Doctor Who Series 4 Episode 3 - Planet Of The Ood - Review

Starring: David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Tim McInnerny & Ayesha Dharker

Written By: Keith Temple

Directed By: Graeme Harper

As its name suggests, Planet Of The Ood sees the return of the lovable creatures, the Ood, last seen in The Satan Pit. As much as I loved The Satan Pit, one of the very few complaints I had with it was how little it explored the Ood. However, two years later, we are about to learn more about them, and even visiting their homeworld, the Ood-Sphere. After watching the episode, I noticed that while fans and critics were positive in their reaction, I started to see that Planet Of The Ood was going to end up like The Sensorites or 42. Reaction to these episodes was either mixed or lukewarm, though I would argue that they are each brilliant episodes. So, why is Planet Of The Ood such a similarly underrated gem?

The Doctor and Donna arrive on the Ood-Sphere, a wintery, cold world of snow and ice. They soon discover a dying Ood in the snow. As the dying Ood reveals the existence of something called "The Circle", the Doctor and Donna discover a human warehouse where Ood are bought and sold as servants. But as the two explore the factory, they begin to discover something truly dark and repulsive at work.

 

One thing I can't stress enough is how brilliant the Ood-Sphere looks here, most of the CGI in the background blended brilliantly with the small amount of snow-sprayed hill that the crew had to film in. As a character, Donna is continuing to improve following her wonderful presence in The Fires Of Pompeii. Donna really is progressing from the “Oi” shouting, vulgar companion that we saw in The Runaway Bride into such a better character, and is becoming a fantastic companion to the Doctor. This is seen best here with her journey with the Ood, from looking in disgust, to really caring and crying about them once she sees them locked up.

 

While the theme at the core of the episode is slavery, there's still a great sense of mystery and build-up to be found here, particularly in the opening twenty minutes. In particular the mystery surrounding Warehouse 15 was really well-handled, even if the reveal of a giant brain was a bit underwhelming. This combines well with some terrific action sequences, and a great sense of danger and fun. These moments reach their peak when the Ood enter a revolutionary war against the humans, or when the Doctor and Donna are trying to avoid capture. Sequences such as the Doctor being chased around a warehouse with a giant mechanical claw are entirely fun, and always remind me of moments in the video game, Tomb Raider V: Chronicles. You could argue that these moments could have been edited out, but I just think they are brilliant to watch.

 

However, the real villain in this episode is definitely Mr Halpen, played wonderfully by Tim McInnerny. Despite his great performance, Mr Halpen and several other human characters have been the source of some criticism, with several arguing that they are too one-dimensional. To some extent, I would agree, but I think it's important to remember that Mr Halpen is a businessman, and when a businessman is your main villain, it can be difficult not to make his motivations financial. That being said, the end of the episode sees more than one revelation about our main villains. Unfortunately, these have mixed results, as Dr. Ryder's eventual demise, is an unintentionally funny moment.

 

A much better plot twist (Spoiler Alert!) is what Ood Sigma has done to Mr Halpen. In a scene masterfully achieved thanks to Graeme Harper's direction and Tim McInnerny's performance, Mr Halpen transforms into an Ood! This was something that I certainly didn't see coming. The transformation itself is a disgusting yet really well-realized effect, especially Mr Halpen peeling the skin off his head and then choking up fronds. Just as they were before, the Ood are great here once more and manage to go from lovable and kind in one moment, to becoming rabid and terrifying the next. If there's one type of story that I love, it's one that explores morality and alters the line between good humans and bad aliens. While you can't have this type of story all the time, Planet Of The Ood is a great example of how to do it. 

 

In conclusion, the dark themes of slavery and superiority, are brilliantly realized in this episode. I may perhaps like this episode more than I should, and it does have its weaknesses, such as a lack of anything much for the Doctor to do. But for me at least, the episode had plenty of well-crafted action, the Ood were finally given a backstory and performances from the supporting cast were good, especially Tim McInnery as Mr Halpen. I can't say that it's better than The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit, but it comes pretty close. Catherine Tate does a superb job with Donna, and her character is getting better and better each week. A rock solid episode that doesn't perhaps get as much praise it deserves.

 

 

Planet Of The Ood



8/10