"Doctor Who" Smith and Jones (2007)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Charles Palmer

Writer:

Russell T. Davies (written by)

TV Series:

"Doctor Who" (2005)

Original Air Date:

31 March 2007 (Season 3, Episode 1)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

When the hospital where medical student Martha Jones works at is transported to the moon, only the Doctor can come to the rescue and face the might of the Judoon.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Time Lord | Tardis | Companion | Doctor Who

Cast

David Tennant	...	The Doctor
Freema Agyeman	...	Martha Jones
Anne Reid	...	Florence Finnegan
Roy Marsden	...	Mr. Stoker
Adjoa Andoh	...	Francine Jones
Gugu Mbatha-Raw	...	Tish Jones
Reggie Yates	...	Leo Jones
Trevor Laird	...	Clive Jones
Kimmi Richards	...	Annalise
Ben Righton	...	Morgenstern
Vineeta Rishi	...	Juila Swales
Paul Kasey	...	Judoon Captain
Nicholas Briggs	...	Judoon (voice)

Runtime:

45 min | 45 min (50 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:PG (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Singleton Hospital, Swansea, Wales, UK

Trivia:

Mr. Saxon references: 1. Referenced on a television news report about the disappearance of the hospital. 2. An election campaign poster visible on a wall before Martha enters the TARDIS for the first time.

Goofs:

Factual errors: While trapped inside the hospital on the moon, the people inside are starting to collapse as the oxygen levels are shown to be approaching zero. In a confined space, humans will die from Carbon Dioxide poisoning long before the level of oxygen reaches zero.

Quotes:

[a patient smashes a vase over a Judoon trooper's helmet]
Judoon: Witness: The Crime. Charge: Physical Assault. Plea: Guilty. Sentence: Execution!
[the Judoon leader shoots the patient with a powerful laser, which disintegrates him on contact]
Morganstern: You didn't have to do that.
Judoon: Justice is swift.

Movie Connections:

References "Children's Ward" (1989)

Soundtrack:

Sunshine

Well well well!

Well indeed, what a gem the Doctor Who team have dug up here. In the space of 45 minutes, Freema Agyeman has already proved she's not just got what it takes, but she's got it in spades. Her debut episode is an absolute stormer, and for an actress who was probably unheard of before she was announced as David Tennant's new companion, it's pure brilliance. If I'm honest, I already like her more than I did Billie Piper after the whole first series.

Martha Jones, a medical student, is instantly likable. From the very second the moon crisis hits the hospital where she works, she is still perfectly calm, collected, and trying to work out the reasoning behind what's going on and why things are happening the way they are, showing no fear to anyone. Her brief exchange with the Doctor about going outside ("We might die" the Doctor says. "We might not" she retorts), her point blank refusal to call him Doctor ("As far as I'm concerned you've gotta earn that title") and the sheer attitude she shows, along with the lack of fear she lets on to anything, and how quickly she seems to get her head around things, give indications that she'll become a Doctor Who favourite before long.

Although the episode itself was always going to be mainly about Freema's debut, it's actually a pretty good episode to boot. The plot is a cracker, the detail is perfect (the Doctor's proof to Martha that he can, in fact, travel in time is brilliant), and the dialogue was fantastic. The Judoon are brilliant as, in the end, both good and bad guys, David Tennant is quality as always (the best Doctor ever? We'll see), and all in all it was very well played.

Hopefully the standard will stay this high, and hopefully rise even further, over the whole series. Time will tell.