42

Sunday, 6 May 2007 - Reviewed by Peter Chapman

This, my friends, was a sad day for Doctor Who, the first truly dud episode of Series 3, only the second in the whole of the new series (the other being the mind-numbingly dull 'Fear Her' towards the end of Series 2, best not to get me started on that one).

Firstly, in defence of the episode, expectations were unfairly high, having followed by far the two weakest Dalek episodes in the new series and the rather one-dimensional Lazarus Experiment, and then a two-week break for Eurovision.

The episode certainly had its up sides, I for one think the premise was very interesting, a ship hurtling towards a sun in the far future, even if it has been done before, Doctor Who has a habit of improving on ideas, even when they are recycled from elsewhere. I also very much liked the idea that they could change their fate if only they could get to the cockpit, blocked not by the usual culprits like falling rubble, lack of atmosphere, or super-high temperatures, but by the simple fact that the doors would take too long to open, I thought this was a nice touch.

Also, visually the episode is breathtaking, being up there with The End Of The World and The Satan Pit. It did bear a striking similarity to the latter, both in terms of feel and story. The title was very neat, as was the idea of a real-time episode.

However, while comparing the episode to the aforementioned Satan Pit, let us consider the differences between the two. I should mention that, possibly excluding certain stories involving Daleks, The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit are my favourite episodes of the new series, and so 42 should have been right up my street, another one set in the future, with all in mortal peril and a mysterious force possessing members of the crew.

I found that 42 was rather like The Satan Pit with all the really good bits taken out. There was none of the Devil mythology stuff, which I thought really made the episode stand out. Instead there was some preposterous theory that 'the star is alive.' Ok, I'm sure Doctor Who could make that idea work, but there was never any time to explain it in the slightest, which I found very frustrating.

There was nothing like the fear factor of The Impossible Planet, and while there was a certain element of steadily growing tension, it couldn't touch the "He is awake" moments of the former, or the colossal crescendo of power as Lucifer broke free.

As for demonic possession of the crew, the bad guys in this were totally unoriginal, both in appearance and power (come on, I remember a certain member of the X-Men doing that in a cartoon when I was 5 years old). I will admit that "Burn with me!" was a rather cool catch phrase, but I doubt many would accuse it of originality. I urge you to contrast this with the immortal image of Toby, red-eyed and tattooed in ancient heiroglyphs, standing on the atmosphereless surface of a barren asteroid, a black hole behind him, his hand outstretched and slowly beckoning, a look of pure, ancient evil in his eyes (I think that moment is the best acting the series has seen to date, I would even go so far as to say best acting I've ever seen). Not only that, but they had the Ood as well, probably the most menacing-looking alien species of the new series. Alongside this, two men in Breen-like gas masks with visors can't quite compete.

As for the good guys, the crew of the spaceship in 42 were instantly forgettable, and had little or no backstories whatsoever. Quite why Martha liked one of them is utterly beyond me. Yes, female spaceship captain, gotta be the first time we've ever seen that... except Star Trek Voyager did that in 1995, and I didn't think it was a very big deal even back then. After all, this is sci-fi, we've had female leads since Alien first came out in 1979. Again, contrast this to Satan Pit, where the odd line here and there suggested a great wealth of backstories for the crew, many of which we heard about in detail, providing a much more believable human element for the story, and creating characters that were actually cared about when put in danger.

As for the structure of the story, at first it all seemed to be going well, they have to go through all the bulkhead doors, reach the cockpit, and turn on the engines, while there's someone trying to kill them off from within. Except all that went out the window when they decided to start launching escape pods, suddenly the previous plot appeared completely forgotten, leaving the Doctor to scream "I'll save you!" again and again, because clearly he had nothing better to do. That alone I could overlook, but since I'm being critical it seems a shame to leave basic storytelling out.

All that would have made a poor episode, but it is the gaping holes in science and logic that really tore the episode apart. Yes, I know that in the Satan Pit they're orbiting a black hole, a scientific impossibility, that's one of the things that made it so good though, a deep-seated feeling of being uncomfortable, if you know what I mean. This was solved by the presence of Satan, I don't think science can argue with that too much. However, 42 was just getting silly. The idea that you could get that close to the sun without melting, for one thing, is ridiculous. I don't even remember if they tried to explain this with 'shields,' but it seems unlikely that shields would be online when the engines weren't, no? The TARDIS being trapped in a really hot room, ok, I'll go along with that, that bit was possibly better handled than Satan Pit, where it miraculously turned up at the end. But the real problem was the escape pod scene. That escape pod had been falling towards the sun for quite a while, and then with a press of one button, it comes flying back to the mothership, courtesy of electromagnets. Que? Has it not occurred to them that it's falling towards a star, the biggest source of gravity in the whole solar system? So large, in fact, that the mothership is being pulled towards it at high speed? Yet, press the magic button, the escape pod comes flying back from nearly touching the surface of the star, without even a scratch. A friend of mine then pointed out that not only is a star a huge gravity signature, it's also a giant electromagnet in itself. I really feel the writers would have benefited from a half-decent grasp of at least GCSE physics, and common sense would have helped considerably as well. As for the escape pod recall button being on the outside of the ship, it's probably best to ignore that entirely.

And so, to recap:
Story premise - Not half bad, but not overly original.
Real-time storytelling - A nice idea, but didn't leave nearly enough time for explanations
Characters - Universally terrible
Bad guys - Also completely dire
Deeper 'drama' messages/thoughts - Unless a star really is alive, none whatsoever
Realism/Physics - Shockingly poor

I found the discovery that the episode was written by the main writer of Torchwood explained quite a lot, all of the episodes that the writer has been credited with have been terrible (not to keep going on about it, but how does 'End Of Days' in any way appeal to a Satan Pit fan? And this is supposed to be the 'more mature' series, Pingu would have been better at revisiting the Devil-from-the-dawn-of-time idea than Torchwood). As for 'Cyberwoman,' the makers of Conan The Barbarian could have managed a more subtle costume for the title character, and probably a better story too.

However, I leave you on a good note - this evening was the airing of Human Nature, a welcome return to form. And, on an even better note, it's not long now until we can quote the tagline of a certain pirate film that's rather big at the moment - Captain Jack's back!





FILTER: - Series 3/29 - Tenth Doctor - Television

42

Sunday, 6 May 2007 - Reviewed by Rob Stickler

Chris Chibnall has come in for a lot of flack since he scripted the absolute worst episode of Torchwood. The title Cyberwoman sends a shiver down many a spine even after all these months. It is difficult to defend the very nadir of what was at best a patchily successful series but it is worth remembering that much of what was wrong with Cyberwoman (the high heels; the flinching from barbecue sauce, deadly to Cyberwomen of course) were failures in the design or direction rather than faults in the script. Chibnall's other Torchwood scripts were good and his two Life on Mars episodes ranked among the best.

Where does all that leave 42, Chibnall's first crack at Doctor Who? Like some of the scripts mentioned above many of the elements of 42 are derived from other works; the setting strongly echoes last years Impossible Planet, there are similarities to The Planet of Evil, the realtime element of 24 (although Who previously borrowed that conceit with less fuss in The End of the World during series one), and yes it is possible to say that the elements of possession, sentient suns and spinning into the heart of a cosmological disaster have all been used before. However some excellent performances - especially from the stupendous Mr Tennant, and the supertight direction of Uber-Whooey Graham Harper mean that what you end up with is an edge of the seat thriller putting the Doctor at the greatest risk he has yet seen and laying grim portents for the series finale.

The plot device of the ship being sucked into the sun exists to fuel the real time concept - a tried and tested method of generating pace and tension which is resoundingly successful here.

In order to save the ship Martha and Riley must get from one side of the ship to the other. Unfortunately there are an awful lot of sealed doors in the way. Incidentally these doors are 'deadlock sealed' thus rendering the sonic screwdriver of limited use once again. It's good to see the production team take even little criticisms on board. To get through these seals you have to enter the right code but instead of numeric or maths problems the alarm codes rely on general knowledge. This leads to a great comic moment as the Doctor tries to remember who had more number ones pre-download out of the Beatles and Elvis. Mundane trivia becomes a matter of life and death in the race across the crippled ship.

Martha's conversations with her Mother take us back to the present day to further foreshadow the inevitable showdown between the Doctor and the mysterious Mr Saxon. As black suited cronies listen in on Martha's conversation we can once again reflect on how very well prepared Mr Saxon is for the Doctor's arrival.

Martha's mother continues to be a source of concern. The character seems to have a strange attitude towards parenting and you must wonder why she would agree to her phone being tapped. She has been convinced of the danger that the Doctor represents very easily and her behaviour is suspect. It's almost as if she had been hypnotised. Adjoa Andoh gives a much better performance in her brief scenes here than she did in The Lazarus Experiment.

Of the guest cast Anthony Flanagan gives us a very down-to-earth spaceman. The crew of the Pentallian are more similar to oil riggers or builders than space adventurers which shows us that even blasting through space in the future will seem mundane. Michelle Collins' performance as the Captain is satisfactory, if a little undynamic. William Ash as Riley is an engaging foil for Martha to bounce her emotional turmoil off, not to mention a little love interest for Martha.

David Tennant gives another extraordinary performance in 42. Something that Christopher Eccleston commented on about playing the Doctor was that it is difficult to play a character that doesn't change or grow. He is the same every week and can't really vary from that established character. I wonder what he would have made of the Doctor being frightened when possessed by the sun, or of what's to befall him in the next episode Human Nature, or his love affair with Madame De Pompadour, or the heartbreak of losing Rose. The point Eccleston was making is valid and yet the series seems to find many ways to challenge that static character of the Doctor. David Tennant's Doctor does change, he does develop and he definitely does suffer. In 42 he struggles terribly to control himself while under the influence of the Sun and there is little more frightening than seeing our hero scared.

This episode has buckets of pace and is visually stunning. The jeopardy that the Doctor finds himself in and the constant countdown to the ship crashing into the sun add to the urgency and gravity of the situation. The real standout moment comes as Martha's rings tap against the escape pod window as she drifts away through the vacuum of space and towards a toasty death in the sun.

In the final analysis it doesn't really matter if a story borrows elements from preceding episodes if it provides forty two minutes of exciting, colourful and emotional television like 42. Series three, having had a stronger opening than it's predecessors, suffered a little wobble with Evolution of the Daleks. As enjoyable as The Lazarus Experiment was it somehow wasn't enough to set things right. 42 does a much better job and with Paul Cornell's adaptation of his beautiful novel Human Nature next up and Captain Jack and Mr Saxon waiting just over the horizon series three may just end up being the best yet.





FILTER: - Series 3/29 - Tenth Doctor - Television

42

Sunday, 6 May 2007 - Reviewed by Will Valentino

Since 1963, Doctor Who has been a survivor because of one elemental strength. The series, it characters, and its premise has always embraced change rather than resist it. Change has enabled the series to continually regenerate itself over the years and has been it's elemental strength and protocol since its inception.

"42" by Chris Chibnall is on the surface a tightly written, suspense action thriller set against a backdrop of a burning sun and a spaceship that has 42 minutes to clear itself of its freefall, or burn up in its fireball. In the hands of the extremely capable Graeme Harper, this story comes to life and sparkles, each scene beautifully framed and plotted, every scene acted with believability on an Adult level. Harper has always directed DOCTOR WHO for its adult audience. He understands the art and employs it once again to the highest level a skilled director can give a television show. His resume speaks for itself and "42' can certainly be added to that curriculum vitae with all the pride of a well tooled and crafted work of art. The episode showcases one of the absolute best opening sequences in DOCTOR WHO history as the Doctor and Martha discover they have 42 minutes to save a spaceship from a freefall orbit into a burning fireball. The sight of the Doctor and Martha looking into the glare of a burning sun as the ship drifts by, closer every second to the sun is perhaps one of the most powerfully, and unexpected scenes ever realized in DOCTOR WHO. A harbinger of a great episode surely!

If "42' had been an episode in the first season of the newly realized DOCTOR WHO, I am certain it would have been a strong candidate for one of the best episodes of the season. The script does deliver a somewhat disappointing and predictable ending and is tied up in an unimaginative fashion with its explanation of the sun being a living entity. This is itself a retread of the ideas employed in 'Planet of Evil" and when you think about it, the episode probably has borrowed a lot from that famous Tom Baker serial which dealt with a Science ship scooping the heart out of a living planet and then is forced to return what it took, and to much better effect than a special effects laden "42" could ever have given us.

Having said this, in reference to the PLANET OF EVIL, I must say"42" suffers mostly because we have already seen this episode not ONCE as PLANET OF EVIL ... but actually TWICE, and as recently as last season with THE IMPOSSIBLE PLANET and THE SATAN PIT. Oh, its lost a character here or two in the translation, and is a more concise, lower budget treatment of its concepts, but the episode almost totally plagiarizes the concepts in these two episodes in a fast paced summarization that hardly attempts to disguise itself beyond changing the names to protect the innocent . While there is an understanding that drama and science fiction often have formulaic structures that are reused time and time again, ?the antagonist, and protagonist and the mandatory love interest, the planet, the evil alien, and so on, you rarely see it as obvious and transparent as "42" apparently is. Consider the claustrophobic spaceship, the infected crewmember, the evil baritone voice, and the spaceship falling into the sun, instead of a black hole. You have to wonder at what desperate level does a producer and his production teams decide to con its very loyal audience into accepting such a recycled unoriginal idea as entertaining? One thing that Russell T Davies must understand is that there are only 13 or 14 episodes produced yearly that must satisfy fans of this series; why not give the fans originality and quality throughout? The hardcore fan is certainly going to see the masquerade and even the casual viewer may say, " now wait a minute " and then dismiss it, but may never return again as a viewer after being duped so imperiously. This is something that would concern me if I were Mr. Davies, probably biting his nails because the workload of having to oversee the all these Doctor Who spin offs, as well as the original series is so great. Last season, there seemed to be a better quality of script and story, more attention to details of story and characters. This year it is obvious the rubber band continues to stretch and test the quality levels of the series, and I think it really is beginning to show and split apart at the seams. Again, you have to wonder how the Production executives could not have seen this, unless of course that team has reached a level of desperation or frustration or exhaustion.

This season had begun if not brilliantly, then certainly with a spark of promise and who could not help fall in love with Martha Jones and Freema's sparkling portrayal of her, of course, except for the Doctor who at season's start is still struggling with Rose's loss. In past reviews I expressed some concern about certain parallels between the relationship of the Doctor and Martha and Rose. The Doctor takes Martha to all the same places he did Rose, but Martha calls him on it, and its still okay. Once again we were introduced to the loving and dysfunctional soap opera family of Martha, and you can still step back and say, "Ok". Finally, Martha's mother is concerned for her safety and in "Lazarus Experiment" slaps the Doctor in the face, and finally, in "42" we are reintroduced to the Universal Roaming feature on Martha's cell phone and now we are one kiss away from the total transformation of Martha into Rose. Just One Kiss, and maybe a blonde wig away from total repetition.

This is so disappointing because the new series helmed by Russell T. Davies has been always imaginative, groundbreaking and anything but repetitive and its hard to imagine why a skilled and experienced production team is falling back on vehicles that worked for the series once before and are attempting to perpetuate clones rather than pursue originality. There seems to be little faith in trying to navigate new territory with Martha's character. This, as a long time fan concerns me, since DOCTOR WHO is all about change. Romana would never have slipped into Leela's warrior skins. One would argue even each successive new series seem to follow a formulaic pattern - space adventure, historical adventure, space opera with a space ship on the far side of the universe, linking arcs to be resolved in the final episodes, and finally once again we have mom on the cell phone with suspicions of the Doctor's identity that will no doubt be resolved in the series finale.

Doctor Who is all about change, movement and progression. Its existence and reintroduction to a modern audience is owed to this. Uncle Russell please take note. It's time to pay off those high universal roaming charges and find new sources of wonder in new ORIGINAL ideas.





FILTER: - Series 3/29 - Tenth Doctor - Television

42

Sunday, 6 May 2007 - Reviewed by Frank Collins

There is silence. Martha's fingernails are tapping frantically on the pod window. The Doctor is mouthing , 'I'll save you' through the airlock window as the distance between them elongates. The shots keep frantically intercutting between his agonising observation and Martha's face at the window of the pod as it slowly pulls away and falls into the sun.

If '42' is remembered for one sequence then it should be for that moment as 'proper companion' Martha is separated from the Doctor in a literal baptism of fire. This is real jeopardy and the sort that mere 'passengers' in the TARDIS manage to avoid (most of the time) and for Martha it's a real sense of the death drive that propels the Doctor through his travels in time and space. It's a masterful example of performance, direction, editing and production design all fusing into one moment that sums up the heart of the series. A very Graeme Harper moment, too.

Although I'd felt Chris Chibnall's work on 'Torchwood' suffered from adolescent over-indulgence, here he kept it simple, linear and provocative for all the right reasons. The 'real-time' element was a good idea and something new to bring to the series but it lacked the necessary hook to make it a special element. Where '24' indulges in split screens and clocks on screen to remind you of the format, '42' did it backwards, with a countdown , but more as an after thought, without split screen gimmicks. I'd have liked more to have been made of this idea.

It didn't matter because Graeme Harper kept the pace rolling along, with no pauses for breath, sharp camera moves and deep focus all adding to the feeling that this was the ultimate in Doctor Who 'running down corridors' episodes. And Harper loves his primary colours, doesn't he! Bold reds, yellows, blues in the lighting and set design all helped make this one very rich visually, especially combined with the steam, smoke, flares of light and reflections liberally applied therein.

Oh, and any similarities to 'Solaris' and 'Sunshine' , the dirty futures of 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner' are fine by me and likewise the nod to Sorenson's transformation in the classic series' 'Planet Of Evil' and the S.S. Pentallion referencing a certain 'drive' in 'Revenge Of The Cybermen'. And Ashton's possession by Korwin , head wreathed in smoke was surely an homage to 'Pyramids Of Mars'. I like my references.

The idea of a sentient world is a pulp SF trope that's been knocking around for a while and everyone from Arthur C. Clarke to 'Blake's 7' have been in on the act. For me, the sentient sun is a symbol full of contradictions. Not only is it a manifestation of the godhead, a form of celestial epiphany for the Doctor and Martha when they look upon it, but the rising and setting of the sun is a journey into and out of the darkness, guiding souls through the darkness whilst also burning and killing at a glance. Both the Doctor and Korwin are fried and frozen, possessed with burning knowledge and then forced to drop below the horizon like a setting sun.

The sun-filter masks are also linked into the destructive power of the sun. The masks worn by the possessed are an external aspect of the vengeful ego and trap and control the vast forces that can be unleashed from the sub-conscious. The Doctor, Korwin and Ashton are symbolic prisoner and captor, representing two interchanging forces in one body.

The episode is also another voyage into the realm of the feminine principle with both McDonnell and Martha as pivotal to the resolution of the crisis. Martha is Dante's Beatrice, guiding the Doctor through Purgatory and McDonnell is the agent of sacrifice through love. Both women become what Plato describes as 'the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual' in that they find the innate goodness within themselves despite past mistakes ? Martha's dispute with her mum, McDonnell's failure to identify the sentient nature of the sun.

And talking of Martha's mum Francine, I'm pleased to see that the seeds sown in 'The Lazarus Experiment' have started to grow with her now being drawn into the web of intrigue that surrounds the mysterious Harold Saxon. These scenes, together with the mobile phone upgrade, nicely echoed Rose's conversation with Jackie in 'End Of The World' but they've taken that idea and added the dark twist of Saxon's interest in Martha and the Doctor. Oh, Francine, what have you done!

A good, solid episode with some outstanding work from Freema Agyeman, especially her scenes with William Ash as Riley, and David Tennant really on form again and showing us a vulnerable, frightened Doctor for a change; excellent, pacy direction from Harper and handsome production design from Ed Thomas and his team that shifts the series into its next gear and aims us towards what looks to be a gripping finale.





FILTER: - Series 3/29 - Tenth Doctor - Television

42

Sunday, 6 May 2007 - Reviewed by Billy Higgins

The midway point of Series 3 sees The Doctor and Martha return to the future for a real-time (give or take a few minutes) adventure set on a spaceship in a similar futuristic era to last season's excellent The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit.

This was, in effect, Martha's first trip as an "official" companion, and she's afforded the kudos of some Doctorly "jiggery pokery" to her mobile to enable her to call home in the pre-credits scenes in the TARDIS - which is to prove highly significant later in the episode (and, indeed, with respect to happenings later in the series).

The TARDIS answers a distress call from a cargo ship 42 minutes (hence the episode title) from being engulfed by a sun after suffering engine failure. Quickly separated from the TARDIS, which is trapped in a superheated hold, The Doctor and Martha find themselves in the same race against time for survival as the crew, headed by Kath McDonnell.

While Martha goes off to assist crew member Riley battle through a series of puzzles to open the ship doors leading to the auxiliary engines, which will be required to power the ship away from the sun, The Doctor is called upon to investigate the mystery of why McDonnell's husband, Korwin, has been possessed, and is vapourising the rest of the crew, one by one.

Martha and Riley are cast adrift in an escape pod by Korwin, but The Doctor risks his life by climbing outside the spaceship to restore the magnetic field which pulls the pod back. In doing so, The Doctor gazes into the sun, and discovers that it is a living organism and McDonnell has scooped out its heart for fuel.

Now possessed himself, The Doctor fears he will kill Martha and the rest of the crew unless the burning sun inside him is frozen out and the stolen solar particles restored back to the sun - but Korwin turns off the freezing chamber.

Shocked by the results of what she has done, McDonnell lures her possessed husband away, and propels both of them to their death out of an airlock, to buy the others some time. With The Doctor incapacitated, it is left to Martha to inform the surviving crew members to jettison the fuel back to the sun, and they reach the auxiliary engines in time to avert flying into the sun.

The Doctor is "dispossessed" and rewards Martha for saving his life by presenting her with the TARDIS key. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Martha's mother, worried about her daughter's involvement with The Doctor, is having Martha's calls home monitored by a mysterious black-suited woman . . .

This was effectively a mini space movie truncated into a 45-minute TV programme. Impossible to pull off. But they did it. Terrific efforts - even by the magnificently-high standards this production team have set - from all departments.

Firstly, it was an excellent Doctor Who scripting debut from Chris Chibnall. As Torchwood's head writer, Chibnall is well versed in what Doctor Who's head writer, Russell T Davies, requires, and is seen seen as a safe pair of hands.

Chibnall's script rattled along at an electrifying pace, and it was beautifully complemented by Martha's "phone homes" to her mum. In 42 (obviously a play on 24, and a great title), this served as a breather for the viewer from the action and it was a fascinating diversion, from a character point of view, to explore the mother/daughter dynamic right in the heat of a life-or-death struggle. And calling your mum from a spaceship to find out whether Elvis or The Beatles had more number ones is pure Doctor Who gold!

From a series point of view, advancing the "Saxon arc" by having Martha's calls monitored by a "sinister woman", as the credits brilliantly described her, was an added bonus for viewers.

The direction, from the Doctor Who legend Graeme Harper, was top drawer, as you would expect. This one had the air of the classic amongst classics, Caves Of Androzani, and was full of energy. As, to be fair, most DW stories are. But 42 started in top gear and pretty much maintained the level. I loved the lighting here - very different from the bright white sets of spaceships and stations in the future during the classic series. However, the movie-style darker, smoke-filled sets depicted, as in Gridlock, a brave new world which isn't all high-tech and shiny droids. In fact, it's all falling apart! Bit like nowadays . . .

I also adored Murray Gold's score here - it built and built and built, and accentuated the action perfectly. Super moment, too, when the music dropped all together when The Doctor watched Martha drift away in the pod, and mouthed, "I'll save you."

More fabulous work from The Mill, too. Another great spaceship, and their sun was reminiscent of their Impossible Planet black hole, but none the less effective.

Excellent performances from the guest cast, notably Michelle Collins as doomed Captain McDonnell. No camping it up whatsoever, and treating the material seriously paid dividends. Collins and Anthony Flanagan (Scannell) are both lead actors, so further evidence of Doctor Who's pulling powers that such big names are on board. Some good moments between Riley (William Ash) and Martha, too, when they thought their death was imminent.

Great script for Freema Agyeman as Martha, with plenty of action and getting to save the day (dare I say it, Rose-style). And she got the key to the door! But Freema's been great since Day One, and there's no sign of a drop-off in the quality nor enthusiasm she brings to the part. And the character is a massive part of the series.

There was a fascinating - and unexpected - twist to The Doctor's character. It's very rare that we see him a) scared and b) actually admitting he's scared, both of which happened here after his possession. Christopher Eccleston's Doctor certainly displayed real terror when encountering the Dalek in Utah, but this was the most afraid David Tennant's incarnation has ever been.

Clearly, this possession had a profound effect on The Doctor - as underlined by his not joining in with the "traditional" end-of-adventure jolity with Martha. But will this experience prove significant later in the series, perhaps even in the next episode?

Eight and a half out of 10, and the pick of the series so far.





FILTER: - Series 3/29 - Tenth Doctor - Television

42

Sunday, 6 May 2007 - Reviewed by Shaun Lyon

I prefer to think of "42" as homage. The setup is rather obvious: "Alien," one of the all-time great horror films and science fiction classics, featured seven people trapped aboard a starship with a killer alien they accidentally picked up. Substitute an impending crash for the alien nasty, and what you have is a taut little thriller of the kind that "Doctor Who" has rarely done in its three-year history since the show's modern return. Which is surprising, because the one-shot episodes the show's featured have largely been there to further ongoing plotlines ("Boom Town," "The Long Game") or spirited romps that meet varying degrees of success ("Love and Monsters," "Gridlock" or "Fear Me" if you really want to get down to the "all you need is love" aspect). The homage doesn't end there, either -- forget, for a moment, the bonk-you-over-the-head dues paid to "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" in the title, and the play on both the name of and plotting of the series "24".

In "42" we have what may be the season's first real moments of genuine terror. (The Judoon weren't really menacing, the Macra were just a bit creepy, the Lazarus beast a bit laughable and, well, the Daleks were never scary this year.) Surprising, then, that it doesn't come from an alien menace -- instead, it's a 42-minute play on real-time as the Doctor and Martha are literally stuck beyond any hope of rescue. (It's a plot device used before, at the onset of "The Impossible Planet," but why quibble?) That leaves our heroes to become very involved, very quickly, in the story.

And there is a story, despite the fact that I've heard varying comments suggesting that there isn't. It's not a particularly complex story, granted, but "Doctor Who" doesn't need to be -- the presentation of a problem, and the Doctor's journey to the solution, is what got us through much of the show's first twenty-six years. The Doctor's problem is how to save this ship and, and the same time, retrieve his TARDIS. And, eventually, to rescue Martha, who's trapped in an escape pod with a rather nice young man she finds a few moments to flirt with. Substitute Martha for any number of companions in days long gone and it could be your standard "Doctor Who" episode.

What sets "42" apart from the others in this similar mould is that it doesn't let up; it keeps going when you'd expect to catch your breath. The reason why the ship is in this predicament is explained fully; in fact, most everything is pretty much explained to satisfaction, barring the quibble of how Martha and Riley survive the elements in your basic tin can with a window that's hovering within the corona of a star and how, oh how, they manage to be yanked back to the ship (not to mention, why the method for doing so is on the OUTSIDE!) Yes, it's a silly moment, but no "Doctor Who" serial is without its flaws...

Director Graeme Harper is unusually gifted at making a serial look 'lived in' and he is on rare form with "42". It always feels like a spaceship, hollow and booming and largely empty. Harper adds a gorgeous canvas of reds, yellows and oranges that bring the heat of the star to bear on the cast and their surroundings. While I was not a fan of some of writer Chris Chibnall's earlier work in the genre (the meat-eater episode of "Torchwood" was just plain yukky), he does a terrific job presenting a crew at the end of their ropes, and the Doctor and Martha's dialogue are by now quite familiar. I must also mention the bits with the mobile phone -- presented like Chekhov's gun, in that if it's featured at the start of the episode, it must be used in the episode. It presents a rather nice segue into the continuing storyline this year concerning Mr. Saxon...

All in all, "42" is a treat -- a moment of interstellar science fiction on a starship doomed to disaster. (Who'd have thought in this day and age of mostly Earth-bound "Doctor Who"... ?) It's nice to get David Tennant and Freema Agyeman into space, even for a brief interlude, with the kinds of stories I've been aching to see. Destined to be known as a filler, it's in fact a rare little gem.





FILTER: - Series 3/29 - Tenth Doctor - Television