Who Review: Utopia

I'm glad I haven't gotten around to reviewing this one yet. The first time I burned through my Series Three boxset, I was more interested in watching John Simm's version of the Master go insane in the next two episodes than in watching this episode and paying enough attention to it.


And since yesterday marked the first time I'd seen this episode since... wait for it... I'd gotten hooked on Battlestar, I was highly amused by the very subtle BSG nod in "Utopia." No, not the whole plot about the last humans in existence trying to find a mythical haven, because there aren't enough clear parallels so I'm willing to give Rusty the benefit of the doubt on that one. No, I'm talking about the Memorial Wall. You see it for all of two seconds and its nowhere near as impressive as the one on Galactica, but it's still there, and I got the reference.

I like to give Rusty a lot of crap for his end-of-season shenanigans, and to be sure "Last of the Time Lords" and its Tinkerbell-Jesus conclusion is a clusterfrak. This is sad, considering the attention to detail he pays elsewhere. As I said in my review for The End of Time, when he juggles his balls correctly, the result is impressive. "Utopia" plays to these strenghths. You don't need to know that he's spent an entire season on Torchwood teasing Captain Jack's immortality; you don't even need to know who Captain Jack is. John Barrowman plays off David Tennant like they've been a double-act for years, even though this is the first time they've appeared together. Their conversation about why Jack is immortal is woven into the plot perfectly; while the Doctor's giving us exposition, he's also triggering Professor Yana's memories.

Professor Yana is also particularly well done (although You Are Not Alone is unnecessary). Derek Jacobi does a wonderful job with a character who is deliberately not very fleshed out. The fob watch chain is visible from very early on, but it's part of his anachronistic costume so you completely ignore it. Somewhat less impressive is his idiosyncratic assistant Chan'tho, but she's really just there to be a foil for Yana (and occasionally Martha), so we'll give her a pass as well.

And then there's the Doctor's hand, Chekov's Gun extraordinaire. It gets cleverly maneuvered into the TARDIS, where it will stay for an entire season, right under everyone's noses. For all his faults, Rusty is a master at moving puzzle pieces around and dropping them into place without you noticing.

The plot is fairly straightforward: it's the end of the Universe, and the Doctor fixes a rocket so the last remnants of humanity can escape Mad Max Vampire World. The guy who was fixing the rocket before the Doctor showed up turns out to be the Master, who escapes with the TARDIS and leaves the Doctor stranded at the end of the Universe (but fortunately he has Plot Coupon Captain Jack with him, so all's well).

The problem with the three-part season finale is that this episode gets cast aside as the "prelude" chapter. Let's face it, the John Simm version of the Master is just more fun to watch than an amnesiac Derek Jacobi. But the plot of "Drums/Time Lords" explodes into lunacy, whereas this episode is a nice, neat, relatively cheap bit that ties in so much that has come before - the chameleon watches, Captain Jack, Rose - without ever feeling dull or repetitive.

8 out of 10.