Doctor Who: School Reunion

Doctor: 'You can spend the rest of your life with me. But I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone. That's the curse of the Time Lords.'

This was a hard episode to find fault with. I'd even go as far as saying that it was my favourite episode of Nu-Who thus far. Sarah Jane was the first companion I ever knew, and tonight's episode offered a fascinating insight into her life thirty years on. Her face when she first saw the TARDIS was a delight, as was her reaction at seeing the Doctor again. He's a different looking man these days—gone is the curly dark hair and shark-like grin. The burning question is: why hasn't the Doctor mentioned Sarah Jane before?

Doctor Who: Tooth And Claw.

Queen Victoria: 'What exactly is that creature?"
Doctor: "You'd call it a werewolf, but technically it's more of a lupine-wavelength haemovariform.'

'Tooth and Claw' was a curious mixture of the good and the not so good. In terms of atmosphere, it was right up there with the best of them. It had a genuinely creepy feel to it (helped massively by some beautiful location shoots at Treowen Manor and Penilyn Castle), and the period costumes were unobtrusively effective. So in terms of ambiance, it scored big. But what on earth was going on with the Doctor and Rose this week?

Doctor Who: New Earth

Rose: 'I love this. Can I just say—travelling with you. I love it.'

If memory serves me correctly, this is the first Nu-Who adventure to take place on an alien planet. We made it into outer space last year with 'The Long Game' and 'The End of the World,' but I don't recall us landing on alien terra firma. The visual effects team certainly went to town this week making 'New Earth' look as futuristic as possible. Good job guys!

Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion

Jackie: 'What do you mean, that's the doctor? Doctor who?'

I have to admit I'm not usually a fan of Christmas episodes. They're a little too sickly for my tastes. Too much good will to all men going on, and not nearly enough maniacal Santas trying to blow up London with mortar-launching tubas. So imagine my joy when a sanity-challenged Santa showed up after the first 15 minutes! His musical weapon of choice? You've guessed it. Which can only mean that Russell T. Davies has been reading my Christmas wish list.

Doctor Who: Born Again (Children in Need Special)

The Doctor: 'Back to your mum. It's all waiting. Fish and chips, sausage and mash, beans on toast... No! Christmas! Turkey! Although, having met your mother, nutloaf would be more appropriate.'

The Children in Need Special follows on directly from last season's finale. After a lengthy recap, the story picks up minutes after the Doctor's regeneration. The Doctor's full of energy, enthralled by his new body, his new appearance and his new existence. Rose, however, is far less enthusiastic. On finding herself aboard the TARDIS with a man she's never seen before, she can only conclude that the Doctor's been captured and that the man before her is an impostor.

Doctor Who: The Parting Of The Ways (2).

Rose:  'You are tiny. I can see the whole of time and space. Every single atom of your existence and I divide them. Everything must come to dust. All things. Everything dies.'

This was such a good episode that I'm not sure where to begin. For a start, it was a very emotional episode, similar in tone to 'Father's Day'. And I have to admit, I did shed a tear or two at the end (and maybe in the middle somewhere, too). Too much heroism. Too much loss. And maybe I'm a big softie, too.

Doctor Who: Bad Wolf (1).

Doctor: 'Rose.'
Rose: 'Yes, Doctor?'
Doctor: 'I'm coming to get you.'

I didn't see the trailer for this week's episode, so I was totally caught off guard by the re-emergence of the Daleks. So what started out as a fairly innocuous poke at popular British television, suddenly, and rather deliciously, transformed into something quite wonderful. I was chuffed at the prospect of seeing one Dalek this season—but to see half a million of them? I must be dreaming!

Doctor Who: Boom Town.

Mickey: 'What are you captain of? The innuendo squad?'

After three top notch stories in a row, this week felt like something of a letdown. I'm not against the slower, more reflective episodes—it's nice to take time out to explore the knock-on effects of prior events—but, after three of the most cleverly plotted/realised stories of the season, this felt like something of a dud. The moral dilemma faced by the Doctor was genuinely engaging—or at least it would have been had they not fudged it. I was curious as to how the Doctor would respond to Blon's plea for mercy. Would he send her back to Raxacoricofallapatorius and certain death, or would he come up with a more humane solution? Unfortunately, we never got to find out. She shed her skin and turned into an egg.

Doctor Who: The Doctor Dances (2)

Doctor: 'Go to your room. I mean it. I'm very, very angry with you. I'm very, very cross. Go to your room. [Pause] I'm really glad that worked. They would have been terrible last words.'

Not only would they have been terrible last words, they were a slightly ropey resolution to last week's cliffhanger. I suppose there was a modicum of logic to it, but it still feels like we were cheated. Still, not to worry—there was enough good stuff in tonight's episode to make up for its somewhat shaky start.

Doctor Who: The Empty Child (1)

Rose: 'Not very Spock, is it? Just asking.'

Well, Rose finally got to meet her Spock—and kind of went to pieces over him. I'm not gay, but I suspect that if I were (or a woman for that matter), then I'd probably go to pieces over him, too. Captain Jack Harkness (played by the impossibly handsome John Barrowman) is clearly one fine looking human—and he's everything that the Doctor isn't. He has a sexy spaceship, better (not to mention bigger) sonic equipment—in fact, he has all the trappings of a intergalactic hero. Even the way he wears his criminality is oddly charming.

Doctor Who: Father's Day

Pete: 'Who am I, love?'
Rose: 'My daddy.'

This episode shouldn't have worked! It had too many things wrong with it. It was more soap opera than sci-fi, the special effects were naff, and some of the science was truly appalling. (Where the hell did that glowing TARDIS key bollocks come from?) Yet it was my favourite episode of the season so far! How the did that happen? I'll tell you how—because despite its many shortcomings, on an emotional level it did everything right.

Doctor Who: The Long Game

Adam: 'It's going to take a better man than me to get in between you two'.

Okay, well that was pretty blunt. Clearly, it's now obvious to all and sundry that something is developing between Rose and the Doctor. Adam can see it, the Dalek last week could see it, Jackie knows it, and even Rose looked distinctly unfazed at the thought of there being something less than platonic about her relationship with the Doctor. Maybe next week they should just be done with it and have someone singing 'Rose and the Doctor sitting in a tree, K.I.S.S.I.N.G.'

Doctor Who: Dalek

Rose: 'It wasn't your fault. Remember that, okay? It wasn't your fault. And you know what? I wouldn't have missed it for the world.'

Rob Shearman did an interesting thing this week. Using Rose as the show's moral compass, he managed to elicit sympathy for the Dalek, whilst making the Doctor look like the bad guy. That's some pretty cool writing. When the Doctor saw the imprisoned Dalek, all he could see was a creature devoid of pity and compassion—a monster, fueled by hatred and the need to conquer and dominate all who stand in opposition to the Daleks. Yes, the Doctor hates the Daleks, but what makes his hatred different from theirs is that it's based on experience. It's personal. He doesn't hate them purely for the sake of it, he hates them because he knows what they're capable of.