Doctor Who Challenge: Day 6
Day 6: Favorite Special Episode
The specials don’t tend to stand out to me, and I usually kind of forget about them. However, there was one that I enjoyed thoroughly: The Planet of the Dead.
The reason I think that I enjoyed this one so much was that it was so darn fun. A lot of the specials (especially the Tennant ones) try too hard to be Serious Business and end up being kind of depressing. Planet of the Dead—which was nestled right in the middle of Tennant’s farewell run—feels more like a regular episode of Doctor Who, where the Doctor is just minding his own business and ends up having to save Earth from some malevolent aliens with the help of a few surprisingly resourceful civilians. The story isn’t brilliant and doesn’t stand out from other Doctor Who plots, but it follows a familiar, enjoyable formula. (The reason it’s familiar is because it works so well!) Another thing that makes this episode enjoyable is a couple of interesting guest characters. The first is Christina, a clever thief who is a bit cocky and not easily phased by the Doctor’s antics. I usually don’t enjoy characters like her, but there’s something about Christina that made me wish that the Doctor would have allowed her to travel with him a bit longer. The other character that I enjoyed was Professor Malcolm Taylor, who is brilliant and practically saves the world, yet acts like every fangirl would act if they ever had the chance to meet the Doctor.
I went into this episode knowing that it would be one of Tennant’s last, and so I expected a grittier plot with lots of angst. Instead, it was amusing and had that comfortable feeling I get whenever I settle down to watch a new episode of Doctor Who. I love to be pleasantly surprised!
Doctor Who Challenge: Day 5
Day 5: Favorite Alien
“The circle must be broken.”
Generally, the less that aliens resemble human beings, the less sympathetic they are portrayed. Doctor Who tends to follow this trope, with a few notable exceptions. Although the Ood are humanoids and share some anatomical similarities to humans (i.e., two eyes and two ears), their appearance differs enough to let the audience know that we should not expect them to be like humans—in fact, we should be afraid of them. But in spite of their eerily glowing eyes, grotesque face full of tentacles, and the fleshy orb they hold in their palms, the Ood are powerfully emotive creatures. Under normal circumstances, the Ood are intelligent and peaceful creatures whose telepathic powers grant them foresight and unity. However, the constant oppression of their species eventually drives them to violence against humans. It is difficult not to root for the Ood as they lash out against their human oppressors. Even when they are driven to murder and madness, the humans the ones who are portrayed as monsters. The Ood are interesting for two main reasons: the audience can make an emotional connection with them in the same way that we empathize with humans who are suffering, and because the Ood’s relations with humanity brings to light the corruptness of our own species. Our capability of evil is the only thing eerier than these mysterious aliens.
In my opinion, “The Planet of the Ood” is one of the best episodes to date. It’s suspenseful and gets your brain-wheels turning in a way that only Doctor Who can do. I think it’s one of the greatest points of the Davies era.
To the drunks, the addicts, the perverts, the victims, the porn stars, the prostitutes, the adulterers, theives, the obese gluttons who think a waste is a terrible thing to mind, the Twilight fans, the murderers, the mommy’s boys, the losers, the freaks, the geeks, people who think wrestling is real, red necks, guys who own action figures, chain smokers, everyone who does not use a turn signal while texting and talking on the phone in their car, men who live with their mothers, women who get paid in dollar bills, dudes in dresses (seen it at Mars Hill), democrats, republicans, the guys at the gym who walk around the locker room naked singing Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer, mormons and anyone else who wears sacred under breeches, whoever is responsible for the creation and ongoing sale of men’s Lycra biking shorts… yoga instructors, witches, pot heads, meat heads, crack heads, dead heads and meth heads… people who don’t recycle, the rainbow-loving tree-hugging … lefters, and religious people who do not know what I am talking about because these subjects were not on The Little House on the Prairie or covered in their Home School co-op — I have good news for you: Jesus loves you. You’ll fit right in. And because He died for your sins, you get to repent.
Doctor Who Challenge: Day 4
Day 4: Favorite Villain
The Doctor has fought a lot of bad guys, each of them challenging in their own way. Some, like the Doctor, had immense power, others challenged him with their wit and intellect. Some were driven by revenge, some by fear, some by malice. The Doctor defeated them because he has the intellect or the power that the villains are lacking, or because he understands their motivation and is able to intercept it.
But there is one villain who matches both the Doctor’s mind and his strength, who is driven by something that the Doctor cannot stop with reason or power. The Master is driven by madness.
Oh yes. The Master. His sociopathic charm, his surprising creepiness, his wicked brilliance, his ability to EAT HOMELESS PEOPLE and FEEL NO GUILT. I love it—all of it. He is the antithesis to the Doctor and yet his mirror image, who is like the Doctor and has the potential for immense goodness, who is so consumed by insanity that even the Doctor cannot save him. John Simm is perfection in the role, looking innocuous enough to fool others into believing that he’d ever listen to reason, only to do something horrifying when least expected.
In spite of my love for RTD, I felt like the Master’s episodes fell short because of somewhat ridiculous plots. The Master’s big schemes never scared me as much as The Master’s overall personality. I’m a big fan of Moffat, and I’d love to see his take on the character. I hope there will be more of him in the seasons to come.
