Partners in crime (2008)

Review
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Review

This episode was first broadcast on April 5 2008. A brief and somewhat spoiler-ish summary of the plot: the Doctor and Donna meet again, and the fat just walks away.

Let's start with the somewhat ambivalent news:

• it's comedy. It works for me, though I enjoy the more subtle stuff ("Are we interrupting you?", the look on Donna's face as an Adipose coos and waves at her before disappearing out of a bathroom window, "I'm waving at fat...") more than the broader comedy (the mimed conversation, "I just want a mate!")
• though what we have here is the beginning of a beautiful friendship it's still early days, and like in 'The runaway bride' the comedy tends to get in the way of the relationship developing
• although Doctor Who hasn't done that many Big Evil Corporations, they are a bit of an old and tired cliché in science-fiction in general (and would also become something of an old and tired cliché in the rest of the 2008 season)

The good news:

• the episode is well-acted and moves along at a steady pace, with never a dull moment
• there's a great villain, who hits exactly the right note between comedic and menacing
• we get cute aliens that coo, smile, wave, do little dances and go 'splat' under the wheels of taxis
• great incidental score

My verdict:

Perfect lightweight fun.

More about Doctor Who

An introduction:
Doctor Who reviews: introduction

More "nice!" Doctor Who:
Doctor Who reviews: nice!

More Doctor Who with David Tennant:
Doctor Who reviews: 2005 - now

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Doctor Who reviews: alien invasion

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