Last of the Time Lords

"You and me, all the things we've done. Axons! Remember the Axons? And the Daleks. We're the only two left. There's no one else..."

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 30th June 2007

Series: 3.13

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha, Captain Jack

Synopsis 

It's been 365 days since the Master assumed world leadership. The human race is devastated and the planet is being prepared for war across the stars. But Martha Jones is returning home after walking the planet, and the fate of humanit at the mercy of the Master rests in her hands, and her hands only. Does she have what it takes to murder a Time Lord?

Verdict 

Last of the Time Lords is a brilliant episode to finish off both the epic three-part story and the series as a whole. Here we saw something that seemed impossible and the very idea was just frightening. The Master was world leader of Earth. He'd finally achieved his world domination and as leader what he did to the planet was horrific for humanity. I mentioned in yesterday's blogging of The Sound of Drums how much worse he was as a leader than Hitler was and I think that was precisely the case here. Transport was prohibited. People were killed at will. Hundreds of people were living in just one house. The coastline of many countries had been weaponised. Russia was devastated. But there was one glimmer of hope, just a tad, in the name of Martha Jones. She'd been travelling the world ever since she teleported from the Valiant, 365 days later, and she was back on British soil. Her mission, so it seemed, was to kill the Master. She'd found three of the four components to the gun that kills a Time Lord, disabling regeneration, in Beijing, Budapest and San Diego. And now she was back in London for the fourth and final component. Just how the likes of UNIT had created this gun is beyond me but I'm sure the Doctor must have had some sort of input. How else would they know of the specific chemicals that inhibit regeneration? I absolutely loved the modesty of the Master in having statues of himself built across the globe. He kept the Jones family as his personal slaves and by the looks it didn't seem as though Lucy Saxon was held in a much higher regard. The subtle story told around her character, mainly from appearance (she did look stunning!) and body language was sublime. The Master was clearly abusing her and despite her appeal to his monstrosity in the previous episode, and her liking of visiting Utopia, she was clearly finding it hard to stay loyal to her husband who was decimating the human race and colonising them into a war planet to go up against the stars. He'd even had the audacity to place a black hole converter into every ship as a backup! He would though make one crucial mistake that he really ought not have which would bring about his downfall. Martha's relationship with Tom Milligan was great and I liked how he was willing to help her. He showed her the devastation of England first hand and then the Toclafane came but due to the perception filter of the TARDIS key she was unnoticed. The truth being revealed about the Toclafane was quite horrifying but absolutely incredible. I liked how the Master telling the Doctor, though he'd worked it out, coincided with the scenes of Martha, Tom and Professer Docherty catching one of the spheres. When they opened it, the shock was uncharted. After the phrase of Creet from Utopia was echoed, the viewer now knew the truth. The Toclafane were the future of the human race and they'd come back in time to form an empire that would last 100 trillion years. With the TARDIS converted into a paradox machine, the fact that they were murdering their ancestors wouldn't change anything whilst it was intact. After the best efforts of the three o'clock coup with the Doctor attaining the laser screwdriver, the Master seemed like he just couldn't lose. Isomorphic controls had won him that little battle, but then he aged the Doctor even more. So much that he was reduced to a bird cage and just looked embarrassing really. The Master stood victorious. And then he found Martha Jones. Her belongings were simply destroyed but just as she was about to be killed in front of her family, the Doctor and the tormented Jack, she started laughing. All was revealed of her journey across the planet. She wasn't really looking for the gun components. She was planning a prayer. A huge remnant of hope. With the launch countdown nearing an end, Martha's mission had succeeded as people everywhere were thinking one thing and one thing only. Doctor. Even Lucy Saxon. You can't stop people thinking and with human thought on the scale that it was being linked by the Archangel Network which the Doctor had had a year to tamper with to suit him, his ageing was reversed. He stood tall over the Master now and those scenes were fantastic. The Master's worst fear (actually pretty reminiscent of what we saw depicted as his worst fear in The Mind of Evil) had come true. The Doctor was restored. And he forgave the Master. He had to. They were the only Time Lords left and he simply hoped to keep him in the TARDIS as his responsibility. The scene where the Master threatened to blow the converters and burn the planet was brilliant due to the Doctor's reaction. He knew the Master couldn't kill himself. He knew him, and that sufficed for victory. But after Francine's threat it was his own wife who took the initiative and shot her husband dead. I loved how the Master, dying in the Doctor's arms, proclaimed victory. He refused to regenerate. He was dead and the Doctor was devastated. Once more, he was the last of the Time Lords. The body of his arch nemesis burned, but the ring he was wearing lived in and was picked up and we'd see a similar return in the future in not too dissimilar style to The Movie. Speaking of past stories, there were some splendid references here with The Claws of Axos, The Sea Devils, Frontier in Space, The Parting of the Ways, Smith and Jones and The Shakespeare Code all brilliantly mentioned. When all was set and done and time had been reversed thanks to Jack shooting the paradox machine, Martha revealed she would longer travel with the Doctor. It'd only been four days since she met him but after the suffering of her family during the year that never was, she couldn't leave them. She finally told him how she felt and the Doctor almost seemed sorry he hadn't seen her in that way. A nice departure for Martha but it wouldn't be the last time we'd see her at all! The Doctor though had quite a problem on his hand as the Titanic smashed through the TARDIS interior. Quite a fantastic lead in to the Christmas special! Overall, speaking now in terms of the three episodes as a whole, an incredible finale and a triumphant return for the Master. 

Rating: 10/10

The Sound of Drums

"He's Prime Minister. The Master is Prime Minister of Great Britain."

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 23rd June 2007

Series: 3.12

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha, Captain Jack

Synopsis 

The Doctor, Martha and Jack return to present day London, horrified to discover that the newly elected Prime Minister Harold Saxon is actually the Master. Contact from an alien race known as the Toclafane is on the way but with the TARDIS trio framed as fugitives, they must stop the Master before he unleashes a new wave of terror. But his dark ambitions reach beyond the stars.

Verdict 

The Sound of Drums is another excellent episode to form the middle third of this incredible series finale! The quote just about sums up how incredible this episode is. The Master is Prime Minister of Great Britain. Within the Whoniverse, that sentence is just remarkable. Imagine the havoc he'd have wreaked leading the country back in the 1970s and '80s but now think of that with modern technology and possible the most psychotic incarnation of the rebel Time Lord yet. After the astounding cliffhanger to Utopia, I liked the simplicity in which the Doctor, Martha and Jack returned to modern day Earth. The Doctor repaired Jack's vortex manipulator and together they returned to normality. Well, until they realised who the new Prime Minister was. The beat was heard throughout the city, even by Martha herself. Somehow the Master had unleashed subtle propaganda with the four beats somehow telling you to vote Saxon. An adequate disguise I must say. Oh, the Master is married now by the way. Not too much to take in during this episode then! Lucy Saxon was a wonderful character and I love the idea of the Master having a companion of his own. Imagine that as a spinoff! She was almost seductive in nature which was an admirable quality. Her interview with Vivien was heart wrenching as the Master came in, heard what was said, and then had the Toclafane murder her in horrific fashion. In true style of the Master, he made some humour out of her screams. The Master's first Cabinet meeting as PM wasn't surprising at all in what he did. The files were tossed up in the air. He made a mockery of his associates and told them exactly what was funny and what wasn't, with some brilliant facial expressions, and then simply gassed them. If anyone thought Hitler was an awful leader, just imagine what the Master would do in charge of Britain's political affairs. He'd constructed the Archangel Network in his attempts for world domination, which it was pretty evident that was what he was after, and that's what cleverly prevented the Doctor from sensing that another Time Lord was still alive in events leading up to the finale with Martha throughout the series. The kidnapping of the Jones family was hard to watch for Martha and I think we're really going to see her best performance in the final episode of this finale. Seeing the Master as a child on Gallifrey was massively welcomed and it was superb to finally see the planet since the revival. It looked incredible! I loved the reference to the day the Doctor and the Master chose their names. How different they were. I also loved the reference to the possibility of the Master being the Doctor's brother, continuing a subtle trend from the Classic era. We also had many past story references with World War Three, The Christmas Invasion, The Runaway Bride, Army of Ghosts/Doomsday, Smith and Jones and The Lazarus Experiment all nicely thrown in. The Master knowing of Torchwood and sending them on a wild goose chase up to the Himalayas was intriguing. I'd love to know what Gwen, Owen, Tosh and Ianto got up to on the roof of the world! The look of joy when the TARDIS was found turning to despair when the Doctor and co had discovered what the Master had done to it was fantastic. He'd created a paradox machine in place of the TARDIS. The Valiant was a terrific setting for first contact and I liked the bullish representation of the USA and its President. But then the Toclafane arrived and they weren't interested in Winters, they wanted their Master. And he ordered his murder. The President of the USA was murdered live on television at the command of the British Prime Minister. Keep that in mind! But after the Doctor failed to get the perception filter key he'd created onto the Master, and Jack was temporarily killed by his impressive laser screwdriver, Martha teleported away to safety. The Doctor was aged 100+ years using a reversal of the Lazarus technology and was pretty much useless. The paradox ensued and the sky literally cracked open to release the Toclafane, who removed one tenth on the population. It seemed that this time the Master had one. His plan had come into fruition in incredible style. Here he stood, finally, as leader of the world. Just how will the Doctor and co stop him now? It seems everything is in the hands of Martha Jones. I look forward to the finale, which is where the final rating of the story as a whole will appear. 

Utopia

"Did you never think, all those years standing beside me, to ask about that watch? Never? Did you never once think - not ever - that you could set me free?"

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 16th June 2007

Series: 3.11

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha, Captain Jack

Synopsis 

Refuelling on the Cardiff rift and running from Captain Jack, the TARDIS flies to the end of the universe itself. There, the last remnants of humanity are headed for Utopia, the brainwork of Professor Yana.

Verdict 

Utopia was an incredible start to the unprecedentedly large three-part season finale of what has been a brilliant third series of the revived Doctor Who. Recently, the quality of the series has just been off the chain. Since Human Nature what we've had on screen has been amazing and the two stories preceding this one rank highly in my all time favourites and based upon this first episode it's clear that this huge finale will be close up there as well. I love how the episode starts where End of Days finished in the first series of Torchwood with the TARDIS being heard and Jack vanishing. It was terrific to know that was now explained here. I was quite surprised by the Doctor's reaction to seeing Jack on the TARDIS scanner. Why had he wanted to go so quickly instead of catching up with his old companion. Throughout the episode I was quite surprised by his remarks about leaving Jack in The Parting of the Ways, a story that was nicely referenced and flashbacked to here. But once the Doctor and Jack had caught up, the relationship was better than ever. Martha finding his temporarily dead body outside the TARDIS was brilliant as he awoke. Immediately he was flirting, and when someone who looks as stunning as Freema Agyeman does then who can blame him? The moment where the Doctor and Jack stood eye to eye was superb. I think in his previous travels with the Ninth Doctor, Jack was still perceived as being an understudy of sorts to the Time Lord. But now, thanks to Torchwood, the viewer knows a lot more about the Captain and the two are more like equals now. Once the remarks between the boys with the toys was over, it was clear the Doctor enjoyed having Jack on travels with him. I mean, he'd hung onto the TARDIS to the year 100 trillion despite her trying to knock him off. It was brilliant that Jack's inability to die was explained with Rose bringing him back but she couldn't control her power from the vortex. She brought him back for good and now Jack was a fixed point in time and space. His remarks about enjoying the chase was superb but I really loved how quickly and easily he got on with Martha. The talking about Rose was difficult for Martha which was hard to see, even if the Doomsday references were lovely to see with Jack being thrilled about Rose and Mickey's survival on the parallel world. The chase into the silo was excellent and I loved the scenes once inside. Professor Yana had pledged his life to seeing that mankind will continue on at the end of the universe. The indomitable species. The irony of Yana having done that with the climax surprise was astounding. Martha's relationship with Chantho was lovely and I liked the humour surrounding her starting her sentences with chan and ending with tho. Martha's kind nature continued with Creet which was also nice to see. I loved the references to The Christmas Invasion and the mystery surrounding Jack's prized possession of the hand in a jar was finally explained. I love how we've been given subtle hints leading up to this finale throughout the first series of Torchwood. It's brilliant to have a spinoff that runs simultaneously with the parent show. The flashback to the Sycorax cutting off the Doctor's hand was great but the absolute genius comical moment was Martha asking if he just grew another hand and the Doctor simply said "yep". I loved that. He shrugged at the thought as if it was second nature. I liked how the Doctor, after grinning at the prospect of being at the end of the universe - a time even the Time Lords hadn't come to, was excited about setting mankind on their way to Utopia. The Futurekind were left to starve whilst mankind set off in hope of continued survival. The Doctor boosted the circuit and Yana's work was now in operation. The rocket would launch, but not before Jack's inability to die was put to the test once again. A Futurekind had got in and tampered with things so Jack was sent beneath the rocket to connect the final circuits if you will. The conversation he and the Doctor had was terrific. They were getting on magically which was fantastic to see! Jack talking of his past and when he learned he couldn't die was excellent knowledge to be gained. I also thought it was nice how he went and watched Rose grow up periodically. Things were about to take a turn though as throughout the episode, thanks to the Doctor and Jack's catching up, mentions of Time Lord artefacts were made such as TARDIS, regeneration and time travel. And that struck a chord with Yana. The drumming in his head increased and thanks to Martha's stunned reaction to his fob watch, the perception filter had warn off. The voice of an all too familiar villain were head pleading for the watch to be opened. And as Martha went and told the news to the shocked and angered Doctor, we suddenly had a second Time Lord in existence. The Face of Boe's prophecy in Gridlock had come full circle in the form of Yana. You are not alone. An acronym. The moment Yana knew who he really was is one of my favourites. The Master was back. In my opinion, this is the best method for his return by a long way because of the shock factor and the fact he was disguised even to himself as human. He murdered Chantho, but she managed to shoot him also before dying. The Doctor and the Master looked eye to eye and immediately the former knew who the latter was. But he squirmed inside the TARDIS locking it shut. The Doctor, Martha and Jack were being hunted by Futurekind and could barely keep them out before the Master regenerated inside the Doctor's TARDIS. Now there's something quite incredible! John Simm arrived in the new incarnation and having a younger incarnation can only mean that he'll be more crazy. Overall, an incredible episode in its own right with the return of Jack. But the Master returning made it incredibly special. And there's still two episodes of the story left! That is of course where the rating will appear.

Let's Kill Hitler

"Well, I was on my way to this gay gypsy bar-mitzvah for the disabled when I suddenly thought, "gosh, the Third Reich is a bit rubbish; I think I'll kill the Fuhrer."

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 27th August 2011

Series: 6.08

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory, River

Synopsis 

Hijacked at gunpoint, the TARDIS crash lands in 1930s Berlin where the Doctor comes face to face with the greatest criminal in all of history - and Hitler.

Verdict 

Let's Kill Hitler was an excellent episode to kick off the second half of this sixth series. Unlike the series that would follow it, the second half very much continues in the same vain as the first as things aren't too different from A Good Man Goes to War. Now of course the episode and storyline was completely different but the basic premise was finding out a lot more about River Song - the daughter of Amy and Rory. I didn't care too much for the scenes in the car in the crop field, I thought they were a bit unnecessary. It was pretty needless that the tracks ended up spelling Doctor. But then Mels arrived and the episode kicked into action! She really was brilliant. She seemed everything that is the opposite of the kind of friends I imagined Amy and Rory had as they grew up but she was dynamic and I liked that. On the run from the cops after stealing a car, she threatened the Doctor to whisk her away to safety. She'd learned about time travel, now she wanted to kill Hitler. However, it didn't seem she was the only one as were introduced to the controversial Justice Department who were housed inside the Teselecta. Despite my rating and the overall quality of the episode, I wasn't overly keen on the Teselecta. The ability of it is tremendous and I like the idea of the Justice Department, but in terms of this episode it wasn't overly great. Their method of miniaturisation was intriguing but I really disliked the antibodies. Surely if you built a robot to house miniaturised people who can only be beamed in on the control's command then you don't need inside defences. Especially if the criminals you seek and find are "given hell". That riled with the Doctor and it was clear he and the Department wouldn't see eye to eye. But the story was all about Melody Pond, who'd we better know as River Song following the regeneration we saw here. I like how it tied up the loose ending of Day of the Moon with the young girl regenerating on the streets of the USA. Now, she'd been shot by Hitler. Not exactly the worst way to trigger a regeneration, it's certainly a memorable one! It's much better than the shot that caused the Seventh Doctor to regenerate in The Movie. Speaking of Hitler, I thought the representation was poor. I've studied a lot of Nazi Germany over the last four years and with the setting being 1938, what we saw didn't depict the Fuhrer well at all. If the TARDIS had crash landed during the last days of the War then the representation would have been adequate but this wasn't the case. I did love the dialogue that was provided though. I thought it was absolutely brilliant that Hitler said to the Doctor he'd saved his life. Well, the Time Lord got things wrong there. He saved Adolf Hitler from dying in 1938. A frightening thought. But perhaps not as frightening as Hitler's intrigue in the TARDIS. Just imagine the chaos there would be if he got hold of a time machine. It's an incredible thought to ponder though. Back to Mels being shot though, and she revealed all about her identity. She was actually Melody Pond, the daughter of the people she'd grown up with. I guess that means toddlers regenerate into toddlers which is a nice little fact. The look on Amy and Rory's face when they realised who the truth about their "best mate" was superb. As the Doctor comically pointed out, Amy had named her daughter after her daughter. Ha! The regeneration sequence was done very well and I believe it's the first full sequence change of a Time Lady (if that's what she is) we've seen actually occur on screen. Romana wasn't quite the same in Destiny of the Daleks. I like how we've been given ways of making the different incarnations of Melody Pond and we're of course familiar with River Song. This episode highlights my love of her comment saying that when she first met the Doctor he knew everything about her. That's exactly what the case was here. He even knew her name before she did and he beat her to saying 'spoilers' which I thought was wonderful. The flashbacks of what the Doctor did to tidy things up when he knew River was coming were a bit naff but immediately the chemistry between the pair was as good as ever. River's reactions to her new incarnation were super - it's nice seeing someone other than the Doctor react to regeneration I must say. Not that it'll ever get old. Rory punching Hitler and then locking him in a cupboard must have been a life highlight! Although I think we may have seen that earlier in the episode when Amy finally realised that he was in love with her. It was lovely to see how the couple officially got together before The Eleventh Hour - a story that was neatly referenced. The Vampires of Venice was also referenced once more and it seems the Doctor really did like those vampires! The Doctor's reference to dancing with everyone at his companions' wedding was comical and yet so believable. If only things at the end of The Big Bang continued a bit longer! River's greeting of the Nazi officials was sublime. You can see from my quote how good it is and I don't think there's ever been a more anti-Nazi sentence in the history of television! I do wish that this story was a bit more about Nazism rather than the Teselecta but I guess things were still surrounding the series arc of the Doctor dying. He gained vital information about the Silence and the fact they were a religious order rather than a species. He also learned of the question that's hidden in plain sight which would ultimately be revealed in The Time of the Doctor. But overall, despite my pickiness over some flaws this episode really was brilliant! The Doctor died and then River gave up her regenerations to resurrect him which ties things up nearly with Forest of the Dead. I also love how the Doctor, perhaps inadvertently in regards to writing, was unable to regenerate from the poison. This again tied in with his farewell perfectly. The images of Rose, Martha and Donna were unexpected but it's nice to know he still feels the guilt. The climax was emotionally felt and I like how he bought her the TARDIS journal. They'd gotten off to a good start from River's perspective it seems! I think the thing that hurt the episode the most and reduced the rating considerably was the Justice Department were about to kill Hitler and then didn't because it was too early in his time stream. What the hell were they doing there in the first place then? Thankfully what came after made up for this blunder.

Rating: 8/10

A Good Man Goes to War

"When you began all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name."

Writer: Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 4th June 2011

Series: 6.07

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory, River

Synopsis 

Demons Run when a good man goes to war. The Doctor calls in his debts to form an army. Together, the takeover of Demon's Run is begun as they seek to recover Amy and her newborn child. The  Doctor will rise higher than he's ever rose before... but then fall lower than he's ever done before. 

Verdict 

A Good Man Goes to War was a fantastic mid-season finale! Meh, that's a term I really do dislike - 'mid-season finale'. It almost angers me in some respects that TV shows do this! When we have a series/season I expect it to run through in its entirety and then the next time we see it is with a brand new series. It happens with my watching of The Blacklist and now it happens in my beloved Doctor Who. Thankfully that didn't occur in Series 8! But anyway, the episode itself is brilliant following on from the shocking and confusing end of The Almost People where Amy was revealed to be Flesh. But now here she was, trapped in Demon's Run and she'd given birth. That's right, a companion had a child! And not just any child by the DNA scan results. She was part Time Lord! I loved the Doctor's reaction to that which resulted in a humorous recap of Rory's time in the TARDIS with some terrific references to The Vampires of Venice, Cold Blood and The Big Bang. With it believed that Time Lords evolved from the mass and continued exposure to the time vortex, it seemed that Amy and Rory had had sex on the TARDIS mid-flight! To be fair, that does actually sound like something they'd do strangely enough. They'd consummated a baby on board and now she was part Time Lord. At least now, with the benefit of flashbacks, we had some answers to some confusing questions asked in Day of the Moon. The Doctor's take on the way humans have sex was intriguing to say the least with the balloon reference. Don't ever enter the TARDIS if there's a balloon up! The pre-titles scene was outstanding I thought, even if it sadly made a little mockery out of the Cybermen. They'd have their chance of redemption later in the series with Closing Time thankfully. Rory was excellent dawning the centurion gimmick once more but this time he and the Doctor meant business. The message they delivered to the Cybermen was incredible. A good man certainly was going to war. Amy's narration having the twist of her meaning Rory was tremendous too. That really was nice. We finally learned about the 'Eye-Patch Lady' and what her agenda was. She was Madame Kovarian and she was raising Amy and Rory's daughter as a weapon against the Doctor. After his brilliant assembling of an army to come and save Amy, he suddenly realised what he meant to others. Vastra told him plainly what the term Doctor meant to Lorna and her people of the gamma forests - a mighty warrior. His actions were enough and his realisation was heartbreaking. Of course he wasn't a warrior - that thought really hurt him. Matt Smith once again proved why he is the best Doctor with yet another spellbinding performance. The anger and frustration vented was incredible at times but contrast that with his arrival as impersonating a Headless Monk and then him being all smiles at the end reveal. I'm not a massive fan of the concept of the Flesh being used once more but I did love how Kovarian was able to gloat to the Doctor about tricking him the same way twice. After an emotional reunion between Amy and Rory, baby in hand, the baby wasn't there's at all. It was a Ganger. Just as promised, the taking of Demon's Run was far too easy. Silurians, Judoon and Sontarans working in coercion - a nice contrast from The Pandorica Opens - but Kovarian had won almost as soon as the evacuation had occurred. She still had baby Melody Pond (such a beautiful name) but we know she'd work out quite alright. The Doctor's cot making an appearance was lovely I must add! I also was intrigued by his shunning of Amy's question as to whether he had children or not. But then Amy would soon find out that she had a child of her own. And in a stunning reveal with the present from Lorna being translated, and the quote from Idris in The Doctor's Wife coming full circle, we found out that River Song was Amy and Rory's daughter. She was the one being weaponised and that allowed the Doctor to relax because he knew she'd grow up okay. Just look at her! So he set off, companionless, to find Melody and the series had finished, for now. Overall, a great episode but there's just a sense of something missing for me. 

Rating: 9/10

The Instruments of War Part 2

"Hu-mans advance to a sufficient level of destructive capability. The Warsong stirs from its long slumber."

Writer: Mike Collins 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: January 2015

Printed in: DWM 482

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Clara get caught up between two deadly races who've been at war for millennia. The Doctor is trying to deal with the Sontarans while Clara is trapped with the Rutans. Will both survive in the hunt for the world engine that is the Warsong?

Verdict 

The Instruments of War continued fantastically well in today's release of Doctor Who Magazine! After the brilliant, fist-pumping cliffhanger of part one during the Christmas issue, things get going for the Sontarans who do look quite intriguing in their mix of the armour we'd associate with the Classic era design and the Libyan robes! I know they mentioned they were trying to blend in but that really is an interesting action. The Twelfth Doctor really has encountered some strangely dressed Sontarans already in his relatively early days in this incarnation. In the Libyan Sahara he's met them in native robes and of course he ran into his old friend Strax who's famous for being the Sontaran wearing a tuxedo. I loved the irony of the Galaxy Forum section of the magazine as somebody had written in venting the exact same thoughts I had about the Sontarans. I like Strax, don't get me wrong, but I was after the ruthless war-hungry species that had grown in reputation since arriving on the scene in The Time Warrior. And that just tremendously shows how fantastic these comic stories are because it allows our current Doctor to be pitted against excellent foes such as the Sontarans, as they should be, whilst the TV series can continue with whatever direction they want to go with Strax. Bruckner's relationship with Clara was superb throughout the comic strip adventure and I liked the storytelling between the pair. After his blasting revelation to Clara about him being the spy and not her, there was a sour relationship during their trek through the desert. I loved the reveal of him being a Rutan in disguise, even if it was perhaps a tad obvious. The fact that the great enemy of the Classic series, only mentioned briefly since the revival, is now on our pages in 2015 is sublime. I love how this will be many young readers of DWM's first experience of a Sontaran vs Rutan story. That can't be said for me after I've read the two excellent novels Lords of the Storm and The Infinity Doctors in which parts of the eternal war are portrayed. And that actually brings me on nicely to a comment from Steven Moffat in his productions notes column of the magazine where he believed the Doctor Who novels to be part of a different continuity. Well I've never heard such rubbish! It's all licensed Doctor Who and therefore it's the same continuity. Now, I believe a line can be drawn on the likes of stage plays and the Peter Cushing movies but to say the novels aren't canonical with the TV series is a bit of a slap in the face! I did though adore his acknowledgement of calling the newer series' by 1-8. To him, series five as it's known is season 31. And I agree with him. The only reason I refer to them as series and season in TV story blogs is to differentiate between the two eras. And a blend of two eras is exactly what we had here with almost retro Sontarans up against the Doctor and Clara. The look into the Doctor's mind showed us a stunning graphic of adventures the Twelfth Doctor has had. Superb imagery of Deep Breath, Into the Dalek, Robot of Sherwood, Time Heist, The Caretaker, Kill the Moon and Mummy on the Orient Express. I do love recent story references I must say, especially when they appear as beautifully as they did! The build up to the Warsong climax was done very well and I love the warlike theme that obviously suits the Sontarans, and now the Rutans, so well. Bruckner claimed the Warsong as the Rutans so that'll lead to something bad as the Sontarans won't like being beaten to its location after their efforts to retrieve it. But the Doctor may have bigger fish to fry, as the Warsong has the ability to weaponise a whole planet - and that's exactly the plan of the Rutan to gain an advantage over their bitter Sontaran enemies. Overall, another outstanding part to this story which is certainly heading in a wonderfully good direction. As always, the rating will come upon the whole story's conclusion.  

Blink

"Blink and you're dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't blink."

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 9th June 2007

Series: 3.10

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis 

Sally Sparrow receives a cryptic message from the Doctor. It warns her of the Weeping Angels - a quantum locked species who live on potential energy of the days people could have lived. Trapped in 1969 and only able to communicate through a DVD, the Doctor must trust Sally Sparrow to bring the TARDIS back to him before the Angels take it for themselves.

Verdict 

Blink is just an absolutely incredible episode of Doctor Who and if people doubt the quality of the third revived series then they really aren't aware what makes Doctor Who. We just had Human Nature/The Family of Blood, my favourite David Tennant story and now we get this absolute masterclass immediately after! There's a reason that this episode consistently ranks near the top of story list ranks and it is testament that the story has been voted as the second best in Doctor Who history in the last two DWM polls, the only two that have occurred since its broadcast. Sally Sparrow leading the episode was terrific as she really was a gorgeous character (and I don't just mean her appearance) played tremendously well by Carey Mulligan. Her intrigue in the Wester Drumlins house was fantastic and the scene where she was ripping off the wallpaper bit by bit is one of my all time favourites. She's literally being instructed by writing on a wall from 1969. Sublime. Her relationship with Kathy was great and I loved how we got the first taste of what the Weeping Angels were about from her displacement. From London 2007 to Hull 1920 in an instant at the touch of a stone angel. That sentence alone sums up how astounding this episode was! What an enemy we had debut here. The Weeping Angels have since returned in both prose and on TV but I don't think this will ever be topped from their perspective. They were at the house, TARDIS key in hand, just waiting for somebody to lead them to the Doctor's time machine. And Sally was that person. It was almost like a giant game of real life Cluedo. She received so many clues, both intended and inadvertently, and that lead to her DI Shipton and the TARDIS. The Angels though followed and displaced Shipton and were after the time machine. They took it back to Wester Drumlins but they needed the key returned. By now, the Doctor was giving Sally detailed help from 1969. Yep, the Doctor can do that in the form of Easter eggs on DVDs. I loved how it was Shipton who put the mystery message onto the DVDs and I also loved the moment where Sally realised the list of 17 DVDs were the only ones she owned. The message was for her. Larry's reaction to everything that was going on was just fantastic and I thought he was a really excellent character. His online geekiness was superb and I'm not sure why it was intended to be frowned upon. If someone is passionate about something - let them be! Don't judge. When the conversion with the DVD - that's exactly what it was - occurred, the scene of ripping the wallpaper was trumped. The idea is just incredible and I do wonder how Steven Moffat manages to conjure up these ideas because they're just beyond brilliant. The drips of dialogue from the DVD throughout were good but the actual scene was incredible yet so simple. The idea of rewinding was hilarious though! Sally and Larry (that's more Comedy Central than ITV, right?) were under attack from the Angels now as they were after the key. But the pair managed to not blink, as instructed marvellously by the Doctor, and made it into the TARDIS. The DVD returned the TARDIS to the Doctor in 1969 and Sparrow and Nightingale were left in a circle of Angels. They were quantum locked (another amazing idea) and they'd be looking at themselves, keeping them set in stone, forever. A wonderful climax and the end scene where the paradox or endless loop was finished with the Doctor was tremendous. I can't give this episode enough praise. It really is a Moffat masterclass - one of the all time greats.

Rating: 10/10

The Planet that Wept

"It rained for a hundred years, and the people and their civilisation - buildings, cars, everything - dissolved. Washed away for ever."

Writer: Justin Richards 

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2007

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2008

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Martha take a break from being chased by monsters and maniacs as they rest on the beach of a planet with no intelligent life. That's until trees start talking to the Doctor and Martha is approached by a reflection in a lake.

Verdict 

The Planet that Wept is a title I just love and the story that came with it was actually really good! Yes, this was a second consecutive Doctor Who Annual from the revived series that I didn't really have any problems with, suited the length and told a great little story. Hmm, there's that word again. Little. I don't think I'll ever fail to mention it when it comes to blogging about short and comic stories that appear in these Annuals because I really don't understand why they can't be longer! Half of the book itself, well over half actually, is just full of garbage. I'm not sure why it's aimed so much at children (that's clear with the DWA team being given the nod to write it) and even if that's so, then why can't we have two Who Annuals? One for the little ones and then one for the older ones like myself by the brilliant DWM team. I know I'd enjoy their comic strips! I rarely don't give below 7/10 for recent comics (8/10 most probably for most!) but I have given below a 7 when it's come to recent stories. From my perspective, if I rank anything less than that then I really haven't enjoyed it or disagreed with just too many aspects. However, I couldn't disagree with anything in this story. Now, you may be wondering why I didn't give it full marks then? That'd because the plot wasn't worthy of a ten but I couldn't think of any improvements. It is what is - a very good and solid story but it doesn't rank up there with the likes of The Time Sickness or Reluctant Warriors which are probably my two favourite Annual stories. The former features the Doctor at hand and I loved how he still wore that suit despite being on a sun baked jungle planet! Martha was changed to suit the weather but there he was in his converse and tight blue suit. I didn't understand the tanning reference with Martha as companion. I highly doubt her reasoning for enjoying the sun was getting a tan now was it. I loved how the Doctor disapproved of Martha's idea of travelling. She just wanted a rest which was nice. She'd gone through a lot facing Judoon, Daleks and most recently in my watching of the third series the Family of Blood. I do hope this story is set prior to Blink or somewhere close, though I'm not too sure it really matters. Martha being called by the reflection in the water was intriguing and I liked how it came almost immediately after the Doctor emphatically claimed there was no intelligent life on the planet. Well, trees couldn't exactly talk - or could they? The Doctor got into a good old conversation with one and learned of the planet's history and how acid rain dissolved a civilisation in a horrific anomaly of life in the universe. But the people became part of the rain in an intriguing plot and after millions of years stuck in the water, a leaf or a tree they were bored. But properly bored. Bored like we couldn't begin to imagine. The planet had ran out of stories. Nothing was new and boredom was driving them insane. But after the Doctor safely got Martha into the TARDIS before the acid rain fell once more, the Doctor allowed his hand to be touched and so a part of him would live on as a raindrop in the collective mind. He would have new stories to tell them. And what stories he has...

Rating: 8/10

The Masks of Makassar

"You will understand, Doctor, when this mind leaves its frail body and takes yours!"

Writer: Paul Cornell 

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2005

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2006

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Rose visit a world where everybody seems to be wearing masks that link the race all to one mind. Rose doesn't think anything wrong but the Doctor has suspicions evil is at work... and he might just be right.

Verdict 

The Masks of Makassar was an outstanding little short story and that's saying quite a lot coming from me with it being printed in a Doctor Who Annual! I'm no stranger to Annual stories, now both Classic era and since the 2005 revival, and with this story being in the first one printed since the Classic era it's certainly similar to the Annuals of that era. Now, I can only compare it to the 1980 Annual as that's the only one I own and have read in person (I have delved into other Annual adventures thanks to Scribd) and the short stories are certainly the same in format really. A more than adequate length, some terrific artwork to accompany the text and a magnificent story! This was better than the Annual's previous story of Doctor vs Doctor and I loved the relationship between the Ninth Doctor and Rose here very much. I found it really intriguing that she was eager to try and learn of the Doctor's home planet and his people. She worked out, to both my and the Doctor's surprise, that he'd ran away because he didn't want to be a sheep in the herd. He wanted to explore. And I loved how he absolutely backed that decision here. After the events of The Day of the Doctor, we know the Doctor didn't really blow up his own planet and people but this incarnation of the Doctor is living with the grief of an atrocity he did not commit. That emotion was captured in print tremendously well. It really was shown as giving him torment. I loved how he was suspicious of Makassar throughout which I thought was actually pretty sad. After all his travelling and after everything he had seen, it just wouldn't be right if something was actually done with good intentions. Of course his presumptions were proved correct and I did like how he was able to gloat to Rose but it just showed how much evil the Doctor had encountered! The idea behind the masks linking back to one mind is something I think is awful so I was surprised by the support Rose gave it. It would take away so much about individuality! The scenes taking place inside the Doctor's mind were just brilliant and I thought it was lovely how much he cared for Rose in creating an environment she'd recognise and be comfortable in - the Powell Estate. It would allow her easier access into his mind too. The Units were very good accessories to the villain and I liked how they just obeyed orders. The climax was shown out expertly and for a short story I really was thoroughly impressed! It's a shame I can't mention more due it's length but amazingly it was almost perfect for the story! Overall, superb. 

Rating: 9/10

The Almost People

"Why should we suffer for the sake of human beings?"

Writer: Matthew Graham

Format: TV

Broadcast: 28th May 2011

Series: 6.06

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

As the conflict between the miners and their Gangers escalates, the Doctor has to deal with Amy's distrust of his Ganger, while Rory still tries to help the ever increasingly mysterious Jennifer...

Verdict 

The Almost People was a very good climax to the story that started with The Rebel Flesh. Both episode names are pretty much perfect for what you're getting in the story and here I loved the opening dialogue that followed the terrific cliffhanger of the Ganger Doctor arriving. I loved the initial anguish the Ganger was feeling as he tried to cope with previous regenerations and the many different bodies that came before the one he was currently in. We had some wonderful Classic references literally spewed out at us with the infamous end line from The Dalek Invasion of Earth where the Doctor said farewell to his granddaughter and then we literally heard the Fourth Doctor's voice asking if you'd like a jelly baby. That was quite a shock I must say! I loved the Third Doctor reference being also thrown in with the mention of reversing the polarity of the neutron flow. I was intrigued that the Doctor wanted proof his Ganger was in fact him and wanted a description of the little gem of an enemy not seen for so long in the Cybermats. Now watching in hindsight I love how that's a subtle hint of their return that will come later this series in Closing Time. Amy showing more compassion towards the non-Ganger Doctor wasn't exactly a surprise but I loved how that was played upon during the episode. The fact the two Doctors had switched shoes was a simple but genius ploy and it allowed neutrality on both sides of the fight. The Doctor saying being almost the Doctor was basically being John Smith was something I really liked, especially having recently watched Human Nature/The Family of Blood. The plot of the episode was decent throughout and the trick played by Jennifer on Rory by creating another Ganger was excellent. Although I wasn't sure on her intentions and I didn't like the design of her 'growth', it was all too reminiscent of the pretty poor creature we saw in The Lazarus Experiment. Cleaves relationship with her Ganger was very good and I liked how she was clueless enough to set a password to the rescue team when the very person she was fighting would think of exactly the same. How do you defeat yourself? It's not quite you but it's more or less the same. Jimmy's death and the survival of the Ganger was an extremely emotional scene and I liked how the human version wanted his Ganger to take his place as Adam's father and look after him. When daddy finally came home that was a lovely scene and at least the Doctor had something to smile about, even if the fight was over thanks to Jennifer's horrible actions. The Gangers saw that they didn't need to be or even want to be monsters. They could co-exist and with the TARDIS they'd be stabilised. But Jennifer's Ganger was going over the top and the Gangers of the Doctor and Cleaves would stay and defeat the threat while the others would escape in the TARDIS, which made a rather splendid entrance. The Doctor's Wife was comically referenced by both versions of the Doctor. When all was set and done and Cleaves and co set off into the press conference to tell the world the truth, the series arc came to an end as all was revealed about Amy's pregnancy and the Eye-Patch Lady. Yes, Amy was pregnant but not the Pond that'd been travelling with the Doctor for most of this series. She was trapped somewhere under the watch of the midwife with an eye-patch. Amy was pregnant, and the secret about her being a Ganger was up in rather mind boggling circumstances! An unexpected end to a very good two-part story. I'm looking for answers going into the mid-season finale, and I guess that's what I look for! 

Rating: 8/10

The Rebel Flesh

"You gave them your lives. Human lives are amazing. Are you surprised they walked off with them?"

Writer: Matthew Graham

Format: TV

Broadcast: 21st May 2011

Series: 6.05

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

The Doctor, Amy and Rory visit an acid-mining factory. A solar storm hits and turns the workers' Gangers into self-aware individuals, and now the Doctor must mediate between the original workers and the rebellious Gangers. 

Verdict 

The Rebel Flesh is a very intriguing episode to form the first half of the story that will be completed in The Almost People (see tomorrow's blog entry). Right from the get go an atmosphere of mystery is present and many elements of the story are enigmatic which gives it a strange and eery feel - one I most definitely am in favour of. I really liked some of the directing at the start with the camera rushing through the tunnel with the lights to close in on three people who'd have big roles in the episode. The guest cast as a whole really were fantastic. I loved the relationship between the Doctor and Miranda Cleaves because they had such differing ideas on what was best to cope with the solar storm. Cleaves, with it being her factory, obviously thought that she knew best. We knew that was not the case and quite a situation soon embroiled. Jimmy and Buzzer were great characters and I loved the complete lack of reaction to Buzzer's accidental death in the opening scenes. Jennifer had a lovely relationship here with Rory and for once he didn't seem so useless! If it wasn't for the series arc of Amy being pregnant (or is she?) and her seeing the Eye-Patch Lady then I don't think I'd have anything to mention about the stunning redhead other than her wanting to stay with the Doctor while he wanted them gone to carry out some business of his own. Things don't go well when the Doctor loses Amy and Rory for a while as we saw in just the previous episode The Doctor's Wife! The Flesh concept was quite incomprehensible but the possibilities it brought were endless. Fully programmable matter linked to the real person. Controlled even. If your doppelgänger, or Ganger as it was conveniently and nicely shortened to, was killed then the link would just be cut off. The design of the Flesh was intriguing as it was just white glump. The process didn't look anything new to us as we'd seen Martha cloned in similar fashion before in The Sontaran Strategem/The Poison Sky. However, the solar tsunami that the TARDIS had difficulty escaping was now taking its tole on the atmosphere above the monastery. The crew had barely survived the pre-shock, would they manage against the after-shock? The Doctor had serious doubts. Matt Smith just proved once again why he is my favourite Doctor. He just screams excellence when it comes to playing the Time Lord, and that adjective is nowhere near good enough for the amazing actor! He really made the role his own and everything about him just made the Eleventh Doctor absolutely incredible. His anger towards Cleaves when she was just going to keep on pumping was sublime. I don't think any other Doctor can switch from humour and comedy to anger and seriousness in an instant quite like Smith manages it. Tom Baker and David Tennant come somewhere close but they don't hold a candle to Smith in my opinion. The storm activating the Gangers was a great explanation of how they survived the link being broken and war soon ensued despite the Doctor's best efforts. When the Doctor tries to stop fighting and war he never seems to succeed does he? Just look at his encounters with the Silurians for more than one example. The look on his face when both factions, humans and Gangers, declared it was "us and them" was fantastic. He knew he had something awful on his hands. A species who believed they had the right to live, and the Doctor agreed, against the race he has saved countless times who believed the Gangers were monsters and had no right to live. They were horrified that they believed they were the real humans. Ganger Jimmy talking about his son, well it wasn't technically his, was really emotional! Rory had ran off to find Jennifer but if things couldn't get any worse for the factions or more so the Doctor, after his fiddling with the Flesh a Ganger Doctor appeared in a superb cliffhanger! Just what will happen in the second episode between two Doctors is an exciting thought! Overall, a decent and very good episode to form the first half of the penultimate adventure of this half-run during series six. The rating will of course arrive once the story completes in the second part! 

Echoes of the Mogor

"Are you saying that the Mogor are phantoms? Ghosts have been killing the people here?"

Writer: Dan Abnett

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 2011

Printed in: Doctor Who Classics: Volume 7

Featuring: Seventh Doctor

Synopsis 

The Doctor is trying to find his bearings in attempt at fixing the inertial navigator of the TARDIS, but soon comes across a dead body with a strange message...

Verdict 

Echoes of the Mogor was a tremendous little comic strip to bring an end to my reading of the wonderfully released IDW Doctor Who Classics: Volume 7. I'm extremely glad to have purchased the graphic novel which has original DWM comic stories from the Seventh Doctor era on TV but now they were updated and modernised with colour. The novel has had its highs and lows with Ice Warriors, Frobisher's departure and a multi-Doctor story being tarnished by the lack of a companion and some relatively poor one-part stories. But overall, I would definitely say the collection has been a success and after my reading of the terrific Planet of the Dead yesterday, after reading this story at hand I think it's clear that the two best stories were saved for last! I really enjoyed this adventure and with quite a few other characters appearing the lack of a companion for the Doctor wasn't noticeable and doesn't need to be addressed from myself for once. Usually though in a story with as many characters as this one of them tends to become a companion to the Doctor! That wasn't the case here though. I do find it strange how he continuously rambles to himself when travelling and exiting the TARDIS. Obviously it's to our benefit as the reader but when it comes to believability I think that needs to be addressed for future stories that are to come for me with the Seventh Doctor. I'm almost certainly going to purchase the Nemesis of the Daleks graphic novel to see how different the Seventh Doctor comics are and feel on a bigger sized paper and in black and white! I think that will be an exciting contrast. I liked how the Doctor was first accused of murder when the FHD squad arrived on the ship as it certainly didn't look good for him standing over a dead body on an abandoned ship! Dean's reports of being the last man alive of the crew were daunting and made even more so when he was found dead. The Doctor quickly gained a good relationship with the squad though as he typically does and I liked how he'd worked out what was killing the crew. No actual murders were taking place but the Mogor were inadvertently killing people despite not having existed for around six millennia. The crystal having an empathic link was just a marvellous concept and I loved how in small quantity Dean had been able to conceal his message but with the gigantic masses in the mines, the remnants of a long deceased and war-hungry powerful civilisation were living on in the crystal, emitting the images and actions of the once ferocious Mogor. They sparked terror, literally powerful enough to kill, but the Doctor wasn't getting through to the squad when he was trying to make them realise the Mogor were in fact extinct. These were just ancient images - echoes - of the Mogor. If you disbelieved in them, they couldn't harm you. That's exactly how the Doctor eventually extinguished their threat. No murders had taken place, just an unfortunate chain of events resulting in the worst way possible. But at least things were ridded of suspicion. Overall, a superb end to the graphic novel! 

Rating: 9/10

Planet of the Dead

"Adric and Jamie are dead, Doctor! Try to remember - this was all a terrible hoax!"

Writer: John Freeman

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 2011

Printed in: Doctor Who Classics: Volume 7

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Frobisher, Sixth Doctor, Peri, Fifth Doctor, Adric, Fourth Doctor, Third Doctor, Second Doctor, Jamie, First Doctor, Katarina, Sara

Synopsis 

The Doctor is attacked by the companions he sadly lost, and his previous incarnations, all appearing in the form of shape shifters.

Verdict 

Planet of the Dead was quite a remarkable comic strip adventure and it finally gave me that standout story that usually appears in graphic novels (usually the one it's named after) with me slowly believing that I may not get one from this IDW collection of early Seventh Doctor comic strips. I think you can see just from my 'featuring' section of the information segment how good this story was going to be! Now, I might have slightly mislead readers in saying that those incarnations and companions appeared because technically they did not. Instead it was the shape-shifting Gwanzulum impersonating those the Doctor has lost and then his previous selves. Even before the shocking returns occurred, the brief scenes with the Doctor alone on the dubbed planet of the dead was terrific. He'd stumbled across a secret entrance leading underground and despite his acknowledging that he shouldn't go down, his curiosity once again defeated him. He stumbled down the steps but I'm sure he couldn't even begin to imagine who he would see! Adric was there to greet the Doctor. Yes, Adric! With Adric being my least favourite companion of all time, pronanly by quite a distance, I think this was the first time I was happy to see him! As if one deceased companion returning wasn't enough, we saw Peri followed by Jamie soon follow. The Doctor's reactions to seeing his former companions were quite similar to my own - shock but happiness! I must admit I was baffled how the three companions recognised the man as the Doctor as they'd all travelled with incarnations prior to the Seventh Doctor, but the fact they were there was more than enough. As if it wasn't enough, Sara and Katarina made a shocking appearance! I thought it was quite sad how the Doctor didn't seem to fully recognise or even remember Katarina. It sadly contradicts the amazing line the First Doctor gave in The Daleks' Master Plan when his new Ancient Greek companion plummeted out of that spaceship. It did though keep in line with the dark nature of part one and the amount of death that comes with the Doctor. With the aforementioned companions present, I really liked the references to The Trial of a Time Lord, Earthshock and The Myth Makers. The fact that the companions turned on each other provided a tremendous climax to the first episode as Sara blasted Peri in the face! The companions soon showed their true identities as they reverted back to their normal embodiment of the Gwanzulum. The beginning of episode two was quite comical with the Fourth Doctor waking and shaking up the a Seventh Doctor! That cheesy smile was brilliant to see. As if we didn't get treated enough with the companions, all six previous incarnations of the Doctor appeared! I just love the dialogue that comes with multi-Doctor stories and it was no different here, even if the past incarnations were actually shape-shifters! I loved the still of where all of the Doctors stood side on in numerical order. I loved the idea of the First and Sixth Doctors arriving together - of any of the Doctor's future incarnations I'd imagine his first body would approve of his sixth's attitude and policy the most. The attempts of the Gwanzulum to get off the planet via the TARDIS was genius and I liked how they tried to get the Seventh and current Doctor into the TARDIS first allowing them entry. However, he got it in and then left what appeared to be his previous selves (actually disguised) on the planet they were so desperate to escape with no way of exiting. The Doctor had quite an experience but walked out comical. Overall, a wonderful comic strip and easily the best Classic series era comic I've read! 

Rating: 10/10

A Big Hand for the Doctor

"I don't laugh. I don't play games. I have a serious mission."

Writer: Eoin Colfer

Format: Novella

Released: November 2014

Series: 12 Doctors, 12 Stories: 01

Featuring: First Doctor, Susan

Synopsis 

The First Doctor is in persist of a hang of cut-throat Soul Pirates in Victorian London. Missing both his left hand and his beloved granddaughter, Susan, his quest to retrieve them promises a journey into a land he may never forget...

Verdict 

A Big Hand for the Doctor was an excellent little novella! A really excellent short story. I like to think of this little series of eBooks, a set I was lucky enough to be given for Christmas in the superb postcard edition, as quick Quick Reads if that makes sense. They're obviously considerably smaller than the Quick Reads, a range which is rather self explanatory but the length was actually pretty much perfect for the story to my surprise. I tend to be rather fussy when it comes to length of stories, particularly comic strips and those printed in the Annuals, but this worked a peach. I loved reading a story set before An Unearthly Child as it allows us to see what the Doctor and Susan got up to after leaving Gallifrey before meeting Ian and Barbara at Coal Hill School. The opening chapter was very good and I loved the conversation between the Doctor and Aldridge. It's intriguing seeing regeneration, Time Lords and Gallifrey not only mentioned but talked about by the First Doctor himself. It almost seems wrong but that rarity makes it all the more better I feel. The fact that the Doctor had a bionic hand for much of the story was quite a surprise but I did love his haggling in trying to get his new, five-fingered, hybridised hand cheaper. I liked how Aldridge's currency wasn't really currency at all. He wanted the Doctor's services and to the Doctor, especially this incarnation, I imagine that's quite a hefty price! This story and that reaction highlighted to me that the Doctor who appeared in The Infinity Doctors just can't be the First Doctor. I'm not sure who I had in mind when reading that novel but it most certainly was not William Hartnell's incarnation, not even a much younger version. The Doctor's love for Susan was sublime in this story and we really do get to see a softer side to the often grumpy incarnation of the Doctor. He really does love Susan incredibly, and perhaps a reason for that is what I implied had happened to her mother, which in turn would be the Doctor's daughter. Susan claimed she'd found her when in the grip of the orange beam. Is she lost? Had the Doctor lost his daughter, or even all his family excluding Susan? Maybe that's why the Doctor reacted the way he did when he saw what appeared to be his mother in The End of Time. The fact that his mother had a small piece of dialogue in this story is rather incredible I think! Add that to the Doctor wishing he'd already regenerated into the one with the bow tie (not my words!) and there really is a lot to smile and be surprised about in this short piece of prose. The Soul Pirates were good enemies and I liked how they bore resemblance to what was going on in The Doctor's Wife with body parts and what have you being harvested. But there would be junkyard for these Pirates because they'd gotten their name from the fact they left absolutely nothing to waste. They harvested everything and anything and then some more. Their intellect being the way the Doctor defeated them was really good though, I always think of the First Doctor being the most witty and intelligent of the Doctors. Appearing to be the oldest but actually the youngest, it seems the Doctor got childish with age and regeneration. The somewhat subtle reference to the upcoming Second Doctor was great comedic value because we know Patrick Troughton's incarnation really didn't have any fashion sense. I was fascinated by the communicators the Doctor and Susan talked on and I think they could come in handy in some future stories. I really liked Colfer's style of writing, it was a nice break from the many Terrance Dicks' novels I seem to have been reading lately, and it was terrific seeing what the Doctor was thinking from time to time. His refusal to let the Soul Pirates take his granddaughter away was superb. I liked how he had made it his mission to track down the Pirates through time and space and eradicate them. He genuinely seemed to despise them. It won't belong until he meets an even more despicable race on the planet Skaro. The resolution was very clever with the Doctor linking his DNA to the explosion of the Pirates' ship destroying them and allowing the Doctor, Susan and the others being saved along the way a safe passage to ground. The story, obviously being set in the Classic era, had very much a revived series feel to it which actually I think helped. There's little to go on with the First Doctor, especially set before the very first episode, because his experience in seeing the universe was only beginning. However, this novel did a spectacular job of capturing Hartnell's Doctor and gave us a terrific plot with some wonderful references. Overall, fantastic! 

Rating: 9/10

The Family of Blood

"War comes to England... a year in advance."

Writer: Paul Cornell 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 2nd June 2007

Series: 3.09

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis 

1913, and war comes to England, a year in advance, as the terrifying Family hunt and close in on the Doctor.

Verdict 

The Family of Blood is an outstanding conclusion to the quite incredible story already started in Human Nature. Together combined as one story, it's easy to see why this adventure ranks as my favourite Tenth Doctor story and one of my favourites of all time. The resolution to the brilliant cliffhanger was great with Martha proving why she's an efficient companion as she quickly took control of the ounce of lost concentration by the Family as Timothy opened up the fob watch for just a second, giving the Family a sniff of the Time Lord. The tables were turned and Martha was holding one of the Family's own at gunpoint. Joan was soon released and Martha, wonderfully pointing out that scared and a gun in hand is a risky combination, fled to try and find the watch and bring the Doctor back. After an opening episode of relative calm, despite there being a Scarecrow army, this episode was where the action kicked off. A school of teenagers against an alien race looking to harvest a Time Lord for their continued survival. A mismatch, surely? Seeing the man we know as the Doctor lead an army of children into battle was quite a shock. Now we all know the Doctor destroyed his own planet and people in ending the Time War (well, after The Day of the Doctor that's actually no longer the case) but we never actually saw him do it and we've always doubted whether that could actually be true. The battle scenes with the intruding Scarecrows were very emotional with some incredible camera work capturing the frightened looks and the boys' faces. I liked the headmaster as a character in this story and it was intriguing how daunting the situation became when the school was deprived of their headmaster from the shot of the young girl Daughter of Mine had taken over. The Family simply being named as the familiar relations was a masterstroke I felt. It's so simple but it makes them all the more creepier which is just magnificent because they're scary enough as it is, and that's without the Scarecrow army! Timothy's subtle opening of the watch, giving the Family more of a taste for the Time Lord they desired, was great and I like how when faced with Daughter of Mine, he opened it directly at her to escape but that gave them the information they wanted. They now knew everything about the Doctor was contained within the watch. They no longer needed John Smith - it was just the watch they desired. Martha and Joan accompanying Smith into safety was good and it couldn't be more heartbreakingly obvious that the former was basically third wheeling. Martha proving her credentials as a medical doctor was excellent and I love how the very idea was frowned upon in 1913. The prophecy of the looming war being mentioned was superb and I like how Timothy's vision from the last episode came full circle and saved his and Hutchinson's lives. Martha being returned the watch from Timothy opened up some astounding dialogue and emotion, it really was something incredible. Martha was pleading and begging for John Smith to turn back into the Doctor, something that would effectively kill the persona. But amazingly, and something as the viewer we just couldn't allow or contemplate, he wanted to stay human and live his life with Joan Redfern. The imagery of the potential future he'd have was astounding with the man we see as the Tenth Doctor having children, getting married (something that would come later for this incarnation and the one following) and dying. The emotion in this episode really is something else. It appeared that Martha had failed to persuade John Smith to become the Doctor again as he went to the Family's ship with the watch and was stumbling everywhere knocking switches. However, the watch was empty and the Doctor was back. David Tennant's incredible performance as John Smith was over and he was back to being the terrific Tenth Doctor. He destroyed the Family's ship and after their efforts to harvest him, we'd see the no second chances Tenth Doctor from The Christmas Invasion. He gave the Family the immortality they wanted but in a way of torment. Son of Mine was a scarecrow, Daughter of Mine trapped in every mirror, Father of Mine stuck in unbreakable chains and Mother of Mine in the middle of a dwarf star. Not the immortality they'd sought after. Just when it seemed things were settled and the ruthless Family were dealt with and John Smith was no more, the Doctor went to Joan and the short conversation was incredibly powerful. He begged her to travel with him in the TARDIS, but she flat out refused. The Doctor wasn't John Smith. She believed he was braver than a Time Lord. He chose to die. The Doctor didn't change back and was shown the door by being heartbreakingly told about the deaths he had caused. The episode though did end on a happy note with Timothy saying goodbye to the TARDIS pair and then seeing him as a War veteran, still holding the watch. A lovely end to a quite astounding double episode, one that is my favourite of this incarnation of the Doctor. 

Rating: 10/10

Human Nature

"I need to stop being a Time Lord... I'm going to become human."

Writer: Paul Cornell

Format: TV

Broadcast: 26th May 2007

Series: 3.08

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis 

England 1913, and a schoolteacher called John Smith has strange dreams of adventures in time and space.

Verdict 

Human Nature is a sensational episode of Doctor Who and an outstanding 45 minutes of television drama, and the story is only just getting started! I just love everything about this episode (and the one that follows) from start to finish. We get a taste of something going wrong with the Doctor and Martha under attack from an unknown gang of aliens. We've never encountered them before but they're deadly and they want a Time Lord. But suddenly, the Doctor really is John Smith and a human school teacher with Martha as his maid. You'd think the scenes were some sort of dream but the TARDIS scenes were actually the dream! A quite incomprehensible concept. Could the Doctor's life really have been a dream? Obviously not, as more information was fed to us throughout the episode. But whilst we weren't quite sure what was going on, it really was fascinating seeing John Smith dreaming of being the Doctor. The depictions of the dreams were stunning with far too many flashbacks to mention! But they were all there. Adventures and faces of all incarnations of the Doctor we know and love, and even in human form the Doctor still didn't want to remember anything about the War incarnation of himself. Not even a murmur. The Journal of Impossible Things was an incredible collection of sketches and information and I really did admire the artwork! The reference to Rose being simply a character that disappears was quite sad I thought. Although I wouldn't say I'm her greatest fan, she deserves far more of a mention than that when it comes to the Doctor, especially this incarnation, because she's the companion the Doctor fell in love with. But now, John Smith fell in love with Nurse Redfern which made Martha absolutely heartbroken. I think she was just a companion too late! Had she worked in a shop where an Auton attack commenced then maybe she'd have been the one the Doctor would have fallen in love with. It was instantly noticeable that Martha could see where things were heading between the man she so unsubtly loved and the matron. 1913 was a tremendous setting and watching now, 101 years after the story is set, it's intriguing to see just how utterly unlike schools are nowadays. Imagine children learning how to fire a gun! It's almost unthinkable. But a century ago war was a common thing and there'd be a tremendously huge one waiting around the corner. The reference to John Smith's parents being called Sydney and Verity and was a stunning throwback to the creation of the series we're still loving today! Seeing the Doctor still have his skill with a cricket ball was great and I loved how his remarkableness was just increased. He wasn't even a Time Lord anymore but he was still absolutely brilliant. The Family's arrival was superb and I just adore everything about them. Their creepiness is uncanny and just sublime. Baines as Son of Mine is one of the best villains in Doctot Who history in my opinion. As if the story wasn't good enough, we get an absolutely excellent villainous character too! The whole Family though really are magnificent together and add that to their army of Scarecrow soldiers and you've got quite an alliance on your hands! I've recently managed to get my little six-year-old cousin into Doctor Who after he found himself watching Deep Breath with me earlier this year. He's since watched every Twelfth Doctor episode so I thought it was time for him to experience a new Doctor and what better than my all time favourite Tenth Doctor story that I've found myself on in my mini rewatch of Series Three. With the Doctor human it was difficult for him to make a judgement on the Tenth Doctor himself but the reason I'm mentioning him is because of the impact the Scarecrows had on him. I never thought of them as one of the scariest monsters to appear in Doctor Who but watching him react to them was just magnificent from my perspective. I'll never get that feeling of watching a Tenth Doctor story for the first time and it was the look in his eyes that just made me smile so much. I've introduced the show to a brand new pair of eyes very close to me and that really makes me proud. I can't wait for him to watch more! The intrusion of the barn dance where John and Joan were having their first date was brilliant. Timothy had opened the fob watch which contained everything the Doctor was for just long enough so that the Family knew who they were after. One problem, the Doctor had changed his biological makeup using the chameleon arch, something I remember swinging about in Rise of the Cybermen, and had a perception filter on the fob watch. He genuinely didn't know who he really was. To him they were just echoes from dreams. He'd need to remember quickly though because the Family had his companion and his newfound lover at gunpoint. They'd both be killed if he didn't change back to being a Time Lord. Just one problem - he had no idea how nor what the family were on about. After a story of beauty surrounding the Doctor as a human, things are going to get a whole lot nastier in the second episode! And that's where my final rating will appear. But even as just an opening half of a story, this really is one of my all time favourite episodes. 

Keepsake

"No false modesty! You saved my life, and now we must join forces to save another in peril!"

Writer: Simon Furman

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 2011

Printed in: Doctor Who Classics: Volume 7

Featuring: Seventh Doctor

Synopsis 

The Doctor follows a distress signal to the planet Ryos, a waste dump. Here, he is chased into being unwillingly rescued by Keepsake and an unlikely and unhappy alliance is formed. 

Verdict 

Keepsake was a pretty good comic strip story but after the wonderfully brilliant Culture Shock I really did think DWM had finally found the direction they wanted to go in with the brand new Seventh Doctor taking up the pages. After getting rid of Frobisher in A Cold Day in Hell, something I think was now a mistake even if I'm not his biggest fan, we still haven't had the Doctor travelling with a companion! Well, we had Olla for one story but that didn't really end well now did it. You can get away with the Doctor not having a companion across many formats for a limited number of time, just look at the gap between series four and series five with the Tenth Doctor specials. They were hugely successful with the Doctor alone and that might be because of the looming return of the Master and regeneration of the Doctor, but even in each adventure there was a lite companion. Not having a companion in comic strips, especially ones at lengths such as this, is really hurting things and it's also taking away some of the Doctor's brilliance. We don't really get to see scenes in the TARDIS interior anymore because without a companion there is no need. The Deadly Assassin worked so well for the Fourth Doctor to be without company because it was a Gallifreyan story. But here, in a random visit answering a distress call, it hurt a lot and I think it's the main reason why my rating is perhaps not as high as it should and could have been. The depiction of Ryos was very good and the colourisation really added to the image of it being a waste and dumping ground of a planet. I really don't think I'd have captured that in my mind had the story been printed in black and white as it originally was. I think that's where I'm overjoyed by IDW for publishing these updated Classic DWM comics! Also a big thanks to Forbidden Planet for importing them into the UK allowing me to purchase! The story itself was decent with the Doctor being chased by the Ryos natives, what he had done goodness knows! The Doctor really could be dangerous if he was travelling alone! No restrictions and nobody to tell him how ludicrous some of his antics and suggestions are. A worrying thought. Although despite the image, I would argue that the Seventh Doctor is the most sensible incarnation since the First! That's an intriguing thought seeing that Sylvester McCoy pushes Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker to being the most goofy and comical Doctor. The hitchhike scenes were quite comical and I loved how the Doctor took the quick take off, an action trying to avoid the Doctor travelling aboard, as quick thinking and good help. That was the highlight I felt. I really liked how the Doctor took the initiative and demanded, in a subtly kind manner, that Keepsake (I think that's what the man was called, it wasn't clear whether that was the name of him or the ship!) would help to cure the distress of whoever the medic was that sent it. I didn't like the sudden ending with Keepsake somehow the hero being kissed by a women with an incredible figure and some quite stunning assets. The Doctor saying how it was Keepsake who was the hero was intriguing but I don't see why the story couldn't have been two episodes and we could see what just went on! The references to the strange bird looking like a certain someone's wife were comical. Overall, a decent story but a sudden ending and lack of companion hurt things. 

Rating: 7/10