The Waters of Mars

Season 4, Episode 16, Aired
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Episode Summary

Location: Bowie Base One, Mars
''Date: November 21st 2059
''Enemies The Flood
''The Doctor comes to the aid of a military base under attack from sentient waters. It may be another stand against immeasurable odds, but waiting in the wings for the Time Lord is a sign that all songs must end...moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (18)

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  • Edgar Allan Poe Writes Doctor Who Script!

    8.0
    "Great"
    By vanweerd, Sep 18, 2011 Report Abuse
    A very dark episode with the Doctor unraveling near the end.

    Watched it twice- once alone, to make sure it was okay for my seven year old as I had heard it was dark- and once with him, letting him know what was happening to take some of the edge off.

    Well, I liked it a lot better on the second watching. I think watching with someone else helps suspend disbelief, and I got over my dislike of the simple 'Alien' plot.

    There is some great dialog, some missing plot (typical of Doctor Who), and great acting and direction. The Captain Adelaide character is fantastic.

    There was some subplot with the 2nd in command I don't understand- even on the second viewing. His dialog was hard to pick up.

    I did get annoyed with the deus ex machina getting out of hand. This run of Doctor Who (e.g. the new who) is constantly adding new mystical powers to the doctor to pull plots together. As a result, the metaphysics of time are becoming a nonsensical mess. Most writers would be shot for this kind of lazy writing (sonic screwdrive to the rescue! Some new Doctor Who power to the rescue!) but I've come to the conclusion that it's part of the format. People would be sad if there wasn't a sonic screwdriver bit in an episode. Still, I do think they are overusing it. The doctor psychically seeing future newspapers to anchor the plot? Come on!

    It I'm critical, it's a 5 or 6. But if I'm in a fun mood, and accept the format of the show, it's an 8 or 9. And I have to say- the expectation for the next episode is overwhelming!

    BTW- those who haven't seen it, The Sarah Jane Adventures has a Doctor Who visit in S03E5 and 6 (Sarah Janes Wedding). It was pretty good.moreless

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    9 6

  • Water always wins. Or does it?

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Angelfishsolo, Sep 18, 2011 Report Abuse
    After the disappointment of the the first special is was not sure what to expect from this episode. I need not have worried, the magic was back and better than ever. The situation the Dr finds himself in is a horrific one even before the main plot reveals itself. As he says "I should leave, I really should leave". The Doctor is powerless, not because of his adversary but because of the Laws of Time themselves. Then a change takes place. It is as though the Doctor has seen enough death and destruction and he finally snaps. Through his actions he becomes a (demi)god (Humm I wonder!!!) and almost Master like. However events play out in such a way that the Doctor is brought to his knees, quite literally and the realization of the consequences of his actions sink in. The Cloister bells are ringing once more; he shall knock four times....moreless

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    11 2

  • The fixed points of Time

    10
    "Perfect"
    By amberbaer, Sep 18, 2011 Report Abuse
    From start to finish - the beginning of the end of this incarnation of the Doctor seemed to literally hit the ground running.

    Excellent cast, brilliant acting, decent script, wonderful story (this is what happens when Russell writes with someone else but himself).

    Special effects, spot on...only complaint was the Bowie Base shots seemed a little like DW game footage with live action bits tossed in...but that's me being picky.

    David was wonderful...facial expressions are his forte - he does them with such great ease...

    But...in the end...the cloister bells are ringing...maybe it's not everyone else's fixed point in time he should be worrying about...it's his own death/reincarnation that is the fixed point in time. Looking forward to the next episode...the Christmas ones are always the best....c'mon BBC - air it in the USA at the same time...make this a very special special indeed....we have the technology now!moreless

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    9 2

  • *** Spoiler-free *** Interesting topics but boring and unbalanced story ; Lindsay Duncan refreshing and convincing performance but disappointing cast and other characters ; Intriguing but last minute The Doctor's morality issuesmoreless

    4.0
    "Poor"
    By goa103, Jun 11, 2011 Report Abuse
    A special Doctor Who episode set on Mars in 2059 sounded like a great way to finally discover the show. However I was worried that it would be as disappointing as Torchwood, its spin-off. Now that I have seen it all I can say is that my opinion is mixed. Some elements were interesting but overall it felt like a waste of time. In fact beside the story it's also Lindsay Duncan who convinced me to watch the episode as she plays Adelaide Brooke, the new companion. I really liked her character in Rome and her performance was quite good. As expected her talent and charisma shined and without her The Waters of Mars would have been dead dry. I can't even believe she's almost 60 years old because her natural beauty was easy on the eyes. Moreover her character was fierce and strong-minded so she made a believable commander of the first human mission on Mars. However she shadowed the other cast members and revealed the seams of a questionable ensemble cast. I hope the performers were hired for their talent, not the color of their skin.

    As terraforming is a recurring and fascinating topic in the scientific news I was expecting something smart and controversial. But the story was predictable and written around sci-fi clichs and questionable ideas. Only after a few minutes I already wanted to switch off my TV because I thought things could only get worse. I should have because most of the time I was bored and only continued to watch the episode because of the Doctor intriguing attitude and Lindsay Duncan. I can accept they had to produce a family friendly episode but I wasn't expecting some scary scenes to be nearly as ridiculous as in Scream and other teen movies. But the worst idea was probably to include the most annoying robot I have ever seen. It even reminded me of Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars. It's like if the writers had found, dusted and followed an ancient book on Disney worst recipes and black creativity.

    Otherwise beside Duncan a few elements saved this episode from reaching the deep sea, where plastic bottles find a second life. First even if the story wasn't frightening I have to admit that it succeeded in questioning the morality of terraforming other planets, to feed our desire of conquest and urge to survive our own mistakes. There were also some deep and sad moments between Adelaide and the Doctor. In fact I think some scenes could be relatively disturbing for young viewers. Last but not least watching the Doctor so tortured was surprising because at first he seemed funny and joyful. However when watching him fight his inner demons should have been fascinating it wasn't because the action was sloppy and they waited for the last minutes to make the scenes more dynamic, but the execution only led to chaotic ones. The actor's performance was also over the top. Otherwise the ending was intriguing enough and made me curious about the Doctor. Because with a better story and without the junk following his adventures could be both entertaining and interesting.moreless

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    0 13

  • In a Mars base the inhabitants are being infected by a mysterious water creature which takes over it's victims. The Doctor (David Tennant) is thrust into the middle of this catastrophe knowing a larger one is waiting around the corner.moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By OsmanAhmed0, Aug 18, 2010 Report Abuse
    One of the greatest Doctor Who episodes to date, kept us thrilled till the very last moment, with a surprise you could say we were half - expecting. The intricate storyline involving twists in time was brilliant! Despite the show being about a time traveler and time travel itself, very often very little is done with time. Usually the Doctor and co. arrive at some fixed point in some area and work things out from then and there going forward. It's nice to see time itself manipulated to solve a problem.

    The episode as a whole you could say was very similar to what I call its predecessor 'Blink'.

    One/or Two word to describe this episode: Pure Awesomenessmoreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    5 1
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • The Doctor briefly mentions the Ice Warriors to Adelaide, who were an old alien race that made several appearances in the classic series. Their first encounter with the Doctor was in the series 5 episode: The Ice Warriors. Edit
    • The Doctor's acceptance of dog-shaped robots as opposed to human-shaped ones is a reference to K-9, one of the Fourth Doctor's companions, who later appeared in School Reunion in Series 2. Edit
    • The Doctor's 'space suit' is from Sanctuary Base 6 as evidenced by the SB6 logo. It was last seen in the episode The Satan Pit. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • The episode ends with an in memoriam to long-time original series producer Barry Letts, 1925-2009. Edit
    • This story was originally intended as a Christmas special, and as such was originally titled Red Christmas. Some elements of the Christmas setting remain, such as the snow at the end of the episode. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • The Doctor: This thing's airtight, yeah? Adelaide: And therefore watertight. The Doctor: Depends how clever the water is. Edit
    • Ed: Well, at least I'm good for something. Adelaide: Now and again. Ed: That's almost a compliment. Things must be serious. Edit
    • The Doctor: This moment, this precise moment in time, it's like... I mean, it's only a theory, what do I know? But I think certain moments in time are fixed. Tiny, precious moments. Everything else is in flux, anything can happen, but those certain moments, they have to stand. This base on Mars, with you, Adelaide Brooke, this is one vital moment. What happens here must always happen. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • The Doctor's reference to fixed points in time and imagining one was in Pompeii alludes back to the fourth season story The Fires of Pompeii where the Doctor first mentioned the concept of fixed points and establishes the eruption of Vesuvias as one. Edit

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