ALARIS' REVIEWS

14th September 2008
Doctor Who: The Doctor's Daughter (2008)

TERRIBLE.

I normally don't review TV episodes unless it's a pilot, a finale, or a really exceptional episode. However, after having suffered through the previous appalling two-parter, 'The Sontaran Stratagem' and 'The Poison Sky', I was nothing short of infuriated at being subjected to 'The Doctor's Daughter'.

This Series Four episode features unconvincing acting, clunky and unsophisticated writing, incredibly flawed science without any redeeming cool factor, and a faceful of painful clichés that didn't even have the heart to be witty or fun. It was written with all the subtlety and maturity of a first grade skit, without the charm of youthful discovery and exuberance.

All I could do was clutch my head and repeat the word 'terrible' over and over, in the hope that somehow a cathode ray television set would fall from the sky and obliterate Robert Greenhorn's computer (the episode writer).

It baffles me that a production team which surely recognises the brilliance of episodes like Series Three's 'Blink' (Stephen Moffat, where are you?!) can't recognise the glaring shortcomings of episodes like 'The Doctor's Daughter'.

Verdict: Terrible.

If you liked 'The Sontaran Stratagem' and 'The Poison Sky', there's a good chance you'll like this.