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When Russell T. Davies (Queer As Folk) first brought the BBC's time-traveling family adventure series Doctor Who back from oblivion, it was just as fresh and exciting as everyone had hoped. New mysteries about the "time war" replaced stale old mythology, and the Doctor was traveling with someone who still had friends and family back on Earth. The scripts had manic energy, topical references, and a willingness to go way, way over the top. It was mostly good stuff. Now, after a few years, the formula is congealing a wee bit, as evidenced by last Saturday's new (sort of) episode.
When Russell T. Davies (Queer As Folk) first brought the BBC's time-traveling family adventure series Doctor Who back from oblivion, it was just as fresh and exciting as everyone had hoped. New mysteries about the "time war" replaced stale old mythology, and the Doctor was traveling with someone who still had friends and family back on Earth. The scripts had manic energy, topical references, and a willingness to go way, way over the top. It was mostly good stuff. Now, after a few years, the formula is congealing a wee bit, as evidenced by last Saturday's new (sort of) episode.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed "The Sontaran Strategem," and it was much better than last year's Daleks-and-pig-people two-parter from the same writer, Helen Raynor. I mean, yay, the Doctor's paramillitary playmates from UNIT are back, Martha is still awesome, the Sontarans are still being nasty, brutish and short, and it's all good fun. And we get Sergey Brin doing a little world-beat dance with the evil Sontarans, in the above clip. Somebody needs to make a "Sontar! Sontar!" music video, including other bits from the original series where Sontarans appear to be dancing. (If you make such a video, I will most definitely post it here.)
It just all felt a bit... routine. The story zipped along, hitting the usual notes: there's a new diet pill, or ghosts are popping up, or there's a new car thingy, and everybody loves it. But it's secretly a naughty conspiracy. The Doctor and companion investigate, and the new companion gets a moment of proving she's really smart. Everybody oohs and ahhs. We reconnect with the companion's family and there are some emotional moments (supplied here by the world's most random montage. What was that about?) The villain does a silly dance. And then the pace slows wayyyyy down for the final cliffhanger, because we have to be sufficiently impressed with how fatal the danger really is.
It doesn't help that this is one of the most continuity-heavy episodes of the new Who so far, referencing not just tons of events in the previous three seasons, but also things like UNIT and the Sontarans from the original show.
I don't mind if the Davies Doctor Who era is going to be characterized by extreme campiness much of the time. It would be foolish, at this point, to expect a Who that takes its villains or storylines seriously, outside of a few notable exceptions. And I'm happy to take the show on its own terms, instead of hoping for it to be something else.
But there's nothing worse than recycled camp. Camp should be fresh, imported directly from the source on the wings of gilded nightingales.
Last year's Master three-parter was intensely campy and completely ridiculous, but it was also fun and engaging, and I got totally sucked into the storyline and wondering how exactly the Doctor was going to win this one. This didn't feel nearly as fun, nor was I nearly as engaged in whatever the plot was supposed to be.
I was underwhelmed by the Sontarans, who seemed a bit wimpy. The Doctor even points out that they're being uncharacteristically weak-kneed. Just like last year's New York Daleks story, where the Daleks skulked in a basement creating pig-people instead of just getting out and exterminating everybody, the super-warrior Sontarans are acting like Slitheen. (But to be fair, this is a two-parter, and there will no doubt be some clever explanation next week.)
Also, minor nitpick. The chief Sontaran makes a wisecrack about how talking is for women — one of the defining characeristics of the Sontarans is that they're cloned, and they have no concept of gender. In their first appearance, the Sontaran warrior Lynx examines Sarah Jane with puzzlement, because he can't understand why her "thorax" is built differently than the men. (And I know Helen Raynor remembers that scene, because she riffed on it in this episode.)
I did really like the interplay between Martha and Donna. It was cute that the Doctor was expecting them to fight, because that's what happened last time with Rose and Sarah Jane — and instead they made friends instantly. The bit where Martha told Donna about what happened to the Joneses was underplayed and super-moving. I would happily have had more of the former-companion-bonding and less of almost everything else in this episode.
I also liked the thing of the Doctor teaching Donna to steer the TARDIS, and Martha calling him back home using the cellphone he left her. And any chance to see Bernard Cribbins as Grandpa Wilf is always a major treat. It was pretty funny that everyone in Donna's family had met the Doctor.
There was also some extreme dodginess, like the Doctor talking the computer into self-destructing. Would Sergey Brin, let alone his alien masters, be dumb enough to program a computer that does the opposite of whatever you tell it? The computer's trying to kill the Doctor, not contradict him. It made no sense at all. And I actually cringed when Donna demanded that the Colonel guy salute her. Also, I hope somebody points out the Doctor's hypocrisy, the next time he depends on those naughty men with guns to save his life.
So to sum up, I'd say there was nothing wrong with "The Sontaran Strategem," except that it felt a bit too deja vu. And the second episode will have to do an absolutely brilliant job of explaining this whole cars-smog-GPS-evil-computers-genius-school-clones-invasion plot, or this episode will retroactively look a lot worse. Based on past experience, the show is probably hoarding all of its really fun, heavy-hitting stuff for the final few episodes. Plus, of course, the probably awesome Steven Moffat two-parter.
I'm trying real hard to be balanced and not excessively harsh here. For another POV, here's former Doctor Who novelist Lawrence Miles:
Well, for now, let's not dwell on the seemingly-endless tedium of "The Sontaran Stratagem". Because as I write this, it's 6:45 on Saturday night: I've been out for a wee twice, I've put the dinner on, I've tried walking up and down and stroking the cat in an attempt to make time go faster, but the damned thing isn't even half-finished yet. The worst part is knowing that it's a two-parter, and that we're going to have to go through all of this again in seven days' time.(I also like the part where he says he's "no longer blacklisted" from writing for the Doctor Who audio adventures.)
Comments
"Intruder? How did he get in? In tru de window?!"
Wrong. This was, by far, the best episode of the new season. I thought it was heading for the same tedious formula (take a contemporary issue- c02 emissions or cell phone use or fad diets- and make it a smokescreen for the return of an old baddie), but it managed to rise above that and somehow be splendidly entertaining. Christopher Ryan (Mike, the Cool Guy from the Young Ones) was fantastic as the Sontaran leader, and it was great to see a villain you can carry on a conversation with. Yes, there were some low points here, but the return of Martha and the continuing excellence of Donna help allay any bad feelings I had about this one. Looking forward to the conclusion.
@IntoAshes: Wrong. Charlie's right. It is the same old tedious formula. This is recycled plot, with an army of villains who aren't doing all that much, a lot of investigating and posturing, a shopworn "evil twin" subplot and not much at stake. One army of millitant nearly identical aliens is very similar to the next, and their motivations don't seem to be new or interesting. Of course, it might turn out to be some exciting new twist next week, but that doesn't mean we should have to be bored by the Sontarans THIS week.
We know the Sontarans don't conquer Earth or do whatever they do. And if they did, there would just be a big ol' reset button to put things back into place.
This episode shows the strains of confining the Doctor to Earth. Much in the same way that the Pertwee years did after a time. It's also worth noting that Pertwee's production team eventually ended the exile on Earth when they felt that they had used up the potential.
I don't know why, perhaps its the horrid horrid horrible Dr. Who episodes of my youth but I cant fault any of the new Who series for being mediocre right now.
I love the show, but as sci-fi its so full of holes that I have to constantly say to myself... Just a show.
And that's why I love it. I just re-watched my favourite episode from the Tom Baker years this weekend, The Horror of Fang Rock and in just about every way except maybe Tom Baker its been superior. And Baker only made it better because he was such a pompous ass.
The biggest win the new series has on the old is format, 1 hour long show instead of 4-6 30 minute shows with 10 minutes of recap. Really an episode of the other series was like paint drying.
Yeah the Sontarans are a bit of weak tea, but thank goodness they aren't the Dalaks again, or Cybermen I don't think I could have taken that again so soon.
besides, ... Badguy dance off! Thats cool right?
@Justin K. Rivers:
Yeah, its formulaic, but the question is does Torchwood make it more so?
The whole contradicting busts-into-sparks killer computer was very, VERY bizarre.
And why, at the end when poor Granpa Wilf is almost being killed-but-almost-certainly-will-make-a-full-recovery-later part doesn't someone JUST GRAB A BRICK?! Are you telling me that the glorious little Deux Ex Machina of the sonic screwdriver can't break 21st-century Earth glass? Really??!
'I would happily have had more of the former-companion-bonding and less of almost everything else in this episode.'
I can't really agree with you on this point CJA. Personally I have had enough with the female companions giving jealous looks initially and then quickly becoming buddy buddy in an sort of ex-companions club way.
While I do agree that the Sontaran plot was not entirely engaging, I was at least entertained enough to want to know where it is going and I felt is was far better than the Pompeii episode....
with the exception of Sergey's character trying to 'fit in' by joining the Sontar war chant....for me that part was just painful.
One thing that has me confused though, is that I don't really understand the 'jurisdiction' of UNIT over Torchwood. I kept wondering, why they would not be called in for something like this. (If anyone can explain it, I would greatly appreciate it).
I don't get the whole jurisdictional thing between UNIT and Torchwood. I kept expecting (hoping?) for Captain Jack to show up and liven things up a bit.
@Maddrjeffe: Torchwood isn't really the problem. Though I suspect a lot of people would make the point that Torchwood and Doctor Who are sharing too much of the same turf, giving too much of the same thing.
It really comes down to the actual plot at hand. Both shows have been over mining the "alien threat" territory. At a certain point, the constant anti-up in terms of stakes and spectacle lose their potency. There are plenty of plots that they can do. Ghost Light is a great example - a haunted house scenario extrapolated with dark thematic content. There needs to be greater drama and tragedy contained within the Threat.
I'd really love to see them return to the Troughton formula again - the isolated group of humans threatned by insurmountable alien menace. What that does is place the alien villains farther out from the drama, being more of a less-seen catalyst, and allows the story to focus on the weaknesses of the humans under attack.
Sorry for the double (now triple) post...thought the first message was lost. Can the powers that be at io9 'pleeeeaaase' put in an edit control!
@Justin K. Rivers:
I kind of liked the humans are bad guys thing going on in the ood episode myself. Not a bad formula there.
what was that line in there when donna is piloting the tardis she says "i can't believe i'm doing this" and the doctor agrees? interesting.
@Maddrjeffe: Weirdly enough, I still love the Horror of Fang Rock... I have it on DVD. It's got the Masterpiece Theater-esque costume drama, the people who all have their own twisted agendas and are (literally) at each other's throats... It's a bit melodramatic, but at the same time I buy into the backstory of those characters, and it feels like a real fleshed out world. Plus it has Leela saying, "Enjoy your death as I enjoyed killing you." I guess I'd rather have melodrama than pantomime.
@CJA: Another week, another great Doctor Who recap. Seriously, please keep them up! That said... I still really liked the episode.
You're bang on when it comes to this week being formulaic. And it is fairly continuity heavy, sure - but not so much that it bogs things down. Personally, I haven't seen a previous Sontaran episode, so they were fairly new to me (I did read about them in "The Infinity Doctors", which happens to be my favorite of the Doctor Who novel line...), but I can appreciate where you're coming from.
I think the main failing point of this episode was the total misuse of established characters. As you pointed out Helen Raynor is pretty darn good at taking something that's been established, then going a full 180 from it. I'm wondering if maybe she's just too lazy to come up with her own aliens for these episodes, or maybe is working under the misapprehension that established races might need some "growth"... and each time somehow manages to neuter them in the process.
I did like the non-exploding car, thought that was kind of funny, and really enjoyed seeing Donna getting her driving lessons. I think that the reason Martha didn't go too into "The Year That Never Was" was probably because she didn't want to scare Donna off - just warn her.
Either that or Helen is just a crap writer.
Maybe my expectations where just lowered after last week.
Funny. Rationally, I agree with all of Charlie's points about the tiredness of the plot, and yet, I enjoyed this episode more than anything else this season.
There were just so many great moments, outside the "actual plot." Donna piloting the tardis, donna and martha's meeting, the doctor and genius boy, the un-exploding car - all top notch.
And I usually enjoy Lawrence Miles' reviews but this one was just annoying.
I thought this episode was good. Better than the Ood (a little), not as good as Pompeii.
But it was good because of the character moments. The three principles (Doctor, Martha and Donna) really sold some good scenes. Personally, I loved the "don't I get a salute?" bit. That's what you get when you treat the Doctor's companions like an extra appendage.
Where it falls apart are the plot points. And I can't help but blame the writer. I feel like she doesn't have a firm enough grasp on some of the concepts she is using to make them fit the way she wants. Sort of like the Dalek episode where the Daleks fit the plot instead of the plot calling for Daleks.
The biggest problem that the new series has right now is it's competing against past episodes. The 4th series seems to be following the same trend as the 3rd: The first half is average Doctor Who. Whether the second half of this season contains any truly classic stories remains to be seen.
I agree that the formula is becoming a wee bit stale. So let's all be grateful that New Who is taking a break and returning in 2010. Besides, every hardcore Who fan hates Russell T. Davies rendition of Doctor Who, anyway.
@Ryan H: Yeah, exactly... and it all just felt sort of random and yet by-the-numbers. It annoys because writers like Steven Hall (The Raw Shark Texts) are clamoring to write for Doctor Who, and instead we get more scripts like this.
Hey io9 writers, you guys know that "complaining" isn't actually a legitimate writing style, right?
I think if I ever saw a positive or upbeat story on this site I'd probably die of shock.
If i have to sit through a couple episodes that was merely enjoyable, I think I can handle that. After all, there is a two part Moffat episode to look forward to later in the season. We are so spoiled :)
You just have to accept that Doctor Who is 'campy' and go from there. That said, I enjoyed it.
And I love Martha... but Donna is growing on me fast.
the moment where Donna had the Doctor believing she was leaving him for good was nigh unto high-larious. it still makes me giggle just thinking about it.
@scotto: That was a great scene. The humor in this episode was spot on - I'm still giggling at the non-exploding car.
@FoolsRun: Do you actually read this site?
@ComicDork: Yep, as I say in my recap, I've fully accepted that this version of Doctor Who is ultra-campy. I just want it to be fresh, fun camp, and not stale, rehashed camp.
@Charlie Jane Anders: I would think a better question would be did Fool read the article? I don't recall any complaining, as such, in it.
The somewhat negative tone of the recap, I thought, was done not out of whininess, but because you generally expect more out of this great show. Maybe I'm wrong, but I get that from the majority of io9's articles: It's not all rainbows and unicorns, but the most fun thing about being a SciFi nerd is arguing over the minutia and discussing differing viewpoints on things.
And now I'm ranting and sounding like some kind of crazed fanbot, so I'll just go back to lurking in my basement... Well, I would if I didn't live in Las Vegas.
True fact: there aren't any basements in Vegas.
I kinda liked it - perhaps because I had low expectations.
Martha was relegated to looking a bit smug/terrified for the second half and there was no Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart but, other than that, I thought it was great.
I'd go with Maddrjeffe's point about the new format improving the pacing of the show - some of the old serials are a cure for insomnia at times when extended to 2 hours over 4 episodes.
@Dunny0: Thanks! Plus, the very next post down on the page is me gushing about how great this German movie looks. Plus I've written some pretty gushy reviews of Doctor Who episodes, including the most recent Xmas special and the Pompeii episode.
This episode had enough good little bits, both humorous and dramatic, to keep me watching, but not enough to really bowl me over -- a snack, not a meal. Frankly, I expect more.
Also, could the writers pleeeease give Martha something to do besides be captured and then rescued? She's too fucking smart to be just a damsel-in-distress. Don't tell me that the woman who evaded the Master's goons for a year while circumnavigating the globe doesn't know enough not to go into an unmarked room in the basement of a sketchy research laboratory without backup. (Or that someone who is trained as a medical doctor would scream and flail ineffectually when an animated gauntlet attaches itself to her face, for that matter.) I just don't buy it. And an evil twin plot? Really?! GAAAAH. The writers can come up with something better.
...Though maybe that's the problem. Martha is so smart that using her to her full potential risks stealing the spotlight from the Doctor and Donna. If that's what the writers are thinking, and thus why they effectively write her out, that's bloody annoying. Otherwise all I can think is that they're just not very competent at writing smart female characters.
@Dunny0:
This explains why mobsters always go out into the desert to dump their "yard trimmings".
Now I Know.
@kevinr: Yeah, not so much with the strong smart females. Rose is clever but not very sensible. Martha is sensible to an unwritable fault. Considering the revival was supposed to be all inspired by Buffy and whatnot, they should hire Joss for a couple episodes to whip the gals into shape.
@Dunny0: Alright I'll bite. Why are there no basements in Las Vegas?
Comment on Sergey Brin Riverdances With Alien Warriors On Doctor Who Could be wrong, but in watchimg the Sarah Jane Adventures in a recent episode, the comment was made that "Sontarans are the silliest race in the galaxy...resembling potatoes with little ray guns." Seems appropriate. --K.
@Ryan H: I also absolutely loved the part where Donna demanded a salute. Her interactions with UNIT personnel (including Martha) were spectacular.
@kevinr: I was a little worried about Martha coming back. She has all that potential last year that only really showed in the Master episodes. You're a brilliant capable woman! Stop undermining yourself! Her Torchwood appearances proved to me that that was all weak writing and Martha could be awesome too. Which she was. Until we got to the damn evil twin wimpy part. The last time Martha was tied down for an alien experiment she handled it much better. Perhaps the writers could improve with a little character continuity?
Actually I loved this episode. Yes, the ATMOS plot was very "by-the-numbers" Who (they've been doing this sort of thing since "The War Machines" in '66!) and I regret that they didn't use the Sontarans as an excuse for a balls-out space-opera. But that said, the episode itself was very exciting and satisfying, I thought. Except for the flashbacks. Too soon!
Regarding the Sontarans and womenfolk - it's never explicitly said that the Sontarans have no concept of gender - perhaps Sontaran females look nearly the same? And Lynx's confusion over Sarah's thorax was in the 13th Century. No doubt they know a bit more about humans now. These guys have been around a LONG time, even allowing for their limited excursions into time-travel technology.
The gun thing - there is a huge debate raging on Outpost Gallifrey about the Doctor's hypocrisy on this point. I agree, it was over the top for somebody who's committed genocide in the past. And how are the people of Earth SUPPOSED to defend ourselves against alien threats? With a teaspoon and an open mind? I think its part and parcel of the UK's overly-strict gun laws and the BBC's general nanny-state ethos.
@SeeingI: Sontarans are a clone race. All clones of General Sontar.
So, there are no Sontaran females.
I'm not going to wade into the gun thing, other than to say I can totally understand his aversion to them, and those that hide behind them.
@Lizzie24601: It's a boring answer, but the ground is too bloody awful hard it's just not cost effective. Something to do with general makeup of the ground, something called "caleche", although I'm unsure of the spelling.
Yeah, not all that exciting. But we do have Star Wars and Pong slot machines, so I suppose it evens out.
@Katana_Mind: We're very big on recycling, what can I say?
The anti-gun shtick was cute and reasonable in The Doctor Dances, since he was being all competetivey with Jack, but it was pretty out of place here.
I think this is another example of this script cobbling together a lot of Stuff
That Worked Before. And yet, enough of it worked again that I still liked it.
@Dunny0: That's fan-lore, not canon (and may my bones rot for invoking "canon"!). Obviously, the Sontarans are not all clones of the same individual. The Sontarans we met in the classic series looked different even when played by the same actor. In this episode, Staal had a raspy voice and a beard, whereas Stor had a booming voice, freckles, and a gap between his teeth. Clone race they may be, but clones of the same person? It's not supported by the show at all. It would have been cool if they'd had Chris Ryan playing both Staal and his identical subordinate, but they didn't.
@Dunny0: Oh. I thought that was a joke. Like, "why are there no basements in Vegas?" "Because they were all hocked for blackjack money" or something.
@SeeingI: Fair enough. As I hadn't seen any previous Sontaran adventures, I was going on what I'd found in the novels, which as you say aren't exactly 'canon'. I retract my previous statements. ;)
That said: A clone could have a beard or even slightly different teeth. Both are just developmental, not really a genetic thing. But, yeah... Not so much with freckles.
@Lizzie24601: Yeah, I tried to come up with something witty involving gambling, booze and strippers...
Next time I'll be prepared.
My only experience with Doctor Who is from this new series, so I don't know anything about the Sontarans. The General's whole "giving advice to the enemy" was kind of cool, but there had better be a good excuse for not taking over Earth face to face on the battlefield.
And yes I know that the whole point of the sonic screwdriver is to do anything unless its too plot-convenient and would ruin the tension, but the whole "locked out" part felt forced. The confusing it to death solution was stupid, especially when the device said it was programmed to ignore his orders. If you ignore something, you act as if you never saw or heard it. That is not the same as doing the opposite of what someone says.
My slightly better (but still far from perfect) solution would be to mess with the device's priorities. For instance, trick the device into thinking it is about to hit an old lady crossing the street. It has no orders to kill the old lady, and unless explicitly ordered to, it would be programmed t