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Doctor Who Season 3: The Year Of The Master
01/08/2007 . Source: Michele Fry 
Season Three of 'Doctor Who' saw the introduction of two new companions, says Michele Fry, and the return of one former companion for the space of the three-part finale, following Rose's one-way trip through the Void to the parallel Earth known as Pete's World. Buy Doctor Who in the USA - or Buy Doctor Who in the UK  The first of these companions was Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), 'The Runaway Bride' of the 2006 Christmas Special. Loud, brash, fond of slapping the Doctor and rather dim. She failed to register the Sycorax Spaceship over London the Christmas before, the Slitheen invasion of Downing Street or the world-wide invasion of the Cybermen. Donna rather grated across my nerves for the first fifty minutes of the episode.
By the time the Doctor had foiled the Empress of Rachnoss' plot to have her children take over the Earth, refusing his offer to find them somewhere else to live, Donna had calmed down. She become rather less self-centred and even managed to offer the Doctor some sensible advice to find himself a companion because he needs someone to stop him occasionally. After deciding that travelling with the 'Martian Boy', as she persisted in calling him, was not her thing, the Doctor headed off on his travels alone.
The next time we see the Doctor he's taking his tie off in front of young trainee doctor Martha Jones (actress Freema Agyeman) in 'Smith And Jones', with the rather cryptic comment 'Like so', before he disappears down the street. The two soon encounter each other again as the Doctor's posing as a patient at the hospital where she works after he notices there's something odd going on there. One trip to the Moon, at the instigation of a Judoon space rhino-like platoon, later and Martha's proved herself quick-witted, unlike her hapless friend and colleague Julia, enthusiastic, very brave and intelligent - all characteristics that the Doctor needs in a companion.
Following her younger brother Leo's disastrous birthday party, which turns into a family slanging match in the street, a speculative look from the Doctor as he leans on the corner of a building opposite is enough to send Martha after him. She is intrigued and soon accepts his invitation to take 'one trip' with him after he proves to her that the TARDIS can travel in time. 'Like so', returning with his tie in his hand. Thus the dynamic duo, Smith and Jones, is born.
Overall, this is a strong season. The production teams and crew are all well versed in the business of making 'Doctor Who' by now, and the CGI, artwork and prosthetics are nearly all flawless and convincing. David Tennant comfortably inhabits the role of the tenth Doctor, having slightly toned down his occasionally over-the-top manic performance, whilst still retaining the ability to flip between flirty and fun loving to scary and powerful in an instant. In addition, his portrayal of John Smith, his human 'counter-part' in Paul Cornell's self-adapted, highly acclaimed 'Human Nature'/'Family of Blood' is sufficiently different to the Doctor, to be compellingly believable. The switch back to the Doctor at the end of the second episode and his harsh punishment of the Family, only heighten the differences between the two characters played by the same talented actor.
Freema Agyeman, meanwhile, hits the ground running as Martha and makes the best she can of the unfortunate infatuation with the Doctor that Russell T Davies saw fit to foist upon her character. The difficulties Martha faces whilst stuck in 1913, playing the maid to John Smith's schoolteacher are portrayed well. Her anguish at John Smith falling in love with Nurse Joan Redfern has less to do with her own unrequited love for the Doctor than her realisation that John Smith in love will be less inclined to believe her when she tells him that the time has come for him to go back to being the Doctor. Martha proves time and again that she was always more than 'just a passenger' as in 'The Lazarus Experiment'. Capable, confident, resourceful and brave, she also shows compassion for others, even non-humans and faces down the Daleks in 'Daleks in Manhattan'/'Evolution of the Daleks' episodes with a haughtiness they must have found baffling.
The highlights of this season were 'The Shakespeare Code', especially rock star Will Shakespeare, who calls Martha his 'dark lady', 'Human Nature'/'Family Of Blood' and the double-banked 'Doctor-lite' [sic] episode 'Blink'. Although I didn't find the Weeping Angels scary, it was a far more satisfying and rounded episode than last year's 'Love And Monsters'.
The lowlights of the season were '42'. Too many ideas borrowed from seasons 1 and 2, particularly 'The Impossible Planet'/'The Satan Pit', but without doing them any better, very differently or any more compellingly than before. Helen Raynor's rather muddled two-parter 'Daleks In Manhattan'/'Evolution Of The Daleks' and the less than satisfying three-part finale which saw the reintroduction of one Captain Jack Harkness, former temporary companion to the ninth Doctor, and now head of the Cardiff-based Torchwood Three. Although the three-part finale finally let us in on the big secret, which a good half at least of the fans had already figured out of Harold Saxon's identity, and gave us wonderful performances from Derek Jacobi as Professor Yana and John Simm as Harold Saxon/The Master.
At times, it felt too rushed to be properly comprehensible, even on re-watching and the last half of the final episode, 'The Last Of The Time Lords', was over-blown on the one hand and irritating on the other. Many fans were unhappy that Martha Jones has walked out on the Doctor, though cheering her assertion that she's not 'second best' but in fact 'good' and that she'll be spending some time at Torchwood before returning to the TARDIS crew mid-season 4. Even less are happy about the fact that Donna Noble will be the Doctor's companion for the whole of season four!
Season Three was definitely the strongest season so far. The majority of the stories were completely compelling viewing and the work of the productions teams was outstanding. The leads were on top form throughout and there were some marvellous guest actors, in particular Derek Jacobi, John Simm, Carey Mulligan, Finlay Robertson, Jessica Hynes, Thomas Sangster and Harry Lloyd. Although I was unhappy with the ending of the season, I remain excited about seeing season 4 and finding out just where the characters are going to be taken next.
Michele Fry
(c) July 2007
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