THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE BBC BROADCAST OF DOCTOR WHO. IF YOU'RE WATCHING IN THE U.S. ON SCI-FI, THIS EPISODE HAS NOT YET AIRED, SO READ NO FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WISH TO BE SPOILED!
He did it again. Russell T. Davies has again extended the boundaries of most infuriating cliffhangers.
The Stolen Earth saw the welcome return of the large, retro pepper pots, as well as another old enemy of The Doctor. This time the Daleks have stolen twenty seven planets, including Earth, with the intent of destroying them. To combat them, The Doctor must join forces with friends old and new, leading to many new acquaintances and one very jealous blonde unable to contact him.
The acting from the whole cast was top notch, bringing a whole new level of emotion to the series. The reactions of Captain Jack and Sarah Jane Smith when they first heard the terrible Dalek war cry brought tears to my eyes. The Doctor, on the other hand, seemed not to hear his friends’ warning about the return of his old enemies, he was far too happy to see the former alive. One quick video call soon changed that.
It is only appropriate that Rose should be the first to find The Doctor in person. Thankfully their reunion was saved from being a slow-motion run towards each other, with arms outstretched, through the meadow to the theme tune from Chariots of Fire by something lurking in the shadows.
I will not go into too much detail, only to say that the entire episode had me perched further on the edge of my seat than the Haas v Murray third round match at Wimbledon did only an hour beforehand. As for the cliffhanger, it is easily the most cruel in the history of television.
The shots of outer space are easily the most beautiful outside the Hubble telescope. There is also something wonderful about the Daleks. Their graceful movement, their efficiency, and their inability to die. Having lots of Daleks on set clearly brings out the best in the whole production team; from the camera angles to the lighting, everything is perfect to show the Daleks at their fearful best.
Davies is certainly keen to go out with a bang. From what we have seen this week the meeting of Rose Tyler and Martha Jones will surely match the fireworks that will explode in next week’s series finale.
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