The Doctor is probably the single most charming Brit in all of history. There are people who will die without ever knowing who Margaret Thatcher was, but they’ll most likely remember the Doctor (Ok, that’s presumptuous). He’s a character that’s been in all forms of media for over 70 years, from television to novels to comic books, and has been tackled by writers like our favorite Grant Morrison. However, for my generation, there has never been a better Who-niverse than the one created by Russel T. Davies when he brought back the Doctor a few short years ago as Christopher Eccleston. And with David Tennant filling in the shoes of the tenth doctor, we knew that it wouldn’t last forever. As the Doctor’s death comes closer and closer, we’re given the absolute pleasure of the second to last Tennant special, “The Waters of Mars.”
Warning: Beyond the cut there are spoilers. It is highly advisable you watch the special before reading this review.
I was incredibly iffy on the premise of “the Waters of Mars.” For starters, it’s not really a traditional Who-story. He has no real companion, at least not in the traditional sense of a companion, and he can’t really do anything about it. As the Doctor himself explains, there are certain events that are fixed in time, and no matter how hard he tried they will transpire. So seeing as the time he arrives in is the destruction of Bowie Space Station 01 on Mars, which is doomed to be destroyed but also inspire the future, the Doctor is left with the conundrum of how far along can he help people survive before he inadvertantly causes the disaster himself? Not only that, but the enemy alien of this episode is “water.” That’s it. So not only is the Doctor helpless, but the villain is also a tad ridiculous.
Leave it to Davies to surprise us all, right?
First off, let’s talk the “water.” As I stated, the fear is that such a benign object (is object the correct word here?) would be unable to strike any kind of emotion into me, the viewer. However, leave it to Doctor Who to somehow make water be a believable and terrifying fear. Of course it’s never quite as simple as just being “water,” as water is simply a conduit for a martian entity to take control of the crew mates of the Mars base. Not only that, but once the human is possessed by the water entity, they become rather grotesque and definitely creepy. Doctor Who has always done a great job at a) costume design and b) having really unsettling adversaries. For such a happy go lucky main character and relatively light hearted premise, the show really can get dark when it comes to antagonists, and the latest entry into the Who-niverse Villain database is just as scary as any other, despite it being water. See, there was a little movie a couple of years ago in which “nature” was the villain, and we had “terrifying” shots of trees and grass swaying in the breeze. This was supposed to be scary, but due to poor writing and horrible acting, it was just hilarious. Doctor Who did a great job of casting and writing because not only was I not laughing at the fact they were running away from a buster water pipe but I was visibly cringing at the grotesque beasts created by the water.
When it comes to the Doctor, this episode was absolutely amazing. The show has been doing a great job since it’s re-launch with Doctor 9 to push the boundaries of the storytelling. There was a gap in time between Doctor 8 and 9 that had to be filled in by reading between the lines, but what we did know is that the Daaleks and the Time Lords fought, and only the Doctor survived. That of course plays greatly into this special. As I mentioned before, the Doctor explains that certain events are fixed in time, and that he as a Time Lord can do nothing to prevent it. He has to protect the time stream, as one small change could create a huge and adverse ripple effect. But as the Doctor walks away from the screams of the Mars victims, he decides no more. He is the last Time Lord. He is the Time Lord Victorious, and he is no longer a slave to time. He is… ready for it? The Master of Time. Uh oh. Who fans will know that that is the exact opposite of what the Doctor has always been (considering that’s the name of his arch-nemesis). And after an incredible and frightening performance as the new Time Lord Victorious during which he gives an absolutely chilling speech to one of the people he manages to save, the Doctor realizes what he’s done as she goes home and shoots herself anyway. She realizes that she needs to die, and no matter what he wants or believes, she can’t allow him to have such absolute power over the universe. There was a reason to the Time Lord’s way of life, and no matter what he may think, there is a line they can’t cross.
Tenant keeps up his ever so brilliant performance as the Doctor in this episode, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt why he is for many people the definition of the Doctor. Anyone going into the new seasons with trepidation towards the status quo change with a new head writer and doctor is completely understandable, as the team of Davies and Tennant is absolutely epic and superbly tremendous. Davies storytelling prowess, with his abilities to put all these pieces together to create such a wonderful and interconnected story, as well as Tennant’s inherent charm as the Doctor make for absolutely wonderful television. Doctor Who is without a doubt the greatest science fiction program of all time, with it’s memorable characters and amazing leading men, and the past 4 seasons have been the proof of that. This special is no different. The worst part about the special is that it is only an hour long, and it will definitely leave you hungry for more Who. I know that as soon as it was over, I was immediately ready to begin rewatching all my DVDs. The show is just that good, and this special is leaps and bounds above the previous one, which was essential to the story but ultimately didn’t hit the notes that this one did.
So if you’re not a Doctor Who watcher, I can do nothing but apologize. You really should be. With two specials left before the new Doctor begins his reign, we’re coming upon the death of Tennant which is most certainly going to be one of the emotional moments of the current generation of Who watchers. With the teaser provided at the end of the special, you can be sure that on Christmas day this year, I’m going to spend the majority of my time waiting for the new special to come online. If you haven’t watched the show yet, then you have between now and December 25th to catch up. I can guarantee you – it’s worth it.
