Episode #210 : The Eleventh Hour

"I'm the Doctor; I'm worse than everybody's aunt!"

Episode #210:      The Eleventh Hour.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor and Amy Pond.
Air Date:              3rd April 2010.

After a literally explosive regeneration, the brand new Eleventh Doctor survives a crash-landing to Earth. However, he has little time to recover. With a mysterious crack in a little girl's wall and a missing alien prisoner, the Doctor is in for an adventure. However, with the TARDIS damaged and the sonic screwdriver destroyed, can the Doctor capture the rogue alien before its jailers burn Earth to a crisp?

It's all change as Matt Smith takes over the role of the Doctor. There's more humour and a rather strange surreal tone to the show now. In later episodes the show feels less science fiction and more science fairy-tale. But it is certainly in keeping with the new Doctor. When Matt Smith was first announced as the Doctor I was not convinced. He looked too young to be the Doctor and I doubted that he would have the force of personality. Within minutes of his appearance I was convinced that he was the right choice. Of the newer actors, Matt Smith has become my favourite.

The Eleventh Hour is a great start to the new series. The Doctor's new persona is just fun and immediately you like him. He is a proper eccentric personality again and much more in the style of the classic Doctors. We are also introduced to the newest companion, Amy Pond. She is another feisty female companion and one who stands up to the Doctor. She's not a screamer. We also meet her boyfriend Rory, a bit of a wet fish really but he'll have a part to play later on.

The main point of this story is not the escaped Prisoner Zero or the alien Atraxi. At the start young Amy Pond shows the Doctor a strange crack in her wall which is revealed to be a crack in the fabric of the universe. This is the main plot point for the season and for the run of the 11th Doctor.

For an episode that is there just to set up the new Doctor and his companions, this is a really good fun story. The humour is actually just right and while I sometimes grumble at the fairy tale nature of some of the future stories, this one gets a good thumbs up from me.

Episode #209 : The End of Time

"It's not that I'm an innocent. I've taken lives. I got worse, I got clever. Manipulated people into taking their own. Sometimes, I think a Time Lord lives too long..."

Episode #209:      The End of Time.
Companions:        The 10th Doctor.
Air Date:              25th December 2009 to 1st January 2010.

It is the Tenth Doctor's final journey — but his psychotic nemesis, the Master, has been resurrected on Christmas Eve! Each determined to cheat death, the battle rages from the abandoned wastelands of London to the mysterious Immortality Gate, whilst the alien Ood warn of an even greater danger approaching, as a terrible shadow falls across the entire universe. With the sound of the drums growing louder in the Master's head and an ancient trap closing around the Earth, the Doctor and Wilfred Mott must fight alone. Sacrifices must be made, and the deadly prophecy warns: "He will knock four times."

David Tennant's final adventure as the Doctor has arrived. Split into two parts shown on Christmas Day and New Years Day, The End of Time is a great example of what the show can be when done properly. In other words with a decent budget to go along with some good script writing. As well as being good entertainment with action, humour and a touch of apocalypse, we also have some well written interaction that causes the viewer to take a better look at the man we know as the Doctor.

To start with there is a scene where the Doctor and Wildfred are talking about the Doctor's immanent death. He talks about regeneration and how it's like dying. Everything that you are and everything that you were is swept away and for all intents and purposes a new man walks away. I have never really thought about it but really that must be terrifying for a Time Lord regardless of age and number of times that he has regenerated. I would say that it goes someway to explain the darker persona of the Doctor since the Time War. Secondly, we have the above quote which makes me think specifically about the 7th Doctor and how he manipulated people, including his companion Ace, into doing what he wanted. I could do with more scenes like this which expand upon the character.

The Master returns in this story but his resurrection is interrupted and things have gone a little wrong. Burning energy at an accelerated rate he is forced to consume food, and people (at least two if not four!) to survive. When things fluctuate we see a rather CGI skeletal figure of the master which looks a tad cheap. The modern equivalent of overlapping effects from the old day I guess. He also seems to have developed amazing jumping capabilities and the power to throw energy bolts from his hands, although they don't really seem to do very much.

The Master is not the only returning figure however. Rassilon, founder of Time Lord society appears to have been resurrected as well to lead the war effort in the Time War. He's not the same individual we meet as a spiritual presence in The Five Doctors however. He appears to have been driven mad by the events of the Time War and is quite the despot now. You can see why the Doctor now fears his fellow Time Lords. This time around Rassilon is played by veteran James Bond actor, Timothy Dalton. I imagine getting such a well known actor was quite a cue for the BBC.

We are also introduced in this story to a new figure. Appearing at times to Wilfred and standing, face covered, in Rassilon's presence is a Time Lady. She seems to be something to the Doctor although we never learn in the show who she is. There are rumours that she may be Romana or even more interesting, the Doctor's own mother. We may never truly know.

At the end of this episode we finally have the reveal of the "four knocks" plot line which leads to the eventual regeneration. As the Doctor slowly dies he goes and pays a quick visit to some of his former companions: Martha Jones and Mickey Smith, Sarah Jane and Luke Smith, Captain Jack and Rose Tyler. It's a nice ending and an appropriate goodbye from the 10th Doctor.

I liked David Tennant and his portrayal of the Doctor but I never quite saw what the fuss about him was from some fans. He was good but not that good. I guess it's more fan girls adoring his good looks rather than his character, but hey, who knows.

Episode #208 : Dreamland

"Ha, I love 1958. No one's seen Die Hard. Or Alien. Nor Die Hard 2. Or Aliens. Or Die Hard 3."

Episode #208:      Dreamland.
Companions:        The 10th Doctor.
Air Date:              21st to 27th November 2009.

During a visit to a local diner, the Tenth Doctor stumbles upon a mysterious alien artefact that leads him on a mission to rescue Rivesh Mantilax from the threat of the Viperox and the clutches of the American military.

Dreamland is the second animated feature for Doctor Who, the other being the Infinite Quest. In this adventure the Doctor lands in Roswell New Mexico a short time after a certain UFO crashed in the desert. Drawn into the mystery the Doctor discovers captured alien Grey's, mysterious Men in Black, and a whole race of war-like insectoid aliens waiting to conquer the Earth.

Basically Dreamland is the Whoniverse explanation for the events surrounding the Roswell crash of 1947. I've often wondered what those events might have been like in Doctor Who and it seems someone had the same idea. I like that the Gray aliens, despite the ominous way the media treats their "appearances" in the real world, are shown to be a friendly species in the Whoniverse. Off course the mysterious Men in Black and the alien Viperox are easily recognizable as the villains, in typical science fiction fashion. In other words, they don't look like the good guys.

As Dreamland is basically a children's animated episode it is lacking in general plot. It flows nicely along with enough cool moments to keep the kids happy. For the adult viewers there are a few moments. The quote above is in reference to air ducts running throughout the US army base. Also, the monstrous Viperox queen looks an awful lot like the queen from the Alien movies, complete with nest of alien eggs. Intentional? Who knows but it gave me a chuckle.

Dreamland isn't considered part of the overall canon of the show though much like The Infinite Quest I choose to include it as it is a televised adventure and fits in nicely as an escape for the Doctor before everything goes pear shaped for him in the next story.

SJA #18 : The Gift

"So they farted themselves to death?"

Episode #18:        The Gift.

Companions:        Sarah Jane Smith, K9, Luke Smith, Rani Chandra and Clyde Langer.

Air Date:              19th to 20th November 2009.

When the Slitheen's latest scheme to destroy Earth for profit is foiled, another family from the Slitheen's planet arrive, the Blathereen. Though they seem helpful, can they be trusted? As a generous gesture of peace, the Blathereen gift the gang with a plant called Rakweed, which could end world hunger. However, the Rakweed goes wild, spreading spores about London and infecting people, including Luke. Sarah Jane must fight alone, not only to save the Earth, but also her son. Meanwhile, Clyde smuggles K9 into school to help him cheat at a test, and he, Rani and the metal dog find themselves trapped in the school — surronded by Rakweed. Can the team work together across Ealing — and Antarctica — to prevent Rakweed from devouring the entire planet?

The end of this season of the Sarah Jane Adventures starts off well but fails to ultimately deliver anything interesting. It starts off with a bait and switch where you believe that the gang are going up against two members of the Slitheen but instead they are tricked by two members of the Blathereen, a rival branch of the family who are actually quite nice. These two however aren't. Rather than fighting the aliens the story ends up being a save the world from plants and if the gang happen to deal with the Blathereen then all's good.  Not impressed really.

The only nice element to this story is one of trust. Sarah Jane and Clyde initially distrust the new arrivals but Rani is more about accepting the aliens and not treating them like every invader that they come across. In this case Sarah Jane was correct but normally she is all about don't judge by appearances and expectations but here she outright doesn't trust them just because they come from the same world as the Slitheen.

At least the fart jokes are kept to a minimum.

Episode #207 : Waters of Mars

"But there are laws. There are laws of time. Once upon a time there were people in charge of those laws, but they died. They all died. Do you know who that leaves? Me! It's taken me all these years to realise the laws of time are mine, and they will obey me!"

Episode #207:      Waters of Mars.
Companions:        The 10th Doctor.
Air Date:              15th November 2009.

Mars, 2059, Bowie Base One. Last recorded message: "Don't drink the water. Don't even touch it. Not one drop."

The Doctor arrives on Mars and discovers the first human colony. A colony which according to history was destroyed with the loss of all hands. When an alien force takes control of the colonists the Doctor finds himself torn between wanting to help and letting this fixed point in time take it's natural course. For once he chooses poorly and things don't work out quite as he had hoped.

The villains of this story are a water-borne virus of sorts which has been frozen in a glacier for thousands of years. The Doctor theories that it may have been trapped there by the Ice Warriors, which is the only reference to them in the entire episode. The Flood, as they are called, take over the colonists and seek to escape to Earth where there is more water than on Mars.

Waters of Mars is a very good adventure which covers the science fiction and horror genres. You could even say that it borders on zombie horror once the Flood begin to possess the colonists. It adds a nice sense of urgency to the adventure which is sometimes lacking recently in Doctor Who.

In this story the Doctor returns to the lonely god aspect that we saw before in The Runaway Bride. Once he starts to think that he can change things he reverts to that aspect. This time he is successful up to a point but time has it's means of fixing the situation and when it does so the Doctor is shown that he isn't as all powerful a lord of time as he sometimes thinks he is. We all like the Doctor to win at the end of the day but it is nice again to see the Doctor humbled at times.

I know that I do focus on some negative elements some times but I can say the only downer for me here is simply that as the story is set on Mars I would have liked more than a passing reference to the Ice Warriors. The red planet was their home and until recently (really) it was also the prison for an Osirian. Just the Whovian in me wanting more connectivity between old and new Who.

Waters of Mars continues the "he will knock four times" plot which leads up to the final episode. Only briefly but its enough to set the Doctor fleeing from his eventual fate. 

SJA #17 : Mona Lisa's Revenge

"The Mona Lisa has existed for five centuries. There has to be a reason she's come to life and it has to be about this gallery."

Episode #17:        Mona Lisa's Revenge.
Companions:        Sarah Jane Smith, Luke Smith, Rani Chandra and Clyde Langer.
Air Date:              12th to 13th November 2009.

Strange forces bring the Mona Lisa, on exhibit at an art gallery in London, to life. Clyde, Rani and Luke are at the gallery on a school trip as the Mona Lisa rampages with a Sontaran blaster, taken from another painting. Sarah Jane comes to the rescue, but ends up trapped in a painting. It's all down to Clyde, Rani and Luke to save the day as the Mona Lisa searches for her brother, the Abomination, hidden in another place in the art gallery.

Mona Lisa's Revenge is a very strange story. It doesn't really make much sense. Somehow the Mona Lisa painting comes to life and seeks to continue existing outside of the canvas. The Mona Lisa talks in a bad East End/Essex accent with chav mannerisms which is just weird. It doesn't sounds right. She then animates a highwayman painting to assist her in restoring her "brother in paint" the Abomination to life. None of them can leave the building so what is the point? It's another silly story that doesn't feel like it is going anywhere. A filler episode if you will.

The Mona Lisa seems to have been conscious in her painting since she was created. This means she must have memories of the events from City of Death and it would have been nice to have some reference from that story but nothing. I'd have had a reference to the painting having FAKE drawn on the back. Oh well.

I'm afraid this one gets a low rating from me because it is, as I mentioned earlier, a filler episode with no real reason. There are much better SJA adventures that are stand alone than this one. The only character development in the story is Luke's growing into a real teenager and the disruption it causes at home. There are plot elements for this as the next season goes along but all the same a disappointing story really.

SJA #16 : The Eternity Trap

"No-one really knows just when Ashen Hill Manor was first built, but through history there has always been a house here. And so they say, just as long as there's been stone and oak, there has always been evil. They say it was the reputation of the house that attracted the magician Erasmus Darkening. He entered the service of the young lord of the manor, the widower, Lord Marchwood. Darkening promised that in return for his protection, he would replenish the family's fortunes with the secret of making gold from base metal. But after two years working in a secret chamber far beneath the house, Darkening's alchemy had failed to bear one ounce of gold. And the people on Marchwood's land were uneasy. There were stories of how Darkening came among them at night, of how he took away people that never returned and that he was not human."

Episode #16:        The Eternity Trap.

Companions:        Sarah Jane Smith, Rani Chandra and Clyde Langer.

Air Date:               5th to 6th November 2009.

A haunted house, mysterious whispers and secrets in the shadows attract Sarah Jane's attention. When Professor Rivers and the gang investigate an old legend, a monstrous creature appears in the night. The terrifying grasp of Erasmus Darkening reaches out from centuries past. Sarah Jane and the gang discover the secrets of Erasmus Darkening, but are they too late? Ghosts from the past rise up and the quest to find the missing children reaches a climax. It seems that nothing can stop the ancient alchemist's rise to victory.

A haunted house story has been long overdue in the Sarah Jane Adventures. This is the sort of show where such a story makes so much sense and in this instance it is a really fun episode with some nice spooky elements. Ultimately the ghostly villain is revealed to be an alien of some sort and the tone of the story changes to one of rescuing the poor souls trapped in the house. Just my sort of story really. I just wish it had a slightly darker tone but being a SJA adventure it's a children's show it's not going to happen. 

There does seem to be some fan speculation that due to references that Erasmus makes that he could be another Time Lord. Not sure of that myself but I can see where that theory comes from. Erasmus certain does sound like it and his style of dress isn't too dissimilar to that of the classic Time Lords. But following his defeat we will never know.

Luke, K9 and Mister Smith do not make an appearance in this story. Mostly because this is the only SJA story not to feature the house on Bannerman Road but also because Tommy Knight who plays Luke Smith was busy with his GCSE's at the time.