| [–] |
Show Menu |
•
•
•
•
•
• (5)
•
•
•
•
• (12)
• (7)
• (42)
• (3)
• (6)
• (1)
• (2)
• (3)
• (2)
•
• (20)
• (6)
• (10)
•
• |
| [+] |
Empty Sections |
• (0)
• (0)
• (0)
• (0)
• (0)
|
| [+] |
Show Contribs |
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
• |
| [+] |
Episode Contribs |
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
• |
|
Doctor Who (2005) :: Planet of the Dead (04x17)
 |
Episode Information |
| |
| Title: | Planet of the Dead |
| Episode: | Season 4 Special |
| Original Airdate: | Saturday April 11th, 2009 |
| Special Airtime: | 06:45 pm |
|
| | Other Release Dates: (Edit) | | Country: | Aired On: | |
 US (Syfy) |
Jul 26, 2009 |
|
|
| |
Episode Summary |
| |
The Doctor meets Lady Christina de Souza, a young, athletic resourceful thief eager to keep one step ahead of just about anyone who tries to catch her. When the two hitch a fateful ride on a double-decker bus, they and several other passengers are transported to a distant alien planet where terrifying insect-like aliens and Christina's dark secrets may prove an emotional drain on the Doctor in his bid to return everyone home...
| | There are no foreign summaries for this episode: Contribute |
| |
|
| |
Guest Stars |
| |
|
| |
Main Cast |
| |
|
| |
Episode Quotes |
| |
The Doctor: Call it a hunch, but I think we've gone a little bit further than Brixton...
| The Doctor: Gold!
Christina: Oh, no you don't!
The Doctor: Christina... What is it worth now?
Barley: Hey, hey, use this! (holds up watch)
The Doctor: I said gold.
Barley: It is gold.
The Doctor: Well, they saw you coming...
|
|
| |
Cultural References |
| |
Malcolm: A wavelength parcel at 10 kiloHertz operating in four dimensions equals one Malcolm.
The Doctor: You named a unit of measurement after yourself?
Malcolm: Well, it didn't do Mr. Watt any 'arm. Furthermore, 100 Malcolms equals a Bernard.
The Doctor: And who's that, your dad?
Malcolm: Don't be ridiculous. That's Quatermass.
James Watt was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the steam engine were fundamental to the development of the Industrial Revolution. One of the key measurements, the fundamental unit of power, was named in recognition of his contributions to science, technology, and humanity.
Professor Bernard Quatermass is a science fiction character developed initially for the BBC, and used in several TV serials in the 1950s, as well as subsequent films and TV series. Notable among these films is "Five Million Years To Earth" aka "Quatermass and the Pit".
|
|
| |
Analysis |
| |
The character Lady Christina interacts very well with the Doctor, and seems to have all the characteristics of a great companion -- she is quick witted, resourceful, highly adaptable, talented, loves adventure and excitement, and, when she gets an inkling of where The Doctor could take her, she is eager to join him. The Doctor fully realizes this, and himself defacto states that she would be a natural companion for him, yet, when she asks him to take her along, he refuses, an echo of what has happened with the loss of both Rose and with Donna. The Doctor is realizing that he "goes through" companions, and, instead of accepting this as a part of his fate, he's attempting to block that steady acquisition and loss out of his life by going it alone. This will no doubt become an issue (and, judging by the prophecy of Carmen at the end, not too far in the future -- no doubt the events that will result in the "death" and regeneration of David Tennant's Doctor), since companions are an inseparable part of who and what The Doctor is, it isn't "right and proper" that he travel without them.
As was shown in the beginning with Rose, they push back the brooding darkness that his experiences force upon him. They keep him grounded in that essential mutual quality that is connective of both Human and Timelord, and inspires his own optimism and faith in the future of humanity. That he will also have a companion in the future is suggested by the "future companion", Professor River Song, in the fourth season dual episode Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead, both written by Stephen Moffat, who will take over the helm as series director from Russell T. Davies starting with season five in 2010.
That the Doctor needs companions is also suggested by the fourth season episode, Turn Left, in which it is clear that, without Donna's presence, the Doctor would have died, and all humanity would have been destroyed when he wasn't there to save them. The general suggestion of that episode is that, in addition to the humanizing element, they also make him stop savoring the "Wonder of the Universe" that keeps him always going long enough to realize when he needs to Get Out and Save His Own Butt.
|
|
| |
Episode Notes |
| |
| |
| |
Featured Songs |
| |
| |
| |
Episode Goofs |
| |
| |
| |
Episode References |
| |
| |
|
Digg
Furl
Del.icio.us
Google