SEASON 2. 22 Apr 06. BBC 1, 7:15 p.m.
WRITER: Russell T. Davies DIRECTOR: Euros Lyn
CAST: David Tennant (The Doctor), Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), Pauline Collins (Queen Victoria), Ian Hanmore (Father Angelo), Michelle Duncan (Isobel), Jamie Sives (Reynolds), Ron Donachie (Steward), Tom Smith (Host), Ruth Milne (Flora) & Derek Riddell (Robert).
The Doctor and Rose arrive in 19th-Century Scotland, where they must protect Queen Victoria herself from a vicious werewolf and a group of warrior Monks...Russell T. Davies' scripts come in for a lot of criticism from fans, myself included, but Tooth & Claw finally proves that Davies can write a decent Doctor Who episode if he puts his mind to it. Perhaps it's because Tooth & Claw is another episode set in the past -- by far the most successful setting for Doctor Who in terms production design (the BBC may have problems creating the future, but they can do the past in their sleep.)
Tooth & Claw is another old-fashioned horror story, similar in tone to last year's The Unquiet Dead by Mark Gatiss. Davies' story finds The Doctor and Rose helping thwart a secret society of warrior Monks, who have laid a trap to "infect" Queen Victoria with a werewolf gene and usher in the "Empire Of The Wolf".
David Tennant improves upon the tepid start last week, but his Doctor is still fairly ineffective until the final moments (heck, even the kitchen staff discover how to protect themselves against the werewolf before he does!) However, the sense of fun and eccentricity is more potent with Tennant than it ever was with Ecclestone, but so far it's been at the expense of feeling The Doctor is the all-knowing hero he should be.
The most notable guest star in Tooth & Claw is Pauline Collins as Queen Victoria (known to international audiences as Shirley Valentine, perhaps -- the actress, not the royal). She's pretty good all things considered, but isn't really given much to sink her teeth into beyond a few good speeches that remind you of Judi Dench's performance in Mrs Brown.
As I mentioned earlier, the production design for the episode's Scottish location is exemplory. Windswept highland locales, sinister castle dungeon, luxurious dining rooms -- all classic Victoriana that truly breathes life and believability into the 1879 time period.
Fans of special effects won't be disappointed either. The effects for the werewolf are fabulous and a high benchmark for the show so far. The transformation sequence is very similar to the one in Harry Potter & The Prizoner Of Azkaban, while the fully-transformed wolf reminded me of the creature in Van Helsing. All very good, with only a few shots that don't stand up to very close scrutiny. There are even some Matrix-style wire-fu in early scenes, so plenty for FX lovers to admire.
Amazingly, Davies' script is also genuinely funny and not littered with weak gags that drag the show down. Of particular delight is Rose's attempts to get Queen Victoria to utter the phrase "we are not amused". By the finale, it's also very satisfying that every plot strand is properly resolved and the denouement even offers fans a few questions to ponder...
Overall, Tooth & Claw is one of the best Who episodes since the show returned last year, and a promising rebuttal to fans that Russell T. Davies has the chops to write decent adventure stories after all. I just hope this trend continues, and isn't just limited to shows set in the past...
A definite highlight for Doctor Whooooooooooooo. Sorry, I couldn't resist.
NEXT WEEK: It's back to school with Anthony Stewart Head (Giles from Buffy) guest staring alongside Elisabeth Sladen (back as ex-Doctor Who companion Sarah Jane Smith), the return of robot dog K-9, and some flying monsters!
