First of all, can I just say, the last full season of Doctor Who was in early 2020? I know we’re just getting three specials right now, and who knows how long it’ll be before we get Fifteen’s first proper season, but I love Doctor Who. Even if the intensity of that love waxes and wanes with time, I love it. I was so glad to watch this special, and I’m really excited for the next two.
The newly regenerated Fourteenth Doctor is perplexed by his face, which is the same as that of his tenth incarnation. Even more urgently, he’s just stepped out of the TARDIS and walked into his old friend Donna Noble, who cannot under any circumstances remember the time she spent traveling with him. But alien trouble seems drawn to Donna like a magnet, and soon, her daughter is discovering a furry little alien hiding out by their bins. The Doctor treads carefully, needing to solve the impending crisis without triggering Donna’s memory.
If you get into the Whoniverse ancillary stories, the alien plot of this special will be very familiar. It’s not really a new story featuring The Meep, it’s the same story as “Doctor Who and the Star Beast,” one of the first-ever Doctor Who Magazine comics. But instead of Four, now it’s Fourteen, and instead of comics-only companion Sharon, it’s Donna and her family. And of course, that does make a big difference, because even as the Doctor is dealing with The Meep, he's dodging Donna’s questions about who he is, but the Alien of the Week plot is one I’ve read before, pretty beat-by-beat.
(Of course, “Human Nature” / “The Family of Blood” started its life as a Seventh Doctor novel, so it’s not fair to say that the show can’t adapt a technically non-canon ancillary story into an episode. I just haven’t read Human Nature yet, so it doesn’t stand out to me there as much as it does here.)
As such, the Alien of the Week is fun but fluffy, while the real meat of the story is what’s unfolding between the Doctor, Donna Noble, and her family. Which is as it should be. It might be argued that it’s suspicious for a returning former showrunner to ring in 60 years of Doctor Who by returning to two of his own most famous characters, but by God, I don’t care. It’s the Doctor and Donna! And it’s not cheap nostalgia bait. Their scenes together are simply spectacular. The humor, the drama, the sadness, the running-around—they haven’t missed a trick, and both David Tennant and Catherine Tate step seamlessly into their roles. It’s as if no time has passed at all, and yet, at the same time, both characters are played with the full understanding of how much has changed since they last saw each other. Ten and Donna are my all-time favorite new Who Doctor-companion team, and I was well fed.
The rest of Donna’s family contributes nicely to the story. Her daughter Rose is a cool addition and fits into the proceedings well, it’s so interesting to see how Sylvia’s relationship with Donna has changed since season 4, and I’m glad that Shaun gets in a few good moments too. Oh, and there’s a lovely exchange about Wilf (RIP, Bernard Cribbins.)
As for the Doctor, this is billed as Fourteen, and he definitely has all the knowledge of being Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen, but it’s clear that he doesn’t just have Ten’s face. He has Ten’s personality and mannerisms too, right down to the “allons-y!” That said, he’s clearly older and wiser, and his past losses weigh heavily on him. (The jury’s still out on the new sonic, though—I’m not sure if I can trust that thing.)
On the whole, I’m really happy about this first special and can’t wait for the next one! The Doctor and Donna, together again!
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