"Doctor Who" The Poison Sky (2008)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Douglas Mackinnon

Writers:

Helen Raynor (written by)
Robert Holmes (character: "The Sontarans")

TV Series:

"Doctor Who" (2005)

Original Air Date:

3 May 2008 (Season 4, Episode 5)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

With planet Earth choking under the poison sky, the Doctor must stop the Sontarans' threat to the planet. |

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Time Lord | Tardis | Companion | Doctor Who

Cast

David Tennant	...	The Doctor
Catherine Tate	...	Donna Noble
Freema Agyeman	...	Martha Jones
Billie Piper	...	Rose Tyler
Bernard Cribbins	...	Wilfred Mott
Jacqueline King	...	Sylvia Noble
Ryan Sampson	...	Luke Rattigan
Rupert Holliday-Evans	...	Colonel Mace
Christopher Ryan	...	General Staal
Dan Starkey	...	Commander Skorr
Clive Standen	...	Private Harris
Wesley Theobald	...	Private Gray
Christian Cooke	...	Ross Jenkins
Meryl Fernandes	...	Female Student
Leeshon Alexander	...	Male Student

Runtime:

45 min (50 episodes)

Certification:

UK:PG (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Margam Castle, Margam, Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK

Company:

BBC Wales

Trivia:

When wearing a gas mask, the Doctor says "Are you my mummy?". This is a reference to the episode 'The Empty Child' in which people whose physical appearances have been altered to mimic that of someone wearing a gas mask repeatedly ask that very same question.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the beginning of the episode, Donna's mom smashes the front window of their car. However, car's windows are triplexes: 2 layers of glass, glued to a single layer of plastic, so they don't simply collapse, as shown. (The whole point is to prevent the crash and minimize injury from glass cuts.)

Quotes:

Wilfred Mott: I won't tell her. Best not...just keep it as our little secret, eh?
Donna Noble: [brief smile] Yeah.
Wilfred Mott: And you go with him, that wonderful Doctor. You go and see the stars....
[emotion in his voice]
Wilfred Mott: Then, bring a bit of them back for your old Gramps.
[tears in her eyes, nods and gets up to leave; stops to hug him, kisses him on the head]
Donna Noble: Love you.
[walks away; trying not to cry]

Movie Connections:

Features "Tommy Zoom" (2007)

Better than the opening installment but a weak tale

Perhaps the most disappointing Sontaran tale to-date, this double header just doesn't cut the mustard. There are moments of genius contained within the story but the pace is too slow and there's too much filler. This could have made for a great single episode but I'm not truly impressed with the quality of Helen Raynor's script.

While the effects work continues to impress, the quality of this adventure is not up to previous installments. I'm complained about the scope of recent "Who" stories before and this is no exception. In "The Poison Sky" the whole planet is at risk. Whatever happened to good old fashioned "domestic" peril? Tennant and Tate continue to be a classic double act while Martha seems a little out of her depth. The next episode should prove a very interesting one...

8 out of 10.