DVD Review: Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series
Reviewed by Craig Byrne
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Though the third season (or "series" as they call it) of Doctor Who ended in the United Kingdom somewhere around five months ago, the episodes aired later here in the United States, and thus, we got the third DVD set a little later than our British counterparts. Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series, a six-disc set, hit stores earlier this month.

As I explained in my Series Two review, which also summed up the Doctor Who concept, Doctor Who may very well be my favorite TV series that I've never created a web site of any sort for. (After all, why should I? Outpost Gallifrey is amazing) Having been a fan of the show and its earlier incarnations came in handy with my enjoyment of Series Three, though it wasn't a necessity.

My review below contains some SPOILERS, so if you have not seen the entire third series, you may want to divert your eyes.

Packaging/Design: FINALLY a set without a stupid lenticular outer shell! This is a vast improvement, especially over the last set. The Cover is a bit fancy and shiny and features the Doctor with his new sidekick, Martha Jones.

I'm not too sure I like the individual disc art, though I can't really explain why.

The set comes with a nice little booklet that is bound on its side so it's wide rather than tall. It's very nicely designed, although be warned that the commentary listing for the season finale, "The Last of the Time Lords," is wrong. (Apparently there were music-clearance issues)

The Episodes: Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series introduces Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones, the Doctor's new "companion," replacing Billie Piper's Rose Tyler. Martha is training to be a doctor herself (a medical doctor, that is), and Freema plays her very well. Although she exhibits a little bit of a crush on the Doctor, it's not as blatant as Rose's got as the last series went on.

I never thought I'd be saying this though, but one advantage Rose did have over Martha was her supporting cast. A lot of Martha's family seems like caricatures of the untrusting mother and angry father, etc., and although Jackie Tyler and Mickey were sometimes over the top, I do miss them a bit.

Before we meet Martha in the very well done "Smith and Jones," however, we meet Catherine Tate's "Runaway Bride," Donna Noble. She's very shrill and over the top, and I had hoped to never see her again. I fear for the future... somehow, the idea of her return makes Bonnie Langford seem palatable.

David Tennant is always a lot of fun as the Doctor, and it's clear that he loves the role and the show. Such enthusiasm is infectious, and I like that a lot.

And now for the bad news... Series Three may be the weakest of the three years. Even the good ideas (like "The Shakespeare Code") are riddled with campy witches and pig people. The Dalek 2-parter is underwhelming. I personally liked a mid-season entry called "Gridlock," and a show called "42" is decent but not overly amazing.

Fortunately, that all changes with a 2-parter called "Human Nature" by Paul Cornell. Adapted from a classic Doctor Who novel, the Doctor becomes human for a time... with ramifications that lead to the end of the season.

Following "Human Nature" is "Blink," which proves that if you're going to do an episode with very little of the Doctor, you need to do it right, and no one is more capable of that than Steven Moffat. I wish Steven Moffat would take over Doctor Who when Russell T. Davies is finished; and I would LOVE to see his character of "Sally Sparrow" again.

As good as "Blink" is, "Utopia" is my favorite of the season. Not only is John Barrowman back as Captain Jack Harkness, in full form rather than the not-as-interesting version we see on Torchwood, but Sir Derek Jacobi guests as Professor Yana. The final moments are worth watching, and I WISH Jacobi had stayed in the role because he nailed it perfectly.

A running theme in the season involves a politician named "Mister Saxon." In episode #12, "The Sound of Drums," we finally meet Mister Saxon, who is really the Doctor's arch-nemesis The Master. He's played by John Simm of Life On Mars fame. I LOVE Life On Mars and anxiously await the U.S. remake, but Simm's Master was so campy and silly... it didn't work for me. I know I'm in the minority. I look to Doctor Who's past, and Roger Delgado was so deliciously evil.... Anthony Ainley was campy himself but it was in such a loving and mischevous way that it worked for me. Simm needed to dial it back a little. The season finale with Doctor Gollum and a "think of the Doctor and make him walk on the air" deus ex machina was the weakest of the three season finales of the new series thus far.

The Extras: There are commentaries on every episode, including multiple episodes with David Tennant (The Doctor). Also included is a "Music and Monsters" special which I had never seen, Freema Agyeman's tour of the studio, David Tennant's video diaries, deleted scenes, outtakes, and more. Also included are the cut-down versions of Doctor Who Confidential.

Video Quality: Doctor Who looks AMAZING on DVD. It's beautiful. I can't say a single bad word about it. It's just that good.

The Final Verdict: I love Martha and there were some episodes I really liked, plus I love Doctor Who, so I do recommend this set, giving it a 3.5 out of 5. I'm also thankful they finally solved their packaging issues. If you're wondering what to watch when we're in strike-induced repeats, this might be just what the Doctor ordered.

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