Doctor Who- Turn Left
Hard one to write a synopsis for this week. God damn Russell T and his complex genius. Basically, its the ‘Doctor-lite’ episode so we get to see lots and lots of lovely Donna, and squeeeeeeee, Rose.
The episode begins in a galaxy far, far away at an Oriental space market. Donna danders off on her own, and along the way pops into a fortune teller’s tent. Said fortune teller turns out to be a bit on the evil side and forces Donna into a world where the consequence of turning right at a T-junction instead of left, means that she never meets the Doctor. Oh, and we find out what’s on Miss Noble’s back. Spoilers after the break, although really by now you should have watched it.
Ok, so Donna has a giant time beetle on her back which leaches off of the change in the timeline. The beetle looks crap, but I can ignore that, the episode is otherwise amazing.
So, back in alternate-Donna-turned-right universe the Doctor has died during the events of the ‘Runaway Bride’ as Donna wasn’t there to tell him to leave and save himself. This means that everything due to destroy Earth that the Doctor (for us anyway) would have stopped comes crashing down. Like the Jadoon. Which means that Martha, and apparently the whole of the Sarah Jane Adventures (children included) have died on the Moon. Oh, and the Titanic from ‘Voyage of the Damned’ crashes into London and kills everyone. Luckily Donna and family have gone on holiday, so aren’t killed, but are then subjected to evacuation to Leeds, cramped conditions and a horrific allusion to a second lot of ethnic cleansing a la Hitler.
Cue Rose to explain to Donna about her alternative life with the Doctor and how she is the most important woman in existance as she has the power to stop all of these events happening. Rose takes Donna to a UNIT base where they are harnessing the power of the TARDIS. We see the beetle for a bit more, but I don’t really care about that, and Donna is sent back in time (time coat!) to stop herself from turning right. But not before Rose drops the bomb shell that even if Donna returns to the past and changes it, she will die. Following so far? Unfortunately Rose and UNIT send Donna back to the right time, but half a mile away from where her other self is turning, and with 4 minutes to stop herself. Running? In Doctor Who? Surely not. Alas, Donna with a minute to go realises she isn’t going to make it in time to warn herself, but needs to find a way of changing events. I totally didn’t expect Donna to throw herself in front of a truck in order to block the road and force other Donna to turn left, but throw herself in front of a truck she did. But not before Rose whispers two words in her ear. Boo! Dead Donna! Except not really, as time has now been altered and we’re back in the fortune teller’s tent and the time beetle has died. So Donna is still all alive, but annoyingly fuzzy about the details of her little experience.
In comes the Doctor to see if she’s ok, and dun dun dunnnnnn, Donna remembers the two words Rose told her to give the Doctor. Bad Wolf. As they run outside, all the banners in the market are saying Bad Wolf and scarily, so are the TARDIS signs. Inside go the Doctor and Donna to a reddened TARDIS and the return of the cloister bell bonging away just to remind us that something very not good indeed is coming. Oh, and then in Confidential they just slipped in a few seconds of Davros just wheeling about.
Good lord its complicated, but I love love love love it! I’m finding it very difficult to decide on a favourite episode this year. Does this mean that Donna is going to die after all, or that her running over incident covers that? Is Rose back for good? Are any of the weird and wonderful theories spouted about by people true?- (Donna is the Master. She wore a ring in one episode, so must be. Harriet Jones is a Dalek. I’m sure there are more.)
Next week’s episode suggests that every character ever from Doctor Who and Torchwood is going to be in it, they’ll all have machine guns, there’s a red Dalek, Harriet Jones, lots of running, Davros a go-go and its going to last 3 days in order to get it all in. Russell T going out with a bang much?
