Doctor Who: Planet of the Ood

Another week, another leap forward. Planet of the Ood was the best episode of the season so far. Of course, since at least one of the episodes was a bit rubbish the competition is not fierce. But it is comforting that the episodes are getting stronger – the other way round would be a bit of a disaster!

And there was a lot to like. The grabbers – despite looking a lot like Doc Ock’s tentacles in Spiderman 2 led to a great action sequence, the Ood were used well and the villains were despatched in original ways – particularly the Ood transformation at the very end. For the first time this season, it felt as if a lot of thought had gone into the script, and there was a definite strong story that could be told. It felt as if the Doctor was a vital part in the story whereas in Partners In Crime, he didn’t really need to be there, except to turn off the machine at the end of the story.

Donna was also surprisingly good. I’m still not a fan, but there was a feeling that she had definite things to do in the episode and has an opinion that is both worth hearing and can provide a counterpoint to the Doctor’s point of view. And Catherine Tate actually did some acting, rather than just barking at the other characters like one of her deeply tedious “comedy” characters.

The episode wasn’t perfect, but I am in no mood to point out the defects for the sake of balance. I mean, anyone who reads this blog will know that balance is something that happens to other people. Planet of the Ood is a great example of why I watch Doctor Who – exciting, fun, tense and actually quite moving in the end.

And to top it all off, next week we have the Sontarans…