INDIVIDUAL (1st) ?Doomsday? (2 of 2)
(2nd) ?The Idiot?s Lantern?
(3rd) ?Rise of the Cybermen? (1 of 2)
(4th) ?Tooth and Claw?
(5th) ?The Satan Pit? (2 of 2)
(6th) ?The Girl In The Fireplace?
(7th) ?School Reunion?
(8th) ?Army of Ghosts? (1 of 2)
(9th) ?Fear Her?
(10th) ?New Earth?
(11th) ?The Age of Steel? (2 of 2)
(12th) ?The Impossible Planet? (1 of 2)
(13th) ?Love & Monsters?
(1st) As a epic season finale ?Doomsday? succeeds admirably in offering up big action sequences with the first time pairing of Daleks and Cybermen but it also provided dramatic moments for all principal characters. A beautifully told instalment that excellently provided a satisfactory closure to certain players whom have been endemic to the identity of these two years of the revived series. Really you can?t ask for much more than ?Doomsday? has presented amongst this years clutch of episodes!
(2nd) Admittedly I really had my doubts about a story taking the TARDIS crew back to the 50?s but Mark Gatiss script was a pleasant, highly enthralling, entertaining piece of imaginative television that really had me punching the air in delight by it?s conclusion. With its basis so routed in English history (Queen?s coronation, the BBC?s own broadcasting history at Alexandria Palace) this was so wonderfully counterpointed by the science fiction elements of the story (the ?missing facial features? aspect obviously taken straight from Sapphire & Steel) and is further strengthened by the chillingly memorable performance of Maureen Lipman. For me ?The Idiot?s Lantern? exemplifies the series typically strong ability to blending historical aspects with science fiction concepts in a distinctly British feeling manner.
(3rd) Although generally not considered a particularly strong entry during the season I personally found the establishing premise of a parallel Earth as portrayed in ?Rise of the Cybermen? to be rather fascinating in its portrayal of a possible technological future that, just perhaps, we here in twenty-first century Earth are moving towards as our own dependence on gadgetry appears to be continuing. This is one instance where having the time to develop the back-story before bring forward the main protagonists (effective smashing their way into a swish party on a darkened chilly evening) of the piece works well.
(4th) I really loved the isolated highlands of Scotland setting of ?Tooth and Claw? replete with that historic encounter with famed ruler Queen Victoria brought to life so marvellously by Pauline Collins however this story offers so much more excitement and mystery regarding the captive figure in the cage. Transforming into a werewolf the claustrophobic chase through the corridors of the ancient castle is rather breathtaking in its application leading to a satisfactory and imaginative conclusion.
(5th) After a rather slow first episode, action and excitement in the concluding ?The Satan Pit? is raised significantly with the Ood on the murderous rampage through the base and the beast is finally released. However I felt that the strongest element of this second part was Tobias Zed?s continued and more vocal performance as the maniacal tattoo covered character who continues to act for the unspecified evil that our heroes face.
(6th) One story that I certainly agree indeed improves over repeated viewing is indeed ?The Girl In The Fireplace?, a lavish costume drama with clockwork robots after the brain of Madame du Pompadour. Although I believe not reaching the same action packed dramatic levels featured elsewhere this season is indeed impressive classy stuff from accomplished writer Steven Moffat.
(7th) For sheer nostalgia value ?School Reunion? is undoubtedly an excellent piece with seasoned fans like myself rejoicing in the return of classic series regulars Sarah Jane Smith and K-9 with some genuinely touching and memorable scenes on offer between these returnees and the series current regular stars. However apart from that I personally felt that the main premise of the story seems rather second rate and aside from Anthony Head?s memorable ?Hector Finch? character I personally didn?t really engage with the threat posed this time around.
(8th) With its initial mystery element about the regular appearances of ethereal beings on Earth ?Army of Ghosts? succeeds admirably in engaging the viewers attention as does the final realisation of the perceived mythical ?Torchwood Institute? organisation housed high up above Canary Wharf in the centre of London. I appreciated the Doctor, Jackie, Rose comedic interplay on offer here however I personally, at this point, couldn?t really see the intriguing appeal and potential for growth of the ?Torchwood? concept. This I felt, for me, rather negated the fascinating intrigue regarding the hovering sphere and transportation between parallel realities.
(9th) With its concept so closely associated with present day Earth, the setting of city suburbs of London at the time of the 2012 Olympics, eleventh episode ?Fear Her? was a pleasant enough, although rather unspectacular entry this season.
(10th) A visually splendid opening to the season, ?New Earth? presented a rather breathtaking entry to this second year of the revised Doctor Who. However although both David Tennant and Billie Piper were on top form here in a tale that feels perfect to open this particular run I personally felt that if you peel away the gloss it rather seemed like a rather familiar fairly average premise.
(11th) In my opinion, two-parters seem to follow a familiar premise with the first providing the more restrained establishing story whilst the second offers up the more racy, casual audience pleasing action. Now don?t get me wrong ?The Age of Steel? is excellent in that regard with the threat that the increased danger the growing Cyber force presents to Earth is indeed very enjoyable its just that I personally didn?t really get that sense of scale that was so much better illustrated during ?Doomsday?.
(12th) With ?The Impossible Planet? we have another establishing environment and characters as a set up for the concluding ?The Satan Pit? which I personally found, dare I say it, rather slow and uninvolving. Now don?t get me wrong it?s a good start to a very promising feature length tale especially regarding crewman Tobias Zed but sequences like that of the Doctor hanging from a rope, pondering existence almost gave a feeling of episodic padding.
(13th) Now I do honestly approach each weeks instalment of the new series with an open-minded attitude regarding the production teams ability to present an enjoyable story that will suitably develop and extend the range and appear of the Doctor Who franchise however try as I might and with the best will in the world I personally just cannot that much of appeal within the slow plodding ?Love & Monsters?. With its laughable central protagonist whose threat seemed rather ridiculous it, for me, failed to offer and dramatic tension in what I can only really consider as ?over-indulgent sentimental twaddle? from an immensely talented writer whom, in my opinion, really should have known better!
Now remembering that for the 2005 season most people preferred to rate the season by combined stories rather than episodically I have also considered this evaluation which in someway rather shakes up my individual list and so my ?top ten? would there read as follows:
COMBINED: (1st) Army of Ghosts (1 of 2)/Doomsday (2 of 2)
(2nd) The Idiot?s Lantern
(3rd) Tooth and Claw
(4th) The Girl In The Fireplace
(5th) School Reunion
(6th) The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit
(7th) Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel
(8th) New Earth
(9th) Fear Her
(10th) Love & Monsters
(1st) On balance I would say that ?Doomsday? is undoubtedly the more dramatically engaging for me however there is just enough mystery (sphere?s and ethereal beings), plus sprinklings of comedy (Doctor/Rose/Jackie plus the ?Torchwood? employee email banter) on offer in ?Army of Ghosts? to make this two-part season finale my combined favourite.
(2nd ? 5th) Episodically I?ve stated why ?The Idiot?s Lantern?, ?Tooth and Claw?, ?The Girl In The Fireplace? and ?School Reunion? succeed for me and for the ?combined chart? they now follow ?Army of Ghosts?/?Doomsday? in my appreciation rundown.
(6th) Despite its first episode having a relatively slow pace to it if you take both ?The Impossible Planet? and ?The Satan Pit? together this is indeed an extremely imaginative, dramatic and highly enjoyable two-parter and indeed bodes well for any future adventures that the new series may present us where the TARDIS crew arrive on a alien planet.
(7th) Despite certain shortcomings (like sense of scale of the Cyber threat to the planet) the overall feel of ?Rise of the Cybermen?/?The Age of Steel? presents us with a commendably successful reintroduction of such a legendary classic series adversary excellently updated for the twenty-first century.
(8th ? 10th) Again, episodically I?ve covered my opinions regarding ?New Earth?, ?Fear Her? and ?Love & Monsters?.
