The pit is open and I am free..'

The conclusion to В‘The Impossible PlanetВ’ does not disappoint. The production team are again giving all theyВ’ve got for В‘The Satan PitВ’ and it really does show on screen. If there is one thing to note about the series so far is that it has managed to be both cinematic and epic storytelling whilst also serving the characters well. Here we have impressive production values, a very intriguing script that is about genuinely interesting ideas and a re-affirmation of the central Doctor/Rose relationship. Their bond is strengthened in time for audiences to understand the trajectory of the characters when we hit the epic conclusion of this series.

Top marks once again to the crew, especially the production designers, all those at The Mill and Murray Gold for a great score В– probably his best yet В– and one in which he managed to re-use key musical motifs without the sentimental over saturation that he can be prone to.

Tennant and Piper were very good as ever with Billie somewhat eclipsing David again. I keep coming back to this but I do find that Tennant can be wonderful in most scenes and then he unsettles the performance with a В‘forced zaninessВ’. His quieter scenes as he was being lowered into the pit were spot on but I found the acting in the confrontation with the Beast was often over-wrought and clumsy. I become too conscious that he is В‘actingВ’ and this often pulls me out of the moment. However, itВ’s a minor niggle and one which I hope will sort itself out. For the most part, heВ’s really very good. Apart from В‘The Girl In The FireplaceВ’, this is probably his best work of the series so far.

I loved the counterpoint between Rose taking charge and her role almost Doctor-like as she motivates the crew of the base whilst the Doctor and Ida discuss faith, belief and religion in the darkness of the pit.

Shaun Parkes should also be applauded for his convincing turn as Captain Zach. He managed to give the character a much needed vulnerability to prevent it from ending up as that terrible old SF clichГ© of the В‘brave CaptainВ’.

So what was all that aboutВ…? The philosophical trappings of the episode were very welcome indeed and added some real meat on the bones of the story. For a start we are presented with a Doctor whose rationalism is thrown into question. Many would argue that the Doctor has always maintained the need for rational and scientific explanations for particular phenomena (The Daemons being a prime example of this). What this story was trying to argue was that when confronted with an evil that В‘doesnВ’t fit my rulesВ’ then heВ’s actually willing to be proved wrong. He is open to other interpretations when he doesnВ’t have the knowledge В– В‘for once in my lifeВ…retreatВ’. He takes a symbolic view because it is a view that embraces the old cosmology and it is just as relevant to understanding lifeВ’s experiences as rational thought is. He still maintain his belief in the rising and setting of the sun as something that can be explained scientifically but he also now sees it as a phenomena that can have a symbolic reference in reality. Hence, evil is discussed as an idea, as a symbol of the unconscious that can be passed on from mind to mind.

Equally there is much discourse on personal belief systems, on your own faith and your own religion. For me, the Doctor and Ida are actually asking each other about how they need to rely on great trust as well as great scepticism when they try to reach out into the unknown. The entire story is basically how humanity searches out for the unknown with huge leaps of faith. The DoctorВ’s 'Where angels fear to tread'

leap of faith when he realises all he has left is a fall into the pit is the most pronounced outcome of this debate. Counter this faith with RoseВ’s very real fear of a Satan or the Devil as traditionally described throughout the centuries and perpetuated through myth and story. It is a primal fear and a heritage that the Beast exploits in all of us.

And it is fascinating that the В‘lonely GodВ’ cites human achievement as an exemplar. Is the Doctor, fearing a tendency to alien aloofness, using the blind faith of humanity as a benchmark to keep his own ego in check? We have a Doctor who refreshingly does not know the answers when he finally wakes the Beast and it is his faith in Rose that transcends his doubts and enables him to act. In parallel to this, Rose also realises that a leap of faith - to do something there and then and worry about the outcome later В–is the only thing she can do in the spectacular despatch of Toby from the shipВ’s cockpit. (Yes, the science was all wrong but this is an episode about rationalism versus superstition!) The pit and the Beast are both symbolic of the DoctorВ’s reduction of ego. The abyss is a source of wisdom and his fall a return to the cradle of civilisation.

The stunning Balrog-like sequences of the Beast in the pit and the DoctorВ’s fall are welcome nods to the KhazadВ’dum/ZВ’haВ’dum scenes in Lord Of The Rings and Babylon 5. The mindless creature, a denizen of DanteВ’s Inferno, is a former God from an impossible place В‘beyond timeВ’ with a slippery truth, 'the devil's work', that seemingly the DoctorВ’s rational ego is unable distinguish as lies or prophecy.

I loved the way the Beast singled out each of the main characters, with TobyВ’s fate as the sacrificial virgin symbolically highlighted and a very doom laden foretelling of RoseВ’s death in battle.

The sequence in the ventilation shaft, an В‘AliensВ’ like chase through the labyrinth, turns on the BeastВ’s trickster nature when Toby is revealed to be still possessed. ItВ’s a neat narrative side track that reinvigorates the tense and frantic direction of the last ten minutes of the episode. Again, visually there is lot of movement from above to below and across the screen, increasing the dramatic pacing. James StrongВ’s direction was particularly good in the chase sequences.

I didnВ’t really understand why a few found the ending a cop-out. Surely, we all knew that the TARDIS had fallen into the pit? I was expecting it to turn up and it did with a triumphant flourish that made my heart swoon. The Doctor probably didnВ’t know the answers but at least he had his trusty ship to save the crew and Rose from the black hole. In the end the black hole was made to swallow its bitter pill just as the BeastВ’s captors had desired. Rose and the Doctor are reunited but have they also taken their own medicine?

В“Doctor, tell me thereВ’s no such thing.В”

This has to be one of my favourite episodes of Doctor Who ever. In forty-five minutes it showcases everything that is good about Doctor Who today, everything that was good about classic Doctor Who, and gives us a fleeting glimpse of what Doctor Who may be like in the future. It is fast В– so very fast В– as the Ood rampage throughout the Sanctuary Base on their crazed killing spree. It is scary В– proper scary В– how on Earth the kids on the BBC website voted this episode a mere В‘Fear Factor 5В’ after last weekВ’s episode broke the В‘Fear FactorВ’ barrier I donВ’t know. Perhaps itВ’s that old chestnut about what you donВ’t see being scarier than what you do see. I do think there is some truth in that, but when we finally get to see the Beast, then wellВ…

В“The Satan PitВ” picks up where В“The Impossible PlanetВ” left off. The pit is open, and apparently Satan is free, but there is no sign of him. The Ood chase Rose and the surviving members of the Sanctuary BaseВ’s crew through the jeffries tubes in a scene that could have been cut and pasted straight out of one of the studio bound classic series stories В– it is simply thrilling. In classic Doctor Who style, Danny uses some techno babble method to knock out the Ood, but it is too late. There is a fleeting moment that is performed, shot and edited absolutely sublimely where Toby just turns to the Ood and says В“ShhВ” В– the Devil is still in him. Will Thorp gives an absolutely superb performance as the poor soul infested with the consciousness of the Beast. Thorp manages to portray Toby as a likeable but soft character, a bit of a doormat, and then suddenly the eyes go red, the tattoos appear out of nowhere and heВ’s the Devil. The force and the power that comes out of him is just shocking.

The rest of the crew are almost as impressive. Shaun Parkes as Zack, the makeshift captain, also gives an impressive performance. His character comes across as very down to Earth and very likeable, just a normal bloke thrown into a mad situation. Danny WebbВ’s Mr. Jefferson very nearly steals the show at times; his death scene is particularly moving. Ida (Claire Rushbrook), who spends much of this episode trapped in the Pit, and Danny (Ronny Jhutti) also come across as very real people with their own hopes and fears, making the BeastВ’s little prГ©cis of them all the more disturbing. Last week, much of the fear came from the hype surrounding this Beast. This week it is loose, and again the fear is mainly psychological as it plays on their В“basic fearsВ”, revealing their darkest secrets, and hinting at their possible futures. Whether this is the Devil or not В– the original, if you like В– is anybodyВ’s guess, but for one thing it certainly can see through our heroes here. В“The little boy who liedВ… the virginВ…В” and most disturbingly, В“the valiant child who will die in battle so very soon.В”

В“For once in my lifeВ… IВ’m going to say retreat.В”

When even the Doctor approaches the Pit with trepidation, the viewer knows something is up. “The Satan Pit” is something of a rarity in that it focuses on our lead man; it’s not a story where he shows up and saves the world, or teaches his young companion some lesson about the universe… it is a story about him directly, and his having to come to turns with the fact that there are things out there that even he doesn’t understand. The Beast claims to come from “…before time and light and space and matter… before this universe was created” which the Doctor just cannot accept. It contradicts all his core beliefs -“Science, not sorcery Miss Hawthorne” – as his faith is science. So what does he do? He jumps into the Pit. Bring it on! There is twenty foot of rock (filmed in a good old fashioned quarry, I might add) and then nothing. Literally. As he abseils down into the nothingness he puts a smile on a lot of fans faces with a few well-chosen words about Draconians, Dæmons, Kaleds… all these ‘classic series’ races have a Devil. The Devil is just an idea, surely? One way to find out, he reckons. He unfastens his harness.

В“Just tell herВ… tell herВ… oh, she knows,В” and with that the tenth Doctor falls silently, gracefully into the Pit.

When he wakes up his space helmet is smashed but guess what - heВ’s still breathing! Impossible! The Satan consciousness may have fled to Toby, but the Doctor finds himself looking up at the gigantic figure of the Devil. Whoever designed and animated the Beast needs some sort of award В– to come up with a piece of C.G.I. that good on a television budget is absolutely phenomenal. Without exaggeration, you wouldnВ’t see a better realisation of the Devil even in a megabucks Hollywood picture. In fact, of anything IВ’ve ever seen in cinema, I think the Beast looks most like the Balrog from The Fellowship of the RingВ… only better. Much better. ItВ’s amazing.

The ending is an absolute thriller; Rose is trapped with Zack, Danny and Toby/Satan on board a very small rocket trying to escape the pull of the black holeВ… talk about tense. At the same time, the Doctor has to face the old В“I could save the world but lose youВ” moment of truth again, only this time there is no Harriet Jones to bail him out. ItВ’s gripping stuff; absolutely mind-blowingly brilliant В– without doubt, В“the stuff of legend.В”

The only question that remains, now that we know Billie Piper will be leaving the show at the end of the series, is how will В“the valiant childВ” depart? Surely they wouldnВ’t do an AdricВ…

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!

This second and concluding episode had a lot to live up to. Perhaps it ended up not being quite as good as last weeks В“The Impossible PlanetВ” but В‘PitВ’ did not disappoint. If I have two criticisms they would be that the Tardis appears somewhat miraculously when it needs to, this could perhaps have been handled more imaginatively. And the line where the Doctor claims that the Time Lords invented black holes should have been removed, if for no other reason than it seems implausible that the Doctor would find initial situation so impossible if his people invented and understood black holes.

Otherwise, we had an atypical situation with the Doctor and Ida discussing belief systems, which lead to the Doctor having trouble recognising the existence of a devil. That was different and well written. В“Tell RoseВ…..ah she knowsВ”, was touching and said what needed to be said without bashing the viewer over the head. Altogether an intelligent script for a sophisticated television show.

I very much have the feeling that if there were to be a Doctor Who film, something like the Planet/Pit two parter would be a great starting point, as the two episodes together are very cinematic. The scale is vast, even though the setting is quite small in scale.

As usual for 2006, supporting cast are excellent. Direction was good, suspense built dramatically until the final few minutes and everybody had a chance to be heroic. This is what Doctor Who should be.

9/10

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode 'en masse'. The crew and Rose being trapped on the space-station being hunted down by 'Legion' and the fantastic Ood changing from gentile, essentially stupid creatures into these possessed, almost 'demons'. The sight of one on all fours charging through the ventilation shaft was quite disturbing. Indeed, just before they escape the shaft the scene with Toby/Satan telling the Ood to be quiet; the knowing grin coupled with the fact that if he was actually the devil why would he need to tell his minions to hush made it very dark.

As the action was going on above we had a nice contrast with the Doctor and Ida trapped in the cave near the Pit, the Doctor discussing beliefs with her and having to look at his own ideas about the situation and, despite having less than an hour (although by this point, perhaps far less than that) to live he still insists on playing the hero and ventures into the Pit. It's here that we discover one of the failings of a few of the classic episodes in which somehow, everything makes sense. I found this quite hard to grasp as the Doctor couldn't read the writings nor did we see any suggestion of the mechanism in which upon release of the 'Beast' the planet falls into the black hole.

Another failing of this episode, in my opinion, was the Doctor's refusal to believe in the Devil. This is a man who has travelled time and space which has presented him with many adventures where he has seen and overcome many different things. He has fought with Fenrir and Sutekh, both of which are the devils in different pantheons and yet he completely denies the existence of this devil and then, upon seeing he seems to believe in its existence. Did he suffer complete memory loss when he woke up after the fall? Did he completely forget not everything is as it seems in his world and of course, did he forget about his past exploits with demons and 'evil' gods?

This episode was, on the whole, very good and very well done but I felt it was more a chance to show what Rose can do and all the emphasis on character scripting went on her; the Doctor secondary. Perhaps I may be proved wrong in the future. Perhaps we may see Rose doing something on her own which will prove to be her finest hour and this was just a taste but last I checked the programme was called "Doctor Who" and not Rose Tyler.

As I'm sure my review of 'The Impossible Planet' demonstrated, I loved last week's episode. I was slightly concerned, however, that this week's resolution would not live up to the potential of part one's setup.

I needn't have worried, since 'The Satan Pit' was possibly even better than its predecessor.

With the Doctor and Rose separated for the episode, the danger of repeating events from part one was bypassed and the danger of last week's cliffhanger was averted in a nice, action-packed opening ten minutes where the Ood were overcome by the crew of Sanctuary Base 6 and Miss Tyler. What then followed was, if anything, even darker than what had come before.

The biggest surprise this episode threw up was that the baddie was, indeed, the devil. Maybe an alien creature responsible for the origin of the story, but certainly not anything posing as the Beast (my biggest worry about the possible resolution of the story). The Doctor was forced to accept the fact that such a being could, in fact, exist. The explanation for the black hole and Satan's prison were clever, and wonderfully tied-in to a re-establishing of the relationship between the Doctor and Rose. To send the Beast into the black hole, the Doctor has to be prepared to let Rose die. In a lovely twist, however, we see that the Doctor has learned since The Parting of the Ways that Rose is nobody's victim, trusting in her to look after herself.

There was just so much to love about this episode.

The Beast CGI was excellent and I was easily able to forgive the slight shakiness of superimposing David Tennant over a matte background for the sense of scale the image gave us.

Once again, the depth of the supporting characters in the two-parter was shown in the nice nod to Danny's claustrophobia, Ida's family background, Zach's pained sense of responsibility and Jefferson's touching death.

What really makes this episode so special, though, is that it is all payoff - not only for part one, but for everything which has happened so far since the show relaunched. My biggest complaint about the episodes after 'The Girl in the Fireplace' was that they felt a little static in terms of character development. Here, though, we see how the Doctor is not as all-wise and infallible as he can appear, and how the honeymoon is over for Rose's travels, with the danger surrounding her growing massively. Will she 'die in battle'? Well, I thought Mickey would and got that wrong, but leaving us unsure whether she is alive or dead would certainly fit the suggestion that this season ends on a cliffhanger ...

With season 3 looming, the moment when the Doctor questions all he believes and falls into the pit bodes well for a tenth Doctor who could be set to lose some of his chipperness and have some real darkness to deal with for the first time since he took off that leather jacket.

This is the season 2 I wanted - bigger, more epic but keeping the underlying sense of something sinister which served season 1 so well.

Next week? Well, I'm a little unconvinced, but if we get a character piece in the mould of last year's pleasantly surprising 'Boom Town', I'll be happy.