The major dynamic of Doctor Who has always been one of change, after all it IS a indicate about a 900+ year-old face-swapping, regenerating Timelord with no-fixed-abode, each week an entirely unusual space, with a unusual cast of characters. It’s because of this dynamic that the series has had such (multimedia) longevity. With series 4, of the fresh series we stare a continuation of this, with the return of Donna Genuine from the Christmas Invasion Special of 2006. But, this isn’t the same Donna, she herself has changed as a character for having adventured with the Doctor, although she calm, thankfully, is not as in dread of the Doctor as Rose in series 1, or in adore as Rose in series 2, or struck love-sick with the unobtainable man as Martha in series 3. Donna has a original perspective on the Doctor and his universe, almost seeing herself as an equal, if unsure of her abilities, but not so completely trusting of the Doctor. As Rose grew into the role of companion, so does Donna, but her shuffle isn’t as simple, she may be the everyman companion (like Sally Sparrow or the men of LINDA) . The show’s overall perspective has changed, Rose and Martha held the point of plan, unraveling the mysteries (for the viewer) of the Doctor and his world, especially with the mad and enigmatic Chris E’s 9th Doctor. But now with David Tennant’s 10th Doctor the audience knows more about the “last of the Timelords” than any companion, we don’t need the companion as an anchor, thus we has Donna on an even playing field, and an excuse to bring aid Martha (also changed for her travels) …an maybe Rose?
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This season the series has no major catchwords like “Awful WOLF” or “TORCHWOOD” and who can forget “MR. SAXON.” Season 4 is inch by other elements, a person, phrase, a prophetic statement/question, a dwelling, building up, so pay attention. These elements aren’t clues from this season alone, but references planted going as far succor as the first season, or a recently as quotes from the Master in last season’s finale, remember “The Crucible,” “Medusa Cascade” or the “Shadow Proclaimation? ”
What else this season has is loads of colossal stories from award-winning writers and loads of substantial performances from award-winning celebrity cameos: Nigel Terry (Excalibur), kylie Minogue, Felicity Kendal, Alex Kingston (ER), Colin Salmon (MI6), Christopher Ryan (the Young Ones), Geoffrey Palmer, Georgia Moffett (the Last Detective) and more. Of course, there are loads of broad performances from the series regulars. David Tennant ads so noteworthy depth to what was a relatively static character, in the series modern successful bustle. His Doctor serene enabling the everyman to act, to be a hero. Along with Catherine Tate, their sense of pathos and comedic timing are nothing short of A-list quality.
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DVD situation includes:(aloof spoilers follow…)
Time Crash: a fully finished short for the “Children in Need” UK charity featuring the 5th Doctor (Peter Davison) meeting the 10th Doctor, written by Steven Moffat.This is a dispute precursor to the 2007 Christmas Special, in fact it really occurs a few minutes before the final seconds of Season 3′s finale.
“The Voyage of the Damned” or the 2007 Christmas Special. Now a Christmas Day tradition, since the 10th Doctor, newly regenerated came to our screens, this is the 3rd such special. This special is very derivative of the action film genre, more so that the previous specials, or Doctor Who as a whole. Moments very-like the Die Hard of your choice appear throughout “Voyage” while Tennant’s Doctor is somewhat muted early on here. The Doctor this time out is rescuing the passengers and crew of the Starship Gigantic, a intergalactic flee liner visiting scenic Earth, where difficulty ensues and the Doctor’s promises of salvation to the nicely eclectic gallery of survivors proves to be to great to handle. The Sweet, but over-rated and inappropriately outmoded Kylie Minogue as Astrid, a temp companion who dreams of seeing the galaxy, relieve the Doctor to choose the immoral corporate machinations of Max Capricorn, at an coarse cost. Some elements are the angelic robo-baddies, homage to “the Robots of Death” and another classic iconic juxtaposition of holiday imagery.
The first of the dependable season is “Partners in Crime” in which we rejoin Donna Fine from the Runaway Bride special and for an opening night episode, it unexcited feel like on of the specials. It is fun, face-paced and over-the-top, it too has some Die Hard moments. Since turning down the Doctor’s initial offer to move, she has changed her mind and been investigating on her contain hoping to one day bustle into the Doctor, and so she does. She also runs into CEO, Miss Foster who offers an unsuspecting public current scheme to lose weight with a putrid secret, well rotten may be to harsh a word, but let’s unbiased say that the elephantine “objective walks away.” This one, is a bit of fun fluff, but the episode closer offers quite a twist.
The second of the season is “The Fires of Pompeii” or should I say “Volcano Day.” Filmed in Rome on the massive region from the HBO/BBC sets and other Mediterranean locales, we survey some of the hard historical choices the Doctor must form, a choice I though he would have faced on the sincere Stout, had it not been a Starship. In a fixed point in history…Who lives and who dies in the eruption of Vesuvius? This one has got it all, molten rock monsters, togas and Donna pleading for the Doctor to attach someone. From the opening to the ending of this one Donna is asking so titanic and clear questions (for example, if the TARDIS translates English to Latin & Latin to English, what happens when you yelp Latin? ) .
The third episode “Planet of the OOD” resolves the quandary of the subservient, tentacle-mouthed slaves from The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit of 2006. The Doctor didn’t really do apt by them the last time around, but in his defense he was busy fighting the Devil. The OOD are both creepy and sympathetic simultaneously. This time the OOD are more than honest tools, and yet again we have the motif of an nefarious CEO who needs comeuppance (3 of 4) .
The fourth and fifth episodes “The Sontaran Stratagem” and “Poison Sky” obviously recognize the return of the potato-headed clone soldiers (pre-dating Lucas’ clone troopers from “the Time Warrior”) . This 2 parter also sees the return of UNIT and Dr. Martha Jones and if you missed her episodes of Torchwood series 2, she is a more confident, bolder character than when she and the Doctor parted ways. This one has another wrong corporation and unfavorable SAT-NAVs. These two are colossal “customary school” episodes, Christopher Ryan brilliantly plays Sontaran General Staal. Gawk the TARDIS monitor for another clue to the season finale.
The sixth episode title was kept secret until the week before broadcast, “the Doctor’s Daughter.” This is a really nicely done account, with some grand casting
Including Nigel Terry (King Arthur from Excalibur) and Georgia Moffett (who is really the Doctor’s daughter, 5th Doctor Peter Davison’s precise kid, who was nearly cast as Rose for 2005) . Penned by Stephen Greenhorn, who wrote last season Lazarus Experiment, setting out to write a record that forever leaves the central character changed by the slay.
The seventh episode, the Wasp and the Unicorn, is the latest from writer Gareth Roberts, the “historical cameo” king. Having written Charles Dickens & Christmas Ghosts, Queen Victoria meeting a werewolf and Shakespeare with Witches, who better to write a manor house mystery with Agatha Christie?
Done with spinning newspaper, flashbacks and a body in the perceive, this one is a really Doctor-Who-dunnit (sorry) . It has lots of cameos, some Dr. Who vets and David Tennant’s DAD as the BUTLER!
The long awaited 2-parter from writer 2 time HUGO-award winner Steven Moffat (Blink, Empty Child), “Silence in the Library” and “the Forest of the Dreary” has awards written all over it. The shadows themselves are the enemy on a planet-sized Library and who is the mysterious archeologist River Song, who seems to intimately familiar with the Doctor, could she be Mrs. The Doctor? …Anyway, if you read any of the Modern Adventures (of Doctor Who) in the 90′s the spirit of this account will seem a very familiar homage (Google Prof. Benny Summerfield for more, irony here is her creator Paul Cornell didn’t write an episode this season) . River Song is played perfectly by the resplendent and talented Alex Kingston, adds to the increasing foreboding clues toward a bleak something on the horizon for Donna.
Episode ten, “Midnight” while Donna relaxes poolside the Doctor goes on a 4 hour tour (you unprejudiced can trust them) . The Doctor and an unlikely tour group visit the surface of the “unihabited/unihabitable” planet of Midnight…but who’s outside and who has gotten in? A substantial respond to the Voyage of the Damned in which a worry brings out the best in mankind, here we notice people turn on each other (and the Doctor) in fright, human nature at its ugliest. This “bottle” episode contained to the “space-truck’s” cabin, is claustrophobic and although it contains no monster convey it is one of the season’s most gruesome shows since the angels. Props to the sound crew/editors on this one, no visual effects form the sound all the more significant! Also, after the 5th Doctor’s trusty daughter, we this time earn the 2nd Doctor’s son David Troughton is onboard.
Episode eleven “Turn Left” again by RTD himself leading us into the sad waters of the season four 3 allotment finale to reach…maintain on! This Doctor-light episode sees the special return of an companion and UNIT as things start to secure awful as a threat to more than unbiased the Earth is revealed.
Episode twelve, “The Stolen Earth” the Doctor’s team prepare to battle the unusual ***** Empire, lead by *****.
Final episode, concluding the tight 3 section memoir arc, “Journey’s Extinguish”! Like last season, the season finale features the return of another major classic Dr. Who villain!
Fear not, next season WILL have a Christmas special and 4 more specials to own us over `til “delayed” season 5 airs. The specials will be the last produced by the remaining current 2005 team as Executive producer Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson has already left and Executive Producer Russell T. Davies will leave following the specials. Steven Moffat will catch over for RTD. The chubby 5th season (2010) may be the time for 10th Doctor’s maintain Scamper to waste, remember what I said about change, don’t effort about that for now, unprejudiced appreciate this incredible 14 episode DVD state.”
…for the occasional lows.
Doctor Who: Series Four was, in my thought, friendly to the previous three series’. Yes, there were gross points, but each series has had those. For this series, the writers – as a collective whole – did a astounding job of dropping clues here and there, and there was a sense of anticipation as the series went from one episode to the next; quite simply, the building up to the finale was masterfully done.
After a questionable begin, Catherine Tate really kicked it into high-gear as the newest companion, Donna Trustworthy, and she has become my common companion of the revived series. Donna brought a maturity, wisdom and warmth, as well as a sense of humor, that Rose and Martha simply could not instruct. She also wasn’t trotting leisurely the Doctor, all pie-eyed like a puppy dog, completely infatuated with him, and that was a welcome change. To me, Donna was in it for the sheer joy and adventure, in the greatest tradition of the Doctor Who legacy, and I am reminded of one of her lines from ‘Planet of the Ood:’ “A rocket! A proper salubrious rocket! It’s like…you’ve got a blue box…he’s got a Ferrari! Let’s sight where he’s goin’!” Adore that!
The stand-out episodes of the season are: ‘The Fires of Pompeii,’ ‘Planet of the Ood,’ and ‘The Wasp and The Unicorn’ – all very well written. The two episodes: ‘Silence in the Library’ and ‘Forest of the Dead’ were both penned by the current Who Chief, Steven Moffat, and definitely stand above the pack; ‘Midnight’ was especially creepy and delved into the unseemlier traits of human behavior and mini-mob mentality in an unknown plot, and the chilling synchronicity between the Doctor and Skye will send a shiver down your spine – guaranteed. The final three episodes were the best of the finales we’ve seen so far, filled with visceral imagery and more than rapidly dialogue – most of which takes site between David Tennant and Catherine Tate, who are simply set on – kudos to Russell T. Davies for some wonderful writing there.
Which now leaves the weaklings of the bunch: ‘Partners in Crime,’ ‘The Sontaran Strategem’ and ‘The Poison Sky.’ While the Sontaran episodes started off fairly strong, ‘The Poison Sky’ descended into a bit more camp for my taste. Then there’s ‘The Doctor’s Daughter.’ I was really hoping for more depth than the episode ultimately offered – it felt hurried and a bit desperate to accomplish a modern character for future legend lines, and I consider they missed a really helpful chance to delve into the character of the Doctor in some ways, but, oh well.
Overall, however, I simply cannot complain about this series (except for the procedure it ended for Donna…a most terrible, tragic and unfair slay to any companion’s reign, in my book; but that’s a personal beef, since I really loved the diagram Donna’s character evolved over the course of the series), and in my mind it completely eclipses the previous three. I will say, the presence of Martha on and off was a bit of a needless addition and the return of Rose was incidental, with the final resolution for her character being a bit of a cop-out, but giving Rose fans what they wanted; and, Russell T. Davies DID do a nice job in tying up the loose ends from his era at the helm, while leaving plenty of red herrings out there for future writers to expound upon, should they decide to.
On the whole, this series was darker, edgier, more passe, with a sharper sense of humor, and the continuity was nearly flawless. David Tennant has laid claim to the role in a device that Christopher Eccleston did not and I feel a spacious amount of pity for the actor who ultimately follows in his footsteps. The word “impossible” comes to mind, or at least, “extremely difficult.” It’s going to be a challenge down the road, I’m distinct.
On the upside, the series is gripping into the more than suited, award winning hands of Steven Moffat, the writer of ‘The Empty Child’ and ‘The Doctor Dances’ from Series One, ‘The Girl in the Fireplace’ from Series Two, and ‘Blink’ from Series Three (for which he won a BAFTA), as well as the gems from this fresh series.
And while change is never easy for us life-long Whovians, I, for one, am more than wrathful to recognize where he takes it! He’s a luminous, fantastically imaginative writer and I believe it’s going to be ~ Molto Bene ~ Very respectable, indeed!
Unfortunately, it’s going to seem like a very long wait! May 2010 come sooner rather than later!
HAI Flat Iron
and is well-plotted and well-executed and it also smashed its competition of the unique hit MIAMI VICE in the Nielsen’s ratings every week for the whole 1986-87 season which demonstrated the success and strength of this Season 10.