End of season 3 is a belter!
 Mar 15th, 2009
Advantages:
Great storylines in a 3 parter
Disadvantages:
Disappointing ending
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
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About me:
Okay, so now I want to move to Canada!!!
Member since:07.11.2005
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Review rated by 28 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
This final installment of series 3 of Doctor Who does something we haven't seen before: it gives us a 3 part episode. This having been said, it is also the end of season finale, and as such it is going to be hard to review this disc without giving some of the plot away. So, if you are planning on watching this, be warned I may give away a little. It's necessary, I'm afraid. Up until now in the third series, we have seen a mix of episodes in terms of quality. The first disc set the scene with Martha Jones as the Doctor's new companion, and was then followed by four mediochre episodes on the second disc, including the obligatory Dalek double episode. The third disc contained another effective double episode and then possibly the best of the series, Blink, involving some pretty technical time travel confusion. Now, the fourth disc takes the 3rd series on a new level as a triple episode introduces us to some new characters.
The Episodes This will essentially be a plot summary of the whole triple episode as my opinions will be after this synopsis. The first episode of the three is Utopia, with the Doctor and Martha being transported forward in time by the Tardis to the end of the universe, the year something trillion, something unimaginable to us. Upon landing, they find they have a stowaway - Captain Jack Harkness of Torchwood, who has been searching for the Doctor ever since they
parted company way back at the end of Series 1, when Christopher Eccleston was still the Doctor. Jack pauses briefly to flirt with Martha and a security guard before they come across Dr YANA and his assistant ChanTho, who are attempting to ready a ship for launch to transport all human survivors to a homing beacon in far outer space. As the episode draws to a close, it appears that all is not as it seems with YANA, and a terrible secret is revealed by Martha as the Doctor races back to them.
The second episode is entitled The Sound of Drums, and it is where we meet The Master properly. Here is where some spoilers may happen for those of you not wishing for any surprises at all to be revealed. As The Master regenerates himself into a younger form, he takes control of the Tardis and disappears. The Doctor, Martha and Captain Jack follow him back through Jack's mended teleporter and they find themselves mysteriously back in the present, where Harold Saxon is on the verge of being appointed Prime Minister of Britain. The trio of heroes find that only they stand between Saxon and the control of the entire planet. The third episode is aptly named The Last of the Time Lords. The Doctor is trapped, and it appears only the missing Martha Jones holds the key to stop the Master from taking over the planet and releasing it to a new race. As the events of the past few episodes all begin to come together, Martha's travels prove vital to the survival of the human race.
My Opinion As far as end of season cliffhangers and brilliant storylines go, this season of Doctor Who has nailed it. Sure, there are elements within the storyline that I cringed at and some that are just plain unnecessary, and the ending is slightly disappointing, but they have upped it a notch again from the previous series when the Doctor and Rose parted company. By now, the Doctor and Martha are firmly established in the series, and with a double episode and the Daleks taken care of for another season, they concentrate on a brilliant three parter that surprisingly does not drag. Utopia sets the scene in very clever fashion. On first impressions, and indeed until the final few minutes or so, we are led to believe that this is a stand alone episode without any follow-ons. Then, BANG! The revelation comes. I won;t spoil it for you, but like I have already mentioned, the review of the following episodes gives bits away that are necessary for the analysis. The man responsible for the recreation of Doctor Who, Russell T Davies, takes up the pen for the writing of the final three episodes, and he enlists the considerable acting talents of some fine Brit actors, such as Derek Jacobi as Professor YANA, and John Simm as the Master. Jacobi is positively mercurial, and although Simm is brilliant in places, he is over the top even for a Doctor Who villain.
David Tennant gives some of his best work in Utopia, while in the other two episodes he is almost lacklustre in performance, although there is a reason for this. Freema Agyeman seems to take on a more responsible role in the last two episodes, and does very well. The pick of the rest is John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness. The Torchwood leader adds zest to thbe proceedings, and his undeniably camp and over the top (in a good way) performance just makes you smile and cringe at the same time. The actor is perfect in the role. Hats off! The remainder of the cast in all epsiodes do well. In terms of plotlines, these episodes do well in making the viewer think. Quite often, a series such as this will have episodes where you don't have to do much thinking or remembering. Indeed, there have been a few in this season, such as The Shakespeare Code. Utopia follows on where Blink left off, but is dormant in that it appears just an averagely good episode until the amazing ending, which is intense beyond belief. The Sound of Drums is okay, but kind of a plot filler for the final episode, which is excellent in all areas bar the ending. It is a shame that Davies felt to end the season on such a note. Yes, it is positive, and naturally, as David Tennant has done another series, we know the Doctor manages to get through it, but at the same time the way in which this happens is more sickly than anything else. Bigging up the power of the human race and its courage seems to be a bit of a theme with the Doctor Who. Nice enough if you need a bit of a lift, but detracts from the entertainment value somewhat.
Overall, this is a fine set of episodes. The concept is marvellous, and a couple of times I sat up in my chair with an exclamation of surprise (which I hope I haven't taken away from you in any way!). I'm going to give this a 4 star rating. It would be a 5 but for a couple of disappointing moments and a below par ending. Even so, I was fervently looking forward to the fourth season. Apparently, according to my wife (my font of Doctor Who knowledge in case you hadn't noticed), it's better than the other three combined! As with all Doctor Who semi-series DVD releases, this one doesn't actually contain extras. These are all saved for when the complete season DVD set come out, in a bid to entice avid Doctor Who fans back in to spend more money.
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by (4%):
16.03.2009 13:54
Not much of a sci-fi fan but great review man, E
16.03.2009 11:54
Am not a Dr Who fan, but a great review!
16.03.2009 00:44
I am going to have to get hold of the series and start watching it - lyn x