Before this episode, Beep the Meep was a footnote in Doctor Who history, more likely to be referenced in a joke or a trivia question than anything else. Having first appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic, "Doctor Who and the Star Beast," Beep would return in "The Ratings War," released by Big Finish Productions, and an audio adaptation of "Doctor Who and the Star Beast." He was one of the most obscure Doctor Who villains, and so his return here is quite surprising, especially when that return is kickstarting a new era of the show. And it works really well. Much better than it really ought to, in fact. Meep's combat with the Wrarth Warriors and its ensuing conflict with the Doctor are fresh and exciting, and everything that has been missing from Doctor Who in recent years. Though the story somewhat aligns with the general original plot of "Doctor Who and the Star Beast," Davies takes it in a new direction with its focus on Donna's family. Beep is not the crux of the story; Donna's lack of inner peace is, as she struggles to remember who she once was. The episode begins with a brief recap of the events of "Journey's End," and I felt that this was one of the few places the story faltered. The information we are reminded of, such as how Donna will die if she remembers the Doctor, is repeated ad nauseum throughout the rest of the episode, rendering this opening rather pointless. Furthermore, the effects behind Tennant during his opening lines doesn't quite work well. However, this is my biggest complaint of the episode. Once the story itself started, it took off like the TARDIS through the Time Vortex and made the most of its hour-long runtime. Beep the Meep is adorable, and the banter between the Doctor and Donna's family is priceless. For once, I actually found Sylvia Noble to not only be tolerable, but somewhat funny, a rather impressive feat. Even so, Tennant's acting steals the show, as he grapples with his involvement in Donna's life and his inability to save her, leading to the truly wonderful, climactic ending. Both Tennant and Tate return to their roles as if they never left them, and they present us with one of the most exciting Doctor Who stories of the past few years. Finally, at the end of the episode, we are presented with the new TARDIS interior, a perfect encapsulation of everything that this iteration of the show is: something new that takes inspiration from what came before. The new episode may not be perfect, but it's good and proper Doctor Who that truly transports us back to the Doctor's world, and it was well worth the wait.
It's the beginning of a new era, and I for one can not wait to see what comes next.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
November 2023
Categories
All
|