Story #213 - A Christmas Carol (2010)

Sarah -

Things have been a little harried at my end of the Sofa these last few months, so this story was exactly what I needed. I have not watched it since the first broadcast and didn't remember too many details. Yes, it's a take off of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, but Steven Moffat turns it into the perfect Doctor Who Christmas Special.

Harry -

This is a very Moffatty take on the Dickens tale, complete with timey-wimey activity. I don't think I watched it since first broadcast either.

I forgot that a love story was central to the entire thing. Yes, the Doctor has encountered couples and lovers before -- after all, he's rescuing the Ponds here -- but he couldn't do that before resolving the tale of Kazran and Abigail. A very nice change from aliens and bases under siege.

Sarah -

It’s just lovely. There have been so many take-offs of A Christmas Carol, but this one feels perfect. The Doctor slips into the role of the ghost of Christmas past, showing Kazran a new version of his past, with the Doctor as his younger self’s best friend.

Harry -

It was fascinating to watch Kazran as his memories were being rewritten.

Sarah -

They spend every 24 hours of Christmas day with Abigail, having adventures as Kazran and Abigail fall in love. Meanwhile, Amy is the ghost of Christmas present, trying to encourage Kazran to save everyone on a crashing spaceship, which Amy and Rory are on. Kazran is his own ghost of Christmas future. The episode is fun but sad and every note is just right.

Harry -

Why has science not yet provided us with flying shark chariots?

Great performance by Michael Gambon, who got to have his turn on The Doctor Who Show. Even greater performance by Katherine Jenkins who made her acting debut here. New Who has a history of casting singers (Billie Piper, Kylie Minogue) but they finally let one sing. Apart from a few moments of child-like glee, Matt Smith was very understated here and let the guests have the spotlight.

Abigail's final day was gut-wrenching, adding a tragic Victorian note to the story. But still, these specials are always on the sweeter, lighter side and this might be one of the best. It breezed by very quickly, and even Moffat's Moffaty tendencies went easy on viewers' brains.

Sarah - 

I’m so happy to have revisited "A Christmas Carol", which has leapt up the list of my favorite Doctor Who Christmas specials. 

Best Line: 

"Nobody important? Blimey, that's amazing. You know that in nine hundred years of time and space and I've never met anybody who wasn't important before."

Favorite Moment:  The Doctor telling Amy that if nothing ever ended, nothing would ever get started.

Lasting Image: Flying Shark Chariots!

9/10

Harry -

And we've managed to drag out the posting of this review to coincide with the onslaught of seasonal music and advertising.  Merry Christmas Everyone!

Best Line:

DOCTOR: I think you'll find I'm universally recognised as a mature and responsible adult.

(He shows Kazran the psychic paper.)

KAZRAN: It's just a lot of wavy lines.

DOCTOR: Yeah, it's shorted out. Finally, a lie too big.

Favourite Moment: the Doctor enters through the chimney.

Lasting Image: Flying Shark Chariots!

9/10

Our marathon continues with Story #214: The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon...

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 #188: Voyage of the Damned (2007)

Harry -
Doctor Who does disaster movies. I love this one and I don't care what anyone thinks!



Sarah -
It's got some dodgy bits, but it's a Christmas Special, so it's best to just sit back and enjoy the ride.


Harry -
RTD's early years coincided with the height of 70s disaster flicks (the most notable of which are listed here), so there was plenty of memorable material to tap into when he set about writing "Voyage of the Damned".


Sarah -
I've seen more of these movies than I might like to admit. They were quite the thing back in the day.


Harry -
It feels like we've watched the opening moments of this story about a dozen times in the last few weeks, what with the finale of Season Three, "Time Crash", and now here. Having fixed the double paradox reality bomb with his former self, the Doctor adeptly repositions the TARDIS aboard the Titanic. He finds... angelic androids, a spiky red alien, and the sky filled with stars. This Titanic is a luxury liner in space, orbiting planet Earth.


Sarah - 
He did remind himself to put up the shields, but whoever listens to their past selves?


Harry - 
Slipping into his tuxedo and black trainers, the Doctor mixes and mingles. There are snobs, happy contest winners, and those angels. They totally reminded me of the beautiful creations in "Robots of Death", and still do. Turns out, these "Heavenly Host" are information robots and one of them quickly gets the Doctor up to speed. He also befriends Astrid Peth, one of the serving staff who just happens to be special guest star Kylie Minogue! JNT must have leapt out of his grave to punch the sky over this one.


Sarah - 
Kylie! Fun fact: "Voyage of the Damned" is the highest rated episode since the show’s return in 2005 and one of the highest in Doctor Who’s history. I imagine much of that is down to Kylie. I felt a little old having to explain to my daughter who she is and why she was a big deal for Doctor Who. JNT would truly be proud. 

Speaking of stunt-ish casting, "Voyage of the Damned" sees the return of three past actors from Doctor Who: 

--Geoffrey Palmer, who appeared in two episodes in the Pertwee era -- the Administrator in "The Mutants" and, most memorably for me, as Edward Masters in "Doctor Who and the Silurians".

--Clive Swift, who played the repulsive Mr. Jobel in "Revelation of the Daleks" in the Sixth Doctor Era.

--Bernard Cribbins, who portrayed Tom Campbell in the Peter Cushing film Dalek’s Invasion Earth 2150 AD. Cribbins wasn’t originally cast as Donna’s grandfather, but was asked to come back when the original actor had to withdraw due to illness. We’ve both been looking forward to the DoctorDonna Era, so it was a delight to get a little preview with Wilf. 

JNT would certainly approve of each of these casting choices. I imagine RTD being like a kid in a candy shop as each actor signed on. 

Oh dear, I almost forget to mention the most momentous return in the whole of Doctor Who! Elizabeth II and the Corgis are back for the first time since 1988’s "Silver Nemesis". It’s good to have the old girl back!


Harry -
But wait, there's more! The Queen's voice was provided by Jessica Martin, who appeared in 1988's "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy". This special certainly doubles as the ultimate Doctor Who guest actor reunion show.


Sarah - 
Getting the old gang back together!


Harry - 
While we've been taking all this in, some boor has spilled a drink all over the floor and skulked away. The Doctor squats down to help Astrid, and they strike up a quick acquaintance just in time for Clive Swift's Mr. Copper to gather everyone around for an excursion. They will be beaming down to the planet Earth to see its primitive culture up close. The ship's onboard historian, Copper provides a hilariously garbled recitation of Western culture and Christmas-time traditions. The Doctor is bemused, and he invites Astrid to sneak down with him.


Sarah - 
I particularly enjoyed Copper’s history lesson. It had a certain...flare.


Harry - 
The excursion group beam down, and who's the first person they see but Wilfrid Mott, news seller. Decked out in his antler hat, he's remained in London -- along with the Queen -- to see out the holidays. The rest of the citizens have evacuated, fearing another outburst of alien activity that has become habitual at this time of year.


Sarah - 
Everyone leaving London to avoid the Christmas catastrophe cracks me up. Wilf and Her Majesty are always standing by in a crisis!


Harry - 
The excursion is cut short by a message from the Titanic. We cut to the bridge, where Geoffrey Palmer's captain dismisses the rest of his crew, and takes the wheel by himself. Midshipman Frame remains, reminding the captain that there must always be two crew on the bridge. The captain silently steers on. There's something definitely off with him.


Sarah - 
Sweet Russell Tovey as Frame is a delight. His dedication to duty is commendable.


Harry - 
Meanwhile, a trio of meteors appears on the ship's radar.


Sarah - 
It’s always something, isn’t it?


Harry -
The captain has betrayed everyone. Sick and dying, he cut a dark deal to steer the ship to its doom in exchange for a payment to his family. Palmer's performance is blood-curdlingly cold. His only flash of guilt is over the fact that Frame is so young. The forces behind the deal had assured that the ship's crew would all be old men, and this of all things rankles the captain.

Frame takes it upon himself to steer the ship out of danger, but the captain gets over his guilt and shoots him. What an utter creep.


Sarah - 
I can NEVER forgive someone who shoots Russell Tovey! What a jerky rat-bastard of a captain.


Harry - 
The meteors strike the ship and all hell breaks loose. Passengers and crew tumble out through openings. The TARDIS spills out into space as well, drifting away down to Earth. The Titanic loses power, causing its orbital stabilizers to fail. It's about to plunge down to Earth as well. If that's not enough, the heavenly host suddenly go homicidal.


Sarah - 
The host freak the heck out of me. Honestly, I feel like everyone should have known they would eventually decide to kill all the humans. Have they never watched or read any sci-fi?


Harry - 
Asimov's first rule of robots often goes out the window in Doctor Who.

It's as good a time as any for the Doctor to rally some of the non-robotic survivors and deliver an "I'm the Doctor" speech. And he gives this one with real gusto.

The plan is for the Doctor to lead Astrid, Copper, Bannakaffalatta, the Van Hoffs and Rickston Slade up through the ship to the bridge, where the Doctor hopes to take control of the ship. In classic disaster movie fashion, the group encounter pitfalls, dodgy bridges, explosions, flames, killer robots and general hopelessness, as the Doctor urges everyone on.

Along the way, the Van Hoffs and Bannakaffalatta meet their dooms. In keeping with the genre, someone had to go, but it was really sad that the loving couple died, and not the self-interested boor Slade.


Sarah - 
Can we talk about how lovely the Van Hoffs are? Foon’s revelation that she called the number for the cruise competition five-thousand times to win and now owes the phone company 5,000 credits -- the same cost as buying two tickets -- is shocking, but Morvin just laughs it off and tells her they’ll find a way to pay. Foon’s death reminds me of of Shelley Winters in Poseidon Adventure, sacrificing herself to help the others survive.


Harry - 
They gave a much needed positive element to the story.  Also along the way, Astrid agrees to become the Doctor's new travel companion. Imagine what that season might have been like.


Sarah - 
Honestly, I imagine it would be Rose, Part II. I’ll take a hard pass on that nonsense, which is not to say that Astrid isn’t a lovely character. We just didn’t need any more of that mooning over each other mess going on. 

Harry - 
Yeesh, you're probably right. Alas, we never find out if it would have been Rose the Second. The Doctor utilizes the heavenly host to spring one final revelation -- the fact that the force behind this disaster is aboard the ship, and has been hiding in a protective crash container the whole time. It's Max Capricorn, head of the space cruise line. He's little more than a disembodied head, warped beyond all sensibility and willing to destroy the ship, the Earth, and all bystanders to take revenge on the rebellious board of his company. Complete lunatic, and one hell of a panto villain.


Sarah - 
Max’s little cart made me think of Paradise Towers. This story has a similar claustrophobic feeling.


Harry - 
It's Astrid who saves the day, toppling Max into a chasm, but she falls with him to her death.


Sarah - 
Poor Astrid. Yet, somehow, things get even worse -- for me at least. The Doctor walks through flames to be lifted by the Host and carried up to the bridge. The resurrection imagery is just too much, but what I expect from RTD. But wait, there’s more schlock to be had when the Doctor manages one last kiss with Astrid as her molecules dissipate into space.


Harry -
Yeah, RTD couldn't help "RTDing" this one to the breaking point. This put me right off wanting Astrid as a companion.


Sarah -
In the end, jerky Slade has been made even more rich by the tragedy...


Harry -
Outrageous!


Sarah -
...Frame is in charge of the ship...


Harry - 
Courageous!


Sarah -
...and Copper is expecting to end up in prison.


Harry -
Disadvantageous.


Sarah -
Fortunately, the Doctor decides to save Copper from prison and takes him down to Earth, where he discovers his pre-loaded credit card is worth a million pounds. So, I guess that’s a happy-ish ending.


Harry -
One sour note was that all the female characters died horribly, while most of the white male characters walked away better off. Come on, RTD.

Apart from that, let us curse a Happy Christmas to all the little goblins!  Let it rain deer until Saint Klaus steals everyone's stockings!


Sarah - 
Best Line: 
When Bannakaffalatta confesses he’s a cyborg:
Astrid: No, but everything's changed now. Cyborgs are getting equal rights. They passed a law back on Sto. You can even get married. 
Bannakaffalatta: Marry you? 
Astrid: Well, you can buy me a drink first. Come on. Let's recharge you. Just stay there for a bit. 
Bannakaffalatta: Tell no one. 
Astrid: I promise. 
Doctor: What's going on up there? 
Astrid: I think Bannakaffalatta and I just got engaged. 

Favorite Moment: Morvin’s reaction to Foon’s confession. 

Lasting Image: The scary Heavenly Host

6/10


Harry -
Best Line:
DOCTOR: What's your first name? 
FRAME: Alonso. 
DOCTOR: You're kidding me. 
FRAME: What? 
DOCTOR: That's something else I've always wanted to say. Allons-y, Alonso!

Favourite Moment: Copper's mangled history of Christmas.

Lasting Image: Max Capricorn.

8/10

Our marathon continues with Story #189: Partners in Crime...

Story #178 - The Runaway Bride (2006)

Sarah -
Donnnnnnnnnnnaaaaaa!!!!!!!!


Harry -
Donnnnnnnnnnnaaaaaa!!!!!!!!

Wew, this story is a thrill ride from start to finish, and a much-needed palate cleanser. The rapport between David Tennant and Catherine Tate is instantaneous and hilarious.


Sarah -
Oh, Donna, you're just what we needed after all the high drama of Rose's departure.


Harry -
RTD won't let us forget about Rose anytime soon, but at least she's no longer the be all and end all. Cue the wedding march!

...which lasts for all of 10 seconds before Donna Noble is launched -- glowing and screaming -- through the ether, high into space and right into the TARDIS. A first-in-a-series of "what? what? what?" moments ensues as the Doctor is totally befuddled as to how she could have gotten on board. She's equally baffled, but all she wants is to get back to the church. I love how the pace of dialogue speeds up immediately as they riff back and forth.


Sarah -
I was trying to take notes to help me decide on on a favorite line for the wrap up, but there are so many it’s going to be hard to settle on one. RTD clearly had a ball writing this story. 

The Christmas special stories are usually on the lighter side, with more serious undertones, and "The Runaway Bride" is no exception. Underneath the wacky buddy comedy, there a strong sense of loss for both the Doctor and Donna. 

The Doctor, of course, is still dealing with the loss of Rose. The end of "Doomsday" was such a surprise the first time around. He has just said goodbye to Rose for what he thinks is the last time when this strange woman in a wedding gown turns up. I remember being so confused about what was going on. 

Donna, meanwhile, has been snatched from the altar just as she is about to marry a man she thinks loves her. The flashbacks to her pursuit of him are uncomfortable, but Lance’s betrayal is just heartbreaking.


Harry -
The TARDIS lands in the wrong spot and the Doctor notices it is acting strangely, as if it is recalibrating. He and Donna try to hail a cab and more comedy ensues over fancy dress, cab fares and lack of pockets on a wedding gown. Finally, Donna jumps in a cab and takes off without the Doctor -- who just noticed that the killer Father Christmases from last year have returned. 

I liked how the Doctor casually noticed "Oh, it's Christmas." Watching this story at the start of summer lent itself to the same jarring effect.


Sarah -
Christmas is really not a safe time to visit Earth. I love that Donna has no memory of the previous year’s Christmas invasion or any of the other alien invasions of recent years. While the Doctor is always focusing on the big picture, Donna seems to be incapable of focusing on anything other than what is happening to her at that moment.


Harry -
Donna speeds along before noticing that her cab has taken the wrong exit, and is in fact being driven by a robo Santa. Cue the wildest car chase ever seen in Doctor Who. 

Flying it on manual, the Doctor bumps and judders his ship along a motorway in pursuit of the cab. He tells Donna to jump out of the cab into his arms. Naturally, she'll have none of it, but he asks her to trust him. She makes the leap, the TARDIS soars away, and they are off to find Donna's wedding party.


Sarah -
The car chase is wonderfully silly and so much fun.


Harry -
And then...

"You had the reception without me." 

Donna is stunned when she finds her family and friends whooping it up.


Sarah -
I’m on Donna’s side here. Nice family.


Harry -
Everyone has questions, but no one seems to know exactly what happened. From what we've seen of this group, they seem an angry lot.


Sarah -
They don’t hold back, that’s for sure.


Harry -
Donna recounts the background of her employer, H.C. Clements -- owned by Torchwood. The Doctor studies the video of Donna disappearing from the church, and identifies huon particles, something that existed during the earliest beginnings of the universe. He's surprised to find them still active. While he's wondering about that, the Father Christmases surround the reception, activate the Christmas tree inside, and it unleashes a barrage of small grenades.


Sarah -
Doctor Who is so good at making the domestic terrifying. I’ve worried about spinning Christmas trees with grenade ornaments ever since. 

The Doctor, Donna, and Lance head off to H.C. Clements to investigate, which includes a quick spin on three segways that just happen to be waiting for them. How else would you chase aliens?


Harry -
Ah, the marvelous but much maligned Segway. It never did catch on, and the trio riding them in the tunnels under H.C. Clements is positively quaint. They have discovered a secret floor hidden deep beneath the Thames Barrier. There's also a laboratory that is filled with huon particle containers and a mysterious man-made chasm that does even deeper into the Earth. Torchwood has been busy down here too.

A voice suddenly calls out, welcoming Donna as the "key" to whatever is going on down there. Our friends come face to face with, for me, one of the most skin-crawlingly grotesque monsters in all of Doctor Who -- a giant humanoid-arachnid known as the Empress of the Racnoss. The Racnoss were an ancient race defeated by the Time Lords aeons ago, at the very dawn of the Earth's creation. The Doctor starts putting the puzzle together, but not before Lance reveals his true intentions.


Sarah -
It's one thing to want to be rid of Donna, but selling out your whole planet? Stupid Lance deserves everything coming to him.


Harry -
Lance has been conspiring with the Empress, dosing Donna with huon particles so that she will become a kind of trigger to awaken the Empresses' children. How they got there is baffling, but the Doctor and Donna manage a quick escape in the TARDIS.

Donna is shattered, her wedding day ruined and how her groom-to-be revealed as a villainous monster just as bad as the Empress. Having been through his own recent emotional upheaval, the Doctor tries to comfort her. But how can you, after something like that? Instead, he shows Donna the moment that the Earth began to be formed out of infinite particles of space dust, coming together and coalescing around... a Racnoss ship?


Sarah -
This is when I had to remind myself that this was a Christmas special. Sure, why not form the planet around a Racnoss ship? It's Christmas.


Harry -
The ship was shaped like a sparkling star, which was convenient.


Sarah -
I also noticed an Easter egg that we never would have caught the first time around in the line, “Orders from Mr. Saxon. Fire at will." (See you soon, Series 3.)


Harry -
RTD was good with the dropping of hints and teasers.


Sarah -
With the Doctor and Donna gone, Lance gets the honor of taking Donna's place in the Racnoss' plan. That'll teach you not to ally yourself with aliens, Lance. Don't you know it never ends well?


Harry -
Lance's betrayal of Donna and all of humanity made no sense.  What could he possibly gain from the Racnoss plot?  Lance was clearly the dumbest person in this story.  A complete idiot who got what he deserved.


Sarah -
The Doctor and Donna defeat the Racnoss and save Christmas for another year. Hooray!


Harry -
I have to give a shout out to Sarah Parish.  Considering that her mouth and eyes were the only parts of her not encased under makeup, she gave a hell of a performance.  A particularly harrowing moment was when she grieved over her dying children when the Doctor opened the floodgates and drowned them.

Was that not incredibly dark for a Christmas story?  The Doctor as the angry god, unleashing death and destruction without batting an eye.  Still not over Rose, clearly.

Kudos to Donna for taking all of this -- this entire day of madness, excitement, fear and death -- and still being the same old Donna at the end of it.


Sarah -
Dropping Donna off at home, jobless and fiancé-less, the Doctor tries to cheer Donna up by making it snow. (Amusingly, this story was filled in the middle of a summer heatwave.) He invites her to join him in the TARDIS, but Donna declines. She tells him to find someone who will travel with him and keep him out of trouble. She may understand him better than Rose ever did. 

Speaking of Rose, she's always in the background of this story, from Donna thinking the Doctor kidnapped and killed her at the beginning to him telling Donna her name at the end. Donna really does serve as a palate-cleanser for the next companion. Her advice that the Doctor find someone to keep an eye on him gives him permission to move on, whether he's ready or not. 

It was an absolute delight to watch "The Runaway Bride" again. Catherine Tate and David Tennant work so well together and every scene is a delight.


Harry -
Hopefully our friends at Big Finish will be able to wrangle them into the recording booths again soon!


Sarah -
I'm looking forward to more Donna in Series 4, but first it's time for some Smith and Jones!


Harry -
Bring it on!


Sarah -
Best Line(s):
So many good ones to choose from, but this exchange made the laugh the hardest. 
DOCTOR: Do you have this effect on everyone? Why aren't they stopping? 
DONNA: They think I'm in fancy dress. 
DRIVER: Stay off the sauce, darling! 
DONNA: They think I'm drunk. 
MEN IN CAR: You're fooling no one, mate! 
DONNA: They think I'm in drag!

Favorite Moment: Donna landing on the TARDIS for the first time

Lasting Image: The TARDIS car chase

8/10


Harry -
Best line: 
Agreed that it was hard to choose just one from among so many, but I liked this other little teaser that RTD planted (whether it was intentional or just a stroke of luck):
DONNA: Am I ever gonna see you again?"
DOCTOR: If I'm lucky.

Favourite Moment: the first rapid-fire encounter between Donna and the Doctor.

Lasting Image: Donna in her wedding gown.

8/10

Our marathon continues with Story #179: Smith and Jones...

Story #167 - The Christmas Invasion (2005)

Harry -
"Did you miss me?"

We hardly had the time to miss the Doctor, as our marathon took us straight from "The Parting of the Ways" to the Children in Need Doctor Who Special, first broadcast in November, 2005. The brief episode shows Rose reacting to the newly regenerated Doctor as he bounces around the TARDIS console. I don't remember ever seeing this, but it's been so long and the scene is so short there's not much to remember. It was a sweet little scene though, wasn't it?

Sarah -
It's a nice fill-in between "The Parting of the Ways" and "The Christmas Invasion". I only saw the special for the first time a few years ago. It always felt like something was missing from the beginning of "The Christmas Invasion", and apparently there was!


Harry -
No sooner has the Doctor convinced Rose that he's still the Doctor, and no sooner has Rose agreed to stay aboard the TARDIS, than the newly regenerated Time Lord lurches over in pain and his ship spins out of control. Returning to Earth, it ricochets off a couple of buildings at the Powell Estate before landing with a thud before Jackie and Mickey, who came running at the familiar TARDIS sound.


Sarah -
Would that be the Jackie and Mickey who SAVED THE DAY when the Doctor needed them most? The kind and lovely people who put their own feelings aside to help Rose save the Doctor? That Jackie and Mickey? Hell Yeah!


Harry -
Still dressed in his leather and blacks, the Doctor stumbles out the door and collapses. There's confusion all around before Rose informs them that this man is the Doctor. "Doctor who?" Jackie demands. That gag never gets old and I'm sure RTD loved writing it in.


Sarah -
I believe I heard a bit of an eye roll coming from Ms. 15 on the other end of the sofa.


Harry -
And just like that, Rose is back home and it's Christmas Eve. In the spirit of the season, no one brings up her horrendous behaviour the last time the TARDIS dropped her off. Everyone is busy hauling the unconscious Doctor up to Jackie's flat, where he remains bedridden. Echoes of Jon Pertwee's Doctor, post-regeneration. He'll surely be up and fussing about for his shoes in no time, right?


Sarah -
It also made me think of Peter Davison, being carried around in the zero cabinet. Nothing like a regeneration crisis to get things going.


Harry -
This one dragged on as long as the Fifth Doctor's did, minus the do-it-yourself casket.


Sarah -
Who needs a zero cabinet when you have Jackie’s beau Howard’s bathrobe and jim-jams?


Harry -
The Doctor being out of service left Rose, Jackie and Mickey to face a barrage of violent threats from a band of homicidal Father Christmases and a killer Christmas tree. Some residual regeneration energy emitted by the Doctor got picked up by aliens, who sent probably the least subtle scouting mission ever to check it out. The Doctor awakens long enough to shoo the "pilot fish" away, but he warns his friends that something far more dangerous is coming. Then he conks out again.


Sarah -
The killer Santas and deadly Christmas tree are two of my favorite things in this story. They’re both so wonderfully creepy. Jackie shouting, “I’m gonna get killed by a Christmas tree!” makes me laugh every time.

Jackie has a lot to do in this story and has some nice moments, but the Doctor still manages to be a jerk to her. When he’s suffering from a neuron implosion and ends up stuttering, “I need” over and over, Jackie offers various suggestions of things he might need. The Doctor concludes with, “I need you to shut up.” Jackie is unfazed -- “Oh, he hasn't changed that much, has he?” 

Back to bed for the Doctor and Mickey wastes no time in searching for more information about pilot fish. He and Rose figure out quickly that something much larger is on its way. Meanwhile, the TV news is covering the Guinevere One space probe, which is just about to broadcast the first-ever images of Mars.


Harry -
It's the first-ever glimpse of an alien race, and they don't seem friendly. No one knows what to do, but have no fear: Harriet Jones, Prime Minister is on top of it!


Sarah -
Go Harriet Jones!


Harry -
It was no surprise to see the MP for Flydale North elevated to head of government since we last saw her. It was good to see her back in charge, and even better to see her at UNIT HQ, located in the Tower of London.


Sarah -
UNIT in the Tower! Twelve years on, it still gives me chills. We saw UNIT members in series one, but this feels like proper UNIT, doesn’t it? And we get our first Torchwood mention.

I could have done without the constant showing her ID card and saying, “Harriet Jones, Prime Minister.” I know it’s a Harriet thing, but it makes her look so incompetent. It just gets embarrassing when everyone replies, “I know” with a pained expression.


Harry -
Unlike the gag of repeatedly finding fruit in Harold's bathrobe, Harriet's gag was overdone.


Sarah -
Her mention of an act of Parliament banning her autobiography, almost makes up for it.


Harry -
Through a sketchy translation, the Sycorax demand that the Earth surrender. Harriet sends a reply, telling them absolutely not, so they respond with a startling act of hostility -- taking over the minds of one-third the planet's population, and forcing them to the closest rooftops. There, they pause. Unless the alien demand is met, they will be sent to their deaths. There was a lot of bluster going on here, some unintentionally amusing like the translated line "Sycorax strong, Sycorax mighty, Sycorax rock, as in the modern sense, they rock."


Sarah -
The sight of all the affected people tromping out of their houses and onto roofs, while being followed by their pleading relatives is one of the most terrifying moments in Doctor Who for me. It’s bad enough watching this one group, let alone imagining it happening all over the world! It turns out everyone with A+ blood has been affected because that’s the blood type included on the probe. The horror!


Harry -
With one-third of the planet's population standing literally on the brink of death, Harriet broadcasts an emergency message pleading for help from the Doctor. But there is no sign of him as the Sycorax ship arrives over London. Although it was massive in size, it looked like crap. Literally, it was a pale brown lump that looked like a week-old dog turd.


Sarah -
Ha! It totally does!


Harry -
Rose, Jackie and Mickey drag the Doctor to the TARDIS, as Rose believes it's the only safe place they can hide. 

More bluster from the Sycorax, as they identify Harriet as the individual who speaks for the planet. She, an aide, the UNIT commander and the head of the Guinevere program are beamed aboard the alien ship and the latter two are immediately killed. The Sycorax then pick up sounds coming from the TARDIS -- alien technology -- and they beam it aboard as well... just as Rose steps outside.


Sarah -
Unfortunately, Jackie is left behind. Again.


Harry -
Bluster bluster bluster from the Sycorax leader! As we'll soon see, this race are great at putting on a show and scaring the pants off of people, but in the end, they are just bullies and cowards.


Sarah -
And suddenly, in the middle of the bluster, Rose realizes she can understand the Sycorax. The Doctor is awake, thanks to the power of tea! Rule, Britannia! There’s nothing a cuppa can’t solve!

And, now, 40 minutes into the episode, we get our first real glimpse of the Tenth Doctor. It starts off so well, doesn’t it?


Harry -
And now, a confession. I hated this Doctor! At first, in December 2005 anyway. He stepped out of the TARDIS and was so silly and clownish that my reaction was "I don't like it! Change it back!". The transition from Eccleston's cool brashness to Tennant's bouncy energy was jarring and he took some getting used to.

By "New Earth", I was used to him.


Sarah -
Look at you, a proper grumpy old fan! 

Coming to terms with being rude and not ginger, the Doctor takes control of the situation, challenging the Sycorax leader to a duel for the planet. With the help of a satsuma in Howard’s dressing gown, the Doctor wins the duel and saves the day.


Harry -
This was a great action sequence and once and for all ripped the façade of ferocity from the Sycorax for good. If their leader couldn't outduel a Time Lord who just came out of a regeneration coma, on his own ship, surrounded by hundreds of his own, then what good was he?


Sarah -
Not good for much, it seems. The Doctor loses a hand along the way, but it’s early enough in the regeneration process that he grows a new one. Watching this for the first time, I loved this moment. Now, it just makes me angry about what’s to come. But that’s a discussion for another day...


Harry -
I was probably as overwhelmed as the Sycorax leader by Tennant's opening performance. Anyway.


Sarah -
It's a wee bit expansive, isn't it?

Back on the Powell Estate, everyone is happy and the Doctor even has a hug for Jackie. Harriet asks if there are more aliens out there, and the Doctor explains that Earth is starting to draw attention to itself and more aliens can be expected. She reluctantly gives the order for Torchwood (remember the time when we didn’t know what that meant?) to fire and five beams converge, destroying the Sycorax ship. The Doctor, having made an agreement with Sycorax, is livid -- “I gave them the wrong warning. I should've told them to run as fast as they can, run and hide because the monsters are coming. The human race.”

Oh, Harriet. What have you done?


Harry -
In a surprise heel turn, Harriet proves herself the biggest bully of them all. In destroying the ship, she draws the Doctor's ire and we get our first flash of this new incarnation's rage. But he quickly cools down and proceeds to knock the prime minister off her perch with those six memorable words.


Sarah -
“Don’t you think she looks tired?” While I understand and agree with the Doctor's anger, I have to say this line really bothered me. Does anyone ever say a male politician looks tired? And if they did, would anyone care? I was back on #TeamHarriet by the end of that scene.


Harry -
I think it's one of those British sayings that rivals trot out when they are politically intriguing against each other. Could be wrong.

Remember back in Victorian Cardiff, when the Doctor told Rose he doesn't do Christmases? Hah! He joins Rose's gang for dinner at the first opportunity. Perhaps it was his way of showing thanks, appreciation and respect for the people who support his friend, even though he can treat them like mud.


Sarah -
Or he's just killing time before whisking Rose away again.


Harry -
So! Here's our new Doctor. He's had a rummage through the TARDIS wardrobe and picked out a very Doctory set of threads, probably the most iconic look of the new era.


Sarah -
There's nothing I love more than a good TARDIS wardrobe scene!


Harry -
I already described my initial reaction to him, and I'm glad it was short-lived. I got used to his "hyper cutie" style soon enough, as we move past the post-regeneration drama. Out of all of New Who, the Tennant era is the one that I have rewatched the most, especially as the DVD sets started rolling out. There are things I remember fondly, and things that make me cringe just thinking about them. I'm interested to see what our take will be as we watch it again together.


Sarah -
I'm interested to see how I end up feeling about this era by the end of our rewatch. From this vantage, I remember all the things that pissed me off much more vividly than the things I liked. We'll see if the balance shifts in the coming months.


Harry -
Shall we strike out for New Earth?


Sarah -
Let's!


Harry -
Best line: 
Another good one from Mickey: "Tea. Like we're having a picnic while the world comes to an end. Very British."

Favourite moment: the Doctor references Arthur Dent.

Lasting image: the swordfight.

7/10


Sarah -
Best line: "Ah, not bad for a man in his jim-jams." 

Favorite Moment: Rose realizes she can understand the Sycorax, which means the Doctor is awake.

Lasting Image: The killer Father Christmases.

6/10

Our marathon continues with Story #168: New Earth...