Writer: Stephen Greenhorn
Director: Alice TroughtonCast: David Tennant (The Doctor), Catherine Tate (Donna Noble), Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones), Georgia Moffett (Jenny), Nigel Terry (Cobb), Joe Dempsie (Cline), Paul Kasey (Hath Peck), Ruari Mears (Hath Gable), Akin Gazi (Carter) & Olalekan Lawal Jr (Soldier)
After arriving on the planet Messaline, Martha is kidnapped by militaristic fish-like humanoids called the Hath, and The Doctor meets his daughter...Can you smell the oestrogen? The Doctor (David Tennant) is joined by three female companions this week, as the TARDIS whisks him to the planet Messaline with Martha (Freema Agyeman) and Donna (Catherine Tate) in tow, only to be forcibly used as the blueprint for a genetically-created "daughter" -- who comes to be known as Jenny (Georgia Moffett; real-life daughter of Fifth Doctor actor Peter Davison). And all that happens in the opening few minutes!
To be honest, this episode was a bit too hectic for its own good, but the breathless pace and some enjoyable moments eventually dovetailed towards a decent climax. The Doctor discovers that the people of Messaline have been engaged in a generations-long battle with fish-humanoid enemy The Hath (trout-headed warriors with green optics bolted into their mouths.)
As a pacifist, The Doctor tries to end the pointless subterranean war that's been raging (in a web of tunnels snaking out from an abandoned theatre), as it's lost all meaning and both sides just refuse to back down -- out of stubbornness and misplaced sense of tradition. The situation isn't helped by the fact both sides have high-tech equipment ("progenation machines") that can create a stream of battle-ready soldiers, so there's little chance of one side losing through insurmountable fatalities...
Inevitably, Martha gets separated from everyone very quickly -- but befriends an injured Hath, by helping with its dislocated shoulder, and earns their species' trust. The creatures only talk in a flurry of bubbles, although Martha apparently has their language translated by the TARDIS (we just don't have any subtitles as viewers). I think writer Stephen Greenhorn missed a trick in avoiding an Enemy Mine-style aspect to this Martha/Hath interplay, but perhaps it would have just been too difficult to pull off in the 45-minutes allotted...
Besides, it's not long before The Doctor, Donna and Jenny accidentally help both sides realize there's a mythical "Source" in a hidden network of tunnels. Both societies have a Creationist myth about how they came to be, and The Doctor has been instrumental in pointing them toward "divine knowledge" of their beginnings. So the hunt is on, with the humans, led by a grizzled man called Cobb (Nigel Terry), chasing after The Doctor, Donna and Jenny through a labyrinth of new tunnels, as Martha leads her befriended Hath to the Source across the dark, windswept planet's surface...
The Doctor's Daughter is something of a typical episode. My first impression of everything wasn't that favourable; with the set-up and sketchily-drawn characters instantly preparing me for a bog-standard cost-cutting exercise. That said, it was impossible not to be swept along by everything, and Greenhorn's story started showing signs of texture and intelligence...
As the titular Doctor's daughter, Jenny was a pure delight. Georgia Moffett's obviously lovely to look at, but she's also great fun in the role. Issues of parental responsibility are tackled, as The Doctor is initially dismissive of Jenny as nothing but a genetic creation, not his true child – until he hears her dual-heartbeat through his stethoscope. For all the episode's swagger about war and its mystical overtone, it was at its best when dealing with The Doctor's burgeoning affection for his offspring. Jenny was introduced in a split-second (annoyingly), but her relationship with her "dad" evolved very nicely, brilliantly stirred along by a more thoughtful Donna's comments...
Yes, Catherine Tate's very good here; acting as a decent counterbalance to The Doctor in his turmoil over being lumbered with parenthood. There are a few "comedy bits" retorts that Tate once again lurches into ("GI Jane!"), but for the most part I liked her interactions. She even outsmarts The Doctor in resolving the mystery about the Source (using knowledge gleamed from a "temp job" again, amusingly.)
On the flipside, poor Freema Agyeman finds herself stuck in another three-episode stint where she was only required for one (see season 2 of Torchwood.) I loved her energy, enthusiasm and quick-thinking last season, but it's clear now that her character's run its course. This episode gives her a subplot that acts as a balance (by showing things from "the enemy" perspective), but ultimately she's surplus to requirement. And you just can't imagine Martha Jones giving The Doctor a pep talk on being a good dad, can you? She's too young. Donna's maturity has its downsides on the show, but she's better placed to tackle The Doctor on weightier, human issues. If we do see Martha Jones again; fine, I like her. But I'm not signing a petition to get her re-instated as full-time companion now, sorry...
David Tennant doesn't get high-quality witticisms and quips under Greenhorn's pen, but he's brilliant at the emotional stuff with Jenny. His unease over her creation, grudging fondness, followed by excitement about having a daughter accompany him on adventures, was handled superbly. I particularly liked how Jenny rose above her war-like "programming" to become more like her benign father, when she decided not to kill their pursuers. The debate about whether or not The Doctor is a soldier (just one with a no-killing edict, since the fabled Time War) was also interesting.
SPOILERS BEGIN. The eventual demise of Jenny perhaps shouldn't have worked (as we'd only spent 40-minutes in her company), but thanks to Moffett and Tennant's acting skills, they pulled the death scene off very well. I was primed to begin a Sally Sparrow-like campaign to get Jenny reinstated on the show, so when she was joyously resurrected and blasted off into space in her own ship (destined for a spin-off adventure series?) I had to grin. I can't wait to see her again -- just as long as she isn't crippled by immortality, Jack Harkness-style. SPOILERS END.
Overall, The Doctor's Daughter was an episode with a bland premise, moderately rescued by a late-twist that put things into a fresh perspective. But the pleasure of the episode came not from the mostly-extraneous Martha, the awkward Hath (a shame the budget never stretches to animatronic mouths, isn't it?), or the low-rent premise, but in seeing The Doctor fall in love with his rebellious teenage progeny. It was Tennant's touching performance, and the doe-eyed charms of sexy Georgia Moffett doing somersaults down a corridor of laser-beams, that ensured this adventure didn't crash-and-burn...
10 May 2008
BBC1, 6.45 pm
