Writer: Keith Temple
Director: Graeme HarperCast: David Tennant (The Doctor), Catherine Tate (Donna Noble), Tim McInnerny (Mr Halpen), Ayesha Dharker (Solana Mercurio), Adrian Rawlins (Dr Ryder), Roger Griffiths (Commander Kess), Paul Clayton (Mr Bartle), Paul Kasey (Ood Sigma), Tariq Jordan (Rep), Silas Carson (Voice Of The Ood)
The Doctor takes Donna to an icy planet in the 42nd-Century, which they discover is the processing hub for humanity's servants The Ood..."That's what I call a spaceship! You've got a box, he's got a Ferrari!"
-- Donna Noble (Catherine Tate)
A sequel of sorts to season 2's excellent The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit two-parter, Planet Of The Ood finds The Doctor (David Tennant) aiming to right a wrong, by actively trying to free the subservient Ood from slavery. It's unfortunately another episode where a despicable businessman is behind alien exploitation, this time in the shape of Mr Halpen (Tim McInnerny) -- a sharp-suited, balding executive in charge of the "Ood-Sphere"; an industrial complex that exploits Ood by capturing them, lobotomising them, and shipping them across the galaxies as servants.
Donna (Catherine Tate) again offers a different slant on the typical Who companion, as she becomes genuinely unsettled and fearful of the situation, still believing the majority of The Doctor's adventures will be harmless sight-seeing. As a performer, Tate continues to veer from screechy comedy irritant (particularly her first scene in the TARDIS) to thoughtful, reflective, quite dramatic moments.
I'm glad the writers are using Donna in a different way to Rose and Martha, but Tate is only really palatable when she's in a contemplative mood, as her histrionics (while significantly reduced from The Runaway Bride) still cause me to squirm. As The Doctor, David Tennant is going through the motions here -- yelping "ohhh, yes!" a few too many times -- but it's an episode that only requires his boundless enthusiasm and doesn't offer him much else to chew on.
Keith Temple's script is very well paced and, while the story is full of Who clichés (evil company man, armed bodyguards, a conflicted assistant), it sustains itself well and offers a few emotional punches towards the end as The Doctor slowly unravels Halpen's schemes by reconstituting the Ood's natural telepathy. Unchaining them, essentially. A moment between The Doctor, Donna and some caged ("unprocessed") Ood, where they sing a "song of captivity" into their minds, was particularly emotive.
It was also great to see the production values do justice to the story, with wintry alien landscapes beautifully integrated into real surroundings, and the use of a large factory as an exterior to film around. Interesting to note that the Ood were introduced against a backdrop of rock and flame in season 2, but their homeworld consists of ice and snow.
The interiors on Doctor Who always have a vague whiff of falseness about them (particularly when trying to make distant future technology look plausible), but the frontier-like industrial element to the Ood-Sphere building worked well. The CGI for a menacing grappling hook, swinging around a warehouse trying to crush The Doctor, also looked great (helped by the fact Tennant did his own stunts), and I loved the improved make-up for the Ood – particularly the animatronic blinking eyes, which really help sell them.
As always, there were a few moments that fell flat, such as an Ood being brainwashed to quote Homer Simpson ("D'oh!") and the unconvincing reason for a character's physical transformation into an Ood – but at least that was scary, as he ripped off his scalp and vomited up tentacles!
An evil henchman revealing his true identity a "Friends Of The Ood" anti-slavery recruit, before being quickly killed seconds later, also struck me as a wasted opportunity. And it still wasn't explained how the Ood's hand-held translation balls can suddenly become electrifying weapons, either!
Everything else hit the spot, though -- although the lack of much depth and subtleties means Planet Of The Ood was ultimately an agreeable, well-paced, yet predictable adventure story -- with a few dramatic moments and morally-responsible subtext. It was solid, above-average fare; not that inspiring, but far from terrible.
19 April 2008
BBC1, 6.20 pm
