Story #191 - Planet of the Ood (2008)

Sarah -
It's interesting timing that we watched this story in the month that marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first African slaves in North America. When we first met the Ood in "The Impossible Planet", they were presented as a race of empathetic servants, not the actual chattel slaves they are. I guess it's all in the marketing. It's been a while since I've watched "Planet of the Ood", so my sense of horror was almost as fresh as the first time.


Harry -
We spent so much time waiting for the DoctorDonna era. "It will be loads of fun!" we told ourselves. Whew! No fun to be had here on the Ood Sphere. Even Donna starts having second thoughts.


Sarah -
What a situation for Donna to find herself in on her first-ever alien planet. After raiding the TARDIS wardrobe for a warm winter coat, she and the Doctor discover an Ood, Delta Fifty, that has been shot. Donna keeps him talking while the Doctor examines him, but Delta Fifty doesn't last long.


Harry -
We watched Delta Fifty use its translator ball to murder a corporate honcho before fleeing into the snow. The Ood was just one of thousands that are raised, processed and shipped out around three galaxies for use as docile servants. From the opening death scenes, there is a dark strain to this story. This is one of the more uncomfortable ones to watch, but that's the point. "Planet of the Ood" reminded me of the Pertwee-era stories of Malcolm Hulke with their strong moral tone. It's something that has been largely missing in the new era of Who so far.


Sarah -
I hadn’t thought of it, but you’re spot on about its Hulke-ish feeling. Mac, of course, would have been even more excoriating.


Harry -
The story jumps between the corporate enterprise that humans have established on this planet (with a marketing session that is getting underway), and the DoctorDonna's infiltration and investigation.

The guest cast is mostly forgettable except for Tim McInnerny. Beloved as goofy Percy on the Blackadder series, here he plays the vile CEO of the enterprise.


Sarah -
I commented to Mr. Smith on the casting of McInnerny and that, really, Percy should never have been left in charge of anything.


Harry -
Percy is a beloved character from our younger days, so seeing McInnerny play a villain was a jarring surprise, especially as he pulled it off brilliantly.


Sarah -
He really worked the rat-bastard vibes, didn’t he?


Harry -
The fact that he inherited this family business seems to give him licence to be extra vile. Arriving after a string of recent deaths onsite, he is there in person to get to the bottom of things. In between gulps of hair tonic, he reacts in disgust to the news that a group of Ood have become infected with a red-eye disease that makes them volatile. He rages at his employees and orders that a rabid Ood be shot dead.

Donna is all of us, reacting with growing horror as she and the Doctor investigate the facility, finding Ood cowering in cages and locked in shipping containers. The Ood keep telling them that "the circle must be broken" but the meaning of the message eludes them.


Sarah -
The circle must be broken so they can sing, but Donna is the only one who is listening.


Harry -
Breaking the circle is the ongoing theme of the Ood plight, and it takes some further investigating for the DoctorDonna to figure it out. I don't think I've watched this story since the original broadcast because the suffering of the Ood was very heavy. Slavery and the Holocaust bound together with grisly scenes of captivity and violence. Watching it again this time, it has lost none of its impact. Donna's distress over it all is completely relatable.


Sarah -
I’m sure I haven’t watched it since first broadcast. I didn’t remember much these many years later, so the story definitely hit me. What I did remember was Donna’s general awesomeness and her defense of the Ood.


Harry -
Being Donna, however, she turns that distress into rage against the corporate monstrosity that brought this all about.


Sarah -
Donna don’t play. Everyone else may be willing to stand by, but Donna is having none of it. This is why Donna is still my favorite companion of the current era.


Harry -
The final showdown features some more gross-out moments. The Oods have been kept passive and subservient because their hive brain is imprisoned inside Warehouse 15. With all hell breaking loose and the Ood rampaging, McInnerny's villain orders it to be destroyed with explosives. The DoctorDonna save the day, and McInnerny meets his fate: the hair tonic that he's been chugging has been prepared by the Ood, and now comes their terrible revenge: he converts into the very thing he has exploited and abused.


Sarah -
That is definitely playing the long game!


Harry -
The Ood being wonderful, they take him in as one of their own now.


Sarah -
Because it’s the right thing to do.


Harry -
And they are free to sing!


Sarah -
Huzzah!


Harry -
I found the singing voices didn't quite line up with the Ood's speaking voices, but then they are aliens. The story ends with some tasty foreshadowing, as the Doctor is told that his song will soon end. He makes a face and swings back inside the TARDIS.


Sarah -
And so begins the drama of the Tenth Doctor. So much kvetching about his coming regeneration. I’ll do my best not to dwell on it too much. Probably.


Harry -
This story was pretty much as I remembered. It's not an enjoyable watch. RTD and writer Keith Temple took us to a dark corner of the universe.

So after three adventures with lots of traumatic scenes and near-death experiences, Donna has been put through the wringer and then some. I always think of her season as a fun one, but hopefully the fun starts soon.


Sarah -
It’s a solid story with an excellent performance by Catherine Tate. Ready for some Sontarans?


Harry -
Best Line:
DOCTOR: "These are really good handcuffs."
DONNA: "Well, at least we've got quality."

Favourite Moment: Donna rages at the system.

Lasting Image: the caged Ood.

6/10


Sarah -
Best Line: "If you don't do what she says, you're really in trouble. Not from me, from her."

Favorite Moment:  Donna’s empathy towards the Ood. 

Lasting Image: The Caged Ood.

6/10

Our marathon continues with Story #192: The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky...

Story #190 - The Fires of Pompeii (2008)

"But you can't rewrite history! Not one line!" –The First Doctor

"Or can you?" -- Donna Noble


Sarah - 
Ensconced in the TARDIS, Donna is on her first trip to the past in what is meant to be Rome, but turns out to be Pompeii -- the day before volcano day.


Harry -
"Ancient Rome!"
"Oh my God, it's so Roman!"

Donna reacts how the rest of us probably would. Wide-eyed and reveling in the opportunity to see the past and experience an ancient culture, which, as the Doctor points out is the present-day for the locals.

Following his own advice, the Doctor walks around like he owns the place. Donna interacts with people and tries out her Latin.

The "Roman Holiday" is short lived, as our friends spot a great mountain on the outskirts of the city. It's Vesuvius, and it's beginning to emit smoke, and they both realize in horror where and when they are.


Sarah -
Wherever the Doctor thought he was going, the TARDIS had other plans. Donna, being Donna, is ready to lead the evacuation of the town but the Doctor explains that no one would listen, assuming she's a complete nut job. It's also an opportunity for the Doctor to deliver his eternal sermon -- that there are fixed points in time that cannot be changed, no matter how awful they may be. Unsurprisingly, Donna is not on board.


Harry -
Right away Donna asserts her excellence in wanting to protect every single person in Pompeii from what is about to happen. The Doctor's hands-off aloofness angers her, establishing the story-long debate that they will engage in. Up to this point in New Who, we have seen the Doctor's companions generally willing to follow his lead, but Donna's bluntness in challenging him is a fresh change.


Sarah -
This is why I love Donna so much. She’s a grown-ass woman who isn’t going to do what the Doctor tells her without understanding why. Total breath of fresh air.


Harry -
She represents a clean break in the show. Amy and Clara definitely follow the Doctor-companion template established by Donna.


Sarah -
Always the trailblazer, our Donna!

Speaking of Amy, did you recognize the mysterious woman observing the Doctor-Donna argument in the street? Of course you did. It's Karen Gillan, who will become Amy in a couple years! It's also Peter Capaldi's first appearance in Doctor Who, following Colin Baker in appearing in the show before becoming the Doctor. I was already a fan of Peter Capaldi and was so excited to see him on Doctor Who. I imagine Capaldi, a life-long Doctor Who fan, saw this as the pinnacle of his career, with no idea of what was yet to come!


Harry -
In a story filled with seers, auguries and visions of the future, it was sublime to catch glimpses of future Who woven into the fabric of the episode. A month after this story was first broadcast, Steven Moffat was announced as Doctor Who's next showrunner. I can't help but wonder if this story brought Gillan and Capaldi front and centre to Moffat, or if he already had them in mind for his iteration of the greatest show in the galaxy.


Sarah -
I’m sure it was all part of his puzzle-box master plan.


Harry -
In the role of marble merchant Caecilius, Capaldi is among many excellent guest actors. He, Tracey Childs, Francesca Fowler and Francois Pandolfo form an upwardly mobile family with ambitions for their business and for the two teens. Caecilius is also a collector, and he's just scored a piece of "modern art" from the local market. It's the TARDIS, and it soon brings the Doctor and Donna to his door pretending to be marble inspectors. At the same time, the arrogant city augur Lucius arrives to collect a sculpture he commissioned from Caecilius.


Sarah -
They’re a lovely little family, but I’m more than a little creeped out by Evelina’s prophecy abilities. The Whole Sibylline Sisterhood makes me uncomfortable, to be honest. I don’t care for true believers of any stripe, which leads us to Lucius. Phil Davis was the perfect actor for this part; I was uncomfortable every moment he was on screen!


Harry -
The only other thing I remember Phil Davis from is the star-studded 1984 version of The Bounty. Even back then he played a sneering authority figure as one of the ship's officers. So he definitely found his niche early on.


Sarah -
You’re forgetting his excellent performance as Jud on Poldark!


Harry -
And he sneered through most of that too.  

His character Lucius goes above and beyond the true believer. He is aiding and abetting some unseen side. The work he commissioned from Caecilius turns out to be stone carvings of electronic circuitry. Naturally, this grabs the Doctor's attention, and he follows the plot back to Lucius, where an entire array of stone circuitry has been assembled piece by piece. The technology will power an energy converter built by the Pyroviles, an alien race that wants to conquer Earth and destroy humanity. 

The story kicks into gear as the Doctor escapes from Lucius' place to find the Sibylline Sisters, who have kidnapped Donna and plan to execute her for heresy. The heresy was merely Donna attempting to make them understand that Pompeii was in imminent danger.


Sarah -
Heresy, facts; potato, potahto -- it’s all in the eye of the beholder. Donna, of course, does not go quietly!


Harry -
The Doctor saves Donna with the clever use of a water pistol, and we finally get to the killer plot twist. In order to stop the Pyroviles, their energy converter must be destroyed. In doing so, it will trigger an explosion under Mount Vesuvius -- the explosion that destroyed Pompeii.


Sarah -
I always have mixed feelings about these sorts of plot twists -- Adric kills the dinosaurs, the Tenth Doctor feeds lines to Shakespeare, and the Fifth Doctor lets a fire in Pudding Lane become the Great Fire of London. Part of me loves them and the other part rolls my eyes.


Harry -
He's like a Meddling Monk with the best of intentions.  Eventually every fixed point in Earth history will have been caused by the Doctor.  What will he/she/they do then?

Seeing the story through Donna's eyes, it's devastating. All this time the Doctor has rebuffed her pleas to warn the people of Pompeii, and now the stunning realization: the disaster of Pompeii will be caused by the Doctor, and for the good of the entire planet, it has to happen.


Sarah -
It’s a heartbreaking moment when Donna begs him to save one person if he can’t save the city.


Harry -
Even knowing what was coming, this scene is really gut-wrenching.  Donna went from giddy time tourist to tormented witness to history in the space of a few hours.  I did love that she took on a share of the responsibility and she and the Doctor threw the fatal switch together.


Sarah -
The Doctor relents and saves the Caecilius family, taking them to the hills above the city.


Harry -
Despite the overwhelming weight of his actions and the urge to cut and run, he performed one small act of kindness. It's a moment that will reverberate through the Doctor's future timeline.  Having lost so much, from Gallifrey to Rose, in a moment of total chaos he still found it in himself to be kind to total strangers in distress.  Sure, this Doctor will go on to storm the universe wreaking vengeance as the angry god, but this moment will come back and reignite the will to goodness that was almost buried within.  

Donna did this.  She is bloody brilliant.  She saved both the Doctor and the Caecilius family.


Sarah -
Six months later, the family has relocated to Rome, where their new household gods bear a striking resemblance to our TARDIS team. 

"The Fires of Pompeii" is a solid and pacey story. It was fun to rewatch it after many years.


Harry -
Great story, great acting and great design work.  The fire monsters were a bit clunky, but that's a minor complaint.


Sarah -
Best Line: “You must excuse my friend, she's from Barcelona.”

Favorite Moment: Donna asking the Doctor to save just one person. 

Lasting Image: The family home and its modern-art TARDIS

7/10


Harry -
Best Line: the TARDIS team's closing exchange.  Quiet and meaningful.

DONNA: Thank you. 
DOCTOR: Yeah. You were right. Sometimes I need someone. Welcome aboard. 
DONNA: Yeah.

Favourite Moment: the Caecilius family leaping into position every time a tremor rocks their house.

Lasting Image: the survivors observing the destruction of Pompeii.

7/10

Our marathon continues with Story #191: Planet of the Ood...

Story #189: Partners in Crime (2008)

Sarah -

We’ve waited so long -- well, it feels like it was so long -- at last, Donna is back on the Sofa!

Harry -

There she is, Donna Noble. Fab as ever!

Donna's first encounter with the Doctor was back on her ill-fated wedding day in "The Runaway Bride". Her nuptials had been ruined, she'd been kidnapped, betrayed by her fiance, and seen the world saved from a giant spider monster by a skinny know-it-all with a flying time ship. Not knowing much about Catherine Tate at the time, I figured she was playing the role as an understandably angry and freaked out guest character. Turns out this was just one character in the Tateiverse. 

When it was announced that Tate would be returning for a full season, I looked up her eponymous sketch show and was delighted to learn that she's a brilliant character actor. One of her recurring personas was teen schoolgirl Lauren Cooper, who found herself in all manner of situations...

Sarah -

Brilliant! I remember sharing this sketch with you around the time of Donna’s return. It still cracks me up. 

Harry -

Hilarious!

So I was genuinely buzzing to see a whole season of the Doctor and Donna.

Sarah -

After the drama of the Rose-Tenth Doctor era and the complicated emotions of the Martha era, Donna was a breath of fresh air.

Harry -

And so it unfolds, eventually, in "Partners in Crime".

First, it opens with both Donna and the Doctor paying separate, mutually unawares visits to Adipose Industries, a corporation that has launched a miracle weight-loss pill. Donna is skeptical and the Doctor is uneasy. What they find does little to ease their suspicions, so they set off, still separately, to interview a couple of Adipose's customers. The Doctor's got a hunch, and Donna experiences horror. Stacey, the woman she paid a visit, went into distress and then vanished from her bathroom.

Sarah -

I love that Donna decided the best way to find the Doctor would be to investigate suspicious situations. Her plan definitely worked. Clever Donna!

Harry -

We the viewers saw what happened. Donna inadvertently triggered the "miracle" solution behind the pills when she fiddled with one of the free gift pendants given to each customer. Poor Stacey witnessed a blob of fat bursting out of her body. Living, sentient fat. Baby Adipose!

Back at Adipose HQ, the face of the corporation is the cold and enigmatic Miss Foster. Stacey's emergency has sounded an alarm, and Foster eliminates her by causing her entire body to transform into Adipose babies.

Sarah -

The scene of Stacey vanishing is truly horrifying. She’s so sweet and I feel badly for her every time she experiences the unscheduled parthenogenesis, but, damn, those Adipose babies are adorable. And, really, it’s not their fault. They’re not trying to hurt anyone, they’re just being born and living their lives.

Harry -

Weight loss as horror. It's something you might have expected to come from the mind of Steven Moffat.

Sarah -

I was thinking the same thing! Moffat is definitely the master of turning everyday things into horror. Honestly, I think Foster could have been upfront about the whole scheme and people still would have willingly signed up to birth those Adipose babies.

Harry -

Miss Foster is the true villain.

Sarah -

Sarah Lancashire is absolutely perfect as Miss Foster. She a particular favorite of mine from Lark Rise to Candleford, Last Tango in Halifax, The Paradise, Happy Valley, and, most recently, Yesterday. She can project officious disdain without breaking a sweat. Spot-on casting.

Harry -

Foster dispatches a cleanup crew to gather up the Adipose babies. Donna and the Doctor pursue them unsuccessfully, and again just miss out on a reunion. RTD teased this out so well.

The next act of the story shows the Doctor puzzling over the mystery inside the TARDIS, alone. Meanwhile, we meet Donna's family. She, her mum, and grandad Wilfrid all live together and as one would expect from RTD, it's not an entirely happy family. What a surprise, Russell!

Sarah -

Gee, imagine that, a companion with a difficult mother. I feel badly for his mother, Barbara, who died before he created a string of negative mother figures in Doctor. That would have been hard to watch from your child. 

Wilf, of course, is lovely, and his conversation with Donna is burned into the memory of everyone who has watched Doctor Who on DVD in the past decade: 

Wilf: You seem to be drifting, sweetheart. 

Donna: I'm not drifting. I'm waiting.

Harry -

That clip played in endless promos at the time, but it's iconic. So is the moment when Donna's investigation finally brings her face-to-face (through a door, a room, and a window) with the Doctor. A joyous reunion and quick catching up ensue via pantomime. This might be my favourite moment of the entire Doctor-Donna era.

Sarah -

It’s my favorite moment of the entire Tennant era. Comic gold!

Harry -

It kickstarts a wild second half of the story, as the new TARDIS team crashes Adipose Industries and get to the bottom of things. Crashing, running, falling, dangling, climbing and rescuing, all right off the Doctor Who action checklist.

Sarah -

The scene on the window-washing crane is probably my single most terrifying moment in the entirety of Doctor Who history. I felt like I was going to faint, and it’s not like this is the first time I’ve watched it.

Harry -

Miss Foster has been fronting a bizarre plot by the Adiposian First Family, which lost its breeding planet and is using Earth as a replacement. Their cover blown, an Adiposian ship descends to Earth to tractor beam all the babies up. Another favourite moment happens here, when the monstrous ship glides past the Nobles' property and right behind Wilf, who remains blissfully unaware.

Sarah -

Runs in the family, apparently.

Harry -

Miss Foster believes she will be part of the evacuation, but is left to plummet to her death by her thankless bosses.

Sarah -

The little Wile E. Coyote moment when she hangs in the air cracks me up every time.

Harry -

Donna asks if the Doctor will also destroy the Adipose babies, but he lets them go. Just babies, they can't help who they are. So they wave goodbye to all the little cuties. "I'm waving at fat," Donna marvels.

Earth is saved again, hurray!

Sarah -

Good work, TARDIS Team!

Harry -

We move to the wrap-up scene, and this time Donna agrees to join the Doctor in the TARDIS. Thankfully, this time RTD put the kibosh on romantic attachment between the Doctor and companion. Not before a final kick at Martha, whose time with the Doctor is depicted as "complicated".

Sarah -

And we know whose complications they were! 

I love that Donna is the one not having any of it:

DONNA: You just want to mate? 

DOCTOR: I just want a mate! 

DONNA: You're not mating with me, sunshine! 

DOCTOR: A mate. I want a mate. 

DONNA: Well, just as well, because I'm not having any of that nonsense. I mean, you're just a long streak of nothing. You know, alien nothing. 

This exchange cracks me up every time. Get over yourself, Doctor.

Harry -

So glad that's the end of the Doctor-girlfriend theme. Or is it? As Donna heads off to the TARDIS after dropping off her car keys, we get a shock appearance from ROSE TYLER. Augh! What the hell RTD!

Sarah -

I watched it with my daughter, who nearly fell off her chair when Rose turned up. It was nice to remember the shock of Rose turning up. It’s mostly downhill from here, so I’ll try to savor this moment.

Harry -

Anyway, off they go, Doctor and Donna, to travel the universe as best pals. This outstanding season opener finishes off with a final scene at the Nobles. This time, Wilf spots the TARDIS floating past in the sky, with Donna inside, waving back and looking ecstatic. 

Best Line: "I'm waving at fat."

Favourite Moment: the Doctor-Donna reunion scene.

Lasting Image: the Adipose babies floating away.

8/10

Sarah -

A most excellent start to the season!

Best Line:

DONNA: That Martha must've done you good. 

DOCTOR: She did, yeah. Yeah. She did. She fancied me. 

DONNA: Mad Martha, that one. Blind Martha. Charity Martha.

Favorite Moment: Definitely the slapstick reunion scene. 

Lasting Image: Donna in the porthole telling the Doctor, “It’s me!”

8/10

Our marathon continues with story #190: The Fires of Pompeii...

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...