has ensured the Doctor cannot trace it. So it is left to his friends and allies on Earth - Captain Jack, Sarah Jane, Martha and others - to try to resolve the problem, work out a way to outwit their captors and contact the Doctor. Meanwhile, one of his oldest enemies stirs and the Doctor has to go to the mysterious Shadow Proclamation for help. Lots of returning faces and a pace that barely lets up in this excellent episode. 10/10
Journey's End - the series bows out in spectacular style. Like the first part, the plot races along and barely lets up once - it does all seem a little confusing at times, but you don't really have time to think about all that anyway. With one or two unexpected twists along the way and a very bittersweet ending, this is a superb finale to a yet another very good series overall. 10/10
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27 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"The Poseidon Robots of Death", 11 Jan 2008
This is the story that confirmed David Tennant as the most successful Doctor since Sir Tom Baker with over 12 million tuning in.
To begin with I didn't like the slightly re-worked theme. But that's a minor quibble.
This is more akin to the 1st Christmas special "The Christmas Invasion" (still my favourite xmas adventure)than 2006's high paced romp "The Runaway Bride". The story itself is no great shakes, it ticks all the boxes; new monsters, Earth under threat, new companion, Christmas references but doesn't hang together brilliantly.
But this being the Police Box Show, even when the plotting's a little wonky, you can just sit back and enjoy the ride, and it is a good ride.
Tennant is on good form as ever, totally the Doctor, not pining for Martha, but then he didn't love her. Once the crash of the Titanic space ship into the Tardis is sorted, no time is wasted getting him in the thick of things.
There is a good new companion in Kylie (whose acting I was never a fan of, but she's V. good here) although her fate's a little obvious. the host are a little like the Robot's of Death from Uncle Tom's time, but they work well.
There is a mixture of supporting characters, mostly working very well and some nice humour about Earth xmas customs and everyone stying in for fear of more "alien intervention".
There is a touch of disaster movie about the thing and it is clear writer Russell T. is a Poseidon fan.To be honest on the downside, it is a little long and needed better pacing to sustain it's 70 minutes but still enjoyable stuff.
2 important extra pieces are supporting this story. The 1st is a Dr Who Confidential on the Mkaing fo it which is the usual imformative mix of footage and interview and also the Children in Need mini-adventure "Time Crash". Written by Steven Moffat, this witty sketch sess the 5th Doctor appear in the 10th Doctor's tardis and the 2 argue and then try to sort the problem out. Witty dialogue covers topics such as why the 5th Doctor looks older, whether the 10th Doctor is a "fan" and how the Doctor was old when he was younger. A very enjoyable skit!
If you're a big Police Box Show fan, then you'll have fun with this package although it's a less obvious purchase for the more casual viewer.
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