TARDISWATCH 2008: DOCTOR WHO FEATURE REVIEWS
EPISODE 4: THE SONTARAN STRATAGEM
An independent, unofficial series of Doctor Who reviews and analysis from a lifelong fan of the show
Once more Doctor Who fandom is rocked by the return of a classic villain. We’ve already had Daleks, Cybermen, The Master, the Macra, Autons and the latest comeback kings- The Sontarans. Each time an old foe comes back, a great deal of attention is paid to their updated appearances. Do they still look like the classic Doctor Who series version? How much will they differ in terms of prosthetics, armour and weaponry? And so on. BBC Wales have come up trumps with their redesigned Sontarans, they really have. The pint-sized warriors were never the most convincing of Doctor Who monsters, largely down to their limited facial expressions and the muffled way in which the actors had to deliver their lines, but major kudos to the current team, who have recreated them as a rather imposing and formidable race, despite their short stature. Their armour has been visibly updated, but the helmets that cover their spud-like heads are identical, still boasting those dark eyes and shiny dome (Sounds much like me really, but the dark eyes are limited to the grey circles under mine). Where the production has really excelled is with their facial expressions. Granted, there’s only two Sontaran faces visible in this episode (the rest keep their helmets on), but the range of expression and characterization visible in those prosthetics is really quite something to behold. Makeup staff, we salute you.Keep checking back for the latest news on new Doctor Who merchandise!
DOCTOR WHO: THE SONTARAN STRATAGEM EPISODE REVIEW
Crikey!!! We’re only up to episode four and already we’ve had one o the best episodes in years. ‘The Sontaran Stratagem’ is modern Doctor Who at its absolute best- intelligent, fast paced, funny, and utterly thrilling. The setup is great, and each character gets a fair amount of screen time. I’m very glad the Sontarans were revealed relatively early on in the episode, and not right at the cliffhanger. This gave them much more time to establish their threat and get a huge amount of exposition out of the way before all hell breaks loose in the next episode. Martha Jones is back too, and it is great to see that the character has moved on lots since we last saw her. I particularly liked Donna’s observation that being with the Doctor turned Martha into a soldier (A nice reminder of the year she spent wandering the earth, telling the Doctor’s story at the end of series 3). As stated quite a lot on various Doctor Who fan forums, it was a breath of fresh air for Donna and Martha to get along so well, as opposed to the usual bickering that seems to happen when companions meet. This episode succeeds on literally every level. The acting, script, production, direction, effects, pacing, the works. Donna comes into her own, with some incredibly heartfelt scenes that show there is more to the character than shouting and one-liners. David Tennant was also on top form, coming across as the most ‘Doctorish’ we’ve seen him so far this series. It is such a good episode, in fact, I’ rather concerned that the conclusion won’t live up to it. Mind you, judging from that (literally) explosive teaser, I don’t think we have that much to worry about.Episode rating: 9 out of 10
DOCTOR WHO NEWS: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL PHOTOS LEAKED
I’ve held off from talking about the leaked photos from the filming of this year’s Christmas special, but I can’t hold my tongue any longer. I won’t give away who the creatures are other than saying they’re classic monsters, but I will tell you that series four won’t see a regeneration into the eleventh Doctor, as David Tennant is currently filming the Christmas tale! Mind you, that does raise some questions over one leaked series 4 photo in particular, namely that of Rose huddled over the Doctor’s body, after the faceoff with… (CENSORED). Plus, the leaked photos show David Morrisey in a very Doctor-ish costume, which has raised all sorts of 10th/11th Doctor crossover episode rumours, but I can’t really see that being the case. Mind you, david Morrisey’s costume does look *very* Time Lord-ish.
