It's the 42nd century and The Doctor has 42 minutes. Will he get all Jack Bauer on that century's ass?
DOCTOR WHO – 3.7
"42"
WRITER:
Chris Chibnall (Life On Mars, Torchwood)
DIRECTOR:
Graeme Harper (Angels, Robin Hood)
CAST:
David Tennant (The Doctor)
Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones)
Adjoa Andoh (Francine Jones)
Michelle Collins (Kath McDonnell)
William Ash (Riley Vashtee)
Anthony Flanagan (Orin Scanell)
Matthew Chambers (Hal Korwin)
Vinette Robinson (Abi Lerner)
Gary Powell (Dev Ashton)
Rebecca Oldfield (Erina Lessak)
Elize du Toit (Sinister Woman)
PROGNOSIS
In a distant galaxy, in the 42nd-Century, a spaceship hurtles out of control towards the sun and The Doctor has 42-minutes to save the day...
DIAGNOSIS
After the rude interruption of the Eurovision Song Contest last week, the third season of Doctor Who continues with 42, from writer Chris Chibnall. Essentially, 42 combines the aesthetic of last year's The Impossible Planet/Satan Pit with the storyline of Danny Boyle's Sunshine, using the format of 24.
After arriving aboard another spaceship, this one spiralling out of control towards a sun, The Doctor and Martha fight to prevent certain doom alongside the crew, led by Kath McDonnell (Michelle Collins). Matters are complicated when two of the crew become possessed by a malevolent force, intent on burning each of them to death.
42 is a nice enough episode, enlivened by some great visuals and the occasional moment of tension, but it's also pure formula. It doesn't help that there are strong parallels to last year's The Impossible Planet, in both production design and general story, with both episode's concerning ragtag crews fighting an alien entity that possesses people. Impossible Planet's villain was an enormous demon held captive underground, whereas 42's is more ethereal in nature -- but the similarities are there.
While 42 is definitely a pale shadow of The Impossible Planet, that's not to say it's a terrible episode. The sense of pace and drama is well-balanced, although things begin to get a little strained and repetitive in the final ten minutes.
Chris Chibnall's script is most memorable for a perfect moment of tragedy when Martha finds herself jettisoned in an escape pod, inching towards oblivion, shock etched on The Doctor's face as he screams (silently) at a porthole to her. Kudos to director Graeme Harper for realizing this moment on-screen so beautifully, as it has more punch than the rest of the episode's histrionics put together.
It's getting boring to keep mentioning how perfect David Tennant is in the role these days, but it's true that his commitment and passion elevates dodgy writing and lazy plots. I'll never underestimate him, or take him for granted, as he'll be a tough act to follow when he eventually leaves the series.
Freema Agyeman seems to have settled into her role well, although it's disappointing the scripts since her introduction haven't fleshed out her character that much. She hasn't been able to play anything other than awestruck companion and model daughter so far, which has been a shame.
That said, the decision to have her mother (the excellent Adjoa Andoh) be surreptitiously poisoned against The Doctor is a great idea. Even if, in reality, three goons in your house, making you put your phone in an evidence bag, would make you more suspicious of them... not the handsome chap who saved you from a scorpion-crab creature last week. But hey.
The supporting cast are fine, although Michelle Collins doesn't convince as a ballsy captain. She sweats and huffs around, but fails to make you believe she's actually the leader of these grease-monkeys. Everyone else has characters so one-note it actually comes as a shock when Martha kisses one at the end, as their romantic sub-plot was so emotionally cold you missed it.
Being picky, the science here is totally implausible, but bad science was necessary for the plot to work . Kids, don't ask me how a magnetic field from a ship can pull in an escape pod against the gravitational force of a giant sun... go ask your teachers. While you're there, ask how The Doctor can be covered in ice one second and have it melt without leaving any water or steam...
Overall, 42 was entertaining but forgettable stuff, mired by familiarity with the story-type Chibnall wrote and his cardboard characters. I also find it strange why the two men possessed by the alien entity had to wear space-helmets, beyond the fact said helmets looked creepy. Even for aliens, it's all about "the look"; fiery eyes and baritone voices just aren't enough these days...
GOOD NEWS:
1. David Tennant. Often the best thing about any episode, but he's an actor whose presence you really appreciate when the material is weak or predictable.
2. Special FX. The space sequences were great, particularly the visuals of the sun and the spaceship itself. The set-design was also great and certainly gave the impression of extreme heat.
3. The subplot of Francine Jones being manipulated by the unseen Mr Saxon is making for dramatic story arc. Certainly better than just spotting "Bad Wolf" and "Torchwood" in the scripts each week.
4. Murray Gold is really doing fine work these days. His musical scores were the bane of series 1, but his mixes are really atmospheric these days. Great stuff.
BAD NEWS:
1. Michelle Collins. She tried, but she just lacked any sense of command and believability in this role.
2. Science. There were many instances of bad science here, which was a shame, although it didn't totally get in the way of the story. Just disappointing.
3. Elize du Toit. She's certainly a babe, but anyone who somehow manages to make a "finger twirl" look wooden shouldn't be on prime time BBC.
4. The episode was too unoriginal, both to the recent film Sunshine and Doctor Who's own Impossble Planet/Satan Pit two-parter.
5. A minor irritation, but The Doctor being very aware of popular culture is becoming a trend in season 3. Here, he knows Elvis Presley's songs were remixed. I think it's better if Martha be the expert on contemporary Earth matters, personally.
GEEKY NEWS:
1. The Doctor wears slightly different clothes here: a blue-purple suit with brown stripes.
2. This is the first episode of Doctor Who where events happen in real-time, inspired by hit TV series 24 (coincidentally, this episode's title reversed).
3. The number 42 is most famous as the answer to "life, the universe and everything" according to author Douglas Adams' best-selling book The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
4. Elize Du Toit's Mysterious Woman character will return as Miss Dexter in the finale. She is most famous for starring in the soap Hollyoaks.
5. Michelle Collins is best known to UK audiences for her role as scheming bitch Cindy Beale in EastEnders.
6. Director Graeme Harper is the longest-serving crew member on Doctor Who, having first directed "The Caves Of Androzani" during the Peter Davison era in 1984.
7. Martha's phone is upgraded by The Doctor to call home, as was Rose's. Here we see The Doctor uses "Universal Roaming". Wonder what the tariff is...
8. Martha is also given a key to the TARDIS by The Doctor, something he never gave Rose. Mind you, Rose would most likely trash the place if she had access and Martha's much more sensible.
9. The Doctor uses the phrase "allons-y" again.
OPINION: 3 / 5
OUTLOOK: Next week, The Doctor and Martha battle living Scarecrows in rural England , circa 1913...
Hey Herc
A quick review of 42, or DOCTOR WHO 3.7, or whatever the heck you want to call it! Anyway, it aired in the UK tonight...
Who's involved? Tennant and Freeman, with script from TORCHWOOD lead writer Chris Chibnall, direction from WHO veteran Graeme Harper and a guest role from UK TV actor Michelle Collins.
What's the story? The Doctor and Martha land inside "The Pentallian", a deep-space cargo vessel on collision-course with a distant sun. And there's only 42 minutes until the ship reaches the point of no return...
What's new? It's Who in real-time! A quick flip of the numbers 24, and there you go (and yep, WHO runs 45 minutes with credits in the UK, so that works too.
In a word, is it any good? Oh yep. There's plenty of running around, some decent technobabble, sly visual nods to a range of spaceship SF, from ALIEN to last season's IMPOSSIBLE PLANET/SATAN PIT two parter. There's decent production values and generally impressive practical and CGI effects work. The Doctor/Martha dynamic builds very nicely indeed, the sonic screwdriver doesn't get used, and the show's central premise/baddie is delightful, straightforward and so different to make Danny Boyle and Alex Garland kick each other's behinds for not thinking of it for SUNSHINE. The real-time aspect works OK too, and generally helps to keep the tension ratcheted up.
Anything iffy about it? An occasional lapse into the usual spaceship plot issues (hello airlock!), and a scientifically problematic rescue. Though I reckon you can play slightly fast and loose with physics when you've got time-travelling phone-boxes front and centre...
Are there any SPOILERS I should/shouldn't know about? Well, Back home on Earth , it's election day, and Martha's mum's got some of Mister Saxon's goons round at her house. Is she collaborating? What's Saxon's interest in Martha and The Doctor?
All in all, another decent self-contained episode in a season of admirably consistent quality. Next week, the first of a two-part story (a reworking of the Who novel HUMAN NATURE). We're in pre-World War I England with some very creepy looking scarecrows...
