The Doctor intends to take Rose to 1979, but the TARDIS due to its typical erratic nature takes them to 1879, where the pair of them meet Queen Victoria in Scotland. The Doctor poses as the Queen's protector under the pseudonym of Dr. James McCrimmon, and the Time Lord and his companion travel along with her Majesty and her entourage to the home of Sir Robert MacLeish. Unknown to them, Sir Robert's wife and his servants have been kidnapped, and imprisoned in his own home by a group of monks who have fallen from grace, and want to bring about the rise of "The Empire of the Wolf." A new order ruled over by an alien creature, resembling a Werewolf, whose bite or scratch can essentially transform the recipient of said bite, into a wolfish creature. The intention is that it will kill Queen Victoria, and bring about its existence.
The Second episode of Series 2, of NuWho, "Tooth and Claw" is one of the better episodes of Russell T. Davies's run not only as Showrunner but as a writer. It's a simple concept, but one delivered with some considerable verve. David Tennant is on solid form as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor, as is Billie Piper, who continues to impress as his companion Rose, who proves that acting was always going to be her true calling, rather than her brief stint as a teen princess pop-singer. Many balked at her casting and were too quick to make assumptions about her abilities as an actress. But she proved the naysayers wrong, winning two British television Awards for her work on the series.
Guest appearing is veteran actress, Pauline Collins of Shirley Valentine and Upstairs Downstairs fame, who provides reliable and solid support as Queen Victoria, and brings the required amount of sovereignty and dignity to the role. The rest of the supporting cast for the most part equals her considerable talents. That said Michelle Duncan who plays Sir. Roberts's Wife, Lady Isobell proves to be a weak link, who proves to be lifeless as a corpse, although given the relative smallness of her role proves to be a minor flaw that doesn't impact too much on the overall quality of this outing.
What makes the story all that bit enjoyable, and brings an ounce of nostalgic Whoish, fan-boy joy to it, is the Doctor using the alias of James McCrimmon, an obvious reference to his former Jacobite rebel companion, Jamie (as once played by veteran actor Frazer Hines) from the late 1960s run of the series.
The story is fanciful enough, although its final code foreshadows the introduction of the Torchwood Institute that would be introduced at the end of the series, as it would the spin-off show. A TV series that had an all-too-short run, and would give, former traveling companion, the dashing Captain Jack Harkness (as played by the charismatic and handsome John Barrowman) his own TV series. It does however feel a bit too phoned in its delivery. Not to mention that the martial-artistic abilities of the Monks, although it does make for an entertaining hook, are somewhat anachronistic, it's something I can forgive because, what can I say, it still looks goddamn cool. Hell, this is Doctor Who after all. Tooth and Claw is immense fun, with minor flaws that I am willing to look over, because of its steady breakneck pace, embracing characters, and the discernibly palpable chemistry between David Tennant and Billie Piper. In short, don't give this one a miss.
