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Series 4 Boxset:
Series 4 Part 1:
Series 3 Boxset:
Director:
Graeme Harper
(TV: Doctor Who: Rise of the Cybermen, The Age of Steel, Army of Ghosts, Doomsday, 42, Utopia, Last of the Timelords (uncredited),
Planet of the Ood, The Unicorn and the Wasp, Turn Left, Episode 4.12, Journey's End,
The Bill, Byker Grove, Casualty, Doctor Who Confidential, Grange Hill, Heartbeat, Robin Hood, Sarah Jane Adventures)
Screenplay:
Keith Temple
(TV: Doctor Who: Planet of the Ood, Byker Grove, Casualty, Doc Martin, Dangerfield, Emmerdale)
Cast:
The Doctor: David Tennant
Donna Noble: Catherine Tate
Mr Halpen: Tim McInnerny
Solana Mercurio: Ayesha Dharker
Dr Ryder: Adrian Rawlins
Commander Kess: Roger Griffiths
Mr Bartle: Paul Clayton
Ood Sigma: Paul Kasey
Rep: Tariq Jordan
Voice Of The Ood: Silas Carson
Synopsis:
The Doctor takes Donna to an icy planet in the 42nd-Century, which they discover is the processing hub for humanity's servants The Ood...
"That's what I call a spaceship! You've got a box, he's got a Ferrari!"
-- Donna Noble (Catherine Tate)
A sequel of sorts to season 2's excellent The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit
two-parter, Planet Of The Ood finds The Doctor (David Tennant)
aiming to right a wrong, by actively trying to free the subservient Ood from
slavery.
It's unfortunately another episode where a despicable businessman is behind
alien exploitation, this time in the shape of Mr Halpen (Tim McInnerny) --
a sharp-suited, balding executive in charge of the "Ood-Sphere"; an industrial
complex that exploits Ood by capturing them, lobotomising them, and shipping
them across the galaxies as servants.
Donna (Catherine Tate) again offers a different slant on the typical Who
companion, as she becomes genuinely unsettled and fearful of the situation, still
believing the majority of The Doctor's adventures will be harmless sight-seeing.
As a performer, Tate continues to veer from screechy comedy irritant (particularly
her first scene in the TARDIS) to thoughtful, reflective, quite dramatic moments.
I'm glad the writers are using Donna in a different way to Rose and Martha, but
Tate is only really palatable when she's in a contemplative mood, as her histrionics
(while significantly reduced from The Runaway Bride) still cause me to
squirm.
As The Doctor, David Tennant is going through the motions here -- yelping
"ohhh, yes!" a few too many times -- but it's an episode that only
requires his boundless enthusiasm and doesn't offer him much else to chew on.
Keith Temple's script is very well paced and, while the story is full of Who
clichés (evil company man, armed bodyguards, a conflicted assistant), it sustains
itself well and offers a few emotional punches towards the end as The Doctor
slowly unravels Halpen's schemes by reconstituting the Ood's natural telepathy.
Unchaining them, essentially.
A moment between The Doctor, Donna and some caged ("unprocessed") Ood, where
they sing a "song of captivity" into their minds, was particularly emotive.
It was also great to see the production values do justice to the story, with
wintry alien landscapes beautifully integrated into real surroundings, and the
use of a large factory as an exterior to film around. Interesting to note that
the Ood were introduced against a backdrop of rock and flame in season 2, but
they're homeworld is ice and snow.
The interiors on Doctor Who always have a vague whiff of falseness about them
(particularly when trying to make distant future technology look plausible), but
the frontier-like industrial element to the Ood-Sphere building worked well.
The CGI for a menacing grappling hook, swinging around a warehouse trying to
crush The Doctor, also looked great (helped by the fact Tennant did his own
stunts), and I loved the improved make-up for the Ood – particularly the animatronic
blinking eyes, which really help sell them.
As always, there were a few moments that fell flat, such as an Ood being
brainwashed to quote Homer Simpson ("D'oh!") and the unconvincing reason
for a character's physical transformation into an Ood – but at least that was
scary, as he ripped off his scalp and vomited up tentacles!
An evil henchman revealing his true identity a "Friends Of The Ood" anti-slavery
recruit, before being quickly killed seconds later, also struck me as a wasted
opportunity. And it still wasn't explained how the Ood's hand-held translation
balls can suddenly become electrifying weapons, either!
Everything else hit the spot, though -- although the lack of much depth and
subtleties means Planet Of The Ood was ultimately an agreeable, well-paced,
yet predictable adventure story -- with a few dramatic moments and morally-responsible
subtext. It was solid, above-average fare; not that inspiring, but far from
terrible.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Series 4 Boxset:
Synopsis:
The Doctor takes Donna to an icy planet in the 42nd-Century, which they discover is the processing hub for humanity's servants The Ood...
Keith Temple's script is very well paced and, while the story is full of Who
clichés (evil company man, armed bodyguards, a conflicted assistant), it sustains
itself well and offers a few emotional punches towards the end as The Doctor
slowly unravels Halpen's schemes by reconstituting the Ood's natural telepathy.
Unchaining them, essentially.
As always, there were a few moments that fell flat, such as an Ood being
brainwashed to quote Homer Simpson ("D'oh!") and the unconvincing reason
for a character's physical transformation into an Ood – but at least that was
scary, as he ripped off his scalp and vomited up tentacles!
