Winter is Coming
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Doctor Who retro review: Planet of the Ood

By James Aggas

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The Tenth Doctor and Donna see a dark side to humanity on the Planet of the Ood, as we continue our look back at Series Four.

When Planet of the Ood was broadcast ten years ago, fans were pretty excited. When the Ood were originally introduced in The Impossible Planet, they became a very popular Doctor Who alien. It’s not hard to see why. Outwardly, their design is very distinctive. Perhaps the look you’d expect a terrifying Doctor Who monster to have.

So it was refreshing that, in their normal state, at least, they were typically kind and polite. They were quite likable, really. (Of course, when they did get possessed by an alien entity, they were also pretty horrifying, too.)

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And there was something else they were in their first appearance: slaves. Something Rose wasn’t too happy about, of course. But while she never learned more, the Tenth Doctor finally finds out more about the Ood in Planet of the Ood.

There’s a great story here where humans are the real monsters. Although the Ood kill many people in this episode, it’s not exactly hard to see why. Seeing humanity enslave an entire species, and what they’re willing to do to keep them enslaved, is pretty horrifying to see.

Donna’s first alien planet

Considering that this is Donna’s first trip on an alien planet, this is pretty difficult stuff for her to face. But that could very well be the point. For her first two trips on board the TARDIS, Donna had to be really tested as a companion.

In The Fires of Pompeii, she saw that some tragedies can’t be prevented. In Planet of the Ood, she has to face how ugly humanity can be.

What’s really great to see is how quickly she sympathizes with the Ood. She has a brief moment of shock at seeing one, initially. But she very quickly accepts the Ood and tries to talk to him in his dying moments. Three episodes in, and we’re already seeing a far more likable side to Donna than in her first appearance.

But there’s definitely one character in Planet of the Ood who isn’t so likable. Tim McInnery is fantastic as Klineman Halpen, the CEO of Ood Operations. He sees the Ood as nothing more than livestock,  ready to killed at a moment’s notice, if necessary. And he isn’t afraid of killing humans, either. McInnery really makes the character absolutely loathsome. Which makes his beautifully ironic fate that much more delicious to watch.

A gruesome story

Speaking of which, Planet of the Ood has to feature not one but two of the most gruesome moments of Doctor Who. The first is seeing a man getting swallowed up by a giant brain, which would be shocking enough to watch by itself.

But then came the moment Halpern turned into an Ood.

It’s interesting that they didn’t decide to just use a simple CGI morph effect when they made this. Instead, Halpern peels off his scalp and pukes out both tentacles and a brain. It was an incredibly shocking moment to watch on broadcast. (Especially knowing that kids would be watching it. That was going to be something to discuss in the playgrounds!) Ten years later, and it’s still shocking to watch, now. (It’s also pretty awesome to see, too.)

Next: The Tenth Doctor Chronicles review (audio)

Planet of the Ood is a wonderfully dark episode. It explores some serious themes such as slavery, but it also makes sure to tell a good Doctor Who story. (With more than a few disgusting moments, too.) It features humanity as monsters, but it avoids being too blunt with the idea. There’s a fantastic villain, and helps to develop Donna even more. Definitely a strong episode.

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