Doctor Who - Series 2 Vol.4 (DVD)

...DVD release for this years Doctor Who offerings sees a story that caused a small public outcry, a stark warning of the future for Rose, and an episode that divided the fans and has generated more complaints than any other.

The Doctor first met Rose in 2005, during an Auton (aliens disguised as shop mannequins) invasion Rose decided to join the Doctor on his adventures. The Doctor is a time traveller with a mystery. Together they have ...
...On a random landing the Doctor and Rose arrive on a research station on an unknown planet, no sooner have they arrived and both are being attacked or seemingly attacked by a race of creatures known as the Ood. After a slight differing of opinion it transpires that the Ood are a peaceful race and that they merely wanted to offer the Doctor and Rose refreshments.

Our time travelling duo have landed on a research station inhabited by ... more

The Penultimate DVD release for this years Doctor Who offerings sees a story that caused a small public outcry, a stark warning of the future for Rose, and an episode that divided the fans and has generated more complaints than any other.

The Doctor first met Rose in 2005, during an Auton (aliens disguised as shop mannequins) invasion Rose decided to join the Doctor on his adventures. The Doctor is a time traveller with a mystery. Together they have travelled through time and space battling the deadliest of foes.

The Impossible Planet

On a random landing the Doctor and Rose arrive on a research station on an unknown planet, no sooner have they arrived and both are being attacked or seemingly attacked by a race of creatures known as the Ood. After a slight differing of opinion it transpires that the Ood are a peaceful race and that they merely wanted to offer the Doctor and Rose refreshments.

Our time travelling duo have landed on a research station inhabited by eight Earth scientists caught in a vacuum on the edge of a black hole, but no sooner have they arrived and things have started to go wrong. The Tardis (the time machine they travel in) is lost, the Ood start behaving strangely and one member of the research station starts behaving very oddly.

The Satan Pit

In the second part of a two part story The Doctor and Ida Scott (scientist) travel down a giant hole that the research station crew have been digging for some time. When they arrive at the bottom they discover the remnants of an old and probably extinct race. After a sort of earthquake occurs on the planets surface the way back is cut off so the Doctor is forced to continue further in the pit than he intended. What he meets in the pit is something he never expected too.

Back in the research station Rose and the rest of the crew have to try to escape an angry army of Ood, who have seemingly been possesses by the Devil. One member of the crew has a very secret agenda that is only revealed when they believe they are all safe. And in a final showdown Rose is told that she will die in a fierce battle.

Cast For The impossible Planet & The Satan Pit

David Tennant (The Doctor), Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), Danny Webb (Mr. Jefferson), Shaun Parkes (Zachary Cross Flane), Claire Rushbrook (Ida Scott), Will Thorp (Toby Zed), Ronny Jhutti (Danny Barlock), MyAnna Buring (Scooti Manista), Paul Kasey (The Ood), Gabriel Woolf (The Voice of the Beast), Silas Carson (The Voice of the Ood)

Love & Monsters

An unusual episode which is told in flashbacks by Elton Pope. On numerous occasions Elton has encountered the Doctor, from as far back as when he was a small child. An obsession with the Doctor forces the companionship of five people; all of whom have had some sort of encounter with the Doctor. Together they meet once a week to discuss their thoughts.

As time goes by the group known to each other as LINDA have given up there quest for the Doctor and focussed on other interests cooking, reading and a love of music. That is until they receive an unexpected visitor in the form of Victor. Victor knows all about the Doctor and encourages the group to engage in one final push to locate him.

As things turn nasty Elton must decide whether he should pursue the Doctor, or whether he should be focussing more on his love life.

Cast

David Tennant (The Doctor), Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), Camille Coudouri (Jackie), Marc Warren (Elton Pope), Peter Kay (Victor Kennedy), Bella Emberg (Mrs Croot), Shirley Henderson (Ursula)

The first two stories caused a considerable stir, as the main idea behind them was that the Devil existed on a far away planet and that he could possess others to do his bidding. Complaints flooded in to the BBC stating that discussion of the Devil was not good Saturday early evening entertainment. In reality the story is possibly one of the most scary of all Doctor Who stories.

The Impossible Planet was certainly the stronger of the two parter, with a nice steady build up to something quite awful. When the Ood are taken over by "the devil" its really quite sad because after some discussion you find that not only do the Ood love peace; but they love to serve, to be slaves, without this they would cease to exist.

The character of Toby is the first to be effected by this extra ordinary invasion, and he is particularly menacing I can imagine to younger viewers. His make up although initially looks rather cheap, comes to be accepted. But it's his eyes that will create the more lasting impression for the viewer.

Structure wise the story is very strong; my only criticism is that the second part of the story is much "flatter" and one dimensional than the first. It's almost as if we have had a massive build up for nothing.

The third episode on the disc is the more offensive one; to the fans anyway. From a time basis making 14 episodes (13 series and one Christmas special) in an 8 month period is a terrific challenge. And with two very big two part stories in this second series time ran very short. In order to take the opportunity of this Russell T. Davies producer and writer for the series created Love and Monsters. This experimental piece actually only featured Rose and The Doctor for about five minutes. This was done to get the all important 13th episode out, but to experiment with the ethos of Doctor Who. More importantly to see who the Doctor Who legend carries without the Doctor.

The reason for wondering about the Doctors absence from the series was pivotal in the development of a spin off series called Torchwood. Torchwood will cross into Doctor Who territory on occasion but be a more adult version o Doctor Who with the absence of the Doctor. The star of Torchwood will be a character called Captain Jack Harkness.

Back on track, for me the story really worked, I think it pulled off a unique stunt. In not only experimenting with the formula but it also focused on the areas that are often forgotten. This episode had quite a lot of depth in it, and would be a nice episode to draw a non Doctor Who fan into the series. It looks at how Jackie (mother of Rose) copes with without Rose around. It focuses on her need for companionship. Then it looks at the effect the Doctor's presence on Earth changes the lives of those left behind. In this case the group LINDA are all people badly scarred by the Doctors appearance and subsequent disappearance.

The addition of Peter Kay, although a bit wasted is an opportunity to suck fans of the comedian into the Doctor Who world. And the make up they install him in needs to be seen to be believed.

This is one of the better releases from the second series that has a bit of terror, romance, comedy and science fiction brilliance.

Doctor Who Series 2 Volume 4 has no special features, though it does have a subtitle option. The DVD will be released on 7/08/06 for £13.99.

What next?

In the final volume of Doctor Who due to be released mid August a terrifying creature is abducting children during the 2012 Olympics. A ghost known as Dirty Den moves into an East End pub in a borough of London known as Walford vowing never to leave it, Landlady Peggy Watts has other plans. Daytime television chat show Host holds a special I married a Dead Man show. While families are pleased to see the return of loved dead ones in form of ghost's only one man can save them a long overlooked psychic called Derek Acorah. As the Cybermen invade the Earth with the assistance of a certain "exterminating" life force Captain Jack returns. And the Doctor must decide what is more important the human race, or someone he loves in a tearful jaw dropping finale.
 

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