The Sontaran Stratagem

"These are toy soldiers. The playthings of children."

Writer: Helen Rayner

Format: TV

Broadcast: 26 April 2008

Series: 4.04

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna, Martha

Synopsis

Martha Jones summons the Doctor back to modern-day Earth, but an old enemy lies in wait. Reunited with UNIT and his former companion, the Doctor is in a battle against the Sontarans and the dangerous ATMOS which is in every car on Earth. But what exactly is the Sontaran plan?

Verdict

The Sontaran Stratagem was an outstanding episode to continue our way through the modern era rewatch and Series 4! This is one I've been particularly looking forward to for a number of reasons! I love the Sontarans so any chance I get to blog a story in which they feature then I'm a big fan and they rarely, if ever, let me down. There's something so brilliant about them that I can't exactly put into words but they just work and they have a firm place in Doctor Who folklore now. Another reason I was excited was because this sees a quick return for Martha Jones and even though she's not the companion anymore, it's wonderful to have her back and she really has moved on quickly. Gemma is far from her biggest fan so having her back allowed for some personal banter on the sofa which I always appreciate. Thanks to her experience in the field with the Doctor and everything she endured between The Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords, UNIT had fast tracked Martha into becoming a doctor and that was neat. It was fun for her to be engaged now to Tom Milligan and the humour wasn't lost on her that he was a doctor disappearing to strange places. That sounded familiar! The moment where the phone rings in the TARDIS is delightful and I think it is only with this rewatch that I am fully appreciating just how funny Donna is. The humour she provides is staggeringly good but it doesn't turn Doctor Who into an all out comedy which is impressive. She nails it. Her reaction to meeting Martha was lovely and the Doctor being worried that they would fight was amusing as he quickly became the target of some jokes. So skinny you'd get a paper cut! Brilliant stuff. The inclusion of UNIT is fantastic and it's nice to have the Doctor go back in the modern era. He still had a reputation that preceded him and I loved the salute sequences. The Doctor wasn't interested in one, but Donna was! Glorious stuff. I was slightly taken aback by just how small the Sontarans appeared here as they seemed incredibly tiny! They're still terrific though, although I must admit I have become less of a fan of their appearance beneath the helmet as it really did look potato-esque! I think earlier and later stories do them much more justice. The plan of using ATMOS and over 400 million cars to their advantage is incredible though and whilst the Doctor has merits in challenging them over their prevention of bullets and hiding away, the scale of the threat they provide is sublime. I think the reveal of the Sontaran appearance was built to nicely and a nice way to show homage to past helmet reveals, and Skorr getting to share in the honour with Staal was nicely done. The Doctor's comments about Staal's nickname being The Undefeated was incredible as well. The moment where Donna talks about going home and the Doctor misinterpreting it as her meaning she was permanently leaving the TARDIS was tremendous, as was the Doctor expecting a much bigger bang when the ATMOS system terminated. Luke and the Doctor have a really solid stand off of geniuses, and seeing him revel in the Sontar-Ha chants of the cliffhanger was good stuff. The cliffhanger itself is extraordinarily good and must go down as one of my favourites. The helplessness of the Doctor is in full view and bringing it to home with Wilf stuck in the car is incredible.The music does so much to add to it and I really can't compliment it enough. Overall, an excellent episode! 

Rating: 10/10