Doctor Who Series 4 Episode 2 - The Fires Of Pompeii - Review

Starring: David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Phil Davis & Peter Capaldi

Written By: James Moran

Directed By: Colin Teague

 

Donna is now in the TARDIS, and Series 4 has got a little bit of time to prove to her critics that she deserves to be travelling with the Doctor. I've said already that I welcome her joining the series, especially after such an improvement to her character in last week's episode. But unlike last week, The Fires Of Pompeii presents Catherine Tate with the opportunity to show a more serious side to her character, and let's just say if her performance here can't win people over, then I'm not sure anything will.

 

The Doctor attempts to bring Donna to Ancient Rome, but ends up in Pompeii, 79 A.D., a day before Mount Vesuvius erupts. While Donna argues that they should evacuate the city, the Doctor insists that Pompeii is a fixed point in time, and that what happens must always happen. Making matters worse, underneath Vesuvius, the homeless alien Pyroviles are making plans to convert the human race and establish a new world on Earth.

 

Before filming began, the production team realized that to bring this episode to life, there was no way that it could be filmed in just a studio alone. The decision to film in Italy was one that definitely paid off, as the streets of Pompeii look wonderful, and feel entirely authentic. It honestly looks as though it was lifted directly from a historical film, and this is perhaps best seen right at the start of the episode. The scenes in the market do an amazing job in immersing you in this colourful and vibrant slice of history, and the episode proceeds to keep this up over the next forty-five minutes, thanks to constant references to temples, prophecies, sacrifices etc. As is becoming the case with Doctor Who's historical episodes, Murray Gold's music perfectly suited the setting, and the frequent sound of female chanting in the background helped build on that feeling of awe at the world on-screen.

 

But despite the lively setting, there's an undeniable sense of doom running all the way through The Fires Of Pompeii. Ordinarily, I'd say this was a spoiler, but the episode is set in Pompeii, you should know how it's going to end, and you spend a lot of time subconsciously anticipating Vesuvius erupting. When Vesuvius does eventually erupt, the episode becomes akin to a disaster movie, and it looks stunning – television rarely gets this cinematic. In fact, the effects all round are very impressive, with the standout being the Pyrovile. I really liked the Pyrovile, and they were quite a change from the adorable Adipose we saw last week. Their objectives were simple and made sense, and they looked terrific as big old lava beasts, breathing fire in all directions, as did the prosthetics work on the Priestess.

 

If we ignore much of the supporting characters' dialogue, the script is a very solid one and keeps the viewer engaged throughout. For example, there's a mystery as to why the Soothsayers, who have the ability to see into the future, are unable to see the damage Vesuvius is about to inflict. I really found myself getting intrigued about this, and when we finally got some answers, they were answers I certainly didn't see coming. An even bigger part of the script is the debate between the Doctor and Donna, and about whether they can save the people of Pompeii. I was glad to see the show exploring the implications of time travel again, as I can't remember the last time we'd seen this in Doctor Who. You can understand why the Doctor and Donna are always at odds with each other, as while Donna wants to do the best for the people around her, the Doctor has to live in the terrible knowledge that time demands they have to die. It's a tough, powerful moral dilemma with no perfect answer to be found. Not to mention, the appearance of Caecilius' family serves to remind us that the stakes are very real, and the people who face imminent death with Vesuvius are more than just nameless faces.

 

Unfortunately, Caecilius and his family also represent some of the episode's weakest points. Despite strong guest performances from nearly everyone, and while Caecilius' family are likeable enough characters, the biggest problem with The Fires Of Pompeii is that the supporting characters' dialogue is rigid and feels somewhat generic. It feels as though the dialogue in the script is trying too hard to be casual and fit in with the setting, whilst also strangely trying to mirror dialogue we'd typically hear in a 21st Century setting. That being said, the lines between the Doctor and Donna usually shine, and when the two head underneath Vesuvius, Donna's “Rocky IV” line got a big laugh from me. The supporting actors are also worth mentioning, particularly Phil Davis as Lucius, and Sasha Behar as Sister Spurrina. Both were really committed to their roles, and although the dialogue let them down, they still did the best with what they were given. Special credit also has to go to Victoria Wicks as the High Priestess, as I can't imagine acting under such heavy make-up and prosthetics was an easy task.

 

At the end of the day, it's the last fifteen minutes that elevates The Fires Of Pompeii from a really good episode, to a fantastic one. On all cylinders, things ramp up and the events we see on screen become truly apocalyptic once Vesuvius starts to erupt. One of the best shots of the episode even sees the Doctor and Donna having to make their escape from a literal wall of ash and lava as it spews from Vesuvius. It's also in these last fifteen minutes, where Catherine Tate proves herself to any remaining doubters. In the TARDIS, as the Doctor tries to leave Pompeii, I genuinely felt a shiver down my spine when Donna literally ordered him to “take this thing back!” Here, Catherine Tate proves she not just here to bring laughter to the show, but that she is also brilliant at handling the dramatic and emotional scenes. I said this about last week's episode, but I think it's important to remember just how refreshing it feels to have a companion that isn't in love with the Doctor. Donna is proof that you don't have to be in love with the Doctor to be a good companion.

 

In conclusion, The Fires Of Pompeii is another worthy entry to Doctor Who's collection of historical stories. Save for some poor dialogue, nearly everything here works, especially the Pompeii setting – something helped enormously by combining studio and location filming. The Pyrovile serve their purpose as big entertaining, fire-breathing beasts, and they work surprisingly well with a main story that sees plenty of mysteries, not to mention some excellent moral dilemmas. Perhaps most importantly of all, Donna has now definitely earned and secured her place aboard the TARDIS, and for those who are still unconvinced, I'm honestly not sure what more could be done to convince you.

 

 

The Fires Of Pompeii



9/10