Series 1 (Season 27), Episode 11: Boom Town

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Paul Abbot was originally commissioned to write Series 1's eleventh episode. It would feature the Doctor, Rose and Jack travelling back to just before the eruption of Vesuvius. Jack would find that Rose has actually been grown through science by the Doctor in an attempt to find 'the perfect companion'. The story was dropped however due to its writer being too busy to complete it and instead was replaced by Boom Town. The episode was written because Russell T Davies wanted to explore consequences of the Doctors actions and whether the death penalty is fair punishment. Davies also enjoyed Annette Badland as Margaret Slitheen from episodes four and five and so she was invited back to take part. This episode is considered among critics to be the worst of the series, because of its rushed creation, however the true verdict is at the bottom of this post...

Synopsis: Mickey arrives in Cardiff to bring Rose her passport as the TARDIS fills up with fuel from the rift in time and space which is situated there. However it is soon discovered that Margaret Slitheen has escaped her presumed death and is now mayor of Cardiff! With Cardiff set for destruction and a Slitheen on the loose the Doctor decides it's time to intervene. However despite thwarting Margaret's first plan she still attempts to escape and when her last resort works, the planet is at stake.

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Billie Piper), Captain Jack (John Barrowman) and Mickey (Noel Clarke)

Enemies: Slitheen

Afterthought: I admire the quick thinking of Davies for this script, it does not however, stack up to its full potential. There are some genuine moments of concern for characters but the episode loses out by trying to make serious topics lighthearted.

Verdict:

Story: 2/5, Virtually plotless!

Effects: 0.5/5, As dismal as the other Slitheen episodes.

Humor: 4.5/5, Hilarious!

Mark Campbell: 0.5/5, I'm telling you Mark, it was HILARIOUS!

TOTAL SCORE: 7.5/20

Elsewhere:

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boom_Town_(Doctor_Who)

Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dt5

Acting royalty, scripting flop. Next Time: Bad Wolf & The Parting of the Ways

Margaret's back!

Series 1 (Season 27), Episodes 9 + 10: The Empty Child & The Doctor Dances

The Doctor tries to find an object which has fallen from the sky, if only he had read the blog!

New-who's second multi-part story, written by Steven Moffat, was the highlight of Series 1. It received a Hugo award for 'Best Drama Presentation, Short Form' whilst simultaneously scaring children and adults alike across the nation. Cries of 'Are you my mummy?' were going up from children for the rest of the week after the scary monster introduced in this episode were heard to use the catchphrase. The Torchwood team is now almost complete as John Barrowman debuts as Captain Jack Harkness, the multi-sexual, ex-time agent from the 51st century.

Synopsis: The Doctor and Rose chase a mysterious object in distress flying through the time vortex to London in 1941. In the heart of the Blitz Rose and the Doctor get separated, both meeting rather unusual people. As Rose finds herself hanging from a barrage balloon she is picked up by Captain Jack Harkness who wishes to discuss a deal. Meanwhile the Doctor is busy chasing a mysterious young woman named Nancy who seems to know a lot of information, about the crashed object and the mysterious little boy, but isn't telling. The Doctor is directed towards an old hospital where he meets Constantine, who shows the Doctor how the gas masked patients have been physically changed. Once the Doctor and Rose are reunited, along with Jack they are cornered by the Gas Masked Zombies who all want to know 'Are you my mummy?'.

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Billie Piper) and Captain Jack (John Barrowman)

Enemies: The Empty People

Afterthought: This episode doesn't actually stack up to its full potential. The jokes continually clash with the creepiness of the story and the German air raids were impossibly fake. It's nice to see the addition of Captain Jack to the TARDIS crew after the failure of Adam earlier in the season. I would have preferred to see Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways receive the Hugo award as it turns out much better than this.

Verdict:

Story: 4/5, Very cleverly written!

Effects: 1/5, The nanogenes are quite cool, shame about everything else.

Humor: 3/5, While very funny, it clashes terribly!

Mark Campbell: 5/5, I think he needs to have a word with his mummy!

TOTAL SCORE: 13/20

Elsewhere:

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Empty_Child and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doctor_Dances

Official Site  - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074ds9 and http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dsp

Are you my mummy? Next Time: Boom Town

Gas masked zombies attack!

Series 1 (Season 27), Episode 8: Father's Day

Rose tells her dad of the future. I wonder if she remembered to tell him about this blog?

To further develop Rose's character and to gain a greater understanding of the ever increasing laws of the Doctor Who universe, a story was commissioned to feature the aftermath of Rose changing an important event in her own history. Paul Cornell, who writes this episode, had worked on the Doctor Who books range along with Russell T Davies following the shows cancellation in 1989 and subsequently was asked to write this episode. A heavy feature of this episode is flashbacks to Rose's past in which her mother, Jackie, tells her all about her loving dad. Once Rose visits the past however she discovers that things are not as she imagined them.

Synopsis: After remembering a conversation she once had with her mum, Rose asks the Doctor to take her back to see her dead father while he was still alive. The thing that sticks in Rose's mind is that her dad died alone and so she convinces the Doctor to take her back so that she can be there with him when he dies. Rose, however, messes up her first attempt and instead of going with the plan on her second attempt, rescues her dad from his impending fate. This releases the Reapers and destroys the 'dimensional transcendental' powers of the TARDIS which make it bigger on the inside. With Reapers on the loose around the church and no way out, there are not many options left open to the congregation. The congregations last chance of survival is destroyed when Rose touches her younger self and a Reaper breaks in and kills the Doctor...

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Billie Piper) and Jackie (Camille Coudri)

Enemies: Reapers

Afterthought: There is real sense of emotion in the latter scenes of this. How old is Mickey meant to be; three, four, five years older than Rose? What about the driver, did he not think it was a bit weird when he found himself driving somewhere he didn't need to be at the end of the episode?

Verdict:

Story: 4/5, A really emotional script with a slightly darker approach to the Doctor's attitude!

Effects: 4/5, An exciting brilliance, except when the Doctor is eaten.

Humor: 3/5, A good attempt but the mood is dampened by the episodes impending doom.

Mark Campbell: 4/5, He agrees with me!

TOTAL SCORE: 15/20

Elsewhere:

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father's_Day_(Doctor_Who)

Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074drw

The Doctor's 'constant companion is death' - Chameleon Circuit. Next Time: The Empty Child & The Doctor Dances

Reapers attack!

Character: Adam Mitchell

Adam realises that if he'd read the blog he would have been able to foresee his future predicament.

Adam Mitchell is one of the shortest-running companions of the new series, so far, after only appearing in two episodes. The companion that was never meant to be, Adam joined the TARDIS only because Rose liked him, not because the Doctor wanted him! Adam was an English boy who worked with the alien artifact collector Henry van Statten in Utah, USA. After watching the Doctor and Rose confront a Dalek, Adam was curious about their other adventures and with a little help from Rose, persuaded the Doctor to accept him into the TARDIS. Adam's error however was to get a brain implant in the far future which could never be removed and so he was dropped off home again by an infuriated and unforgiving Time Lord. Adam later returns to confront the Doctor in the fiftieth anniversary comic Prisoners of Time, by the end of which he is officially named a companion!
Adam's short time on the show was always the intention of Russell T Davies and was included as part of his plan to revive the series. In the script writing phase Adam went through numerous character changes. He was originally planned to be the son of Henry van Statten but later versions of the script had him stealing medicines from the future to help his dying father so it could not be Henry van Statten. Eventually all of these ideas were scrapped in favour of the adopted story of Adam getting information about the future.

Portrayed by: Bruno Langley

Story List: Dalek (TV), The Long Game (TV) and Prisoners of Time (Comic).

Afterthought: Adam was definitely necessary to define for new watchers of the series what a companion should not be. Following his story into Prisoners of Time is rather scary if you think that it was actually the treatment that he got from the Doctor which turned him into a bad guy!

Companion Ranking: 1, He's the only one in contention so far!

Current Rankings:

1. Adam Mitchell

Elsewhere:

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Mitchell_(Doctor_Who)

Series 1 (Season 27), Episode 7: The Long Game

Knowing everything means you get to know about the blog!

Russell T Davies writes a story which leads to two endings. First, the departure of Adam from the series after only appearing in one episode previously. Secondly, the fictional location for this episode also turns out to be the same location in which this seasons finale will be set. The episode confronts the issue of journalists knowing everything about the world however these journalists don't seem to know an awful lot about themselves.

Synopsis: The Doctor takes Rose and Adam to a space station in the year 200,000. However it seems the human race race has been set back around 90 years, the same amount of time that Satellite 5 (the space station) has been broadcasting for. The station controls all the news and is full to the brim with journalists all trying to get a piece of the action. The ultimate goal is to reach floor 500 where 'the walls are made of gold'. However the boss of Satellite 5 realises that somebody is there that shouldn't be and it's not the Doctor. The last surviving member of a group for independence is 'promoted' to floor 500 where they get to meet the Editor and the 'Editor-in-Chief' who is not as human as the workers on the station seem to think...

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Billie Piper) and Adam (Bruno Langley)

Enemies: The Editor and The Mighty Jagrafess

Afterthought: Actually creeper than I remember it and certainly 'chilling' on the floor 500 scenes. If you want a 'Guide how not to be a Doctor Who companion' just follow Adam's example in this episode!

Verdict:

Story: 3.5/5, Well paced but nothing really 'exciting' happens.

Effects: 2.5/5, Average overall.

Humor: 4/5, Actually quite funny!

Mark Campbell: 2/5, To be expected really!

TOTAL SCORE: 12/20

Elsewhere:

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Game

Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dr5

The adventure continues with or without Adam! Next Time: Father's Day

The Editor examines his latest employee.

Series 1 (Season 27), Episode 6: Dalek

The Dalek arrives like a new addition of the blog, it's exciting and entertaining isn't it?

The Daleks are back, or at least, one of them is. A long dispute with Terry Nation's estate meant that the episode did not feature a Dalek but instead featured a child creature known as the Toclafane which would later reappear in the series 3 finale. The episode is based on a story called Jubilee originally released as a Sixth Doctor audio. At the start of this episode we see a collection of old monster parts from the shows history focusing mainly on a Slitheen arm and a Cyber head however those with a keen eye will spot a shrunken Sea Devil head and a Mechanoid. This episode sees the first appearance of the companion Adam Mitchell who only stayed for two episodes. We will review his role in more detail in a later blog.

Synopsis: The Doctor and Rose follow a distress call by an unknown source to Utah in 2012. Their destination turns out to be a giant private museum holding a collection of objects which have fallen to Earth over the years from space. Henry van Statten (Corey Johnson), the owner of this collection, is excited to find the Doctor is also an expert in alien artifacts and offers to show him his only living specimen. Van Statten's motives however are not as they seem, all he wants from the Doctor is to get the 'Metaltron' to talk. Talk it does, especially when it finds out the Doctor is the last of his kind like itself being the last Dalek. The Doctor tries to destroy the creature before it can cause further harm but is stopped and arrested by van Statten. Rose, who is being shown around by Adam, Van Statten's purchasing assistant, also decides to visit the Dalek. Her touch to the outer casing however causes the Dalek to be set loose in an attempt to conquer the planet and find the rest of it's species.

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Billie Piper) and Adam (Bruno Langley)

Enemies: A Dalek

Afterthought: Certainly a very dark episode for the Doctor although of course this is Christopher Eccleston at his best. It's a shame Van Statten didn't get a chance to redeem himself and was simply 'thrown away' at the end. Also, if Van Statten's gone, who's running the internet?

Verdict:

Story: 3.5/5, The plot was completely successful but the characters keeping the same feelings towards the Dalek throughout is exhausting.

Effects: 4/5, The new Daleks are very impressive however the CGI moving parts of the Dalek as the inner being is revealed are not so clever.

Humor: 4/5, There are some light moments to occasionally release tension however this is not what the story is about.

Mark Campbell: 4.5/5, For once I have to agree.

TOTAL SCORE: 16/20

Elsewhere:

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalek_(Doctor_Who_episode)

Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dq8

Exterminate! Next Time: The Long Game

The Doctor meets a Dalek for the first time since the Time War!

Series 1 (Season 27), Episodes 4 + 5: Aliens of London & World War Three

Trouble with the Slitheen? Call the Doctor or visit the blog!

Doctor Who returns to London for its first multi-part story of the century. Following the example of its predecessor this serial introduces a new semi-regular in the form of Harriet Jones (Penelope Winton) and another soon-to-be Torchwood employee Toshiko Sato (Naoko Mori). The Slitheen, who have now wormed their way into Doctor Who folklore, also debut as the serials' enemy. The episode also looks at how families (particularly Rose's) cope when their loved ones disappear off with the Doctor.

Synopsis: Rose and the Doctor return to earth '12 hours' after they left. It soon becomes clear however that Rose has actually been missing for 12 months and this sparks arguments between the Doctor and Jackie! Then, a spaceship crashes into the Thames, destroying the top of Big Ben on the way down. When the non-terrestrial craft is proved to be a fraud by another type of alien the mystery deepens into why extra-terrestrials would set the world on high alert. It soon becomes clear that the diversion of the UFO has allowed the alien family 'The Slitheen' to rise to high power in government! The question is, what do the enemy want, if not to take over the planet?

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Billie Piper), Jackie (Camille Coudri) and Mickey (Noel Clarke)

Enemies: The Slitheen (with a cameo appearance from what has been dubbed 'a space pig')

Afterthought: Designed to scare them but also to make them laugh, smaller children must relish this episode. The only subjects keeping the attention span of the older watchers are the political remarks although Harriet Jones is definitely over the top in her first appearance.

Verdict:

Story: 2/5, The idea is promising, except for the Slitheen.

Effects: 0.5/5, The costumes were well designed...

Humor: 2/5, Slitheen aren't funny, so it's a good job the Doctor and Mickey are.

Mark Campbell: 3.5/5, Is he purposefully trying to annoy me?

TOTAL SCORE: 8/20

Elsewhere:

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliens_of_London and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_Three_(Doctor_Who)

Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dp9 and http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dpv

You win some, you lose some. Next Time: Dalek

As the Slitheen wait for the nuclear codes they find themselves being bombed!