Utopia

"You'd give your life so they could fly."

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 16 June 2007

Series: 3.11

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha, Captain Jack

Synopsis

Captain Jack Harkness storms back into the Doctor's life, and the TARDIS is thrown to the end of the universe itself, as the Doctor finds himself pitched against one of his oldest adversaries in impossible circumstances. Could it be that he is not alone?Th

Verdict

Utopia was an outstanding episode to continue our rewatch through Series 3! I've been looking forward to this episode ever since we finished the end of Torchwood Series 1 because of how End of Days ties in with the start of proceedings here as we see Jack running to the TARDIS as he finally has tracked down the Doctor, but the Time Lord doesn't want anything to do with his old companion which is a stark reminder of how alien he can. I thought David Tennant was excellent with Jack and it's such a different dynamic for him now alongside this new regeneration, one he acknowledged as cheeky! I love the idea of the TARDIS going to the end of the universe and the reason being that the TARDIS wanted to shove Jack off because of his immortality. The Doctor describing how it was almost difficult to look at Jack because of how wrong he was made for amusement, but after a shaky start the pair blossomed back into the good times. Jack and Martha bonded really well but it was a little sad to see Martha's reaction to how much news of Rose's survival meant to him. The concept of a silo and trying to reach Utopia even at the end of the universe is brilliantly human, and seeing the admiration the Doctor and Jack had for mankind and their ability to survive was terrific. The lines about giving the would-be passengers hope and it being worth a look to go to the signal pulling them into Utopia was great. The myth around the Future Kind was good and I thought the threat they posed alongside the end of literally everything was fantastic. They were introduced full of action with the chase to the silo and it was so simple but effective to have a rogue one on the inside to sabotage the radiation sequence in the engines. Establishing Jack's immortality was superb and I loved seeing that through Martha. Him having the hand of the Doctor's that was chopped off in The Christmas Invasion was brilliant and I just love Martha's reaction and how strange she finds it. Her reactions were also utilised wonderfully well when it came to Professor Yana and his fob watch. She was stunned because the significance was extraordinary. Another Time Lord! The Face of Boe's warning from Gridlock was realised and the surname of Professor Yana being so important as an anagram is just magnificent. Chantho was a lovely character too and I think she's actually rather underrated. The return of the Master is handled so well with the fob watch and the conversation between the Doctor and Jack with the mentions of Daleks and regeneration, along with Martha's mentions of time travel and the TARDIS, sparked his memory back and hearing Classic versions of the Master in the voices of the fob watch before it was opened to have him revert back to Time Lord was outstanding. It was so well done and the Master naming himself before sparking Chantho established his evil demeanour in an instant. To anyone who didn't know, this Time Lord was not like the Doctor! Chantho getting some semblance of revenge in sparking a regeneration was good, but that whole conclusion is incredible as the Master commandeers the TARDIS before regenerating and leaving the Doctor and his companions at the end of the universe within seconds of falling to the Future Kind. It's an extraordinary end to a superb episode! 

Rating: 10/10