Ahh the Ood have returned. Those brilliant squiggly faced slaves from "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit. I've always admired the ingenuity of the Ood and of how they are a wholly sympathetic group of Doctor Who monsters and despite that it never gets in the way of them being extremely intimidating. This definitive trait is ever present in this episode. However the one thing we find here which wasn't present in our previous encounter with them is that this time we are cheering them on as they begin their revolution.
First off I will definitely agree with those who have lovingly compared this episode to classic Who, because it feels like a traditional Who-Story, namely that of The Doctor arriving to find a docile species enslaved and he sparks the revolution to liberate said species. It's the age-old Doctor Who story but the twist that New Who delivers is a sort of personal edge to it. It definitely never holds back punches in showing the ugly side of human enterprise and the deliberate blinders they put on to the pain they cause.
Every episode that passes makes me love Donna more and more because she has more heart than I had ever thought she was capable of having after her debut story "The Runaway Bride." It's crushing to see the unprocessed Ood in the cage cradling their secondary brains. The Doctor's description of the procedure is sickening and Donna's reaction echoed my own. It solidifies Donna's stance in her role as a companion, how she sees the horrible things that transpire in the Universe and her reaction to it is far more real and by the end, after all is said and done she learns that the traditional concepts of right and wrong are warped and that many times the enemies aren't who you think they are.
Temple's script also offered up some nuances which actually stray from the obvious. Firstly, In situations like this you usually expect The Doctor to have a local who helps them out, and you think that the character of Solana was going to fit the bill. Boy, was I wrong. Shortly after she betrays The Doctor and Donna i found myself wishing for her demise. Luckily, she did pay the price for choosing the wrong side. As for Tom McInnery's character of Mr. Halpern. He's nothing new in the Who-niverse. We've always seen slimy callous little profiteers, but he's definitely an ideal example of one. His complete and utter contempt for the Ood is abominable and what happens to him in the end lends a lot to the term "Let, the punishment fit the crime," because I don't think I would have been satisfied if he was dispatched in the way of all his subordinates. He needed to face justice and what better way to do it than for the persecutor to become the persecuted. The conclusion of this story was extremely gratifying because I always love it when The Doctor's endeavors provoke real change on a grandiose scale (same reason why "Gridlock" was one of my favorites.) and the newly liberated express their gratitude. I also loved the cryptic foreshadowing in the line "Even your song must end, Doctor." Director Greame Harper has truly been an asset to the Who-niverse of late ever since his return to the series in 2006. He has an incredible knack for pacing and atmosphere and he has a gift for bringing out some spectacular performances from his actors, I truly can't pick out a negative element of the technical side. Then again I don't think I've ever had the need to attack Doctor Who on the technical side. Even in the old days.
All in all for me this series has knocked another one out of the park with this episode. Now as for next week here we are again Ms. Raynor lets see if you redeem yourself for "Daleks in Manhattan."
First off I will definitely agree with those who have lovingly compared this episode to classic Who, because it feels like a traditional Who-Story, namely that of The Doctor arriving to find a docile species enslaved and he sparks the revolution to liberate said species. It's the age-old Doctor Who story but the twist that New Who delivers is a sort of personal edge to it. It definitely never holds back punches in showing the ugly side of human enterprise and the deliberate blinders they put on to the pain they cause.
Every episode that passes makes me love Donna more and more because she has more heart than I had ever thought she was capable of having after her debut story "The Runaway Bride." It's crushing to see the unprocessed Ood in the cage cradling their secondary brains. The Doctor's description of the procedure is sickening and Donna's reaction echoed my own. It solidifies Donna's stance in her role as a companion, how she sees the horrible things that transpire in the Universe and her reaction to it is far more real and by the end, after all is said and done she learns that the traditional concepts of right and wrong are warped and that many times the enemies aren't who you think they are.
Temple's script also offered up some nuances which actually stray from the obvious. Firstly, In situations like this you usually expect The Doctor to have a local who helps them out, and you think that the character of Solana was going to fit the bill. Boy, was I wrong. Shortly after she betrays The Doctor and Donna i found myself wishing for her demise. Luckily, she did pay the price for choosing the wrong side. As for Tom McInnery's character of Mr. Halpern. He's nothing new in the Who-niverse. We've always seen slimy callous little profiteers, but he's definitely an ideal example of one. His complete and utter contempt for the Ood is abominable and what happens to him in the end lends a lot to the term "Let, the punishment fit the crime," because I don't think I would have been satisfied if he was dispatched in the way of all his subordinates. He needed to face justice and what better way to do it than for the persecutor to become the persecuted. The conclusion of this story was extremely gratifying because I always love it when The Doctor's endeavors provoke real change on a grandiose scale (same reason why "Gridlock" was one of my favorites.) and the newly liberated express their gratitude. I also loved the cryptic foreshadowing in the line "Even your song must end, Doctor." Director Greame Harper has truly been an asset to the Who-niverse of late ever since his return to the series in 2006. He has an incredible knack for pacing and atmosphere and he has a gift for bringing out some spectacular performances from his actors, I truly can't pick out a negative element of the technical side. Then again I don't think I've ever had the need to attack Doctor Who on the technical side. Even in the old days.
All in all for me this series has knocked another one out of the park with this episode. Now as for next week here we are again Ms. Raynor lets see if you redeem yourself for "Daleks in Manhattan."