Sci-Fi Heaven.net

According to reports surfacing online, fans have bought out a popular New York toy stores’ entire supply of the new Batman movie’s Joker (Heath Ledger) action figure within minutes of them going on sale.

Not only this, but apparently warehouse supplies have been sold. Where does one turn in such a situation?

You guessed it. eBay.

Figures, with a retail price of $9.99 have been seen selling on the auction site at $55 each.

Heath Ledger, star of Brokeback Mountain and the upcoming Batman movie, The Dark Knight, was found dead on January 22 this year from an accidental prescription drug overdose at age 28.

Multiple DVD covers are spewing out of the Stargate Continuum project at the moment.

Gateworld was the first to post details of the cover, and ran with the following image.

Shortly afterwards, TVShowsonDVD.com found another piece of cover art, apparently also official.

Can’t help but prefer the first one guys, just looks more professional and finished. Time will tell which eventually will be used.

Also, if you’re interested, about a fortnight ago there was yet another small preview of the covert artwork released, again completely different, for the DVD.

In-brief:

Wow.

(Very) In-depth:

I’m a little bit shocked actually. I just sat down and watched the second of a two-part episode of Doctor Who, and not only did it manage to build upon the first episode, with no stone left not fully unturned, it did so in a way that was, quite simply, brilliant.

Plot; Martha has been cloned, the Sontarans are flooding the world with somekind of poisonous gas, Donna’s granddad is being poisoned to death by said gas and the Doctor, and UNIT, stand helpless…

…but not for long.

That cliff-hanger from last week is quickly resolved as Donna’s mother uses one of those ordinary households objects mums usually keep lying around to smash open the car her dad is dying inside.

“Why do you have an axe?!”

And from then on it is boom, boom, and boom. You are literally flung right back into the story and it proceeds at near breakneck pace as events unfold logically from last week. The Doctor needs to stop the gas flooding the whole world, and we are neatly reminded that this is a global crisis thanks to some news footage of our own news shows, and fictional American ones, reporting on it throughout the episode. It’s a very nice touch that we’re still seeing the same fictional network, and the same fictional news presenter, that we’ve seen occasionally throughout the whole series returning from America – it brings a good dose of continuity to the series…

The Doctor, Donna (who must wrestle herself away from her mother who wishes her to stay, and her granddad who wishes her to go) and young solider Ross Jenkins race back to the site of UNIT’s field base where they are soon met by the cloned Martha Jones. And again, in another bit of continuity, the clone takes a moment before meeting the team, to inform her superior about the Doctor’s warning from last week that the threat is Sontaran, just to cover her own back. Good! A smart clone!

More good! The Doctor shuttles Donna off to the TARDIS so that she’ll be safe from what’s coming, while he tries to stop a war which humans just can’t win. As he points out, the Sontarans are a technologically advanced race bred for warfare – humans won’t be able to combat them on their level. And his warning proves prophetic when, all too soon, Ross Jenkins is killed in battle with his comrades, when Colonel Mace refuses to listen to the Doctor’s first command of “Get them out of there!”

It’s a very small sequence and it’s surprisingly affecting. Ross had a fair amount of screen time last week, and his death in this episode happens fairly early on, and seems horribly unfair, but it reminds us that this is war. There are serious consequences. And the Doctor knows this only too well…

“Greyhound Six! Report!”

“His name was Ross!”

And now how refreshing was it, from the moment the Doctor clasps eyes on clone Martha, that you just know he knows it isn’t her. He doesn’t say anything. It’s just an odd look. And in some ways ‘Perfect Ten’ shows a far more devilishly cunning side here than in previous entrants because, as he explains later in the episode, he let the clone think he didn’t know because he needed her to stop UNIT from going too far with nuclear weapons. That’s an awful risk to take, and that helps sum this man up.

And he uses the clone again, ensuring that his TARDIS, and therefore Donna, are transported onboard the Sontaran battleship in orbit of Earth. Perfectly placed to carry out his instructions, while he stays below, distracting them all, with an intentionally funny scene where he ignores Colonel Mace by hacking into UNIT’s communication systems, calling himself a representative of the planet, and demands to know why the Sontarans are behaving like cowards! As Luke Rattigan himself stated, surely it’s insane to antagonise the enemy?

But all he’s doing is distracting them. Ensuring he has the opportunity to send a message to the TARDIS, to Donna, letting her know he needs her to pick up the mobile phone he left behind…

I cannot tell you how tight this script is. How everything just came together cohesively. It’s so surprising how this is written by the same writer as last years’ early season two parter and it just goes to show how any author can spin all expectations around heads. A stellar cast and crew can only go so far with a below average script, and this is by no means below average.

The Doctor, wary of clone Martha, lets Donna know she needs to re-wire a transport pods controls so he can hack into it and get up there. In the meantime, UNIT shows the Doctor that, while they may not be quite as technologically advanced as the Sontarans, we more than make up for it with ingenuity. UNIT pull out gas masks, everyone goes outside, the Doctor comments “Are you my mummy?” and Colonel Mace shows him his plan.

It has two parts. Simple things.

Firstly, the bullets they will be using are lined with steel, thereby stopping the Sontarans weapon that neutralises copper lined bullets by expanding them inside the guns (such a simple explanation as well that other sci fi shows have sidestepped in the past…) And secondly, he relies on continuity. The UNIT aircraft carrier Valiant returns in glorious style as it descends on the ATMOS factory, and uses its massive turbines to blow the gas away.

This episode is firing away on all cylinders.

UNIT storms the building. The Sontarans are caught by surprise. Colonel Mace has he moment of heroism as he shoots the lead Sontaran dead. The Doctor runs the other way, downstairs, and takes clone Martha with him. He walks into the hidden cloning room, and sees the one he came for; Martha Jones. The clone pulls a gun, but he’s already one step ahead. He knows the Sontarans took the factory to protect the original Martha – the clone needs her to live. So he disconnects Martha from the equipment she’s plugged into, and the clone falls to the floor. It’s a slight jump from last week’s idea that the clone only needed Martha alive for “…full memory access…” but I can buy it.

In a reasonably effective scene, the clone lies dying, but Martha manages to play on its copied memories of family, and it tells Martha, not the Doctor, about what the gas is really for; it’s food for clones.

The Sontarans want to turn Earth into a new clone world.

The Doctor can’t have that. And now he has all the pieces of the puzzle, he knows what he has to do. He’s already worked it out. From the very moment he clasped eyes on clone Martha, he had a plan. Donna is beamed back to Earth after her re-wiring of the teleport pod aboard ship, and the Doctor then uses the pod to beam them all to Rattigan’s Academy.

Yes. Now. Luke Rattigan. I’ve deliberately not mentioned him so far because his storyline is different. In some ways, it’s the crux of the entire story.

When we last left him, he was supporting the Sontarans as they plotted to choke the world. Has he switched sides? Far from it. He’s all for the end of the world. His plan is to take his students from his academy and repopulate another world. The human race can start again.

He’s even got a mating plan worked out.

But his students don’t share his view. They want to save their families. They abandon him. Rattigan returns to the Sontarans and discovers the truth; there is no plan to move him to another world. He was only a tool; an instrument to ensure Earth’s destruction. And now he’s going to die.

He returns to Earth in the last second and lies shaking, sobbing uncontrollably on the teleport pods floor. His entire life just crashed around him and he has no where to go…

The Doctor turns up; Donna and Martha, too. Rattigan is waiting, he pulls a gun, and the Doctor just walks straight to him, pulls the gun away and walks on by. Martha and Donna don’t even react as though the boy’s there. He’s not a threat anymore. He’s broken.

The Doctor runs around the Academy, building something. It’s an atmosphere device that will ignite all the gas and save the world. It works. But the Doctor, he knows what happens now…

“You don’t defeat Sontarans…”

He turns to Donna and Martha in turn, and thanks them. He’s saying goodbye. He has to stop the Sontarans by using the device again aboard their ship. But he has to give them a choice to stop.

His last words?

“And Luke… do something clever with your life!”

The Doctor’s gone. He gives the Sontarans their choice. They choose to continue; they don’t fear death, and the Doctor will die with them.

The Doctor disappears. Luke appears in his place. His last words to Donna and Martha?

“[I’m] Doing something clever!”

He pushes the button. The Sontarans ship explodes.

That’s some serious emotional changes going on there. Luke was a villain. And then he becomes an anti-hero in a way. Of course, it’s the only way the Doctor could have survived, if someone took his place. And it comes completely out of left field. Who could have seen selfish, twisted, lonely Luke Rattigan making this choice given last weeks episode?

Don’t get me wrong. The character was still quite contemptible. And you could even argue his choice was based mainly on revenge. Maybe that’s even the way Helen Raynor, the writer, wanted it to be, but I don’t think so. Look at the way the actor plays him, look at all of Luke’s actions coming out of being a lone genius and now he has nothing. He made the smart choice.

A good, strong episode. Plenty of things to love here from continuity (anyone else enjoy the mention, that was sorely lacking last week, of the Brigadier halfway through the episode?), character moments, acting, set design, special effects…

Directing was on good form although there were two irritating shots where firstly we’re shown Sontarans invading the factory from one angle, and then we’re shown further invasion from another part of building, except it’s the exact same shot, just mirrored! I rewound to be doubly sure. And then there’s another scene where Donna, waiting for the Doctor to call, makes a call home. It’s a sweet scene as she talks to her mother, who could never grasp what’s going on in her daughter’s life, to her granddad who loves her, and you’re thrown from it when an odd yellow smattering crosses the top of the screen. It’s only the shade surrounding the light in the kitchen, but seriously! Someone should have noticed that!

Perhaps my favourite moment of the episode is when the Doctor simply strolls out of the teleport pod, and pulls the gun swiftly out of Luke’s hands. He has bigger concerns. It’s just a heroic shot, artfully done.

By end of the episode, everything’s been tied up. Donna ‘s said goodbye to her family again. And Martha’s ready to go home. She’s got a life to live. On Earth.

The Doctor smiles proudly. Martha turns to go…

And the TARDIS door slams shut. The engine powers up and they’re out of there!

“Take me back, Doctor!”

“It’s not me!”

Oh, I so enjoy Doctor Who when it’s on top form.

Four Rose Tyler’s appearing on TARDIS screens out of five and that’s taking the whole two part episode together!

…

What? Did I not mention Rose appeared again?

Sorry.

In the midst of all the Doctor Who excitement, what else is going on out there?

Scarce little.

In a round up of the latest happenings, we’ve had some movement on the Hobbit movies. Yep, that’s right, movies. Details can be found here. It’s Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson - what’s to fear?

Battlestar Galactica’s ticking along nicely, four episodes into its fourth and final season. I might, and I strongly emphasise might, get some reviews up here soon, but we’ll see how time and energy levels are going.

Finally, those of you interested in the upcoming James McAvoy/Angelina Jolie/Morgan Freeman movie, Wanted, should note that we’re now looking at a 25th June 2008 release date, at least for the UK.

In brief:

Someone’s back! Oh! And it’s good!

In-depth:

So far with this series, there has not been a single episode I wouldn’t want to go back and watch again. I’ve got the DVDs for Series 3, but quite frankly, I tend to skip the Shakespeare episode (I feel the need to point out I had to think for a few long moments before I remember what the second episode was…), skip the first 20 odd minutes of ‘Gridlock’… With this collection, I could quite happily just sit back, and let the DVD play all of them.

And this episode is no exception.

Plot! A mysterious academy looms and a journalist is thrown from the building, ranting about how ATMOS is somekind of conspiracy… her death by her car driving into a river with the doors locked, is seemingly arranged by the satellite navigation device in her car, the ATMOS previously mentioned.

Onboard the TARDIS, Donna learns how to pilot, and the Doctor receives a phone call. Except it’s not his phone. It’s Martha Jones’, and only one person promised to ring that number…

I can’t help but be excited by Martha’s return. I’m an unashamed fan. Her character just had such a different feel to Rose’s, a more independent and dare I say, sassy edge. Yes. I know. She also suffered from Doctor love, but the greatest thing about that particular plot is that she recognised this, and had the emotional maturity needed to realise she had to move on from him.

Sorry. Plot. Martha’s called the Doctor back to Earth, to investigate a series of mysterious deaths that occurred all across the globe at the exact same time, but in different makes of cars, except all had ATMOS devices installed. She’s working for UNIT (old fans will remember the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce as military organisation the Doctor used to work for. Or still does… As Colonel Mace points out, the Doctor never resigned…for the purposes of the nuWho however, the group has become the Unified Intelligence Taskforce) and she felt they needed a more expert, expert on alien life. Make no mistake though; she is not the same Martha Jones that left the TARDIS behind. She’s a qualified Doctor in her own right, more confident, forceful and yet, despite all this, and what I just said, she’s still Martha Jones.

There’s a brilliant moment that illustrates this – halfway through the episode where the Doctor is analysing one of the ATMOS devices from the factory that UNIT have invaded, and he insists that Colonel Mace keeps away from him. Why? Because he’s carrying a gun. He doesn’t like guns. As the Colonel strops away, Martha asks why he’s being so tetchy! She also points out that she isn’t carrying a gun; she’s trying to teach UNIT the way the Doctor taught her – there can be another solution.

Freema Agyeman portrays such a love for her character; you can see it written on her face that she’s throwing herself into the part and enjoying every moment. And given how this instalment of the two parter turns out, she’s going to get plenty of opportunities to show her versatility…

The plot thickens as the Doctor decides he should take a look at the Rattigan Academy, the place that developed the ATMOS technology, under the lead of it’s child genius founder, Luke Rattigan. Unsurprisingly, it’s the same mysterious academy from the opening teaser… the Doctor simply has to take a look. While there, he does exactly what he does best, waltzing around, getting excited about all the brilliant human invention in the room, followed up by a rather unsubtle stab at alien goings on. And even knocking the young Luke Rattigan down a peg or two by pointing out a mistake in his grammar!

Luke Rattigan, to put it mildly, is not a sympathetic character. He’s a child genius; eighteen years old and already a millionaire. He has an opportunity to show some remorse when the Doctor, back to his serious attitude, comments on how “It’s been a long time since anyone ever told you ‘no’” and proceeds to show he knows exactly how hard it is to be so intelligent, to see things no one else can, and be utterly alone. But Rattigan doesn’t have what the Doctor has; life experience. He wants more than what this world can offer him, so he’s working with the alien threat. The Doctor handily activates a teleport pod and he’s zipped up to an alien ship/station in orbit.

Of course, unsurprisingly to anyone who has read the episode title, it’s the Sontarans. It’s a shame these guys have come into the series now, when the appearance of the Judoon is still relatively fresh in people’s minds. There’s a definite echo in appearance here. Military garb, energy weapons… I’m not the design of their uniform is much of an improvement over the old series, but then, since the Judoon are the ones wearing black, they need to be a different colour. The make up design those is fantastic and despite Luke Rattigan’s question on how the Sontarans can tell each other apart, you CAN see the difference between the two principle Sontarans we meet here.

The Doctor escapes the Sontarans with his military aide Ross Jenkins, a very nice appearance from Christian Cooke, and they flee the Academy, and then the military jeep, which has an ATMOS system, tries to kill them. Of course, they escape in an odd bit of logic which I can buy simply because the episode hurtles through it. But it’s a good sequence just before it as Rattigan gives away that the Doctor only called himself the Doctor and the principle Sontaran, General Staal, recognises the name. The ensuing hint about the Time War, that the Doctor may have actually led one of the battles is a most appreciated treat.

Quite literally, this episode rockets along. There’s a very strong sense of direction, a good narrative force directing the story… all those apply here. In many ways it’s rather surprising that this is coming from the same writer who brought us “Daleks in Manhattan’ in Season 3, an episode that, simply didn’t live up to its promise. Perhaps the only bump in the story is Donna’s side trip back home, just to catch up with her family and make sure they know what she is doing as halfway through the episode, it slows the whole thing down.

Her desire has been prompted by a good little scene between companion and companion, where Martha entreats that her family worried about her because she didn’t explain what she was doing with the Doctor. And the pay off for this scene is hilarious because as she tells the Doctor that she’s going home, he assumes she means for good, which leads into a big goodbye as he rattles off all the places he wanted to take her… before he realises she’s going to come back in a matter of hours! The chemistry, the interplay between Catherine and David in their respective roles, is just gold.

And then the pay off for Donna’s side trip home, is to put a recognisable face on the chaos that is about to hit planet Earth. It brings it closer to home by putting Donna’s family front and centre of the emergent threat. Good play.

The set design follows on from last weeks ‘Planet of the Ood’ in terms of delivering us some good pieces. It’s sold, believable. Even the hidden alien lab where the Sontarans keep their cloning apparatus has an edge of realism to it, and there’s a good attempt at explaining everything in simple terms for the audience, to make it easier to believe how a cloning process could work.

The CGI work again is top of the range; the design of the Sontarans battleships in orbit of Earth is just beautiful work. The only let down is the trails of gas leading off from the ships which just look bad… and I don’t think it’s the first time I’ve seen that kind of effect and been a little bit knocked out of the episode by it.

Still, by episodes end, I’m sat here at a computer, enthused enough to want to sit down and write this review. That is good. The story doesn’t do anything that particularly stands out, but it weaves together a lot of threads in a coherent mass that comes together nicely at the end and pushes us towards next weeks concluding part.

I feel confident enough to rate this a good 3 and half salutes out of 5, with 1 “Ma’am” just for fun!

Trust me. When you see the episode, it’ll all make sense.

In brief: Solid storytelling.

In-depth: Okay. Now this is a curious little Doctor Who tale.

I simply can’t fault how beautiful this episode looked; the CGI effects of the snow covered planet, the interior and exterior designs of the Oodsphere complex… it was an alien planet that looked and felt like an alien planet! The design team here did some fantastic work.

Back to the story though, as it transpires, the Ood were a docile race that humans found and decided to take of; to educate as one character within the episode calls it. We know something has gone wrong though from the opening scene where one of the humans running the Ood servants company is murdered by the Ood who serves him. One who has a familiar looking red colour to his eye… The Doctor and Donna arrive and quickly the Doctor determines that the Ood are somehow being controlled by an outside force again – it simply isn’t in their nature to kill.

And so the story takes off from there as they attempt to investigate what is happening. (yes, very vague, I know, but I do like people to be surprised).

There’s actually a good story being told here. I wouldn’t say that the Ood were in need of a follow up story after Season 2’s ‘The Impossible Planet’ and ‘The Satan Pit’ two parter, but it is most assuredly a well done affair. We delve deeper into the actual background of the Ood in general, find out exactly how a species can evolve to just serve… as Donna wisely points out, in not so many words, they can’t have been born with translators surely…

The answer to that particular thought is a rather dark one in regards to exactly how they do end up with those translators. In fact, on the whole this episode dealt with some rather strong themes; imprisonment, slavery… and it even evokes a sure sense of concentration camps. Once again, Donna is a our human social commentator, that is of course the role of the human companion, to the Doctors’ rather sage, and occasionally bitter judge. I do enjoy how Donna calls him on it though.

I do wonder if perhaps some of the commentary was put across a little too strongly however. Okay. We get that it’s not fair the Ood aren’t free. Yep. Now they’re being whipped if they fall over in the freezing cold. Oh and now they’re being boxed into crates and sent off all around the three galaxies. Yes. We get it. This is wrong. Now please stop trying to bang me over the head in much the same way someone tries to bang the Doctor over the head with a large metal claw.

Speaking of that claw, that sequence was without as much urgency as it could have had. It’s probably a combination of several factors; the story has plodded along at a nice slow pace, revealing bits and pieces of the puzzle, some nice characters moments, and then suddenly you have the Doctor hurtling through this warehouse full of large shipping crates whilst being chased by a huge metallic lifting mechanism, for, lets face it, no apparent reason! The guards hunting the Doctor are called off by the head guard, just so that he gets to play ‘Grab-The-Doctor’ with the claw. It’s by no means a badly shot scene, it just seems misplaced, and the way that it’s written, superfluous, and that could easily have been fixed with a small line of dialogue, even if it’s just to say they can’t find him on foot…

I digress. The eventual revelation (halfway through the episode) about the Ood’s true nature, and their evolution, is a rather surprising one, and even then the truth isn’t completely told. But it’s oddly affecting when the Doctor and Donna find natural born Ood with no translators but something else to hold. Something very precious. And the Doctor can hear what they’re singing through their telepathic connection which he briefly enables Donna to hear before it becomes too hard for her to listen anymore. A single tear streaks down her cheek. And she wants to go home, the universe, the nature of humanity, isn’t something she likes just then.

The villain of the piece, Mr Halpen, is another curious customer. He’s not one dimensional, although he does stand on that precipice, efforts are made to try and get us inside his head and he’s played with enough quirk that you can come to some sort of connection with him, but his character arc just seems off. Exactly how did he come to think so little of the Ood in general? Was it just bit by bit? Year after year? The final resolution to his character, while anyone can probably see something coming in regards to how he is ‘resolved’, I don’t think anyone could have seen exactly what happened. I’m still struggling with it myself; it just seemed to come from very left field even if does make a very strong sense of ironic justice.

The small moments between Donna and the Doctor are fast becoming my favourite parts of the episodes. There’s a very good casual banter going on between them here; in part because Donna isn’t afraid to give back as good as she gets. And she’s a very human character, in the sense that she reacts strongly to these events going on around her and she is easily accessible for us as we share her wonder, her grief, and her indignation. That whole scene just after the opening credits where the Doctor and her are alone in TARDIS as it ends up on some random alien world – look at her face. Look at his face. There’s shared joy here and it’s fun to behold.

All of that taken together, there’s a lot about this episode to like. It tackles some good themes, shows some spectacular effects, and has good characters moments. But something just seemed to be missing. Perhaps the best word I can pin it down under is ‘fun’. The first two episodes, despite the first being fluff and the second serious, there was a certain sense of fun with the two adventures, and barring the brief moments in the TARDIS, that fun seemed to be missing from the episode for me. But then maybe that’s a good thing. If there had been too much fun, it would have lessened the impact the story was trying to tell.

It certainly was not a badly told story. And it wasn’t even the one I was expecting. But for whatever inexplicable reason, the story just didn’t come together for me.

I’m going to give it 3 and a half time-vortexes. The 3 simply because it was a good story, even if I couldn’t quite get involved in it.

And the other half? All because of one line.

“Your song should come to an end.” Cue the Doomsday theme…

In-brief:

Better!

In-depth:

Ah. Now. This is tricky. I’m extremely tempted to call this an absolutely fantastic showing of what Doctor Who can be when it’s on top form based solely on the second half of this episode, but that would not be fair to the first half!

Part of the brilliance of the show, rests on the rather easy to carry shoulders, of the TARDIS. This is the device that allows us to travel through time and space and see all the different ways the human condition can survive under unique circumstances. So here, we travel back to ancient Rome (well, Pompeii!) and we get the insight into a family’s life back then. And it’s rather surprisingly familiar. You can see the echoes of what our lives are like today; the rebellious son, the worried mother, the uplifted sibling and the distracted father. Except to me it sort of seemed like a straight version of the characters you see in My Family, a sitcom.

I can see what’s being said here; that pretty much wherever you go, families are the same. Except I’m pretty sure that’s not going to be historically accurate. I would have expected something stronger, a more rigid interpretation of how a family grouping would have acted in the days of ancient Rome. That isn’t my major gripe about this family being included in the episode, it’s just that their introduction like this slowed the whole episode down.

Episode starts, Doctor and Donna run into the market square and brilliant decision they actually went abroad to film, it looks so much more effective than if it had been something knocked up over here. Donna’s loving every moment of it, and the Doctor is loving HER loving every moment of it. They joke, they cajole, we’re thrown more information about how the TARDIS translates writing and speech (anyone else love how the writer pokes fun at how, if the magical translating device makes you speak Latin, if you then consciously make the effort to speak Latin, what would it sound like? Here. Evidentially it’s Welsh!) And it flows. It’s quick and easy and we’re thrust into the action. The Doctor looks aghast when he realises where they are.

And then the TARDIS is sold while the two aren’t looking. And then we hit the family, and it’s like a stumbling block. It’s jarring to go from that whole set up of ancient Rome, and to suddenly find us looking at what could pretty much be your average 21st century family, just dressed weirdly. I found it shook me out of the episode for a while. Thankfully you’re sucked right back in when you get your first viewing of the soothsayers in their full garb. Again, the production values are spot on here.

From here on in the episode catches back up to it’s speedy cause and effect approach; I think I was more thrilled by the contest of the soothsayers with their psychic predictions and knowledge of both Donna and Doctor, than I was by some of the action scenes later on. C’mon. First the daughter calls the Doctor (who introduced himself as Spartacus) by his real name, and then the town soothsayer goes even further, completely undermining our expectations of him as a fraudster, by calling him the ‘man from Gallifrey.’ If that didn’t make you sit up and pay attention, the following exchanges of “She is returning!” to the Doctor and “You have something on your back!” to Donna, would have.

It seems, rather than a watchword for this season, we will have some returning themes. Interesting idea and following on from Rose’s unexpected appearance last week, I like it.

The Sisterhood was effectively portrayed. Their High Priestess’ reveal was nicely done, if perhaps formulaic. But their role in the episode on the whole is very effective; I like how they were innocent victims who simply believed that what they were doing were right. They were not out and out villains, just deceived humans. The real villains of the episode, the Pyroviles, are your typical aliens out to rule the world affair. They are interestingly realised, both in human form through make up, by infecting the High Priestess, and the foot soldiers made via CGI technology. They are just a way to move the story along, to throw an interesting Doctor Who twist on the history of Pompeii.

And it’s the history of Pompeii that is especially crucial to this episode.

It’s hard to remember sometimes that this show isn’t aimed primarily for adults, especially when it tackles the themes it does. Throughout the episode there’s a contest of wills between the Doctor and Donna as she challenges him on why, if he knows the people in Pompeii are doomed to die, he doesn’t try to save them. After all, isn’t that what he does? For the most part, he avoids these questions with simply stop answers, he doesn’t try to explain to Donna until the last 15 minutes when the alien invasion becomes clear and he now perhaps has a good reason to interfere!

It turns out, in another good performance from Tennant, that as a Timelord, he can see “…all that is, all that was, all that could be and all that must not.” Listen to the way Tennant punctuates that sentence. The tension. He wants to save lives with all his might, but he just knows that sometimes, interfering only makes things worse. That’s his burden that he carries everyday. It’s a good debate dealing with intense thoughts and ideas, especially when by episodes near end, the Doctor and Donna realise they are the ones who doom Pompeii, or else the rest of the world falls to the might of alien Pyroviles.

If anyone says Catherine Tate cannot act, and Donna’s character is not a good companion or they’ve changed her to make the audience like her more, they can all take a good long step back. When she finally supports the Doctor and gives him the strength he needs to make one of the hard choices, and then immediately finds it in herself to challenge him to find some measure of compromise in the deaths of so many people, she seals herself as a companion. Her desire to go back and save someone, just one family, is quintessential Donna Noble that links right back to ‘The Runaway Bride’ when Donna wanted no more death and destruction. And Catherine Tate nails it here. She’s not over the top. She’s not grimacing or being over dramatic the way Donna can be, she’s being the truest to form the character has been.

This is the real centre of the episode, I believe. Cementing Donna’s place in the TARDIS; her position as, not just human companion, but moral compass to a Doctor who has always needed a guiding hand.

Kudos to all involved this episode. Some parts I had quibbles with. But the overall effects cancels out the worries and whenever I was shaken from the episode, I was pulled right back into it.

I’m giving this one 4 out of 5 sonic screwdrivers.

Yes, my score system is new. I’m the reviewer. It’s allowed.

In brief:

Fun with good gut kick.

In-depth:

Russell T. Davies. I think what this man has done to Doctor Who, is absolutely nothing short of fantastic. He brought back to life a series which had been thought gone, and has helped to turn it into the powerhouse it is today with a strong guiding hand.

For that I am extremely thankful because it’s brought an element of fun to Saturday nights in front of the tv that hasn’t been there for a good while. All that said, I will freely admit I’m not entirely sure he’s the best person to write episodes of Doctor Who. I think, although he has brilliant ideas and themes, the execution gets a little bit mixed up sometimes.

So let’s get into it.

Donna’s back.

I think I was one of the few reviewers who actually enjoyed her turn in ‘The Runaway Bride.’ My argument was simple; she played the role exactly as it was supposed to be played. And I liked the complete and utter contrast to Rose. It was refreshing. I also said I hoped that we would one day see her again, to see how the Doctor affected her life, what changes she made because I was all too aware that the way that character was written in that single episode could never have lasted a whole series. That day of her life was quite possibly one of the worst she had ever experienced! No wonder she would be angry!

But now she’s back. And the character has changed. She’s softer. More thoughtful. Even investigative! I could see more than a few echoes of Sarah Jane Adventures’ ‘Invasion of the Bane’ in this story which also featured an evil company, a sinister businesswoman in charge who is not all she seems… but the way that Donna was introduced as tracking this invasion so that she could find the Doctor was a nice twist. Basically in the time since she last saw the Doctor, which I think we can assume has been about a year, Donna has come to regret her choice not to go with him. She looks at her life now, she wants to do something with it as she determined to do so at the end of the Christmas special, but she’s not entirely sure how. And let’s face it; the Doctor can give her the trip of a lifetime!

So she wants in. And she figures the best way she can track him down is through somekind of emergency. Sure enough, for the first 20 minutes or so, we’re intercut between the actions of Donna and the Doctor as both investigate this strange company. Heck they even stand on opposite ends of the same street at one point! But they just keep missing each other. It’s funny. And it’s good humour that isn’t forced and doesn’t resemble the ‘Donna swings on the thread from a massive spiders’ web and into a wall with a loud clanging sound rather than into the Doctor’s waiting arms’ kind. Yeah, I’m still on that!

With the two heroes’ continuing their investigations, both follow similar methods of getting to the heart of the problem. Eventually, their separate roads lead to the office of the villainous Miss Foster, played perhaps a little bit too much over the top by Sarah Lancashire, where, both on opposite sides of the room, whilst Miss Foster interrogates/gives away her evil plan to a journalist who has also stumbled into this plot, the two lock eyes.

And the ensuing scene is both hilarious and brilliant acted. It’s possibly one of the best moments I’ve seen in the series just because it’s perfectly in tone with the episode! The two characters mime a conversation. You don’t hear a single word, you just know EXACTLY what they’re saying and its works brilliantly and, even though you know it’s coming, the joke at the end works because you’ve been sucked in.

Well done all involved.

Skipping ahead, the Doctor and Donna eventually team up and save the day. Oh c’mon. We all knew it was going to happen. The introduction of a companion episode serves two purposes; bring the two together, and tell us about the companion. We see Donna’s life, which is to me the more interesting part of the episode. She’s still living at home, working temporary jobs, but she’s doing it because she’s ‘…waiting for the right man…’ as she tells her granddad.

Her granddad by the way is portrayed in a return performance by Bernard Cribbins from the ‘Voyage of the Damned’ Christmas special. And he gives a simply touching performance here bringing depth to a character with only a short role. He’s the escape of Donna from her mother who simply nags at her about what she’s doing with her life, or rather what she’s not doing… It seems appropriate at this moment to also mention that Donna’s father is not seen at all in this episode. This is due to the unfortunate death of Howard Attfield after the filming of ‘The Runaway Bride.’

When Donna finally finds her man, the relief, the excitement, the joy is a pleasure to watch because we’ve seen Donna struggle to find him. She wants this. And as an audience we want her to have her trip in the TARDIS; we’re invested in her this time around because we know she’s going to be there for a whole season. It’s not so much a case of “Oh we might as well like her because she’s here all the time now!” we actually believe in her and want her to get dream. And Catherine Tate sells this. I believe every word she says. Her life may seem no different than it did before, but it is. She’s so much more aware of everything around her and wants to experience it all. I’m very much looking forward to the continued growth of her character!

Also, full props to David Tennant for his role as the Doctor. It fits comfortably on him now, and there’s just a sheer, unadulterated sense of fun when watching him on screen in full on Doctor-mode. This man knows the character he’s playing, he knows how he wants to be seen, and he’ll play it to the full hilt. The episode tells us how this man, this Doctor, isn’t the same man as he was when Series 1 began. He doesn’t want to be alone anymore. He wants to travel with someone. Just look at the scene halfway through the episode, where the Doctor starts aloud at some discovery in the TARDIS, and suddenly realises he’s talking to thin air. He’s alone. Look at Tennant’s face. It’s heart breaking.

Then compare it to the near end of the episode where, having saved the day and she’s assumed she’s coming with him now, Donna unpacks all of her luggage from the back of her car (she’d been prepared. Just in case. Brilliant!), dumps it all at his feet, and stands in the doorway to the TARDIS and he just watches her. There’s confusion there. It’s not that he doesn’t want her, he does, he just wants to be clear. He wants a mate. Nothing more. Nothing else. Not after he broke Martha’s heart.

Donna’s ok with that. She isn’t mating with him! There’s that flash of the old Donna again, but it’s gone in a few moments as she gets what he means. She’s not interested in him like that. They’re just going to be friends.

I should make a mention to the special effects in the episode. The Mill has once again done some astounding work here for tv. Their design for the Adipose (described as sinister on the official website episode guide. Which is silly. The only Adipose seen here are nothing like that!) is extremely effective, and unashamedly cute. The toys will be all the rage soon, I imagine!

All in all, it’s good, fun adventure. With good guest characters/actors. It’s nothing like hard sci fi, and nothing like a sitcom or a parody as some might have feared. Catherine Tate has proven with both this episode and ‘The Runaway Bride’ that there’s more than one side to a character. Let’s just see where else she can go, shall we? How about… Oh I don’t know… Ancient Pompeii?

And just like that, they’re off!

Well. Almost. There’s still one more thing Donna has to do before the episode ends… she’s got to leave her car keys for her mom. And she does so by popping them in a bin, calling her mom to tell her where to find them, and just for double insurance, she runs up to a passer-by on the road, and tells them that if they see a woman come by called Sylvia, just tell her to look in the bin! Donna runs off… but the camera still lingers on the figure… who turns to face the camera… and my jaw thumped to the floor. Never in a million years. Not even the special advanced previews for the press had this moment…

Like I said, Russell T. Davies gets the ideas right if nothing else!

Bring it on!

Just a heads up to anyone who hasn’t missed the media frenzy:

The fourth and final season of Battlestar Galactica begins tomorrow night on Sci-Fi Channel in the US with the opener, “He That Believeth In Me”.

Sci-Fi Heaven have seen a full copy of the episode (legally, I might add!), and it’s pretty good. None of that often-feared quality-drop nonsense. Very enjoyable.

We’re awaiting full clarification, but the episode begins airing in the UK either this Tuesday, or the Tuesday after. Radio Times says one thing, another magazine says the opposite. Where’s the American professionalism when you need it, eh?

From The Hollywood Reporter
CBS has nuked "Jericho."

Producers were told Thursday the show is ending its run on the broadcast network, sources said.

CBS will air the season finale next week with a resolution that helps give closure to fans.

After the first season concluded with an abrupt cut to black, fans famously inundated CBS with tens of thousands of pounds of peanuts to urge the network to continue the show.

For the seven-episode second season, producers shot two endings — one that leaves viewers in suspense for a third round, another that is more conclusive.
The ending chosen by CBS will wrap up the final season’s storyline, where the nuclear war survivors of a Kansas town struggled under a violent occupation by a government contractor.

"The March 25th episode of Jericho will be the series finale," CBS said in a statement. "Without question, there are passionate viewers watching this program; we simply wish there were more. We thank an engaged and spirited fan base for keeping the show alive this long, and an outstanding team of producers, cast and crew that went through creative hoops to deliver a compelling, high quality second season. We have no regrets bringing the show back for a second try. We listened to our viewers, gave the series an opportunity to grow, and the producers put a great story on the screen. We’re proud of everyone’s efforts."

Tuesday’s finale doesn’t entirely slam the door on the series, but is notably different from the cliffhanger version, sources said. The ending also doesn’t entirely preclude the possibility of "Jericho" finding a second life on cable. The high cost of the production, however, will likely prevent a continuation of the show.
Despite the erosion of broadcast ratings in recent years, the massive protest that saved "Jericho" last year has been called the largest fan effort ever to try and halt a network cancellation of a series.

The outcry put CBS in a tough position, whether to renew a show that has below-the-line ratings, yet unprecedented fan support. "Jericho" also performed well online on CBS.com and in iTunes downloads.

 
Unfortunately for the network and fans, the second season’s Nielsen ratings were even lower than the first. The most recent episodes have averaged about a 1.9 rating among adults 18 to 49 in the show’s Tuesdays at 10 p.m. time period. The network’s decision to cancel the show still might not have been easy, but it was easier to see coming.

"’Jericho’ is unique because the fans saved it — watching it on the Internet and streaming and iTunes downloads, all those things that are not being counted," said executive producer Carol Barbee in a recent interview. "That’s what ‘Jericho’ will be known for."

The BBC’s official website has announced a return date of Saturday April 5th for our favourite Time Lord. Along with “The Runaway Bride” herself, Catherine “Donna” Tate, expect a rather packed TARDIS for the fourth series. Fresh from her brief visit to “Torchwood”, Martha will be re-joining her Doctor later in the run, while some familiar faces from earlier years will also be returning. As expected, fans are split on the nature and number of these “guests” with debate raging on discussion boards.

If the fourth series maintains the level of quality set by previous years we can expect an entertaining romp through time and space. For me personally, I want and expect nothing more from “Doctor Who”.

Two-Hour Backdoor Pilot for ‘Battlestar Galactica’ Prequel Series
To Begin Production this Spring

New York, NY – March 18, 2008 — As the Peabody and Emmy-winning original series Battlestar Galactica heads into its fourth and final season, SCI FI Channel has greenlit production on Caprica, a two-hour Battlestar backdoor pilot prequel from executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick. Production on Caprica is slated to begin in Vancouver this spring.

“We couldn’t be more excited to see this long-anticipated project get off the ground. It’s an amazing script, and, though clearly inspired by the Battlestar mythology, it is not just a pale spin-off. This is a smart, thought-provoking, emotional, and compelling character drama in its own right,” said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original Programming.

Set 50 years before Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families – the Greystones and the Adamas – as they grow, compete, and thrive in the vibrant world of the 12 Colonies. Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-totoe. Caprica will deliver all of the passion, intrigue, political backbiting, family conflict and hardcore action that always leaves Galactica fans begging for more.

“I’m thrilled with the chance to expand on the Galactica world and get deeper into the origins of the story we’ve been telling,” said Moore. “It’s also great to have a chance at doing a completely different kind of science fiction series, one that’s even more character-oriented and doesn’t rely on pyrotechnics to carry the story.”

“While Caprica will have its own personality, it will carry on Battlestar’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of the genre, and we’re thrilled that SCI FI has seen fit to giving us another opportunity to tell character-driven stories in challenging ways,” added Eick.

“We’ve assembled a true dream team to produce this exciting project,” said Universal Media Studios president Katherine Pope. “Building on the brilliance of SCI FI’s Battlestar Galactica, we all know Caprica will be a critical and commercial success.”

Executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick (Battlestar Galactica), Caprica is co-written by Moore and Remi Aubuchon (24), and will be directed by Jeff Reiner (Friday Night Lights). Universal Media Studios will produce.