Turn Left

"Turn right and never meet that man. Turn right and change the world!"

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 21st June 2008

Series: 4.11

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna, Rose

Synopsis 

What would life be like if the Doctor didn't exist? If his victories were reversed and evil took precedence? Well, thanks to the Trickster's Brigade a certain Donna Noble is about to find out as a life changing decision is altered...

Verdict 

Turn Left is an outstanding episode and really does a great job of not only setting up the series finale but highlighting just how important the Doctor is to humanity, and not only that but by also doing a stellar job in promoting the importance of the companion role. If the Doctor ever doubted that he needed somebody travelling with him then he need just remind himself of the events of this story and the experience Donna went through at the hand of the Trickster's Brigade. After recently watching The Runaway Bride, I thought it was a good time to watch this episode even if it further limits my pool of new series episodes left to blog. We see how crucial Donna was to the Doctor's survival in battling the Empress of the Racnoss as he needed to be told to stop and that he'd done enough to see out the threat. As this alternate reality showed, if Donna wasn't with him he would have perished and too quickly for regeneration to commence. The way the sorceress deduced the crucial moment in Donna's life that saw her meet the Doctor was excellent and actually something I'd failed to pick up on in my previous viewings. We see the devastating effects that the events of Smith and Jones had on the people in the hospital that was taken to the Moon and the lack of the Doctor meant the deaths of Martha and Sarah Jane. Life was continuing to take a turn for the worst with the Doctor dead as the events of Voyage of the Damned were realised and London was obliterated. Donna only managed to survive thanks to a warning from Rose. Their relationship as the episode went on was superb and I remember how brilliant it was first time around to see two companions who hadn't previously met interact for the first time. Then came the events of Partners of Crime and without the Doctor and Donna to stop Miss Foster, the scale of death was frightening with sixty-million lives claimed in America alone. That was quite a difficult number to comprehend. Still no Doctor, and things were getting worse as the ATMOS attack at the hands of the Sontarans in The Sontaran Strategem/The Poison Sky came next and that claimed the lives of the Torchwood team. By now, Donna and her family had been relocated to Leeds and with the stars going out, she was now ready to fix things and find out why she was so important and what exactly was on her back. UNIT and Rose made quite the team and with the help of the TARDIS, Donna was sent back in time to put things right and ensure that she turned left instead of right. The lack of the Doctor was hardly felt and I think that's testament to how great the characters of Donna and Rose are. Despite the Doctor being absent, the story was still all about him and that's why his no show was not felt. He literally appeared at the start and end of the story and although his realisation of Rose meeting Donna meant trouble, the finale was set up very nicely with every word changing to Bad Wolf. Overall, a superb episode! 

Rating: 10/10