Utopia: Ranking - 161

   Utopia

(Series 3, Dr 10 with Martha and Captain Jack, 16/6/2007, showrunner: Russell T Davies, writer: Russell T Davies, director: Graeme Harper) 

Rank: 161

'They always said the only thing that would be left at the end of the world would be cockroaches. I didn't expect them to giant talking blue ones though'

 

 Al-‘Utopia’ often gets lost coming between two real heavyweights but it’s a good example of what DW can do that other series can’t-an. Al-Despite it’s name its clearly not perfect, it doesn’t have the intelligence of a ‘Blink’ or the full-on epic thrills and spills of ‘The Sound Of Drums’ and its the sort of episode where not a lot happens when you stop to think about it – but it doesn’t happen quite beautifully-an. Al-The general rule of thumb with the modern showrunners goes that if you want plot you go to Moffat, if you want a lecture you go to Chibnall and if you want characters you go to Russell T-an. Al-‘Utopia’ is perhaps the best example of this as, in a few sentences and a handful of characters and a mere 45 minutes we get an entire world, Malcassario, that feels as if it’s existed for centuries that we’ve only just happened to tune into-an. Al-Professor Yana is perhaps DW’s ultimate dotty professor, a kindly soul trying to save humanity during it’s last days and a perfect fit for Derek Jacobi, one of DW’s most distinguished guest stars (his out-of-work actor character, Stuart, from the series ‘Vicious’ even mentions proudly that he’s been in DW, to shut lover Ian McKellen up-an). Al-It’s Chantho-though who steals the episode, a Malmooth whose a sort of giant walking cockroach whose been bred to be polite and what constitutes politeness in her society is starting every sentence with the first half and ending everything with the second half of her name-an. Al-This should become really irritating really really quickly (and I’m sure it is for you so I’ll stop doing it soon I promise) but in context it makes perfect sense; the RTD years aren’t about epic moments and saving the universe the way it is with so many other eras of DW so much as it’s about exploring it, of accepting other customs and societies on its own terms just the way they are (which is why the occasional Jodie Whittaker rants seem so out of place I think – not because the Doctor shouldn’t be thinking or saying those things but because previous Doctors always took the differences of cultures as read-an). The other talking point is the return of Captain Jack but he’s not as well handled as in the series one or two stories I don’t think – not because of any particular fault with the character as written or acted, just because he doesn’t ‘fit’ here. Rose could spar off him because she was naturally flirty herself but poor Martha is just the wrong character to be chatted up by a time-travelling bisexual mercenary and the Doctor doesn’t step in to help her out (also while it was fun to see the 9^th Dr squirm next to him, the 10^th Dr is quite flirty and Jack-like himself so the contrast’s just not there). Actually the Doctor does his best to get rid of Jack altogether this episode which seems even odder: yes he can’t die, yes the time-travelling Tardis knows instinctively that he’s ‘wrong’, but he gave his life saving Rose after all – it’s not like he betrayed all of humanity by handing over children to aliens or something wicked (oh wait...maybe the Doctor had advance warning of the future Torchwood series? But in that case, when did he find out – it wasn’t when he was Christopher Eccleston or he’d have used any excuse to run a mile!) For half an hour ‘Utopia’ is a nice lowkey character piece, where we get to see how all these characters fit together and play off each other, the sort of thing you’re glad they do every so often but also leaves you a little underwhelmed and look in at your watch, even though as a DW fan you know that time is relative (and an episode of watching this series still goes quicker than watching just about any other). And then, just when we think we know this world and we’re enjoying the relative quiet and calmness of everything, in comes that legendary jaw-dropping cliffhanger and everything changes (spoilers): Martha spots a pocket-watch just like the one the Doctor used to hide his Gallifreyan identity from some walking scarecrows in WWI (don’t ask), Professor Yana opens it and remembers who he is, transforming into The Master. It’s a great regeneration too, looking far better than any of the Doctor ones in modern Who for some reason. Suddenly our nice peaceful world and our nice peaceful dotty professor is transformed before our eyes. What seemed as if it was going to be one of the DW stories with the lowest body counts suddenly turns all nasty, as the last Humans we’ve become so close to turn out to be small killing machines called Toclafane (originally RTD’s stand-by replacement if he couldn’t get the rights to The Daleks); even poor nine-year-old Blue Peter competition winner John Bell isn’t spared (he’s great by the way, one of the best child actors we’ve had in Who despite no previous experience; no wonder he’s one of the few to get a career as an adult too). I’m still not quite sure if I’m pleased with that ending or not - it’s a brilliantly shocking one that shows you can’t take your eyes off this show for a minute and one of those rare secrets the production team actually managed to keep quiet and the revelation is a great one, setting up a finale that couldn’t possibly live up to this episode. However I was a real fan of the slower pace and gentleness of it all too (even if, to stave off that revelation, this story sags in the middle worse than an Abzorbaloff) and I’m rather sorry we didn’t get to follow that through to the end, not least because it gave Martha the chance to do a ‘Rose’ and be our eyes and ears exploring a new world (Freema Agymen was always best at playing kindness and softness rather than when she’s made to get teary or do action but gets precious little of that space past her debut). The result is an under-rated gem, not the greatest episode of DW there ever was or will be but one that in its own way is every bit as daring and courageous as the all-singing all-dancing episodes that get all the attention, a magic trick that diverts our attention while hiding the big story in plain sight.

+ The effects of the missile taking the Humans to (apparent) safety is very very good, better than any of the similar designs in modern Who (like the similar one carrying Mondas’ survivors in ‘The World Enough’) and right up there with the bigger budgeted Hollywood blockbusters. Though the budget was always greater in 21^st Who than 20^th century Who (even allowing for inflation) it still isn’t that high compared to the costs of other scifi series and it’s amazing what CGI model shots The Mill come up with at their best.

- There’s a bunch of stuff with ‘The Futurekind’, mankind’s future selves when they’ve reverted back to being cannibals, that is set up as if its going to be really really really important...and which then gets forgotten about when the stuff with professor Yana gets going. It feels, in retrospect, as if everyone got panicky the episode was low on action sequences and monsters so they stuck some jeopardy in at the beginning that the story really doesn’t need. The make-up and costumes aren’t great either: basically this is the tattooed humanoids of ‘The Impossible Planet’ again just with bigger teeth. Plus it doesn’t feel like they belong in the future; people were dressing like that round my way in 2007 so this is if anything rather a retro look (then again, I doubt that what’s in fashion my way has anything to do with the population as a whole anyway).