For
Donna’s first trip to an alien world, the Doctor lets
the T.A.R.D.I.S. decide and they materialise on a snow-covered
world. On investigation the Time Lord discovers that they
have travelled to the 42nd century at the height of the
Human Empire and landed on the home world of the servant
race, the Ood. For over two hundred years the subservient
beings have served man but with outbreaks of the red eye
decease that cause the placid Ood to go rabid and extremely
violent but as Donna and the Doctor investigate the reason
behind this they discover a shocking truth.
After
been controlled by the Devil in the two-part story "The
Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit", the
Ood return and along with it their terrifying red eye transformation.
When
the Ood were introduced two seasons ago, the squid-looking
alien servants transformed into red eyed killers who terrorised
the Doctor, Rose and the crew on the strange dark planet
while they were controlled by an evil force. For this episode
the red-eye returns, but the murderous Ood now have a real
reason for attacking their human masters.
Science
fiction has been an outlet that enabled writers to reflect
on current social, economic and political issues facing
the modern world. Series like ‘Star Trek’, ‘Alien
Nation’, ‘V’ and more recently ‘Battlestar
Galactica’ take storylines that are controversial
and not really approached in modern drama and put them in
an alien environment or science fiction setting to tell
a story that will shock and move you. ‘Planet of the
Ood’ tries to do the same for ‘Doctor Who’
and for the most part they succeed.
This
is all due to the performances of David Tennant and Catherine
Tate, who lead the story of the Ood’s place in the
Human Empire that reflects an issue that still affects the
world today and something that has plagued mankind since
records began.
Catherine
Tate shows here that she is an actress of talent and has
not just been brought into the series to add a little comedic
value into the show. When the Doctor realises that he hasn’t
done enough to help the Ood after his first contact with
them, you see even more of the range of David Tennant as
he strives to become the best actor to play the role of
the Time Lord.
The
supporting cast is also good with Tim McInnerny, best known
from the classic ‘Blackadder’, plays a good
villain in the shape of Klineman Halpen, the owner of the
Ood service and the man who will do anything to stop the
red-eye problem from spreading throughout the empire.
‘Planet
of the Ood’ continues the good start to the new season
of ‘Doctor Who’. With good performances, another
increase the special effects budget and a social issue story
that will get you thinking, this is another good show from
Russell T. Davies and his creative team.
