All the publicity for this one off episode suggested that it would be scarier than most Doctor Who episodes and I think it was... I'm sure it will have had some children hiding behind the settee just as their parents did in the seventies.
The episode opened in an easy going manner with The Doctor arriving on Mars and going for a stroll, his walk takes him to a small base. It isn't just any base though, nor is it any day... it is the first ever human base on Mars and it is the day it is destined to be lost along with all its personnel. At around the time The Doctor is captured outside the base two of its staff are harvesting the first crops to be grown there, something is wrong though, as soon as one of them bites into a carrot something strange happens, he starts to drip water and the area around his mouth appears cracked giving him a scary appearance. It is clear that they must be kept away from the rest of the people there at all costs and that anybody who gets the water on them is lost.
Unusually The Doctor is keen to leave them to their fate, not because he is afraid but because he believes it is a pivotal moment in time and they must die if humanity is to fulfil its destiny and explore the stars. As the people there prepare to evacuate The Doctor tells Adelaide Brooke, the leader of the base personnel, what her destiny and why he can't help.
I feared that we were going to get a cop-out happy ending but with a nice twist we got an ending that was both dark and showed The Doctor in a bad light.. it will be interesting to see where this leads in the next special. David Tennant once again does a great job as The Doctor, he will be missed when he leaves the role, he was ably supported by a good cast including Lindsay Duncan as Adelaide Brooke.
The episode opened in an easy going manner with The Doctor arriving on Mars and going for a stroll, his walk takes him to a small base. It isn't just any base though, nor is it any day... it is the first ever human base on Mars and it is the day it is destined to be lost along with all its personnel. At around the time The Doctor is captured outside the base two of its staff are harvesting the first crops to be grown there, something is wrong though, as soon as one of them bites into a carrot something strange happens, he starts to drip water and the area around his mouth appears cracked giving him a scary appearance. It is clear that they must be kept away from the rest of the people there at all costs and that anybody who gets the water on them is lost.
Unusually The Doctor is keen to leave them to their fate, not because he is afraid but because he believes it is a pivotal moment in time and they must die if humanity is to fulfil its destiny and explore the stars. As the people there prepare to evacuate The Doctor tells Adelaide Brooke, the leader of the base personnel, what her destiny and why he can't help.
I feared that we were going to get a cop-out happy ending but with a nice twist we got an ending that was both dark and showed The Doctor in a bad light.. it will be interesting to see where this leads in the next special. David Tennant once again does a great job as The Doctor, he will be missed when he leaves the role, he was ably supported by a good cast including Lindsay Duncan as Adelaide Brooke.