The Satan Pit

So, um, "The Satan Pit," then.

Well, it wasn't exactly the ultimate battle of Good v. Evil that one would think would come from "The Lonely God" facing off against "The Darkness." Matter of fact, when you get down to it, most of The Beast's dialogue seemed to be a lot of bluster. I mean, come on, he had to disembody his mind in order to make any sort of impact, as his physical form was very securely chained up in a very deep pit, set against a very large trap that, when sprung, would have thrown the entire planet into the black hole. Which kinda begs the question why that civilization didn't just do that in the first place but, you know, whatever works.

And Rose. Ah, poor, possibly doomed Rose. Yeah, it figures that just as I was getting ready to write this, about the Beast's portent that Rose would "die in battle," I see the news item on BBC and Outpost Gallifrey that Billie Piper is, in fact, leaving at the end of the season. So, er, yeah, in some form or fashion the Beast will be right. Whether or not she dies is now the question, as to her leaving is now, seemingly, answered. And wasn't it nice of BBC to keep that under wraps for most of the season? I mean, they couldn't help but scream to the world that Christopher Eccleston was leaving after "Rose" aired, and thereby blowing the shock surprise of THAT season finale, but HEY, we gotta keep BILLIE'S DEPARTURE under wraps as long as possible! Oh, whoops, guess we've kinda blown that finale too! Thanks, Auntie Beeb. No, really.

The Doctor, meanwhile, doesn't discuss his faith and beliefs. Much. Yes, we KNOW his faith is with his companion(s), we've known that since reciting their names repelled a legion of haemovores when a crucifix with no faith behind its bearer wouldn't, back in "Curse of Fenric." Honestly, the idea that I've seen from some fans that suddenly "Rose is a goddess figure" is... bah. Not even worth getting into. He's always believed in his companions. And as for his stuttering last message...well. Back to "School Reunion," then, where he couldn't admit anything to Sarah Jane either. Just can't quite seem to get the words out, can he?

But you know, other than yet another gratuitous Torchwood riff, this episode was pretty damn enjoyable. The scenes in the ducts with demonomaniacal Ood chasing Rose and the crew had a very nice claustrophobic feel that added to the DOOM(ed) atmosphere of the story. I mean, we "knew" that the Doctor and Rose would come out OK, but there were certain moments where you had to wonder, even briefly... Overall, Matt Jones has, well, improved quite a bit since his New Adventures about a decade ago, and I think this season especially has benefitted from it. There's hope for this thing to be turned around yet.

And hey, look at that! Not a Sutekh to be found!