42

"Burn with me! Burn with me, Martha."

Writer: Chris Chibnall

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 19th May 2007

Series: 3.07

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis 

As a spaceship hurtles towards the sun, the Doctor and Martha have just 42 minutes to prevent a devastating and fatal collision.

Verdict 

42 was a brilliant little episode and one that I think is widely underrated and for some fans forgettable, which I fail to understand. Granted that it has its flaws, there are very few stories across all the formats that I consider don't have any, but it's a very fast paced and tense 42 minutes of Who drama! I loved how after eventually becoming a "frequent flyer" of the TARDIS, Martha's first official trip as companion was quite an eventful one! No longer was the Doctor thanking her for her help in Smith and Jones, he finally acknowledged what she had to offer which was nice, because she has been crying out for his attention ever since The Shakespeare Code! I loved the action packed scenes with the Doctor and Martha thrown into immediate action as soon as they exited the TARDIS. The scenario they were thrown into was quite a disastrous one! A ship that was on a collision course with the sun, had failing engines and there was only 42 minutes to do something about it. The Doctor disliking the crew's defeatists attitude was excellent, I really did enjoy that. I assume he once again was pondering why he continually saves them when there's actually quite a bit he doesn't like about them! When given the situation, and although it didn't seem it a considerable amount of time, the crew immediately dismissed any chance of survival. So it was up to the Doctor to inspire them and give them hope and that's exactly what he did! Martha and Riley would try to reach the front deck to access the backup engines, via a silly pub quiz, whilst the rest of the crew would attempt to deal with keeping the heat shield up and preventing the possessed Korwin from killing. The idea of the sun being alive is rather frightening! A great big giant ball of fire that gives us light, heat and power every day and the suggestion that it's a living organism is almost unbelievable. But, if there's ever a God (I'm an Atheist and think religion is just ridiculous) then the sun would be it. The killing spree Korwin went on provided a horrifying villain and the helmet certainly added to the fear factor. A very nice addition. Ashton would soon follow and we soon had a double act of possessed walking hydrogen breathing monsters with the power to vaporise! Not a bad obstacle to come up against. So how do you defeat it? The stasis chamber of course. I liked that effective bit of kit vert much. The description of the internal makeup of Korwin was merciful, how could anybody or anything cope with an internal body temperature of 100 degrees celsuis? It may just have been enough to drive the possessed pair as insane as they went! The burn patch that was left of the victims was extremely gruesome. Kath was a terrific character and I liked how horrified she was at what had happened to her husband. I thought it was brilliant when she demanded the Doctor tell her the truth about whether there was a chance of bringing him back. There was not of course. Martha and Riley being sent away in the escape pod was a shocking moment and for a while it did genuinely seem like they had no way back. But then the Doctor put on his spacesuit and just about saved the day, at a cost. He too became possessed and David Tennant gave an incredible performance as the Tenth Doctor. The aggression he showed was outstanding and in something not unlike scenes at the beginning of The Twin Dilemma, the Doctor did seem to be well capable of taking his companion's life. Martha though rescued him which I thought was wonderful. She returned the favour from The Lazarus Experiment and saved him. He was thankful and a TARDIS key was hers. The inclusion of the series arc with Mr Saxon's crew and Francine's phone tied in with the episode superbly. Overall, despite a poor pub quiz, a very good and tense episode! 

Rating: 8/10