Customer Reviews
DOCTOR WHO SERIES 4 VOL 2 - By: Angela J. Welch, 27 Feb 2010 
This DVD was as new still in its wrapping & I received it within a week of ordering it I was very pleased with the DVD
Daring Doctor Wins Again - By: Charlotte Pine, 27 Mar 2009 
This D.V.D contains four different episoids:
The Sontaran Stratagen,
Matha Jones summons the doctor back to modern-day earth, but an old enemy lies in wait...
The Poison Sky,
As the Sontarans choke the Earth, the Doctor battles to keep both Martha & Donna alive...
The Doctor's Daughter,
On the planet Messaline, in the middle of an endless war, the Doctor meets the most important woman of his life...
The Unicorn And The Wasp
In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared for 10 days. Was it amnesia? A nervous breakdown? Or a giant Alien wasp?...
This D.V.D is a must buy, watch it to find out if the doctor conquer alll the monsters & aliens that come in his way or will he finallly be defeated?
The Butler Didn't Do It! - By: Barney McGrew, 13 Feb 2009 Series Four's first two-hander resurrects those potato-headed martial clones, The Sontarans, for `The Sontaran Stratagem' & `The Poison Sky'. The Sontaran Statagem also features the return of erstwhile companion Martha Jones & The Doctor's old muckers UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce - now Unified Intelligence Taskforce). The plot concerns a plan by the alien invaders to convert the Earth's atmosphere to make it suitable as a breeding-ground for future Sontaran soldiers; the Sontarans are eternallly locked in war against their mortal enemies The Rutan (seen in classic Fourth Doctor story `The Horror of Fang Rock' from 1977). The first episode is slow to start but serves as an introduction proper to Donna's family & to establish Martha's change since she left The Doctor - she is now a qualified doctor & is working for UNIT. The second part ups the ante, with pitched battles between Sontaran warriors & UNIT soldiers; as well as the sudden siege of Earth as the Sontaran gas starts to cloak the planet. Christopher Ryan returns as Sontaran commander, General Staal whilst Rupert Hallliday-Evans plays Colonel Mace, deputising for Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart who is, according to Mace, `stranded in Peru'. This is the first time The Brigadier has been explicitly referred to in the new series; he has apparently been knighted since the he was last seen in 1989's Battlefield serial. Freema Agyeman takes centre stage here as Martha is cloned & Agyeman gets her teeth into being villainous for a change. The themes of pollution & ecological disaster befallling the Earth are topical & surprisingly underused in contemporary TV drama, & writer Helen Raynor has produced a lively & entertaining story. The SFX & make-up are also particularly impressive; The Sontaran ship in orbit around Earth is superbly realised, whilst the costumes, & the design of the titular monsters, are both recognisable & effectively updated.
The Doctor's Daughter had the fanboys up in arms before it was even broadcast; the provocative title resulting in a frenzy of internet speculations. Suffice to say, things aren't as they first appear; The episode is an action-packed nod to sci-fi classics of the past as the TARDIS crew (now three, as Martha was inadvertently pulled along for the ride) is dragged to the planet Messaline, where the fish-headed Hath & the human colonists are engaged in a seemingly endless war. Peter Davison's real-life daughter Georgina Moffett takes the titular role, whilst grizzled veteran Nigel Terry plays the overtly martial Cobb. For once The Doctor finds things out of his control, & this story is reallly about his companions, & how despite their best efforts, they are helpless to change events that are already predestined. The episode is glossy, fun & energetic; Moffett's character must surely return, & the story's ending leaves this possibility tantalisingly open.
The fourth & final story on this disc is period drama `The Unicorn & the Wasp'. The Doctor meets one of the few historical figures he has yet to encounter, & Agatha Christie doesn't disappoint. Played with controlled relish by Fenella Woolgar the author of enduring classics such as `Murder on the Orient Express' finds herself at the heart of a murder mystery with seemingly her biggest fan on hand to help her solve it. Reminiscent of that other Edwardian Doctor Who-dunnit - Black Orchid - this episode is chock-full of period mannerisms & whimsical charm which makes it a real visual treat. Featuring David Tennant's Dad in a cameo, the story incorporates an alien aspect that was missing from Black Orchid & is also pleasingly irreverent towards its depiction of society in the 1920s & 30s. One of the best things about this story is The Doctor's increasing rapport with Donna as they begin to forge a real bond. I also liked the way The Doctor keeps dropping the names of Christie's novels into the conversation; a trait of the Tenth Doctor that proves to be both witty & sufficiently subtle to avoid grating.
Personallly I would have liked to see this story developed in terms of characterisation & plot, & it is one of those modern Doctor Who stories that seems to have been compressed to fit the new format. This minor quibble aside, the story sees Series 4 hit its stride, as well as showing a production team at the very top of its game.
Three words: EXCELLENT! EXCELLENT! EXCELLENT! - By: R. Wood, 17 Aug 2008 Series 4 of the new Doctor Who has been in my opinion, one of the finest series ever. David Tennant remains as brilliant as ever, & if anything changes, it's that he can only get better as time goes on. Catherine Tate, has surprised & amazed me, with her portrayal of Donna Noble in this series, making the character such a credible, efficient & lovable assistant to the Doctor.
All this excellence continues in this fine volume of the fourth series, as Russell T Davies revives another old villainous race from the Doctor's past, introduces more alllies & facts from the Time Lord's past (the older series to be exact) & includes some more good old interaction with one of history's greatest figures.
To start of, we have (essentiallly) a three-part mini-arc that features the welcome (first) return of Martha Jones (the excellent Freema Agyeman) to the series. The two-part episode "The Sontaran Stratagem"/"The Poison Sky" shows Martha as now being a fully-qualified doctor & member of modern-day U.N.I.T. (old alllies of the Doctor). This features the return of the dreaded Sontarans after a twenty-year absence from our screens, who've arrived with an insidious scheme to dominate the Earth & empower their own empire.
Having never heard of the Sontarans before, I found them to be unique & interesting villains. As with Daleks & Cybermen, Davies works his reinvention magic again, portraying the Sontarans as a notorious threat & enjoyable adversaries. Their leader General Staal is fantasticallly acted by Christopher Ryan (Mike of Young Ones fame) & the Sontarans' background & purpose are greatly intriguing, thus making for another high-quality episode.
But there are many other things that make this two-parter so outstanding. Such as the somewhat reluctant allliance between the Doctor & U.N.I.T. over ideals & methods, & the superb interaction between Martha & Donna. Those expecting a childish-fight between the two assistants need not worry. I was pleasantly surprised to see Donna & Martha form a fast-friendship & good-heartedly gang up on the Doctor at one point, it makes for fun viewing. Catherine & Freema have such good chemistry with one another, & both their characters develop excellently as a result. Each are given a fair share of the spotlight, with Martha having made quite the life for herself & being subjected to the Sontarans' manipulation, & Donna's torment over whether to tell her family what's she doing, & her courage & companion's role being truly tested for the first time.
After alll that, we have what is personallly one of my alll time favourite episodes, "The Doctor's Daughter", which closes this mini-arc featuring Martha. I reallly can't understand why there were people who didn't like this episode, as it puts the Doctor in a situation I've never seen him in before & is thus brilliantly presented. Those who've watched the older series will already know that fatherhood is nothing new to the Time Lord, but that doesn't alter anything here, in terms of excellence, character-depth & development.
The character of Jenny (wonderfully portrayed by Georgia Moffett) starts out as being a new soldier that's not likeable, with the Doctor refusing to accept her as his child, & Donna playing the part of peacemaker & helping them both. Jenny's origin is plausibly executed & ties-in nicely with the episode's plot, featuring a war between humans & a new species known as the Hath. As the Doctor tries to stop the fighting, the interaction with Jenny helps him to relate to her in a creative way. The nature of the human/Hath conflict is fascinating, Jenny's development makes her an outstanding character (which I hope we'll see again), Martha's interaction with the Hath is cracking & Donna once again proves how brilliant she is solving things that not even the Doctor can see. All of this coupled with the emotional & surprising ending, makes "The Doctor's Daughter" a true classic.
This volume's final episode on the other hand, "The Unicorn & the Wasp", is without doubt, one of the daftest episodes I've ever seen. In 1926, the Doctor & Donna meet the great Agatha Christie (portrayed by Fenella Woolgar) at a private party, before the night of Christie's real-life disappearance. The premise for this episode, is basicallly a murder-mystery featuring an infamous jewellery thief known only as "The Unicorn" & yes...a giant wasp.
It is truly one of the daftest episodes ever & just so silly. However, if you can accept that this episode isn't meant to be taken THAT seriously, then there is fun & humour to be found watching this. Fenella Woolgar as Agatha Christie is the highlight here. She portrays the legendary writer so credibly & tying her role here to the real-life disappearance & amnesia is clever. I enjoyed seeing Felicity Kendalll appear as well, but alll in alll, "The Unicorn & the Wasp" is an episode that's perhaps too barmy & sci-fi for its own good.
Overalll, the second volume of Doctor Who Series 4 is fantastic. David Tennant remains the man, & Catherine Tate (and the Donna Noble character itself) reallly starts to emerge as one of the greatest companions ever to the Doctor. There're so many great moments here, excellent guest-appearances & it's essential because of what it means. Given the VERY heavy, psychological nature of the remaining six episodes (which are alll major), this volume kind of ends the Series 4 status quo, as it's alll horrors, pains & nightmares from here on out.
A truly excellent DVD that reminds us of the brilliance of Russell T Davies' Doctor Who. I'd totallly recommend it & have only one thing else to say.
Keep `em comin'!
Sontarans, The Doctor's Daughter and Agatha Christie! - By: tigerthedog, 27 Jul 2008 This is the second instalment of the fourth season of Doctor Who, featuring 4 episodes starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor & Catherine Tate as his companion Donna Noble.
The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky is an excellent, action-packed 2-parter, which sees the return of the Sontarans to the show after a 20 year absence, as they were last seen in `The Two Doctors' in 1985. It also sees the return of Martha Jones, who has now joined UNIT. There is plenty to enjoy here - loads of good set-pieces, some lovely moments featuring Grandad Wilf, played by Berbard Cribbins, & I reallly like the new re-design of the Sontarans. Admittedly, they're not the most menacing aliens to date, but they're funny & obsessed with war. Christopher Ryan is awesome as General Staal. 9/10
The Doctor's Daughter comes next, & well, I'll be honest, this episode reallly wasn't my cup of tea, despite some reallly good performances from David & Catherine. But, sadly, the story feels underdeveloped & rushed & feels some downright awful/cheesey moments. Georgia Moffet, real-life daughter of Fifth Doctor Peter Davison is decent as Jenny, but ultimately the character & premise do not manage to live up to the premise, because with a better script the idea could have worked brilliantly. Ah well, at least we get some lovely descriptions of Time Lords & Galllifrey. 5/10
The Unicorn & the Wasp is also concluded, & is probably a bit of a love/hate episode. Personallly, I absolutely loved it. It has a wonderful ensemble cast who alll play to their roles brilliantly, & a brilliant, witty script from Gareth Roberts that delivers probably some of the funniest scenes in Doctor Who's 45-year history. Fenella Woolgar is the perfect Agatha Christie, & the whole 1920's murder-mystery setting is a real treat & suits the feel of Doctor Who superbly. One of my very favourites. 10/10.
So an enjoyable romp of a two-parter, a bit of a clunker & a bonafide classic. A worthwhile purchase, especiallly if you're not holding out for the boxset in November.
