Doctor Who Series 4 - Episode 1 and beyond - ryanajarrett.com Media & Technology Blog

Now I’ve got over the punches that Friday’s finale of Torchwood hit me with, I’m left less than bowled over with the first episode of the new series of Doctor Who - Partners in Crime. Don’t get me wrong - I’m pleased that the Timelord is back, but it just wasn’t a great season opener.

I know that the first episode has to set the scene for the rest of the season, but others have done better (Smith & Jones from Series 3 was a much stronger story). The Doctor, now on his own after parting company with Martha (and Astrid), was investigating the operation of a company called Adipose, promoting a new diet pill (although I can’t see how they needed much promotion if they already had one million customers!). He did the usual, zapping doors with his Sonic Screwdriver, running a bit, quipping, hiding a bit and zapping electronics with his Sonic Screwdriver.

At the same time, Donna was investigating the same company under the guise of Health and Safety. I wasn’t sure if this actually was her job, or if she had adopted this position to gain access to the Adipose press conference. It turns out she has been looking for the Doctor pretty much since she first waved goodbye to him two Christmasses ago, and has tasked herself to investigate anything slightly dodgy or spooky.

Our two main protaganists then spend the next 10 minutes being oh-so-close (physically), but never actually seeing each other. Is this Doctor Who or Scooby Doo? I can appreciate the humour, and especially how it would appeal to younger viewers, but it did seem to drag, and we didn’t learn too much about the Adipose in the meantime (although Donna was given (or was it stolen) an Adipose pendant - important plot point). When the Doctor and Donna did finally see each other, through several panes of glass with the baddies in between, the comic timing was very good, and the reveal to show that they’d been rumbled was again brilliant.

The rest of the story was fairly standard. The Adipose were cute and functional, but had no menace to threat to them. It would be interesting to see what they grew into, seeing as they were only supposed to be children (which adds a little weight to the rumour that Sarah Lancashire reappears in the final episode of the series). I thought the CGI design of the Adipose made them look a little too cartoony personally.

Catherine Tate was ok. I didn’t like her character too much when she appeared at Christmas. She played it a bit too much like she was a character from her sketch show, and I was glad when Donna and the Doctor went their seperate ways. However, it seems she has listened to the criticism and toned it down (along with the shouting) and she is more watchable now. Whether or not she will become a stand-out companion is yet to be seen, but this is only the first episode. Martha took at least three episodes before she settled in. Perhaps her brashness and borderline incompetence will be her saving grace. I expect a heavier reliance on comedy than usual in this series.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Rose appeared in this episode! Literally, one moment she was there and the next she was gone! Can she move backwards and forwards through the void? Was she a ghost? Who knows? Apparently that scene was kept out of all the preview screenings of the episode, I guess to maximise the impact of her appearance. I guess this must be pretty significant to the series-long story arc, and not just a way to announce Billie Piper’s return to the series (one of the worst kept secrets ever).

So, overall, I enjoyed the episode but was also a bit dissapointed, but the rest of the series sounds great. Check out the episode guides over at Doctor Who Insania and Kasterborous. Next week we meet the Fire People of Pompeii and looks set to be a great episode. With a later episode featuring Agatha Christie, and another set in an old libraey with a Data Ghost (this years “weeping angels” apparently), it should all be good stuff.

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