Army of Ghosts

Wow.....just wow.........

Not every episode can be hands down kick ass Doctor and enemy action, and as a matter of fact neither was this episode. This, however, IS Doctor Who. There have been a couple of episodes this season that just didn't seem to click. Love and Monsters was one of them. I know what they were trying to do, and kudos to them for going out on a limb and trying something different (which almost no show does anymore), but it just didn't work for me. The point is, when I was a kid growing up and watching this show, an episode like Army of Ghosts would have not only cemented me as a Doctor Who fan for life (oops too late) but pulled in anyone around me who even remotely enjoyed science fiction.

To start off, I am really....really sad that Rose is leaving the show. Sounds pretty much like she will die but whether she dies or not, this episode truly shows how great a team they are. As her mother says in the show, she has changed so much since the first episode of this new Doctor Who. Essentially she's the same girl who took the rope off the wall and saved the Doctor from the Autons but she is so much more confident and has simply grown as a human being. I disagree with Jackie though that she is turning into someone other than Rose Tyler just by spending time with the Doctor. Sure she isn't as much of a child but most parents would be happy to watch their children grow up into someone responsible and mature. So she cares more about the human race as a whole then working at a shop and eating fish and chips...this is a bad thing?

It is cool that Torchwood knows the Doctor, that they greet him the way they do and the dialogue is excellent.

"Wait, everything alien is yours...does that mean I'm a prisoner?"
"Of course, but we will make you comfortable...."

One of the admittedly nitpicky problems with the episode is how easy it is for the Cybermen to infiltrate Torchwood. I sure hope Captain Jack is able to help them turn into an operation that is prepared for that sort of thing. Which leads me into problem #2... would it have been so impossible to include Captain Jack in these last two episodes?! He was only the absolute best companion ever to appear in Doctor Who--so good he gets his own show for pete's sake. Besides an embarassing K9 and Company pilot, what other companion has gotten the kind of response that a new show is built for them? It simply would have been very cool for him to be there to see Rose off, and to show how he ties in with this mostly inept little group that was created to stop "the alien horde". Maybe he'll appear next week, but I'm not holding my breath.

Once again it's the alternate reality Cybermen which is not as cool as the ones that would actually know the Doctor and what kind of a threat he is but still...pretty cool. I am sad to say that the sudden appearance of ghosts around the world would actually cause us to destroy ourselves but in this episode I can suspend my disbelief enough to actually really enjoy this episode. Seeing Mickey was cool too. I'm not English so I'm not privy to any rumors or news but any chance he will be a companion? I know they were looking at some woman I never heard of but Mickey could be cool too. I couldn't stand his character at first but talk about growing up! He went from a cowering off and on boyfriend of Rose to a freedom fighter against Cybermen!

Overall, I got goosebumps watching this episode. Funny episodes are good, I don't mind space filler when there is good character development and acting in it but THIS is why I love this show. It has bits of humor to be sure but from the time the Doctor sees these ghosts he is on the ball trying to discover what they really are. When he sees the void ship he knows how wrong it is and when he is told that it does not belong to the Cybermen, his shocked reaction is so perfectly done, it makes me even happier David Tennant is such a perfect Doctor.

Other favorite scenes are when Rose tries to use the psychic paper and is caught because all Torchwood employees have psychic training and they can tell the paper is blank. Also how Torchwood has found all the alien tech that has crash landed on Earth for years and how they are using it to create a new British Empire. Also, the Doctor giving in, pulling up a chair and waiting for the inevitable "ghost shift". It freaks out the head of Torchwood so much she actually stops the shift!

Of course it would have been nice to have a different villain from the past emerge from the void ship but hey, I am not complaining. The thought of Daleks AND Cybermen on Earth, fighting each other AND us....wow!!!!

Last off I am very glad Rose's end will be on Earth. It was really the only way to do it. I'm sure it will be a sacrifice of some kind so as to alleviate any blame Jackie and Mickey would place on the Doctor, and it's the way her end needed to be. This was a near flawless presentation, and I really hope Doomsday will be a great send off for Rose and the Doctor (until next season that is...which starts WHEN?!).

Truthfully though with this kind of setup, I see no possible way it will be anything but...fantastic.