It’s the beginning of the end for the Tennant Doctor. After a 7-month break in this season-o-specials we’re presented with a story which is both very strange and yet all-too-familiar at the same time. Despite the trappings of the “base under siege” motif that has been a staple of both new and classic Doctor Who, the real conflict is the internal struggle between the Doctor’s interventionist nature and knowing that this one time, his saving of one very important future-historical person would have consequences. When the turn came, the mercurial qualities glimpsed throughout the reign of the 10th Doctor came to the fore, and the (presumed) coda scene back on Earth had all the more impact for it. A couple of small points however…
* No matter how persuasive the Doctor might have been back on Mars, didn’t Adelaide’s turn to suicide seem far too abrupt? It certainly had impact… but still.
* I couldn’t help but think of an American football referee when Ood Sigma appeared at the end of the episode, penalizing Tennant. INTERFERENCE, 10 YARDS AND LOSS OF DOWN, 2nd & GOAL.
Apologies for the delay in getting these images up and ready, but that’s the difference between a Saturday and Sunday premiere. Caps and images for The Waters of Mars are now online.
