The Doctor In The TARDIS

In the first of this weeks two stories in The Infinite Quest we turn to the Tenth Doctor, series 2 premier episode, New Earth.

In the distant future, an order of cat-nuns cure all illnesses, but the Doctor is suspicious of their methods. He must uncover the truth and save Rose from the vengeance of his old enemy, the Lady Cassandra.

New Earth was the 1st episode of Series Two of the revived Doctor Who, and the middle of the "New Earth" trilogy also containing The End of the World and Gridlock. It featured reappearances of Cassandra O'Brien.Δ17 and the Face of Boe, and introduced a mystery surrounding the Face that would later be a major part of the overall story arc of Series 3. It was also the first BBC Wales episode to be almost entirely set off Earth and beyond Earth orbit.

Behind the scenes, it was the final appearance of Zoë Wanamaker, but it was the first time that actors Anna Hope or Adjoa Andoh had worked on the programme. Principal photography was rocky enough to be remarked upon by two different sets of commentators. Its overruns and difficulties negatively impacted upon other episodes within its production block.

The second of this weeks stories is currently posted and a new story will be entered on Sunday January 27th.

New Earth isn't a story that I ever seem to rewatch unless I am planning on doing the whole season. It has it's moments where it's funny and the ending is sweet, but as stories go it isn't one of the strongest. Ten was still bedding in as the Doctor at this point and I think he does a good enough job, but I think they should have gone with something a little more exciting. I've given it a 3/5

It's not quite a four, but a high three, for all that it matters. The return of both Cassandra and Boe was nice, but at the time it was rare. We get too many returning characters these days. The story, like 'Rose', was really just a bit of fluff to get us used to the Doctor. Nothing game changing or taxing on the brain, just an easy story.

For comedy value alone I am giving it a four. I think the same allowances should be given to this that are given to Rose in that it's bringing in new viewers and also as well as setting up a new Doctor it is also providing much of the audience with something new. Regeneration. It's something that takes a bit of getting used to I think. It's not a strong story but it's fun and brings you in. I think that can be said of all RTDs openers.

I've gone with a three.  There's nothing particular wrong with it, and it has some good bits, but it just isn't a story that excites me much.  A few things strike me as not making a lot of sense - in particular, I don't quite buy Cassandra's sudden change of heart.

Just a three from me. It wins points by giving some good humour but the actual plot is a bit daft and I'm not so keen on the ending.

Three from me. I like some parts of it but there is a lot of it that just doesn't work. I think having familiar characters around helped to intergrate the new Doctor but I think they should have gone with something new instead.

Doing a rewatch of this this week reminded me of how much I enjoy it. It's a fun and easy little story. I've scored it 4/5

I've given it a 3.

It's quite fun and I find the scene at the end pretty sweet, but otherwise there's not much substance to it.

5 from me. Was the first Who episode I ever saw, and it kept me coming back. Can't give it anything less than that. It's funny and very enjoyable.

This isn't a bad story by any means, but I think it's just far too slow. I like a bit more action in my stories and this doesn't provide it for me. I've gone with a three

While the simplicity of the medical cocktail comes off as too much of an easy fix toward the end, overall I really think this is a great episode.  David's versatility as an actor is impressive.  He's really called on to show every aspect of the Doctor, from the cheeky to the compassionate and everything in between.  His comedic portrayal of Cassandra is utterly hysterical, and Billie's no slouch.  The whole body swapping sequence is fantastic--good timing, great chemistry, etc.  The concept of the future hospital where everyone is being cured and the nefarious cat people managing the "flesh" in order to better mankind (who don't seem to question how all these cures are coming about) is really quite disturbing. In some ways I wish they'd gone just a touch further with the script--let it be darker, and not have the cure seem to simple.  The concept behind it was good, but it ends up being rather corny.  The ending is bittersweet and well played.  I liked the continuity of this sort of flawed utopian society later being revisited in Gridlock.

Wow. I really do have different views than most. Just about everyone here have said it's funny. I, on the other hand, couldn't find one joke I laughed at. The whole "body-swap" thing was too farcical for words and it just wasn't original. The only saving grace was our two leads. If I could describe it one word it would be: Yecch.