So how do you follow up last week’s incredible episode of Blink and push this exceptional show to the end of the series? Russell T Davies answer, as he run’s the show, and wrote this week’s ep, is apparently to create the loosest wirework of a story and hang all kinds of moments and payoffs from it. I found it served as more of a bridge episode than anything more, introducing and recalling important plot points, dialogue and ideas.

For a series that seems to be very story-driven the story this time around is probably the weakest of the series, but to me it’s still not a bad episode, because I’ve been following this new show since the first re-imagined episode, and I loved the character beats and moments that populated it.

Here’s a quick overview for you: The TARDIS materializes in Cardiff, atop the spatial/temporal rift to recharge. This is the same rift that is protected by Captain Jack Harkness and his crew at Torchwood. Captain Jack throws himself at the Police Box, and they are all thrown billions of years into the future, quite literally to the end of the universe. There are no stars in the sky, they’ve all burned out and humanity survives in vestiges around the universe, trying to answer a call that was sent out to come and join other survivors at Utopia.

An aged professor, Yana, played by the wonderful Derek Jacobi is stuck on one such planet working on a rocket to carry his tiny group of humans to this fabled planet, and suffering from an illness that may have direct impact and consequences on the Doctor.

Of course the Doctor and company arrive just in time to help him figure out why the machine won’t work, and help them get off the desolate rock and the hunting parties that are after the survivors.

As I said, the most basic of story structures but there are lots of things paying off in this ep. It serves more as a tie-up for everything that has happened so far in the 3 series and propelling us forward towards the series final episodes, and events beyond I’m sure.

It’s great to see John Barrowman return as Captain Jack in the Doctor Who universe (his name is included in the title credits!), and though he played off Eccleston’s Doctor, there is a great chemistry between him and Tennant as they reminisce about events in series 1. This of course causes more trouble for Martha, as it’s like watching two old friends get together and she’s relegated to third wheel, and hears lots more about Rose. Poor Martha.

Other things that were fun and intriguing… Jack continuing to flirt with anyone, regarldess of gender or species, and the Doctor’s repeated asmonishments of “Stop it.”

The reapparance of The Doctor’s severed hand from the Christmas episode of Series 2, which launched Tennant as the Doctor. If you watch Torchwood, watch for his hand to appear lots, as Jack tends to keep it close by.

And of course Jack dies… again… well, a couple of times really.

Some great lines… “We should really, really, really go.” says the Doctor in a slightly scared voice, and then breaks into a big ole smile before heading out the door to explore instead of fleeing. And after some discourse with Yana, “All that chatting, I forgot to tell you… I’m brilliant!”

There’s an incredible troubling and disturbing moment concerning a pocket watch, and the last words of the Face of Boe.

The last 5 minutes alone are worth the episode as it sees the appearance of Sam Tyler from Life On Mars, or rather John Simm the actor who potrays him, Which left me saying…

“Holy Frak! Holy Frell! Holy gods!”

Doctor Who airs Saturday nights on the BBC, and begins this week on CBC in Canada!

This post was Authored by TD, Our Resident Authority on all things BBC

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