Reaction Post: Doctor Who 4.4 - The Sontaran Stratagem
This is the Reaction Post for Doctor Who series 4, episode 4 - The Sontaran Stratagem. I apologize for not getting this post up sooner, but I didn’t actually see the episode until late Sunday night. On the bright side, I got an amazing about of Old School Doctor Who stuff from a friend. Once I get a chance to go through it all, I may have some classic gems to share with you.
If you would like to read my usual disjointed reactions to the current episode, click past the spoiler barrier.
Well…this is the first half of the first two-parter of series four. This year Helen Raynor brings us the Sontarans. Last seen in the 6th/2nd Doctor story “The Two Doctors”, these war-mongering aliens seem to have a thing about taking over the Earth. They have now encountered the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 2nd, and 10th versions of The Doctor. Apparently, this is the fifth story to feature these aliens. Is it any wonder that both sides are familiar with each other?
So, what do we have? A creepy school headed up by a creepy genius. And…Sontarans who are trying to take over the Earth using a form of GPS system that was ostensibly invented by the same creepy genius from the school. By the way, I loved The Doctor’s interactions with Luke Rattigan. The Doctor is so interested in what everyone is doing in the school’s lab, but he also immediately sees through Rattigan. He even corrects his grammar! When Luke tries to return the favor, The Doctor just comes at him from another direction. Oh, and have I mentioned that The Doctor’s hand-eye coordination seems to be perfect? Well, it is, if the ball he hit into the Sontaran’s weak spot is anything to go by.
Martha’s cell phone was still sitting on the console, and just as she said, she called him. Donna meets Martha, and instead of a confrontation, he gets the second half of the Sarah Jane and Rose interaction. The ladies start joking about him. Martha is a full Doctor (UNIT rushed it through) and it engaged to Tom Milligan (the fellow who died for her in the Year that Never Was.) Good on The Doctor for remembering to ask about Martha’s family.
Donna has already helped out this time. I loved her asking for a salute, which she got. She wandered over to HR and immediately found something important. (Super-Temp!) Then, with Martha’s words ringing in her ears (The Doctor is like fire. If you get too close, you might get burned) she goes home to visit her family. It turns out that she’s only been gone a few days. Before she goes to see them, The Doctor starts listing places that he was going to take her, thinking that she isn’t coming back, and includes the Medusa Cascade. I wonder if we will ever see this Cascade…since his name is supposed to be hidden there.
The Unified Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT’s new name) fellow pointed out that The Doctor never officially resigned. Oh, dear. Then The Doctor has to go and get all snarky about the poor fellow carrying a gun around him. I wonder if that has anything to do with his experiences in the Time War. Mind you, Colonel Mace doesn’t seem to fazed by this. When The Doctor tells him not to salute, he replies that The Doctor is giving orders now. tee hee. Also, it’s a good thing that The Doctor managed to out think the ATMOS box. I hope that his new friend manages to survive the next episode.
May I just say…Clone Martha! Eek! Add to that the deadly gas in the cars, Donna’s Grandpa trapped in one of those cars, and the Sontarans (plus the Creepy Genius) going on the rampage…well…let’s just say that next week can’t come soon enough.
Reaction Post, Doctor Who, The Sontaran Stratagem
April 28th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Another great episode. I love the fact that Donna took charge and set out to investigate the problem without anyone realizing she was gone. In what must be a first, Donna went off and did not fall prey to the baddie of the week.
Not sure why the real UN requested the name change, but that is the UN’s loss.
I loved the fact that UNIT still respects The Doctor. When The Doctor asked for a jeep I thought for sure they were going to have Betsy waiting for him.
Did anyone else think it was odd that The Doctor did not act as if he had reconmended Martha for the UNIT job?
April 29th, 2008 at 8:22 am
I caught that too. Who *did* get Martha that job?
May 3rd, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Okay, the one thing that had me yelling at my computer screen on this episode is Grandad stuck in the car with poisonous gas. Umm? Hello? If the sonic screwdriver isn’t working…try your heavily protected elbow! Break the window! A rock, a brick, something! He keeps limiting himself to the high tech solution. Oy.
Other than that, enjoyed it mightily
May 4th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Aelfie…which makes the beginning of the following ep that much more satisfying.
May 5th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Well true…but my statement still stands. It took Mom to go and get the ax. The Doctor wouldn’t have thought of it.
May 7th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
I was expecting Donna to hand him a rock, yeah.