Doctor Who: The Complete Specials (DVD) – Available February 2, 2010

by Aaron Einhorn
I’m the Doctor. I’m a Time Lord. I’m from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I’m 903 years old, and I’m the man who’s gonna save your lives and all six billion people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?
-The Doctor (David Tennant), “Voyage of the Damned”

Not since Tom Baker has there been an actor so strongly identified with the role of The Doctor, that nigh-immortal, time and space-traveling explorer from the planet Gallifrey. And not since Baker left has there been such an outcry to hear that the actor was leaving the role. But this is what happened. When David Tennant announced that he was taking a year off the regular Doctor Who series (although he would film five specials), fans were dismayed. “Still,” they said, “This means he’ll be back, right?”

Sadly, no. We quickly found out that these five specials would be the last we would see of Tenant as the Doctor (not counting one promised paradox episode with new Doctor, Matt Smith). And there was much gnashing of teeth and tearing of hair. Fortunately, these five specials blew us away, from the whimsical “The Next Doctor” through “The End of Time, Part Two”. And if that was how Tennant had to leave us, at least it ended not with a whimper, but with a bang. Now, BBC America has released these five specials, which make up a sort of final “season” of Tennant’s run on Doctor Who with the DVD and Blu-Ray release of Doctor Who: The Complete Specials. I was thrilled to get a copy of this to review, and have spent the past week happily re-watching the episodes. So now, let’s dive in, shall we?

As the Doctor would have said, Allons-y!

Official Synopsis
This stunning collection of Doctor Who specials – “The Next Doctor”, “Planet of the Dead”, “The Waters of Mars” and “The End of Time, Part One & Two” – is a must own for all Doctor Who fans. The four imaginative, action-packed specials are the farewell to star David Tennant, and Russell T Davies, the mastermind behind the rebirth of the modern Doctor Who. The specials culminate in the dramatic regeneration of the Doctor, giving fans their first glimpse of the eleventh Doctor, played by Matt Smith. The specials are packed with a terrific lineup of guest stars including Michelle Ryan (Bionic Woman), David Morrissey (State of Play, Sense and Sensibility), Lindsay Duncan (Alice in Wonderland (2010), Rome, Under the Tuscan Sun), John Simm (Life on Mars), Timothy Dalton, Catherine Tate and Bernard Cribbins.

The Specials
As the synopsis says, this set collects the five Doctor Who specials which aired throughout the course of 2009, beginning with “The Next Doctor” (which actually aired on Christmas Day, 2008), then moving on to “Planet of the Dead” and “Waters of Mars”, and finishing up with the two-part “The End of Time”. Each special is wonderful in its own right, but compiled together, they make a compelling mini-season.

“The Next Doctor” puts the Doctor in Dickensian-era London, where he encounters Jackson Lake (David Morrissey), who believes himself to be the Doctor. Although at first Tennant takes Lake to be one of his future regenerations, he quickly realizes the truth. We get a bizarre return to the Cybermen, and the most unlikely TARDIS you’ll ever see, and a lot of fun. Easily the lightest of the specials, and the most fun, but also the one that sets up the unfortunate truth that Tenannt’s Doctor would soon be gone.

“Planet of the Dead” is perhaps the most “typical” episode, as the Doctor finds himself, a bus full of travelers, and Lady Catherine de Souza (Michelle Ryan) on a literal planet of the dead. There is little real drama in the episode, but the character of Lady Catherine is absolutely wonderful to encounter, and many fans were hoping she would end up as the Doctor’s next companion. That doesn’t happen, but she does get a flying bus out of the deal. Most significantly, this episode delivers to the Doctor the prophecy that “You be careful, because your song is ending, sir. It is returning, it is returning through the dark. And then Doctor… oh, but then…he will knock four times.”

“Waters of Mars” is an absolute creep-fest. It starts with the darkness of the scenario and the beastie involved, and then goes on to terrify us all as we see a version of the Doctor who has lost his humanity. After spending most of the episode sadly (and resolutely) refusing to help the colonists, the Doctor finally ends up snapping and issues an absolutely chilling declaration. “But there are laws. There are laws of time. Once upon a time there were people in charge of those laws, but they died. They all died. Do you know who that leaves? Me! It’s taken me all these years to realise the laws of time are mine! And they will obey me!” It’s a declaration worthy of the Master, and it should send chills down the spine of any fan of the Doctor. But then it gets somehow made worse (and better) as we see that even the Doctor can be mistaken. Finally, an Ood appears to the Doctor in a vision, setting us up for the final two episodes.

“The End of Time” (Parts One and Two) is where it all ends. In an episode that brings us the return of the other Time Lords, the resurrection of the Master, and nearly every significant character from the entire run of Russell T. Davies’ time being the head writer for Doctor Who, Torchwood and Sarah Jane Adventures, we finally say goodbye to David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and usher in Matt Smith as the Eleventh. These two episodes manage to cram in humor, action, drama, and a great deal of pathos, and if Part Two is a stronger episode than Part One, that doesn’t make the first one at all unwatchable.

Bonus Features
There is an astonishing amount of bonus content included in this set. Each special is accompanied by a “Doctor Who Confidential”, where Russell T. Davies and others involved in the making of the special chat about the episode. But then there’s more. “The Next Doctor” brings us “Doctor Who At the Proms”, a special concert based around music related to Doctor Who. The disc for “The End of Time, Part One” also brings us “David Tennant Video Diary – The Final Days”, “Doctor Who BBC Christmas Idents” and audio commentary with David Tennant, Catherine Tate and Euros Lyn. “The End of Time, Part Two” gives us another audio commentary with Tennant, John Simm and Euros Lyn, deleted scenes from the special, and “Doctor Who at Comic-Con”, which provides us footage from Tennant’s appearance at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con.

The Good
David Tennant’s run as the Doctor has been a treat. He brought new fans to Doctor Who, and he made most older fans happy as well. These five specials show the range of Tennant’s Doctor, from the highs to the lows, and they do it with humor, wit, and action. They’re great fun, and every single episode is well worth watching.

The Bad
With a cover price of $49.98, the price is steep. All previous Doctor Who DVD releases have also been costly, but that never really makes it palatable. Is it worth it? Sure. But it’s still a hit.

The Ugly
The only “ugly” here is that this is it for Tennant as the Doctor. And the fans aren’t ready for that.

Final Thoughts
I don’t want to go.
-The Doctor (David Tennant) “The End of Time, Part Two”

Our thoughts exactly.

You can order Doctor Who: The Complete Specials on DVD or Blu-Ray through Amazon.com.