The Impossible Planet

Forget the fact it's on an actual alien world. Forget the Cthulhoid monsters in the Ood. No, what makes this episode all the more amazing is that it was written by Matt Jones, and it didn't make me want to claw my eyes out with a garden tool.

Yeah, I said it. Matt Jones' New Adventures (Bad Therapy and Beyond the Sun for those playing at home)? Overly snarky garbage with way too many fanfic agendas put into print. His TV work? Well, there I claim ignorance. But this? THIS was more like it. And of course I mean that in respect to the reason of Season 2 thus far -- only 3 episodes actually made me have a reaction one way or another. The rest so far have been, well, mediocre at best. Add a 4th now, because I enjoyed "The Impossible Planet" quite a bit, even if it did move a bit slower than I would have liked.

And yes, there were CORRIDORS, lots and lots of CORRIDORS, but it added to the claustrophobic, Alien/Outland/DOOM feel of the episode. And yes, finding Satan out in space is always going to bring comparisons to Event Horizon as well. But fuggit. Here it worked.

I LOVE THE OOD! Not just for their Cthulhu looks and matching Zoidberg demeanor. They were just...different. I liked the voice used for their translators. But what I found the most interesting about the Ood? Was the fact that the so-called "ethics" officer was the most denigrating, prejudicial, and xenophobic about the Ood.

And I also noticed how the majority of the crew on the planet were young hotties in the primes of their lives. How just like a slasher flick.

The Doctor and Rose pondering mortgages?! THE HELL?! It was a good moment tho, especially in the awkwardness of it all. I'm sure the shippers will be swooning over that bit. But I will note that the Doctor nailed it when he lost the TARDIS -- it really IS all he has left. Without it he's...what? No really, what?

And of course, cue the fanboy squees about the voice of Sutekh, Gabriel Woolf, being cast as the Beast. Sorry, but for some influence, I don't think there's any real link between this and "Pyramids of Mars." Woolf is merely performing a job of Voice Acting. There may have been fannish reasons to cast Woolf, but saying on that evidence that the Beast is Sutekh is likening Starscream to Cobra Commander just because they too shared voice actors.

Of course, "The Satan Pit" could prove me all sorts of wrong...