|
-
News
- Features
- Blogs
- Events
Calendar
- Editorials
- Monthly
Zine
- Offworld
Report
- Our Daily
RSS Feed
- Google Toolbar scifi
- Movie/TV
Reviews
> Recent movies
> Movies by year
> Movies by title
- Book
Reviews
> Recent books
> Books by year
> Books by title
- Home
- Worlds
- Biography
- Bibliography
- Appearances
- Reviews
- Blog
- Community
- Press
- Links
Become
an Advertiser
- Web
Site Directory
- Search
the Net
-
Hivemind
- StephenHunt.net
- WoodenRocket.com
- Check
your E-mail
- Non Sci-Fi
News
|
Doctor Wow!
02/08/2008 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
An appraisal of the fourth season of Doctor Who by GF Willmetts. How, asks Geoff, to write a review of season four of Doctor Who without spoiling it for everyone who hasn't seen it across the world? Buy Doctor Who in the USA - or Buy Doctor Who in the UK  How to write a review of season four of 'Doctor Who' without spoiling it for everyone who hasn't seen it across the world? It's all very well for British publications, by the time they get international distribution the content of the stories will be spread far and wide. With the Internet, things travel far faster but I'm also amongst the people who don't like giving out spoilers. I gave only the barest hint of an event that happened at the end of season three, it was barely a spoiler more a reference, when I pulled the threads of the Doctor's background together I got accused of letting the TARDIS out of the bag.
So, if you're looking for spoilers or specific content of the episodes, I'm sure there are websites out there that will do the dirty for you. Considering the number of people who look in on SFCrowsnest probably exceeds them anyway, I'll talk in general terms and try not to give anything away for those who live in the far-flung auspices that the Net reaches into other than some things you might have heard of know about but haven't pried until it appears on your television. I will say one thing, though, 'Wow!'
In many respects, this fourth season of 'Doctor Who' is writer/producer Russell T. Davis' swan song. Granted there are four specials before writer/producer Steven Moffitt takes over in 2010 but I doubt if they'd be done with the capacity to arc across storylines like all the three previous seasons have been. In many respects, he's almost been making a clean slate of things by tying up loose ends even if the changeover is still a year off.
Davis' tenure could be considered as the exploration of the 'Doctor Who' mythos, looking at the details and expanding them, cementing the foundations to a new generation. He's using a recognised writer technique of showing what is it like to be a solitary Time Lord, the need for a companion and all that entails combined with the history of the series. Whether its what the theme music represents to the full capacity of a mark 40 TARDIS to the significance of the human race as it moves out into the galaxy. Added to this, bringing back or giving new incarnations of old villains and systematically destroying them again and again. In some respects this could also be seen as clearing the ground for the things to come. Certainly this period of the Doctor's history is more integrated than other times in the past forty years. Whether this will make it easier or harder depends on what new hands, even after Moffitt, will bring to the show.
David Tennant as the Doctor and Catherine Tate as his companion, Emma Noble, made a great contrast. No gushing eyes at each other but there was serious chemistry as well as affirming why an alien needs a human on-board. If anything, they were just travelling partners with the Doctor as a guide to showing what the galaxy has to offer. We only see the times when they run into trouble although there is a hint in a sort of Douglas Adams way that some arrivals don't always bring immediate danger.
I never had any doubt that Catherine Tate could do the job. I might not be the greatest lover of her own comedy TV show but she had to have something there that qualified as star actor material even if it was only stage presence. The fact that she was the star of one episode on her own and rapt attention was paid throughout should speak for itself.
Alien invasions of Earth seemed rife although some were just passing through either using the population for supplies like the Liposes or as an alien way station in a smouldering volcano. Showing that humans are no better when they exploited the Ood shows they are also on their own learning curve. Bringing back the Sontarians from the original series made a lot of sense although looking for earlier successful alien species is going to get tougher unless we see a Menoptera and Zarbi update or better still, the Great Intelligence ruling the Yeti robots once more. Personally, I'd love them to go back to Vortis where in 1964, the planet looked effective on a low budget and it would be interesting to see it re-created today.
A season doesn't go by when the Daleks don't put in an appearance. Presumably they won't appear in the next four specials. Not that they can't be good opponents for the Doctor but having them all...er...exterminated in every story will ultimately lose their effectiveness. Better for them to loose the odd battle than all the major wars or else why didn't the Doctor cut them off at their rubber bases much earlier. We kept being reminded how much the Daleks dominate the galaxy yet see little of this influence. In the past, the Daleks have been known to use slave races and even allegiances to further their aims. Again, this is an area that needs to be exploited some time. Of course, that would depend on budget and whether more adventures away from the Earth are being considered.
The 'Wow!' factor is still doing its effect. Not just because of the effects, creatures or acting but simply because the series leaves you guessing. This is helped immensely by how little advanced information is let out hence my being vague here. The penultimate story certainly did that without a hint of what was likely to happen next although my own guess wasn't too far off the mark. The last episode hints at something not totally unexpected that is likely to happen in the next 'Torchwood' series. There have also been some serious threads left open for the Doctor's 'daughter' to have a re-appearance or even her own series. If UNIT was given its own series, we would have wall-to-wall series sent in this reality for a long time to come. It would certainly get around the problem of not enough material to satisfy the needs of the fans.
'Doctor Who' has certainly set the standard for special effects use courtesy of The Mill. Any upcoming SF shows by other companies for both channels have a high stick to reach although none have really contemplated the stars just yet. The reduced production of 'Who' next year should be seen as the time for possibilities for such shows just to show the UK isn't a one trick pony.
If anything is likely to damage the show or its spin-offs is the availability of budget. Unlike America, the BBC doesn't have endless resources but I hope they remember they get much of it back from overseas sales and merchandising to keep up the investment when beset by inflation or even the current recession. Even so, we British have always demonstrated ingenuity with getting the most out of least when we have to as well.
Season four of 'Doctor Who' has been one hell of a year with so much happening that even down to four TV movies next year will seem like a necessary breather before seeing where the show goes next.
GF Willmetts
(c) GF Willmetts 2008 - All rights reserved
Add SFcrowsnest.com daily news updates to your
own web site or blog - just cut and paste the code
below...
|
|
