Mark Watches ‘Doctor Who’: S04E01 – Partners in Crime

In the first episode of the fourth series of Doctor Who, the Doctor investigates some strange events concerning Adipose Industries and discovers that his old companion, Donna Noble, has been doing a little snooping of her own. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Doctor Who.

Best episode ever or BEST FUCKING EPISODE EVER? Russell T Davies, this is EASILY the best opener for any new series yet and this might be your finest work. It’s hilarious, it’s surreal, it’s ambiguous, and OH MY GOD CATHERINE TATE IS BACK!!!1!!!1!!1

Not to suggest that there was anything necessarily wrong with the past few episodes/special, but “Partners in Crime” gave the show a much-needed dose of healthy humor and set the tone for how Catherine Tate and David Tennant would interact with each other. Most of what made “The Runaway Bride” such a fun episode was the antagonistic and hilarious chemistry between the Doctor and Donna. In short, Donna straight up does not take any shit from the Doctor. I now can’t find the comment since I need it and this is how these things works, but someone mentioned in a recent review that the Doctor has no one to reign him in, that Donna mentioned in the end of “The Runaway Bride” that he actually needed someone to stop him. Little did we know that tiny bit of foreshadowing would lead to where we are now, with Donna accepting the position as the Doctor’s companion, but in terms where she doesn’t worship or romanticize him.

There’s so much about this episode that involves complicated maneuvers of writing and plotting and the way it’s pulled off is a huge pay off. We first learn that the man in the newspaper stand is actually DONNA’S FUCKING GRANDFATHER OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK. Donna, in the year since she last saw the Doctor, seems to have slipped into a rut that leaves her feeling incomplete and wanting so much more from life. I like that this isn’t framed as some sort of dependent relationship either, that Donna doesn’t need the Doctor as much as she wants the freedom that his adventure with her sparked in her mind. We’ve seen it before with other companions in the past, especially Rose, and I can’t imagine I’d act any differently. How do you go about your normal life after you’ve seen what the Doctor has seen?

This is the set-up for the episode, and what follows is the frustrating parallel actions by the Doctor and Donna. (I mean that entirely as a compliment.) The two come within feet of each other as they begin to investigate Adipose Industries, a company marketing some sort of “revolutionary” weight loss pill that’s being spread across London. Like nearly every story like this on the show, you immediately get the feeling that there’s something sinister going on. Watching Miss Foster speak certainly didn’t help that. (Bless you, Sarah Lancashire, you were perfect in this role.)

And because we’re so used to this trope being used on Doctor Who, that makes the “reveal” about what the pill does all the more horrifying AND confusing. The company’s slogan is, “The fat just walks away.” We discover that this is COMPLETELY FUCKING LITERAL. We watch in horror and disbelief as a small white alien DETACHES ITSELF FROM THE BODY OF A WOMAN THAT DONNA IS MEETING WITH. Even worse? The creature is about as threatening as giving hugs to puppy dogs and then cuddling with a unicorn. I kept expecting the Adipose to eat someone. Or shoot lasers out of their eyes. Or tap into the riff in Cardiff or something and open the space-time continuum. Instead, the Adipose giggled and waved. Giggled and waved.

The most ambiguous and confusing villains OF ALL FUCKING TIME.

The real terror, though, comes from the idea that, in an emergency, the Adipose can spawn so quickly that they can actually use up an entire host’s body. But that only happens once. Hell, by the episode’s end, all I could think was…WELL, THAT WASN’T TOO BAD, WAS IT? Some people lost some weight, these cute, pudgy aliens will get to go home to their families, and only two people died. All in all, a pretty decent turn out, especially for Doctor Who.

It might be the events of the previous year or even Donna’s presence throughout this, but the Doctor has finally started to change. The Doctor and Donna both meet up finally and…wait, ok, first we need a moment to celebrate the monumental mime scene between the two of them when they spot each other in Adipose Industries. What I love so much about Donna is that her joy is so genuine and real and it was impossible for me not to giggle uncontrollably as she dragged the miming out way past the point it should have stopped at. Her face lit up at the sight of the Doctor and that was SO SATISFYING TO WATCH.

Anyway, it’s important to note a couple huge changes we see here: Firstly, the Doctor doesn’t kill the aliens in “Partners in Crime,” the polar opposite of what he did with the Racnoss the last time he and Donna were together. I don’t know if it was that specific memory that made him decide to allow the Adipose to leave, but we finally see the Doctor issuing some restraint. Despite that he also doesn’t say it to the person who needs to hear it, he also acknowledges that what he did to Martha Jones was pretty awful. The Doctor’s invitation to Donna might be the most complicated and emotional, but he knows that he has to be clear from now on: his relationship with his companion is just that. It’s a companionship. It’s someone to travel with, not someone to fall in love with.

I could not be more excited that Catherine Tate is going to be in a full season run. OH GOD.

THOUGHTS

  • When was the last time we heard about the “Shadow Proclamation”?
  • I don’t care how cheesy it is, but having Donna’s grandfather see the Doctor and Donna together was pretty awesome.
  • “You’re not matin’ with me Sunshine!”
  • Is it bad that I want an Adipose of my own to hang out with? THEY ARE SO CUTE!
  • Oh, poor Penny Carter. Continually ignored!
  • It would take a LOT for Donna’s mom and grandfather to take the title over, but man, they are SO GOOD IN JUST ONE EPISODE. Jackie still wins as best companion mom, though.
  • I actually kind of feel bad that Miss Foster died? She wasn’t that evil to me at all. I mean, she certainly wasn’t in the right but being dropped to her death like that? That made me sad. 🙁
  • Ok, I know you’ve been waiting for it. I have to. So:

HOW THE FUCK IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE THAT ROSE TYLER WAS AT THAT CRIME SCENE

WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON

I WILL NEVER RECOVER FROM THIS

A;SDFLKJA;SLDFDFKSHA;LKDSDFKLSHJ;ASDLFJASD;KLDFKSH

AFAHS;LDKFFJ

ASD;KFLHAS;DFHKLDFSAF

5HL

K;FLDGKL;ADFGH;290834U$#%#3

AFAFS

@#$


About Mark Oshiro

Perpetually unprepared since '09.
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371 Responses to Mark Watches ‘Doctor Who’: S04E01 – Partners in Crime

  1. mkjcaylor says:

    I so much love that we all love Donna. How can you not love Donna? She is Donna. I like to say her name, Donna Donna Donna Donna OH

    AND.

    What is different about Billie Piper? Why does she look so weird to me? Aside from the lack of a MASSIVELY LARGE AMOUNT OF EYELINER (sorry, Rose, but I always had a problem with that), suddenly her overbite looks so much more prominent and there's something really different about her face. What is different? Does anyone know? Why can't I pinpoint it? (Also, why does NOBODY mention the makeup change in any episode commentary that I can find? Seems like it would have been a Decision.)

    • Selthia says:

      Yeah, I thought she looked different but I couldn't pinpoint exactly how at the time.

      • mkjcaylor says:

        Have you figured it out, yet? Or are you referring to the eyeliner?

        • Selthia says:

          No, I only got the eyeliner or lack thereof, I wasn't sure about the rest (still am not sure).

          • echinodermata says:

            I'm not entirely sure, but I feel like her eyebrows have a somewhat different shape. Or I could be imagining things.

            • mkjcaylor says:

              It's face chub, I think. For me. She has less face chub as New Rose and it's off-putting to me.

              • nyssaoftraken74 says:

                I think she looks older, and It's not her clothes, because other than the colour of the jacket, her outfit is practically the same as what she wore in Bad Wolf Bay. It's very strange that she looks so different after such a short time.

    • swimmingtrunks says:

      I think she lost some weight in her face, is all. Her hair is a bit different too. It's laying a lot flatter, and framing her face in a different way than the old styling.

      • mkjcaylor says:

        And I've just given up the reply. You are right. It is framing her face differently, but she also has less face chub. I think my comments kept being spoilery, and the comment system was fighting me tooth and claw, so nevermind.

    • jackiep says:

      Rose Tyler is now older and presumably has been living as the daughter of a wealthy man, so less chavvy, more expensive hair, nails and everything.

    • hassibah says:

      I think it's just the way that the longer hair is framing her face and that she's wearing a lot less makeup. But yeah it always feels like there's *something* and I can never quite put my finger on what it is :/

    • DBeR says:

      I read somewhere that Billie Piper had just gotten veneers on her teeth, and she wasn't used to them yet. That's why her teeth/lips seem more prominent and she was having some trouble with her speech.

  2. Jacinta says:

    Little did we know that tiny bit of foreshadowing would lead to where we are now
    -x-
    Indeed, Mark. Indeed.

    I just have to say, this is my favorite season I think. It's just full of ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS IN THE WORLD.
    And little baby fat creatures. How are those not cute.

  3. Ali says:

    So excited for season 4! I have to say Donna is by far my favourite companion. She’s smart, funny, independent and always stands up for herself. She questions the Doctor’s actions and the world around her, instead of just passively going along for the ride.
    So many of the Doctor’s companions really annoy me, because they’re just so…mundane. When you think of all the people who would love to experience that life – rocket scientists, astronauts, astronomers, sci-fi writers, people who have dreamed of this sort of thing all their lives – and he always ends up with just some random young woman picked up from anywhere who really doesn’t appreciate the magnitude of the gift they’ve been given.
    Ahhh maybe I’m just taking it all too seriously, but I like Donna because I at least feel that she somehow deserves to be there. The Doctor changed her life for the better and she takes an active role in trying to find him.
    😀

  4. Minish says:

    Unpopular opinion time, I guess…

    But I really don't care for this episode. It's a lot of fun, but I think some of the story elements are a bit weak. A noticeable chunk of plot was definitely recycled from "The Long Game" (The overseer spies an interloper but doesn't say who it is, leaving us to think it's the Doctor or his companion, and just as we think the Doctor or his companion are about to be figured out, SURPRISE! It turns out they're looking for a minor character previously introduced who also just HAPPENS to be an undercover journalist. Sloppy work, Davies). And while I liked the concept of the Adipose, it was just a bit too silly for me to fully be affected by people exploding into cute plushies, which wasn't really aided by the poor CGI.

    However, DONNA NOBLE YAY OMG! Love love love Donna. She's hilarious, brilliant, independent, and FINALLY A COMPANION WHO ISN'T TRIPPING OVER HERSELF FOR THE DOCTOR.

  5. electric ashera says:

    ALL THE UPVOTES FOR YOU!

  6. Katarina says:

    I just realized that this is a good time to share this Never Mind the Buzzcocks clip (if people haven't already), in which Catherine Tate knows very little about Doctor Who: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77Wf9w0-bwQ
    Also, the one about Dalek sex, because brain bleach never did anyone any harm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CItfmrwW1YM

  7. Reddi says:

    I LOVED this episode. As you said it injected some of the humor back into Who after some good but depressing turns. And I love that Donna is not a doctor worshipper… he does need someone to smack him down a few notches now and again. I love the Doctor and Donna.. they are almost sibling like, and Donna, depsite being just a temp from Chiswick, comes across as his equal (or at least regards herself as such).

    And when she misread his comment about "I just want a mate". … ROFL. That little funny line also showed how she was different from Rose or Martha… absolutely NO romantic interest. She was quite blunt about that. LOL

  8. sabra_n says:

    Some people react to grief as Ten did, and some don't. I criticize Ten's behavior as a writing choice – he's supposed to be the protagonist of the show, and the more douchey he acted, the more painful I found it to be asked to cheer for him. The writers chose to write him this way and then tell me that he's a "lonely angel". I couldn't see that as anything but bullshit. And it's just not that fun to watch Doctor Who when you're hostile to the Doctor, believe me. That's why the fundamentally decent Ten of S4 was such a relief to me. At last, I could be on his side! Yay!

  9. justapalindrome says:

    There is so much that I love about this episode, and there is SO much that I love about Donna. I love the adorable adipose babies and I love Bernard Cribbins, and those whole "you want to mate!?" exchange. In regards to Rose, I remember when I first saw her there I flipped out, I didn't know what was happening and spazed for about 5 minutes. Her reveal brings a real sense of urgency and "oh crap" to the season. But, yeah LOVE DONNA and I'm sure you will too haha.

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  11. qwopisinthemailbox says:

    AHAHAHHAHA DONNA! I LOVE CATHERINE TATE. I WENT TO SEE GULLIVER'S TRAVELS SIMPLY BECAUSE SHE WAS IN IT. SHE WAS FANTASTIC.

    ROSE <3

  12. Cheryl says:

    Donna is my favorite companion EVER. She was a nice change after three seasons of Rose and Martha mooning over the Doctor and being in awe of him. Donna? Totally not impressed and not shy about saying so. Catherine and David work sublimely together and they're both fantastic actors. Total and complete win. They're playing Benedict and Beatrice (?) in 'Much Ado about Nothing' with the RSC this summer and I SO wish I could be there. I hope they film it for DVD like they did with 'Hamlet'. They're going to knock it straight out of the park.

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  48. PK9 says:

    I didn't really like the first 20 minutes. It was annoying having Donna and the Doctor keep missing each other. But the scene where they finally identify each other through windows on opposite sides of the room they were spying on was priceless. Everything after that is awesomeness because the dynamic between Donna and the Doctor is so good.

  49. David Zaine Aarons says:

    Love Donna. Hate Sylvia. LOVE LOVE LOVE WILF. LOVE HIM FOREVER.

    I'm currently going through my first viewing of Who (archive trawling; better late than never), and I'm loving the hell out of it. I'm actually a bit sad that I'm starting series 4, because it's David Tennant's last season and Ten is my Doctor. I'm sure Matt Smith is excellent as well, and based on interviews with him from The Nerdist podcast and TV pilot, I know he's a very likable guy, which counts for a lot, but Ten is the first Doctor I truly attached to. Nine was great, but I pretty much love everything about Ten. I see a fair amount of negativity towards him in these comment threads (particularly during S3), but I love him. I actually get a little protective of him, as silly as that is, haha.

    And even more than that, I'm just dreading the point where I'm all caught up, because then I'll have to wait along with everyone else for new episodes. Of course I can always do a bit of delving into Classic Who, but still.

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