Doctor Who - The Complete Third Series (2007)

A Great Season With Just A Few Slips In Time

David Tennant's second season as everybody's favorite Doctor is wonderful. It features some of the best adventures in the revived show's run. While many may miss Billie Piper's Rose, Freema Agyeman is more than sufficient as the Doctor's latest companion, Martha. The duo meet in the season opener (albeit the second show of the actual season), "Smith & Jones." That particular episode gives viewers a dose of creepiness thanks to a blood-sucking villain who's on the run from the Judoon, a rhino-like alien species who patrol the stars looking for baddies.

The rest of the season is filled with plenty of highlights. In particular, the Doctor and Martha face off against witches in "The Shakespeare Code" which actually features William Shakespeare (a theme of bumping into literary legends that has flourished in the series revival). Two excellent two-show arcs also pop up during this season. The Daleks return in "Daleks in Manhattan" and "Evolution of the Daleks" and a new enemy appears in "Human Nature" and "Family of Blood."

The best show of the entire revival is also found in this season of Who. "Blink" is scary, suspenseful and the pinnacle of the creepiness that haunts this entire season. Using a familiar fixture of cemetaries, churches and office buildings, this story will make you look twice (and not blink) at certain statues you come across in everyday life.

With so much excellence running throughout the entire season, you'd think that even the subpar episodes would be brilliant. Unfortunately that isn't so. While "The Lazarus Experiment," "42" and the first episode of a three show arc, "Utopia," are all solid, episodes such as the dull "Gridlock" and the downright goofy "The Last of the Time Lords" actually grate the nerves of fans of the original series. Even the return of Captain Jack can't save the season finale from being something of a disappointment. "The Runaway Bride" also toys with the goofy factor.

Two of the Doctor's classic television villains return this season. One gets a CGI update in the not-so-hot "Gridlock" and the other appears in the three-episode finale (although sharp viewers will recognize his name before he actually appears on screen). Derek Jacobi and John Simm portray this baddie who I'll keep nameless for now, but Simm's portrayal is too over-the-top for me. There's even a very light hint at another of the Doctor's classic foes, but whether or not SHE will ever make a comeback is unknown at this time.

Special features include "Doctor Who Confidential" episodes, Tennant's video diary, deleted scenes, promos, etc. including a fun political endorsement from Sharon Osbourne for a character that viewers will get to know quite well by the end of the season.

Tennant and Agyeman are the glue that keeps this season afloat. While there are a few misses in this season, their performances and the excellence of "Blink" and "The Shakespeare Code" make this a must-have season.

Recommended to fans of both the classic and revived Who series as well as anybody who enjoys action, suspense, comedy and a good dose of horror to boot. August 26, 2008

Since the appalling season "one" I have wondered about the sanity of people who thank this is "good" storywriting

First off as a generation Y person might say(which I ain't one of-cuz I be say'n "aint"! ninnies!) "The SFX are WAAAYYY better than the original old stuff!" Yeah, I agreee(in depthly) SFX are needed as an AID to the show, not to replace quality of the acting or plot! That is were it ends The writing of today is horrid, the acting off timing and as wooden as the sets in the old days(which worked better than the "talking heads" of today) Paint your three-ply corrigated grocerystore meat-ridden cardboad box made Donald Gee Pirate spaceship model Testors Rocketship white and let it wobble on a fishing line, but if you have a presnece of dialogue(as Patrick Thoughton did) to your acting it's still watchable, not vica versa, as in the stupid "fireworks" display at EVERY moment Doctor 10 kisses his red headed honeydue!(Christmas Cassia or whatever her name is). as in a cheap knock-off to the much more tasteful Paul McGann and Daphney Ashbrook in the movie! I hate copy-cats but this is just rub it in your face "hey look sucka, I'm mocking you again" to the Movie how ignoranamous is that??? And how stupid is it (in the whole God created universe heaven and earth and everything beyond your wildest dreams!) to dramatise a "fork lift" loosing traction with a cascade of music as if something so mundane and stupid(retarded) could be taken seriouisly!(New people must have very tame dreams to think up that "brilliant" idea!) I like the actors that play these roles, other roles they play are phoenominal!(David Tennent's "Cassinova" and Billie Piper's masterful "Masterpiece Theater" Performances are DVD's to spend more than the asking price!) Why then, is it they stink at Doctor WU(are you with me on happy pill patrol, Doctor WU???) And Im only REFERENING them, "barfies eyes"! This review is about "Martha"(Freema Agyeman) and Doc!(David Tennent #10 of the London Housing Authority cockney accented alien of the universe.) Not Rose and "Your mother!" Missus Cassanova!(Camille Coduri). Okay, so my reveiw stinks, so it doesn't fall in to the opinion of SOMEONE like you, so what! I watched this show since the early eighties and I think I know a bit about Doctor Who and what is good and what smells of fish cheese stew and Happiness Patrol drivel swine!(oh you don't know what Happiness Patrol is, do you?) Do you also not know what scringe-stone is?(I sound like the actor/diretor who said that) if you aren't interested in the classics that this series was built upon, then no true Doctor Whoivan cares what you think, so,zip it! now.
I typed this on a keyboard and bloatware to make it type A-B-C-E-F-G on windows(made after Y2K and no Better Business Buro Investigations Dept!) so if my writing sucks, blame them! August 26, 2008

Almost Perfect But.....

He is by far my favorite Doctor but I love any and all references to previous Doctors and prior companions. Sara Jane Smith was one of my all time best loved in the whole series and I'm glad they brought her back.

The only reason I give this set four out of five stars is because it's missing the best part of the entire season....TIME CRASH!!!!! Where Doctor 10 and Doctor 5 meet for an 8 minute period. This should have been on the DVD set like it is in the UK version. We got ripped off! This was a great feature and I've watched it dozens of times on YouTube. Thank God for that site.

Anyway if that had been included I would have given it top ratings. I like Rose but I don't see the intense relationship with her that most do. After all the Doctor was with Sara Jane for far longer. Are we to believe Rose is the only one he's ever cared for?

No,....me either. August 11, 2008

Best Season Yet!

Series 3 is the most solid, consistant series of the new Doctor Who to date. A must for fans of the series, and for anyone who likes science fiction this is a nice introduction to the world of "Who." It's not necessary to see the first two seasons, or the 28 years of the old show, to catch up with what's going on, since the new point of view character Martha Jones has no idea, either and new viewers get to learn along with her. Fun stories, very good special effects for TV, funny and sometimes deep at the same time. I worried a little how the series would go forward without either of the original leads, Christopher Eccleston or Billie Piper. But Tennant is much more confident here in his second outing as the Doctor, and creates perhaps the richest characterization of the role since at least Peter Davison and possibly Tom Baker. After taking the first two seasons to establish an identity of its own, the new show her introduces some element of classic Who - the Master, Unit, etc. - while giving them an exciting new spin. John Simm's Master may be over the top, but he's never boring. And the season-long mystery ends up making perfect sense for once and is a lot of fun to re-watch. A fan of the old Who who was lukewarm on the idea of a reboot, this is the season that really hooked me on the "new" show. August 4, 2008

LOVE DR. WHO!

Great DVD! I love Dr. Who, and I absolutely adore THIS Dr. Who! David Tennant is the coolest Dr. Who ever. I hope that he continues to do the series for many years to come. August 3, 2008

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