A new companion emerges
 Mar 13th, 2009
Advantages:
Great acting
Disadvantages:
Some weak episodes
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
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About me:
Okay, so now I want to move to Canada!!!
Member since:07.11.2005
Reviews:420
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Review rated by 10 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
From the very first episode back in 1963, Doctor Who has wowed audiences with its capacity to create something new with extreme imagination. The rebirth of Doctor Who in 2005 with Chrostopher Eccleston as the title role paved the way for a regeneration in the form of David Tennant. Billie Piper played Rose, the Doctor's travelling companion through the first and second series, but at the end of the second, she and the Doctor were separated permanently when she was forced to remain in a parallel universe. This paves the way for the start of the third series, with Frrema Agyeman as Martha, who takes on the mantle as the Doctor's companion, and David Tennant returning as the Doctor. This DVD is the first in the series and contains the first three episodes. The Episodes
Smith and Jones
Martha Jones is training to become a doctor in a London hospital
when the building suddenly finds itself transported to the moon. Amongst the patients is a man known only as the Doctor, and he gives Martha instructions which, although they sound preposterous, he insists will save them all. With the air inside the hospital running and the feared space police, the Judoon, running riot, trying to find alien criminals inside the hospital, Martha must act quickly or they could all perish. The Shakespeare Code
Having experienced a little of the Doctor's world in 'Smith and Jones', the Doctor promises Martha one trip in the Tardis. They go back to England and the Globe Theatre at the time of William Shakespeare, where a strange race of alien beings known as Carryanites are attempting to use the bard's plays as a way of entering the planet and taking it over. The Doctor and Martha must figure out what is going on and stop them before it's too late.
Gridlock
Having taken Martha on a trip in the Tardis to the past, the Doctor offers her a trip to future. They go to New Earth, where the Doctor once went with Rose, and they discover the slowest motorway ever. They meet an old friend in the Face of Bo and Novice Hame, from a former episode. The Doctor and Martha must end the traffic jam, and the Face of Bo tells him the Great Secret. The Cast and Performances
David Tennant is brilliant as the Doctor. I know some people who feel he has run his course and it is time for a change, and just when I think his role needs a little kickstart, up comes something special. His acting here is brilliant, and the comedy he brings to the role is essential in making Doctor Who what it is. Freema Agyeman fits perfectly as a Doctor's companion. She gives solid performances in these first three episodes, and is commanding on the screen. There are some good cameo performances from some well known actors in these three episodes, as well as some outstanding performances from relative unknowns. Reggie Yates, the CBBC presenter, makes an appearance as Martha's brother, and Ardal O'Hanlon gives a strange but effective turn as Brannigan in Gridlock. Ex-Hollyoaks star Andree Bernard is good in The Shakespeare Code as Dolly Bailey. The remainder of the cast do very well.
My Opinion While these episodes are good, and the acting outstanding, there is nothing special here. The series starts off slowly, and I understand that this is necessary to bring Martha Jones in as a character to be the next Doctor's companion. Each episode does have elements of excitement and I am not trying to say that these are not good, but they pale into insignificance in comparison to some of the ensuing episodes and those at the end of the second series.
The writing is very good in The Shakespeare Code, with humour being used especially in conversations between the Doctor and Shakespeare, and the first episode, Smith & Jones, is also well written, but I wasn't that impressed with Gridlock. This episode was saved by the inclusion of the Face of Bo and his sinister message, and this made me eager to watch the rest of the series in anticipation of what was to come, and it struck me that these episodes are serving merely as preludes to a bigger picture, a tale hidden beneath the surface. If this is the case, then I think we're in for a treat. The DVD contains no extras, and this is consistent with previous series, with the producers preferring to wait for the complete series DVD before adding any extras.
Overall, I give this four stars. There is nothing special, but there is something boiling beneath the surface and the acting is outstanding. Also posted on dooyoo by me, writing under the same name.
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![Doctor Who - Series 3 Vol.1 [2007] [DVD] [2005]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78053119.jpg)
14.03.2009 02:10
My daughter has the series so I will have to get around to borrowing it so I can catch up - lyn x