Doctor Who s3 finale review

Andrew Mickel

Exciting, original, thought-provoking - these are all words you could use to describe The Thick of It. Unfortunately, this is the Dr Who last episode review. It's downhill from here...

Published on Jul 1, 2007

I’ll hold my hands up to the fact that, over the last three episodes, I’ve expended a little too much enthusiasm on the Who. There’s been extensive love for Steven Moffat and the T Davies, the odd ‘Kerblowee’, and far too many exclamation marks. Now they’ve all been thrown back in my face like so much word and grammatical vomit. Time for a list, methinks.

Biggest problem first: I’m always thoroughly annoyed when vague mentions of ‘faith’ are used to cover up plot holes in any programme, and the Doctor channelling people’s belief through the Archangel network was one of the worst offenders. I always thought the point of Doctor Who was that ingenuity and fighting spirit would win the day (which, incidentally, was exactly what Martha Jones was doing up to the end). But no; apparently, it’s about blind faith and some rubbish about psychic powers. That’s right, make the Tenth Doctor hover. That’ll help his God complex.

So, now we now how the world works, let’s give it a shot. Come on Den readers – at 11am on Wednesday, everyone think ‘Hover Nazis’. If we all say it out loud at once, then it’ll come true/help them regenerate/something like that! Wow. Humans are great, aren’t they? Apart from the ‘getting oppressed’ bit. We kind of suck at that game.

What was probably most annoying about the episode was how much it threw away. Really, can you remember how they wiled away 50 minutes? They didn’t give Captain Jack anything to do. The aged CGI Doctor was plain daft. And I really didn’t keep on top of what exactly the Master’s dastardly empire-building plan was, existing as it did exclusively on a couple of CGI shots of rockets.

And then there was the Toclafane. It was such a hypnotically wonderful idea that, after the Doctor wouldn’t shut up all series about humans keep on surviving everything, that humanity survived to the end of time – only to go mad and cannibalise themselves. The volume of ‘end of civilisation’ commentary to be wrangled out of it was enormous. But the entire topic was boxed in favour of – well, I don’t remember to be honest. Like Utopia will apparently turn out to be, the episode was something of a nothingness, designed to infantilise the human race.

Now Martha Jones has been kicked out of the Tardis despite being awesome (I could write something about the latent racism of the British viewing public – you know, the same one that annually kicks black contestants out of TV talent shows earlier than the white ones. I could. But I won’t.) Tennant hasn’t been shown the door. And, if that was the T Davies’ swansong, he sure managed to keep the worst ‘til last. They can officially count the Tardis one viewer lighter. I can’t be bothered with this lot any more.

Users Comments

Re: Doctor Who s3 finale review
Posted By Robmac 1 July 2, 2007 07:58:48 AM

I have made my opinion felt on Simons review of the final episode but I would like to once again show my disgust with the last episode - such a let down to a series that had very few misfires up until Saturday evening. I understand that the show is aimed for everyone and not just us DOG'ers (actually that sounds quite nasty, i wont use that acronym again) but really the idea of people having faith in the doctor was just rubbish, pure and simple. Added to that we have one of the most attractive women on TV given the boot by the beeb for not being Billie Piper is just wrong. AND on top of that we have the remnants of a lost Douglas Adams idea for the cliffhanger for the Christmas episode (anyone else remember Starship Titanic?) the series it seemed just took a nose dive. My suggestion let RTD leave, he did a good job regenerating the show but now he should pass the WHO torch (wood) onto somebody else... hmmm maybe this sites contributors perhaps!

Re: Doctor Who s3 finale review
Posted By simonbrew 1 July 2, 2007 11:04:18 AM

I'm still upset.

Re: Doctor Who s3 finale review
Posted By TVdust 1 July 4, 2007 10:31:14 AM

Write your comment here...

Re: Doctor Who s3 finale review
Posted By TVdust 1 July 4, 2007 10:35:46 AM

Amen... One of the most cobbled together, ripped-off and camped-up pieces of television ever. That they've traded Agyemang in for Catherine bleedin' Tate is a travesty. Bring back Nicola Bryant; she had... er... Breasts and an annoying accent! Er... Hold on... Maybe this decision is in character, 'cause that sounds exactly like 'The Bride'. 'When there's nothin' doin', Step back in time'... Oh, no, sorry, that's Kylie isn't it!