Well, since I watched three episodes in this Tennant era part of my rewatch over this weekend, and one yesterday, Iāll do some condensing here.
Tooth and Claw
You know, thereās very little wrong with this one, I wonder why itās overlooked so often. Itās a pretty by the books werewolf story, an amusing possible explanation of the royal disease within the Doctor Who universe. The Rose trying to get Victoria to say āwe are not amusedā I think gets old really fast, and doesnāt really work for me, especially in the scene where it really wasnāt the time or place for it. The quote is likely apocryphal anyway, but who cares about that, itās a TV show. A bit frustrating how long it took for the female side characters aside from the Queen to do anything in this story aside from scream at just a man in a cage (seriously, why did they scream at just the dude in the cage at the end of the cold open other than to make it seem more scary) and be captured by the Voldemort monks. Also, if they had planned ahead for the werewolf with the trap and all that, why not stock the place with silver bullets? That might have been easier, or if they werenāt going to go that route, some explanation for why the traditional werewolf-fighting stuff wonāt work, maybe the monks even got rid of anything silver in the place in prep, whatever. But the story itself, the action, the spooky atmosphere, the plot, how they tied in all the Victoriana, all the Scottishness, the wolf itself, and the introduction of how Torchwood came to be all just generally worked and was very enjoyable to me.
This is probably the first example of Ten and Rose being rather āsmugā as itās often put, but I actually think it works pretty well here. It rather intentionally shows how wrong it is for them to be seemingly enjoying everything happening while people around them are dying. And theyāre directly called out for it by Queen Victoria on numerous occasions, but especially when she banishes the Doctor because she sees him as dangerous, and who can blame her from what sheād seen of him this episode. Otherwise, I do like how interested he is in the wolf though, and how he appreciates its beauty, as well as the ābooks, the greatest weapons of them allā stuff is very Doctor like. Honestly, of the first three episodes with him, I think this one has used the Tenth Doctor the best. Think Iāll up this one from a 5 to a 7/10.
School Reunion
This one of course is pretty much a classic. I love the reintroduction of Sarah Jane and K9, and the whole thing seems to be a love letter to the classic series and its fans. The references made are an extra something for those who know, but to the new audience theyāre not so important to make the episode hard to follow. I know itās a bit of a point that started some minor controversy when Sarah reveals that she loved the Doctor, possibly even in a romantic sort of way, but honestly, I donāt think its an issue, I could honestly kind of see it even in the 70s when the idea was so far from their minds. While Four couldnāt be more aroace, and likely was never going to reciprocate romantic feelings, I donāt see any reason Sarah couldnāt feel that kind of a way, the two of them were very close. And I also like seeing some of the aftermath of the way they ended things, so sudden, with little explanation, in the wrong place, the way that affected her, adding more depth to her character.
Sarah and Rose competing and each getting jabs in at each other is quite funny, even if I much prefer when they get along. I also like on another level how it creates a little friendly rivalry between the classic series and the new series, while admitting that the other stuff was 30 years old and admittedly a little bit silly and dated at times, but also somewhat highlighting the ways they are similar. The scene when they both talk about the different things theyāve seen is a particular favorite of mine, and sums up how simultaneously similar and different these two series are.
The plot itself isnāt really much to write home about, but the story is really about the characters and the companionsā roles and relationships to the Doctor. That said, Anthony Stewart Head knocks it out of the park as Finch/Lassar. Heās just very entertaining as the bad guy in this one, a rather great get for the early modern series. The humor and the comedy works well in this, like the Doctor being unsure where to start in a class on physics, Rose as a lunch lady, Mickey being terrified of yellow rats in bags, āwe are in a car,ā K9 still having a little of that sass, āforget the shooty dog thing,ā etc. the funny bits go on.
This story does bring up another of my less favored aspects of the Tenth Doctor, the āoh heās so lonelyā stuff that shows up time and time again, this time with Lassar suggesting he must be. But I do like that it doesnāt turn the Doctor over to his side and he rejects his offer. Thereās more on this in the next episode, Iām just not a fan of the āsad, lonely guyā thing they do with the character. Though I do like the explanation he gives to Sarah Jane as to why he has to keep moving on, how with him being effectively immortal and his companions and friends all having such comparatively short lifespans, he canāt just watch them die all the time.
Really just a solid episode of Doctor Who, honestly. 8/10, bumped up one.
The Girl in the Fireplace
Lots of really good things in this episode. I really like the premise of it, the idea of this ship stranded in space, the robotic crew just trying to fix it as best as they can, and because the ship is called the Madame de Pompadour they think that her brain can replace the computer. I like the contrast and juxtaposition between the space age and pre-revolutionary France settings. The look of the clockwork droids is excellent, truly is as gorgeous as Ten says it is.
First minor issue I found is how Rose was so clearly unhappy and upset with Mickey joining the TARDIS crew at the end of the previous episode, but now theyāre just completely buddy buddy in this one right after it. And given that Mickey says āI got a spaceship on my first go,ā Iām not inclined to think some time has passed with other adventures in between. It doesnāt really add up to me.
Itās been said before, but there is something kind of weird about the Doctor meeting a little seven-year-old girl, and in the span of 5 minutes for him, heās making out with her as an adult. Iāll give some benefit of the doubt as Reinette initiated it, and I donāt think the Doctor went into it with that sort of idea even in his mind. Itās just a little weird. Related, I never caught the implication before of āthere comes a time when every lonely little boy must learn how to dance,ā and they walk off screen. Given Moffatās use of dancing as a euphemism in his last story, is the scene implying what I think it is? Iām not sure I am a fan of the Doctor doing that in this case, considering major historical figure as well as the above. Iām not one who thinks the Doctor can never ādance,ā but I donāt care for the idea in this context.
And, of course, thereās the ending. Youāre telling me that because they moved the fireplace, that disconnected it at the time that the rest were destroyed, and he can just sonic it a little and it just works again? That seems far too convenient and easy and I donāt buy that it would work.
All of that said, I do enjoy just about all of the rest of the story. I like Reinette as a character, my favorite bits are how sheās able to read the Doctorās mind in reverse when heās reading hers, how she asserts herself to cross into the other world wanting to see it, as well as her standing up against the droids. I like how sheās got clear ambitions and desires, and goes out and gets them, she knows what she wants. It maybe would have been interesting to learn a bit more about her role in history beyond Louis XVās mistress, but it really wasnāt the story they were telling here.
So while I like the one scene for Reinette, I didnāt need to hear about the Doctorās lonely childhood, lonely this, lonely that. Youāve pretty much had someone with you for 900 years, your TARDIS, alive, has also been with you that entire time. Yes, you canāt really settle down and stay with anyone forever, yes, the rest of your race is dead, but you basically always have company. Sure, you can feel lonely while not being alone, I get that, but the Doctor has never actually seemed or been portrayed as lonely before, and I donāt think it rings true when we keep hearing from Ten how lonely the Doctorās always been. I certainly donāt like that seemingly being a core, central piece of his character, I just get sick of hearing it.
Iāll stick with my 8/10, quite a good episode, despite some of my issues with it.
Rise of the Cybermen
Oh boy, positives first. I like the parallel universe setting. I like seeing Earth but clearly not quite right, Britain being a Peopleās Republic led by a President, zeppelins everywhere. Iād be curious to learn what different courses history took to make Peteās World happen the way it did. Did the Soviets end up winning the Cold War? Was US containment policy in the late 20th century even less effective than it was in our universe? Did Britain just have a revolution and take out the Royal Family or something? I think we could have used a bit more world building, which you just donāt really have the time for in a modern series runtime, even a two-parter it seems.
The Preachers, Iām not exactly clear on what they really do. Even if I like Jake, Mrs. Moore, and Ricky as characters. Sure, they are rebels against the greater overdependence on technology and Cybusās stranglehold they have on basically everything, I get that much. But what do they actually do? We saw Jake recording the truck where they were taking homeless people for cyber conversion, they have a van, some guns, and a man on the inside, but no sense of their actual plans other than wanting Lumic gone. Maybe the point is they donāt really have a plan or anything and need someone like the Doctor to give them some real direction, but if that was the intent, I donāt think itās particularly clear.
Itās rather odd how quick the Doctor is to give up when the TARDIS lands in this universe with seemingly no power. Doesnāt even seem to check, just says āweāre in a dead time machine.ā Whereās the hope the Doctor usually has, or at least an explanation as to why the Doctor is so immediately convinced theyāre toast. It is cool that it seems their ignoring of Mickey may be the cause of their troubles, though itās unclear whether the button being pressed so long actually caused this or not.
Parallel Jackie and Pete are interesting. How many times does the Doctor need to tell you they arenāt your parents, Rose? I understand that she lost her father at a young age, but what honestly makes her think that such a different parallel universe copy of her father could really be an equivalent? This Pete is basically a scam artist thatās made millions off of it (āwell it is popā) regardless of how nice he seems at an individual level (of course, we donāt yet know that he is Gemini and has been working to take down Lumic this whole time). As much as this Jackie is so entitled, sheās perfectly within her right to tell Rose off for overstepping and commenting on a marriage between two people she doesnāt even know. Rose in this universe just being a small dog is hilarious, and easily the funniest gag in this whole story.
I see theyāre falling into the Classic Who approach of āoh, itās this companionās last story as companion, better give him some development and backstoryā with Mickey. It is nice to actually learn something about him, like how he lived with his gran, how his father went to Spain and never came back. āGreat womanā followed up directly by how much she would slap Mickey feels rather dated, I think that would be considered far less acceptable now. And I like the idea that Mickey is just fed up with being ignored, overlooked, underappreciated with the Doctor and Rose and may be looking for a better alternative (even if they couldnāt be more obvious that this is the end of Mickey).
Ok, to the elephant in the room, just about everything to do with this version of the Cybermen. I wonāt sugar coat, I hate the Cybus version of the Cybermen. I hate the way they loudly stomp around everywhere, I hate how overly mechanical they are with no semblance of an organic component, I hate that they gave them a stupid āexterminateā-esque catchphrase. I donāt like the way they seem to have Dalekized them, they gave them a Davros in John Lumic. Lumic even follows many of the same beats as Davros, wheelchair and life support bound, mad scientist who is a genius but putting that to the wrong use, sees his creation as the future of his race, goes ahead and does his experiments anyway when told not to by higher authorities then having the creation destroy those authorities. In the next part, we even get his creations turning on him in the end. Itās frankly ridiculous how much of Genesis of the Daleks is ripped off here, and I am one of the people who think that oneās great. Everyone looks stupid with the ear pods too. I do like the themes of humanity being slaves to technology, doing anything for the latest upgrade, something that still has relevance today, but wow does the 2006 idea of futuristic technology look quaint in 2026. The bringing back of International Electromatics was a nice touch, especially considering the similar way Cybus and IE were portrayed in their respective stories. The āLion Sleeps Tonightā scene was pretty morbidly funny, with it juxtaposing with the visuals we see of people being brutally Cyber converted. But honestly, the amount they butcher the Cybermen in this story really makes it hard for me to enjoy the rest of it as much as I could.
Credit where due, Graeme Harper directs this really well, thereās a reason heās the only director to do both classic and modern Who, heās very good. I donāt really have any notes for Tenās Doctor in this episode, I think heās fairly good in an ordinary sort of way overall. I think Iāll keep my 6/10 for this episode, but Iām toying with the idea of dropping it to a 5.
