Doctor Who - 30x04 - The Sontaran Stratagem [SPOILERS]

ixoy

The Good:

* Sontarans looked great - very faithful re-creation of one of the Doctor's oldest foes. Their military bent, the cloning - all worked. Maybe a Rutan mention next week to appease me!

* Donna going home to visit her family was nicely played and I actually liked the moment of humour when she made the Doctor think she was leaving for good, letting him ramble on about all the sights he'd take her to. She didn't have too much to do next week but as this was about her making peace with home, that's okay.

* Pacing was pretty decent and it generally maintained my interest

* Loved the joke about the Doctor being unsure whether his UNIT days were the '70s or '80s (For those not in the know: The UNIT stories aired in the '70s with the third incarnation. Sarah Jane joins during this time, yet in one of the later stories - "Madwyn Undead" I believe - she says she's from 1980 despite joining in the '70s)

* The UNIT soldier Ross - he should get to join the TARDIS crew..

The weak:

* The Sontaran's gassing plot. Now perhaps there might be more to it (the ad seems to indicate so), but on the face of it, it's a very ineffective way of dispersal. Cars are very often concentrated in areas outside so gas wouldn't go very far and even if you're trapped inside, and you possess a brain, you could always break the window to let it out. Could be more to it than this.

* UNIT was a missed opportunity. Regardless of getting the acronym wrong (I know it's not the show's fault but still...), they didn't have a strong leading presence like the good old Brigadier. In fact they were missing any sort of Brigadier - why not bring back Brigadier Winifred Bambera for example? At least some mention.

* Missed opportunity to bring out Bessie for a drive! Boo! WHO 1 back on the road should have been done here

* Tired cloning idea (at least though consistent with Sontarans)

Overall:

Raynor is recycling her 2-parter from last season in some respects (alien foe enslaving humans to their own end) but with far better results. Pretty enjoyable all round and I'm not too fearful of the finale - a far cry when the awful hybrid had been revealed this time last year!

anotherlostie

I thought it was muck. Far too much soppy crap with Donna and her family.

amen

out of interest is Donnas grandfatehr the guy who played the cop in DR Who film when the Daleks invade London?

Nevyn

No he was the paper selling in the last christmas special, good to see Bernard Cribbins still working.

aidan_walsh

If amen means the Peter Cushing "Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.", then yes he is.

nothing

Quite enjoyed this episode, though wasn't as good as the last two, and nice to see a two parter. Loved how the sontaran were done, on par with the old eps. Not sure I like how UNIT is now.

monkeyfudge

Yep... very good again.

I do like the little geeky guy that's working with the Sontarans... he's an interesting character.

But christ... that ending was a bit lame... how difficult is it to think of breaking the car window?

The Master

monkeyfudge wrote: »

But christ... that ending was a bit lame... how difficult is it to think of breaking the car window?

Thats exactly what I was thinking!

If the sonic screwdriver doesnt work maybe a large rock would do the trick

monkeyfudge

Robster The Lobster wrote: »

Thats exactly what I was thinking!

If the sonic screwdriver doesnt work maybe a large rock would do the trick

I'm sure even a quick jab of the sonic screw driver would shatter the thing.. I know a regular screwdriver could.

deRanged

that's the first episode I've enjoyed of this season.

I'm *really* hoping Martha can convince Donna to go home and stay there.

Venom

Am I missing something or is there some reason for the Sontarans being midgets?

aidan_walsh

Venom wrote: »

Am I missing something or is there some reason for the Sontarans being midgets?

High gravity homeworld.

Doctor DooM

ixoy wrote: »

The Good:

* Sontarans looked great - very faithful re-creation of one of the Doctor's oldest foes. Their military bent, the cloning - all worked. Maybe a Rutan mention next week to appease me!

* Donna going home to visit her family was nicely played and I actually liked the moment of humour when she made the Doctor think she was leaving for good, letting him ramble on about all the sights he'd take her to. She didn't have too much to do next week but as this was about her making peace with home, that's okay.

* Pacing was pretty decent and it generally maintained my interest

* Loved the joke about the Doctor being unsure whether his UNIT days were the '70s or '80s (For those not in the know: The UNIT stories aired in the '70s with the third incarnation. Sarah Jane joins during this time, yet in one of the later stories - "Madwyn Undead" I believe - she says she's from 1980 despite joining in the '70s)

* The UNIT soldier Ross - he should get to join the TARDIS crew..

The weak:

* The Sontaran's gassing plot. Now perhaps there might be more to it (the ad seems to indicate so), but on the face of it, it's a very ineffective way of dispersal. Cars are very often concentrated in areas outside so gas wouldn't go very far and even if you're trapped inside, and you possess a brain, you could always break the window to let it out. Could be more to it than this.

* UNIT was a missed opportunity. Regardless of getting the acronym wrong (I know it's not the show's fault but still...), they didn't have a strong leading presence like the good old Brigadier. In fact they were missing any sort of Brigadier - why not bring back Brigadier Winifred Bambera for example? At least some mention.

* Missed opportunity to bring out Bessie for a drive! Boo! WHO 1 back on the road should have been done here

* Tired cloning idea (at least though consistent with Sontarans)

Overall:

Raynor is recycling her 2-parter from last season in some respects (alien foe enslaving humans to their own end) but with far better results. Pretty enjoyable all round and I'm not too fearful of the finale - a far cry when the awful hybrid had been revealed this time last year!

The science was especially weak in last years two parter (lightning transferring DNA? GTFO) So I wouldnt expect too much from her in the way of that here. My best theory is that they're altering the atmosphere to kill humanity, not poisoning them in their cars.

I honestly thought we'd see bessy. Boo x 2!

I would guess the idea for Martha is she becomes the strong, leading presence for Unit.


Much better than Daleks in Manhatten. A run of good episodes!

popebenny16

amen wrote: »

out of interest is Donnas grandfatehr the guy who played the cop in DR Who film when the Daleks invade London?

correct and right.

as for this story, i liked, it was fast, dramatic.... and it possessed a genuine 100% kids hiding behind the sofa part - when the Martha clone's hand popped through the soup my daughter ran out of the room!!! First one this year!!

It had a lot of cheese, but sure that's part of the fun, esp the ending when DT purposefully strode into the middle of the road to strike a dramatic pose. Hope his Hamlet's better!!!

Doctor DooM

popebenny16 wrote: »

correct and right.

as for this story, i liked, it was fast, dramatic.... and it possessed a genuine 100% kids hiding behind the sofa part - when the Martha clone's hand popped through the soup my daughter ran out of the room!!! First one this year!!

It had a lot of cheese, but sure that's part of the fun, esp the ending when DT purposefully strode into the middle of the road to strike a dramatic pose. Hope his Hamlet's better!!!

Ah, memories!

pixelburp

I thought the story was ok, certainly better than last years offering by Helen Raynor. Whereas the daleks inexplicably skulked in the shadows, at least the Sontarans have a plan this time (and the Doctor even pokes fun at their tactic of hiding). Silly cliffhanger aside, I'm sure the plan will make sense when it's revealed. My own theory is that the Sontarans are going to convert our atmosphere into something suitable to their kind, along with poisoning all of us.

The sontarans themselves were well realised; pretty much after their first appearance they became quite lame & never expanded much on the initial promise. This time we got to see a bit more of their structure and philsophy... and songs, bizarrely. Sontar-ha! The lead sontaran was played quite well & showed suitable menace and authority. Glorious Warfare!

I quite liked the family dynamic this time around - it's sweet that Donna's closest family tie is with her barmy old grandad; I wonder if they'll do the nice thing and let him come along for a ride in the TARDIS. Bernard Cribbens is sure spry for his age, and I do prefer him to Donna I must say.

As for UNIT - well, the re-naming aside - I honestly thought the Doctor would remark about that - they pretty much functioned just like the 70s (or was that the 80s? ) version. The kick-ass, military version that is, not the cosy Jo Grant version. The "brig" lacked presence, but it was a real treat to see them in action. I also smiled when I saw them still using those old land-rovers

The "Next Time" trailer looks pretty exciting, it must be admitted. The UNIT / sontaran battles look like they might be something special & explosive. I always wished we saw more of the Cyberman / Army battles in the series 2 finale, so this would be just as cool.