Doctor Who 60th Anniversary review: “The Star Beast” is a fun, thrilling journey

Doctor Who is back. Better yet, David Tennant and Catherine Tate are back as the Doctor and Donna Noble respectively, and it feels like all is well in the world. It has been two years since it was first revealed that Tennant would be returning as the next Fourteenth Doctor, and boy, has it been a long wait.

Tennnat’s Fourteenth Doctor has the same face as the Tenth Doctor. In every way that matters, he is succeeding Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor, but the mystery remains: why did the Doctor regenerate with an old face?

This mystery lies at the heart of the first of three 60th anniversary episodes, “The Star Beast,” about which I can do nothing but rave. As a hardcore Whovian, I thought it was perfection from start to finish.

And to think, we’ve still got two more episodes to go in this trio!

I have so much I want to discuss about Tennant and Tate’s return, so without further ado, let’s get right into “The Star Beast!” And if you have not watched, please remember, there are MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

Doctor Who is back!

One of the magnificent things about this special is that it reminds us what kind of show Doctor Who is: it’s a zany, wild adventure through every crevice of space and time. While the Chris Chibnall era stripped away much of what fans loved about the series, returning showrunner Russell T Davies is off to a winning start with “The Star Beast.” As the guy who revived the show in 2005, he knows the series better than most anyone, and it is clear that he has the future of it all mapped out in his mind; and the future is bright, y’all.

From the minute this episode begins, it’s obvious that Davies knew how to pull this series out of its slump. And that starts with the Doctor and Donna breaking the fourth wall to address the viewers about what has happened since we last saw the two of them together. If you don’t recall, Donna absorbed the mind of a Time Lord, which is too much for a human. In order to save her life, the Doctor had to wipe Donna’s memory. She can never remember him or their life together, or she will die.

For months, fans have been wondering how the Doctor and Donna would reunite. Will Donna die? What will bring them together in the first place? Don’t worry, we’ve got the answers!

Meep-Meep!

I cannot get into this episode without immediately talking about its central character: the Meep (voiced by Miriam Margolyes). To give you some quick background on the Meep, they originated in a weekly Doctor Who comic back in the ’80s. Davies’ decision to put the Meep onscreen proves his intense love and knowledge of the series.

The Meep comes crashing down to Earth just as the Doctor finds himself in London. He immediately bumps into Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and her daughter Rose (Yasmin Finney). It’s jarring because of the whole “if Donna remembers the Doctor she’ll die” conundrum. It doesn’t help that Donna’s daughter is named “Rose,” the same name as the companion whom the Doctor fell in love with, but that’s another story.

Rose comes across the Meep, which may be the most adorable, cuddly character we have ever seen on Doctor Who. You can’t turn the Meep down when they ask for protection from the Wrarth Warriors, an insect alien species trying to track them down.

I have to add that I absolutely LOVE Finney as Rose. Finney, a trans woman, is playing the show’s first transgender character. She gets to represent herself in such a beautiful manner, and wow, she does an absolutely amazing job in her debut. I’d also like to give kudos to the writers and Davies for touching on issues of gender and sexuality in a way that felt natural, rather than something that they threw in there after the fact. Honestly, job well done, I am so impressed.

The twist we didn’t see coming

In a classic Doctor Who twist, we learn that the Meep is not the cute, cuddly character it’s been pretending to be. In fact, it is a space criminal and the Wrarth Warriors are the good guys trying to track it down.

I don’t think I have ever been frightened of a character on the show before, but the Meep managed to scare me beyond belief. I don’t know if it was the CGI or the puppetry or what, but the menacing, evil, horrific nature of the Meep came across with force.

Throughout the episode, aliens fight UNIT (Unified Intelligence Taskforce) on the streets of London. We are reminded along the way that UNIT has always been a big part of the Whoniverse. But we can’t ever forget: how is Donna going to survive this? She’s in the middle of an alien invasion with the Doctor, so it is only a matter of time before she remembers her old life…right?

Ending of Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Part 1, “The Star Beast” explained

The episode culminates in the Doctor and Donna trying to stop the Meep’s attempt to destroy London. And while the creature almost succeeds, the duo comes together to put a stop to the madness.

But Donna does very close to dying, which she is ready to accept as the memories come rushing back to her. She recalls all that was taken away from her. She glows with energy and seems to die as phophecied, but it doesn’t go like we expect.

The Meep’s reign of terror is stopped thanks to Donna, but a group of hypnotized UNIT officers show up as Donna lies in the Doctor’s arms taking her final breaths. At this point, the Doctor doesn’t care what becomes of him because the worst thing he could have imagined happening has happened.

Little we do know, but there is someone else helping behind the scenes: Rose! It is revealed that when Donna was pregnant with Rose, the Time Lord energy within her was split and shared with Rose. It was too much for one person, but together, they can handle it. With this inheritance came all the knowledge that Donna carried with her over the years from her travels with the Doctor, which is why Rose is able to stop the UNIT officers from killing them, and why Donna is able to live to see another day.

This episode also reveals that Rose’s backyard shed filled with stuffed animals was a representation of the memories her mother had of her intergalactic travels. The stuffed animals, upon further inspection, were actually representations of Doctor Who aliens such as the Ood, Sontaran, the Cybermen, and the Daleks. The magic of the Doctor’s travels were always within Rose, and since that energy was equally shared, it helped save Donna’s life.

I loved this reveal in the episode. It truly made my heart fill up with joy. It was these kinds of special moments that Davies always did so well, and it makes me feel so optimistic for what is to come.

However, that optimism will need to take a back seat, because the first special ends with Donna and the Doctor deciding they are going to visit her grandad, someone the Doctor was very close with. But of course, something goes wrong as Donna spills coffee into the TARDIS engines and they are transported away to an unknown place in time and space.

We’ll find out exactly where and when next week! And as I will be visiting jolly ‘ol England myself, I hope to catch some Doctor Who 60th Anniversary celebrations while I’m there. Stay tuned for what I may find!

It is going to be amazing, everyone!

Episode Grade: A

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime, and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels