Just as many were wondering if this series of Doctor Who was dragging us back to the dire comedy of the Eighties thanks to Partners in Crime and many others were suggesting that the excess of glitz and glamour was ruining modern Who, they come along and give us The Fires of Pompeii. Not only did we get a standard Who story of danger, history and backwards individuals who don’t understand the nature of time travellers, we get a surprising moral dilemma on the nature of the Time Lord and his ability to change established history.
All this at 6:45 on a Saturday evening after John Barrowman got done charming us with over-intelligent and precocious little kiddies. I think a round of applause is in order.
As always, spoilers after the break.
Prophecies, soothsayers and portents. Who spotted them all? I’m pretty certain there were one or two in there that nobody would have even spotted if they didn’t have some idea of how the series concludes, like some of us unfortunately do.
That said…well we know “She is coming back,” is clearly a reference to Rose though it could equally apply to Martha or Sarah Jane, there’s really no big mystery in that one but who else got shivers when Donna was told “You have something on your back.” I know I did.
How about the obvious portent, the Pyrovile claiming their planet was lost. We’ve seen this last episode with the Adipose and when we found out that the Nestene’s planet had also been destroyed, we were told what had destroyed it. There’s no doubt the plot is leading us this way, where are all these planets going or did they fall victim to the same fate as Gallifrey, Skaro and the Nestene’s planet? With the Doctor being the last Time Lord, just what effect will this have on him?
Finally, does anyone want a hint without ruining the spoiler for those not interested? If you’re wondering what I meant by spoilers not being spotted, you’re looking for one which was rather cleverly masked by events in this episode. For those who can guess what I mean, what do you think?
Beyond the talk of portents is the most surprising topic of conversation since I heard Catherine Tate had signed up for The Runaway Bride. With her being such an unknown factor and with much of the fan base either unsure or just plain against her, I can’t help but admire the writers for thrusting her into one of the greatest companion scenes in a long time. I don’t think we’ve seen that level of emotion or such a struggle of conscience since the days of Billie Piper and Christopher Ecclestone and to hand it to a brand new companion who many think is purely a bit of comedy relief was a very gutsy move and one that was pulled off with aplomb. I think that Tate’s performance as the mountain erupted and she pleaded with the Doctor was even greater than Tennant’s when the Doctor realised he would be responsible for the destruction of Pompeii and that history wasn’t quite as solid as he believed. Speaking of which, this latter scene reminded me of Tom Baker’s performance when the Doctor had the choice of destroying the Daleks before they were even created. It’s a bit of a tangent there but I realised it was the perfect illustration of just how much this episode reminded me of classic Who, something which the show really needs.
However back to the topic that was Tate. Two episodes in and I find myself agreeing with another review. Catherine Tate isn’t another love interest, she’s another Sarah Jane Smith. She’s feisty and self sufficient, with a total admiration for the Doctor which isn’t romance but respect and for me this helps. Sexual tension is all well and good but for me, the Doctor only ever had that relationship with Rose. His relationships in the past have run the gamut but he’s never had a fully romantic relationship with any companion, even though he’s always been portrayed as a caring person. That’s why Martha Jones bugged me, though it’s interesting to see how her character is being developed now the writers are alluding more to the fact that it was a one-sided interest on her part. Donna is a breath of fresh air, the Doctor cares for her as a companion and for me that has far more scope than a romantic relationship would. It’s shades of grey for me. So it’s nice to know she can pull off an Elizabeth Sladen-esque performance and not just be the big joke we expected her to be. 
So we got a show with all of this and with the modern Who effects budget which has really lifted it above the armchair entertainment it used to be. This is how the early years of Who should be, amazing plot with effects that mean we no longer have to put our disbelief on hold to enjoy ourselves.
As an aside, hoorah for an almost total absence of the sonics in this one. It’s lovely to have been proven wrong, they aren’t relying on the screwdriver as a plot crutch.
Tags: billie piper, catherine tate, christopher ecclestone, david tennant, doctor who, elizabeth sladen, sonic screwdriver, TARDIS, time lord, tom baker
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