Martha is back and she’s better than ever!

Many spoilers follow, do not carry on reading if you don’t want the story spoilt!

Having never watched the old Doctor Who series it was the first time I encountered the Sontarans and how great they are?

General Staal, great make up!

It was the best episode this series so far. Martha is back and she is simply brilliant. Donna excelled by having great ideas, a tearful scene with the Doctor and it was interesting meeting Donna’s family again. Oh and the Sontarans of course!

“Is that what you did to her, turn her into a soldier?”

Donna

The story is very basic really. Martha, now working for UNIT [Unified Intelligence Taskforce] is investigating alien threats to Earth including ATMOS [Atmospheric Emission System], the brainchild of the 18 year old genius, Luke Rattigan. ATMOS has been fitted in half of the world’s cars to help eliminate carbon, but the technology is so advanced that he could have never invented it.

Opening a coffin like box with mysterious smoke seems like a good idea how?

Throughout the episode Martha gets cloned, the Doctor meets Rattigan and then General Staal from the Sontarans who both then launch an attack on Earth. The episode ends with Donna’s father being stuck in a car getting poisoned by the fumes of ATMOS and several clips showing that the same happens elsewhere.

Episode S04E04 – 404 – File not found. I guess I was the only one that found this amusing?

General Staal: “General Staal, of the Tenth Sontaran Fleet. Staal the Undefeated!”
The Doctor: “Well, that’s not a very good nickname. What if you do get defeated? General Staal the not-quite-so-undefeated-any-more-but-never-mind?”

Random things I’ve noticed:

• Why does the journalist still drive even though she knows something is wrong with the cars? There is always public transport no matter how bad it is!
• A dent in the 1980’s? Is that a reference to ‘Father’s Day’, the series 1 episode with Rose’s dad?
• Donna taking TARDIS lessons, could this be something she may need later?
• Donna doesn’t want to take the backseat, unlike Rose or Martha she wants to be noticed and given respect with both the superiors and by taking an initiative with the staff sick days.
• How come no one notices the workers have been hypnotised?
• It is great to see how Donna and Martha get along so well.
• It is a bad sign that they’re showing a montage this early.

The Doctor is brilliant. Simply brilliant.

• As with ‘Partners in Crime’ there is a lot between Donna and her dad. Does that mean he will die?
• Why does Martha go with the two rather dodgy soldiers all the way into the basement?
• I fear for Ross’ safety. He has a sense of humour, is intelligent, makes jokes and is probably going to die in part two.
• The table that Martha was strapped to very much reminded me of Cybermen technology. Is there a connection between them and the Sontaran?
• Humans are again shown to be susceptible to new things allowing others to take over, just like in the two parter on the other Earth, the Archangel network and now ATMOS.
• Why oh why don’t they smash the window at the end?

The Sontaran ships

He’s like fire. Stand too close and people get burned.

Martha

And now it’s a week’s wait to the new episode. I really dislike cliffhangers!

I want to know what happens next week!!

9/10.