Plus Rose, the Doctor's companion, is gone. By "gone", I mean she was sent to an alternate universe. There was a scene in which she and The Doctor are trying to hold on for their lives as a fissure in reality is dealing with all the baddies when Rose's grip slips and she gets sucked towards the fissure. I was on edge as it was and then there was a shot of The Doctor screaming as Rose was being sucked in and tears started running down my cheeks.
As with last season's finale, "Doomsday" brought together elements from earlier in the season. In the second episode of this season, "Tooth and Claw", The Doctor and Rose meet up with Queen Victoria who vows to establish an organization to defend the British empire from such eldritch menaces as The Doctor and his companions. The action in "Tooth and Claw" took place at the fictional Scottish castle of Torchwood and hints were dropped throughout the subsequent episodes that the Torchwood group had come to pass. "Doomsday" takes place in the Torchwood complex and introduces us to this organization which is getting a television show of its own. Torchwood is due to premiere in October and will feature Captain Jack from last season of Doctor Who when Christopher Eccelston played The Doctor.
"Doomsday" also featured Mickey, Rose's ex-beau who opted to stay behind in the alternate universe back in episode 6, "The Age of Steel". So lots of characters returned and we had the showdown of the ages as the Cybermen and Daleks had never been in the same scene before in the shows 40+ year history. I shuddered at the first scene where they faced one another as it was a scene I'd been waiting to see for over 20 years.
The show made liberal use of choral music akin to the O Fortuna section of "Carmina Burana" which gave scenes a suitably epic quality. I mean, Cybermen vs. Daleks – that's an epic conflict! While, on the whole, "Doomday" was an extremely intense 50 minutes, there were a couple moments of fleeting humor. There's a scene when three of the Daleks are in this massive room guarding their Genesis Ark. A giant screen opens on one of the walls and the Cyberleader and the head Dalek exchange words. The shot itself reminded me of classic who, especially the courtroom sequences of "The Trial of a Time Lord". But the conversation is all new series and quite humorous:
Cyberleader: Daleks be warned – you have declared war upon the Cybermen.
Dalek Leader: This is not war, this is pest control!
Cyberleader: We have 5 million Cybermen. How many are you?
Dalek Leader: Four.
Cyberleader: You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?!
Dalek Leader: We will destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek! You are superior in only one respect.
Cyberleader: What is that?
Dalek Leader: You are better at dying!
Love her or hate her, Rose will always be remembered as the first companion of the new series. Some folks have complained that the series doesn't have enough Doctor and is, in a certain respect, Rose-centered. There have been times when The Doctor is gone and Rose is left to, not only fend for herself, but to also save the day. Personally, I like Rose a lot. She's not one of those companions who, when she finds herself in peril, does nothing but scream and await rescue by The Doctor. I like the proactive companion even if it means The Doctor is shunted to the sidelines on occasion.
Her parting was probably the most intense departure of a companion in the show's history, with only Adric's death coming close. It was very tearful and The Doctor almost let his human side come through to the fore. I know almost nothing about Billie Piper outside of Doctor Who. All I've read was that she was a washed-up pop star who liked to get drunk and flash her breasts for the camera. Well, I have to say that I think she has become a great actress. Her lachrymose farewell was just perfect.
The episode ends with The Doctor alone in the TARDIS. Well, until he turns around and sees a surprise visitor. Only one hundred sixty some odd days until the Christmas Special.
And of course there's the announcement of The Doctor's new companion.
She is to be played by Freema Agyeman, seen above. Agyeman had a small role in "Army of Ghosts", the episode before "Doomsday", wherein she played a Torchwood analyst. I'm not familiar with any of her work save the few minutes of screen time she got in "Army of Ghosts". It remains to be seen what her character will be like and, unfortunately, we'll have to wait until next spring to find out.
I've been meaning to write more about Doctor Who the past 13 weeks as the latest season unfolded but never seemed to have time or to find the right frame of mind to do so. Personally, I enjoyed it immensely. David Tennant is a great Doctor. I am pleased to see a long coat return. It makes those scenes when he barges into a room very reminiscent of previous Doctors, especially the 4th and 6th. Plus I enjoy his persona - more nerdy than profesorial. "Tooth and Claw" featured a werewolf and was incredibly scary and fun. The Cybermen returned in episodes 5 & 6. "School Reunion" saw an appearance by Sarah Jane Smith, The Doctor's companion during the mid-70s, as well as his mechanical pal, K-9. "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit" were just plain dark and frightening. Yeah, they may have leaned too much on Alien and other sources, but they were fantastic. "Love and Monsters" hardly featured The Doctor & Rose at all - it was like one of those X-Files episodes that brought The Lone Gunmen to fore.
It was a great season. Now we've got to wait until Christmas for a teaser episode but, just as nature is reborn in spring, so too will Doctor Who.
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