My Review of Torchwood's 3x02: "Children Of Earth: Day Two"

Written by John Fay
Directed by Euros Lyn

Johnson (re Gwen): “Now do you believe she’s a terrorist?”
Andy: “She shot your wheels. What kind of terrorist shoots your wheels?”
Johnson: “A clever one.”

And we’re off with the second day of this saga. Following the Hub’s total destruction at the end of the first episode, it’s more or less confirmed that our Torchwood are alive if still in danger from the government.

Gwen herself is rounded up by some workers posing as ambulance drivers who make an unsuccessful bid to abduct and kill her. You gotta give Gwen her dues with the way she was quickly able to incapacitate them with a few swift moves. The girl literally has become an action woman within the episode.

The workers in question didn’t reveal who exactly was pursing Gwen but if working in Torchwood is anything to go by, then Gwen was smart enough to realise that whoever her attackers were would also target Rhys within the hour as well. Come on, it would’ve been a surprise if they hadn’t.

I was hoping that Andy would show up in this episode and luckily he did. Mainly his interactions were kept with Johnson and at first, he did seem eager to flirt with her. Wouldn’t bother, Andy – she would definitely eat you for breakfast and spit you out without a second thought.

Of course Andy’s role in this episode wasn’t quite as proactive as I’d hoped it would be. Instead he led Johnson to Gwen and Rhys and tried to convince the assassin that Gwen wasn’t a terrorist. Andy, the lady doesn’t care but it did make for a good line.

A terrorist might have shot at Johnson’s vehicle in a bid to blow it up. All Gwen did was shoot down the tires but still points for effectiveness have to be given out. And it also makes sure that Andy doesn’t believe that his former worker is a terrorist. Not that he would.

Gwen and Rhys trying to escape while keeping their heads low could draw some parallels to the same thing The Doctor, Martha and Jack had to do during The Master’s reign on Earth but getting out of Cardiff to London was always going to be a tricky one.

It’s a good job for Gwen that she’s married to a man who knows his shit about haulage then. It’s not like the writers are even pretending – Rhys basically is joining up Torchwood and it was his bright idea of getting in the back of a haulage truck that got them to London in the first place. I’m also sure that within the next three days that Rhys will probably come up with some more bright ideas as well.

As for the pregnancy reveal, I think the writer picked the right moment to do. Rhys’s reaction was understandably joyous but I was worried for a second that his enthusiasm would end up getting them caught. I guess luck further fell into their favour by not doing so.

Another stroke of luck was Gwen getting through to Lois instead of Frobisher. You wouldn’t have needed Lois’s powers of perception to realise that if Gwen had talked to Frobisher, she would’ve been a dead woman. It also made total sense for Lois to go and meet up with Gwen.

Gwen’s initial frostiness with Lois was something that made sense. Gwen didn’t recognise and even Lois was confused as to why Frobisher was so determined to kill off Torchwood when they’re the good guys. Now you know how Buffy and her gang must feel in the eighth season comics.

The interesting part was seeing Lois show off her potential without even trying. I could almost telegraph that Gwen was going to end up making some comment about wanting to hire Lois as a potential employee for Torchwood. Now all Lois has to do is make it to Friday in one piece and she’ll be doing some relocating.

It was also thanks to Lois that Gwen and Rhys were able to pose as undertakers to come and collect Rupesh’s body. Okay, so it was Jack they were looking for and while Johnson eventually caught the couple, victory was indeed on Torchwood’s side for a bit.

Getting Jack back was needed for this episode. Both Gwen and Ianto knew it had to be done, both of them knew Jack would survive the blast (even if there was a flicker of doubt at some points) and both were largely separately from the episode in order to carry out their plan.

I have to give Ianto’s family some props. I wrote his brother in law, Johnny as a major dick in the previous episode and wasn’t all that sympathetic when he complained about Johnson’s men raiding the Evans household but he actually shone in this episode as well.

It was him who encouraged Rhiannon to help Ianto and it was also him and some local neighbours that caused a distraction long enough so Rhiannon could give Ianto back a laptop. Then again with spies are incompetent as the ones Frobisher sent (or was it Johnson?); maybe Johnny didn’t need to bother.

I liked that Ianto had to tell his sister about Torchwood without having to explain everything. Their relationship does seem distant but she does care about him and she certainly believed him when he told her that he was working with Jack and Gwen to fix the situation with the children as well.

The rescuing Jack part of the episode was excellent. I thought when it came to Jack’s Lazarus abilities that we had seen everything. I was wrong. In this episode we saw his body ripped to shreds, flayed and then repair itself. I was glad that we only had to see flayed Jack just once. Again, the current issue of Buffy comics I’m reading has made sure that I’ve more than had my fill of flayed guys.

Johnson really is a nasty piece of work. Attacks on Gwen and Ianto aside and her callous way of referring to Jack as a thing, she almost made The Master seem more behaved by comparison. Also she seemed more than happy to taunt Jack as she had him covered in cement. So why do I like her again? Oh, right, effective villain played by good actress. Need to keep remembering that one.

Johnson succeeds where the rest of them stay uncertain. The Prime Minister is still typically spineless while Bridget seems to retain an annoying stiff upper lip quality about her and Decker is suitably creepy.

Frobisher is the harder one to figure out though. Somewhere along with his determination to keep Torchwood out of the way is a man with a conscience. He asked more sensible questions about the 456 and given that they’re supposed to be coming tomorrow (thank you, kids), what kind of a creature can survive/breathe in a tank with so many different kinds of gasses and cyanide?

As for the gang’s reunion, it’s pretty brief but I guess after being broken out of a concrete prison, Jack is going to take a while to sort things out. Either way, there’s three more days to go. It’s just a shame that Alice didn’t get all that much to do in this episode apart from trying to call her father. Something which I think will put her in harm’s way as well.

Also in “Children Of Earth: Day Two”

The Previously On bit had some clips of the first episode of course.

Frobisher (re Torchwood): “What went wrong?”
Johnson: “They got lucky but they won’t get far.”
Frobisher: “We can’t have witnesses.”

We saw Clem outside the street screaming when he realised that the 456 were coming tomorrow. I’m surprised that he hasn’t aroused attention from Home Office.

Gwen: “What are you doing?”
Rhys: “Packing.”
Gwen: “You aren’t gonna have time to read and they can track you with that.”

Frobisher (to the Prime Minister, re the 456): “That’s what everyone is asking - when were they here before?”

Did anyone think that Gwen not shooting Johnson but her tires was slightly Doctor-esque? I’m kind of hoping that he actually shows up in this story given that we know that David Tennant will be in The Sarah Jane Adventures this year.

Frobisher (to Lois, re Captain Jack): “He told you this over the phone?”
Bridget: “He always was an arrogant sod.”

Rhiannon (re Ianto): “What’s he done? Why is he bringing this to our door?”
Johnny: “We’re the only family he’s got.”

Gwen genuinely looked like she was gonna hurl in that truck full of potatoes, even though these episodes were filmed before the actress became pregnant in real life.

Johnson (re Captain Jack): It was a bag of bits when I brought it in. Get that thing out and cuff it to the wall.”

Gwen: “When have you ever known me to be travel sick?”
Rhys: “When have you ever had to travel like this?”

Gwen and Rhys got from Cardiff to London in a very short space of time.

Rhys (re pregnancy): “This changes everything.”
Gwen: “No it doesn’t. We’re at the same creek and we need a paddle.”

Rhiannon: “What kind of civil servants are you?”
Ianto: “Unappreciated ones.”

Ianto seems to have issues with his father pushing him too hard. This is the third time this series Ianto’s mentioned his father, so are we going to see him?

Lois (to Gwen, re Torchwood): “If you’re the bad guys, why doesn’t say so on your file and if you’re the good guys, then who am I working for?”

Johnson (to Captain Jack): “I will say this. If I can’t kill you, I will contain you.”

I should’ve mentioned in my previous review that Colonel Mace was relocated to Vancouver.

Lois: “I’m a PA, this is what I do.”
Gwen: “When this is all over and you want a job, call me.”

Rhys: “We’re not gonna get away with this.”
Gwen: “You really shouldn’t be here, Rhys.”

I heard the ratings for the first episode were over 5 million viewers, which is the highest for this show and good for a summer drama. Surely a fourth season has to be on the cards?

Gwen (to Kodak): “I prefer the company of dead people.”

Chronology: The next day after “Children Of Earth: Day One”.

Not as good as the first episode but “Children Of Earth: Day Two” doesn’t show signs that this plot has difficulty in sustaining itself. Blasphemy it may be but this episode kind of benefited from the lack of Jack that we got.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

My Review of Torchwood's 3x01: "Children Of Earth: Day One"

Written by Russell T. Davies
Directed by Euros Lyn

The Children: “We are coming, we are coming.”
Gwen: “Oh my God.”
The Children: “We are coming, we are coming.”

I guarantee one thing – a group of kids chanting ‘we are coming’ should be the very thing to make grown men weep. Torchwood’s always sort of styled itself on both The X-Files and Spooks and now that’s even more so with this excellent five part season.

My biggest peeves about the new season (aside from the fifteen month wait for it) include the fact that it’s five episodes instead of thirteen, that there are no individual episode titles and also that it’s airing for five consecutive nights.

With the last one, it’s a bit annoying from a reviewing perspective but the first five minutes almost made all of those peeves disappear. Torchwood, oh how I’ve missed you so much.

In Scotland 1965, a group of children took a fatal bus trip in the middle of the night and got blinded by aliens. One young boy didn’t seem to follow and forty four years later that was something that would prove relevant.

Gwen was the first person to spot the madness as was Rhys in his van. It’s always going to be alarming seeing virtually every single child stopping on the streets and when it was revealed that it was happening all over the world, there was a bigger cause for alarm.

Having the government of sorts involved in the alien invasion (it is an invasion, right?) was fine for me. Governments are always inept, secretive, outright danger and generally incompetent and with the likes of the Prime Minister, John Frobisher and Bridget Spears and that Colonel bloke whose name I didn’t actually get, all of them ticked the respective boxes.

The alien threat in this story is something called the 456. Not exceptionally the best name for an alien threat but I’m sure the lack of a cool name is nothing compared to the damage that they’re likely to cause within the next four episodes though.

Stopping kids in the streets is one thing but when an older man named Timothy Whites was doing the same thing, there was something of an obvious connection. He had to have been that young boy from 1965 and while it took Gwen a while for him to open up about it, I liked that I was right, even if I wasn’t in a minority there.

With all these incidents happenings, having the government declare an assassination attempt on Torchwood was mind blowing. Can I just say that I love Johnson, hard core, extremist bitch that she is? I had a soft spot for Liz May Brice on Bad Girls and I think it’s brilliant that she was cast as Johnson.

The Hub blowing was certainly a spectacular moments. Gwen managed to run away in time but Ianto was going up the lift at the time and while I don’t doubt that he’ll be alive next episode, I am worried about Jack. Yeah, he can’t die but it seems that Johnson isn’t for want of trying.

She literally had him cause that explosion in the Hub after she had gotten Rupesh to betray Jack and shoot him. I actually thought that Rupesh was going to be a new team member or a playmate for Jack/Ianto, what I’m a slasher? The episode teased it with Jack and Ianto spying on him and Gwen even trying to recruit him for Torchwood.

In the end, cute as he was, Rupesh was a plant for Johnson and when he tried to scarper, she had no problem in executing him. I suppose I shouldn’t gripe about one cute guy meeting an untimely end on the show but Torchwood wise, we are destined for some new recruits.

Back in the first season, I would’ve found it hard to imagine the idea of Rhys wanting to join Torchwood. Note that I said want rather than him being capable. Rhys might be an ordinary bloke but he’s no dummy and I wanted to high five him when he wondered if the moments when all the kids stopped were deliberate. Gwen telling him that he was brilliant however just covered it.

Rhys is potentially going to be a Torchwood employee, which means he’ll have to put up with Jack’s flirty behaviour even more so. Another person who clearly looks destined for future Torchwood employment is Lois Habiba.

I had to laugh when she told Jack that she had no idea of Torchwood’s existence because at this point, everyone is aware of them. Lois did however show a natural suspicion towards Frobisher, Decker and Bridget and she had realised too late that Torchwood were going to be put out of business.

Assuming she makes it past this season alive (and signs are good, right?), Lois could be a promising addition to the Torchwood team. For one thing, she’ll help even out the gender ratio and if she’s impervious to Jack’s flirtatiousness, then her and Rhys will have something in common too.

When alien threats weren’t dominating the proceedings, another huge strength of the season premiere was the interpersonal stuff. I kind of wished that I hadn’t read spoilers due to certain scenes but regardless of that, everything that was ‘spoiled’ for me wasn’t in the sense that they didn’t lose their impact.

Gwen’s meeting with Clement ‘Clem’ MacDonald (Timothy’s real name) not only revealed that he knew about the 456 but the reveal of her pregnancy was excellently handled. It should also tie in perfectly with Eve Myles’s real life pregnancy as well. Gwen wasn’t enthusiastic when Rhys brought up the issue of kids but as soon as she got over her initial shock she warmed to the idea of becoming a mother. Here’s hoping that surviving being nearly blown to smithereens hasn’t affected her.

As for Jack, is it really a massive shock to learn that he’s got a daughter named Alice and a grandson named Steven? Not really but again, the excellent casting continued with Cape Wrath’s Lucy Cohu cast as the daughter in question. Jack trying to pass himself off as Steven’s uncle also made a lot of sense.

What I also loved was Jack discussing the idea of telling Steven the truth about himself. It made sense for Alice to be against the idea and I certainly didn’t blame her when she objected Jack wanting to use his grandson as a means of figuring out the frequency as well in regards to the 456.

It’s funny that Ianto also had the same idea in regards to his niece, Mischa as well. Wow, family really is a dominant part of this episode. We know that Gwen and Rhys have a baby on the way, we’ve met Jack’s daughter and grandson and now we’ve met Ianto’s sister, niece, nephew and idiot brother in law.

One of the best things about this episode was addressing Jack and Ianto’s relationship. They both deeply care for each other, would sacrifice themselves for the other, certainly know how to light up a screen with a kiss in the moment of danger but the label of ‘couple’ is strange to them.

Everyone seemed to comment on them being a couple. Rupesh automatically assumed they were a couple, Gwen teased them for talking like a couple in an affectionate way and Rhiannon also didn’t give up until Ianto admitted that him and Jack were an item. However the very word was hard for both of them.

For Jack, I guess Ianto’s mortality is always going to be a factor and for Ianto, he openly admitted to his sister that it was just Jack he was into, not men. I absolutely loved Gareth David-Lloyd in that scene and I also thought that Russell T. Davies wrote something very truthful and I liked Rhiannon as well. Couldn’t however give a monkey about her idiot husband and his dumbass solutions for trying to get Ianto’s SUV back when a group of Chavs nicked it.

As for the bad guys of the episode, it’s hard to get a real feel for them. I get the feeling that Frobisher might not be as evil as he seemed (and it was him who got Bridget to blow up Torchwood) but Johnson seems ruthless to the core and the Prime Minister, Bridget and Decker also seem typically bureaucratic as well. Thankfully we’ll have more episodes to develop them then.

Also in “Children Of Earth: Day One”

The opening credits were a white background and Kai Owen was promoted to series regular.

Rupesh (re Mr Williams): “There’d have to be an autopsy but I’d say his heart gave out.”
Ianto: “Brave old heart.”

Gwen’s ‘what’s occurring?’ line will only make sense if you’ve seen Gavin And Stacy and we did have Ruth Jones in “Adrift”.

Rupesh: “You’re Torchwood.”
Captain Jack: “Never heard of them.”

Colonel (to Frobisher): “As far as we can tell, at 8.40 this morning every child in the world stopped.”

Torchwood’s elevation to BBC3 to BBC1 in three seasons is good. It also follows the Five Days/Criminal Justice trend by trying to air all the third season in a week.

Gwen (re Rupesh): “You just let him follow you?”
Ianto: “Ask about Torchwood and you get pointed to the bay.”

Captain Jack: “I hate the word, ‘couple’.”
Ianto: “Me too.”

In the build up to Season 3, we had a series of radio plays such as “Asylum”, “The Dead Line and “Golden Age” to whet our appetites.

Rupesh (re the Hub): “What’s in there?”
Gwen: “Big science fiction super base. Honestly, see you later.”

Captain Jack: “You’re working for the Home Office and you’ve never heard of Torchwood?”
Lois: “I’m new. Just started today.”

Martha was mentioned in this episode (The Doctor wasn’t though). Gwen said she was on honeymoon and there were a few allusions to “The Stolen Earth”/“Journey’s End” as well.

Prime Minister: “You never told me, I was never part of it. I never knew, is that understood?”
Frobisher: “Yes, sir. Then I assume the blank page is left to me.”

Alice (to Captain Jack): “Yeah. I just can't stand it dad. I look older than you do and it's never going to stop. I get older and older and you stay the same. One day you're going to be standing at my funeral... looking just like you did when you were standing at Mum's. No wonder she was so furious. You make us feel old.”

I loved that little scene where Gwen said hello to the picture of Owen and Toshiko at the start of the episode. I also wasn’t surprised that she used alien tech to confirm her pregnancy as well.

Ianto (to Rhiannon, re Captain Jack): “It’s weird. It’s different. It’s not men, it’s him. It’s only him and I don’t know what it is.”

Gwen: “You know what I think it was – aliens?”
Clem: “There’s no such thing.”
Gwen: “Those days are long gone.”

I’m guessing the flayed body that we saw Johnson with for the next episode is Jack. Reading the Buffy comics, I think I’ve had my fill of flayed dudes.

Rupesh (re Captain Jack): “He was dead.”
Johnson: “And now he’s dead again.”

Captain Jack (re pregnancy): “Oh my God, is that? How long?”
Gwen: “Three weeks.”
Captain Jack: “That’s good, isn’t it? From where I’m standing, it looks good to me.”
Gwen: “Yeah. Bloody hell. It’s brilliant.”

The DVD for the whole third season is coming out on July 27th. BBC America airs it from July 20th-24th and there’s ComicCon with John Barrowman, David Tennant, Russell T. Davies and Euros Lyn on the 26th.

Captain Jack (to Ianto): “I’ll come back. I always do.”

Chronology: It’s hard to determine though it’s believed that Rupesh might have been watching them for a long while. He admitted to being in Cardiff for 18 months.

“Children Of Earth: Day One” certainly opened things on a high but with the distance we had to wait and the reduced number of episodes this season, we needed something big and chock full of shocks and character moments. I don’t know if the remaining four episodes will sustain the storyline but things are more than off to a good start, I’ll give you that.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Dollhouse's 1x08: "Needs"

Written by Tracy Bellomo
Directed by Felix Enrique Alcala

November: “We lost Mike.”
Sierra: “We save ourselves and we do it now.”
Victor: “I’m with her.”

With that line, I have to think, ‘in more ways than one’. Last week saw the Dollhouse and other raided by a drug while this week, a certain amount of Actives sort of become half themselves in something that had to have been deliberate to begin with.

It could’ve been a coincidence having five of them just glitch all together. It might have been even easier just to let it be Caroline who knows she’s herself but devoid of her memories but would that have been as fun to watch? Highly doubtful.

The opening moment is great with Caroline in her glass bed shrieking mad. There’s no way on Earth that you could complain about a response as natural as this but ensuring that Mellie, Victor, Sierra and Mike were also in a similar predicament to Caroline as well made for an interesting episode.

Every reaction was sort of established very easily. Mike, the new Doll we meet here was paranoid, Sierra knew immediately that she was blameless; Victor made heavy allusion to prison while Caroline thought the place was corrupt. It was only Mellie/November who considered the idea of maybe the place not being so nefarious.

In some ways, this episode is quite “Tabula Rasa” (which might justify my enjoyment for it) in places. Mike’s over the top reactions definitely fused a right amount of comedy but if you’re going to try and blend in with your surroundings to get a proper feel for the place, isn’t it best to act normal?

While Tango started dithering on about her breakfast, Mike went overboard to the extent that I’m surprised Caroline didn’t give him a gentle kick under the table. By overreacting the way he did, he wounded up getting his treatment earlier than expected.

It’s kind of a shame that Mike got taken out of the mix early in the episode but in retrospect this probably worked better with Caroline/Echo, Victor, Sierra and Mellie/November all by themselves. We were gonna have to get an episode with the four of them working together and this didn’t disappoint on that level.

All four of them knocking out handlers, sneaking around to change clothes was fun and all but it felt too easy, even to the extent that I’m kind of surprised that neither Victor nor Sierra cottoned on to it given their powers of perception in this whole charade.

Adelle showed a lot of insight into knowing how Caroline was going to react to the situation. It didn’t faze her that Caroline would turn around and go back into the Dollhouse and try and free everyone else. It also probably didn’t faze her that November, Victor and Sierra had their own missions to carry out with.

Unlike some viewers, I do actually sympathise with Caroline’s plight a little and I do think her heart’s in the right place. However this episode did prove that despite her good intention, she’s like Paul in some respects – she simply doesn’t think things through.

She could’ve contacted the police or even tried to do some digging on the Dollhouse before trying to free the Actives. She might have even taken heed to Topher and Adelle trying to warn her about overwhelming the Actives in their blank states by bringing them out to the real world.

Her confrontations with both Topher and Adelle had their moments. Anyone scaring the heck out of Topher and questioning his motives is fine with me. Topher really does believe that he’s actually doing the right thing, that the Actives benefit from all this. Adelle believes it too and even stated it here more viscerally to Caroline.

Eight episodes in and we’ve had very little to support their belief of the Dollhouse being good. We’ve seen no signs that actually becoming a Doll is advantageous within the slightest. All we’ve seen are the disadvantages over and over again. This episode was no different in that respect.

Sierra in particular was definitely someone who benefits the least from the Dollhouse. Being sold into the organisation all because she wouldn’t sleep with a rich jerk? My friend won’t watch this show because he can’t get past the premise of the series. It’s moments like this where I have to agree with him.

Nolan was certainly a loathsome creature. The way he spitefully told Sierra that he would occasionally rent out as a Doll and sleep with her to get back at her for refusing sex with him beforehand creeped me out (in a way that seeing a flayed Jack Harkness couldn’t).

I’m surprised that neither Victor nor Sierra snapped the guy’s neck there and then. I certainly wouldn’t have blamed them. Then again, Sierra did vow to make him pay and here’s hoping that she gets to do so.

Sierra in her blank state seemed very in charge during the course of this episode though we did seem moments of vulnerability. I guess it would make sense that Victor’s mission would be watch her back. His attraction to her could draw parallels to Paul’s fixation/attraction on Caroline but Victor’s motives seem … purer.

I know that in the world of Joss Whedon that happy couples are doomed multiple times over (after all the only stable couple in the Buffy verse is Willow/Kennedy and they don’t generate many supporters) but you’d have to have a heart of stone not to ship Victor and Sierra.

Excellent chemistry with the actors aside, I just love how they had each other’s back within the whole episode. It would’ve been nice if we had gotten some insight into Victor’s past but now that the show is coming back for seconds, I can wait a little longer.

Also, should I be shocked that Mellie/November would have a tragic backstory? No, but maybe it’s fitting for her. Learning that her daughter, Katie was dead and coping with her grief made for a powerful moment. Isn’t it interesting that both Sierra and November (and Victor presumably) have far more engaging pasts than Caroline/Echo? Maybe that’s deliberate too.

The reveal of Claire being the one to stage the whole closure was a bit of a shocker. I guess it made sense given that her concern for the Actives is more genuine than Topher or Adelle’s or even Dominic’s. That didn’t stop Boyd however questioning her actions either.

Paul on the other hand went out of his way to try and trace a bug in his house when he wasn’t fantasising about Caroline and Mellie all at once. The end scene where Caroline left him a message should help with trying to trace the Dollhouse in the next couple of weeks.

Also in “Needs”

We saw a lot of new faces in the opening scenes, including some female handlers.

Dominic: “It's easy to become attached to your assigned active. In fact, it's necessary. But don't think of them as children. Think of them as pets.”
Claire: “Is that supposed to be funny?”

Paul’s fantasy sequences with Mellie and Caroline did end up with both of them harmed. Is his actions gonna cause Mellie’s death?

Victor: “Who the hell are you?”
Echo: “Hey, I woke up in a five star floor coffin just like you, pal.”

Woman: “Good morning! We're having banana pancakes for breakfast today.”
Tango: “I like pancakes.”
Victor: “We're all gonna die.”

New Dolls in this episode had Mike and Tango and I’m pretty sure there was one named Quebec as well.

Female Handler (to Boyd): “Like Mr Dominic said, they’re pets. Every good dog needs to be put down sometime.”

November: “I remember my life.”
Sierra: “You sure?”
November: “Yes.”

We didn’t learn November real name or surname, even when seeing Katie’s grave. Sierra’s real name is Priya.

Sierra: "What you did to me, putting me in that hell. What did I ever do to you?"
Nolan: “You said no. And nobody ever says no to me.”

Caroline (to Adelle): “Your unbearable truth lady is you’re not as important as you think you are.”

Standout music: O + S’s “Lonely Ghosts”, for its utter poignancy.

“Needs” is certainly a high point for the season but with the closure our four main Dolls received, does that automatically mean that they’ll stop glitching from now on? Probably not!

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Doctor Who's 4x15: "Planet Of The Dead"

Written by Russell T. Davies And Gareth Roberts
Directed by James Strong

Christina (to everyone): “Then we need to apply ourselves to the problem with discipline! Which starts with appointing a leader.”
The Doctor: “Yes, at last, thank you, so …”
Christina: “Well, thank goodness you’ve got me! Everyone! Do exactly as I say! Inside the bus immediately.”

It’s been four months since “The Next Doctor” and now, it is really is the beginning of the end for David Tennant’s reign as The Doctor. This year might only be giving us four specials but the promotion for the first one has been every bit as widespread as if we were getting a full season.

Opening wise, things go into Mission Impossible territory, although you can obviously substitute Tom Cruise and add Nimeuh into the mix instead. There’s a nice 1000 plus cup (from King Athelstan) and Christina managed to snare the thing without barely tensing a muscle.

She even got lucky for a few seconds when the police ended up arresting some random bloke but then, McMillan arrived on the scene and he seemed determined to bag her. Okay, I know robbery’s bad and all but it did seem that early on, he had a personal reason for wanting her caught. Maybe she stole off him once upon a time.

Christina did however manage to evade capture and boarded a bus. I usually hate when taking a bus if I have a lot of change to give the bus driver almost as much as they must hate me for it. Christina however found that diamonds made for a perfect substitute when she didn’t have a tenner handy on her.

The Doctor’s introduction in the episode was predictably light. He just waved his psychic paper, chomped on an Easter egg and offered a bit to Christina. Perhaps it’s the Time Lord equivalent of foreplay but Christina was a bit too distracted to really pay any real attention to him at the time.

However with an hour’s worth of story time, Christina had the liberty of spending a decent amount of time just thinking that The Doctor was an odd little man with that tracking device of his. The Doctor can’t just take a normal bus ride, it has to be disastrous and disaster was certainly the order of the day with this particular episode.

I know a lot of people were fearing that this episode was going to turn out to be another “Midnight” but I think we can credit both Russell and Gareth for coming up with some reasonably different here. The Doctor’s little device tracked a wormhole and soon enough, everyone in the bus went through the same wormhole.

It made for a good sequence and it did generate a fantastic ‘WTF’ look on McMillan’s face but more importantly, it also meant getting UNIT on board. For those of you hoping for anything remotely involving Martha (or perhaps the Brigadier at a stretch), then you’ll be disappointed. Martha’s neither seen nor mentioned at all in this episode but we do at least have one familiar face.

Captain Erisa Mugambo from “Turn Left” resurfaced in this episode to take control of the wormhole situation from the Brixton end of things. This episode certainly gave a lot more to do than her first appearance and I have to admit that I did love her for casually dismissing McMillan. Man, was that guy annoying or what?

On a different world, The Doctor and everyone else came to a place with three suns and a savaged bus and less than three minutes before at least one of the guest cast had to actually die. The bus driver who liked Christina’s diamonds found himself reduced to bones when he tried to go back through the wormhole.

Because of The Doctor’s knowledge of well, just about everything, we at least had to have one scene where his new friends showed some mistrust. Thankfully unlike the last time he was trapped with a group of strangers, this bunch opted not to kill him but to actually trust him.

They probably would’ve followed him too but Christina thought that she would make a better leader. I have to admire her guts for dethroning The Doctor, who certainly seemed baffled by her wanting to be in charge. Christina will probably not surprise a lot of viewers as a stand in companion but she’s certainly fun for the hour.

I did like her running through a list of pointers and even for acknowledging that it would be a good idea if she allowed The Doctor to explain to everyone what exactly was happening to them. The Doctor did that but more effective however was his method of getting people to focus.

He made the effort to try and learn some simple facts about Angela, Nathan, Barclay, Lou and Carmen and then he used them to try to get them to focus on getting home rather than fearing for their lives. Perhaps he should use this method more often when in situations like this.

Another high point was him and Christina quizzing each other. I know the flirting went a bit over the top but I kind of enjoyed their sparky dynamic and Christina did evoke some reminders of the Majenta Pryce character currently travelling with The Doctor in the DWM comic strips right about now.

Christina wasn’t exactly surprised when figuring out that The Doctor knew a lot about alien stuff but his curiosity was piqued when she was able to offer Nathan and Barclay a shovel and an axe when she got them to dig the wheels of the bus out of the sand for her. Christina’s not much for getting her hands dirty at this point in the episode.

As would be companions, Christina is probably the most morally ambiguous that David Tennant’s Doctor has had to deal with. Even though The Doctor does show suspicion of her when he’s not flirting back with her, its Christina who pretty much dominates the episode and naturally enough, it’s also Christina with whom he’s captured with by the Tritovores.

As aliens go, I’m not sure what to think. When I first saw the look of them a couple of weeks, I have to admit to thinking that they looked sort of lame and it didn’t help that the press were alleging that Russell T Davies himself was comparing them to the Daleks in terms of evilness.

Of course the press were utterly wrong about that. First off all, the Tritovores do not exude menace and secondly, they’re actually harmless. The Doctor and Christina were pretty much in no danger from them and it got quickly revealed that they had come to the planet for motives that were anything but sinister.

The unfortunate part was the reveal of the sand. Apparently the actual threat in this episode – a billion swarming stingray type creatures do their lifecycle (and subsequently open up wormholes) by going to other worlds and relentless devouring in order to survive.

As villains, they might not be intentionally evil but they are obviously dangerous and I have to admit to being suitably impressed with the CGI for them. They looked and felt genuinely threatening (they even killed the Tritovores) and there was a great moment when Christina nearly got killed by one of them when she took it upon herself to nab some Anti-Gravity clamps for the bus.

The funny part about that scene was Christina actually thinking it was the diamond that The Doctor needed. Their little conversation over the comms finally had The Doctor realise that Christina was a professional thief. It was predictable that Christina had an unapologetic attitude towards her mad thieving but I think I would’ve annoyed if she hadn’t.

For a strange reason, her motives for stealing worked for the character and even myself as a viewer. She wasn’t a female Robin Hood in training and she didn’t need the cash. Essentially she’s a bored rich girl in desperate need of adventure. You didn’t need Carmen’s low level psychic abilities to tell that being with The Doctor clicked all of those buttons.

However if you’re thinking it’s The Doctor who wound up saving the day or even Christina, it really isn’t. The award for heroism really had to go to Malcolm Taylor, UNIT’s dottiest doctor and surprisingly enough, a boat load of fun. Even the threat of having his brains blown out by Erisa didn’t stop him from actually allowing the wormhole to stay open long enough for The Doctor to get everyone home.

I have to admit to having some reservations about Lee Evans but I think I enjoyed Malcolm maybe a little more than Christina. His bumbling enthusiasm, mad words to describe wavelengths all worked fairly well for me, though I can understand why The Doctor was initially overwhelmed by Malcolm.

Plus if you’re a bit of a slash bunny, I think you might have enjoyed Malcolm telling The Doctor repeatedly how much he loved him. I thought at one point Malcolm was going to actually kiss The Doctor, which might have pleased those who less enthusiastic about The Doctor/Christina kiss (which literally was blink and you’ll miss).

With the swarm creatures that did get to Earth killed, the rest of this episode neatly tied itself up. The Doctor got a standing ovation and had a nice little moment with Erisa and Christina got to steal a flying bus and evade justice, much to McMillan’s annoyance.

The Doctor rejecting Christina is something we haven’t really seen on this series but even with David Tennant and Russell T. Davies pointing it out, perhaps it does make sense for The Doctor to be travelling on his own for a bit. I like the way that his pain over losing Donna isn’t being tossed aside because I still miss the fiery temp myself.

However the best part of this episode came with Carmen’s cryptic warning. We all know that death is coming for The Doctor. We also more or less know that the person who will knock four times is more than likely to be The Master but the look on The Doctor’s face when Carmen relayed that message is enough to wipe any flaw this episode might have. Death really is coming and like The Doctor, we’ve also got to wait a while for it to show.

Also in “Planet Of The Dead”

David Tennant and Michelle Ryan’s names were both in the opening credits for this episode.

The Doctor: “I’m picking up on something very strange.”
Christina: “I know the feeling.”

This is the first episode of the new series to be filmed in High Definition. Maybe I should’ve watched this at my sister’s.

Christina: “You’re called The Doctor?”
The Doctor: “Yes I am.”
Christina: “That’s not a name, that’s a psychological condition.”

Carmen: “Something, something is coming, riding on the wind and shining.”
The Doctor: “What is it?”
Carmen: “Death. Death is coming.”

We learned that Nathan lost his job, Barclay had a girlfriend called Tina, Lou and Carmen had dinner plans and Angela was heading home. Oh and the planet was called San Helios and we saw the Scorpion Nebula.

Christina (to The Doctor): “Wait a minute; you’re the man with all the answers. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

The Doctor: “We make quite a couple.”
Christina: “We don’t make any sort of couple, thank you very much.”

This is the 200th story in the series as a whole (the bus was called 200 as well). Just make sure you exclude “Shada”, accept all of “The Trial Of A Time Lord” as one story and “Utopia”/“The Sound Of Drums”/“Last Of The Time Lords” also as one story.

Erisa (to Malcolm): “I know. We all want to meet him one day but we all know what that day will bring.”
The Doctor: “I can hear everything you’re saying.”

The Doctor: “Malcolm, you’re my new best friend.”
Malcolm: “And you’re mine too, sir.”

I noticed this was also the first episode of the new series to be scribed by two writers but then again, the next episode will also have the same feat.

The Doctor (re Tritovores): “They believe me.”
Christina: “What, simple as that?”
The Doctor: “I’ve got a very honest face and the translation’s says I’m telling the truth. Plus the face.”

Christina: “That Lordship of yours ... the Lord of where, exactly?”
The Doctor: “Of Time. I come from a race of people called Time Lords.”
Christina: “You're an alien?”
The Doctor: “Yeah but you don’t have to kiss me either.”
Christina: “You look human.”
The Doctor: “You look Time Lord.”

Also these specials are still part of the fourth season, due to their production codes.

Christina (re swarm): “Those things are gonna turn the entire Earth into a desert. So why exactly are you smiling?”
The Doctor: “The worse it gets, the more I love it.”

Christina: “How does a crystal drive a bus?”
The Doctor: “In a super clever, outer spacey kind of way. Just trust me.”

Interesting that Christina wasn’t able to understand the Tritovores after they were able to understand her. Her full name is also Lady Christina deSouza.

Christina (to The Doctor): “So, let me get this right? You need that crystal, then consider it done.”

The Doctor (re cup): “What are you doing with this?”
Christina: “Excuse me! A gentleman never goes through a lady’s possessions.”

Did we really need to see that flying bus twice? Not so pleasant reminders of “Voyage Of The Damned” And The Doctor left the TARDIS at Buckingham Palace.

Christina: “What does the crystal do?”
The Doctor: “Nothing. Don’t need the crystal.”
Christina: “I risked my life for that.”
The Doctor (re Anti-Gravity clamps): “No, you risked your life for these.”

Erisa: “Doctor, I salute you, whether you like it or not.”

Noel Clarke narrated the Doctor Who Confidential for this episode and David Tennant has done a commentary for this episode which you can listen when watching the repeat on BBC3. This episode is due for release on DVD from June 29th.

Christina: “But you were right, it’s not about money. I only steal things for the adventure and today with you; I want more days like this. I want everyday to be like this. We’re made for each other, you said so yourself. The perfect team. Why not?”
The Doctor: “People have travelled with me and I’ve lost them. Lost them all. Never again.”

Carmen: “Doctor, you take care now.”
The Doctor: “You too, chops and gravy, lovely.”
Carmen: “No, but you be careful because your song is ending, sir.”
The Doctor: “What do you mean?”
Carmen: “It is returning. It is returning through the dark and then Doctor, oh but then. He will knock four times.”

The next episode, featuring Lindsay Duncan as Adelaide will be called “The Waters Of Mars” and will air before Christmas. Did anyone notice the cloister bell music during the trailer for the episode?

Christina: “We could have been so good together.”
The Doctor: “Christina, we were.”

Chronologically, this episode was actually based in April but given that Easter was mentioned, I think everyone figured that one out.

Okay, it’s not the best of specials and it certainly could’ve felt a little bigger but “Planet Of The Dead” wouldn’t make it on a short list of awful episodes either. The hints about The Doctor’s impending death were probably a lot stronger than the story itself but the swarm were menacing and Christina worked well as the companion of the piece, even if I did prefer Jackson Lake from the previous episode.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Buffy The Vampire Slayer's 8x26: "Retreat Part 1"

Written by Jane Espenson
Artwork by Georges Jeanty

Oz (re submarine): “Huh.”

After the somewhat uneven “Predators And Prey” arc and the really disappointing, “Tale Of The Vampires: The Thrill”, I think it’s fair as readers that we get something where the stakes feel like they’re being really raised. This issue is a good place to start with that.

The opening scene had Buffy and Willow disguised as a seagull and a fish in a bid to get by unnoticed. Things have definitely gotten worse if the Scoobies are reduced into go into hiding now that the public still have a massive degree of hatred for the slayer faction of the world.

There might be some amusement in Willow telling Buffy she looks a reversed mermaid on one panel but there’s a big serious threat. The world hates the slayers, slayers are being forced to hide and a fairly high tech new location is the perfect place to hide as well.

The other part is that while the last arc introduced the vilification of the slayers, all the stories were separate. It’s only here that everyone seems to be drawn together and it’s about time too. Kennedy and Satsu are in the new base along with Xander and Dawn and they’re soon joined by others.

Giles and Faith made the mistake the mistake of staying in Germany longer than they should have. I’m guessing part of their reason for prolonging their stay must’ve had something to do with helping Courtney motivate the villagers into learning how to defend themselves.

However being reduced to living underground is further evidence of how bad things have gotten for them. Faith clearly resented it and when both she and Giles came under a demon attack, she drew comparisons to them. Demons live underground, not humans.

I guess Giles was right to remind Faith that humans and their hatred for slayers were also as potent a threat as any demonic one could be. Luckily though, Giles and Faith did manage to escape their attackers before anything really bad could’ve happened to either one of them.

Andrew was then in Italy with some more slayers in an underground crypt. Needless to say, an attack on him and his group was imminent. Even more so when Warren appeared out of nowhere and tried to trick him. Some things never change.

Thankfully as annoying as Andrew might be, he has changed. He might have cared about Warren and valued their friendship at one point but finally gaining a stable moral compass and being a part of the Scoobies does mean that he can question Warren’s motives as well.

When Warren was talking about dying, I knew it had to be a trick. Warren didn’t even seem to be trying hard enough to try and dupe Andrew. Even trying to guilt the latter’s association with the slayer wasn’t much of a strategy either. Plus it didn’t help that Amy got a little overexcited and set some goat people to wreak havoc.

Battle wise, it made for a good panels seeing Andrew and his girls taking on the creatures in question but it also tied him and the slayers along with Giles and Faith both being forced to make their way back to Buffy. All roads are going to lead with that girl, aren’t they?

Even during a night of passion, Kennedy can’t get Willow to stop thinking about Buffy. Luckily Willow’s need to see Buffy had more to do with informing the blonde slayer about Giles Faith, Andrew and the surviving slayers all coming to the base.

I thought the reunion scenes were quite lovely for this issue. Andrew commenting on Dawn’s reduced size actually amused me and I loved that Buffy and Giles and Faith have seemingly settled their differences since “No Future For You Part 4”. Maybe a conversation should’ve been had but at the end of the day, I’m just glad they made up.

As for protection, it’s nice that the Scoobies are coming prepared. Willow seems to have an army of witches using telekinesis for traps and Xander also mentioned the cameras and monitors as well. However while technology and magic are good, are they really enough to keep the demons at bay?

Satsu pointed out the vast army and Faith even looked worried about the legion of monsters that Twilight has managed to accumulate. Also wouldn’t it just be timing enough that the cameras would then go down a few seconds after the Scoobies realised that they had trouble coming their way?

Having nearly all the gang ascend to the roof to see the demons coming their way was a good set up for battle. However no-one in the Scoobies should’ve sniffed at the baddies use of catapults and tanks, even if a bridge spell being dropped benefited the Scoobies.

So what exactly should a demon use in a catapult to trounce the good guys? Amy and Warren had no problems with bombs and mystical creatures to cause carnage and this lot are completely fine with using napalm grenades as their means of attack. I’ve never heard of them but damn, they’re effective.

Not only does a good chunk of the Scoobies new base get blown to bits but they are some casualties and one of Willow’s witches even gets brain fried in a nasty scene. Her body looked pretty grisly as well but with Satsu snaring one of the demons, Willow seemed too preoccupied to notice the young girl’s death.

Isn’t it interesting that the second Willow disappeared with the demon that both Giles and Faith expressed some forms of disapproval? I’m not criticising them because even I found it strange but I was weirded out by Buffy’s mute reaction, even if she was right to focus on the remaining battle in question.

Willow’s little time out with the demon though did reveal that the magic around them is how Twilight is being able to track them and send various things to try and dispense with them. Yet another addition to the ‘let’s end magic’ mantra of this season. Oh, this does not bode well for Willow.

Using the submarine to get out Scotland, the best conversation in this whole issue is the one where Buffy and Giles discuss Willow. Is Willow about to take another trip into the dark side? That whole “Time Of Your Life” four parter would suggest so and it’s discuss here.

Buffy held back telling anyone else that she had to kill Willow in the future. Giles expressed concern of Willow slipping away and Buffy found herself telling him. I loved that she told someone and I love that her and Giles are on the same page with Willow’s attitude to magic.

Relapsing is hardly an unrealistic plotline and given that Willow does have an addictive personality with magic, it makes this plot more believable as well. By using the scythe to activate so many slayers all at once, her and Buffy opened up a massive Pandora’s box and both of them are suffering the consequences for it.

However if they want to help Willow, talking to her wouldn’t go amiss seeing as I’m uncertain that trying to suppress magic, especially the same kind that is in all of the slayers as well is going to be the ultimate solution to things.

Also Oz’s reintroduction at the end was pitch perfect. I had guessed that with this arc being a five parter, he would probably appear in the last page or two, so I wasn’t disappointed when he actually did. Inevitably he’ll play a bigger role in the next four issues.

After all, he’s the person that Buffy had taken her flying submarine to see with wanting to suppress magic and his reaction to the spectacle was so within character. It’s been nine years but Oz, welcome back.

Also in “Retreat Part 1”

The main cover for this issue featured the most I’ve seen on any with Buffy, Willow, Andrew, Oz, Twilight and Warren all appearing.

Willow: “Hey look! You’re a reverse mermaid.”
Buffy: “Shut up.”

The funny thing is that Twilight might have featured on the cover but he doesn’t appear in the issue itself. Amy is also mentioned but unseen, though she helped Warren to escape.

Buffy: “Are you okay? It’s not … too much?”
Willow: “Okay, what’s up with you? You keep hovering, asking that. Why the cling?”
Kennedy: “I told you, you’re irresistible, baby.”
Buffy: “I’m just being vigilant. If we show our faces, we die here and the world has a good riddance. Best we can do right now is disappear.”
Satsu: “For how long? I mean, what are waiting for? The judgement of history?”

Faith: “I knew it was stupid, going underground. Demons live underground!”
Giles: “Well above ground, ordinary humans fear us and that could be far more dangerous.”

That flying submarine reminded me of Doctor Who’s “Voyage Of The Damned” with the Titanic ship.

Warren: “Amy is done with me. She says anyone can build bombs. She’s taking away the spell that replaced my skin, taking it away a little bit at a time. I’m in pain, I don’t have long. I wanted to see you before – I wanted to patch things up between us.”
Andrew: “Patch things up? You made me into a killer!”

Warren (re Andrew): “Amy! You didn’t let me finish tricking him.”

We got a little flashback to Jonathan, Warren and Andrew dancing as Gods from Season Seven’s “Storyteller”.

Andrew: “I bet you won’t find this too humerus.”
Goatman: “That’s a femur – ahh!”

Faith: “Seems like running away is all we do anymore.”
Giles: “Yes, but we’re out of the bunker. No more bad associations.”
Faith: “Uh-huh. A cattle car across Germany is much better.”
Giles: “At least we’re on our way to Buffy.”

Did Warren know about the First Evil using his form to manipulate Andrew? I always assumed that Amy was aware of the First Evil, given her dialogue with Kennedy in “The Killer In Me” and because of that, Warren was privy to.

Buffy: “Use your magic! Get them inside! Not the demons.”
Dawn: “Not the demons.”
Xander: “Good call.”

Andrew: “I can’t believe how much you’ve shrunk.”
Dawn: “Thanks!”

Dawn looked like she was wearing the same outfit Faith wore in “Five By Five” while Kennedy seemed a little annoyed with Willow and Faith talking.

Xander: “Siege engines … medieval tech. They think they can do this with catapults?”
Giles: “Tanks. There are also tanks.”
Willow: “Drop the bridge spell!”

Satsu: “We have a prisoner.”
Willow: “I’ll take him.”
Giles: “What’s she doing? Where did she take him?”
Faith: “No, no, no. I’m done with this kind of crap.”
Buffy: “Hey, whatever. I can’t debate battle ethics in a battle.”

I see there’s another ad for Dragon Con with this issue. I’m surprised there wasn’t one for Comic Con, seeing as Dollhouse is gonna factor into that.

Buffy: “I went to the future and Evil Willow was there and I killed her and what I’m doing now could be how she got that way. Evil. And dead.”
Giles: “I’d … I’d ask for an explanation and then express scepticism, demand to be convinced … but I don’t think we have time.”

Faith: “Hey, B., the kids are all asking. Do we know where we’re going now?”
Giles: “No.”
Buffy: “Yes. We’re going to the one guy I know who makes a living being less magic. Willow has to do one last big spell and then, that’s it. Forever.”

“Retreat Part 2” comes out on August 5th but you should check out the Dark Horse website for the three page special, “Always Darkest” if you haven’t already.

“Retreat Part 1” is one of the finest issues we’ve had in a long time. Maybe it’s because we’re drawing towards the final few arcs that things are finally being pushed forward. Oz’s return, everyone showing up together, the possibility of Willow descending into the black arts again, the world’s vocal hatred for slayers and Twilight’s army rising but either way, it’s about damn time.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Doctor Who's 4x14: "The Next Doctor"

Written by Russell T. Davies
Directed by Andy Goddard

Jackson Lake (to The Doctor): “I’m The Doctor. Simply The Doctor. The one, the only and the best.”

Five and a half months since the tear jerking “Journey’s End” and a lot has happened since July 2008. First off we had to wait until September to discover the title of this episode and by the end of October; we also knew that David Tennant would be departing the series after the 2009 specials are filmed.

With a title that raises so many questions – is David Morrissey literally living up to its namesake, the episode opens on a fun note. First off all we’re in Victorian London and The Doctor gets to witness a sullen kid accusing him of being thick. Thankfully a lot more exciting stuff beyond that happens of course.

A young woman named Rosita screams for The Doctor and when he tries to help her, she sees him as a pest. It also then becomes more confusing when a confident man steps into the fray claiming to be The Doctor and together both Time Lords come to face a Cybershade.

I suppose if we weren’t going to have Cybermats, a Cybershade would have to do and they look distinctly primitive enough. They’re also pretty strong and great jumpers as both Doctors discover quick enough when being dragged up to a building by one of them trying to escape.

Showing that time period have no bearing on companions’ smartness, Rosita manages to rescue the pair of them but they’re too busy behaving like school boys to take her concerns seriously. I suppose the first case of alarm bells here is that Morrissey’s Doctor doesn’t recognise Tennant’s Doctor, despite the latter’s initial attempts to correct this error.

There are various amusing attempts from our Doctor to get this apparent Doctor to remember but we end up cutting away from that so we can actually see the Cybermen. One of my biggest hopes for this episode was that unlike “Doomsday”, the presence of the Cybermen wouldn’t be upstaged by the intrusion of another enemy or the departure of a companion.

With this episode those fears rise again given the title but I have to say, I am mostly satisfied with their treatment here. Also in terms of human allies, not only have they found someone as ruthless as Lumic but this time around, that person is both charismatic and genuinely creepy in equal measures.

Enter Mercy Hartigan, a woman so evil to the core; she might as well be Satan’s mistress. Having her largely kitted out in a fetching red dress certainly rams home the point that she’s a villain of epic proportions.

When talking to the Cyberleader, she’s casual in her tone and shows them no fear or loyalty. In fact she’s openly irritated by the Cyberleader’s very male attitude and her openly dislike men thinking they’re superior is something that is addressed throughout the entire story.

At a funeral for the unfortunate Aubrey Fairchild, Miss Hartigan causes a scene by her attire. When she defends her choice of clothing, I actually rooted for her but her evil stripes some come into formation when the Cybermen gatecrash the funeral and kill as many of the people who are there. Of course the ones who are spared are equally screwed as Mercy begins her madwoman mission for liberation.

As for The Doctors, the Morrissey one gets rid of Rosita for a bit and winds up taking the Tennant one as a companion when they break into the house of a murder victim. Without a doubt this leads to several great scenes between both David Tennant and David Morrissey, notably because our Doctor is being wary about what to reveal and the other Doctor is trying to remember where he recognises his new pal.

This also gets interrupted with the first confrontation with a Cyberman. While the fight here isn’t as intense as the one in “The Christmas Invasion”, it’s still pretty exhilarating and when our Doctor lets slip his real identity, the use of an info stamp is great in dispatching a certain foe.

More importantly, I appreciate how this episode didn’t decide to wait until the last quarter to reveal who Morrissey’s Doctor really is. Up until a few weeks ago, I was pretty convinced that he was a known charlatan who was pretending to be The Doctor in order to fill a void. Coupled with David Tennant’s imminent departure and Russell T. Davies telling all and sundry that Morrissey’s Doctor wasn’t a conman, there was a part of me that actually hoped this episode would reveal the Eleventh Doctor.

Of course the signs to the contrary were there – the broken fob watch, the hot air balloon posing as a TARDIS, the very literal screwdriver. Rosita is the only thing that really would convince you that Morrissey’s Doctor was the real deal. It’s a shame but as far as I’m concerned the reveal is genuinely satisfying.

When our Doctor is examining the other Doctor’s heart, we’re not let into the fact that he’s traced only one heartbeat and then there’s the disappearance of the mysterious Jackson Lake. With so many victims of the Cybermen, he’s the only one whose body didn’t surface and soon enough it becomes apparent as to why.

David Morrissey is revealed to be Jackson Lake and the use of info stamps do help with that process. We get to see Jackson losing his wife in the midst of an altercation with the Cybermen and Jackson himself being imprinted with the memories of The Doctor, therefore ensure that he thinks he’s The Doctor.

While I can imagine that there are going to be a fair amount of fans thinking that once again, Russell T. Davies lied to them, technically he didn’t. Yes, I know that Jackson isn’t the real deal but a conman would be someone who would be aware of posing as a certain person. Jackson doesn’t have that luxury and given what’s uncovered about his past, you’d have to have a heart of stone not to sympathise with him.

Also even if he isn’t The Doctor, David Morrissey’s performance is still excellent and Jackson does instruct Rosita to help the real Doctor when the local kids are being snatched. It’s a creepy little scene as well as rather blatant homage to the Pied Piper as The Doctor and Rosita are forced to watch the kids being snatched with the Cybershades preventing them from helping out.

It’s also amazing that we have to wait quite long into the episode before we have a proper face off with The Doctor and Mis Hartigan. Immediately it’s hatred on sight but Mercy has already established her hatred for The Doctor and even delights in trying to have him and Rosita deleted. As plans go, it fails and she has to endure a punch from Rosita.

Of course that’s not the only thing that Hartigan has to endure. Anyone who teams up with the Cybermen usually wind up being converted and nearly all the time, it’s not something they want. Even Lumic tried to wriggle his way out of it and Mercy pulls a similar stunt but fails in the process.

I made the stupid assumption earlier on of assuming the Cyberleader was the Cyberking but of course, I was wrong. Instead Mercy winds up becoming the Cyberking when she’s strapped to a chair but the delighted part is that even for someone as unbelievably ruthless as Mercy, she still has the upper hand.

Her need for emotions such as fury and passion have her destroy the Cyberleader without a moment’s hesitation and she soon revels in taking command of her new legacy. After all, she did spout off about a new Industrial Revolution and given how ambitious she is, you do have that overall sense of dread.

Aside from Mercy’s antics, there’s one more little bit of information we uncover about Jackson – he has a son called Frederick. While the information serves as no surprise, it does add to a poignancy when The Doctor rescues the boy for his new friend and there’s an excellent moment where Jackson asks what does The Doctor live for nowadays.

Given that next year is allegedly seeing him flying solo with some outsider help, it’s a good question to ask but for the time being, I’d bet the need to be the dashing hero is a good place to go. After all, Jackson certainly knew how to hype The Doctor up throughout this episode and there’s something insanely delightful in our Doctor using Jackson’s TARDIS to save the day.

So for Miss Hartigan, it’s a new revolution and given the fact that the Cyberking is a gigantic robotic ship powered by her, you would be afraid. When people refuse her, she responds by trying to crush them and when she meets up with The Doctor for the second time, she’s far from in the mood to listen to him.

If there’s one failing with this story it’s that The Doctor’s threat of taking things into his own hands doesn’t feel all that potent. I know Mercy’s emotions come back to bite her in the ass and both her and the Cybermen wind up dead but for some strange reason, the scene lacks the kind of darkness that The Doctor’s murder of the Racnoss in “The Runaway Bride” had in spades.

Of course it’s probably not helped by the fact that Jackson literally forces everyone to give The Doctor a standing ovation too. The Doctor is deserving of such one given that he managed to use a Dimension Vault to stop the Cyberking ship from wiping out everyone from below.

The last five minutes of this episode do have a bittersweet feel to them. Jackson, Rosita and Frederick are brought together as a family and for once, The Doctor actually admits that losing several companions – mostly recently Donna breaks his hearts. Plus you just gotta love Jackson for actually getting The Doctor to agree on a Christmas dinner. Only one other person was able to do that.

Also in “The Next Doctor”

This was an all male episode with both David Tennant and David Morrissey having their names in the opening credits.

Jackson Lake: “I might be in a bit of trouble.”
The Doctor: “Nothing’s changed. I’ve got you.”

The first two minutes of this episode aired on November 14th as part of Children In Need.

Jackson Lake: “You’re a very odd man.”
The Doctor: “I still am.”

Cyberleader: “Define the parameters of ‘best’.”
Miss Hartigan: “As you would say, I will operate with maximum efficiency.”

Props to Dervla Kirwan’s performance as Miss Hartigan. She was definitely one of the best femme fatales we’ve had on the series.

The Doctor: “That’s a screwdriver. How is it sonic?”
Jackson Lake: “It makes noise. Isn’t that sonic?”

Jackson Lake: “You ask a lot of questions.”
The Doctor: “I’m your companion.”

It’s great that this episode referenced the events of the void. I’m not surprised that the Dimension Vault had Dalek designs on it.

Mr Cole: “You’re disgracing this ceremony dressed like a harlot.”
Miss Hartigan: “Oh, you should know, Mr Cole.”

Priest: “What manner of men are they?”
Miss Hartigan: “Cybermen.”

Halfway through this episode it’s established that Rosita was a former prostitute. Jackson literally employed her as a companion (of the non-sexual variety) before making her his nursemaid.

Jackson Lake (to The Doctor/Rosita): “With the terrible things a Time Lord has seen, he must have bad dreams.”

The Doctor (to Jackson Lake, re hot air balloon): “You’ve never actually been up?”
Rosita: “He dreams of leaving but never does.”

There’s a deleted scene on the Season Four DVD for “Journey’s End” where the Cybermen broke into the TARDIS. Jackson’s TARDIS stood for Tethered Aerial Release, Developed In Style.

Jackson Lake: “But that’s you.”
The Doctor: “Time Lord, TARDIS, enemy of the Cybermen, the one and the only.”

Jackson Lake: “I demand you tell me, sir. Tell me what they took.”
The Doctor: “Sorry, really I’m sorry because that’s an awful lot of luggage for one man.”

This episode aired at 6pm, which is early even for this show, though we did have several episodes of Merlin air in that time slot as well. As per usual, it was also up against Emmerdale.

Miss Hartigan (to The Doctor, re the Cybermen): “Oh but they wouldn’t hurt me. They’re my knights in shining armour. Quite literally.”

Cyberman: “You are The Doctor.”
The Doctor: “Oh yeah.”
Cybermen: “You will be deleted.”

The Cyberleader in this episode had black handlebars, a black visor and a plastic cover that exposed his brain. Miss Hartigan got gold/iron type handlebars when she became the Cyberking.

Miss Hartigan: “Thank you, Doctor. Very glad to be part of your last conversation. Now delete them.”

Miss Hartigan: “But you promised me! You said I’d never be converted.”
Cyberleader: “That was designated a lie.”

This was the first Christmas episode in which we got real snow, which is a refreshing change.

Miss Hartigan: “For the love of God, have you no pity?”
Cyberleader: “Correct.”

The Doctor: “You got your son; you got a reason to live”.
Jackson Lake: “But you haven’t? God save you, Doctor.”

Nice insert of all ten Doctors in this episode. I was sceptical of this happening so I’m glad to have been proven wrong.

Stranger: “Who the hell is that?”
Jackson Lake: “His name sir is The Doctor.”

Miss Hartigan: “What do you make of me, sir, an idiot?”
The Doctor: “No, question is what do you make of me?”
Miss Hartigan (to Cybermen, re The Doctor): “Destroy him.”
The Doctor: “You made me into this.”

There were two editions of Doctor Who Confidential on BBC3 for this episode. Another based on all Ten Doctors airs January 3rd at 5.35pm on BBC1 while Doctor Who At The Proms airs January 1st at 1.50pm on BBC1.

Jackson Lake: “You won’t stay?”
The Doctor: “Like you said, you know me.”
Jackson Lake: “I don’t think anyone does.”

The Doctor (to Jackson Lake, re his companions): “They leave because they should or because they find someone else. And some of them, some of them … forget me. I suppose in the end, they break my heart.”

This episode is released on DVD from January 19th and will feature the Confidential for the episode, the Proms Concert and “Music Of The Spheres”.

The Doctor (to Jackson Lake): “Jackson, if anyone had to be The Doctor, I’m glad it was you.”

The first of the 2009 specials has the title of “Planet Of The Dead”. Assuming that David Tennant has fully recovered, filming should start on January 19th.

“The Next Doctor” certainly continued this show’s staying power with the Christmas specials and while it won’t topple my favourite special, it does come in at a reasonable second place. Both David Tennant and David Morrissey were on fine form, the Cybermen and Miss Hartigan were excellent villains and like many viewers, I’m eagerly anticipating the imminent departure of the Tenth Doctor in next year’s series of specials.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Doctor Who's 4x13: "Journey's End"

Written by Russell T. Davies
Directed by Graeme Harper

The Doctor (about his soul being revealed): “What does that mean?”
Davros: “We’ll discover that together. Our final journey because the ending approaches.”

So a week is a very long time to wait for an episode of Doctor Who. Okay so it’s the season finale and the anticipation was already there but with the totally evil ending of The Doctor regenerating, it almost felt like an eternity waiting for this episode.

All week long the BBC were keeping schtum about the ending while the press were practically announcing James Nesbitt as the new Doctor. They were fortunately wrong on that score as my hope for the regeneration to be botched ended up being the truthful one after all.

The Doctor looks like he’s about to become a new man and all of a sudden, his hand in the jar soaks up all the regeneration energy. It looks like Donna won’t be seeing a new man but her reaction along with Rose and Captain Jack’s is priceless. Rose is pleased to see that her Doctor hasn’t changed after all.

Of course while a Dalek might not be enough to change The Doctor, the Supreme Dalek decides it’s time to capture the TARDIS and when the vessel itself is powerless against Dalek transportation, things really don’t look that good. The Doctor is quick to point out that the Dalek race is virtually unstoppable so they have to surrender.

The thing about the TARDIS is that it seems to have some very funny ideas of its own. With The Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack surrounded by Daleks, Donna’s trapped in the TARDIS and it refuses to let her out. As usual she thinks The Doctor’s trying to protect her but even he’s confused by what’s happening.

The Supreme Dalek on the other hand thinks The Doctor is trying to pull a fast one and decides to have the TARDIS incinerated. This is one of a few scenes where The Doctor is helpless. Despite his several altercations with the Daleks, even he will still try to appeal to them in times of need.

The Supreme Daleks takes great pleasure in seeing The Doctor beg and poor Donna is inside a TARDIS that’s literally burning up. Captain Jack also doesn’t fare well when his attack on the Daleks results in him being shot and nearly incinerated. I know Jack can’t die but that seriously made me gasp. The Doctor and Rose on the other hand are taken prisoner.

Fortunately there is luck on some fronts. For instance a Time Lock saves Gwen and Ianto from being slaughtered by Daleks. On the flipside they can’t leave the hub but at least they’re safe. As for Sarah Jane, rescue comes to her in the form of Mickey and Jackie who are an episode overdue.

There isn’t really time for the three of them to start chatting. Jackie’s main priority seems to be getting Rose back and Sarah Jane is desperate to find The Doctor. Given that Mickey and Jackie’s teleport devices are down, the only thing for them to is to be taken to the Crucible by the Daleks. Given that a few moments some Daleks were gonna wipe out Sarah Jane, they’re certainly taking a big risk.

Martha’s also got some problems of her own. With Francine fearing for her daughter’s safety, Martha realises that she might have to use the Osterhagen Key after all. Harriet was pretty animated about Martha not using it and even a woman in Germany (where Martha land after using Project Indigo) tries to stop her.

That being said it would take more than a gun from a half-hearted woman to stop Martha. We know that whatever it is, it can’t be good because even Martha doesn’t seem to like the idea of using it and it’s also interesting that she’s virtually on her own while everyone seems to have someone.

For instance, instead of burning to a crisp, Donna not only survives but a part of her manages to make another version of The Doctor from his hand. Now one David Tennant is great but two of them is really spoiling us. I’m just really happy to be right about the botched regeneration.

For the last week there has been some fun ideas of Donna being a Time Lord in secret, I even though it myself and thanks to this episode, it’s kind of true. The fusing of her and The Doctor’s hand means that both she and New Doctor are half-Time Lord and half-human. Seeing them copy each other was essential comedy but we have to wait ages before they factor properly into the scheme of things.

As for Davros, it’s been 20 years since him and The Doctor have shared the same scene with each other and their confrontation here is suitably interesting. Threatening to hurt Rose is a good way to get at The Doctor but even our hero doesn’t mind teasing Davros.

For all his huffing and puffing, Davros should be afraid of The Doctor. The man has defeated him at least five times in some way or another but Davros is too busy gloating about his latest act of destruction – the destruction of everything, except obviously himself and his monstrous creations.

We get a little tease of that when the Daleks use the energy in the Crucible to destroy all the human prisoners. Jackie manages to escape around the same time Sarah Jane and Mickey meet up with Captain Jack. It’s nice to have four of earth greatest defenders there.

With Davros in maniacal form, Julian Bleach really soars in his performance. Seeing The Doctor powerless like this is hardly new but even The Doctor seems appalled at the insanity which Davros seems to have soared to. Even The Master’s great scheme with the Toclafane is tame compared to this.

As for reunions, The Doctor and Rose should feel at home. They met in dangerous circumstances, parted as a result of them and now brought back together during them. Apart from the earlier scene in the TARDIS, they’re too busy trying to stay alive and get answers from Davros.

The other thing with Davros also is the fact that he’s a prisoner too. You wouldn’t think with the way he’s able to challenge the Supreme Dalek but it seems that he’s just a means to an end. The Daleks did have a penchant for using Davros so perhaps it’s just desserts that he’s a whipping boy for them again.

Not that Davros would ever label himself as one. He got pretty annoyed when The Doctor figured that one out but he also continued to goad The Doctor. Thanks to Dalek Caan we got some more moments where The Doctor had to squirm as well as that promise that a companion will see everlasting death.

It’s also not really good for The Doctor when Martha and Sarah Jane both attempt to bargain with Davros. It seems the Osterhagen Key can be used to destroy the Earth and to make things worse; Sarah Jane’s Warp Star is also similarly destructive. Davros should be quaking in his chair but the psycho isn’t.

Instead he uses it as a ripe opportunity to demonstrate to The Doctor the destructive side of what his companions can do. Because The Doctor may never use a gun or any weapon of mass destruction, it doesn’t stop every single companion from resorting to brute force for the greater good.

This might be enough to shut The Doctor up but in all fairness, given the chaos that the Daleks and Davros have pulled, it’s not like any of them have a real choice. I know The Doctor is responsible in some ways but in actual fact, it’s Davros who has done this. None of them want to use brute force but neither of them have a choice in the matter.

Davros and Supreme Daleks then have Martha, Captain Jack, Sarah-Jane, Mickey and Jackie transported to the cells with The Doctor and Rose. Of course the best part is that New Doctor and Donna also show up and that’s when things begin to get really interesting.

While New Doctor and Donna are getting electrocuted by Davros, it looks like everything is going to disintegrate into nothing. However because Donna has rightfully dominated this season, it’s only fair that she’s instrumental in taking Davros down and Donna certainly does it brilliantly.

Martha might have emasculated The Master last year but what Donna does with Davros and the Daleks feels even more humiliating for them. Donna basically makes the Daleks unable to kill and Mickey wastes no time in threatening to exterminate Davros. Plus there’s fun to be had with every companion pushing Daleks away.

Better still, Donna uses her Time Lord knowledge and the two Doctors to help stop the chaos that’s been created. Instead of the worlds and universes dissolving into atoms, it’s the Daleks who end up going in pieces. Supreme Dalek arrives too late and only manages to get killed himself.

As for Dalek Caan, it seems going back in time and being driven insane has given him something of a wake up call. Unlike any other Dalek, he’s disgusted with the way his race has advanced and betrays Davros. Then New Doctor does something rather rash that is enough to illicit anger from both The Doctor and Davros.

With the Crucible going up in flames and Davros virtually defeated, is this the last we’ve seen of him? Compared to every other big bad in the previous three seasons he’s had a shorter time of it but I doubt that he’s actually dead. Still I do wonder whether or not he’s vindicated in blaming The Doctor in all of the destruction that is happening.

Getting back to Gwen, Ianto, Luke and Mr Smith, all four of them are useful along with K9 in helping The Doctor, New Doctor, Donna, Rose, Martha, Captain Jack, Sarah-Jane, Mickey and Jackie in bringing the Earth back to its rightful place. Seeing them all together working the TARDIS is just a freaking delight. Now this really does feel like “The Five Doctors”.

However with the world saved it’s time to say goodbye and Christ, there are plenty to get through. The Doctor and Sarah Jane have a nice moment where she tells him he’s not alone. She also tries to explain about Luke but leaves it. Not that it matters as we’ll soon be seeing her again in two months time.

Then there’s Captain Jack, Martha and Mickey. Well Jack gets his transportation privileges taken away from him again by The Doctor but the rumours of him getting new recruits for the vacancies that Owen and Toshiko have left behind come true. Martha’s our doctor and Mickey’s the computer genius. With Martha fed up with UNIT and Mickey having nothing in the parallel universe to keep him there, I can’t wait to see these two in action in Torchwood’s third season.

Then there’s Rose’s departure. Suffice to say bringing her and Jackie back to Bad Wolf Bay isn’t what the girl wants but with New Doctor proving to be a loose cannon, The Doctor and Donna give the human-Time Lord hybrid to Rose as a parting gift. I bet there are a load of fans out there who loathe this, especially when New Doctor and Rose start kissing but I honestly don’t care. It’s a good way to write Rose out and she does get a Doctor to keep as well.

However the best departure of the bunch is Donna’s. With Catherine Tate only being contracted for this season, she pretty much goes out on a high. While Russell T. Davies might have chickened out for the second time in killing a companion for real, having Donna’s memories wiped away, even if it’s to save her is still down right evil. It feels even worse than if Davros had actually succeeded in killing her.

Both Catherine Tate and David Tennant play a blinder in the last few scenes. The Doctor doesn’t want to erase Donna’s memories but literally doesn’t have a choice and just like “Doomsday”, I made with the man tears. Donna’s been so brilliant that I will seriously miss her. I still can’t believe I actually dreaded her retuning when she hasn’t put a foot wrong all season. Also if “Doomsday” was RTD’s version of Buffy’s “Becoming Parts 1 and 2”, is “Journey’s End” his take on “The Gift”?

The Doctor’s final exchanges with her and Sylvia and Wilf are great. Sylvia finally realises that her daughter really is special even after The Doctor reminds her of it. Wilf even pities The Doctor for losing all of his friends yet again. The last scene with him brooding in the TARDIS made for a change from the way the previous finales have all ended.

Also in “Journey’s End”

This episode did what every other finale did and jumped into the opening credits. That I did expect.

Sarah Jane: “Mickey?”
Mickey: “Us Smiths have got to stick together.”

Speaking of Mickey, I was a little surprised that Noel Clarke and Camille Coduri’s names weren’t added into the opening credits. They could’ve slotted them in between Elisabeth Sladen and Billie Piper.

The Doctor: “What do you think?”
Rose: “You’re still you.”
The Doctor: “I’m still me.”
Donna (to Captain Jack): “You can hug me if you want. No, you can hug me.”

Donna: “Oi, I’m not staying behind.”
The Doctor (to Supreme Dalek): “What did you do?”

There’s a funny little moment where the Daleks in Germany actually speak German. At least they’re willing to learn the language of the people they’re going to kill.

Donna: “It’s you.”
New Doctor: “Oh yes.”
Donna: “You’re naked.”
New Doctor: “Oh yes.”

Davros: “Excellent. Even when powerless, a Time Lord is still best contained.”
The Doctor: “You still scared of me?”

Because we’ll never get The Doctor/Captain Jack snog again, I have to admit to being happy to see David Tennant briefly nude. Yay!

Donna: “Oi, watch it Space Man.”
New Doctor: “Oi, watch it Earth Girl.”

German Woman: “You will not go.”
Martha: “I’ve got no choice.”
German Woman: “I know what the key does.”

Freema Agyeman noted that Martha’s plot here was slightly similar to “Last Of The Time Lords”. Martha interacted with The Doctor and the other companions the least so she might have a valid point.

The Doctor: “Leave her alone.”
Davros: “She is mine to do as I please.”
Rose: “Then why am I still alive?”

Davros (to The Doctor/Rose): “Across the entire universe. Never stopping, never faltering, never fading. People, planets and stars will become dust and the dust will become atoms and the atoms will become nothing and the wavelength will continue breaking through the rift at the heart of the Medusa Cascade into every dimension, every parallel, every single corner of creation. This is my ultimate victory, Doctor. The destruction of reality itself.”

This is the first time that Camille Coduri got scenes with John Barrowman, Catherine Tate, Freema Agyeman and Elisabeth Sladen.

Captain Jack: “And who do I find, Mickey Mouse?”
Mickey: “You can talk, Captain Cheesecake.”

One of the best things about this serial was Davros remembering his encounter with Sarah Jane in “Genesis Of The Daleks”. There’s no way Russell couldn’t reference it.

Martha (to The Doctor): “Who’s that?”
Rose: “My name is Rose. Rose Tyler.”
Martha: “Oh my God, he’s found you.”

Davros: “I made the Daleks, you made this.”
The Doctor (re his companions): “They’re trying to help.”

In the parallel world, Mickey’s grandmother died and Jackie had a baby boy called Tony. Loved her teasing The Doctor after he wouldn’t let her mess with the TARDIS.

Rose: “Mum, I told you not to.”
Jackie: “I couldn’t leave you.”

The Doctor: “Donna, you can’t even change a plug.”
Donna: “Do you wanna bet, Time Boy?”

This episode clocked in at 65 minutes making it the second longest episode of the new series after “Voyage Of The Damned” of course.

Sarah Jane: “Good to see you again.”
Rose: “You too.”

The Doctor: “Davros come with me now. I promise I can save you.”
Davros: “Never forget Doctor. You did this. I name you forever. You are the destroyer of the worlds.”

We got some flashbacks to some of the deaths that The Doctor couldn’t prevent such as Jabe, Lynda, Sir Robert, Astrid, Jenny and River Song to name a few. Pity we didn’t get The Master as his ‘death’ affected The Doctor deeply.

Sarah Jane (to The Doctor): “You act like such a lonely man but you’ve got the biggest family on Earth.”

Rose: “You’ll grow old at same time as me?”
New Doctor: “Together.”

New Doctor doesn’t seem to wear a tie. In the Doctor Who Confidential, Billie Piper threw some allusions to Beauty And The Beast with this plot.

Rose (to The Doctor/New Doctor): “All right, both of you answer me this. When I last stood on this beach on the worst day of my life, what was the last thing you said to me? Go on, say it!”
The Doctor: “I said Rose Tyler.”
Rose: “Yeah and how was that sentence gonna end?”
The Doctor: “Does it need saying?”
Rose: “New Doctor, what was the end of that sentence?”

Donna: “I want to stay.”
The Doctor: “Look at me. Donna, look at me.”
Donna: “I was gonna be with you forever.”
The Doctor: “I know.”
Donna: “Rest of my life, travelling in the TARDIS. The Doctor-Donna. No. I can’t go back. Don’t make me go back. Doctor, please, please don’t make me go back.”

On the Doctor Who Confidential for this episode, there was high emotions for the departures of Catherine Tate and producer Phil Collinson.

The Doctor: “Oh Donna Noble I’m so sorry but we’ve had the best of times. The best. Goodbye.”
Donna: “No. No, No. Please. Please. No. No. Don’t. No.”

Wilf: “When it gets dark and the stars come out, I’ll look up on her behalf. I’ll look up at the stars and think of you.”
The Doctor: “Thank you.”

Breaking from tradition this year we got a brilliant trailer for the Christmas 2008 episode which is untitled for the time being.

What an absolute legend of an episode! “Journey’s End” had the unenviable task of living up to high expectations of the high standard of the previous two episodes and while there are some people who might loathe the outcomes of Rose and Donna, I thought this was actually the best finale we’ve ever had in all thirty seasons of Doctor Who. Exhilarating, tense, witty, tearful, shocking, poignant, bittersweet and overall excellent, there’s very little to really criticise. It’s also easily the best TV episode of this season and I am seriously looking forward to this year’s Christmas special and the four 2009 specials.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

My Review of Doctor Who's 4x12: "The Stolen Earth"

Written by Russell T. Davies
Directed by Graeme Harper

The Doctor: “But that’s impossible. The entire Time War is time locked itself.”
Davros: “And yet he succeeded. Oh it cost him his mind but imagine a single, simple Dalek succeeded where emperors and Time Lords have failed. A testament don’t you think to my remarkable creations?”

After the trailers we’ve seen all week, we pretty much had a good idea as to who exactly was returning in this finale. The Doctor and Donna made the discovery of the universe being in grave danger and both of them head back to Earth.

The very interesting thing is that is that when they arrive, everything seems pretty normal. The milkman’s doing his rounds and The Doctor realises that the blonde woman Donna interacted with in a parallel world was Rose. I think the words ‘bad wolf’ more or less gave that away.

The best part however sees danger coming at an alarming speed. In New York, a recently promoted Martha and UNIT are being warned about the sky while in Cardiff, Jack, Gwen and Ianto are also busy. We also get to see Sarah Jane and Luke and that no longer corrupt Mr Smith so as reunions go, this is pretty ace.

Russell T. Davies made a promise in DWM that these appearances are more than mere cameos and to give him credit, he’s actually telling the truth. Heck, Martha’s treatment in her first two scenes is better than any of her appearances this season. Also joining the party is Rose who also returned to the present time.

With an episode called “The Stolen Earth”, it’s pretty obvious that somewhere along the lines we have to see the Earth actually being stolen and it’s done in such an audacious way. One minute The Doctor and Donna are talking in the TARDIS and the next they realise an entire planet’s been stolen.

If all this can happen in five minutes or less, then you have to imagine what else can possibly go wrong. The Earth being stolen is one thing, but it’s also in a long line of planets being taken as the episode establishes. Donna’s first reaction is to fear for the safety of Wilf and Sylvia. The Doctor’s is to go and get some answers.

With the Shadow Proclamation being so frequently mentioned this season, it was one of many pay offs this episode foists on us. Speaking on their behalf is a white woman in black clothing and acting as their foot soldiers are the Judoon.

At this rate this episode is ranking up more guest appearances in a Doctor Who story than “The Five Doctors” (ironic as I watched that last night). I like the Judoon so seeing them again is a pleasant surprise. The Doctor also doesn’t have to make too great an effort in getting them not to attack either him or Donna.

As for the Shadow Proclamation, she knows that there’s an all out war brewing. Thanks to Donna for being attentive, it’s confirmed that 27 planets have been stolen and that the thing in the centre of all these planets is a space station but while it’s obvious who is responsible for this, we’re not told straight away.

The Doctor has never been one to take orders so for the Shadow Proclamation to assume that he would comply with their demands was naivety on their part. Instead The Doctor and Donna take a look at the Medusa Cascade, that little rift in time and space and believe me, it’s a gorgeous sight to behold.

As for those responsible, are we supposed to be surprised in seeing the Daleks terrorising humanity once again? Russell clearly loves using these villains more than he should but unlike their disappointing last outing in “Daleks In Manhattan” and “Evolution Of The Daleks”, at least there’s a better plan for them.

The last time we caught a glimpse, Dalek Caan was the only surviving Dalek in existence. It’s then amazing to see them en masse without Caan to assist them but I’ll get back to that later. As for the Daleks, their instinct has always been to kill and without The Doctor, the smart thing would be to dispatch of any potential threats.

They arrive in New York and waste no time in wiping up most of UNIT. Martha gets into an argument with both Jack and General Sanchez as to whether or not she should go ahead and use Project Indigo. Jack is pretty much against it and because Sanchez comes across as a bit of a dick you end up siding with Jack.

Martha however uses it anyway. It turns out to be a teleportation device from Sontaran technology and while Jack fears she could be goner, I don’t. Okay so anyone could and will probably die in this finale but surely they wouldn’t do this early into things? Besides hasn’t Martha suffered enough this season?

Rose meanwhile is scouring the streets and pretty much doing her best Sarah Connor impression, you know if the latter wore bright clothes in battle. With Daleks blowing things up left, right and centre, Rose does everyone a favour and stops one of them from killing Sylvia and Wilf. I’ve come to love Wilf and Sylvia isn’t annoying here. Plus Rose looked pretty cool when she was doing it.

However one thing that really struck me was the realisation of the Daleks. As pointed out in Doctor Who Confidential, every companion has a personal history with them but while Rose looked glum and Martha was in disbelief, it’s both Jack and Sarah’s reactions that really hit home.

Given that being killed by the Daleks helped fuel Rose into making him immortal, Jack’s fear at hearing the word ‘exterminate’ is harrowing. Gwen and Ianto are both confused so there’s a genuine feeling of doom when Jack actually embraces the two of them. The same can also be said about Sarah Jane who breaks down and cries while holding onto Luke.

In terms of danger though, the Daleks spend most of their time rounding people up on the street and killing those who stand up to them. The companions on the other hand get their closest chance to actually interact with other thanks to another person who is trying to do the right thing.

With so many appearances confirmed, it’s still amazing how happy I was to see the return of Harriet Jones. Sure we know she was coming back and apparently it was supposed to be an agent of the Daleks but the Harriet we see here is every bit the same woman we fell in love with back in Season One.

One of the things I love is how Harriet wants to do right thing, make amends with The Doctor but still feels that she wasn’t wrong in blowing the Sycorax ship. Personally I felt The Doctor overreacted with that little incident but if Harriet needed redeeming then consider this episode her redemption ten fold.

With a little bit of computer technology Harriet hooks up Martha and Francine with Jack, Gwen and Ianto and Sarah Jane and Luke as they all try to send a signal to communicate with The Doctor and Donna. Surely this has to be fan fiction and not an actual televised scene right?

As scenes go, it’s also wonderfully delicious. You’ve got Rose feeling excluded because she’s the only one The Doctor/Donna can’t see but there’s delight in seeing Gwen and Ianto cruising The Doctor, Donna noting the hotness of Jack and even Sarah Jane is flirted with by Jack. Well Jack made my day by doing that. Plus Luke’s presence raised questions from both The Doctor and Jack.

However with all this stuff going on, isn’t it about time we talked bad guys. On one hand there are two sets of Daleks – the ones we’re used to seeing and others with two guns instead of one. There’s also a Red Dalek who is the Supreme Dalek and arrogant as hell but even they aren’t as important as two other bad guys.

The reason why we’ve got so many Daleks is due to Dalek Caan going back in time during the Time War and saving Davros from being killed. It might have been a good gesture on his part but Caan pays the price by being totally off his rocker, ripped open and chained up by the very maniac he’s saved.

After The Master last year, Davros had to come back. It was the only plausible way we could get so many Daleks and spending the last two weeks watching every story Davros has been in since 1975, I have to say his appearance in this episode is brilliant. Yes we could’ve done with some more scenes but what we got was good.

Julian Bleach is a well deserved successor to the role of Davros and plays the Dalek creator with pure menace. Not once does Davros come across as a ranting bore but more the unbridled, megalomaniac that he is. It might be 20 years since 1988’s “Remembrance Of The Daleks” but there’s no mistaking that Davros is back.

The Doctor’s struck by his return. Like The Master, Davros was supposed to be a casualty but messing with time has meant he’s back. He doesn’t really explain why he’s stolen 27 planets but he does go on about the Daleks being the supreme beings to prove that he hasn’t changed.

There’s a lot of good dialogue between The Doctor and Davros in their little scene but it’s unsurprising that The Doctor decides to head back to Earth. Davros is well aware of that and decides to send a few Daleks to welcome him home. Anyone would’ve seen that coming of course.

Once they are on Earth there are lots to be done with. Both Jack and Sarah Jane leave Gwen, Ianto and Luke to their own devices to find The Doctor and Rose gets some confidence boosting from Wilf and Sylvia. Harriet meanwhile has a deadly encounter with the Daleks and Martha basically stays put.

Once again, the very scene people might have clamoured for is The Doctor and Rose to meet again. He’s an anxious boy to see her and it’s only a twisted move that when he does reunite with Rose, a Dalek also has to appear from nowhere to shoot him. It’s a good job that Donna and Jack are also there to help.

With Gwen, Ianto and Sarah Jane all surrounded by Daleks and Davros out of sight, the last scene is the strangest one yet. Is The Doctor going to regenerate, leaving David Tennant to actually exit the series or is there any truth in the rumour mill of us getting a botched regeneration and be left with two versions of The Doctor? It would be kind of evil if David Tennant didn’t see the last episode out.

Also in “The Stolen Earth”

In the opening credits for this episode we had David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Freema Agyeman, John Barrowman, Elisabeth Sladen and Billie Piper.

Donna: “Thing is Doctor, no matter what’s happening and I’m sure it’s bad. I get that but Rose is coming back. Isn’t that good?”
The Doctor: “Yeah.”

Also credited before producer/director credits were Penelope Wilton, Adjoa Andoh, Eve Myles, Gareth David Lloyd and Thomas Knight. At least two more people will factor next week.

Suzanne: “Just look at the sky.”
Martha: “Why? What is it?”
Suzanne: “Just look at the sky.”

Rose (to herself): “Right. Now we’re in trouble. It’s only just the beginning.”

Rose actually got a little jealous when she saw Martha on the screen. It’s a little ironic given that Martha was jealous of her during Season Three.

Captain Jack: “Ianto, there’s a time and a place.”
Ianto (re Paul O’Grady): “He is funny though.”

Supreme Dalek: “We have waited long enough for this destiny. The Daleks are the masters of Earth.”

The celebrity cameos this season were Richard Dawkins (Lalla Ward’s hubby) and Paul O’Grady. Jack is a little jealous of the latter.

Shadow Proclamation (to The Doctor): “We are declaring war Doctor, right across the universe and you will lead us into battle.”

Dalek: “You will come with me.”
Wilf: “Will I heck.”
Dalek: “My vision is not impaired.”
Sylvia: “I warned you Dad.”
Dalek: “Hostility will not be tolerated. Exterminate. Exterminate.”

It’s neat trick that for once when someone attacked the eye stalk, the Dalek was immune. Good job that Rose came though.

Rose (to Wilf/Sylvia): “You’re my last hope. If I can’t find Donna, I can’t find The Doctor. Where is he?”

Captain Jack: “I’ve been following your work. Nice job with the Slitheen.”
Sarah Jane: “Yeah, well I’ve been staying away from you lot. Too many guns.”
Captain Jack: “All the same. Might I say, looking good Ma’am.”
Sarah Jane: “Really? Ooh.”
Harriet: “Not now, Captain. And Martha Jones former companion to The Doctor.”
Rose: “Oi! So was I.”

With the TARDIS getting red last week, was it that much of a shock that it went in flames this week? This poor thing is getting exhausted.

Davros: “I warned you, Supreme one. Just as Dalek Caan foretold. The children of time are moving against us but everything is falling into place.”

Harriet (to everyone): “Tell The Doctor from me, he chose his companions well.”

I just realised that we had four Joneses in this episode with Martha, Francine, Ianto and Harriet and the latter wasn’t related to any of them. Plus Francine hardly had any dialogue either and what’s up with the Osterhagen key?

Gwen (re The Doctor): “Ooh he’s a bit nice. Thought he might have been older.”
Ianto: “He’s not that young.”

Donna (re all the companions): “It’s like an outer space Facebook.”
The Doctor: “Everyone except Rose.”

I’m surprised The Doctor didn’t make a comment about Gwen looking like Gwyneth. Also Rhys, Owen and Toshiko were mentioned while Maria/Alan was in Cornwall and Clyde was with his mother.

Davros: “Welcome to my new empire, Doctor. It is only fitting that you should bear witness to the resurrection and the triumph of Davros, Lord and Creator of the Dalek race.”

Captain Jack: “I gotta go. I got to find The Doctor. I’ll come back. I’m coming back.”
Gwen: “Don’t worry about us. Just go.”
Ianto: “We’ll be fine.”

Davros managed to make a new Dalek by using his own DNA. He’s also got a robotic hand which looks brilliant by the way.

Rose (re The Doctor): “Right, I’m gonna find him. Wish me luck.”
Sylvia: “Good luck.”
Wilf: “Good luck, sweetheart.”

The Doctor: “Anything else?”
Donna (re Rose): “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”

Rose’s theme essentially played during the scenes between her and The Doctor. There was also some new music. Surely Murray Gold has devised a theme for Davros?

The Doctor: “Long time, no see.”
Rose: “Yeah. Been busy you know. Don’t die. Oh my God, don’t die. Oh my God, don’t die.”

The Doctor (to Donna/Rose/Captain Jack): “It’s too late. I’m regenerating.”

Interestingly enough we got denied a trailer for “Journey’s End”. Maybe we’re not losing David Tennant after all. At least not in 2008 anyway, I hope.

Okay so “The Stolen Earth” reeks of fan-fiction but like “The Five Doctors”, it’s such an unbridled joy to see so many characters we’ve known and loved for the past few years, that you just don’t want to criticise. It’s very easy not to as every character appearance (okay maybe not Francine’s but I did like seeing her) actually added to something. Every companion got a moment to shine, Davros got the return he deserved, some many references to past events came to fruition and that ending will literally have me counting down the hours for next Saturday. To be frank, how could you not enjoy this episode?

Rating: 10 out of 10.