A Doctor Who a Day - Day 22 - Review: The Impossible Planet & The Satan Pit
- Matty James
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Doctor Who Series 2, Episodes 8 & 9, The Impossible Planet & The Satan Pit
Original Air Date: 3rd & 10th June 2006
"Oh, did you have to? No turning back. That’s almost as bad as, nothing can possibly go wrong or This is going to be the best Christmas Walford’s ever had."
Now this is more like the Doctor Who I am a fan of. What can I say, I like the darker things in life, and The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit have lots of that.
I would like to say that even though some episodes don't do it for me, I am always in awe of how writers like RTD come up with so many ideas. Not all work of course, but boy, what a brain. It also doesn't come as a surprise that having written so many, a few things crop up that ring some bells from stories gone by, or stories to come.
I noticed a lot of similarities to the cliffhanger here, and a cliffhanger to come in The Legend of Ruby Sunday. I was actually surprised at how similar it was. The Ood list the names for the beast, whereas it is Harriet who does that job in Legend. If you replaced the devil with Sutekh, it is pretty much the same. I am not complaining by the way, I love the tension building as more and more shit hits the fan, and RTD has a good habbit of leaving me desperate for the next episode with his cliffhangers.
“This lump of rock is suspended in perpetual geostationary orbit around that black hole without falling in. Discuss.”
There is something that runs through this series which makes me struggle to like Rose as much as I did in series 1. The issues crop up a number of times in this story. I know TenRose is a huge thing, but I just don't get it. Maybe I am just an old fuddy duddy who doesn't get anything? There is a very good chance of that actually.
My issues with Rose aside, these episodes are fucking awesome. There are no weak links in the cast which helps as well. Will Thorp does a great job of being possessed, and he is truly frightening. Especially the scene where he stands outside the station smiling, beckoning at Scooti. It is brilliant and fucking terrifying! Scooti's death is so well done, and I love how they think they have found her but then see her floating towards the black hole.
I promise I am not sick, I just love stuff like this. I like Doctor Who to have some frights and some danger. I love the fun and the camp, but it needs to have some darkness in it for it to work. The Doctor and companion are the light fighting the darkness, without the darkness, the Doctor cannot be as amazing.
I also really liked Danny and I thought he was a great character. His time has passed now, but I would have enjoyed seeing him in the show again.
Going back to the cliffhanger, can I just say how much I loved the beasts laugh.
“Well that’s…ood.”
The Ood are probably the first real iconic modern monsters - even though they aren't even monsters, not really. They look amazing, and the red eyes and being in unison is freaky.
Having a two part episode also meant we got to slow the pace down a bit. We had time for the characters to have some good old fashioned chats. The Doctor and Rose getting a mortgage for example. However, the chat I loved the most was between the Doctor and Ida as they contemplated going into the pit. Go on! Go on. Go on. Go over, go on! Lovely stuff.
“If I destroy the prison, your body is destroyed. Your mind with it. But then you’re clever enough to use this whole system against me. If I destroy this planet I destroy the gravity field. The rocket. The rocket loses protection, falls into the black hole. I’ll have to sacrifice Rose.”
David Tennant excelled at the end of this two parter. It was great watching the Doctor work things out, his brain ticking over as he talked through traps and Gods, and then finally believing in Rose as he sent the planet heading into the black hole.
Billie was amazing as well, her despair at losing the Doctor, followed by her horror of sitting next to Toby losing his shit, before finally saving the day with what appeared to be a staple gun!
Wins all round!
What did you think of these episodes? Let me know in the comments below.
Comments