Doctor Who was one of my favorite shows as a child, and I was delighted to see it brought back to television in such a glorious way. It's so much fun, with an excellent mix of action, comedy, and drama all with a sense of great adventure. Season two found us with a new, new Doctor and "fantastic" new adventures.

The Show:

For the uninitiated, here a very brief rundown:

Doctor Who is a long-running British sci-fi show that follows the exploits of "The Doctor", a super intelligent Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who has a special affinity for the planet Earth. The Doctor can travel to any point in space and time in his spaceship, the TARDIS, which looks like an old fashioned police call box on the outside but is quite massive on the inside. The Doctor usually travels with one (or more) young companion, usually human, as he travels the universe righting wrongs and saving the day. Although The Doctor looks human there are some major differences - the largest being the fact that he doesn't age, instead he "regenerates". If his body is dying, he can change every cell and become a new man. Throughout each regeneration he has the same basic traits (his moral sense of right and wrong, his intelligence, his memories) but his appearance and certain quirks of his personality change.

Officially the longest running sci-fi show on television, Doctor Who originally aired from 1963 to 1989, with a television movie in 1996. Although it continued to live on through books and new audio recordings, the show was revived for television by Russell T. Davies in 2005. Christopher Eccleston was the first to resume the role of The Doctor, playing his 9th incarnation in the revived show's first year, along with new companion Rose Tyler (beautifully played by Billie Piper). Eccleston decided to only play the Doctor for one year, so in season two (or 28, depending upon how you look at it) the role of the 10th Doctor went to the very capable (and enjoyable) David Tennant.

The Second Season (or 28th, depending upon how you look at it...)

** Spoiler warnings ahead - don't read if you don't want to know... **

I loved Christopher Eccleston's 9th Doctor in Series One (or season 27). Like most of the Doctors that came before him he was charming and had his own set of quirks, yet unlike most other Doctors he had a bit of darkness to him (due to his participation in the Time War, which ultimately wiped out his home planet and left him as the only survivor of his species). I found his dark and damaged Doctor intriguing, and could certainly understand why his new companion, Rose, could become so devoted to him. All that being said, I immediately fell in love with David Tennant's 10th doctor. I was surprised -- I thought I would be more upset at the change and that it would take me longer to warm to him. With his sometimes manic behavior and his own new set of quirks he reminded me of previous Doctors much more than the 9th Doctor ever did (perhaps because Tennant grew up loving Doctor Who just like I did). He was boyish and gleeful, but he too could turn on the darkness when necessary.

As much as I loved the show as a child, I've reveled in the show as an adult as well and have loved picking up on the differences between the show that I grew up with and the show that airs now. I love the ways that it is different than the old show (vastly improved special effects and sets, movie-like film quality, the Doctor going a bit "domestic" and getting to know the family of his companion, etc) as well as reveling in how little things have really changed. Little references to parts of the show's past always give me a thrill, but are subtle enough as to not detract from the enjoyment of any new-to-the-show fans.

The deep, thoughtful storylines are still there. Because Doctor Who is a "family" show, there's a noticeable lack of blood and guts, yet they still deal with very deep, adult themes. People still die (quite a lot do, actually) and the stories can be quite disturbing (usually in a good, "it makes you think" kind of way). The show proves that you can be scary and suspenseful without being gory, and I love them for it. I found the two parter "The Impossible Planet"/"The Satan Pit" to be quite scary, and just getting a glimpse of the machinery that turns humans into Cybermen is enough to upset one a bit (especially when you stop and think about it for a little while). There's an overriding theme of loss, which gives a depth to the Doctor that seeps into every episode.

David Tennant and Billie Piper as The Doctor and Rose -- I absolutely love watching them together. There's such a joy to their exploits and the pair have a fabulous chemistry with each other. Some long time fans may complain about the best-friends-who-are-kinda-sweet-on-each-other relationship between The Doctor and Rose (because in the old series the Doctor was more of a father figure to his companions), but I ate it up. The Doctor and Rose loved exploring together and reveled in their adventures across time and space with each other. Seeing them exchange big goofy grins with each other made me grin as well, and swept me up in the sheer joy of being able to explore all of time and space together with someone you love.

All the fun that the Doctor and Rose are having together is just a set-up to tear my heart out, of course. As is inevitable in a show where the main character is a 900 year old Time Lord who does not die, the human companions come and go. The team knew that Billie Piper was leaving at the end of this season, so they made Rose and The Doctor inseparable and adorable together so that we would all get horribly depressed and mourn when the two of them were violently ripped apart in the end. I still haven't gotten over it... (and in the 2006 Christmas Special, which is not a part of this boxed set, neither has the Doctor), and that makes for great television.

Technical Specs:

This set includes 6 single-sided, dual layered discs.

The first disc contains 2 episodes and some special features. Discs 2-5 each contain 3 episodes. Disc 6 contains more special features (the Doctor Who Confidential shorts and David Tennant's video diaries).

The English audio track is in Dolby Digital 5.1.

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Subtitles in English

The packaging is very nice, with fold out sections containing 2 discs each and a nice booklet outlining the disc contents, chapters, and special features.

My commentary on the commentary -- I loved it! Every episode has commentary of some kind, either as an alternate audio track or "In-Vision" (where you can see the people in a little box in the bottom corner of your screen as they watch and comment on the episode). They sound like a happy group of people who get along really well together. I knew that David Tennant was quite funny, but I was surprised to hear how much fun writer/executive producer Russell T. Davies has during the commentary, providing lots of levity and laughter throughout. And David Tennant, who grew up loving the show, is able to provide so much background and history that you might think he's the writer instead of an actor at times. Of course, my favorite commentary has to be The Doctor and Rose themselves, David Tennant and Billie Piper, doing the in-vision commentary on the last episode of the season, "Doomsday".

Disc One:

The Christmas Invasion (The Christmas Special)
David Tennant's first full episode as The Doctor, and I think it's just brilliant. We witness Rose's attempts to come to terms with the fact that this stranger claims to be The Doctor, and we see her try to hold it together without his help as the world crumbles around her. When The Doctor arrives to save the day, Tennant gives us a Doctor who is well worthy of his predecessors, and he's a delight to see in action. I love the fact that the regeneration from Doctor #9 to #10 leaves him sick/vulnerable - it makes you not hate him quite as much for replacing someone you loved. You just feel sorry for him (and for Rose) and want him to get well soon so he can save the world (which he does quite heroically). Also, as strong a character as Rose became in season one, this episode shows how lost they all are without The Doctor.
Commentary: "In-Vision" with Julie Gardner (Executive Producer), Phil Collinson (Producer), and Russell T. Davies (Head Writer & Executive Producer). The commentary was recorded before the episode even aired, so they didn't know how well (or not) the first episode with the new Doctor was going to go over with the fans. Russell T. Davies cracked me up.

Episode 1 - New Earth
The Doctor takes Rose to see New Earth - created after the original was destroyed (in Series One's "The End of the World"). The Doctor goes to a hospital to find an old friend, while Rose runs into an old enemy. The episode is absolutely visually stunning. The cat-nun-nurses are just gorgeous. The episode is a crazy thrill ride right up until the end, but it loses some marks for having an ending that is far too unscientific and convenient. You'll either love or hate the "body hopping" that takes place - I think both actors do a great job of being "inhabited", even if it did make my eyes-roll a bit.
Commentary: Audio with James Hawes (Director), Julie Gardner (Executive Producer), and Will Cohen (Visual Effects Producer). Lots of talk of cut scenes and a lost scene that just makes me want to know what I'm missing.

Special Features

Outtakes - An 8-minute montage of some great bloopers, along with some silly stuff from K9 and Cybermen in the park as well as some cute "fake" bloopers from the special effects guys. I love seeing the cast crack up with each other on set and am so very glad they were included.

Deleted Scenes - A few cut scenes and some extended scenes from the various episodes. There's some good stuff - like the Doctor's inability to say "fantastic" in his first episode, but nothing terribly earth-shattering in the mix. Still, it is too bad some of these nice little bits were lost...

Billie's Video Diaries - 4 minutes worth of Billie's footage from the Reunion episode, as well as some footage Billie shot in their makeup truck.

Children In Need Special - The short special that aired during the Children in Need fund raiser. It's just one scene - Rose and The Doctor on board the TARDIS right after his regeneration from the 9th to the 10th Doctor. It seems like such a vital part of the show (Rose's reaction to her Doctor's regeneration, and the regeneration starting to go wrong) that I'm extremely thankful that it was included on the DVD, but it seems like it should have been part of the main menu instead of buried in the special features.

Disc Two:

Episode 2: Tooth And Claw
The Doctor accidentally lands the TARDIS in 1979 Scotland, where they run into Queen Victoria, some menacing monks, and a werewolf. This is definitely one of my favorite stand-alone episodes of the season. The whole look of the episode is absolutely stunning, complete with a very impressive CGI werewolf. The Doctor and Rose made me laugh a lot in this episode as they enjoyed their exploits even in the face of extreme danger. Plus I have a thing for Scottish accents...
Commentary: Audio with Russell T. Davies (Writer/Executive Producer), David Haughton (Visual Effects Supervisor), and Stephen Nicholas (Supervising Art Director). This commentary contained lots of laughing and teasing about what effects/looks can & cannot be achieved with current technology and Doctor Who's budget.

Episode 3: School Reunion
The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey investigate strange happenings in a school where they run into some old friends (namely former companion Sarah Jane Smith and K9!!). As a long time fan of the show, I was beyond thrilled to see Sarah Jane Smith again (and even got a bit nostalgic over K9). The reunion and (subsequent bickering between Sarah Jane and Rose) was so fun to watch that it almost overshadowed the rest of the story, which is almost too bad because Anthony Head makes a wonderful bad guy.
Commentary: Audio commentary by David Tennant (The Doctor), Toby Whithouse (Writer), and Julie Gardner (Executive Producer). It's so wonderful to hear everyone talking about the marvelous Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), as well as talking about Anthony Head and Billie in her dinner lady garb. I always love commentary with Tennant and Julie Gardener too - they're just so fun-loving.

Episode 4: The Girl in the Fireplace
The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey attempt to determine why a 51st century spaceship is stalking a little girl from 18th century France, and the Doctor finds a soulmate. This episode is so sad & lovely. The clockwork droids are gorgeous both with and without their masks, the jumping from the future to the past is a very neat idea that is beautifully realized with opulent locations. The story is intriguing and heartbreaking with a little twist that isn't revealed until the very, very end.
Commentary: "In-Vision" commentary with David Tennant (The Doctor), Sophia Myles (Reinette), and Phil Collinson (Producer) - includes cute stuff about David's run-in with Sophia prior to their work on Doctor Who, which is especially interesting knowing that they are now a couple in real life

Disc Three:

Episode 5: Rise of the Cybermen
The TARDIS gets stuck in a parallel universe where Rose finds her father, Mickey finds his double, and the Doctor finds one of his deadliest enemies. I love the new look of the Cybermen, and fans of the old show will appreciate how these alternate-universe Cybermen are different than the ones from the show's past. This is a 2-parter episode that concludes in Episode 6.
Commentary: Audio commentary with Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith - Rose's on-again off-again boyfriend), Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler - Rose's mother), Andrew Hayden-Smith (Jake Simmonds - alternate universe freedom fighter). While I usually eat up commentary from writers, producers, and special effects guys, I adore this commentary from the actors, particularly Noel Clark and Camille Coduri who are clearly great friends and who have a lot of fun working on the show.

Episode 6: The Age of Steel
The Cybermen begin their "upgrade" of the human race and the Doctor and his companions attempt to thwart their plans and return to their own universe. An excellent conclusion to Episode 5 which finds dear old Mickey growing up so beautifully from the none-too-heroic character we first met in season 1, episode 1. Bravo Mickey!
Commentary: In-Vision commentary with Graeme Harper (Director), Nick Briggs (voice of the Cybermen), and Paul Kasey (the Cyber-Leader). This was another interesting commentary, with Graeme Harper (who also worked on Doctor Who back in the 1980's), Paul Kasey (who is often a "monster in a suit" on many episodes of the show), and Nicholas Briggs, a big-time fan & Doctor Who historian who voices the Cybermen as well as the Daleks.

Episode 7: The Idiot's Lantern
The Doctor and Rose arrive in 1953 just before the Queen Elizabeth II's coronation to find faceless "monsters" and a threat to all of England. I found the faceless people quite chilling, and loved the performance of "The Wire".
Commentary: Audio commentary by David Tennant (the Doctor), Edward Thomas (production designer), and Charlie Bluett (Millennium FX - special effects technician). I do wish that writer Mark Gatiss had been available to contribute on the commentary track, as I adore him, but whenever David Tennant is on the commentary it is always extra listenable and full of fun facts and humor.

Disc Four:

Episode 8: The Impossible Planet
The Doctor and Rose get trapped on a truly Impossible Planet, where they are hunted by evil incarnate. I absolutely adore this two parter (with Episode 9's "The Satan Pit"). It is so dark and scary that I was tempted to sleep with the lights on. The Ood are fantastically creepy as well. I love getting off planet Earth for a while and seeing the "hard work" involved in space travel. I love this two parter!
Commentary: In-Vision with David Tennant (the Doctor), Will Cohen (Visual Effects Producer), and Shaun Parkes (played Captain Zachary Cross Flane) - I really enjoyed this commentary - lots of good information along with lots of cutting up. Shaun and David are friends (they did Casanova together with Russell T. Davies).

Episode 9: The Satan Pit
Conclusion to Episode 8 -- can the Doctor outwit the devil? I like seeing the Doctor confused - he doesn't have all the answers on this one, and I find that intriguing. The chase through the base's tunnels was thrilling, and the Doctor falling into the pit and Rose's hopelessness... ah, they really are "The stuff of legend".
Commentary: Audio commentary by James Strong (director), Mike Jones (editor), Ronny Jhutti (played Danny Bartock). They discuss lots of technical aspects. Not as much fun as the commentary on part 1 though.

Episode 10: Love & Monsters
Fans apparently have a love/hate relationship with this episode. Due to the super-tight filming schedule on Doctor Who, there needed to be an episode that was Doctor & Rose lite (because Tennant and Piper were busy filming the other episodes). So Love & Monsters focuses on the Doctor through the eyes of someone else - Elton, a normal guy obsessed with finding the mysterious man who affected his life. While I do find myself enjoying the episode (with its nice run-through of various previous episodes from seasons one & two through Elton's eyes as well as his relationship with Jackie), I did think some of the stuff was over-the-top (I mean really, they formed a band!?!)
Commentary: Audio with Camille Coduri (plays Jackie Tyler), Dan Zeff (Director), Julie Gardner (Executive Producer). Their commentary was fairly interesting, including discussion on various cut scenes and lines. The commentary did help me appreciate this episode more.

Disc Five:
Episode 11: Fear Her
The story revolves around kids disappearing from a small, quiet neighborhood and a little girl obsessed with drawing pictures. While there are some nice moments (I particularly like the drawings moving about), this is probably one of my least favorite episodes of the series. The torch-bearing at the end is way too over the top for me. It is interesting to see the parallels between the lonely Isolus and the Doctor, however.
Commentary: Audio commentary with Julie Gardner (executive producer) and Matthew Graham (writer). Even though this isn't my favorite episode, it was nice to hear about the thought that went into coming up with it and how they were affected by budget constraints. They also talked about the infamous cat and the "I was a Dad once" line.

Episode 12: Army of Ghosts
In this first half of a 2-parter, we finally get to see inside "Torchwood", the mysterious organization that has been mentioned numerous times throughout this series. Blurry "ghost" figures keep appearing en-masse all over the world, and the Doctor can tell that there is something sinister about the seemingly harmless figures.
Commentary: Audio commentary by actors Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith), Tracy Ann Oberman (Torchwood leader Yvonne Hartman), Raji James (Dr Rajesh Singh). There was lots of laughing and joking during the commentary, which was fun.

Episode 13: Doomsday
Follow-up to the 2-part "Army of Ghosts", we finally see the epic battle between the Doctor's greatest enemies, the Daleks and the Cybermen, as well as the splitting up of my favorite couple.
Commentary: In-vision with stars David Tennant (the Doctor) and Billie Piper (Rose Tyler). Bless them for commenting on this heartbreaking episode together. I loved every second of it.

Disc Six:

Doctor Who Confidential:
Thirteen episodes of the excellent behind the scenes documentary that aired with each episode (with the exception of the Christmas Special's documentary, which was included on the Season One box set). That's nearly 2-and-a-half hours of documentary footage! The show is genuinely intriguing to watch being made, what with all the special effects and unique locations and whatnot. The cast and crew seem to have so much fun making the episodes as well that their behind-the-scenes exploits typically keep me grinning. Unfortunately these are the "cut down" versions of Doctor Who Confidential, meaning we only get 10 minutes of each one rather than the full 30-minute versions that aired overseas. While I'm so glad to have these 10 minute versions (they really are great), I really do wish we had the 30 minute versions instead.

David Tennant's Video Diaries:
David Tennant filmed a video diary as he worked on Doctor Who, and was willing to share some of his footage for this DVD set. There's a whopping 85 minutes (!!!) of his video diaries! I simply adore getting this special behind-the-scenes look, both at making the show and how he felt about taking on this time-honored role. My favorites diary sections include David's family watching his first full-length appearance as the Doctor on the Christmas special, filming the final beach scenes for "Doomsday", David seeing his action figure for the first time, snowing during the Cyberman episode, and the final scenes filmed for series 2 (with Billie's tearful departure).

Final Thoughts:

I was a fan of Doctor Who as a child and was originally wary of the show's return, fearing it would mar my memories of a show that I had adored. I'm so pleased to be able to say that now I love the show more than ever, and that David Tennant has become one of my favorite Doctors ever. I love this show!!!



Related Reviews:
Doctor Who - The Complete Third Series: http://www99.epinions.com/content_407511600772


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV