Review: Doctor Who, Episode 4.16, “The Waters of Mars”

The Tenth Doctor’s time is growing short. As promised by outgoing showrunner Russell T Davies, things begin to get dark here. That’s an understatement.

2059. The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) arrives on Mars at the first human outpost on the planet, Bowie Base One, under the command of the formidable Adelaide Brooke (Lindsay Duncan), just as terrible events begin to occur. Only he knows the truth of how it will end, and the laws of time forbid him from stopping it.

As written by Davies and Phil Ford (a previous contributor to spinoffs The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood), it’s a compelling hour of drama for Who fans. At its core, it’s a story about choices and their consequences, invested with a sense of inescapable tragedy that begins at a low level and slowly climbs to a wrenching climax. While it’s not quite in the same league as the brilliant Torchwood: Children of Earth, it does share a similar theme and tone, and Davies is a writer who always works best on an emotional level (something his critics so often misunderstand).

Veteran director Graeme Harper, whose involvement in the show dates back to 1966, confidently renders the story on screen with maximum suspense and some strong performances. In grand Who tradition, the exterior Mars scenes were shot in a quarry, but the CG effects render it believable. The monsters of the week are effective, and much like director Hideo Nakata did in the film Honogurai Mizu No Soko Kara, Harper turns even a single drop of water into a source of dread. I’ve read complaints that some viewers wanted more explanation of what the monsters were and what they were after, but that’s really missing the point: the monsters are a classic MacGuffin, used to setup the Doctor’s later actions. It’s all about the Doctor’s emotional journey here.

What we’re left with at the end is the idea that there are some lines a Time Lord (not even the last of the Time Lords) shouldn’t cross, and doing so will have terrible consequences for the Doctor. The past three seasons have offered numerous stories of the Tenth Doctor operating as an almost messianic figure with great powers. Now we’re beginning to get the payoff…and, oh, is it a doozy. Davies has clearly planned this all along, with the Tenth Doctor increasingly abusing his Time Lord powers for good ends and slowly creeping toward a line that should have remained uncrossed.

Tom Baker will always be my favorite Doctor, but Tennant is a close second because he’s the best actor to have played the role, and he delivers a bravura performance in this special. His expressive face details every emotion the Doctor goes through, from joy to sadness to a frightening arrogance to horror at his own actions. We see aspects of the Doctor that we’ve never seen before, or at least have only been hinted at. After all the horror and death the Doctor has seen since the Time War, he finally cracks, if only for a few minutes, but that’s long enough to make a serious error.

Duncan is marvelous as Adelaide, displaying humanity, grace, and courage. Much like Lady Christina in the previous special, Adelaide would have made an amazing companion for the Doctor under other circumstances. Tennant and Duncan play especially well off each other, adding to the emotional depth of the story.

I enjoyed “The Waters of Mars” very much, even if I felt uncomfortable with where it was taking the Doctor, which is precisely the effect it needed to have. The stage is now set for the two-part “The End of Time,” which is sure to be a brilliant finish for David Tennant as the Doctor and Davies as showrunner.

(And I loved GADGET!)

Doctor Who: Welcome the Future

Little known 21-year-old Scottish actress/model Karen Gillan has been cast as the Eleventh Doctor’s companion for the 2010 season of Doctor Who. She previously had a small role as a soothsayer in the 2008 episode “The Fires of Pompeii”. New showrunner Steven Moffat stated that numerous actresses were auditioned, but as soon as she “walked through the door the game was up”.

The 2010 season of Doctor Who will have more changes than I can ever remember for a new season: a new Doctor (Matt Smith), a new companion (Gillan), a new showrunner (Moffat), new executive producers (Piers Wenger and Beth Willis), new producers (Tracie Simpson and Peter Bennett), and even a new TARDIS interior. I suspect the show will at first feel as different as it did when it was first revived in 2005 after sixteen years off the air.

Also, here’s the trailer for Torchwood: Children of Earth, the five-part miniseries set to air in July.

“Planet of the Dead,” the one hour Doctor Who Easter special, aired on Saturday. Then there are only three specials left until star David Tennant and showrunner Russell T Davies both take their leave of the show, making way for new star Matt Smith and new showrunner Steven Moffat to take over for the 2010 season.

The original plan was to air the next special (“The Waters of Mars”) at Christmas and the final two early in 2010, but now it looks like “The Waters of Mars” will air in November and the final two at Christmas instead.

“The Water of Mars” may feature the return of the Ice Warriors, who were first introduced in the 1967 Second Doctor serial, “The Ice Warriors,” and last seen in the 1974 Third Doctor serial, “The Monster of Peladon.” Their return in a special was rumored in the tabloids, and it fits with the Ice Warriors being from Mars and being some of Davies’ favorite monsters he hasn’t yet brought back.

As for the final special, which will end with a regeneration (not a spoiler in this case), Tennant said in a recent interview that he cried when he read his final scene, and Davies said there shouldn’t be a dry eye at the end.

Review: Doctor Who, Episode 4.15, “Planet of the Dead”

The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and professional thief Lady Christina de Souza (Michelle Ryan) are both passengers on a London double decker bus that gets re-routed to a barren alien world. Can they work together to get the bus and its other passengers safely back to Earth? Meanwhile, back on Earth, UNIT is called in to deal with the sudden disappearance of the bus.

As written by outgoing showrunner Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts (“The Shakespeare Code”, “The Unicorn and the Wasp”), this one hour Easter special is a lighthearted romp with action, comedy, and even some romantic sparks. Director James Strong, a Doctor Who and Torchwood veteran, brings all the elements together into a shiny package of fun. I greatly enjoyed watching it.

Some hints emerge toward the end that darker days are coming for the Doctor. Davies has stated that Tennant’s final three specials, set to air in November and December, will grow increasingly darker, leading to the death of the Tenth Doctor and his regeneration into the Eleventh.

Despite six months away acting on stage, Tennant effortlessly steps back into his most famous role. Ryan, most recently the star of the Bionic Woman remake and the sorceress Nimueh on Merlin, is perfect as a sophisticated and charming adrenaline junkie in the manner of Lara Croft. Lady Christina would make a great ongoing companion. Also good are Noma Dumezweni as UNIT Captain Erisa Magambo, Lee Evans as current UNIT scientific advisor Professor Malcolm Taylor (humorously played as the ultimate fanboy), and Adam James as a police officer pursuing Lady Christina.

Other notes: this episode was filmed on location in Dubai; the bus was damaged in transport to Dubai, but only minor script changes were needed to account for that; it’s the first episode of Doctor Who to be shot on high definition video; by some counting methods it’s the 200th complete story (spread out over 753 individual episodes since 1963); I loved the references to Quatermass and the 1974-75 Fourth Doctor serial, “Robot.”

Next up, “The Waters of Mars” in November.