The Sontaran Stratagem

I was among those not impressed with Helen Raynor's Dalek two-parter from Series 3, but "The Sontraran Stratagem", the opening part to her two-part story which sees the return of classic Doctor Who villains the Sontarans, is surprisingly effective and exciting.

The episode has a nice humorous tinge to its opening scenes and it is absolutely brilliant to see the Doctor's interaction with UNIT once again. The Sontarans themselves also look quite good and their storyline is handled reasonably well.

The trailer for next week's episode left me cold and a tad bit concerned rather than excited, with another really outlandish Earth invasion sort of thing apparently slated to happen. During Pertwee's era of Earth-bound stories at least everything happened under wraps. However, considering how surprised I was with this episode, next week's could be impressive as well.

I very much enjoyed Bernard Cribbins' character again. I think I like Donna's family more than Rose's or Martha's family, although I honestly could do without Sylvia Noble (Donna's mother's) cartoonish 'comic relief', which contrasted badly with the well-delivered and occasionally clever one-liners Raynor came up with.

I doubt this story will end up not being my least favorite Sontaran story, but it's already looking like it'll finish a not so distant loser, and considering the competition from classics like "The Time Warrior" and "The Sontaran Experiment", it's not really much of an insult.

7/10 for this first part, and what a cliffhanger (I sure do miss those).

Having taken a little break from our rewatch run, in order to concentrate on the latest series, we return to rebooted Doctor's fourth season, for it's first two-part story. Oddly, that meant that I watched the Sontaran's return to the series, having just watched them successfully invade Earth some 13 years later.

Martha Jones, (Freema Agyeman) now a UNIT agent, recalls The Doctor (David Tennant) to Earth to help investigate a string of deaths linked to ATMOS, a newly released device that lowers car emissions to zero. Though the device is invented by teenage genius Luke Rattigan (Ryan Sampson) the Doctor firmly believes that the technology is too far advanced and must be alien in origin.

The Sontaran's are amongst the strangest of the Doctor's pantheon of villains. They do, as the show points out, look like a baked potato in a space suit. This is not to say that the effect isn't reasonably well realised here. Christopher Ryan and Dan Starkey, who play the principle two in this episode would go on to play various Sontarans whenever the characters appeared.

This episode is really the one to watch for actors who would make it in other shows. Ryan Sampson is now on "Brassic", Clive Standen would play a key role in "Vikings". The pre-credits scene even has an early death for "The Walking Dead's" Eleanor Matsuura. It's selling point though is probably the return of Martha, who gets to meet another companion, though she and Donna get on well - presumably as Donna hasn't any romantic feelings for The Doctor.

It's a two-part episode, so this is mostly set up for aspects to be paid off next time. There are some funny moments and a few other bits of silliness that let the episode down a little. It's not awful though.

The Sontaran Strategem / The Poison Sky

This is maybe not quite an all time classic amazing story but it is a strong and entertaining two parter of very good standard.

The first part features the Doctor and Donna meeting up with former companion Martha and UNIT, who she now works for, to look into ATMOS, a company whose widespread satellite navigation systems have been causing deaths. They are correct to suspect alien interference as the Doctor's old adversaries the Sontarans are using ATMOS as a way to effect the atmosphere and invade the Earth.

There is excellent comedy, plenty of action and smart dialogue. Tennant, Tate and Agyeman as the returning Martha are all as great as ever and the wonderful Bernard Cribbins gets involved as the fantastic Wilf. The character development for Martha is superb as she moves on from her crush and her inexperience when she was first with the Doctor. She is now a strong, independent leader as well as an intelligent, brave and capable young woman.

UNIT are less impressively portrayed I feel with officers who are just a little bit cliche daft army people but there are a few convincing and well written young soldier characters.

The young genius and his team behind ATMOS are not fully convincing to me at times but they are perfectly adequate, especially in the 2nd episode.

The Sontarans manage to bring amusement and enjoyable alien threat and their new incarnation is very good I think.

Martha's clone works well and gives an extra side for Freema Agyeman to show us. Meanwhile Donna is funny and has great humanity.

The cliffhanger between episodes is great.

Not perfect perhaps but a very fun adventure.

My Ratings: The Sontaran Strategem - 8.5/10 The Poison Sky - 9/10 Overall rating for both parts - 8.75/10.

Donna is appalling, Martha is ok, and of course David Tennant shines, but it is wonderful to see a veteran proper actor, Bernard Cribbins, being so effortlessly natural. I do like Sontarans, however, so they and Martha push up the rating.

General Staal is a Sontaran clone, quite short, although he is fully grown, bash his probic vent, to annoy and torment, making combative turtlehead groan.

Summoned back to Earth by Martha Jones after a spate of simultaneous deaths around the world in cars fitted with Atmos, the Doctor and Donna investigate a juvenile entrepreneur and the supposed genius behind the technology, while locking horns with a familiar enemy with plans to wipe out the human race.