"42"
"The following takes place between the year 2007 and five billion and twenty-four."
The first thing I thought before the opening credits was: "Yay! Finally! An episode that isn't set on Earth again." Of course the majority of the characters in the episode are human (not counting the Doctor or the living star organism), so I'm not sure if this counts as a non-Earth-based episode. Whatever the case may be, the episode has a very similar feel to the Doctor Who two-parter, "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satin Pit," except it's filled with the frenetic energy of the TV show
24, which the episode pays homage to (considering that for the most part, the show happens in "real time" and that 42 reversed is 24).
I fully expected the Doctor to do some incredible and death-defying feats in order to save the day, and I wasn't disappointed. Off the top of my head the Doctor is able to come up with a plan to save the ship's engines; he diagnosis and suggests treatment to an injured crewman; he dons a space suit and crawls around the exterior of the ship in order to save Martha from falling into the star; he becomes a double agent (heh) when he is infected with an alien and is subjected to extreme freezing temperatures; and when the power is cut, he is able to tell Martha how to save them all. Wow! The list goes on and on (actually it doesn't, heh). As the captain of the ship tells the Doctor: "That was brilliant!" Jack Bauer ain't got nuthin' on the Doctor!
Overall, it was a nice little romp on a spaceship that is not on or near Earth. I really wish there were more that takes the viewer away from our home planet; however, in terms of the story, one can justify many reasons as to why the Doctor is fascinated with humans and our planet, especially when you consider where this season's main and underlying storyline is taking us.
Other observations:
- Does anyone else think that the main reason the actors who play the Doctor end up leaving the show is because they get sick of repeating the line, "I'm the Doctor"?
- One of the trivia questions dealt with music downloads of Elvis and The Beatles. Although I do understand that this was done to have Martha call her mom (on her new modded cell phone), it will probably end up dating the show to future viewers. And will the music of Elvis and The Beatles still be known that far off into the future?
- I really thought that Martha was a goner when her escape pod was jettisoned. Also, Martha's theme music is growing on me.
- The humans the Doctor encounter usually seem to cause the majority of his problems because of their greed, be it for money or power. The Doctor, while infected, even points this out: "Humans! You grab whatever's nearest and bleed it dry!"
- Martha has recently been stepping up to the plate and doing more and more to help the Doctor. So much so that he has been giving her those "frequent flyer privileges." I wonder if Rose is still on his mind.
- What's the deal with Martha's mother and the mystery eavesdroppers/wiretappers? The final line of the episode, said by the female wiretapper, was, "Thanks for all you are doing, Mrs. Jones. Mr. Saxon will be grateful." What is the connection?
- According to the official BBC website for the show, there are many other "42" references contained within the show (besides it being the amount of time left until the ship is destroyed). Check it out here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2007/facts/fact_307.shtml
