The second of this year's special episodes of Doctor Who (in place of a regular series as the BBC tried to bribe parliament into increasing the television license fee by holding back some of their top rating shows claiming they didn't have the cash).
RTD is one of those writers where the ideas are all too often better than the execution - For every
Utopia there's been a
Last of the Time Lords. For every
Turn Left a
Partners in Crime.
The Waters of Mars is definitely closer to the top end of the scale after the last disappointing special which killed any excitement from the exotic filming locations with Lara Croft-lite and the flying bus. It's back down to essentials as the Tardis materializes near the first life-supporting base on Mars (slyly named Bowie Base One) and then follows the basic mold of the classic Who adventure and the standard sci-fi and slasher movies where a group of diverse and roughly sketched characters fight the monster du jour.
The only trouble with this is that the basic plot is a little too close to
42 or
The Impossible Planet, following an almost identical mold. Still, it's a classic, but nonetheless, it's getting a bit creaky by now.
However, the subplot is what lifts the episode above the norm, thanks to guest star Lindsay Duncan, who adds real gravitas to her role, while Tennant gets the chance to bust out his acting chops once more, alternating between excited, sorrowful, vengeful and haunted with a rapidity that rivals Eccleston's quickfire mood changes. Certainly the most effective scenes in the episode are the two-handers between Tennant and Duncan. The darkness that creeps in, by the point most kids are safely hid behind the sofa, presumably, is surprising and it's understandable that the BBC chose to move this episode from Christmas day. Despite the splashes of snow, funny robot and a Marley-esque moment, it would have been too dark to be seasonal.
As has been repeatedly stated, this episode was set up as being the "beginning of the end" for Tennant's Doctor. I'm not sure it establishes that as clearly as the writers might have intended, but certainly the darkness that starts to creep in, then jump in with bloody great boots on, ensuring that everyone knows that something REALLY SERIOUS™ is to come.
So, with this special the game is stepped up and proves to be quite a compelling view, making the most of its guest stars (Shane from Neighbors joins Jim from Neighbors and Charlene from Neighbors in cropping up in a Whoniverse story) and a simple, but damn creepy design for the villains.
Even the (deliberately) irritating funny robot couldn't drag things down too far. But amidst all the cracking acting and dark turns there had to be something for the kids, right?
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