Episode #177 : The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit

"I am the rage, and the bile, and the ferocity! I am the Prince, and the fool, and the agony! I am the sin, and the fire, and the darkness! I shall never die! The thought of me is forever: in the bleeding hearts of men, in their vanity, obsession, and lust! Nothing shall ever destroy me! Nothing!"

Episode 177:   The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit.
Companions:   10th Doctor and Rose Tyler.
Air Date:         3rd to 10th June 2006.

The Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler lose the TARDIS down a deep chasm, leaving themselves stranded on a space base positioned on a planet in the orbit of a black hole. Meanwhile, an entity who identifies as Satan himself, is awakening and beginning to cause chaos amongst the crew.

This is a really good adventure for our time travellers. Here we have a story that combines elements of Alien/s, the Omen, and so many other loved films. Stranded upon an impossible planet in the mouth of a black hole, the Doctor and Rose encounter scientists from the Torchwood Archives, the Ood and an ancient force of absolute evil. Slowly things go from bad to worse as the entity calling itself the Beast begins to possess the collective thoughts of the Ood and one of the scientists. Being a fan of the Alien series of films I always get a bit of giddy feeling when our heroes have to flee through air ducts to escape, and that scene seems well copied from those movies.

The Beast says that it came from a time before this universe existed making it one of the Great Old Ones, assuming it is telling the truth. Through out it's existence it has been the source of all forms of evil through the universe from Satan on Earth to the Kaled god of war. The appearance of the Beast and the possessed voice really make this story a cut above the recent ones. The question comes up however, who trapped him in there? Since the Great Old Ones are a take on the entities from the Cthulhu Mythos, are there a race of "elder gods" who imprisoned them?

This is the sort of story I would have loved to see as a three part story which would allow us some more back story, both for the Beast and the crew of the sanctuary base. The Beast seems to know of their dark flaws, weakness and so forth, and perhaps with more time that could have been expanded upon. However, one thing we get from the Beast is a revelation that Rose will die in battle setting up a not too distant episode.

If there is one thing that hinders this story it is the constant love interest elements. We get it. They both love one another but can't say it for whatever reason. When they think they have lost the TARDIS we get a few minutes of them planning their future "together". I am in the camp of fans who feels that there shouldn't be a love interest between the Doctor and his companions. It is there for modern audiences I suppose.