The Runaway Bride
Story 178, Episodes 724, 2006 Christmas Special
Doctor: The Tenth Doctor
Companions: Donna Noble
We are introduced to Donna in an episode that sees the Doctor trying to get over the loss of Rose, and shows us just how dangerous this incarnation can be.
The Review
Most of the Doctor’s companions are either book smart or street smart, clever, bright, but Donna isn’t any of these things (at least right away). Yeah she yells and is rude a lot in the beginning of this episode, but she was just about to be married and is now on some weird man’s spaceship in outer space. Donna gradually warms up to the Doctor, especially after he saves her from being kidnapped in maybe the only TARDIS car chase in show history. It is obvious that her marriage to Lance is kind of sham, and once Lance is revealed to be in cahoots with the Racnoss empress he tears into Donna for being dull, loud-mouthed, and simple-minded. The scene stings because a lot of what Lance says isn’t wrong, but we rally behind Donna because we can tell what a great person she is. Sure Donna gets excited by the small things, but that’s alright, and as the Doctor says: it’s what makes humanity beautiful. Catherine Tate will really get to let loose her acting skills in Series 4, but for now Donna is an excellent portrait of an ordinary woman (though a very different one than Rose).
Donna finds one of Rose’s sweatshirts she never got to pick up from the TARDIS, and the Doctor sees a blonde woman dancing and remembers doing so with Rose. It’s clear that the manic happy go lucky Doctor stuff is all just a cover for the darkness and the pain, and David Tennant plays it so well. The pivotal scene is when the Doctor is drowning the Racnoss children, standing solemn and still in the water and fire, unmoved by the empress’ screams. It disturbs Donna, and it disturbs us: is this what the Doctor is like? Donna’s humiliation coupled with her getting to see the formation of Earth truly shake her world, and give her some perspective that maybe there are big questions to be answered in the universe. (The running gag of her always missing alien invasions is amusing). It’s not enough to make her want to travel with the Doctor, but you can tell that she won’t forget him. The Doctor insists he doesn’t need someone, but as usual, Donna knows best: he does. Also as a sidebar: the Racnoss is way, way over the top with a very grating way of speaking and it’s a big detractor from the episode. Sheesh.
Doctor Who moves into the post-Rose era with a fun romp hitting at the eventually story of Doctor Number Ten.
8/10. You WHAT
Reviewing Doctor Who from Start to Finish 