(EDWE 1 = Every Doctor Who Episode, Blog 1)
Written by Russell T Davies
Starring Pretty Much Everyone
WARNING! This review is likely to be controversial amongst many people. It is MY views, and you probably either strongly will or strongly won't agree with them. This is MY view only.
I didn't like Russell T Davies' era as Producer. I liked the choice of Christopher Eccleston even if he wasn't that Doctor-like (and his costume was a mistake) and David Tennant would have been a good Doctor, but the romance ruins it all. Russell always says he hates the TV Movie. Well clearly not if he stole the idea of romance, words in the title sequence and a large TARDIS from it.
I knew the Stolen Earth & Journey's End would be a typical finale that we'd grown used to by now. After being disappointed by episode 13's of every series, I didn't have my hopes us for this two-parter. The Stolen Earth was worse than the usual Episode 12's. It was too busy and completely ignored the Bad Wolf cliffhanger. Rose Tyler was back (WOO!) but wasn't as good. I liked her in series one as she was a perfect companion, in my opinion, but she 'grew up' in series two, getting involved in an almost romantic relationship with Tennant's Doctor. However, Doomsday wasn't too bad. But I'll come to that in a future review. Rose in the series 4 finale was very much a series two Rose - with a gun and more of an attitude.
Now, I sat down in 2005 for Bad Wolf. I watched it, got excited and then I saw the Next Time trailer! Davros, I though then! But alas, it was the Emperor Dalek. Finally, in the series 4 finale, Davros was back. I must confess I liked the scene between the Doctor, Rose and Davros, until the Doctor started to cry. Again. And then all his companions (or the weakly named "Children of Time", I mean what happened to companions just joining and leaving?) came up with a solution. The key, and lots of other things. Then it was all resolved with a *sigh* Doctor-Donna.
Why? Why the hell? A Doctor-Donna? I mean come on! A metacrisis or whatnot, it's all rubbish! It was a rubbish end to Donna - wiping her memory. And what happened to dumb Donna we all loved. Or at least I did. What happened? She grew up, like everyone does. Russell just wipes the fun out of all of the characters. Anyway - Russell was only going to contradict himself in the End of Time, like he did with a lot of things.
I liked Donna and the fact she should become a cocky, arrogant, Time Lord was just not needed.
And then of course there was a human-ish Doctor, and Russell did his usual oh lets get the Doctor's clothes off! things he does with everyone of his characters. Male. The human-ish Doctor was also not necessary.
And then we go back to my earlier point of the sloppyness. The sloppyness, as I call it, means lovey-dovey stuff. Kissing and stuff YOU DO NOT NEED IN A SCI-FI SHOW! Rose was given a human Doctor and we assume (well we were practically told!) that they'd go off and be happy and have little human children on a not quite human world. But once again, a kiss was uncessary.
Now back to the Daleks! Then to the other companions. The Daleks were the normal gold rubbish and the Supreme was, ok, he was quite good. Davros was back and he was back - with Dalek Caan, another curse of the RTD era. And him bringing the Doctor and Donna together? WHAT HAPPENED TO PICK SOMEONE UP, TRAVEL, DROP THEM BACK. In the RTD era it was Pick them up after an episode, travel with them, have a romantic connection with them in some way, argue with them, kiss and make up (and yes I do mean kiss and make up) and drop them back. But hang on what brought them together in the first place?
Anyway the other companions were good. And the Sarah, Jackie and Mickey link was good, with those three trying to find the Doctor together. That was a good group. Then Captain Jack found them. Anyway then there was Martha (not good) and Donna (obviously) and everybody's family and then a random bit in a German castle that was filmed in Castle Coch in Wales. It did feel crowded, though it was done well. Mostly.
So overall, it wasn't a bad two parter. It was all bound by destiny, which annoyed me. And Davros had too much of a minor role. A proper Davros adventure would have been fine. But what with all the companions and another (in a sense) Doctor and the concept of tying in all the spin-offs was just too much - as all finales are. It was too busy, and still had too much of the strong sense of People rather than Aliens. Something RTD always did.
NEXT TIME
I have a look at a classic episode from the 5th Doctor's era.
James
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