New Earth

I'm afraid I missed the teaser, which I understand had the goodbyes with Mickey, et al... But when the Doctor and Rose stepped out of the Tardis on to New Earth, I was pleasantly surprised that the landscape they emerged into really did look as good as the publicity stills which have already been published. I like the green circle as a future sign for hospitals, as a circle is a bit like a wedding ring, signifying continuity and life, something that never ends. I could almost smell the "apple grass" on which they lay in the sun, and then thought "Oh, Oh!" as one of Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen's pet spiders espied Rose's blond hair and scurried along closer, prompted by Cassandra herself, but controlled by her slightly unusual sidekick, "Chip" who, we eventually discover is a "forced bred clone" and "worships his mistress".

As the Doctor and Rose walked into the Hospital Reception area, it reminded me uncannily - and with all due respect to those who were there - of the inside of the World Trade Centre that we saw in the documentary 9/11, coming across with the same kind of impresion of size and space, and because this was Doctor Who, with a sense that something was going to happen; but what?

Then, came one of the great moments that in my opinion brought out one of the most wonderful "Rose Tyler" facial expressions when she saw one of the Nuns with her face uncovered, and exclaimed to the Doctor, "They're Cats!" The Cats/Nuns/Nurses by the way are absolutely beautiful, extremely well done, and completely convincing in the way they look, move, speak, the way they are attired, and it is only a shame that we couldn't have got to know them a little more; although I really loved the one who explained to the Doctor about the legend of the Face of Boe, that one day he will impart a great secret to a wanderer without a home. Didn't the Doctor's face look a picture? Then towards the end when the Face of Boe spoke to the Doctor, it looked for a moment that the secret might come out. But this is evidently still early in this story-thread, and the Face of Boe tells the Doctor that they will yet meet for "a third and last time", leaving us to wonder just what..? Hmmm...

However, there was more to come before all this, and as the Doctor was walking around the hospital coming across people with all sorts of ailments - of which he seems to have an almost routine knowledge - we begin to see what the newly regenerated Doctor is really like. Is it just me, or did he really seem like the Doctor we once saw in "Resurrection of the Daleks"? At one particular point, when the Doctor was asking about the petrifying ailment the big bloke - the Duke of Manhattan - was suffering from, I really thought that I was watching Peter Davison at his very best. But, no, this was David Tennant at his very best, or at least the very best I have seen him since "Casanova".

Now then! To Rose's "possession" by Cassandra... This was superb. This was done in a way that metaphorically "killed two birds with one stone" so to speak. As well as seeing a brilliantly executed characterisation of Cassandra inside Rose's body, with the consequent crossover of mannerisms, and the wonderful line, "I'm a chav!" we also got the opportunity to see just what else this wonderous actress Billie Piper is really capable of... And Billie, to quote straight from the Ninth Doctor, "You were fantastic, absolutely fantastic."

But we were treated to more yet; because in those scenes where Cassandra spirited herself from Rose, to the Doctor, back to Rose, and at one point to one of the pursuant diseased clones as well, we were witnesses to some truly wonderful acting by David Tennant. The Doctor's rage at Matron Catz on discovering the horrific nature and extent of their human clone "lab rats" infected with "every disease in the galaxy", telling her that there is no higher authority, that "It stops here with me," really emphasises his status as a Time Lord, indeed, as far as we know the Only Time Lord. Or is he? I guess that only RTD knows that. And his underlying "calm" when questioning the Matron as to what had happened to Rose was a deep telltale sign that the Doctor does indeed care very much about his beautiful young companion.

Cassandra herself? It was nice to see Zoe Wanamaker in the flesh so to speak. Those outside the UK may not know, but in Zoe Wanamaker we have one of those rare creatures, an actress who can do serious, and who can do comedy, indeed almost anything, and do it well. In short, Cassandra does Zoe Wanamaker great credit, and vice-versa. And she is good looking as well. I still have half a feeling that we haven't seen the last of Cassandra; and the scene where Chip, with Cassandra's "spirit" in him tells the "human" Cassandra that she is beautiful and then "dies" in her own arms was touching. The fact that the Doctor was willing to do that for Cassandra showed us his compassionate side too...

But not half as much as the scene in the lift, when the Doctor and Cassandra - still in Rose's body - empties all the sachets of different coloured medicines into the "disinfectant shower" and at great risk that it might not work, entices the despondent diseased human clones into the shower of who knows what? "PASS IT ON." Yes indeed.

The joy in the Doctors exclamations as the people, "a new sub-species" the Doctor calls them, were miraculously healed, put me in mind of the ninth Doctors joy at the mass healing of the "gas mask heads" in "The Doctor Dances". What's more it was done with great originality, without seeming to be a good idea merely repeated in a different location, which I suppose it was really.

My only criticism of this new story is that there was so much happening in forty-five minutes. This really could have been a two parter to my mind, which would have allowed us to explore a little more in terms of the "New Earth" that the Doctor and Rose were visiting, and also for some deeper character exploration which would have enhanced the story without seeming to pad anything out. I think it will take a little time to get used to tthe new Doctor, for as Rose said, he is "so different", but as Rose also said at Christmas time in the Sycorax spaceship, "good different".

I am guessing that David is sandbagging at present, and that he will put things into the role of the Doctor, at which we will yet marvel. Rose is brilliant. The Cats are beautiful, and I think - hope even - we will see them in the future. New Earth was great. So next it's off to 19th Century Scotland, Queen Victoria, and a werewolf. That I've just gotta see... Effort 9/10. Quality 10/10.