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Series 2 Episode 8: “The Impossible Planet” (Part 1 of 2)Broadcast on BBC1, Saturday June 3rd, 2006
Series 1 Boxset:
Series 2 Part 4:
Series 2 Boxset:
Director:
- James Strong
Screenplay:
- Matt Jones
Cast:
- The Doctor: David Tennant
Rose Tyler: Billie Piper
Mr Jefferson: Danny Webb
Zachary Cross Flane: Shaun Parkes
Toby Zed: Will Thorp
Ida Scott: Claire Rushbrook
Danny Bartock: Ronny Jhutti
Scooti Manista: Myanna Buring
The Ood: Paul Kasey
Voice of The Beast: Gabriel Woolf
Voice of the Ood: Silas Carson
Synopsis: The TARDIS arrives on a remote alien planet somehow locked in orbit around aBlack Hole, where a crew of humans are drilling to the planet’s centre…
This is more like it. The Impossible Planet is definite highlight of the newseries so far, with new writer Matt Jones fashioning an engaging andgenuinely frightening episode that gradually builds to a spine-tinglingconclusion.
In many ways this isEvent Horizonfor kids, with a similar tale of a crewapparently getting more than they bargained for when they disturb a demonicentity beneath them. Jones’ script is full of pace and cohesion, toning downthe occassionally frivolous nature of the show and targeting the adults foronce. The story isn’t totally original and clearly has many influences, butit’s just so refreshing to see a scary story treated with respect, and notundermined by poor performances, bad production or the decision to tone downscares for the children.
David Tennant actually returns to an embarassing level of fake enthusiasmthat I’d hoped we’d seen the last of (possibly a result of a new writerfailing to grasp the nuances of the character, and just going for generaleccentric behaviour). However, by the end Tennant’s Doctor once againbecomes more of an action hero with his descent into the planet’s core.
Billie Piper continues along much the same lines as always, although thereare a few early moments when Roses’ chirpy demeanour sucks all sense offoreboding away from the show. I get a little frustrated with how Rose seemsto greet everything with wide-eyed optimism and pat one-liners when it’sclearly uncalled for.
The supporting cast are very good, although their characters are a littleunderserviced. However, everyone makes an impression and it’s good to see abelievable crew of people for once without a falseness to everything theysay.
The real star of the show here is perhaps the wonderful production design.I’ve been a critic of Doctor Who’s generic “futuristic” sets, but for TheImpossible Planet they get everything right. The dirty, claustrophobicstation, with strong parallels to engineering spaces such as oil rigs, arejust excellent. For once you can believe in the surroundings and truly enterinto another world, which only heightens the sense of excitement throughoutthe shoe.
Special-effects are used to good effect, particularly exterior shots of thedrilling complex on the planet with the huge Black Hole in the background.Towards the end there are also some absolutely superb underground sequencesthat are an undoubted highlight for the series. The make-up for the Ood (arace of telepathic aliens that enjoy serving the human crew) is also verygood, with full-head prosthetics that prove very effective. In fact,together with the cat-creatures in New Earth, the make-up people have reallystepped up their game this year.
Even the music seems to be better this time, with a total absence ofmanipulative pap and irritating ditties that typically plague the show. Themusic this time lent weight to events and pushed the right emotional cues atthe exact right times. I sincerely hope this level of success continues intofuture episodes.
Overall, I enjoyed this episode a great deal and can’t wait for part two.There was an old-fashioned vibe to the show that reminded me of classic JonPertwee episodes, but with much better production levels and script. Fanswill be pleased to see a Doctor Who episode actually achieve success anddare to go into darker territory, particularly after the family-friendlyexcesses of previous weeks. A major highlight and significant episode of theshow. Let’s just hope part two doesn’t unravel all the good work achievedhere!
NEXT WEEK: The Doctor and Rose continue their adventure now the “Satan Pit” has been opened…
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.