Doctor What?

I have to pass comment on ‘Ashes To Ashes’ at some point, and also finish my ‘Supernatural’ LA convention waffle, but first things first people: last night’s series four opener of ‘Doctor bloody Who’.

WARNING! WARNING! SPOILERS, WILL ROBINSON!
There are series four spoilers ahead…

A mixed bag, really. I really enjoyed some parts – not least of all the teasing about the Doctor and Donna just about missing each other for the pretty much the first half of the episode. I liked the heads bobbing up and down while investigating the Adipose company, the silent conversation through the door and window as they first meet, and lots of little moments that surely mean we’re going to get some brilliant sublime comedy from the two leads in the next thirteen weeks. I’ve got to say I were quite impressed with Donna all over really – managing to infiltrate a company, having the balls to fake her way in, having brains enough to realise all she has to do is follow the strange alien stuff and she’ll find her strange alien friend again. I liked the premise that she’d seen all that splendour with the Doctor way back when, and now everything else paled in comparison and she wanted it back. I like the whole ‘regret not going with him’ thing, and what I really, really like is that she’s wanting to see new places and go do exciting stuff in the TARDIS and planets and aliens and faraway worlds and – oh yeah, she needs the Doctor to do it. She’s not following him around like a love-sick puppy (Rose, anyone?) and she’s not going with the excitement but hanging on in the hopes of a favourable glance (Doctor Jones), she’s just there for the fun. Which, let’s face it, everyone would be first, men after, right? Or is that just me?

Anyway, got a lovely performance from Catherine Tate – liked her serious moments, she handled them well. Sarah Lancashire was good as Evil Super-Nanny, but at times I swear she was just doing her best with some gruelling, cringe-worthy dialogue. (Really, really liked the nice squelching sound as Evil Super-Nanny hits the pavement at the end. Well done effects team!) Liked the sonic pen – but Doctor, why oh why did you throw it away? Why not keep it and add it to the mountains of junk you already horde in that TARDIS of yours? Or is that going to be useful later on…?

David Tenninch Tennant is as ebullient as ever, twice as bouncy and back with a vengeance after the slightly disappointing Christmas episode. Not that he ever disappoints, but at least here he had something to get his teeth into without the whole thing being too pretentious. He appeared to take to Donna again quite well, and I did like the conversation by the mainframe for Adipose between the two of them. Nice moment too as he’s talking to himself and then realises it in the TARDIS. I doubt it had ever looked so large than right then. And thank you, Russell T. Davies, for the ending scene. Donna’s trying to get into the TARDIS, and he’s standing there looking like the most uncomfortable man on Earth, trying to support just some of her incredible array of luggage. And here comes the moment we’ve all been waiting for – or at least I have. Him putting his foot down to try and make it clear that, just for once, he’d like a Companion who doesn’t fancy him - he should just get himself a nice lesbian, that would do it. And no doubt boost ratings, too. (And I did really like Donna's crack about Martha fancying him out of madness, blindness or just plain charity. Ace!)

So here we are at the end, and it’s been the usual rollercoaster of fun and laughs. Not sure if it measured up to series three’s opener, ‘Smith and Jones’, but it was still miles better than the Christmas 2007 edition. And then, just when you think it’s all over, we get the kick in the arse that not all of us saw coming – Rose, disappearing back to what is presumable her own dimension. Several million questions raised there, especially pertaining to the look on her face and the way she moped off afterwards. Does anyone else feel like slapping her and telling her to get a life yet? No? Ok, I’ll save that for later. When apparently Donna, Rose, Martha, Captain Jack Harkness and perhaps even Sarah Jane will be back in the TARDIS. Thankfully, Martha will be back around mid-season for the two-parter, popping out and then back in again for the finale. The rest are unconfirmed.

And the music – once again they’ve mixed so many pieces of good stuff in there. Murray Gold is a genius. A little bit of stuff harking back to the old series two (28) re-workings of ‘Song For Ten’ (goes with the theme so far), some of series three’s ‘This is Gallifrey: Our Childhood, Our Home’, a little of ‘Doomsday’ for Rose’s mysterious re-appearance, and some beautiful re-workings of ‘The Doctor’s Theme’. Fantastic stuff. And this new theme music – not sure if it’s as good as series one, two and three’s, but we’ll see. Shouldn’t be so attached to the past, should just get on with it, eh.

Poster alert: Did anyone else clock the rather garishly-coloured poster slapped on the bin/oil drum thing, as the Doctor’s talking to Donna while handling her luggage? No? Hmm… Just me then. Not that I think they’d pull that one again, slipping in clues to the series finale (to which, actually, I really DO NOT want spoilers), but it just seemed odd that the poster stood out so strongly. Naw, I’m sure it’s just me…

Looks like I’m done here. And it also looks like I’ll be back to posting twice-weekly for a change – one for the good Doctor, and one for normal life. Yeeee-haaa, it’s back to summer blogging! Well it is a beautiful sunny day, about 25 degrees C and 80% humidity over here. Sorry all of you lot int UK, but there we are.

Right, that’s yer onion. I’m off to enjoy the day. Peach and lube, everyone, peach and lube!

Tags:
BBC ~ Doctor Who ~ David Tennant ~ Donna Noble ~ Catherine Tate ~ Sarah Lancashire ~ Murray Gold ~ Billie Piper ~ Rose Tyler