New Who Season Two Report Card

See David’s S2 Report Card and Tansy’s S2 Report Card through the clickies! (See our Season One Report Cards here)

SEASON TWO REPORT CARD – Tehani

The Doctor: David Tennant
It took me a good long while to warm up to Tennant’s Doctor on first viewing, but coming back to it second time around I already had the love, so it was an interesting experience. Tansy’s recurring point about us as viewers accepting bad behaviour from the Doctor because of Tennant’s charisma is one that I thought of often during the season, because it’s something that you can’t “un-see” once you’ve thought it. I definitely agree that Ten is given some pretty horrid behaviour, and you kind of accept this as the viewer, which is a bit problematic. But Tennant as the Doctor is great, in general – I think you can tell he loves the part and that shows through.

The Companions:
Rose Tyler: Billie Piper
I liked Rose more this time around than before but she’s still not my favourite. I liked that she got a bit more room to stretch her wings, even though she was all moony over the Doctor so much. I did enjoy her making her own choice at the end of the season, even if it was then overturned by circumstance, but she didn’t let the Doctor or Pete make that choice for her. That said, she was SO nineteen at times! Which got annoying.Mickey Smith: Noel Clarke
Loved the change we saw in Mickey during the season – very believable and solid growth and the Mickey at the end of the season was a really great character.

Recurring Characters:
Jackie Tyler: Camille Coduri
Really enjoyed Jackie in all her appearances – she’s so much more than the bottle-blonde bimbo we first met in Season One. I love that she gives Ten a hard time with frequency – he needs that sometimes!Pete Tyler: Shaun Dingwell
A much harder Pete in the season finale is an interesting contrast from the bumbling Pete of Season One and the more successful Pete of “Rise of the Cybermern/Age of Steel”. I liked that he stepped up in his universe, and the scene with he and Jackie was very sweet.

Harriet Jones: Penelope Wilton
I LOVE Harriet Jones – Ten really disappointed me with his treatment of her in the Christmas episode, because she deserved better than that. She did what she believed right, and her actions are no different to those of other characters who the Doctor just lets destroy things – I look forward to seeing her again.

Sarah Jane Smith: Elisabeth Sladen (or should she be in Companions??!)
This episode tugged on the heartstrings for so many reasons. I don’t really remember Sarah Jane as a companion, but she was fantastic in this, and Ten’s reaction to her was marvellous. I agree with Tansy though that the writers did her an injustice by implying she has been moping around over the Doctor for decades – boo! Glad she got her own show after this!

What is your favourite episode of this season?
Hard! It’s a toss up between “School Reunion” and “The Girl in the Fireplace” but I think on balance, while “School Reunion” was gorgeous for the Sarah Jane factor, TGitF is the winner for me.

Least favourite episode?
“The Satan Pit” – the end was good but the “devil”? Blech.

Favourite guest performance?
Shirley Henderson in “Love and Monsters”

Describe this season in one word!
Emotional!

Grade: A “settling in with a bang “season for the Tenth Doctor, with a few low points but interestingly stronger on second round viewing! B