By Ross Ruediger
The Runaway Bride is the second Christmas special of the new Doctor Who and it packs a special punch. It���s an action spectacle about yet another alien invasion of Earth, framed by a secondary storyline about loss and living. And, as is often the case with Doctor Who, it���s that secondary story that separates it from the rest. Picking up immediately where ���Doomsday��� left off, the Doctor (David Tennant) is baffled by the Bride���s (Catherine Tate) sudden appearance in the TARDIS. Turns out her name is Donna and she���s obnoxious, rude and loud ��� the antithesis of Rose Tyler. Even worse, she doesn���t seem particularly impressed by any of his gimmicky gadgetry and insists that he���s been hired by a jealous friend to kidnap and spirit her away from her wedding. Why anyone would want to marry this woman seems at first to be the biggest mystery of all. Before long, the Doctor and Donna are caught up in an alien plan of which Donna���s unknowingly at the center.
The alien in question is the Empress of Racnoss, a giant, spider-like creature who must rank amongst the most impressive-looking aliens Doctor Who has yet unveiled. Beneath all the makeup and prosthetics is Sarah Parish, who previously played opposite Tennant in Blackpool. Parish is one helluva great actress, but an odd choice for this part, if for no other reason than she���s something of a stunner and it almost seems a shame to cover up all that beauty. I say ���almost��� mostly because she plays the Empress with delicious relish and the entire realization of the character owes more than a little bit to Tim Curry���s Darkness from Legend. Hopefully the production team can find something for her further down the road, as it���d be nice to see her on Who in a role that looks more like the Sarah Parish I���ve come to appreciate.
The departure of Billie Piper is something Who couldn���t treat lightly ��� she���d been with the series since the beginning and was just as important to the goings-on as the Doctor himself. When I first saw ���Doomsday���, I hated, HATED the cliffhanger ending with the sudden appearance of the Bride. It severely undercut the dramatically sound farewell scenes and in seconds shifted gears into the comically absurd. Would the Doctor be given any amount of proper grieving time? After cooling down, I assumed Russell T. Davies knew what he was doing, and I���d best wait and see what he did with ���Bride���. Luckily I was right -- the spirit of Rose Tyler hovers over the episode like the Ghost of Christmas Past. Never before has the Doctor dwelled on a companion���s exit the way he does on Rose���s. ���Bride��� was initially broadcast on the BBC on Christmas Day 2006 ��� a full three or so months before ���Smith and Jones��� made its debut. It could be considered the end of the second season or the beginning of the third, yet it works best to think of it as something smack in between.
Probably the most unexpected ���star��� of the episode is the TARDIS. It���s a treat seeing that the old girl���s still got some surprises left in her and the chase scene on the highway is an unquestionable highlight. Back in the old series, we saw the labyrinthine interior and the Police Box exterior, but due to technical limitations, we never got to see both at the same time (i.e. looking through the doors). The chase sequence amps this development up to the max as the Doctor desperately attempts to help Donna escape from a taxi driven by a robot Santa. Adding to that, seeing the TARDIS fly out in the open air is thrilling and the Doctor���s jury-rigging of the console with string is great fun. How easy would it have been for Davies to have him point the sonic screwdriver at the controls and ���drive��� via remote? Very��� Speaking of that damn screwdriver, how cool is the Doctor plugging it into the speaker system at the wedding reception? The sonic screwdriver finally being used for something sonic!?! Made me feel bad for bitching about his magic wand ad nauseum. The TARDIS��� ability to make it snow in the last scene is a nice nod to ���The Christmas Invasion���s��� faux-snow and its abnormal takeoff at the end is like the Doctor strutting his goods after being turned down. (The guy���s the biggest showoff in Mutter���s Spiral.)
There���s much weaving of the new series��� established history into the proceedings and the Doctor repeatedly quizzes Donna about numerous events of which she should be well aware -- yet she���s oblivious to any world outside her own. (Her fianc�� even moans about her fickle fascination with crap like Brad & Angelina and text messaging.) Donna���s an interesting character and it���s a credit to Tate���s acting and Davies��� script that she���s able to go from irritating to touching with only an hour���s worth of screentime. It���s noteworthy to see someone in her position not only turn down his offer to come along and see the universe (although Grace did much the same in the Paul McGann TV Movie), but to also point out that the predicaments into which he gets himself are downright unnerving to the average person. Perhaps most important is her calling of him on the carpet:Donna: "Promise me one thing though, Doctor."
The Doctor: "What's that?"
Donna: "That you'll find somebody."
The Doctor: "I don't need anybody."
Donna: "Yes you do. Because I think sometimes you need somebody to stop you."
That may be one of the most perceptive statements anyone���s ever said to the Doctor ��� certainly poignant coming from this self-centered woman who���s known him for all of one day. What drove her to this realization was the Doctor���s dispatching of the Empress and the detached, borderline cruel manner in which he did it. In that moment, he was just sick of aliens fucking with his territory, but she���s got no idea the amount of effort he���s put into protecting Earth. Back in ���The Christmas Invasion��� the Doctor declared, ���No second chances. I'm that sort of a man���, and while he���s lived up to it from time to time, he sells it hardcore with the Empress. David Tennant sometimes seemed unsure of himself in his first season as the Doctor, but he���s clearly in a ���This show���s mostly about me��� mode here (this being the first episode he shot since gaining viewer approval). He���s got a season behind him and loads of acclaim to boot. He doesn���t have to worry about living in the shadow of Christopher Eccleston anymore; if anything, Eccleston now has to live in the shadow of David Tennant. And kudos to Davies for not once, but now twice giving the Christmas specials some pretty dark undertones -- must be the atheist in him.
���Smith and Jones��� is much like both of Doctor Who���s previous season openers: Its primary goal is to establish a relationship. ���Rose��� established the relationship between the Doctor and Rose; ���New Earth��� did the same with the new Doctor and Rose. ���Smith and Jones��� sets up the Doctor and the new companion, Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman). What���s noteworthy here is again the reliance on Davies��� now firmly established Whoniverse (including yet another mention of Rose!). Martha, unlike Donna, is well aware of the numerous attempted alien invasions of the planet Earth, so there���s less of a need for the Doctor to explain himself and what he���s about. She gets it -- and quickly too ��� because over the past couple years she���s been living in a world where the impossible has become the norm. She mourns the loss of her cousin Adeola, who was never seen after the Cybermen/Dalek invasion from last season (Agyemen had a minor role and was offed in ���Army of Ghosts���) and recalls the Racnoss web from ���Bride���. There are no reset buttons here. The new series is now able to stand on its own and doesn���t necessarily have to rely on classic Who lore.
Martha���s also unlike the shopgirl with no future, Rose. She���s a med student close to becoming a doctor herself. The Doctor isn���t as much taking her away from the mundane and he is offering explanations for the rapidly changing world around her. Also introduced is Martha���s family, who are quite different from Jackie and Mickey. Rose was bored with her family life; Martha���s simply fed up with her family���s unnecessary drama. In the end, it isn���t difficult to understand why Martha would choose to accompany this charismatic figure. She���s been raised a thinker and a doer, not a follower.
The rest of ���Smith and Jones��� is really just a big, silly romp and it���s probably the least thought-provoking episode of Season Three (the series��� tightest group of tales yet). The story���s weak, but since it doesn���t aspire to be much more than simple entertainment, it can hardly be considered a misfire. The effects work is grand and the Judoon, while not particularly interesting, at least look cool (they���re a vague revamp of the Sontarans from the old series). It���s also nice to see an alien race that���s only present to do their job, not to enslave everyone they encounter -- very Douglas Adams. My favorite gag (subtle though it may be) is the killing of the hospital administrator, Mr. B. Stoker, via the sucking of his blood. Admittedly, I could���ve done without the straw, though.
Lastly -- and I do feel the need to mention this ��� it was announced earlier this week that Catherine Tate���s Donna will not only be returning to Doctor Who, but upgraded to full-time companion status for Season/Series Four. I could ramble on about the potential of the development, but I���ll save it for another time. ���What about Martha?��� you ask. She���ll be coming back around midway through the season, as well as having some guest shots on Season/Series Two of Torchwood, the Who-for-adults spinoff featuring Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman). ���But I haven���t even Season One of Torchwood!��� you say. Do not despair -- BBC America debuts it in September.
______________________________________________
Ross Ruediger is a San Antonio-based critic and columnist, a contributor to The House Next Door, and publisher of The Rued Morgue.
NEXT WEEK: The Doctor and Martha meet the Bard, creep the boards of the Globe Theatre and battle a triumvirate of witches in ���The Shakespeare Code���.
Classic Who DVD Recommendation of the Week: ���The Invasion���, starring Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Doctor Who, Season Three, Eps. 0 and 1: "The Runaway Bride" and "Smith and Jones"
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11 comments:
Not so fast...I, the jury, is still undecided about Tennant. Just when my wife and I had thought we had gotten accustomed to his excitable Jim Carrey-ishness (not, for us, the best direction for the Doctor to go in, after Eccleston's more brains-and-brawn approach, which was as thorough a reworking of an established character as Daniel Craig's later take on James Bond), he'd do something really silly, and we'd be back at square one. And I disliked how he threw off Piper's performance; she never seemed as comfortable with him as she did with Eccleston, and was probably relieved to depart. (Of course, I should really take out my disappointment on Eccleston, who left too soon.)
That said, we're looking forward to diving back in again, as soon as we can clear a path through our DVR. But if Tennant were to decide that he had had enough after two seasons, we wouldn't be unhappy.
We were kicking around new Whos, and thought that Michael Sheen would be an excellent choice. Won't happen--he's getting the big Brit actor in Hollywood-for-a-few years-till-he-gets-too-expensive and-we-send-him-packing buildup (think Robert Carlyle, Tom Wilkinson, and Jim Broadbent)--but he could do the whole quirky-sinister-heroic-elusive ball of wax very effectively.
Sorry to disappoint, Mr. C., but David's on for at least a third year.
Although the general fandom is bemoaning Tate's reappearance for DW season/series 4, I think it'll be nice to have somebody who isn't all moony-eyed over the Doctor. If I can deal with the screeching, that is.
Sarah Parish and David also did some incredible work in the movie Recovery.
I'm still kind of luke warm on Tennant, but I will say that I enjoyed both "Bride" and "S&J" - in particular "Bride".
I absolutely enjoyed Donna as a character. And of course the funniest scene was the roof top about how she and her intended became engaged - it was laugh out loud funny.
The whole plot of "Bride" was open, you knew what was going to happen you just wanted to see how they were going to get there. And if anybody carried the episode it was Catherine Tate. Bravo. I hope she does come back as Donna and as the Doctor's companion.
"Smith and Jones" was also one of those simple plots, but was curiously intricate for a simple character introduction episode. As you said, the whole alien flip around with the alien cops actually doing what they were supposed to do was interesting. I too thought the straw thing was a little over-the-top - vampire/plasmavore - What's the diff?
I'm not totally anti-Tennant - as you said, he's slowly growing into the role, but I don't think the "ghost" of Eccleston is completely gone. And with the lovely Rose and her zany mother gone, it will be hard to fill the void.
Fun episodes - great review.
I adore Donna, she's a fabulous foil to the Doctor's matter-of-fact arrogance. I was gratified every time she smacked him for going on his over-the-top techno-rants: none of that stuff matters, so shut up! Classic. And of course, you're right that Donna's line about the Doctor needing someone to stop him is dead on.
That said, I really enjoyed Martha and her family, too. But it's hard not to miss Rose and Jackie, and even Mickey.
Robert -
I certainly don’t mean to come off as critical of Eccleston. I loved and still love his portrayal, but as even you pointed out, he chose to leave the role which - though I doubt he’d admit it - was probably the worst career move he ever made. Here’s a guy that massive fame has eluded for most of his career, and when he finally got a defining, important role he blew it. Tennant, on the other hand, has somewhat struggled to carve a name for himself and the Doctor has propelled him into the big time. After he leaves the show, I’ve no doubt he’s going to be a huge player in both movies and film.
Which leads directly to your Michael Sheen comment. Any time anyone bandies about potential Doctors, I think back to something Tom Baker once said: “Any reasonably good actor can be a great Doctor Who.” (I’m paraphrasing that somewhat, but hopefully you get the idea). Sure Sheen would be good, but as you point out, his star is rising. Hugh Grant recently admitted that Davies offered him the role before Eccleston (I found this hard to believe, but I can’t imagine he’d make that up). He said he somewhat regretted not taking the part, but he couldn’t see himself committing to a weekly series and all that it entails. He also said he hoped the production team could find a guest shot for him further down the road. Personally, I think Grant would’ve been a great Doctor and it would’ve been a nice stretch for him as an actor.
These days my fingers are crossed for David Morrissey to get the role when Tennant leaves. He’d be a much different Doctor and probably reside in that darker Eccleston arena.
Camera wrote:
Although the general fandom is bemoaning Tate's reappearance for DW season/series 4, I think it'll be nice to have somebody who isn't all moony-eyed over the Doctor. If I can deal with the screeching, that is.
Agreed. I’m thinking that the relationship between the Doctor and Donna is going to be far more akin to the old series Doc/companion relationships. DW fandom bemoans nearly every series development. I sometimes wonder why they continue watching the show.
I’ve not yet seen RECOVERY, but really want to.
Sheik –
I’m a bit ahead of the US viewers and my opinions of Tennant aren’t solely based on these two eps, although I did notice a fair amount of confidence in him in BRIDE right off the bat; something stronger than he’d given last season. S3 is something of a slow build to greatness, but once its arc starts hitting it’s a grand ride.
In any case, I’m glad you liked what you saw. I’ve still not figured out what makes DW work for you and what makes it fail. Had I been placing bets, I’d have guessed neither of these eps would be up your alley.
Joan –
As always, it’s great to have you here. I, too, miss Rose. How can you not? But the team does a pretty good job of bringing us something fresh and a little bit different in Martha. And they do an even better job of confounding expectations as the season moves forward.
Normally I'd let typos be typos, but...
I wrote:
After he leaves the show, I’ve no doubt he’s going to be a huge player in both movies and film.
Ahem.
Should've been "movies and TV".
Liked Bride, thought Smith and Jones a bit of a bore, though Martha Jones is very easy on the eyes. Tennant I see as a different apple; Eccleston has angst written all over him, and Harkness peg "Look at you--U-Boat Captain!" is hilariously on the dot. He's got mood and gravitas on his side.
As for leaving Doctor Who--well, let's see. He seems to have a magnitude that needs the big screen--gave a great performance in Michael Winterbottom's Jude, I think.
I recall reading that Eccleston left because he feared typecasting, and resisted stardom. Something about preserving the purity of his acting. Well, OK, fine, but one more season wouldn't have killed him.
And Hugh Grant did play the Doctor...for a few minutes, in the 1999 Rowan Atkinson spoof The Curse of Fatal Death, which can be found on YouTube. Joanna Lumley and Jim Broadbent were other Doctors in the sendup which also featured Jonathan Pryce and a Dalek or two.
One more season would've been nice--first was Get to Know Your Companion, second was Come to Regret Losing Her. The second season is emotionally richer, companionwise anyway; Eccleston was still struggling to come to terms with his attraction to humanity.
I loved The Runaway Bride.
I found Donna to be extremely human. Her reasoning for staying near the doctor was very well expresses when they were getting on the elevator. She wasn't as interested in him being an alien and having all sorts of technical do-dads as she was with, and I paraphrase here, "sticking with the guy who keeps saving my life."
There is something else that you sort of skipped over which I thought was one of the most interesting lines of the episode. At the end the doctor mentions that Donna could come along with him she declines and their exchange ends with this:
The Doctor: You’ve seen it out there. It’s beautiful.
Donna: And it’s terrible. That place was flooding and burning and they were dying and you stood there like… I don’t know, a stranger. And then you made it snow. I mean, you scare me to death.
This may be the most human reaction to the doctor that I have seen since the new series started. As soon as she said this I fell in love with her character.
I suppose this puts me at odds with the general Who fandom but I am very pleased to see her coming back next season. She isn't bad to look at either. ;)
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