Bad Wolf

"Don't try to escape. It's play or die."

Writer: Russell T Davies
Format: TV
Broadcast: 11th June 2005
Series: 1.12

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose, Captain Jack

Synopsis

Separated and with no TARDIS, the Ninth Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack have to fight for their lives on board the Game Station, but a far more dangerous threat is lurking, just out of sight. The Doctor realises that the entire human race has been blinded to the threat on its doorsteps, and he was the cause...

Verdict

Bad Wolf was an outstanding episode and just about the perfect first part of a series finale! It really is superb from start to finish and sets up the final episode incredibly well whilst being a fantastic episode in its own right. It is a sequel to The Long Game and the links with that episode really are terrific. The Doctor didn't actually fix things when he defeated the Mighty Jagrafess, he actually sent Earth into chaos by shutting down all of the news programmes and the blankness allowed the Bad Wolf Corporation to step in and take control. The concept of the game shows is a brilliant one and seeing the Doctor in a Big Brother house was just marvellous! His reaction to what was happening when he realised he was in the diary room was superb and I also loved how Jack was dealing with a dangerous makeover from Trinny and Susannah. Rose taking part in The Weakest Link was very good and I liked how her lack of knowledge as to what happened to those voted as the weakest link was presented. She couldn't understand why people were reduced to tears. To her it was just a gameshow and the Doctor had similar feelings with eviction in Big Brother. He knew he was needed though and broke property to force an eviction but he would not get disintegrated. Instead he managed to get out and from there, he joined with Jack and took Lynda with him and started to cause chaos. His realisation that he was at fault for the horrendous condition of Earth was fantastic and he really did share a wonderful relationship with her. She was very sweet indeed. The tension was magnificent and drip fed at a perfect pace and just as Rose was about to be disintegrated, the Doctor burst in and could save her. Except he didn't and she was shot with the disintegrator. The reactions of the Doctor and Jack were so different yet both told the story of how horrific this was. There was nothing worse. The Doctor soon got into action and engaged in an intriguing conversation with the Controller and I liked how it was her that brought him here to stop her masters. She'd had enough and now she had brought their downfall. The reveal of the Daleks was simply perfect and I adored how in just a few minutes, they were incredibly fearful. There were half a million of them. They had Rose. They shouldn't be there. Their dialogue when they conversed with the Doctor was so good as well and just simple Daleks. Everything they should be. They had the Doctor's companion so he would obey. But he didn't! He was coming to save her. He was going to wipe out the Daleks. And he was going to do it all without a weapon. As well as this episode hyping up the Daleks, it also showed how much the Daleks feared the Doctor and I thought that was simply sublime. It really was an incredible episode where everything just clicked. I look forward to its conclusion but for now, absolute brilliance!