Partners in Crime
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DVD NTSC
Region 1
14-episode
box set
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DVD PAL
Region 2
14-episode
box set
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DVD PAL
Region 2
3-episode volume
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(Doctor Who Story No. 194, starring David Tennant)
- written by Russell T. Davies
- directed by James Strong
- produced by Phil Collinson
- music by Murray Gold
- 1 episode @ 48 minutes
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Story: Donna Noble investigates a suspiciously
miraculous weight-loss pill being marketed in London,
all in the hopes that this is the same sort of trouble
that would attract the wandering time-traveling Doctor
that interrupted her wedding just over a year ago.
Her gently supportive grandfather Wilfred Mott soon
has more bizarre objects appearing in his telescope
than he ever bargained for....
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DVD Extras (box sets only) include:
- Audio commentary by writer Russell T. Davies,
director James Strong,
and executive producer Julie Gardner.
- Doctor Who Confidential featurette: A Noble Return (8 min.) with
Davies, Strong,
David Tennant (The Doctor),
Catherine Tate (Donna Noble),
Sarah Lancashire (Miss Foster), and
producer Phil Collinson.
- Alternate scenes with the late Howard Attfield (Donna's Dad) (7 min.)
- Deleted & extended scenes (4 min.) - introduced by writer Russell T. Davies
- Trailers & Promos
Buyers' Guide Review
by Martin Izsak
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(A more in-depth analysis, containing "SPOILERS" and intended
for those who have already seen the program, can be accessed
here.)
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Good old Russell T. Davies is the writer on this one, and he churns
out a piece of predictable formula - easily the least exciting season
opener in the past four years. There is a nifty idea turned sci-fi
premise concerning weight loss, which sustains about 5 minutes worth of
quality screen time, before it becomes repetitive padding.
Other than that, this episode only has the
interaction of its two season regulars to sustain interest, and really,
yet another companion shuffle is not all that riveting. Predictably
it forces us to endure the massively overused London, Earth setting
yet again, along
with the lacklustre domestic accoutrements that have unnecessarily
dogged the show since 2005.
Not smart. The plot's
action isn't anything to write home about - the usual running around
doing Who knows what, with the "vertical chase" some fans say is
a Davies hallmark. Davies also turns yet again to a female villain,
while muddling the line of who we should be rooting for. In the end,
it's all quite forgetable.
One saving
grace here is the presence of actor Bernard Cribbins, veteran of
the Peter Cushing Doctor Who film
"Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D." (theatrical remake of story no. 10),
as well as being a favourite from the regular cast of the
Carry On series of comedy films. Although only in a handful of
quiet character based scenes, with next to no impact on plot,
Cribbins makes each one come alive and become something truly
enjoyable to savour. Behind the scenes info reveals that he was
a very last minute replacement for the late Howard Attfield, who
played Donna's father in
"The Runaway Bride" (story no. 182).
I think Cribbins does the job better as Donna's grandpa, and
I'm certainly glad we have him in the role. Nice one.
Story structure is designed more for Doctor Who followers than
the brand new audience members that season openers should
be ready for. Considerable dramatic tension is built up as
a comedy plays out, with the two regulars on identical missions
who miraculously keep missing each other - but this only works
for a first viewing. Subsequently, once one knows the outcome,
a feeling of "Oh, let's get past this...." takes over. The actual
conflict of the story has little chance of out-doing these comedy
gags, being derived from things of such mundane importance as
weight-loss pills and stereotypical corporate cardboard cut-out
characters.
And in the midst of the intercutting of the Doctor's and Donna's
separate missions, the establishment of the TARDIS gets sidetracked.
There's more to be said on that subject, but I'll save that for the
In-depth Analysis version of this
review.
For once,
the Christmas special
"Voyage of the Damned" (the previous story)
actually turns out to be better suited as a season opener, after
which this story works a bit better.
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Murray Gold proves dynamic and brilliant with his music yet again,
kicking off with the one-two punch of his new version of the Doctor Who
title music and heading straight into a jazzed up version of Donna's Theme
now called "A Noble Girl About Town". Great. Many more staple cues
for the season make their debut, while some favourites from previous
years enjoy a return. Good stuff. Murray's got the necessary style for
this show's music nailed down really well by now.
A climactic crisis gives the Doctor a solid heroic final action
to perform, with a critical assist from Donna showcasing her value.
But it all seems a bit contrived, predictable, and uninteresting,
hyped up with more energy and panic than necessary. Not bad,
but we've seen better. Way better.
This adventure is littered with minor details meant to link into
future stories of the season (none of which are truly important) -
but the worst is undoubtedly saved for the end.
Of course I won't discuss such spoilers here;
that's what the In-depth Analysis version
of this review is for.
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Music by Murray Gold
"Doctor Who" (Season 30 Title version),
"A Noble Girl About Town",
"Life Among the Distant Stars",
"Corridors and Fire Escapes", and
"A Pressing Need to Save the World"
are available on:
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"After the Chase", and
"The Doctor Forever"
are available on:
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Well, this tale is definitely not the highlight of Season 30.
In fact, it will likely win the Wooden Turkey Award for worst story
of Season 30, which means the good news is that things only get better
from here on. So, enough said about "Partners in Crime";
there is much better stuff in store this season. Let's get at it....
This story has become available on DVD.
Click on the Amazon symbol for the location nearest you
for pricing and availability:
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DVD NTSC Region 1
14-episode boxed set
for the North American market:
in the U.S.
in Canada
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DVD PAL Region 2
14-episode boxed set
for the U.K.
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DVD PAL Region 2
3-episode volume
U.K. format only
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Note: The full season sets
contain commentaries, behind-the-scenes
featurettes, and other extras.
The smaller volumes only feature the plain episodes.
Comments on this article are welcome. You may contact
the author from this page:
Contact page
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