Story #199 - The Next Doctor (2008)

Harry -
The mind plays tricks, as Jackson Lake would attest.

It was surprising that we are got to this story so late in the Tennant era. It feels like it came much sooner, perhaps before we'd even met Donna Noble. But here it is, part of that handful of specials that mark the extra "half-season" that Tennant hung around for. Interested in other projects, but not quite ready to relinquish his hold on the sonic screwdriver, Tennant worked out a reduced load of stories with RTD so that they could enjoy one more year as Doctor Who's star and showrunner.

What I remember most about "The Next Doctor" is that from the moment this special's title was announced, speculation was rife that we'd catch a glimpse of Tennant's successor, and maybe even see a regeneration take place. After all, it had been one whole episode since the last time we'd been teased with a regeneration. Snark aside, there's not much else that stands out for me in rewatching this story. What were your memories going in, Sarah?


Sarah -
I definitely remember the chaos unleashed when David Morrissey turned up in the trailer for "The Next Doctor". The title was a clever ploy on RTD’s part. I imagine ratings for the Christmas special would have been higher than usual that year. 

I think the concept of having the Doctor’s memories imprinted on Jackson Lake’s brain is brilliant. It’s clever to have the Doctor think he’s meeting his successor when he’s not.


Harry -
As mindbenders go, it was positively Moffatesque.


Sarah -
In retrospect, I think it would have been a more interesting episode if the truth about Jackson Lake had been revealed later. The Cyberking nonsense is nowhere as compelling as the mystery of the Next Doctor.


Harry -
Oof!  The Cyberking.  I guess it was meant to shakeup a bog standard Cybermen-invade-Earth story.  In this case, the reveal came way too late.  Mercy Hartigan was totally forgettable as the villain-slash-human stooge.  Neither her backstory nor her motivation to conspire with the Cybermen was given much thought, making her one of the worst adversaries in the Tennant era.  Naturally, she got her just desserts in the end and the Cyberking got zapped out of existence.  I really would have liked to see the Cyberking in a different setting, maybe somewhere rural where you could really play up the wicker man folk horror aspects.  Cybermen feeding terrified peasants straight into the belly of the monster.  That sort of thing.  Hopefully somewhere out there is a fan fiction along those lines.

Anyway, it's all over, hurrah and happy Christmas.


Sarah -
I usually cut Christmas stories a lot of slack and try to just enjoy the episode, but this is the beginning of the Tennant lap of honour year so it’s bound to be more than a little annoying. I don’t really have much else to say.


Harry -
Same here.  Not much note taking took place during this rewatch.  Happy to move on.


Sarah -
Best Line:  If you could stand back, sir. This is a job for a Time Lord.

Favorite Moment: The Doctor’s confusion when he meets Jackson

Lasting Image: For better or worse, the massive Cyberman stomping around London 

4/10


Harry -
Best Line: I'm the Doctor. Simply, the Doctor. The one, the only and the best.  [loved the delivery, such oomph!]

Favourite Moment: Jackson unveiling his TARDIS.

Lasting Image: Terrified peasants being fed to my alternate-universe rural Cyberking.

5/10

Our marathon continues with Story #200: Planet of the Dead...

Story #198 - The Stolen Earth / Journey's End (2008)

Sarah -
There's a reason I haven't watched this two-parter since first broadcast. There are some nice moments with the TARDIS Superfriends, but mostly I find it extremely annoying. I doubt I'll be going back to watch this anytime soon.


Harry -
There is no doubt that when RTD puts on a blockbuster, it's one hell of a blockbuster. A Doctor and a half, multiple companions from different eras, Torchwood, UNIT, K-9... it's a surprise they couldn't find a way to send someone on a ride in Bessie. Whew!

It takes so long to give everyone adequate screen time that part one is almost half over before the Superfriends can rally to face the invasion of the new Dalek empire.


Sarah -
It’s great getting the old gang together and "The Stolen Earth" is watchable. I’m not going to complain when Martha, Jack, Ianto, Gwen, Sarah Jane, Mickey, Jackie, and Harriet Jones turn up, but it all ends up feeling like “A Very Special Episode of Doctor Who.” So much of the dialogue is so, so very cheesy.

Things get worse in "Journey’s End". I can’t even with so much of this story. There are few things I truly loathe in Doctor Who and the Handy Doctor tops the list. WTF, RTD? Rose getting her little Doctor clone boyfriend makes me want to yell at the screen.


Harry -
The other inescapable hallmark of the RTD era is that the Doctor has to have a girlfriend, or a wannabe girlfriend, and when the girlfriends can't have the Doctor, then they get other boyfriends instead. RTD just loves to play matchmaker. I think it's all shit, but it is what it is. Let's move on.

Look at us! It's possible for people to not like some aspects of Doctor Who without moaning and trolling and avowing to hate the show forever because it's been ruined for us. Some people need to have a word with themselves.


Sarah -
As soon as we’ve finished discussing this story, I will revert to believing none of it never happened.


Harry -
Let's go back to the Dalek invasion. Now this one was believable -- as the believability of these things go. We won't see scores of Dalek ships and legions of attacking Daleks on this scale for a while. Entire planets have been shifted to one place and their combined gravitational pull has enough energy to power the reality bomb, the most destructive weapon ever created. A scheme on this level requires the strategic tactics of the Supreme Dalek, the scientific brilliance of Davros, and the jibbering madness of Dalek Caan. It's the ultimate troika of doom.

While the Superfriends gather and rally together, the Dalek leaders are dismissive of one another, each wanting to be the ultimate leader. Except for Dalek Caan who sits there flailing and giggling and prophesying disaster and death.


Sarah -
Dalek Caan is all kinds of wackadoodle. The whole idea is completely batty.


Harry -
I always liked how the Supreme Dalek wanted nothing to do with Dalek Caan: "The abomination is insane!"

Julian Bleach plays an excellent Davros, frighteningly cold and contained when he comes face to face with the Doctor. It's only when he starts going on about the reality bomb that his megalomania kicks in and he delivers a classic Davros rant. The essence of Davros is so terrifying: he wants the absolute power to destroy everything in the universe and is ready to unleash that power. He would be totally satisfied to live in an empty universe, completely lifeless but for himself and his creations. It's completely mad.


Sarah -
I have nothing but good things to say about Bleach’s performance. This is about as positive as I’m going to get. Now it’s time to get back to ranting. 

On to the faux regeneration: “Used the regeneration energy to heal myself, but soon as I was done, I didn't need to change. I didn't want to. Why would I? Look at me.” I yelled not very kind words at the Doctor at this point. Hint: they rhyme with “duck who.” Seriously, get over yourself, already.


Harry -
The Tenth Doctor is at his worst when he lets everyone know how delighted he is with himself.  It's a bad look.


Sarah -
And then the greatest insult. Donna’s memory wiped. Honestly, I don’t even want to talk about this anymore. It all just makes me too angry. RTD should have ended it here.


Harry -
The wildly inconsistent application of mind-wiping in Doctor Who causes no end of dismay.  Surely, having just demonstrated that he could reverse a regeneration and prevent his own death in a very show-offy manner, the Doctor should have been able to reverse the effect it had on Donna.  Forcing her character to forget everything was one of RTD's worst crimes.

The blockbuster begins with a bang but ends on a very sour note.  I really liked the first part, but massive points got deducted over the creation of a "Doctor boyfriend" for Rose, and the inexcusable ruination of Donna.

For an era that is very well remembered, the Tenth Doctor's final stories are tinged with a lot of disappointments and bad memories as a viewer.  Yes, Sarah, let us move on!


Sarah -
Best Line: 
Donna: "Oi, watch it, spaceman."
Handy Doctor: "Oi, watch it, Earth girl."
At least it made me laugh

Favorite Moment: The end.

Lasting Image: Harriet’s prescient Zoom meeting. 

3/10


Harry -
Best Line: the Daleks playing along with the "Yes, we know who you are" gag.

Favourite Moment: Tennant and Tate impersonating each other as the DoctorDonna and clone Doctor.

Lasting Image: the Superfriends all around the TARDIS console.

4/10

Our marathon continues with Story #199: The Next Doctor...

Story #197 - Turn Left (2008)

Harry -
That was some heavy stuff. Kind of timely, but deeply grim. I've not been looking forward to watching "Turn Left" again, and it was just as bleak as I remembered.


Sarah -
We watched "Turn Left" over a month ago, shortly before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.


Harry -
Yeah, things have gotten in the way of our marathon of late.  But we are still here!


Sarah -
I’m still not sure I’m ready to discuss it, but we’ve got to get through it.

On the positive side, it’s a well-crafted episode, from RTD’s script to Graeme Harper’s direction. The cast is amazing, especially Catherine Tate. Everything else is heartbreaking.

On an alien planet, Donna meets a fortune teller who launches her into an alternate timeline where she has never met the Doctor. Every day that was saved by the Doctor is undone - the Racnoss Webstar attacks London, Sixty million Americans are killed when they turn into Adipose babies, ATMOS covers the planet in a toxic fog and the Torchwood team dies trying to stop the Sontarans, and Sarah Jane Smith’s death is reported. NOT SARAH JANE!


Harry -
During the Judoon action on a hospital in London, medical student Martha Jones is also killed. Not Martha! Incredibly bleak, and it keeps getting worse for planet Earth.


Sarah -
So much sadness. What else could possibly go wrong? I guess Donna could have a massive beetle on her back, which is creepy as heck and a fanwank Sarah Jane spider callback at the same time.

In the midst of the chaos, Rose returns, looking for the Doctor, who is apparently dead, and reminding Donna about the raffle ticket she bought at work. Surprise, she wins the raffle prize of a Christmas break at a spa in the countryside -- when the Titanic crashes into Buckingham Palace and a mushroom cloud rises over London. The Doctor wasn’t there to stop it.


Harry -
Following the story through Donna's eyes, the continuous appearances by the mysterious blonde woman were very unsettling.


Sarah -
Right? Who the heck is she and why does she keep turning up? With Chiswick destroyed, Donna, Sylvia, and Wilf become refugees and resettled in Leeds, sharing a house with two other families. Soon, the lovely Italian family they live with is shipped off to a “labour camp.” Can things possibly get more bleak?


Harry -
The point to the story was to show just how many times the Doctor and his friends had saved the Earth, and without him there would be global catastrophes in short order. The story could have been titled "What If?" I don't know if an entire episode of the season needed to be dedicated to this. The story could have been told in future-flash-forwards or something. By the time Rose reveals all and Donna accepts her role in correcting the course of history, I really wanted it to be over, especially when the stars in the sky all started going on. That added an element of cosmic horror to the whole thing.


Sarah -
It’s such an emotionally draining episode. I was absolutely ready for it to be over asap.


Harry -
And then, enter UNIT! Or rather, Rose and Donna enter a secret UNIT location. There, a recovered TARDIS has been wired up for a longshot attempt to send Donna back in time, to the fateful moment where her timeline changed course and set all of these catastrophic events in motion. It makes one's head spin to think of how many insignificant decisions may have altered one's life entirely. For Donna, it was a matter of changing directions at an intersection.

But she's not even sent off with a cheer and a surge of inspiration. Right before the switch is thrown, Donna learns that what Rose and UNIT have put together is essentially a roll of the dice with no certainty to succeed. And by the way, Donna will die so that her parallel self can live.

I don't know at what point in the writing process RTD completely abandoned the notion that Doctor Who is a children's show, but good grief!


Sarah -
It’s horrifying and I don’t think I ever want to watch this episode again. Donna is the hero, but we have to watch her die. And this isn’t even the worst thing that’s going to happen to her this season.


Harry -
Anyway, the roll of the dice leads Donna to put herself in the path of a truck, causing a fatal collision and sending her other self back on the "correct" life path. By the end I felt nothing but grim, hollow feelings for this story. In a parallel universe, maybe the alien fortune teller could have delivered all of this context to Donna through a spell or trance, and let her and the Doctor get on with a merry adventure.


Sarah -
Anyway, it’s over and that’s enough for me.


Harry -
So things aboard the TARDIS are back to normal, but for the two mysterious words that the blonde woman asked Donna to relay to the Doctor: "Bad Wolf." Judging by his reaction, the trouble has only just begun.


Sarah -
It’s careening our way. Ready to wrap up this season?


Harry -
Best Line: the one that stuck with me was Rose's quiet, devastated reaction to learning that the Doctor was dead. "I came so far."

Favourite Moment: This one was an ordeal from start to finish.

Lasting Image: Donna and Rose.

4/10


Sarah -
Best Line:
Donna: "Well, what do you keep telling me for? What am I supposed to do? I'm nothing special. I mean, I'm, I'm not. I'm nothing special. I'm a temp. I'm not even that. I'm nothing."
Rose: "Donna Noble, you're the most important woman in the whole of creation."

Favorite moment: Everyone singing Bohemian Rhapsody

Lasting Image: Donna with the beetle on her back. 

5/10

Our marathon continues with Story #198: The Stolen Earth / Journey's End...

Story #196 - Midnight (2008)

Harry -
Here's a dark little story that feels overlooked as this season builds up to its blockbuster finale.

The end-of-season and regeneration blockbusters have become a staple in New Who. I always thought an interesting regeneration story would be similar to this one. The Doctor is trapped in a contained space with a group of people whose lives he saves but at the cost of his own. This is why "The Caves of Androzani" is one of my favourites. The Doctor dies in order to save a single life.


Sarah -
I LOVE this story. It may be my favorite of series 4. There’s little I love more than a successful bottle episode -- base under siege in a very small space!

"Midnight" was written in a weekend by RTD when the original script was deemed too similar to "The Unicorn and the Wasp". I can’t resist making a comparison to "Horror of Fang Rock", my favorite Doctor Who story, when Terrence Dicks was called in on short notice and created one of his greatest stories.


Harry -
Winging it is an established highlight of each era of Doctor Who.


Sarah -
The Doctor and Donna are taking a break on the leisure planet Midnight. The Doctor has signed up for an excursion to see the Sapphire Waterfall, while Donna’s plan is to relax at the spa. (Having recently watched "Orphan 55", I couldn’t help but think of Graham, “I am going to sit over there for three hours, then I'm going to get up and sit somewhere else, and then cocktails.” That’s my kind of holiday.) We’re off on our companion-light adventure, with the Doctor, six other passengers, and three crew members on the shuttle bus to the waterfall.


Harry -
He could not persuade Donna to come along, but the Doctor's enthusiasm is still infectious. He's practically bouncing in his seat like a youngster embarking on a school trip. He's very cute here.


Sarah -
The trip begins with an announcement by the Hostess, who is never named, that they will be taking a different route due to a diamond fall on the usual route, but no worries, the in-trip entertainment will keep them occupied. No one is very pleased with what’s on offer, so the Doctor sabotages the system, forcing everyone to talk to each other. The Doctor swaps stories with Val and Biff, provoking eyerolls from their surly son Jethro; discusses travel and breakups with Sky; and chats with Dee Dee about the Poosh and how her paper on it led to her role as Professor Hobbes. The good times continue as Hobbes presents a slide show on his research on Midnight, which seems to be the worst place to create a holiday destination. No one has set foot on Midnight due to Xtonic radiation that would vaporize any known form of life in seconds. Typical humans and their stupids ideas. This story really does have a lot in common with "Orphan 55".


Harry -
Completely unrecognizable from his previous roles in Classic Who, Hobbes is played by David Troughton aka King Peladon. Hobbes is just getting to the meat of his slide show when the excursion craft abruptly stops. What was to this point a cheery trip pivots to horror. The passengers and crew are about to encounter an unknown monster, while the Doctor is about to face another: the worst impulses of frightened humans. Loud, irrational and not to be reasoned with. The Doctor has his work cut out for him here.

Having checked in on Driver Joe and Mechanic Claude, who haven't the faintest idea why the shuttle has stopped, the Doctor returns to the cabin and tries to reassure the others. That lasts all of a few seconds when something starts banging on the vehicle. Everyone panics as the banging escalates. No matter how much Hobbes declares that nothing could possibly survive outside, the panic escalates with the banging until the ship is rocked violently. The forward section is torn open and Driver and Mechanic are vaporized in the radiation.

Everyone freaks but the Doctor tries to calm them down. Someone notices that one of the other passengers might be injured. At the front of the cabin, Sky Silvestry crouches with her head down, possibly hurt, possibly in shock.


Sarah -
Things are happening fast and the Doctor tries to take control of the situation, but nothing goes the way he expects. He so often walks into a situation taking charge with the help of a companion, but this time he just comes off as an arrogant ass and no one trusts him.


Harry -
It was fascinating to see the Doctor find himself in a situation where he couldn't charm his way past the skepticism of others.


Sarah -
Sky seems to be possessed by another being and when the Doctor starts talking she begins to say everything as he speaks. Then the Doctor starts repeating everything Sky says.


Harry -
This is a fantastic performance by Tennant and Lesley Sharp. I imagine it would have been just as grueling to rehearse this series of lines in synch as it would be a dance number or fight scene. This moment is one of the highlights of the season for me.


Sarah -
They are really amazing. I can’t imagine how long they had to rehearse to get that down.

The two women of color, Dee Dee and the “Hostess,” whom I must point out again is never given a name, are the only ones who don’t believe the Doctor is possessed. The mob mentality is so out of control that they are ready to throw the Doctor off the shuttle, goaded by Sky.


Harry -
Stupid humans!


Sarah -
In the end, the Hostess saves everyone, sacrificing herself by dragging Sky off the shuttle.


Harry -Un-fucking-believeable that the nameless Hostess sacrificed herself for the tourists. I'm this close to launching into my first-ever Marxist interpretation tirade.


Sarah -
The passengers who were ready to kill the Doctor are now filled with remorse, saved by a woman whose name they never bothered to learn.


Harry -
Did you catch that look the Doctor gave to Val Cane? Minutes earlier, she had been yelling to throw the Doctor out of the shuttle. Now she meekly tried to save face by blaming Sky. Ohh, if looks could kill. Absolute disgust!


Sarah -
That look could definitely kill! In the end, we also never find out what it was that threatened them on the shuttle.


Harry -
The best horror is unseen, right?


Sarah -
Always.

The Doctor returns to the spa, reunited with Donna and still shaken by his experience. We don’t know what happens to everyone else, but I hope Dee Dee gets a new job with someone who appreciates and respects her.


Harry -
Hobbes was probably still in denial at the end.  

What a great story. I have such bad memories of the way everyone behaved under stress that I've never been eager for a re-watch, but the opportunity to see it again as part of our marathon was very satisfying.


Sarah -
There’s so much going on, you can almost miss the Rose cameo on the shuttle’s monitor, shouting, “Doctor!” We move closer to the series climax!


Harry -
Something's building up!


Sarah -
Best Line: Donna keeping things in line, “That’s a date. Well not a date. Oh you know what I mean. Oh get off.”

Favorite Moment: Everyone being chummy on the shuttle before things fall apart.

Lasting Image: The passengers on the shuttle set.

8/10


Harry -
Best Line: The thing inside Sky suddenly takes control: "Oh look at that, I'm ahead of you." Creepyyy!

Favourite Moment: the Doctor bouncing with excitement during boarding.

Lasting Image: the Doctor and Sky face to face.

7/10

Our marathon continues with Story #197: Turn Left...

Story #195 - Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead (2008)

Sarah -
River, at last! I don't think I've watched "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead" since they first aired and I've been really looking forward to our rewatch. It's a whole different experience after watching River's story arc play out. If I remember correctly, you weren't a big fan of Professor River Song the first time around.


Harry -
First off, let's have a toast to mark our 10th year here on the Sofa. This unhurried marathon of ours kicked off in 2010. It's been a fantastic experience not only rewatching everything together, but also compiling a record of our discussions of every Doctor Who ever. Granted, we didn't begin until late December 2010, but I'm making a big production of this now in case we forget in December. Cheers old girl!


Sarah -
Time flies when you’re watching Doctor Who! It doesn’t feel more than five years ago.


Harry -
One of the best things about our rewatches has been comparing our "now vs then" contemplations about each story. This one is a brilliant example.

I remember not liking River Song the first time this story aired. Then, we all experienced her through the Doctor's eyes. She was a mysterious character who knew a lot -- a hell of a lot -- about the Doctor's future. She had a fancy sonic screwdriver, she had a diary of their adventures together, she even knew his name. Astounding stuff, and I wanted to know more, know everything! She knew, but she wouldn't tell. It was frustrating that she wouldn't share anything because, "spoilers." You could see it eating away at the Doctor as the story progressed -- he's practically grinding his teeth in one scene where the diary sits within reach. However it's all brought home at the end when the Doctor offers Donna a peek inside the diary so she can learn her own future, and, like most of us probably would, she declines.


Sarah -
Given River’s reaction to meeting Donna, it’s understandable that she doesn’t want to know. Yet another companion who believes she’s going to spend the rest of her life with the Doctor.


Harry -
Donna's fate was being foreshadowed and we barely noticed.

As for River, the viewing experience is completely flipped this time around. We now know her entire history with the Doctor and we get to experience this encounter through her eyes. Of course she wouldn't reveal anything! Of course she'd let him know she was important to him but without spoiling anything. Now, her every action makes total sense. I loved that her "Hello Sweetie" went totally unremarked when she said it to the Doctor, even though there was so much meaning to it from her side.


Sarah -
It’s an entirely different experience this time around. I liked River immediately but it was so frustrating not knowing who she was or what was going on with her story. Honestly, it never occurred to me at the time that we’d see River again. In retrospect that seems naive, but I’m so grateful Moffat brought her back.


Harry -
We may never know just how much of the complete River Song story was already worked out by Moffat, but her instant popularity ensured that she'd become an entrenched character in the Whoniverse, returning again and again.


Sarah -
It makes me happy to know now that shortly before visiting the library, she spent a twenty-four year night on Darillium to see the Singing Towers with the Twelfth Doctor, where he gave River his sonic screwdriver. Imagine going from that experience to a new Doctor who has no idea who you are. It would be heartbreaking.

Running parallel to the Doctor-River story, we have a classic horror invasion story. The library is infested by the Vashta Nerada, microscopic, carnivorous creatures that use shadows to hunt and latch onto their prey. River is leading an archeological expedition to investigate the final message from the library -- "4022 saved, No survivors." I find the Vashta Nerada as terrifying today as I did the first time around. In classic horror style, they waste no time picking off members of River’s team one by one. Chilling.


Harry -
Moff did it again. He turned something as blasé as dust motes floating in sunlight into absolute horror. He's mad! He's brilliant!


Sarah -
Most of us probably don’t have angel statues in our houses, but there’s always plenty of dust around!


Harry -
The instantaneous destruction that the Vashta Nerada can wreak intensifies the horror. Watching the characters being freaked out by shadows was agonizing. Because Moffat is ruthless, he threw in the ghosting effect that occurred in the communicators of the newly deceased. Miss Evangelista's ghosting was brutal to witness. Other instances like "Hey, who turned out the lights?" were not as devastating as that first one.


Sarah -
I found all of the deaths very disturbing. The whole idea is so horrifying.


Harry -
It's all a fantastic puzzle that the Doctor has to work out over two episodes. Donna was whisked away to virtual reality for most of part two, but River was there to step in. It must have been obvious even on first viewing that Donna's sudden new life was not real. The pieces slowly came together to confirm this, but the agony she experienced over losing her imaginary family was still painful. Catherine Tate, delivering drama as well as comedy.


Sarah -
The virtual reality scenes were as disturbing as the dead people repeating themselves. Doctor Moon showing up to make suggestions, like, “Why don’t you take a walk by the river?” and then Donna suddenly walking along the river gives me the heebie-jeebies. (I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve ever typed heebie-jeebies.) And the girl changing channels to watch the Doctor and Donna’s stories along with us. So freaking creepy.


Harry -
There was something exquisitely terrible about the fact that the Vashta Nerada rampage was triggered by the destruction of their forests. That destruction had been ordered just so that a library could be filled with specially-printed hardcover books. Augh, don't make books carry any culpability! Moffat really put us through the wringer with this one.


Sarah -
Angels bad? Fine. Dust bad? Fine. Most technology bad? Fine. Just leave the books alone, Moffat!

The Doctor and River are on the run in the library, trying to avoid Vashta Nerada and dead colleagues. The Doctor still doesn’t know what to make of River. She finally convinces him by whispering his name in his ear. It’s a quiet moment that shakes the Doctor’s world and convinces him that she’s going to be important to him in the future.

Donna eventually breaks out of the virtual reality, with a little help from Miss Evangelista, whose consciousness was uploaded when she died, and a meltdown on the part of the little girl. Turns out she’s the hard drive of the computer running the library. She was dying of an incurable disease, so her father made an imaginary world for her to live in with every book ever written and Doctor Moon to watch over her. The stress of having so many minds integrated into her own is causing her to overload, initiating the self-destruct to destroy the planet.

The more I think about this story, the more terrifying it becomes.


Harry -
Layers upon layers of fear and terrible things.

It culminates with River's death. The Doctor found a way to save Donna and the other thousands of people who were uploaded, by transferring them out of the data core. The computer's memory is insufficient to handle the transfer, so the Doctor plans to hook himself to the computer and let it borrow some of his. River objects, knocks the Doctor out, and wires herself into the computer instead. The Doctor goes apeshit, but River tells him that the moment was destined to play out this way. She knew all along that they would meet here. If he were to die, they would never have met, and River cannot give that up. So she sacrifices herself, to save everyone and preserve her timeline with the Doctor. What a way to go.


Sarah -
It's so heartbreaking!


Harry -
But she's not completely gone. The Doctor manages to upload her into the computer, where she can live on in virtual reality.


Sarah -
She looks so happy at the end, but in my head cannon, she's immediately working on way to break out of the VR universe.


Harry -
For sure!

This story is a keystone in the series. It introduces a character who will play a huge role throughout the coming Moffat era. It also foreshadows the coming end of Donna's journey. So many terrible things happen that it's hard to feel anything but drained at the end. I think it might be a while before we put ourselves through this one again, would you agree?


Sarah -
I loved watching it again, but I don't think I'll be putting it on for some light Doctor Who viewing anytime soon.


Harry -
Best Line: Among all the zingers delivered by River and Donna, I keep going back to phrases that have stuck in my mind all these years. Things like "Hey who turned out the lights?" and "Donna Noble has left the library, Donna Noble has been saved."

Favourite Moment: River enters the Doctor's life with a "Hello, Sweetie."

Lasting Image: the skeletons inside the suits.

7/10


Sarah -
Best Line: "Hello, Sweetie." It means so much more this time. 

Favorite moment: River telling the Doctor his name. 

Lasting Image: definitely the skeletons in the suits. 

7/10

Our marathon continues with Story #196: Midnight...

Story #194 - The Unicorn and the Wasp (2008)

Harry -
Ah, a Doctor Whodunnit with special guest detective Agatha Christie. What a treat!


Sarah -
A whodunnit at the country estate of retired impresario Henry Gordon Jago! (It’s my head cannon, so go with it.)


Harry -
The timing might line up just about right.


Sarah -
It’s lovely to have Christopher Benjamin back on the team!


Harry -
After putting Donna through several wringers, the TARDIS finally lands somewhere grand. "Never mind planet Zog. A party in the 1920s, that's more like it!"

And so she and the Doctor play party crashers and join the gathering guests at an Edwardian manor home. The set up was classic, as one by one we meet the cast of characters as they arrive for Colonel Hugh and Lady Clemency's garden party. It was so great to see Benjamin make his return, even if his colonel was bound to a wheelchair. Here come the others: the curious Professor Peach, the cheery Reverend Golightly, the glamorous Robina Redmond, young Roger Curbishley and the very attendant attendant, Davenport, and the guest of honour, Agatha Christie!

Gobsmacked, Donna and the Doctor barely get a chance to say hello before a cry of "murder!" rings out. Miss Chandrakala has found a body in the library, and the mystery begins.

There's something so quaint about a British murder mystery. The historic setting, the engaging characters, and the intrigue of a Christie plot. Even though someone is already dead, it still feels like a holiday.


Sarah -
Despite the corpses, this story is an opportunity to catch a mid-series breath before we plunge into the rest of the series -- and we’re going to need it.

"The Unicorn and the Wasp" isn’t meant to be more than a romp and I have to admit I enjoyed the rewatch more than I expected. My memories of it weren’t terribly positive. The wasp is a little dodgy, but this is Doctor Who, after all, and Graeme Harper’s direction more than makes up for any challenges in the production.


Harry -
Graeme Harper can spin mud into gold, and he did it again here. Lots of quick cuts, interesting angles and nonstop pace.  If this is the only light story of the season, so be it.


Sarah -
Fenella Woolgar is an excellent Agatha Christie in our latest celebrity historical. I always have mixed feelings about these stories. It’s fun to see the TARDIS team interact with characters we know (or think we know), but things can quickly get annoying -- Rose trying to get Queen Victoria to say, “We are not amused,” the Doctor feeding lines to Shakespeare, etc. There are a few of those moments in this story, which I guess are inevitable.


Harry -
What I liked here was that the Doctor didn't immediately take over and dominate, with everyone trying to keep up. It felt like there was a distinct lack of chemistry between the Doctor and Agatha. She was perplexed by his rapid fire outbursts, but not swayed, and kept pursuing her own lines of investigation.

You are right about the wasp. It was too out of place because of its oversized scale and made the story too much of a fantasy. Perhaps if they had made the alien into a swarm of wasps instead of just one giant one, that might have worked better and upped the horror. Once the big bug lost its stinger, it lost its most threatening feature and it was just a matter of time before it got killed. After the hilarious kitchen detox scene, I expected the Doctor to return and whip up some kind of bug killing powder.


Sarah -
The detox scene is classic David Tennant.


Harry -
One of the few Doctors who can pull off that kind of manic physical comedy.

After a merry round around the house and a couple of close calls, we get to the traditional reveal scene. It played out very traditionally, with some funny moments to keep it light. The unicorn was exposed as -- gasp! -- none other than the glamorous (and actually very cockney) Robina. It's funny how in North American film and television a criminal is often made more villainous by giving them a received British accent, while in actual Britain, the criminals are often given cockney accents.

Anyway, shock horror, the real killer is a gigantic alien wasp. Run away!

And everyone scatters as Reverand Golightly morphs back into the Vespiform.  Christie drives off to a nearby lake, providing Donna with the setting to kill off the alien by drowning it.  With the menace defeated, Christie passes out with amnesia and the mystery of her 10-day disappearance is sorted.  

All of that to demonstrate why British people never call the police after a murder.


Sarah -
It’s been a fun romp, but now I’m ready for a library visit. Onward?


Harry -
I believe the term "game changer" was coming into popularity everywhere around this time, and we are about to run into one of Doctor Who's all-time game changers.  Let's do it!


Sarah -
Best Line: 
Agatha Christie: Agatha Christie.
Donna: What about her?
Agatha Christie: That’s me.
Donna: No! You’re kidding!

Favorite Moment: 
The detox scene

Lasting Image: 
Donna in her 20s garb.

6/10


Harry -
Best Line:
DOCTOR: A terrible day for all of us. The Professor struck down, Miss Chandrakala taken cruelly from us, and yet we still take dinner.
CLEMENCY: We are British, Doctor. What else must we do?

Favourite Moment: 
The detox scene for sure.

Lasting Image: 
Agatha and the Doctor conducting their investigation.

7/10

Our marathon continues into a new decade with Story #195: Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead...