“Partners in Crime”

The fourth season (or 30th depending on how you keep track of things) of the latest incarnation of the Doctor Who franchise starts off with a bold message - The British are fat. (guess what - us Americans are fat too - so the message translates well).

The season has been highly anticipated, and already controversial before cameras even rolled. Last season The Doctor’s companion was named Martha Jones, who replaced the Billie Piper played Rose Tyler (who some would argue is the best companion The Doctor has ever had - my wife being one of those people). The love story between The Doctor and Rose was fantastic, and ended tragically with Rose being stuck in a parallel dimension with The Doctor unable to return to her.

The character of Martha wasn’t terribly well received (I liked her, though) - partially because she was in love with The Doctor and he didn’t return her affections. While Martha will be returning this season for a few episodes, she is no longer The Doctor’s companion…this left a spot open, and it was filled with comedian Catherine Tate.

Fans were immediately conflicted about Tate joining The Doctor for the entire 4th season, but after watching the first episode, entitled “Partners in Crime” that non-sense will be laid to rest.

Tate’s character, Donna, is in no way interested in The Doctor romantically - she just wants to travel the universe. The duo make an excellent comic pair, and Donna looks like she’s going to be a brilliant addition to the series.

The plot for this episode centers around an alien Nanny that is using the additional pounds stored on human beings to give birth to cut little alien monsters that are made entirely out of fat. The little critters are cute, and the plot is entertaining, although not ground breaking in any way shape or form - the episode does manage to clearly establish the relationship between Donna and The Doctor, as well as give us a brief guest appearance that foreshadows events to come in the season, as well as make my wife absolutely giddy.

This is a great start to the 4th season of the show, and I highly recommend you check it out. Americans can see the new season of Doctor Who on the Sci-Fi channel starting at the end of April.

Grade: A