Full disclosure, if I had to pick a favorite season of the modern Doctor Who it would, without question, be season four. The relationship between the Doctor – played in this incarnation by David Tennant – and Donna – the impeccable Catherine Tate, showing she has the dramatic chops to more than match her comedic ones – was just such a wonderful part of the series’ lore. Having a companion who was a true friend to the Doctor, who was willing and able to call him on his crap and keep him focused on the task at hand (and who was able to pull him back from the ledge when necessary) was such a wonderful concept to a series that, for the previous two seasons, dealt with unrequited love (or, I suppose in the case of Rose, requited but unable to act upon love) from companions. Two pals, running through space and time, until Russell T. Davies gave us the most wrenching ending for a companion in the modern era of Who, giving Donna everything she ever dreamed of – she was the most important, smart, and amazing woman in the galaxy – and ripping it all away. Just a brilliant run. Which means I was particularly excited to dive into these three Who specials that serve to reunite the Doctor – wearing Tennant’s face once more, although officially the Fourteenth incarnation of the Time Lord – and Donna for a final set of adventures.
The initial offering, “The Star Beast,” offered not only the return of Donna, but also the return of Jacqueline King as Donna’s always skeptical mother, Sylvia, Karl Collins as Donna’s husband, Shaun, and the introduction of Donna’s daughter Rose (Yasmin Finney), a fitting name for a spunky and imaginative teenager. The bulk of the episode was spent dancing around how to keep Donna from remembering the Doctor (and her adventures in the Tardis), lest she die from the return of all the knowledge gained in the Time Lord Metacrisis that necessitated her loss of memory back in season four. But once she remembered – and we got to see the amazing DoctorDonna one more time – things really kicked into high gear. That’s not to say the incredibly chemistry between Tennant and Tate wasn’t on display throughout the episode. Oh no, it certainly was. But those final ten minutes? Those really felt like a major throwback to the fourth season and all the great interplay between those two great characters we know and loved.
As for the episode itself, it was a solid if not spectacular episode of Doctor Who. The villain bait and switch was fun – having a cute and cuddly alien like the Meep turn out to be a blood-thirsty despot was a twist I admit I didn’t see coming. But what didn’t work as well was the machinations of Davies to save Donna and make it so she can still remember her time in the Tardis. Does that cheapen the sacrifice she made way back in her first go-round with the Doctor? Yes and no. Yes, because now we know that after a 15-year break – during which she continued trying to right the wrongs of the world to the determent of her own life – she does get to once again realize that she’s so much more than a nobody. And no, because she still lived through that devastating loss – as did the Doctor, Wilf (who I cannot wait to see one more time – the final appearance on screen of Bernard Cribbins before his passing last year), and Sylvia – so that pain exists within her and those who knew of her lost years. As for the reason she – and Rose – can manage to survive following their brush with the knowledge of the universe? Yeah, that was pretty weak and absolutely felt like hand waving to get us to the next adventure.
But you know what? I’m okay with overlooking some of the weaker work with the episode’s writing because the overall story was fun, light on its feet, and segued nicely into the next stop on the Doctor-Donna return tour. And, really, it’s such a complete joy to spend a bit more time with Tennant and Tate, that I’m happy to consider this a table setting for the final two installments of these Doctor Who Specials rather than a complex story being told. After all, Who is at its best when it’s fun – I just wish there was a bit more substance to this outing.
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