Bad Wolf

В‘WhoВ’s afraid of the big bad wolf?В’ IВ’ll admit that I was afraid of В‘Bad WolfВ’, because I thought that the ingredients for this episode, Big Brother, The Weakest Link, celebrity cameos Daleks, and the potential revelation of who or what Bad Wolf is, would, if not handled brilliantly, result in a mess. Indeed as Russell T. Davies had been arguably the only writer on the 2005 series to fail to deliver a classic episode, I really did not think he could pull off what was needed to make this work. Thankfully my fears were groundless and what was broadcast was a very strong and exciting 45 minutes of television, which had me totally hooked from start to finish.

The opening of the episode is well structured. The three main cast members materialise in different locations from T.V. land with no idea of how they got there, which is in some ways reminiscent of the Mind Robber Part Two. There seems little danger to their situation however, until slowly the apparently deadly nature of the games they are playing is revealed, and they have to try to escape. This leads on the shockingly brilliant twist that Rose does not escape and is seen to be killed. IВ’ll admit for a few minutes I really believed Rose was dead, and the publicity over Billie PiperВ’s role in series two had been a rouse, not least because of the obvious successor to her introduced moments earlier in a clever piece of writing by Davies. LyndaВ’s following the Doctor against her male friendВ’s advice on the promise of adventure is of course a nice parallel with Rose leaveing with the Doctor against MickeyВ’s wishes at the end of В‘RoseВ’. Of course RoseВ’s В‘deathВ’ turns to be a bluff, but nonetheless her seemingly being atomised was a truly shocking moment. Her reappearance on the alien spaceship was also pleasing not least because of the familiar humming sound effect that told long time Doctor Who fans exactly whose spaceship this was.

Yes the Daleks are definitely back, and Joe Ahearne reiterates this by cleverly echoing their first appearance at the end of В‘The Daleks/MutantsВ’ part one. The spirit of the 1960s is also invoked with the scenes of hundreds of Daleks and Dalek ships, which look like modern updates of images from the epic Dalek saga from the pages of TV21. This is a treat for fans and older viewers, but these scenes will also surely impress new viewers, for they are visual spectacles. I suspect these moments will prove to be seen as as iconic in forty years time as the sixties ones of the Daleks on Westminster Bridge and the Cybermen emerging from the Tomb are seen as today. All credit to the special effects team for pulling this off. They deserve a BAFTA!

The other great thing about this episode is the Doctor. We see him as the flawed hero, as his actions in the В‘Long GameВ’ were well intended but have caused this nightmare he is now in. We also see him as vulnerable. He is totally distraught when Rose seems to be dead, and for once really looks like he is beaten. Then there is his speech to the Daleks and Rose at the end. No, heВ’s not going to give up and surrender, heВ’ll save Rose, fight the Daleks and he will win. This reminds us what the Doctor is all about and almost serves as a manifesto for the series. Eccleston is brilliant in all these scenes, being totally convincing whether the Doctor is devastated (at Roses loss), bored, e.g. at the time of the first eviction, or angry, e.g when he confronts the Floor five hundred personnel. Most of all, his Doctor comes across as a determined crusader who wants to help his friends and the people he meets like Lynda. ItВ’s sad the Ninth Doctor will soon be no more.

Aside from the Doctor the other characters were also engaging. Unlike in В‘Boom Town!В’, Jack was seen to fill a useful role as someone who can work with the Doctor close to his own level. Rose fills the more traditional role in this story of the companion in peril, but Billie Piper gives her usual excellent performance, particularly during the В‘Weakest LinkВ’ when she realises with horror what elimination from the game means. Indeed this is perhaps the most successful of the game segments, with the terrified women contestant begging to be given another chance, the scheming Roderick, who only cares about his own survival, and the Ann-DroidВ’s ruthless dispatching of its victims. Lynda from the Big Brother house is also an interesting character, who would make a good companion, which as I said helps makes Rose death so believable.

This is part one of a two part story and RTD does not ever forget this, and keeps plenty in reserve for part two. We still do not entirely know who/what Bad Wolf is other than that they are connected to the Daleks. Nor do we learn much more about the Time War and the DoctorВ’s role in it. Also how will/can the Doctor save Rose and defeat the Daleks? New questions are also raised. How did the Daleks survive the War? What happened to the other game players, if they were not killed? Why are the Daleks interested in earth? This episode also fits brilliantly into the series as a whole. It explains the relevance of the В‘Long GameВ’sВ’ title and ties up it lose plot ends. It also has some nice flashbacks to key bad wolf references. (One minor continuity nitpick: Rose did not see Bad Wolf One landing in Dalek so she should not remember it here.)

There were a few other flaws. I felt that the В‘100 years laterВ’ caption spoiled what could have come as a surprise to the viewer- namely that the games are being played on satellite 5- which could have easily been revealed when the Doctor realises it himself later in the episode. Moreover why does everyone in 200,100 dress like its 2005? Also I wonder if the cultural references will make this episode seem dated in a few years. Nonetheless this is easily Russell T. Davies best piece of writing for the series so far, and sets up what promises to be an excellent finale.