The Doctor: David Tennant
Rose Tyler: Billie Piper
Jackie Tyler: Camille Codouri
Mickey Smith: Noel Clarke
Yvonne Hartman: Tracy-Ann Oberman
Dr Rajesh Singh: Raji James
Adeola: Freema Agyeman
Gareth: Hadley Fraser
Matt: Oliver Mellor
Synopsis:
The Doctor and Rose return to present day London to find that the whole
planet is being visisted by ghosts and a strange sphere in the Torchwood
Institute could hold the answer...
And so it begins; the final story of the inconsistent second series. Russell
T. Davies, a writer capable of atrocity (Love & Monsters), middling pap (New
Earth), and occasional highlights (Tooth And Claw) returns to oversee the
climactic two-part episode, starting here with Army Of Ghosts...
In similar fashion to last year's BAD WOLF, a plot-point woven throughout
the entire series and explained in the finale, Army Of Ghosts explains the
omnipresence of 'Torchwood' this year. It turns out it's a covert agency
based in Canary Wharf, headed by Yvonne Hartman (the ballsy Tracy-Ann
Oberman), that studies alien artefacts and technology. Of course, this
revelation has been obvious to anybody with a brain cell for most of the
series, and also forms the premise to upcoming Who spin-off show Torchwood.
Still, there are better kept surprises to redress the balance...
Events begin with a sense of grandeur mostly absent from Who this year, as
Rose narrates a prologue about her adventures with The Doctor and her
impending death. It's a beautifully made sequence of flashbacks and wistful
poses from Billie Piper, capped with a great shot of the TARDIS on an alien
world with flying creatures in the distance (a shame the budget will never
stretch to full episodes in such places...)
The meat of the story takes place in, you guessed it, present day London. It
transpires that, in The Doctor and Roses' absence, the ghosts of dead loved
ones have been appearing across the world at regular intervals. Quite why
Jackie Tyler takes this all in her stride so readily, and indeed the world
accepts this without fuss, is perhaps just one of those contrivances of
family sci-fi. Personally, if a silent blurry grey figure appeared anywhere
near me, it would take a great deal to convince me this was a dead relative,
but hey... suspension of disbelief, and all that...
The Doctor suspects the ghosts are bleeding through from an alternate
reality and whisks Rose (and Jackie, accidentally) to the headquarters of
Torchwood - who seem to be responsible for these "ghost shifts", and need
The Doctor's help in explaining a strange weightless sphere they have
discovered...
Russell T. Davies acquits himself very well with this story, helping to
erase the bad memory of Love & Monsters (well, slightly). To be honest, it
would be unthinkable that anyone could deflate a story that plays with such
broad strokes (ghosts, a secret agency, an alternate universe, a bizarre
spherical spaceship, the return of the Cybermen...) Yes, the metal menaces
return in this episode, to better effect than their underwhelming debut in
Rise Of The Cybermen mid-series, thankfully.
Still, credit where it's due; Davies injects more energy and charisma into
The Doctor than most writers, and mostly keeps the lid on his penchant for
misplaced gags (well, despite a "ghost weather" report and a scene from TV's
EastEnders with Barbara Windsor berating Dirty Den's ghost...)
David Tennant proves once and for all that he is an actor at the mercy of
writing. Some actors can elevate bad material with sheer will and charisma
(last year, Christopher Eccleston did this quite regularly), but Tennant
needs a written foundation. Davies gives The Doctor quite a few sequences
where he's genuinely funny ("They might shoot to kill... but I have the
moral high ground!"), exciting to watch (the ghost-busting triangle),
suitably geeky (3D specs!), and memorably intelligent (the fabulous glass
pane explanation). Tennant ensures he's a whirlwind of activity and grabs
the material by the scruff of the neck. Great stuff.
Billie Piper returns to form, playing an active part in the adventure
without holding The Doctor's coat-tails all the time, and reminds us why
she's been so popular as a companion. Still, the fact this looks to be the
last adventure for Rose, is still the right decision. The character doesn't
seem to have any more hidden depths. It's just a shame her departure will
mean the end for mother Jackie (Camille Codouri).
The supporting cast are fine, but only Tracy-Ann Oberman is worthy of
mention as Torchwood boss Yvonne Hartman. I enjoyed the character's
ambiguity immensely; dictatorial and superior, yet in awe of The Doctor and
unsure of herself.
Special effects are very good, although I wasn't convinced by the murky grey
ghosts. The spherical orb was neat, as was the alien world CGI with the
TARDIS, but the standout moments were the global scenes of Cybermen at
famous landmarks. The music was overblown at times, but ultimately it was
quite refreshing to hear some different themes mixed into the show.
Army Of Ghosts is sprinkled with great moments and humour, and for once the
balance is correct. The pure sci-fi aspect to Who even returns with the
suitably creepy spherical Void Ship! Yes, there are still some clichés and
misplaced gags that don't work (armed guards applauding The Doctor?) but
they're few and far between. Ultimately, Army Of Ghosts succeeds because of
its enjoyable premise, engaging mystery, and the fact the writing and
performance all service the story perfectly.
And yes, even I can't believe I haven't mentioned the stunning climax to the
episode that becomes a defining moment for the series and ensures next
week's finale is must-watch TV.
Fantastic.
NEXT WEEK: Is it the end of the adventure for Rose when full-scale war breaks out across Earth...?
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Series 1 Boxset:
Synopsis:
The Doctor and Rose return to present day London to find that the whole
planet is being visisted by ghosts and a strange sphere in the Torchwood
Institute could hold the answer...
