Another Dalek invasion? Of Earth?! ThatВ’s IT?!

LetВ’s just get stuck right in. IВ’m sort of a lapsed Doctor Who fan, and so I wasnВ’t much affected by the pre-emptive new series excitementВ… It was pretty inevitable to me that itВ’d be probably be bad, and if not, well, great, but I wasnВ’t going to get my hopes up. IВ’ve watched all of the episodes up to now and died a little inside, but not quite felt incited to actually SAY anything about it В– someone else (even if itВ’s just one little voice in the background) has been there to mirror my thoughts about how substandard the music/direction/scripts/В…acting, etc etc has been. Then I watched В‘Bad Wolf,В’ and, really, I just wanted to cryВ…

ItВ’s SHOCKING.

By which I mean, fucking awful.

Just to be clear, I donВ’t just hate this series because I feel I should, or because I decided to. Like I say, much as I absolutely adore Doctor Who, it hasnВ’t particularly been part of my everyday life for a few years, so I came to the new series pretty much unbiased. And, for the most part, it didnВ’t provoke a particularly strong reaction in me either way. В‘RoseВ’ and В‘The End of the WorldВ’В… crap, lightweight, blah blahВ… the non-RTD oneВ’s are so much better, heВ’s too flippant, too much juvenile humour/sexuality etc etcВ… But I could deal with it. I have an abiding love for the character of the Doctor and the central concepts of the series that I thought, ehh, much as it might be shite that thereВ’s 12-year-old-level В‘sexual tensionВ’ in the TARDIS, I can weather it. If anything, the worst elements of this series have made me rediscover my absolute love for what is now В‘the classic series,В’ and also for the Virgin/BBC books. So at least thereВ’s one upside.

Maybe the books are the problem though. Having first encountered Doctor Who through a few mid-nineties repeats, it wasnВ’t until I discovered the New Adventures that I found В‘myВ’ Doctor Who, and realized how completely special and unique and beautiful and wonderful it is. (Or: can be.) And probably because of that, IВ’ve never particularly viewed the program as В‘justВ’ a kidsВ’ show. IВ’ve always kind of watched it knowing that thereВ’s so much else going on, thanks to the depths of the novels. Which isnВ’t to say IВ’m a revisionist NA-nut. OrВ…whatever. But I like my Doctor Who to work on a few more levels than your average episode of fucking Balamory. Which is, letВ’s be honest, pretty much the level weВ’re operating on with this series. I hate when people seem to have this attitude that when Doctor Who tries to do something a bit more than В‘aliens invade, aliens repelledВ’ itВ’s sort of В‘getting above its stationВ’. That certainly seems to be the attitude in this series. WHY does it have to be В‘a kidsВ’ seriesВ’?! Or, why, if youВ’re trying to attract kids/a family audience, why does that mean there can be no intelligence whatsoever? Why does ever single little thing have to be spoon-fed?! В‘His Dark Materials,В’ for example, appeals to kids and adult. В‘His Dark Materials,В’ is also, you know В– good. The ideas, the scale, the characterization, lack of fart-jokesВ… I hate that even Doctor Who, this time around, has succumbed to dumbing down, to spoon-feeding itВ’s audience, desperately trying to keep the attention of the lumpen proles itВ’s apparently targeting, and sell loads of tacky merchandise.

Why the hell isnВ’t Doctor Who allowed to be, wellВ… GOOD. To be В‘a quality productionВ’. With intelligence, maybe a bit of flair in the direction department (heaven forbid!), less flashy-but-crap special effects (okay, okay, I know В– judge it in terms of a TV series, not by comparison to a film, but...youВ’re going to, arenВ’t you, really, and so - they look shit. And, oh yes, theyВ’d look shit even if you didnВ’t compare it to a film). The thing is, who cares? None of the Doctor Who stories considered to be classics are thought of as such because of the effects, for GodВ’s sake! I donВ’t give a crap about effects. Then or now! Surely if weВ’re fans of *Doctor Who* we shouldnВ’t care in the slightest about special effects. Who else is going to be more aware that they DONВ’T MATTER В– surely if we DID give a crap, we WOULDNВ’T BE DOCTOR WHO FANS.

These are the reasons I loathed В‘Bad WolfВ’. But more specifically: IВ’m not hugely keen on the Ninth Doctor/Rose, etc, but, at the same time, when theyВ’re treated as actual characters (В‘The Empty Child,В’ even В‘DalekВ’), then В– fine. But RTD doesnВ’t do that. They В– and everyone else В– become these empty ciphers. (Especially Mickey and Jackie. I know this isnВ’t exactly new ground, but В– seeing as everyone seems to be warming to them as the series has progressed (what? WHAT?!) В– I just would like to say that in every one of their appearances I would STILL like to bludgeon them to death with an iron stick. SorryВ… I digress.)

В‘Bad WolfВ’. Oh, fuck it, I hate to resort to a list, but: the sets from В‘The Long GameВ’ are STILL sub-В‘Paradise TowersВ’ SHIT. The androids are somehow no better than those from В‘The Greatest Show in the GalaxyВ’. The pathetic, excruciatingly slow way in which the laser (whatever) comes out of the Anne DroidВ’s mouth is so crude itВ’sВ… excruciating. The DaleksВ’ ship set looks like theyВ’re about to start playing Quasar. Oh, and that hysterical end-of-В‘More Than 30 Years in the TARDISВ’-style shot at the end, with all the poorly computer generated flying Daleks hovering for NO REASON. PlusВ… oh yes. В‘Big BrotherВ’. Et al. I canВ’t even be bothered to muster the vitriol I feel about that whole aspectВ…. В‘Ooh, itВ’s so quirky, itВ’s like Land of Fiction shitВ…В’ NO - itВ’s lazy and shallow and embarrassing (В‘Whoa, weВ’re so postmodern!В’ / В‘WeВ’ve got the voices of a few fatuous presenters no-one even likes!! Result!В’). Why does no-one ever EVER give any thought to how dated the thingВ’ll look in a few years, which В– considering the shelf-life of existing Doctor Who В– is something of an oversight.

Plus, Captain Jack pulling a gun out of his arse В– oh, ha ha, how funny (itВ’s not exactly В‘Fenric,В’ is it?).

I know maybe this all sounds a bit flippant, or willfully negative, or whatever В– but thatВ’s just because I probably couldnВ’t even begin to express how unutterably depressing I found this story В– the epitome of everything thatВ’s been bad about the whole WINO series (Who In Name Only В– has anyone else used that? Ooh IВ’ve still got itВ…). I love love LOVE Doctor Who, I really do. It saddens me to see it so pathetically dumbed down. Which isnВ’t to say, of course, that it hasnВ’t been pretty В‘lightВ’ before. But at those points where it as strayed towards that territory, thereВ’s been no pretence at making it anything other than light family fun. And thatВ’s fine, thereВ’s a dignity there. At least, if thatВ’s the way youВ’ve decided to approach it, then thereВ’s consistency there. But RTD tries to have his cake and eat it. Not only is the feel of the series as a whole wildly inconsistent, but within his own stories, heВ’s tried to В‘doВ’ funny/postmodern/В‘lightВ’, but at the same time set up this В‘huge,В’ supposedly В‘epicВ’ plot, whichВ…oh hang on, simply involves the same two words being unceremoniously crow-barred into the scripts (oh, yeah В– could not BELIEVE it when we got a flashback of each and every referenceВ… IВ’d thought earlier, Oh, ha, ha, imagine if they sunk that lowВ…! Then, they do, and take away any of the effectiveness those references might otherwise have had.). At first, I actually quite liked the Bad Wolf references В– the fact that it was allowed to remain enigmatic, not cop-out early on was pretty effective, butВ…thatВ’d only remain true if they actually built up to something suitably big and epic and awe-inspiring over the course of the later stories. Okay, we have one more episode left, but В– thatВ’s my point; rather than trying to wring all the revelatory impact from the VERY LAST episode, couldnВ’t the concept have been fully explored and built up over at least the last couple of stories, not continue to be relegated to increasingly unsubtle (and obligatory) throwaway references?!

JESUS CHRIST. ItВ’s all so grim. And then people lap it up. OkayВ… if you like it, fine - but I canВ’t help wonder how much of a TV Movie situation this is going to develop into; everyone loved that at first (because it was new!), but then realized how shoddy it was! It ticks me off that WINO is so cynically aimed at the widest possible audienceВ… The choices theyВ’ve made in terms of their В‘visionВ’ for the series seems so spineless В– everythingВ’s so simple, so black and white (even when they tried to introduce a little ambiguity in В‘Boom Town!,В’ they ended up copping out with the, В‘Oh, she was evil after all, how convenientВ’ ending). It strikes me as taking the easy way out; why canВ’t there be a bit more darkness, more В‘horror,В’ if you will, to highlight the DoctorВ’s moral standpoint? Which can still work with humour В– just not the patented RTD wannabe-witticisms; something a bit drier, maybe. If onlyВ…

Okay, perhaps this is just because I canВ’t share well, but I donВ’t give a crap about wider audiences being able to enjoy the joy that is (should be) Doctor Who! If В‘a wider audienceВ’ didnВ’t appreciate В‘Ghost Light,В’ or whatever then В– their loss! I know, to a certain extent, the series has got to be able to support itself with ratings etc, but, to be quite honest, are you *that* desperate that you take vapid, intellectually devoid wide-audience-compatible Doctor Who over no Doctor Who at all? Personally, give me Doctor Who with some depth, or just axe the bastard thing.

Before I begin, I'd like to thank each and every reviewer who mentioned "Daleks" in their review of Boomtown for spoiling a major part of this episode for me. I purposefully avoided watching the trailer because I was told it contained a major spoiler, only to have that spoiler revealed for me in the reviews. I guess I should have known better than to read a review with the potential to contain a spoiler I was purposely trying not to see, and the blame should also be placed squarely on the Beeb for their shoddy trailer-making in the first place, but I'm still very disappointed that the seminal, climactic surprise of the entire season of Doctor Who was spoiled for me by people who weren't careful enough in how they wrote their reviews. I wish I could have seen this episode without knowing what was coming.

Yes, I put spoilers in this review, but I only spoil the episode itself, not the trailers for the next episode; people are mature enough to choose whether or not to read a review before they see the episode in question, and they know going in that any review is going to spoil something. But it's also their choice whether or not to watch the trailers, and I don't think they should be spoiled for an episode they haven't even had the chance to see yet.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest: "Bad Wolf" is an exercise in how, if you get enough stuff right, the audience will blithely ignore everything else. Never mind the many, many, many points on which this episode strains suspension of disbelief; it's so witty and clever and suspenseful that we shove our disbelief into that elevator, wave goodbye, and send it to floor 500.

Let me just hit the highlights of the things that could have sunk this episode if they hadn't done everything exactly right:

Drivel. After watching В“Boom TownВ” and thinking nothing could be worse, along came В“Bad WolfВ”. Having sat through В“The Web PlanetВ”, В“Horns Of NimonВ” and В“Delta And The BannermenВ”, В“Bad WolfВ” ranks up there as one of the most embarrassing episodes in the seriesВ’ history. Where can one start to explain just how embarrassing this pretence at cleverness is?

The first point that people seem to hold is that Bad Wolf is a satire. I am pretty gob-smacked by the amount of people who have hailed this episode as, to quote one site, В“a brilliant satire on modern reality-TV and game showsВ”. Which is rather funny when one considers the meaning of the word satire: В“a literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit.В” And while thereВ’s plenty of derision coming from EcclestonВ’s Doctor (as usual, for example, the В“whole human race reduced to mindless sheepВ” line, repeated from В“The Long GameВ”, although one wonders why since reality-TV doesnВ’t imply that people are mindless sheep, just that they have very bad taste), the only irony here is that Bad Wolf contains all other aspects applicable to what most people would call a satire. Compared to В“The Sun MakersВ”, it has the subtlety of a bull in a china shop; compared to the genuine moral messages in В“Vengeance On VarosВ”, it is filled with irrelevant platitudes; and compared to В“The Happiness PatrolВ”, it lacks both creativity and feeling. This is an episode that displays more sophistry than sophistication. That RTD has used popular contemporary game shows (and hosts) rather than invent his own, which could either mirror the content of said game shows or reflect similar themes, is sheer laziness. ItВ’s not clever, itВ’s not trying to poke fun or be witty, itВ’s just a cheap ratings-grabber completely lacking in originality. What more do you need to justify this claim than the fact that 200,000 years in the future (exactly as in В“The Long GameВ”) everyone is wearing 20th century clothes! Even when they were just jumpsuits with exotic symbols drawn on them or spikey foam attached, Doctor Who costumes have always tried to be different, no matter how ludicrous some of the outcomes. That people in the far-flung 4th Great And Bountiful Human Empire wear the same clothes we do, act the same way we do, watch the same shows we do, is not reflective of a genius writer but an uninspiring hack. And this doesnВ’t bother anyone?

(And again on creativity: why have all the stories in the season been set in London, Cardiff or a space station? When the series first began in В’63, the travellers ended up on an alien planet in the second story! And here we have gone one whole season without. I guess whatВ’s really worse, is not just that all the stories have been set in these rather dull locations, but that В“The Long GameВ” and В“Bad WolfВ” are actually set in the same location!)

The second point is on death. Now from what I can see, the only point of introducing Lynda was as a Rose substitute so that after RoseВ’s apparent death, viewers would assume she had really died and that Lynda would now be taking her place on board the TARDIS. (ItВ’s not for nothing that the two characters are almost identical.) Is this a clever ploy to fool the audience into believing that Rose is dead? Perhaps, and if it is, it is quite clever. Unfortunately, like many similar moments in the new series thus far, the illusion is completely let down when Rose is revealed to be safe and well about ten minutes later! At least when we thought Peri died in В“Trial Of A Time LordВ”, we didnВ’t find out she was still alive until several episodes later.

The whole issue of using the death of main characters in drama to create tension, pathos or some such reaction from the audience, is only useful when the character really dies or at least is dead for an extended period of time, long enough for the audience to become accustomed to the fact. We have already had one Slitheen come back from the dead, weВ’ve had the entire cast of В“The Empty Child/The Doctor DancesВ”, weВ’ve had RoseВ’s dad (who came back from the dead twice!), now we have Rose, and in В“The Parting Of WaysВ” it will be Captain Jack. And then thereВ’s the Daleks. ItВ’s great to see them back and they do look superb but itВ’s annoying that here we have a species who were extinct bar one but six episodes ago. And now theyВ’ve returned in force through a less-than-dramatic loophole only to be completely exterminated again as a species in the next episode! Arrrggghhh! What is the point of killing and reviving characters so frequently??? We know the Daleks will be back in a season or two anyway, so why make grand claims to have destroyed them completely?

Point three: the Bad Wolf arc. Now this is something laughably ridiculous. Lots of people have commented how Super Rose, having been able to send messages back in time and space, sent such obscure and unhelpful ones. Very few people have commented, though, that the messages Rose did send to herself were actually rarely seen or heard by her! The references in The End Of The World, Dalek, The Long Game, FatherВ’s Day (give or take), and The Doctor Dances, would probably not have been noticed by Rose, either occurring when she was not present, being so small as to go unnoticed or else being in a foreign language! Once again we have what has become typical of the new series: a pretence at cleverness, and only that. There is nothing clever at all about the Bad Wolf arc. Even the revelation of what Bad Wolf is is unsatisfying and sloppy. Many of the theories fans have come up with are far superior than the one RTD has, which begs the question why he is penning so many episodes. Yes, people will get down on their knees and worship RTD for bringing back Doctor Who, but when it all comes down to it, a review is a review, not a homage. I am glad that the new series is back and while some of it is really good, with some cracking stories, a lot of it is a pale imitation of Doctor Who of old.

And the last point, although there are many more I could make and IВ’m sure others will make one day when everyoneВ’s stopped worshipping RTD, is regarding characters. For me, one of the greatest disappointments of the new series is the lack of hero-figures it contains. When I watched Doctor Who as a kid, the Doctor and his companions were always people you could look up to, to emulate in life and try to make a better world. This new series has very few such characters.

The Doctor seems more incompetent than effective, unable to resolve any issues himself and makes blunder after blunder. After presenting the Doctor throughout this season as a killer, we see him in В“Bad WolfВ” realising that his past actions have created the world in which he now is. Strangely, however, he only dwells on this very important point for a minute, as opposed to the half-hour of pedestrian philosophy and padding for a plot we had in the previous episode, В“Boom TownВ”. The way the Doctor has been shown in this new series, one has to wonder why he even bothers to do anything at all, since he canВ’t seem to get anything right and tends to make things a lot worse. The idea was already raised in В“Trial Of A Time LordВ” and rightly resolved as being mostly irrelevant since not only are the DoctorВ’s intentions good but also in the utilitarian balance of things, he tends to do far more good than evil. So why bother to raise the point again В– and not just raise it, but leave it unresolved?

Then thereВ’s the DoctorВ’s line about В“wiping every last Dalek out of the skyВ” (which is technically wrong, since space isnВ’t sky). While I donВ’t have a problem with this intense machismo, which seems to be a very strong trait with EcclestonВ’s Doctor, it is, as usual, the machismo of a eunuch. Regardless of the DoctorВ’s boasts, it will be Rose/Bad Wolf who destroys the Daleks in the final episode of the season, leaving the Doctor doing bugger all. Again this reflects the trend of the entire season: a Doctor who is supposed to be a hero but rarely seems to have the answers to anything and finds himself in situations where he relies on others to do things for him (characters or props, viz. the overuse of the sonic screwdriver В– you can see why JNT decided to get rid of it!). The 9th Doctor is so useless that he might as well give Rose control of the TARDIS and retire. And when the Doctor even confesses to loving В“Bear With MeВ”, IВ’m sure we have to agree that it adds no small amount of В“greatnessВ” to his character.

So thatВ’s the star of the show, although more of a red dwarf than a neutron star. What about the rest of the characters? Captain JackВ’s main motivation in the show seems to be trying to sleep with everything he comes across or else making constant sexual passes and innuendos, to the point where every conversation involving his character is one. Although he adds some needed humour and action to the show, IВ’m sure most parents would love their children to display that certain quality of sexual perversity inherent in Captain Jack. His character is yet another example of how low the show has sunk. A critic of the new series has rightly pointed out that sexual (overtly homosexual) references may have some place in Doctor Who provided that they complement the context and themes in the story. However the gutter innuendo RTD seems to enjoy injecting into the series is pointless, probably just there for cheap jokes and to seem В“contemporaryВ”, and completely irrelevant to both plot and context. That the Doctor should spend even a line of dialogue in a 45-minute show trying appeal to Captain Jack or telling him (when the latter tries to pick up one of the station controllers in this episode) that В“thereВ’s a time and placeВ” for that sort of thing, is abysmal and would have William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee rolling in their graves. RTD doesnВ’t seem to understand himself that В“thereВ’s a time and placeВ” for that kind of muck, and the time and place certainly isnВ’t contemporary Doctor Who. I guess thatВ’s what happens when one person on a programme has so much power he can sanction his own ideas, being both producer and main script-writer. He might be a great soap writer, but RTD sure has a hell of a lot to learn about writing either science-fiction or Doctor Who.

Rose is the only character that is in the slightest way admirable in the new series, even if she is incredibly stupid at times (and this is В“incrediblyВ” for a Doctor Who companion). And while all these characters may be entertaining В– IВ’ll admit, theyВ’re not boring in the slightest В– the level of morality they exhibit leaves more than a lot to be desired.

Ultimately Bad Wolf is an episode in a series that is generally pretending to be clever and creative, but really canВ’t be bothered trying or else doesnВ’t have the talent to do so. (2/10)

Being a proverbial hater of surprises, I'd read all the spoilers I could regarding this episode. Which is pretty gosh-darned easy when you're a Canadian since we get the stories transmitted to us two weeks after their shown in England. I'd even read the reviews on this page to get some answers I was looking for and was actually disappointed to see how some fans of the series are, once again, being pointless "nigglers" who seem impossible to satisfy. With the diverse reactions I was reading, I once more felt like I did back in the eighties when I was subscribed to three or four fanzines. It seemed to be impossible to get a clear idea on the effectiveness of these stories since there were just such radically different opinions being expressed about them. I knew that, once again, it was all going to boil down to me watching the story and just judging for myself. And, if anything, forgetting the opionions I'd read already on these stories was the smartest thing I could do. Lots of points being made about them were extremely uneducated, at best, anyway!

So, I turned on my T.V. Tuesday night (again, things are a bit different over here in Canada - "Who night" is Tuesday for us) and powered up the VCR so I could add to my old VHS collection and waited for 8PM to roll around. I knew, already, what was going to happen in most of this episode. Which I realised might hamper my enjoyment of it (especially the "where did you get that gun?" joke with Captain Jack). But I accepted that as a consequence for my inability to resist internet spoilers!

Was I, even with all the surprises spoilt, still happy with what I saw?

Very much so.

I'm not so big of a "Russell T. Davies basher" as some of you folks are (funny how he's already being referred to as "RTD" just like poor old "JNT" of the old days). I thought "Rose" was the best way to start the series - "End of the World" was decent - the whole business with the Slitheen was his weakest offering but it was still some good storytelling overall and "The Long Game" ranks up there for me as being as excellent as the offerings the guest-authors have given us. But "The Parting of Ways", in my opinion, beats anything we've seen this season in terms of storyline and style. It's Doctor Who at its best. Not just because we've got classic villains in the mix but you've got a neat "T.V. gone bad" concept going on and an overall plot moving at breakneck speed too - something other two-parters of this season haven't managed so well.

Right from the start, as we get the dizzying rotating overhead shot of the Doctor stuck in the tiny closet, we can see this plot is barely going to slow down to let us catch our breath. Each member of the crew is thrown into peril and forced to deal with it in their own way. And, as some of them succeed at extracting themselves, we get embroiled in yet deeper plots. More problems on Sattelite Five and the deeper issue of "Bad Wolf" being brought to the forefront but still not quite revealed. I'm actually impressed with how the titles of some of Russell's stories don't quite make sense til later in the season - we see now, just how "long of a game" the problems of Sattelite Five really are. I was even a bit reminded of the old "Invasion of Time" story. How we get a bigger nastier alien race using a lesser villain to set things up for them until they can truly move in and "make the kill" they want to make. Great plot-building on "RTD"'s part and I don't think anyone with an inkling of appreciation of good writing can deny that. His ability to give us a "semi-umbrella-themed" season is masterful. I do hope he doesn't always handle his seasons this way. I would like Who stories to be a bit more independent of each other in later seasons. But this was a good move in the first season.

Now, to me, the final 10 to 15 minutes of this story is some of the strongest "Who" I've seen in the history of the series (a term that is probably getting overused already, I'm sure) but before I extoll on that, there are a few more elements I want to discuss. The rescue of Rose (or rather, the failed rescue of Rose) was extremely well-achieved - even though I knew already that she wasn't dead. The whole sequence gave us a bit of that "old series" feel where the Doctor always had to get the poor female companion out of danger cause she couldn't do it herself. But this time, we don't get the annoying "Doctor, help me!" screams. Rose is doing her best to get out of this problem on her own - and she almost manages it. She just doesn't have the technical advantages the Doctor or Jack have with sonic screwdrivers or guns-up-the-butt so she has to try to beat the game at its own rules. Which is, sadly, an impossibility. And, again, even though I know she's fine - I loved what they did with the Doctor staring at her pile of ashes. The whole operatic choir and background noise drowning out was very moody and effective.

The other really good point of this story is Captain Jack. I've completely fallen in love with the character now (even though I'm straight!) and, as I think I mentionned in another of my long-winded reviews, he can almost merit his own spin-off series. He's both played and written with just the right amount of style. And his ability to remain pretty well "non-plussed" about anything is great fun. As is his flirting! One almost wonders if they'll ever truly bother to explore the memory loss issue. They don't really need to if they don't want to. He's doing just fine as a valid member of the TARDIS crew that is just getting on with the adventure rather than dwelling on past pains. Like the whole "Nyssa never bothering to get revenge on the Master" bit that was done in the old series.

And then, finally, we reach the climax of the story. The Doctor finding out who is truly at the end of "The Long Game". Unless you closed your eyes and plugged your ears at the "next week" sequence during the ending credits of "Boom Town", you know already who it is. Just as you knew the Doctor was going to walk in and see a Dalek in the containment tank during "Dalek". But the anticipation of the revelation is still something to be savoured. And the "teaser" moments were classic. Rose slightly emulating Barbara in the "Dead Planet" as the eyestalk follows her after she regains consciounsess - the Controller laughing as she gets killed. It all just looked so great. And set up the moment we're all really waiting for: how's the Doctor going to handle things when he finds out it's the Daleks?

And how he handles it is one of the few surprises I hadn't read about yet. Which made the moment all the more poignant. First, the whole look on the Doctor's face as the communication channel is opened is yet another testament to Eccleston's performance. This is the Doctor really getting ready for a good scrap. He's facing another Dalek army and he knows he's gotta look mean!

But then, when he says "No" to the Dalek ultimatum - you almost think that obcession that was taking him over in "Dalek" is at work again. That, in order to defeat the menace, he's willing to throw aside his care for Rose. But when he twists it all around with the rest of his speech, it brought out in me all those "shivers" I'd got when I watched the old series as a boy. The Doctor telling off the bad guys were always my favourite moments in the show. And this is one of the best tell-offs the series has done since a similiar sequence in "Remembrance of the Daleks" where Doctor #7 took down Davros over a communication channel. It's bravado at its best, really. The Doctor has nothing in his favour to defeat the greatest evil race in the universe. And still, he's not scared. He's going to do it and he's not even worried about dieing in the effort. He knows he can beat the Daleks. He's done it before. And the fact that the Daleks actually brush Rose aside to accelerate their stratagem shows that they know he means business. That when the Doctor says he's going to win - he's to be taken seriously. Regardless of the circumstances.

I loved the feel of that moment. There's a big nasty fight just around the corner and the Doctor's not afraid of it. Fantastic stuff that's exhilarating to watch even if you're not that teenaged boy anymore!

As I write this, it's still one more day before I get to watch "Parting of Ways". Again, I've read all the spoilers and know how it will resolve. But again, this matters little. I have still spent most of my week dieing to see this final episode of the season. And that is because the penultimate episode was so well-achieved that I can't wait for the "bang" this story will finish off with.

Yes, there are a few flaws to "Bad Wolf" (ie: the "Bad Wolf" flashback sequence bordered on American T.V. cheesiness) but they pale so much in comparison to the strengths of this episode that I can almost ignore them entirely. With stories like these, I feel the wait for a new series was more than worth it. This is what season finales are supposed to be all about....

WHAT AN EPISODE! I wasnВ’t surprised as PREVIOUSLY flashed across the screen as highlights from В“The Long GameВ” В– the episode IВ’ve enjoyed the least В– played. From various sources IВ’d heard this episode would be set in the year 200,000 so it was just a matter of 200,000 + 200,000 = В“Long GameВ” sequel. However, although I didnВ’t care much for В“The Long GameВ” it did raise some unanswered questions about the human race being held back, questions that needed to be answered.

So the Doctor awakes in the “Big Brother” house, authentic in every way right down to the theme tune. His housemates looked just like the type of wannabe-famous nobodies today’s version of the show dredges up. It really was exceptionally well done. As the Doctor slumps himself down in the Diary Room, Davina McCall’s voice says “…you are live on channel 4400. Please do not swear…” the Doctor just says “…you have got to be kidding!” and I think he spoke for the entire audience. Doctor Who in Big Brother? That would never work! Well it did, and here’s how.

As the DoctorВ’s memories gradually return, we are introduced to Lynda (with a В‘yВ’) who if we didnВ’t know better weВ’d say the Doctor was developing a romantic В‘thingВ’ for. He even called her В“sweet,В” though that was likely just to cheer her up. I found it a clever plot device introducing her character, setting her up as a potential companion, especially considering what happens later in the episode. It certainly keeps us guessing. As the Doctor remembers being В“beamedВ” out of the TARDIS, I like his reference that they had just escaped from Kyoto, Japan. ItВ’s good to know that the TARDIS crew have had adventures other than those we see on TV, at least from a continuity point of view. With only thirteen Eccleston episodes, over time, as with the 8th Doctor, his story needs to be continued in novels and maybe even audio dramas one day. After В“The Parting of the WaysВ” I for one will be delving into the new BBC novels for my weekly Who-fix! EcclestonВ’s performance in this episode is right up there with В“DalekВ” in my opinion. The intensity he brings to the point is amazing as he realises itВ’s not just В‘a gameВ’; the look in his eyes as he speaks to the camera; В“IВ’m getting out. IВ’m gonna find my friends. Then IВ’m gonna find YOU.В”

After the credits Rose wakes up in “The Weakest Link.” She encounters Roderick, who for a while I thought might be an ally to her. He explained about how people are brought from the Earth via Transmat and forced to play in these game shows. Like the Doctor in the Big Brother house, the music, the presenter, the set, the lighting; everything was perfect. If the production team where going to do this, they had to get it right. After her initial disorientation arriving, Rose has a great time laughing away to herself, totally unaware of the danger that she is in. The Annedroid is brilliantly realised, complete with Anne Robinson’s voice (and manner!). The Annedroid grilling Rose is a wonderful scene – “…so you’re unemployed but you can still afford peroxide?” Fantastic! Fitch’s apparent death scene when she is voted off is made all the more grizzly by Rose’s apathy. “That’s the game,” Rose says as Fitch is panicking.

Her apparent death at the hands of the Annedroid is quite disturbing В– itВ’s just В“You are the Weakest Link. Goodbye,В” then disintegration! As the smoke clears we just hear В“Adverts. Back in three minutes,В” which made it very eerie indeed. This kind of horror is just business as usual for the people of the year 200,100. In another clever plot device, the contestant Rob tries to do a runner only to be disintegrated by the Annedroid, thwarting RoseВ’s ideas of escape, leaving her stuck in the game, playing for her life!

In a somewhat cheaper and less elaborate setting, Captain Jack wakes up in В“What Not To Wear.В” We are treated to a horribly gratuitous В“defabricationВ” which leaves him standing naked, but somehow it still works as it doesnВ’t phase Jack one bit. In fact, heВ’s loving it. В“YouВ’re viewing figures just went up!В” He even has a cheeky grope of Zu-ZanaВ’s breasts! For me, though, the scariest part of the episode was when a naked Jack was faced with the marauding Trine-e and Zu-Zana droids. В“Face offВ…. I think heВ’d look good with a dogВ’s headВ… or no head at all! That would be outrageous! How about putting his legs in the middle of his chest?В” That really is chilling stuff, far scarier than even the Annedroid. JackВ’s solution, though, was as comical as the droids were scary, as he pulled a В‘compact laser deluxeВ’ from out of his ass and blew them to pieces. It made me laugh watching В“ConfidentialВ” to learn that the BBC made the producers removed the scenes of his naked bottom!

As Crosbie is evicted from the Big Brother house, like Rose’s attitude towards Fitch being voted off, the Doctor is nonchalant. His speech about getting out and making a fortune was hilarious and very true, the bit about “make a fitness video and she’ll be laughing” was particularly funny. Suddenly, though, the Doctor sits bolt upright and he’s paying attention as he sees Crosbie disintegrated before his eyes. Lynda’s “…she’s been evicted… from life” line encapsulates the horror wonderfully. The Doctor cleverly reasoned that whoever brought him into the house would have killed him already if they wanted him dead, so he damages the cameras with his sonic screwdriver in order to get evicted.

Then we come to it. В“Bad Wolf.В” From itВ’s very title we expected something more from this episode, something extra on top of all the action, drama and laughs that weВ’ve become accustomed to. The Broff character (the Gamestation employee) was a very good way of building up the intrigue as he himself was an employee of Gamestation, and even he saw that something was going on. His character talks of В“storiesВ” and В“rumours that go back decades.В” More importantly, he speaks about something being hidden underneath the GamestationВ’s programme transmissions. By the time we meet the visually impressive controller, we have far more questions than answers.

Yes, В‘Bad WolfВ’ is the name of the corporation running Gamestation, as we find out from Roderick. The other shoe drops and Rose finally puts it all together. For the benefit of the casual viewer, who bar the explicit reference in В“Boom TownВ” probably never noticed any of the В‘Bad WolfВ’ references, we are treated to RoseВ’s memories of most of the times she encountered those two words while travelling with the Doctor (though how she remembered Van StattenВ’s helicopter saying В“Bad Wolf One descendingВ” when she wasnВ’t there is puzzling. I knowВ… IВ’m pedantic!) Rose realises that she has been brought onto Gamestation for a reason, though her time is running out as she goes one on one with Roderick in the final round of В“The Weakest Link!В”

The Doctor is at his best as he is evicted from the house, and as of course he isnВ’t В‘disintegratedВ’ he breaks out with ease, taking his flirtatious new young lady friend with him. I noted that he promised he would get her out alive. I donВ’t know why, and I hope it isnВ’t so because I quite like Lynda, but I have this horrible feeling she is going to die in В“The Parting of the Ways.В” Some of her banter with the Doctor is some of the best weВ’ve seen in the seriesВ… В“I moisturiseВ…В”, В“Bear with me,В” et al. and I loved the line about the Doctor not paying for his TV Licence. В“You can get executed for that!В” a shocked Lynda informs him. The penalties havenВ’t got that much worse then 198,000 years on! В“Let В‘em try!В” the Doctor boasts, inviting LyndaВ’s В“Who are you then Doctor?В” line of questioning, leading to the inevitable В“I could come with youВ… I wouldnВ’t get in the wayВ…В” and the DoctorВ’s В“I wouldnВ’t mind if you did.В” For a casual viewer, bombarded with press headlines about Billie Piper allegedly quitting the show, this looks just like the introduction of a new female companion, perhaps even love interest for our favourite Timelord.

Finally realising that he is on Satellite 5, the Doctor boasts about defeating the Jagrafess 100 years earlier; В“Nothing serious. Easy,В” he claims. As Lynda looks out at the Earth for the first time (third time for us in the same setВ… ) Eccleston gives one of his customary 9th Doctor speeches; В“The Human Race. Brainless SheepВ…В” until he realises his big mistake. Yes, he saved Earth from the Jagrafess. He В“put things rightВ…В” and then he left, and thinking back it was one of the hastiest departures at the end of an episode this series. After he left, Lynda tells us of the 100 years of hell that ensued after all the news channels shut down. The governments and the economy froze, and there was nothing left. Everything was set for В‘Bad WolfВ’ to move in with itВ’s distinctive brand of snuff TV. В“I made this worldВ…В” says a sombre Doctor. When the Doctor and Lynda find Jack, Jack of course flirts with Lynda, to the DoctorВ’s obvious jealously. The Doctor, having seen the В“Bad WolfВ” corporationВ’s logo and realised that someone has manipulated his В“entire (9th?) lifeВ” is angry at everything, tipping over computers and shouting about stupid systems. Although we know that В‘Bad WolfВ’ is the Corporation running the Gamestation, IВ’m sure there is more to it. The clues, for one, are yet to be explainedВ…

В“The Weakest LinkВ” final is an unbelievably tense affair as we know from the off Rose knows nothing of relevance in the year 200,000 other than 1 or 2 lucky guesses and itВ’s just a matter of time before she is disintegrated. But the Doctor always saves the day, and we have the Doctor, Jack and Lynda rushing up to В“The Weakest LinkВ” stage В– the Doctor staring intently at the numbers of the floors the lift passes. Inevitably Rose loses the game, and although Jack, the Doctor and Lynda burst in seemingly in the nick of time, this time they are too late. The Annedroid apparently kills Rose; the Doctor and his two surviving friends arrested by Gamestation security В– an absolute masterstroke by Russell T. Davies. On the one hand, we have newspaper rumours about Billie Piper leaving the show, and on the other we have a potential new companion appearing in the form of Lynda, and RoseВ’s apparent death. I almost believed she was gone myself for a moment! Moreover, we get to explore the effectВ’s RoseВ’s demise would have on the Doctor without actually having her killed. The moment when he was arrested said it all В– EcclestonВ’s eyes. The Doctor just wasnВ’t there. He had totally lost the plot. In his interrogation there were no jokes, no witty responses, no talking at all. His mug shots carried the same blank expression В– the engine appeared to be running, but with no one at the wheel.

After being sentenced to the Lunar Penal Colony (a nice in-joke as the Doctor was sent there in “Frontier in Space,” a story which unravelled clues about a Dalek army the Doctor would go after in the next story, “Planet of the Daleks”) Jack and the Doctor have a brilliant moment where they just say “Let’s do it.” The Doctor is so angry, so distraught and grief-stricken he even violently rams the guard into the wall. Pertwee’s Venusian Karate aside, the Doctor has never, ever been a violent man. To see him like this, totally gone over the edge was both painful and a wonder to watch, especially bearing in mind Eccleston’s mercurial performance. Armed to the teeth, the trio head for Floor 500, just in time for the ‘solar flares’ we’ve heard the Controller panicking about throughout the episode. For a moment, huge alien weapon in hand, the Doctor looks at the Controller in the same way he looked at the Dalek in “Dalek.” Finally, his true self triumphs as he amusingly throws his gun to Broff, then begins to question him! Broff’s face is a classic as he looks at the Doctor, bemused. “…But I have your gun???”

Broff soon reveals his В‘logВ’ of suspicious going on to the Doctor and Jack. Jack finds the TARDIS, which works out that Rose isnВ’t in fact dead, sheВ’s just been transmattedВ… somewhere. At this point the Doctor appears to be infused with life and optimismВ… he gets his В‘mojoВ’ back!

As the solar flares knock out the transmissions, we hear the voice of the true Controller. Her cryptic message, all the more creepy as itВ’s coming from her pasty white eerie face, tells us about her masters В“hidden in the dark spaceВ… watchingВ… shaping the Earth for so so many yearsВ….В” who В“fear the Doctor.В” Even if the surprise had not been totally spoiled by last weekВ’s trailer, who else could it be?

Rose wakes up on board a stunningly designed Dalek saucer. Not only was the interior beautifully created, it had that wonderful retro / organic / Flash Gordon look that has worked so well in the series. The director teases us with a view through the DalekВ’s eyepiece as it stalks Rose, then as the Controller is transmatted onto the Dalek ship for her disobedience and subsequently exterminated, we are teased that little bit more as we see the slightly blurred reflections of several Daleks on the saucerВ’s interior wall. The ControllerВ’s dying cry В“I have brought your destructionВ…В” served as a wonderful lead into the cliff-hanger.

Whilst Jack turns his attentions to flirting with Broff, the Doctor speaks of the В‘Long GameВ’ the Daleks have played in controlling the human race. At the time of episode 7, I thought the title В“The Long GameВ” was a total misnomer В– it seemed to bear no relation to the episode at all. Even now, having seen В“Bad Wolf,В” I think В“The Long GameВ” would be a far better title for this episode, especially as it contains not only the three game shows, but the explanation of what this В‘Long GameВ’ actually is! Moreover, despite itВ’s title, В“Bad WolfВ” does not explain who or what is responsible for these references painted all over the universe, so calling this episode В“Bad WolfВ” is nearly as silly as calling В“The Long GameВ” В“The Long Game.В” Not that it really matters or ought. What does matter is that the Daleks have been using the transmissions from Gamestation to hide 200 Dalek ships В– nearly half a million Daleks! The reveal of the saucers is nothing short of epic; the music, the saucers themselves, the camera movementВ… absolutely stunning. WeВ’ve never seen a Dalek army like this, and from the teasers and trailers for В“The Parting of the WaysВ…В” well. ItВ’s going to be immense! WeВ’ve seen the odd Dalek saucer here, a Dalek army in deep-freeze there, but never, ever half a million Daleks floating through space, ready for full-scale war!

Finally the Dalek menace is revealed to the audience. В“WE ARE DETECTED!В” In typical cheesy sci-fi serial style, the Daleks reveal their entire plan to the Doctor, then ask him not to intervene, using the age-old hostage bluff. What does the Doctor say? В“No.В”

I was as confused as the Daleks were! В“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS NEGATIVE?В” And then we got itВ… if ever a speech has encapsulated who the Doctor is, or what the show is about, then this it. Say what you like about Russell T. Davies, the man is a genius and his work on this show has been nothing short of phenomenal. This speech must have flowed from his pen sat in his Cardiff flat, a huge 9th Doctor like grin on his faceВ…

В“IВ’m gonna save Rose Tyler from the middle of the Dalek fleet, and then IВ’m gonna save the Earth, and then, just to finish off, IВ’m gonna wipe every stinking Dalek out of the sky!В”

В“BUT YOU HAVE NO WEAPONS! NO DEFENCES! NO PLANВ”

В“And doesnВ’t that scare the hell out of you!!!!В”

Russell T. Davies must have written that then leaned back on his chair with a huge grin on his face. Then he must have thought, В“how in the blue hell is he gonna do all that????В” and I cannot wait to see how!!!

The beginning of this episode started well. It left questions. Who had put them there? Why? How do they get out of it? As for the answering of questions (given that it's a two parter and so far unanswered questions are accounted for) I was quite impressed that there were no plot holes the size of Ben Nevis present.

It did seem at first, that Cap'n Jack's Trinny and Susannah bit was just a time/space filler (and also to give him something to do) but then again, the first half of the episode was run on a bit of a comedic ground. But, in true Whovian style, the tragedy came plummeting to Earth like an asteroid.

*slight spoiler for those who've not seen the episode*

When we all thought Rose had died, my reaction was the same as the Doctors. Silence. Shock. Horror. Disbelief. And utter joy when we found out that she was alive.

But trust the writers to throw us yet again by showing all those Daleks. My heart was going a mile a minute and it's pretty needless to say I cannot wait until the next episode.

I just hope 'Jayne with a Y' doesn't become the Doctor's new companion! She's insufferable! (could be a love interest for the Ninth Doc whilst he lasts though!)