The Doctor is IN!

Doctor Who that is. New adventures, new Companions, and returning adversaries comprise the greatness that is the Fourth Season of Doctor Who which is now available on DVD. If you haven’t been watching this newest incarnation of The Doctor Who franchise Season 4 is a great starting point!

Story:

The Annual Christmas Special “The Voyage of the Damned” picks up moments after the finale of Season 3. The Doctor (David Tennant) must stop history from repeating as a new Space Faring Titanic is about to crash into the Earth on Christmas Eve. Now he must race against the clock to save the crew from certain death. In order to save everyone The Doctor gets a little bit of help from Astrid Peth (as played by Kylie Minogue).

After barely surviving the Titanic incident the good Doctor must face new challenges with a little help from his friends. Catherine Tate joins the cast full time as the new quirky Companion Donna Noble (last seen in the 2006 Christmas Special “The Runaway Bride”). Donna and the Doctor set out into the time-stream to find new adventures as Donna wants to see everything. Donna’s eagerness reinvigorates the Doctor after his previous companion, Martha Jones, departed at the end of Season 3 to be with her family.

In “Partners in Crime” the Doctor and Donna are reunited under some unusual circumstances. Together they must stop an usual plot by aliens to convert human bodies into new forms.

In “The Fires of Pompeii” the two travel back in time to Pompeii and must deal with the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in the year AD 79 and learn the truth about what causes the volcano to become active!

In “The Doctor’s Daughter” The Doctor and Donna travel to another planet where a war is being waged between two factions, one of which uses genetic information to create and breed warriors. When the Doctor himself is used as a genetic template he comes to the realization that he is now the father of a healthy, beautiful, teenaged girl who is ready to fight! Can the Doctor save his new daughter? And what part will she play in the future? Only time can tell (but I will tell you this: whatever they do with her, it’s going to be great!!!).

In “Silence in the Library” the Tardis responds to an odd distress call for the Doctor…upon showing up at the origin of the call the Doctor is introduced (or reintroduced?) to Dr. River Song…HIS WIFE??? This episode was written by Steven Moffat who will be taking over as Executive Producer on Doctor Who in Season 5. His work on the series has helped shape and define the new Doctor that we know and love.

In “Left Turn”, we learn of how things could have been if the Doctor had not interfered in the lives of his companions! This is a great What If style story that features many, many cameos!

In “The Stolen Earth” and Journey’s End the Doctor must reunite with all of his friends in order to stop a great evil from The Time War! If they can’t stop this villain, then the Earth and the Universe will be lost…forever…This finale features appearances from Sarah Jane Smith, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, and Captain Jack Harkness!

Special Features:
The features on Season 4 make this set a MUST for any Who-Fan as it includes the special produced specifically for the Children in Need Benefit organization. The Mini-Episode entitled “Time Crash” takes place moments before Season 4 and features an appearance by the Fifth Doctor played by Peter Davison!

-David Tennant’s Video Diaries

-Deleted scenes from Season 4

-Audio Commentary from the cast and crew

-Retrospective Featurette

Overall:
David Tennant is truly addictive to watch. You truly believe every word that comes out of his mouth because he has such a strong conviction about everything he says and does.

It is important to mention that this is the final full season for both Russel T Davies (Executive Producer) and David Tennant (The Doctor). Both will continue with the show in 2009 during which BBC will produce several 2 hour specials.

Doctor Who Season 4 is truly impressive. Every episode is engaging and fully adds to the season long narrative. The addition of Catherine Tate to the cast was a surprise at first, but she ended up becoming a great addition to the world of Doctor Who. The integration of the past Companions into the season finale really helped tie up any loose ends that Davies had left open before this departure from the series.

ComicsOnline gives Doctor Who Season Four 5 out of 5 prior Companions.