NuWho Review: Series 3 Episode 7 "42"

By: Chris Chibnall

**Spoilers**

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

         I don't understand why so many people say they don't like this episode. It is very different, I'll give you that, in that it takes place in real time (there's literally 42 minutes in the episode) and is confined to one space station with lots of corridors to run down (very oldschool Who), but that doesn't make it boring.

        One thing I really love about this episode is the atmosphere. From the claustrophobic corridors to the heat and dirt to the ticking time bomb of the ship's relentless pull towards that sun, everything about this episode just seeks to suck you in and make you wipe sweat off of your forehead in commiseration. There's also the living sun and the way it ruthlessly possesses the crew to pick them off one by one, finally culminating in taking over The Doctor himself. This is important for two reasons. One, it gives Martha a chance to redeem herself a bit from the past two episodes and two, this is the place where The Doctor has a full-on breakdown. That's more scary even than the glowing, scorching eyes. The fact that The Doctor is screaming and crying and begging for help in sheer terror suddenly makes the threat seem very real to us. It's one thing whenever we're just seeing endless red-shirts being killed off screaming. This is our hero, our leader, the man (alien) that we look to whenever it seems like there is no hope. The sight of him curled up in pain and fear and begging for death is deeply disturbing.

Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:


- Right from the opening sequence the tension is on as we discover that there are only 42 minutes before the ship The Doctor and Martha have landed on crashes into a sun. The pacing is fast, the music is wonderful, and the atmosphere is set right off the bat.

- For all that we joke about the terrible graphics on Doctor Who (Hey...they're on a television budget!) I've found that whenever push comes to shove, the special effects department really does come through. Take the shots of the ship drifting towards the sun, for example. While I'll admit that the ship itself looks like something from a video game, the graphics really aren't any worse than those of the early Star Wars films. And the burning, seething, deadly sun looks absolutely beautiful!

- "...haven't those been outlawed yet?" "We're due to upgrade next docking." Uh-huh...sure. That's what they all say!

- And hello, Sergeant Sally Donovan! Before she appeared on Sherlock, Vinette Robinson was cast as a medical officer in this episode. She, like the rest of the crew, all do an excellent job. They have a tough job: to portray the destined-to-die red-shirts in a manner that will not only allow us to form some kind of connection to them before their untimely demise, but that breaths life into otherwise stock characters. Get it wrong, and we won't care a lick whenever they die. Fortunately, this crew is on the ball. And with the exception of that one brunette girl (the one that I'm still not entirely certain if she had a name) each and every crew-member feels like a real person.

- ...so the crew got drunk and decided to program the security system? How dumb can they get?! Aside from the fact that when you're plastered it's hard to type straight, they would have had to hope that nobody passed out and then experienced bender-induced amnesia the next morning. Yeah. I'm calling foul on that. It was funny, but it made no sense whatsoever.

- It was also just an excuse to have Martha utilize her new souped-up mobile phone to call her mother, thus shoe-horning in another appearance by probably the only character on this show that I find more annoying than Rose Tyler. Why me?!

- "Oh, TALK about dumbing down! Don't they teach recreational mathematics any-more?" Uh...if that's what you call 'recreational', doc, I'd hate to see what you call 'serious'. You were the one babbling on about 'happy prime numbers' at the speed of light.

- Much as I dislike her mother, I have to admit that I chuckled a bit in unholy glee over Martha's (completely justified) irritation at the phone conversation. We've all been there...

- The way the episode keeps cutting back to the ever-ticking-down clock is annoying...and only serves to remind us of the approaching fiery death. As if the heat and smoke and general hellish atmosphere didn't do that already.

- I know it's supposed to be a big, dramatic reveal and all that, but I burst out laughing every time at the smoking silhouette of Sally that was left behind from Colwin's attack. It looks like something out of a Tom & Jerry cartoon!



 -  Also, with that slit in his helmet and the deadly eyes, Colwin makes me think of Cyclops from X-Men. Cyclops' helmet didn't look so dorky, though.

- Dorky helmet or not, possessed!Colwin is still creepy.

- And they had to show him burning that guy alive with his hands, didn't they?

- I have to say that I love the little relationship Martha strikes up with that crew-worker. They really were cute together as they fought their way to Section 1 and got stuck in a jettisoned escape pod on the fast track to the sun. I'm glad it wasn't played up too much as a romance and more a buddy type thing except for that kiss at the end...

- I'm torn as to which is the most heart-breaking moment in this emotionally-fueled episode. Is it Martha and The Doctor helplessly sharing a silent look of desperation as her escape pod falls towards the sun? Is it Martha calling her mother in what she thinks will be her last minutes? Is it the captain sacrificing herself for her crew and dying with her infected husband? Is it the moment when The Doctor starts pleading and sobbing because of the sentient sun that is burning him from the inside out? What is it? With so many amazing moments to choose from, I don't know what to say.

          This episode is an amazing ball of atmosphere and emotion. True maybe the science isn't entirely right (even with heat-shields that ship would have burnt LONG before actual impact with a sun) and it pretty much just consists of people sweating and racing up and down corridors while they are picked off one by one, but the stuff that it does get right it gets really right. And there really isn't much to complain about. The special effects are quite good (for Doctor Who), the characters are mostly compelling, and the story set in real-time works a treat. 42 is a 4/5.



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