Arnold
Tash Jayasinghe
CibbuanoDoctor Who 3.1 - Smith and Jones
April 2nd 2007 09:55
Image taken from Wikipedia.org
WARNING: DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS EPISODE
The new Doctor Who is back with a third series and it feels like it never really left our screens (well, it feels like that to me, probably because I live and breathe Doctor Who). David Tennant, riding high on the back of a huge wave of popularity (the Radio Times recently had him voted as the most popular Doctor of all time), returns for his second year, and this time he is paired up with a new companion in the shape of Freema Agyeman, who was last seen playing a minor character in last year's season finale. Agyeman plays Martha Jones, a medical student from modern day London, and whilst she has big shoes to fill (Billie Piper was a particularly and undeniably formative influence on the rebooted show's early success), I think it's safe to say that her travels with the Doctor will be anything less than eventful and entertaining.
A Brief Rundown of the Plot
A hospital has been transported to the moon by an army of alien mercenaries called the Judoon (see picture at top of blog). The Doctor, sensing something was about to happen, has smuggled himself into the hospital by admitting himself as a patient. Meanwhile, Martha Jones, an intern at the hospital, is one of the few people not to freak out at the sight of the moon's barren and remote landscape suddenly appearing around the building. This of course makes her an ideal candidate for being the Doctor's sidekick, and so the two begin the frantic search for the cause of the Judoon's appearance.
What's New
The Doctor has a brand new suit, a rather nice blue one that resembles his brown number from the previous series. It's nice to see him switching between the two as well.
Martha looks set to be a great addition to the Doctor's list of companions. It was relieving to see that the writers didn't just make her a Rose-clone either, she seems to come from a more affluent background and seems more self-assured. Her family seemed a little irritating though, but this is probably because they felt kind of shoehorned into the story and there wasn't really any room for them in the episode's 44 minute runtime.
Carrying on from some previous hints (in the recent christmas special, 'The Runaway Bride', and in last year's 'Love and Monsters'), we're told in passing of a certain Mr. Saxon, a politician campaigning for Prime Minister. It seems this will be the story arc for the third series, and I suspect he will not be a very nice person at all!
Also, Martha asks the Doctor if he has a brother and he replies, rather casually, "No, not anymore". Not anymore? This, coupled with his claims of once being a father in last year's 'Fear Her', seems to imply that we're going to see or learn more about the Doctor's family in future episodes. Interesting... it definitely covers some new ground for the show. Here's hoping they don't stuff it up!
The Verdict
This was an okay episode. It was exciting to see the Doctor back again, and David Tennant just seems to get better and better. The Judoon were pretty cool and I found myself rather willing to forgive their superficial resemblance to the classic alien race, the Sontarans. The sequences involving the transportation of the hospital and the arrival of the Judoon on the moon were fantastic, it felt like I was watching a big budget movie. The story itself (and the rather silly villain) didn't really do much for me though, and I suspect I'll like this episode less on repeat viewings. But I sure am excited that the series is back! Can't wait for the next episode.
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