The Waters Of Mars David Tennant
The Latest Time Travelling Adventure
Perhaps not since Doctor Who returned to our TV screens in March 2005 after a 9 year wait with “Rose” had there been such fevered anticipation over an upcoming episode. The BBC trailers had tagged “The Waters of Mars” with the phrase “It’s the beginning of the end”, a remark referring to the fact that David Tennant is rapidly approaching the end of his phenomenally popular tenure as the Doctor.
Long time Doctor Who fans won’t be able to help but draw comparisons with 1981, when after 7 years Tom Baker decided he no longer wanted to play the part that he had simply made his own. A part he was born to play. You could argue the same about Mr Tennant.
We are led to believe that the imminent regeneration will occur at Xmas, but before then events on Mars have to be unravelled first.
"The Waters of Mars"- The Story
The Tardis lands on the red planet in 2059 and Bowie Base One where the Doctor encounters the first ever humans trying to cultivate organic matter on Mars in the aim of trying to sustain life there. Unfortunately the Doctors excitement is quickly tempered by the realisation that Commander Adelaide Brooke and her team of scientists exist in a fixed point in history, an event that has to occur no matter what. That event is tragically the base’s destruction and the death of these pioneers. And that happens today and there can be no interfering with that.
So as to let the history of time run its course the Doctor, for once, elects to leave and return to the Tardis. However before he can the base becomes the victim of an alien parasite infection, with various members of the crew being transformed into water spewing zombie like creatures. At first the Doctor helps but then warns Adelaide of her fate, a fate that has to occur so that her memory will inspire her grand daughter to become an intergalactic explorer and influential figure, being clear that she has to die and he cannot save her. Adelaide however fights hard to lead her people to survival and the Doctor begins to leave.
However as he leaves he hears the deathly cries of the crew as one by one they becomes possessed by the alien infection now known as The Flood. As the Doctor considers the laws of time he reflects on the people he has lost and makes a monumental decision and goes back to save Adelaide and the remaining crew, who he then safely escorts back to Earth.
However this is a different Doctor that lands on Earth. He is arrogant, stating that he is a “Time Lord victorious” and that the laws of time will now obey him. This shocks Adelaide who realises her survival will change everything and in turn makes the ultimate sacrifice and takes her own life so that the timelines are restored.
This selfless act rocks the Doctor who suddenly realises he has gone too far. An apparition of Ood Sigma appears and the Doctor realises his time is running out. His regeneration is imminent but he has things to do first........
“The Waters Of Mars” – The Cast
This is a curious episode in that it is an hour long but there is quite a bit of padding, or more specifically lots or repetitive running down corridors, where the time could have been much better used fleshing out the base crew characters. However credit to Lindsay Duncan who gives a strong showing as Adelaide, a woman who left behind her family to embark on this expedition, who refuses to accept her death when a stranger tells her it is her fate, who continues to lead her team in the face of adversity and then who takes her own life for the greater good. A very strong female lead performance.
“The Waters of Mars”- Sci Fi Horror
Arguably the scariest Doctor Who story since the show returned and this is largely down to the special effects department. The eerie contact lenses and vampiric style make up given to the Flood infected zombies make for a terrifying monster. However the wondrous effect of them constantly having water dripping out of their mouths is simply phenomenal.
“The Waters of Mars”- The Doctor
Russell T Davies is always saying he has to find new avenues for David Tennant to go down as he likes to be always tested as the Doctor, a character who in himself has never had to develop too much as it is all there on the screen. However that is not the case in this story. For the first three quarters we have all the classic 10th Doctor traits, excitement at meeting the earth colony, seriousness in telling Adelaide her fate and jokes about bicycles for long corridors. But towards the end of the episode when the Doctor becomes arrogant, ruthless and almost power hungry he becomes the unthinkable, he becomes a bit unlikeable. An absolutely amazing achievement by Tennant. And then when Adelaide sacrifices herself he portrays the Doctor as a broken traveller, literally on his knees as she realises he has gone too far. Desperation and fear from our hero. Quite brilliant, quite unexpected. And perhaps that is even scarier than the events on Mars themselves.
David Tennant In Doctor Who
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