You know something Lincoln didn’t say, “Yeah, we’ll get to talking about that slavery in a minute, but first, I want to tell you about this deal I got!” Anyway, we’ll get to that whole Ood-slavery business in a minute. I want to talk to you about a bargain I got over the weekend! In the US, there isn’t really anything close to this, so I’ll have to explain. In the UK, there is a thing called a “car boot sale.” It is the sale of random old things and rubbish that people find in their attics and garages. They sell these things on to you at a rather nice second-hand price.

Why am I telling you this? I got the best deal in the world, something no one reading this would pass up in a month of Sundays. Think of these things like a garage sale, but in a field with lots of different cars and vans. There are lots of great deals on little things you really don’t need, but you want. From one of them, I got 10 Doctor Who New Series Adventure books, not just 10 of them, but 10 of them for 50 cents each. All Tennant-era Who, several with Martha, one with Donna, and one of just the lonely Doctor. It was a bargain!

I’ll tell you one thing: I’m well chuffed with that. I’ve got plenty of Who to enjoy from now until Michael-mas. I’ve no idea the chronological order of their release or preferred reading order, other than what’s obvious from the companions and copyright dates, but that’s a nice little deal. I didn’t think I’d be able to surround myself with Doctor Who more than I already do with these weekly reviews, the Big Finish Audio Dramas, and other little bits and pieces here and there. It turns out I was wrong!

Do you know what else is wrong? Breeding and enslaving an entire race to work as servants. Well, that took a hard turn to the right, didn’t it? I don’t know why, but I’ve always enjoyed this episode of Doctor Who. I think it is because there is no way of getting around the message in the episode. It also helps that I enjoy the Ood as a design and character. They are humanoid, but there is something that just yells other-worldly about them. Maybe it is the slobbered mincemeat for a mouth, the orb to replace their brains, and their endless resilience.

It is also one of the few episodes I don’t dislike Donna. She doesn’t have a turn of character, she’s very akin to what she was last week in Pompeii. She’s still played as a bit of a comedy character, but there is a proper balance now. There is a bit of empathy with a bit of stupid marked out with her desire to see other worlds. She’s curious, she’s happy, and she’s not too much of one way or the other. I look at her run with this much criticism because in such a short run she’s the most bipolar character that you are supposed to sympathize with, even though she’s not enjoyable to be around.

That said, the villainy and most distasteful portion of the episode really is humanity, an empire built on slavery. Much like our current phone, general electronic, and clothing production, the Ood are just part of a big business using the cheapest workers that are the most willing to do the work. They are an entire race that is herded like cattle, with no concept of what freedom is. It is a bit like asking the general public to vote with their knowledge. They just pick the pretty colors everyone else is shouting about. The Ood don’t know any better and they aren’t being shown a better life, but there is something burning within them.

I don’t love the episode unconditionally; there is a lot wrong with it. The most notable thing wrong is the claw chase scene in the maze of containers, which could have been more practical with the guard chasing The Doctor with a gun. That just felt like filler, something to ramp up the tension and use up time in order to keep Donna in the container with the Ood turning rabid. The wonderful Tim McInnerny’s Klineman Halpen turning into one of Ood-kind is one of those, “I understand why, but it doesn’t stick right with me” moments. It is giving a villain a chance to walk a mile her their shoes; however, what exactly is he learning from the experience to change others?

The writing isn’t bad; in fact, I think one of the best points is the reveal of the small cage of “unprocessed” Ood. Donna’s understanding that the Ood were peaceful when pulled into slavery was because they had to be peaceful, “They are born with their brain in their hands.” There are just a few points in the episode where it is written or rewritten for convenience. This is not because it is crucial to the plot, but because it was the easiest way to get to the next point. For example, Solana’s apparent turn of character to only go back to evil just as quickly; or Dr. Ryder’s reveal of character to immediately be killed for no good reason both only serve the plot.

It is one of those episodes that is talking about something while doing something meaningful with it. That’s frankly not always done with the British Saturday night programming that Doctor Who would be at this time. No, it is listening to others warble on the X-Factor, so you can laugh at the likes of Susan Boyle because she’s “a bit too old and ugly” to have a voice that shocks you. “Planet of the Ood” doesn’t sit on its hands and hum while humanity does another horrible thing; it points and shouts about what is wrong with us. It isn’t just another bit of “fell good telly,” it is telling you to feel something for humanity.

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Doctor Who "Planet Of The Ood"

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• An unapologetic attack on slavery.
• Donna is more balanced as a character.
• McInnerny and Dharker's performances.

Cons

• Quick and easy bandages to connect plot points.