Great one-off (kinda) Doctor Who ep this week. It has all the classic elements, including a crippled space ship, a stalking monster, a mystery to be unravelled, and a ton o’ red shirts (none of which are red). It’s like any of the old school Doctor Who serials, in but a single episode (Tom Baker would have taken four or five to resolve it all). But it also does some very nice arc stuff in progressing the “touching yet increasingly manipulative and thus slightly creepy” Doctor / Martha relationship, as well as the mystery of Harold Saxon.
Both stars do an excellent job, the supporting cast is solid, the fx are well done (and appropriately and amusingly economical when need be), and the writing is taut, tense, and exciting.
By the way, I really like Martha’s mom. She’s just as clingy and annoying as Jackie ever was for Rose, but she’s got a spine of iron and a serious ‘tude to match.
(In other SciFi news, Painkiller Jane managed to nicely rework Groundhog Day, and Flash Gordon‘s second outing was as goofy-in-a-non-amusing-way as the first.)
And what of this “Mr. Saxon”…? 🙂
I know what’s coming with that, thanks to the spoilers that you avoid like the plague, but it’s getting a nice, creepy build-up, especially coming through Martha’s mum as it is. I had to go back and watch the first few eps to make sure there was a “Bad Wolf”/”Torchwood”-like reference to him in every one (there is).
Not sure about “every one,” but I’ll take your word for it.
I’ll confess that after the Fountain of Youth episode, which is when I first noticed it, I did a quick Google on the name to see if it was a reference from a past episode I should recognize. Instead, I got spoiled as to what/who the reference points to in the future (of, presumably, Series 3). Which makes me chortle on a couple of levels, but about which I will say nothing here until it comes to pass.
And NEITHER WILL ANYONE ELSE, HEAR ME?
Aye, aye, cap’n. 😉
Just fyi…I looked up the references (only showing the ones up through “42”). You’re right, there was no mention of Saxon in the two Dalek episodes. But those are the only ones that skipped it.
Saxon was first mentioned in Series 2 in “Love and Monsters” in a newspaper headline that read “Saxon leads poll with 64 per cent”. Davies says in the commentary track, “”Look at the headline. That’s all I’m going to say.” He was plotting this thing way back then!
In “The Runaway Bride” when the tank commander fires on the Racnoss ship, he says it’s on orders from Mr. Saxon.
In “Smith and Jones”, during a news report about the events in the episode, an interviewee says “All this just goes to prove Mr Saxon right.” Later, as Martha Jones meets the Doctor in an alley, a poster displaying the slogan “Vote Saxon” is prominently displayed behind her.
There’s a sneaky one in “Gridlock” that doesn’t mention the name Saxon but reveals itself after-the-fact, so I won’t specifically mention it. Just remember what the Face of Boe says…
“The Lazarus Experiment” has Saxon’s aide warn Francine Jones that the Doctor is dangerous.
In “42”, agents of Mr Saxon trace Francine’s call to Martha’s superphone.
Thanks.
OooooooooOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOh!
Thanks for all the references! I just got caught up on all the Doctor Who to date tonight, and I’ll admit I assumed Saxon was just a part of Torchwood when he showed up in the Lazarus episode. Now I sense he’s something else….
That was my initial thought, too.
Heh.