Doctor Who: Review – Wild Blue Yonder- with a moving tribute to the late Bernard Cribbins

Episode two of Russell T Davis, David and Catherine’s come back was indeed wild.

Returning showrunner Russell T Davies had promised that “Wild Blue Yonder”, the second of Tennant’s three 60th anniversary instalments, would be “darker… not scary… just genuinely weird”. He wasn’t joking. That was the first thing I said when the episode ended.

One of Doctor Who’s most distinctive actibrutes is ‘werid’ – remember the wheelie bin that ate Mickey back in 2005?

The previous episode: “The Star Beast” ended with Donna spilling coffee on the Tardis control panel and sending the machine into the temporal vortex. Starting the story of “Wild Blue Yonder” the pair initially materialise atop a tree in England in 1666 – watched on by an astonished Isaac Newton. My main question is – Maviety? Did messing with Sir Issac Newton change something big about the future?

The Tardis has beamed aboard a spaceship while its speakers blast “Wild Blue Yonder” – the anthem of the US Air Force. Why a war song and why play a song at all. Set aboard an empty spaceship in the middle of nowhere, this second adventure featuring the reunited Doctor and Donna find themselves without a Sonic Screwdriver and a Tardis and no way to get out without solving the danger that lies ahead.

That one scene with all four beings on board on the ship reminded me of the Spiderman meme, the clones and the real ones looking to see who they can trust.

As a whole, the Doctor and Donna find themselves running around a changing spaceship on the verge of self-destructing (which they don’t know yet), while chasing themselves.

It was a really great episode with some snappy and emotional discourse as well as some laughable moments. Such as: the Doctor running on all fours… Including a heartwarming tribute to Bernard Cribbins, we will always love Wilf.

Next time

Neil Patrick Harris! The Celestial Toymaker! Kate Stewart at Unit – (as the trailers perceive) and a second David Tennant regeneration.