Doctor Who Season 3

A new Companion, who is not Rose Tyler. Well, that's one point in your favor, Martha Jones.

What We Know Going In

Last season, David Tennant arrived and kickstarted the New Age of popular Doctor Who. He got his hand lopped off in a sword fight, defeated enemies from creepy cat-nurses to Cybermen to Daleks (again), and fell head over heels for Rose Tyler, Queen of Obnoxiousness. In the final episode, Rose Tyler made her long-awaited exit and Doc moped around silently before being rudely interrupted by Catherine Tate, who has been inexplicably teleported inside the TARDIS to set up next season's Christmas special, which I somehow suspect will not be revolutionary television.

What We Found Out

Goodbye, Rose Tyler, and hello, brave new world. Let's find out what Season 3 has to offer (spoiler warning).

3.00, The Runaway Bride: Catherine Tate is actually Donna Noble, a grating, graceless bride-to-be who has been robbed of her wedding day because of alien schemes. Despite the fact that she's written to be the most irritating human in the history of interstellar development, I like her quite a lot. Ostensibly, she should be completely unlikable, except that she has (1) a clear, driving desire and (2) great vulnerability. Nobody in her world likes her, and she's trying desperately to make up for it. Despite her lack of skills, social or practical, she's purely human. The only thing she can offer to the Doctor is her conscience, which is really the only thing he's lacking, and it comes hugely into play in this episode. That said, it's a Christmas special and it's a Davies, so the facepalm quotient in this episode is ridiculously high. 2/5

3.01, Smith and Jones: Martha Jones, medical student, is abducted (along with her hospital) by space-rhinoceroses/mercenary policemen, who teleport it to the moon. We learn quickly that Martha's smart, dedicated, driven, and capable. (That is to say, she's everything Rose Tyler wasn't.) The space-rhinos are looking for a shapeshifting salt-vampire, putting the Doctor (who looks human, but isn't) at risk. He solves all the problems of the episode by kissing Martha Jones, setting up a full season of something like romantic tension. He asks Martha to join him for "just one trip." 3/5

3.02, The Shakespeare Code: Doc and Martha travel to 1599, where they meet Shakespeare, who is apparently "the most human human who ever lived." The writing falls flat (because it's very difficult to write lines for Shakespeare without seeming like an idiot), and the climax relies on Shakespeare mastering what is essentially an alien magic system. Meh. 2/5

3.03, Gridlock: Doc takes Martha to New Earth, which you may remember was also this version's first date with Rose Tyler. Martha points this out (irritably), just before being kidnapped, trapped in a car, and told she'll be there for about...ten years. The planet has been the victim of a lethal airborne virus, but everyone trapped on the lower level of society was spared, and everyone trying to drive from the lower end to the higher end is stuck in a looped freeway. The Face of Boe, Doc's old buddy, sacrifices himself to save everyone, and gives Doc a cryptic message with his dying breath: "You are not alone." 4/5

3.04, Daleks in Manhattan: The Cult of Skaro, a group of four Daleks charged with devising new strategies for Dalek survival, are kidnapping homeless folk from a Hooverville in 1920's New York. Their leader, DaaaaaalekSec, merges with human being Mr. Diagoras, forming the first Dalek-human hybrid (and the first remotely threatening Dalek I've seen so far). 4/5

3.05, Evolution of the Daleks: DaaaaalekSec/Mr. Diagoras (Mr. Dalekoras from here on out) begs Doc to help him turn an army of corpses, originally meant to be turned into Daleks, into a race of Dalek-humans, who will have all the advantages of Dalek but with the additive of human emotion. His fellow Daleks disapprove of the plan, and so sabotage it, a plan which the Doctor foils. Also, the Daleks finally kill a real character, instead of just a redshirt. 5/5

3.06, The Lazarus Experiment: Doc and Martha return to modern-day London, where Dr. Lazarus is exhibiting an experiment designed to make him young again (ho ho subtlety!). Unfortunately, it has the nasty side effect of turning him into a human-eating monster. Doc and Martha conquer him, but Mama Jones is beginning to suspect her daughter's "friend" is more sinister than he seems. 3/5

3.07, 42: Doc and Martha land on a spaceship which has 42 minutes before it will fall into a sun. To add to the danger, the ship's crew are being infected by some manner of spirit, which demands that everyone "Burn with me." Like "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit," this episode is classic sci-fi, almost to the point of not technically being a Who story. It's reinforced by a real-time ticking clock, a la 24, and Martha Jones solves just as many problems as Rose Tyler would have caused. 4/5

3.08, Human Nature: Doc and Martha run afoul of a family of hunters powerful enough to chase the TARDIS no matter where, or when, it goes. However, they have a limited lifespan, and they didn't see Doc's face or Martha's, meaning they can only trace the smell of "Time Lord." To escape them, Doc relinquishes his Time Lord powers and his memory, putting them in a fob watch and becoming a fully-fledged human. He and Martha take up disguises at a boarding school in 1913 England, where Doc starts falling in love with the school nurse. Also, Viserys becomes a creepy possessed schoolboy, and Jojen Reed is a psychic. My, but these Brits do play to type. 5/5

3.09, The Family of Blood: Human!Doc and Servant!Martha foil the plans of the Family of Blood, the hunters from last episode. The episode is tight, powerful, and poignant, not least because of the Doctor's punishments for the villains—all of which amount, essentially, to eternal torment. I love it. 5/5

3.10, Blink: Possibly the best-known episode for non-Who fans, this episode introduces the Weeping Angels, the first honest-to-goodness terrifying Who villain ever. The Doctor makes very few appearances in this episode, granting the lead role to Carey Mulligan instead. The episode is tight and powerful, involving a fond time-travel trope, wherein someone is sent to the past and arranges for a message to be sent to their former present. 

I do suspect, though, that this episode was written for season two, because Martha Jones does not sound like Martha Jones. She sounds like Rose Tyler. Apart from that, though, this episode is far and away the best one to show to non-Whovians. It stands perfectly well on its own and artfully incorporates all the best elements of Doctor Who. 5/5

3.11, Utopia: In the first of a three-part finale, Doc and Martha encounter Cap'n Jack, who clings to the TARDIS as it flies right to the end of the universe, in the year 100 trillion. There they meet the last humans ever—because humans are the most resilient of species, of course, and will survive until the final gasping breaths of creation—who are trying desperately to escape to Utopia. (How about that—from our start to our finish, we're always looking for paradise.) They're being aided by Professor Yana, a kindly genius with a fob watch suspiciously similar to the one Doc had when he relinquished his Time Lord powers. In the climax, Yana (an acronym of "You Are Not Alone," the Face of Boe's last words) opens the watch and becomes a Time Lord named the Master. He cackles maniacally and steals the TARDIS, though not before Doc does something to it with his magic wan—er, sonic screwdriver. The episode ends with Doc, Martha, and Cap'n Jack holding off a horde of monsters while the humans escape to Utopia and Yana absconds with the TARDIS. 4/5

3.12, The Sound of Drums: Using Cap'n Jack's nifty teleport device (coupled with Doc's magic wand sonic screwdriver), the team escapes the imminent threat of monsters. In any other circumstance, this would be pretty lame, but in this one, they manage to leap straight from the frying pan to the fire. The Master has been present all throughout the season under the pseudonym Mr. Saxon, a politician whom everybody likes, though they can't figure out why. Turns out he's been manipulating them all psychically, infecting their minds with a catchy drum beat (just go with it). 

Having secured the office of Prime Minister of Britain, he initiates a plan to take over the world by overwhelming it with six billion Toclafane (like this thing, except they have lasers, knives, and sociopathic tendencies). Doc attempts to stop him, and the Master defeats him easily, using the Lazarus Project technology to catapult Doc into senectitude. (Which is odd, since Time Lords canonically "don't age," according to "School Reunion," but okay, let's roll with it.) The Master takes complete control of the planet, and Martha Jones escapes, barely, to mount a resistance for next episode. 4/5

3.13, Last of the Time Lords: One year later, Martha Jones returns to Britain, after traveling the world on an errand to save the Doctor's life. (All I can think, of course, is how lucky Doc is to have Martha doing this, rather than Rose. Rose would have cried for a while before flouting the Doctor's instructions and storming the castle with no plan or hope of success.) Martha, by contrast, does exactly what the Doctor tells her to, up to and including executing a flawless gambit against the Master.

(Point of interest: the Master makes some crack about how Doc's last companion could "take in the Time Vortex! This one's useless!" Well, jolly off to you, too, Mr. Saxon. Martha earned this victory.)

Anyway, in the denouement, everyone on Earth simultaneously thinks "doctor" and, because of the Master's psychic network, this girds Doc in god-armor.

NO NO NO NO NO. DEUS EX DOCTORUS. WHY MUST YOU DO THIS THING?

Admittedly, it's the least awful Deus Ex Doctorus in the history of the show, but it's still pretty irritating. Oh, well.

God!Doctor descends upon the Master and says, "I forgive you," which is an incredibly powerful moment. The team then moves on to solving the seasons problems: it turns out the Toclafane are actually the humans from episode 11. "How's that possible?" you ask. "They can't hurt their ancestors! They would destroy themselves!" Doc kindly explains that it's only possible because the Master turned the TARDIS into a Paradox Machine, allowing him to break the rules of space-time.

Sigh. Just go with it.

After sending the Toclafane back to the future, the Paradox Machine hits a hard reset on the universe, pulling everything back one year and erasing the events of the last episode. This is exceptionally irritating, because now everything we've just watched and been invested in doesn't matter, as it never happened. Oh, Russel T. Davies, you were doing so well.

In the final scene, Martha gracefully takes her exit—an exceptionally mature act that Rose Tyler never would have accomplished. (Truly, it boggles the mind that the Doctor never fell for Martha Jones.) So long, Martha. We will dearly miss your ability to conquer plot problems without becoming a minor god. 4/5

What's Good?

I won't dwell on this part, because the list could get ridiculously long. From Martha Jones to the resolution of dangling plot threads dating back to the second episode of the series, Season 3 outshines its younger brothers by a factor of ten. The Doctor becomes more human (including one episode in which he actually becomes human), the plot is well-woven, and the companion is a smart, driven character who contributes more than a pouty face and a whine. (I swear that's the last Rose Tyler crack I make. Promise.)

Overall, this season is smart, sharp, and intriguing. In fact, if you ever end up recommending Who to your friends, tell them to start with this season and pretend everything before it is unrevealed backstory. It works better that way.

What's Bad?

It's the same old song, folks: Deus Ex Doctorus, inconsistent magic, and Russel T. Davies—although they are all problems to a seriously lesser extent this season than last. Davies's episodes have taken a sharp uptick in quality (notably "Gridlock," with this scene), though they're still a bit erratic, ranging from very strong to unimpressive. The magic system, though becoming more discernible, is still mostly unconcerned with constancy. And Deus Ex Doctorus only shows up in one episode this season!

So, then...

Is it quality? I can finally say it: yes. This season is quality. Not extremely high-quality, not yet, but quality nonetheless.

Is it family friendly? Mostly, yes. Certain sequences can get scary, but Doctor Who largely avoids needless foul language or violence, and skips raciness entirely.

Is it daring? Increasingly, yes. Doctor Who is striding into territory it hasn't explored yet, and it's wonderful.

What's the rating? 8.3/10. WE ARE GETTING THERE, GUYS. THE FANBOYS AREN'T COMPLETELY NUTS.

He was being kind.