Episode #198 : The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky

The Doctor: Name?

General Staal: General Staal of the Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet. "Staal The Undefeated!"

The Doctor: Oh that's no good. What if you get defeated? "Staal The Not-Quite-So-Undefeated-Any-More-But-Never-Mind"?

Episode #198:         The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky.
Companions:           10th Doctor, Donna Noble and Martha Jones.
Air Date:                 26th April to 3rd May 2008.


Fifty two people across the world in eleven time zones die at the exact same time. The only connection: they all have ATMOS installed in the vehicles. Martha Jones, now a doctor working for UNIT, summons the Doctor back to Earth to help figure out why, but an old enemy lies in wait.

The Doctor is called back to Earth by Martha Jones to investigate a series of mysterious deaths that leads them to ATMOS, a device that has reduced fuel emissions to nothing. ATMOS is revealed to be a ploy by the Sontarans to transform the Earth into a giant cloning facility for use in their war against the Rutans.

With the return of Martha Jones we have some nice interaction between the old and new companions. Martha even going so far as to warn Donna that while travelling with the Doctor is amazing, her family could be in danger. We've had some family relationships since the return of the show, most of which is just awkward to watch, but what we start seeing her of Donna's family - mainly Wilfred Mott - feels more like a step in the right direction. You immediately dislike the mother but instantly love Wilfred.

I have always had a soft spot for the Sontarans in the classic show and their return was well worth the wait. New make up and effects have made their appearance so much better. They aren't laughable any more and are portrayed just right as well. Just a shame that as the show goes along the Sontarans become a bit of a laughing stock.

The Sontarans are not the only villains to these piece. They are aided by Luke Rattigan, a young genius who believes that they alien invaders are going to reward him with a world of his own populated by select individuals of his choosing. Like most human villains in Doctor Who despite being insanely clever they seem incredibly dumb at the same time. Rattigan reminds me a lot of the Master during the 3rd Doctor's time on the show in that regard.

The story drops in a number of old references from the Valiant to "are you my mummy" and mention of Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart. At the time of broadcast there hadn't been many references to the classic show and it was great to get more continuity.

This adventure is one of the better stories of the 10th Doctor's run. It still suffers from having a global event that following the completion is completely forgotten by everyone. Still, it is great to see a decent portrayal of the Sontarans at last.

Episode #195 - Partners in Crime

"Oi, you two! You're just mad, do you hear me? Mad! And I'm going to report you for... madness!!"

Episode #195:         Partners in Crime.
Companions:           10th Doctor and Donna Noble.
Air Date:                 5th April 2008.

Donna Noble is determined to find the Doctor again - even if it means braving the villainous Miss Foster. But when the alien threat escalates out of control, can Donna find her Time Lord before the march of the Adipose begins.

The fourth season of the new Doctor Who begins with a nice little story reuniting the Doctor with Donna Noble. Both are investigating strange things happening with Adipose Industries' new weight loss program. This reunites them and reveals that obese people's fat is being transformed into baby Adipose by the evil head of the company.

The story is a nice but it is one where once again very little happens other than reuniting the Doctor with Donna. The events concerning the Adipose are interesting but the episode suffers from typical continuity issues. Thousands of tiny fat Adipose bursting from people, wandering the streets and then being hoovered up by a giant flying saucer but the events are forgotten almost immediately. Modern Who has a lot of strange events that are witnessed by the public (let's not even mention Torchwood) but everything goes back to normal after each episode.

In this story we are introduced again to Donna's family and we learn that Wilfred Mott (who appeared in Voyage of the Damned) is her grandfather. Immediately I dislike her mother and really like Wilfred. Part of that I'm sure is Bernard Cribbins coming through as his character.

There is also an intriguing cameo at the end of the episode featuring Rose Tyler. This is a set up for the end of the season.

Unfortunately the story doesn't have a lot going for it. The reunion scenes are nice but the story itself is lacking something to make it really interesting. The Adipose are just too cute and silly to be appropriate to the show in my opinion.

Episode #181 : The Runaway Bride

Donna: Oi! No stupid Martian is gonna stop me from getting married. To hell with you!

The Doctor: I'm... I'm not... I'm not - I'm not from Mars.

Episode 181:   The Runaway Bride.
Companions:   10th Doctor and Donna Noble.
Air Date:         25th December 2006.

Killer Santas, exploding baubles, an alien spaceship shaped like a giant star — Christmas with the Tenth Doctor is anything but a silent night.

The Runaway Bride was the second Christmas special for the revamped show. Thankfully the Christmas elements are toned down and other than some robot Santas's you don't really notice. Unfortunately as the Christmas specials go on I find it jarring somewhat that they are all set on Christmas day. So much for time travel.

Anyway, this episode sees the arrival of Donna Noble who, a couple seasons from now, will make a return as a regular companion for the Doctor. Donna is played by well known comedienne Catherine Tate. Other than one or two of her "characters" I don't find her very funny and I remember thinking that when she was announced as a the companion for the episode. I was pleasantly surprised that she fitted in well even with a somewhat dim and obnoxious personality. Donna does make a nice change to the regular type of female companion.

The villains of the story are an extinct race of spider-centaur beings called the Racnoss who were wiped out by the Time Lords in the early days of the universe. The effects for the Empress of the Racnoss are top notch. Unfortunately I doubt we will see them again now.

Three things are brought to light in this story. One is the first mention of Gallifrey in the modern incarnation of the show and the second is the Doctor's growing darkness. Donna tells him near the end that he needs to find someone to keep him in check. The Doctor has lost many companions over the years and you can see that it may weight heavy on his shoulders but the growing concept of the "lonely god" is pushed too hard in this instance. A part of modern television styles I guess. Lastely when the Racnoss ship appears over London the military have orders to destroy it from "Mr Saxon". Who could that be? We'll find out all too soon.

All in all the plot isn't bad and it is an enjoyable story. It is typical of modern Who though in the silliness elements that creep in. I don't mean the cool personality quirks of the Doctor as they have always been there but there are elements dropped into the episode that just make me roll my eyes at times as I am sure I have mentioned before.

There is one plot issue that is left open for me and that is the robot Santas's. Were they the same ones as from the prior Christmas and if so, were they nothing to do with the Sycorax last time but working for the Racnoss?