Doctor Who (TV Series) The Impossible Planet (2006) User Reviews

This show really was great back in the day

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 15 August 2015]

This was a really brilliant opener to the two parter. The Doctor and Rose land on a ship on the far reaches of space, which is facing imminent disaster as it's being dragged into a black hole. Something is on board possessing one of the crew, but what? The Doctor and Rose become marooned as the TARDIS is lost.

The effects in Impossible Planet/Satan Pit are outstanding, they have a real epic movie feel to them, not what you'd expect to see on the small screen. I draw comparisons between this and the movie 'Sunshine.'

There is a real emotional connection with the characters, the scene of Scooti's death is beautifully done, it's very sincere. I had no idea it was Myanna Buring!! The cast are all excellent, Claire Rushbrook in particular shines through.

There is a great humour here too, I've always thought that humour works so well when it's mixed with terror, it's really well done here.

The Ood are a fantastic creation, they look so good, so different for Doctor Who, it's no surprise that they have made repeat appearances. The scene of them changing from domestic slaves into killer Ood is tremendous.

Great first episode, and what a cliffhanger! I always switch off as not to watch the 'next week' trailer as they tend to give so much away, this one did the same.

Fantastic!

[sarahlouhardy · 10/10 · 5 June 2006]

This has got to be one of the best episodes of Doctor Who that I've seen since it came back last year. There is a brilliant mix of amusement, fear and tenderness all mixed up which equals one amazing episode. The ood were brilliantly designed and I'm pretty sure there' going to be a lot of ood jokes in the next few weeks. I myself am guilty of that already.I particularly liked the way that we saw a different perspective of Rose's and the Doctor's relationship and the ending;well, it's the first time I have ever hidden behind a cushion! I cannot WAIT until next weeks episode to find how they get out of this mess.

probably the most terrifying Dr Who of the last two series

[amatire · 8/10 · 8 June 2006]

If you want to really terrify people, choose the Devil as your subject. After all, a good deal of the population believe that he is real. Therefore you are plugging into a whole meaty swathe of pre-existing religious and mythological imagery. And bound to cause quite a few nightmares in your young audience.

This episode had all the appearance of a Hollywood blockbuster. In fact, having finished watching it I flicked over to another channel which was playing a recent Bond film and quite frankly couldn't split a hair between the differences in SFX. With a minimal cast, restricted by its situation on a space station; complete with overwhelming panoramic views of an imploding universe, it was as claustrophobic and intense as Alien or Event Horison. The black hole outside made it feel as if the black hole's weight of dark matter was pressing the station onto the planet and to Whatever was sealed inside. And as the horror is intensified by the knowledge that the Dr and Rose are stranded, the sinister Ood start channelling a disembodied voice and then the characters start being picked off one by one...

This has all the best qualities of the cream of this new Dr Who endeavour; Girl in the Fireplace and the Empty Child. Emotionally engaging, frightening and humorous all without seeming cheesy. This is far scarier than any amount of flying Daleks. But it has to be asked, is this really suitable viewing for children? This is not a family friendly episode. Pity the poor parent who has to put their kids to bed after this one. I'm not sure I even want to see what happens next!

How very Ood

[movieman_kev · 9/10 · 20 January 2007]

Rose and the good Doctor find themselves in a space station that is on a planet that's quite impossibly hovering in orbit right below a black hole. The crew of the station is just as perplexed at that as the two new inhabitants are. Suitably spooky in it's atmosphere and gets better as the Doctor and Rose find themselves stranded due to circumstances out of their control and speaking through the submissive alien race of the Ood, something quite dark is coming from below the crust of the planet. Not haven seen the second part of this two-parter I can't vouch that the end is as strong yet. But it does make for one hell of a beginning.

My Grade: A

perfect!

[spyda_mann · 10/10 · 4 June 2006]

Oooooh man was I pleased I didn't miss this. I wanted to post this review as this episode in particular does what a certain recent movie did not. It pays true homage to the game DOOM. Its plot is different yes, and the characters are obviously set in an entirely different universe (obviously the doctor who universe) however the feel, the pace, the references and the location are perfect. And for all original Doom fans listen out for the door opening and closing sound effect, it was the icing on the cake for me.

Please all doctor who and Doom fans alike, check this one out. its a gem!

An Absolute Classic

[Theo Robertson · 10/10 · 6 May 2008]

Even an old cynical DOCTOR WHO fan like myself can be left breathless by watching an episode of my favourite show . It happened previously during Eccleston's finale and it happened watching this episode . It doesn't happen often though but The Impossible Planet is an example of both the show and of television at its very , very best . This is stunning television

The Doctor and his companion land in a mysterious place where they see strange writing on the wall and the audience ( Many of who will be moving behind the sofa ) are instantly transfixed . A door opens and horrible monsters start stalking the time travellers . This might have taken up an entire 25 minute episode in the original show but all this takes place in he pre title sequence . You may miss the longer drawn out format of the original show but at least this new series is tightly plotted and if we're treated to a disappointing story then at least it's usually only for one week

There is nothing to disappointment a viewer here . It is DOCTOR WHO at its most traditional best . Writer Matt Jones and director James Strong have gone out of their way to make a story that will be regarded for years to come . They do this by constructing a doom laden narrative . The Doctor and Rose lose the Tardis and they're stuck with the protagonists in the far flung future . It's interesting how many stories never feature this type of plot point where the Doctor and his companions no longer have access to the Tardis which makes for a more intriguing type of story . Without doubt the highlight is the scene where Scooti goes to look for Toby only to find him standing on the surface of the planet where he turns and beckons her outside . Everything from acting , make up and Murray Gold's music makes this a scene that genuinely shocks its audience

I can imagine immediately after this episode the BBC switchboards received a tsunami of complaints for distressed parents saying how traumatised their children were . That it took them several hours to get them from behind the family sofa and that they're now refusing to sleep with the lights out . To do this complaining would be to deny the magic of DOCTOR WHO . Yes it can terrify and yes such images will burn themselves in to the mind of a child , something they will never forget even if hey live to be a hundred . But I will bet my life that these same " traumatised " children would have spent the week begging that no matter what they'll be allowed to watch the next episode

Only the second 10/10 I have ever given to the New Doctor Who's

[warlordartos · 10/10 · 10 March 2021]

Two Terrifying episodes in a row, but while the last episode was terrifying to kids this is terrifying 10 times over. Nearly as terrifying as something like Alien. This truly has to be the first Dr Who episode that is not suitable for children

A fantastic revision of the laws of the universe

[those_who_dig · 9/10 · 6 February 2017]

This is one of David Tennant's strongest episodes yet, second only to "The Girl in the Fireplace" in my opinion. I'd certainly argue that this is the most imaginative episode of the second season.

The visuals are excellent, and the enigmatic Ood are a product of considerable creativity. The host of human characters encountered by The Doctor and Rose are also well-written, although not as memorable as their squidlike cohabitants.

Until now, the revived "Doctor Who" has played things relatively safely. The Slitheen, Sycorax and last episode's Wire are fun to behold, but don't really challenge the logic of the Time Lord's universe. "The Impossible Planet", on the other hand, does. I've chosen not to elaborate here for fear of spoiling the most intriguing plot developments, but I can say with certainty that this episode is one to remember.

Impossibly great two part story.

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 10/10 · 2 December 2018]

The Impossible Planet is the first part of a two part story. It is absolutely brilliant as is the second part The Satan Pit.

The story is among my favourite all time classics. It is a creepy, unnerving episode with some great scares but also great characterisation, great script, great acting and great production values. The Ood are introduced as an excellent alien race who are used, basically, as slaves. They are fantastic. The human characters are excellent and all of the dialogue is of high standard. The story is thrilling and intelligent. Tennant and Piper are on top form as the 10th Doctor and Rose with some fabulous exchanges between the two adding real depth.

The creepy possessed human is really thrilling and when the 'beast' in the pit turns up later in the story it is spine tinglingly sensational. A really top Doctor Who monster in a top class, layered story which is all produced and performed to exceptional standards.

This is a totally top notch Doctor Who episode that can stand alongside the greatest episodes of NuWho and the classic series.

My rating for both episodes: 10/10.

Rock and a Dark Place...

[Xstal · 7/10 · 4 December 2021]

An outpost on a rocky world, in stasis around a black hole, the TARDIS sets down inside it (the outpost), the Doctor and Rose patrol. Not long after they encounter all the outpost's personnel (including some Ood ones) but an earthquake causes problems, sends the TARDIS down to hell. Buried deep there is a power source (that's why humans are here), it's maintaining suspension, curtailing all cascading, to the event horizon. Soon the writings on the wall (amongst other things) for some, the Doctor must descend (with Ida), to the caverns of the underworld, in limbo there is no end (or is there?).

The Doctor faces The Devil

[haywire84 · 10/10 · 17 August 2014]

For me, this episode is the first attempt for the writer of Doctor Who to write a horror episode, and it was astonishing. The Doctor is gradually reduced to being helpless, at first losing the TARDIS, then facing something inconceivably powerful. The antagonist was beyond all realms of imagination and supposedly larger than life,which made me feel it resembled Lovecraft's Cthulu. For the Doctor, a traveler who has lived 900 and seen almost all of time and space, facing something that he couldn't even imagine suddenly made him seem very small. Since the audience of the episode empathizes most with the Docter, this also makes them suddenly feel small. It forces them to struggle to imagine something from "before time" which is essentially impossible for the human brain to do. Also, the idea that the antagonist could've existed as a universal idea formed in the big bang made the antagonist seem very real since The Devil seems to be a universal idea on Earth. You also know at the end of the episode that this antagonist will be a constant source of anxiety to The Doctor in his future. The thought of it will pop in The Doctor's head every once in a blue moon and he will have to contemplate if it was actually defeated, and the doom that would fall to the world if it hadn't been.

Amazing Episode, amazing plot.

Devil In The Details.

[southdavid · 7/10 · 23 October 2020]

The second two-part story of the second season of "Doctor Who" begins with this horror homage that, thogh a little light on content itself, feels like a lot of setup for the second part.

The Doctor (David Tennant) and Rose (Billie Piper) arrive on a mining station on a very distant planet, far into the future. The planet is, inexplicably, in a stable orbit around a black hole and has a massive power source buried deep within it. The team, along with their labour force, the Ood, are digging deep to reach the source. But Toby (Will Thorp), the crews archaeologist, has begun to hear a strange voice and the Ood's vocal transmitters are acting strangely, maybe this power was buried for a reason.

As I said, it's a little light on content - but there's lots of set up here for the second part. Any number of alien films, "Alien" for example, are homaged with the ramshackle industrial look of the platform, the airlocks and sealed doors. The use of the distinctive "Doom" door sound here is particularly well done. There's also links backwards, to the satanic horror films of the 70's with the deep rune edged pit containing an unspeakable power. This episode is the debut of the Ood, a voiceless empathic race that speak via a transmitter and are, seemingly, happy to carry out the requests of their human owners without any resistance.

The rest of the cast is made up of recognisable faces. Danny Webb and Shaun Parkes for example, but much of the heavy lifting is done by Will Thorp, who ends up in full body make up when he's possessed. MyAnna Buring, from Ripper Street, has a small but integral role, but it's Clare Rushbrook who operates as the main exposition character and who gets to ride down the elevator with the Doctor, towards the episodes cliff-hanger ending.

This is the first time that the Doctors ability to pull the Tardis back, using his key, as demonstrated in "Father's day" is conveniently forgotten, when the plot requires them to lose their escape route.

It doesn't do much, other than establish things for the next episode, but it does have some creepy highlights and some decent jokes, lets see if the second half can pay them off.

The Impossible...

[wetmars · 3/10 · 6 August 2020]

I am sorry, I just don't like this episode. It's all boring and uninteresting, it's just like one of those Classic Doctor Who "Hard to follow plot" episodes.

Mindblowing episode!

[garodardavis-08913 · 9/10 · 16 August 2017]

I started watching this episode not expecting much, but ended up completely mindblown by one of the most thrilling, scariest and best stories in Doctor Who.

Short summary of the episode:

Doctor and Rose arrive in a space base not knowing where they are exactly. They stumble upon some strange mysterious writing unknown even to Tardis' knowledge that ultimately leads to introduction of one of the best antagonists in the whole show. They meet the crew members that explain they're on a planet that's floating in space above a black hole. Not soon after, things start going horribly wrong. One of the characters gets possessed by an entity (refered as the Devil or the Beast) that supposedly remained dormant on the planet until humans came and woke it up. It then proceeds to possess the slave oods that start killing people in the base (1 character whose name we don't even know). The episode ends on a cliffhanger where Doctor came across a strange seal deep in the planet that starts opening and sends things into chaos.

Now I gotta admit. This episode was absolutely brilliant. Although we didn't see much of the character development in this episode (on top of everything, there are 2 characters we weren't even introduced to), I can forgive it that much for having amazing writing and the antagonist. The whole episode gives off many horror elements that constantly add up to the tension culminating into 1 big ending and a cliffhanger to this episode. The main horror elements we see here are the characters (the oods, the Beast), suspense, mystery and genuine horror in front of the unknown. The characters like the oods are genuinely scary only because of their hideous appearance and the fact when they're possessed, they look twice as scary. We didn't see the Beast in its full form in this episode, but we did see it possess Toby and it made one of the creepiest and chilling entrances you'll ever see on television. The very movement, the letters, the monologue, the intelligence of the Beast is what makes it so scary. This gave off genuine tension and horror that kept constantly building up and giving a more chilling effect to the viewers.

One of the other things that I really liked about this episode is the mystery of the whole story. The episode presented so many questions that will likely never be answered, but that's exactly what made it so good. Some questions I asked after this episode were:

"How can Doctor's Tardis not translate the writing?" "What God was the Beast reffering to when it transmitted through the Ood?" "Is it the real Devil"? "Who made that civilization deep in the planet?"

This is just the questions I asked after watching this episode. It gets more intense in the next part and I definitely recommend everyone to watch this episode or in case you want to get one of your friends into the show, simply show them this episode.

Blockbuster!, A Fantastic Episode full of great scenes, and Ambitious...

[rohanumpleby-34057 · 9/10 · 5 April 2023]

One of my personal favourite Doctor Who episodes, with heart, humour, emotional scenes and truly terrifying moments makes this a defining episode in Siries 2'S run.

First of I will start with the acting,

The performances from the whole cast was great here, they had so much chemistry between each other and bounced off of each other well. When one of there crew members died there reactions were a mixture of devastated and confused and it's beautifully portrayed by the characters because they generally look concerned and scared for what has happened to there crew members.

The Plot,

Plot is fantastic with a really well paced Episode. Ood is a fun audition to the franchise, they help, and when they aren't being servants and doing there jobs, there eyes go red and they come Aggressive. Very well executed concept that works very well in an enclosed environment. With there generally creepy voice when they are being controlled by a demon, Satin Himself. The Slow moving Spaceship falling into the Blackhole has the audience on the edge of there seats, so many twists and turns and elements that make it one of the best episodes of Doctor who. With great Drama,action and acting at it's peak, this is a very solid and enjoyable episode. With a sense of Claustrophobia and general danger around the Crew and Doctor with Rose added into the Mix.

The Music is always great, culminating in what is already one of Doctor who's best episodes to date. No Complaints from me!

The Cliffhanger at the end, is generally disturbing. Mostly because of the weird voice, and it was so unexpected,

9,5/10 Class!!!

Epic opening....

[stevenjlowe82 · 10/10 · 29 October 2023]

This for me is definitely top tier Doctor Who and easily my favourite of the Tenant era thus far.

I loved the setting of this episode and the ever shrinking space station really added to the claustrophobic elements of this episode. I really enjoyed the slow burn build up throughout the episode and it made the ending all that more thrilling and impactful.

The Doctor and Rose really have settled into a wonderful relationship with a great natural chemistry and a great back and forth between them. I also enjoyed Rose's remarkably mature response to being stuck out in space when the TARDIS disappears. The sprinkling of side characters were also enjoyable and felt suitably fleshed out enough for me to care about their plight and they were played well by the actors involved.

Also a major highlight is the introduction of the Ood who go on to appear in future episodes of Doctor Who. I always found them fascinating and really loved their aesthetic and design, the make up effects are top notch.

An overall epic opening to what promises to be a epic 2 part adventure.

A Spectacular Start!

[MrFilmAndTelevisionShow · 9/10 · 21 March 2021]

One cannot ask for much more (ironic that I gave it a nine) in a first episode of a Doctor Who arc. This was a great introduction for the Ood and was definitely one of the best episodes thus far. I like the Cybermen cannot wait for their inevitable return.

The Doctor vs the devil - - part one

[dkiliane · 8/10 · 17 February 2019]

Well, technically the creature calls itself the Beast (M Night Shamalan anyone?). But later insinuates he might be behind the identity of the judeo-christian devil and other representations of supreme evil. The episode is deliberately ambiguous (and smartly so) whether or not the alien's claims are true. And regardless, the villain here definitely represents great evil.

The stakes are raised even higher with the TARDIS lost and the Doctor and Rose effectively stranded on a planet impossibly balanced below a black hole. The creepiness factor comes into play almost immediately and the slow buildup of the threat is done quite well.

Good characters, good suspense. But I am always disappointed when they kill off my favorite supporting character (which always happens) and this particular character death was quite sad.

This episode was brought down a little by the actual physical threat of the villains (the ood in particular) not feeling all that menacing and how obvious it was something was amiss with them but nobody noticing. But these are relatively minor complaints and over all this episode was a decent thriller from start to finish with an interesting take on possession (for a lack of a better term) to boot. 8.5/10

A Masterclass in Atmospheric Sci-Fi

[hwiltshire-06889 · 9/10 · 4 April 2024]

The Impossible Planet, the first half of a thrilling two-parter, is a Doctor Who episode that fires on all cylinders. It's a captivating blend of high-concept science fiction, chilling atmosphere, and memorable character moments that make it stand out.

From the first moments, the episode establishes a palpable sense of tension. The setting - a mining base orbiting a black hole - is inherently unsettling, and the mystery of the planet itself immediately hooks the audience. The Ood, making their chilling debut, add another layer of intrigue and menace to the proceedings.

The Doctor and Rose are on top form here. Tennant's Tenth Doctor is at his best: witty, brilliant, and radiating a barely contained intensity. The dynamic between the Doctor and Rose is well-balanced, with both characters getting to shine.

The script is excellent. It weaves a tight plot, full of escalating peril and genuine surprises. The dialogue crackles with wit and underscores the building dread the crew faces. The escalating tension as the Ood's true nature is revealed is superbly executed, ending on a shocking and effective cliffhanger.

The Impossible Planet might not be perfect. The supporting cast aren't always given much depth, and a few of the scientific concepts get stretched. But these don't detract from the overall impact of the story.

This episode earns a resounding 9 out of 10. It's a showcase of what Doctor Who does best: taking viewers to strange and wondrous places, exploring big ideas, and delivering a rollercoaster ride of suspense, humor, and adventure.