Episode #180 : Army of Ghosts / Doomsday

Rose (voice-over): Planet Earth. This is where I was born. And this is where I died. The first nineteen years of my life, nothing happened. Nothing at all, not ever. And then I met a man called the Doctor. A man who could change his face. And he took me away from home in his magical machine. He showed me the whole of time and space. I thought it would never end... Well, that's what I thought. But then came the Army of Ghosts. Then came Torchwood and the war. That's when it all ended. This is the story of how I died.

Episode 180:   Army of Ghosts / Doomsday.
Companions:   10th Doctor and Rose Tyler.
Air Date:         1st to 8th July 2006.

Rose and the Tenth Doctor return to modern-day London to find a mysterious epidemic of ghosts all over the world. As the Doctor searches Torchwood Tower to find answers, something sinister lurks in the building. A secret order of Daleks emerge and the Cybermen from Pete's World make their way to Torchwood Tower. As the two deadly forces fight over Earth, the Tenth Doctor realises that in order to stop the threat, sacrifices will be made.

The finale for this season was an excellent two part story that returns the Daleks and the Cybus Cybermen, along with the return briefly of Mickey Smith. The Cybus Cybermen managed to find a way to cross the void between worlds and come through to our world, presumably to escape the hunt for them that is going on in Pete's World. The Cult of Skaro and their Genesis Ark hid in the void to escape the final moments of the Time War. Unfortunately the two forces arrive at the same time in the middle of Torchwood's London headquarters. Not only do we have the explanation as to who and what the Torchwood references were but also battle sequences between the Cybermen and the Daleks. Those sequences are enough to make any Whovian squee with delight!

We finally lose Rose Tyler in this story. I don't want to be harsh towards the character but as fun as she was I am sick and tired of the love story elements between her and the Doctor. It never really felt right. She "dies" because she and her family end up trapped (rescued?) in the Pete's World universe. In ours she was counted among the dead. The final moments are nicely done but its a good riddance to unnecessary romantic baggage.

As for Torchwood as an organisation it feels unnessecary for the Whoniverse. They collect alien things and deal with extraterrestrial threats. However, isn't that the responsibility of UNIT? All this time with the Doctor on Earth and the threats faced, where was Torchwood? Anyhoo, it sets up Torchwood ready for it's own series.

At the end of Doomsday we get a preview of the Christmas special for 2006, when the Doctor finds a mysterious woman in a wedding dress onboard the TARDIS.

Army of Ghosts / Doomsday is an excellent adventure and deserves a high rating. There is a lot going on in this story however and sometimes it feels rushed or forced to cram everything into about 90 minutes of screen time.