NuWho Review: Series 4 Episode 1 "Partners in Crime"

Russell T. Davies

**Spoilers**

If you have not yet seen this episode, please go and do so before proceeding

             Donna Noble is one of my favorite characters and my favorite companion ever! I loved her in The Runaway Bride and thought she was just perfect for The Doctor because finally here was a companion who wasn't interested in him romantically and who wasn't afraid to tell him off whenever he needed it. So naturally when I heard that she came back as full-time companion for the fourth series I was excited. No. That's an understatement. I was ecstatic!

         And I wasn't disappointed by her entry episode either. Right from the opening shots I knew this episode was going to be made of win. I've always said that where  Doctor Who really shines is not in the big, epic finales nor in the grandiose story-lines but in the self-aware and personal stories. Father's Day was a very personal episode, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances was as well, even Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways worked so well because behind all of the drama and heroics there was a very personal story being told about 'real' people.

   

Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- I love Donna's theme. It's very peppy and sassy and just compliments her personality perfectly.

- "Adipose Industries". How did anyone not make the connection there?!

- Love the beginning of the episode where Donna and The Doctor are investigating and keep JUST missing each other. Too funny!

- One thing that is funny about the prolonged 'when are they going to meet?' scenes means that we have an interesting view into the contrasting ways that Donna and The Doctor go about their business of infiltration and subterfuge.

- And of course whenever they do finally meet up it is through a good old-school mime sequence over the head of the villain.

 - Speaking of the villain, we have got to talk about Ms. Foster. Yes I know that isn't her real name...but my spell-checker hates the other one and it takes forever to type, so I'm going to keep calling her by her alias. She is a delightfully bad character. Like an evil Mary Poppins, actually. She is everything that a nanny should be - unflappable, calm, and coolly assertive. She treats everyone around her like children and is on the level of Mr. Finch for sheer scenery-chewing awards. "Come to me, children!"

- The story only continues to get more absurd and melodramatic as the climax builds. People exploding into little fat babies? Gross and ridiculous! The charm of the episode, though, is that it is ridiculous and it knows it is ridiculous. Self-awareness, people. Every show needs to have it!

- We also get to see Donna's great sense of empathy where The Doctor is concerned through their conversation about Rose. To date, I think Donna is the only companion to ever have a conversation like this with The Doctor that didn't involve jealousy. She's just being a good friend and partner to him. There's no judgement involved.

- The relationship Donna has with her grandfather always makes me tear up a bit. Maybe it's because I can relate with her or maybe it's just because Bernard Cribbins and Catherine Tate have such wonderful chemistry. I can't decide.

- One nice thing about Donna being a character who was already introduced is the fact that this episode could focus so much more on character development and telling a decent story, rather than establishing her as the next companion. That was a problem that I felt with Rose and, to a certain extent, with Smith & Jones but here we just see some more of Donna's personality and the partnership she will share with the Tenth Doctor.

- They really found some good sports to play the fat folk in this episode. Everyone has wonderful comedic timing.

- Those little Adipose are ridiculously adorable. They remind me of marshmallows with eyes.

- So the Adipose gather up their children and kill off the nanny/accomplice in time-honored Wile E Coyote fashion (I laughed, I'll admit) and Donna drags The Doctor off to the TARDIS...weighing him down with luggage and hat boxes as she goes. (She packed ages ago, just so she could be ready for anything.)

- "Well you're not matin' with ME, sunshine!" 

             This was a great episode. It makes me laugh and cry and is just full of witty writing and great characters. It's one of those things that gets better every time I watch it, primarily because it doesn't take itself too seriously. Donna is hilarious and lovable, The Doctor is acting like The Doctor and not some Messianic caricature, and for once we have a villain who is both palatable and not bent on taking over Earth. (Seriously...why do they all want to conquer us? We've barely reached our Moon. What could we possibly have that they would want so badly?) I give Partners in Crime a solid 5/5.

What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?