Doctor Who 4.3: Planet of the Ood

[selenay]

Sometimes the DW writers fail a little when they're trying to write big issues (witness the first episode of this year's season) and then they write something like Planet of the Ood and really, really don't fail.

Things to love:

- Donna. Everything about her, but particularly her excitement at her first alien world and her empathy for the Ood.
- Ood Sigma. Sneaky Ood :-)
- Sometimes men in suits determined to be corporate whizzes are way nastier than destroy-the-world evil guys.
- The Ood's song was beautiful and haunting and just perfect for them.
- The Ood are even more alien than we thought they were. While they probably aren't the most practical alien ever designed, I did love the ideas behind them with the group brain and the brain that they have to hold.
- The Doctor being chased by the claw - very realistic and great fun.
- The PR girl. Not evil, but willing to keep quiet and toe the line knowing that what they're doing is wrong. How many people out there have done terrible things for the same reason?
- The panoramic shots of the Ood planet were just beautiful. When the effects team are allowed to do alien planets, they really do take your breath away.

It is entirely possible that I love Donna more with every episode. She's growing right in front of us, learning from everything she sees and yet keeping the Doctor grounded as well. She says part way through the episode that travelling with him has left her not sure what is right and wrong any more. I liked the Doctor's response that it's better that way with the implication otherwise you end up doing bad things for what you think are the right reasons. However there were times when I felt that Rose, and to a lesser degree Martha, became too caught up with the adventure to question the ethics of what they were doing. Perhaps they got too caught up in the morally ambiguous side of things and didn't always ask questions that needed to be asked.

I think Donna will be the character to challenge the Doctor on ethical things far more than the other companions in New Who have and I love that.

A part of me does have concerns about the practicality of the Ood's biology, but the idea of them is just too cool for me to worry much. I love the idea of a race who's entire biology and way of being makes them gentle.

The parallels between the what happened to the Ood and slavery on Earth were really well done. I didn't feel like we were being beaten over the head with it even though it was the kind of episode that left you thinking long after the credits rolled.

In the on-going arc, I didn't hear any overt mention of the Shadow Proclamation or planets disappearing. Perhaps someone spotted something that I missed? I did spot the reference to the bees disappearing again. I can't remember the exact words, but it sounded to me like the Ood were warning the Doctor that something bad was coming and he might not survive. It's all getting most intriguing.

I loved this episode and it seems like we're following the pattern of previous seasons where episode three is the one that really gets things rolling. I have a feeling that this season is going to be special.

ETA: Who else thought "Vulcan mind-meld!" when the Doctor let Donna hear the Ood song? Well?

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, I did like yet another reference to bees (and I'm wondering if they're going to do something with that) - and the mention of the Doctor's song ending soon.

And I'm very much looking forward to seeing some of my Childhood DW aliens again next week!

Donna - mmm. Okay, but still want to wrap duck-tape round her head. :-)