LOVE & MONSTERS – 2006 – ep 175

A VERY, VERY, VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO MISTY LAYNE FROM CINEMA SCHMINEMA FOR THIS CONTRIBUTION!!!

Doctor Who

“Love and Monsters”

Series 2, No.  175, written by Russell T. Davies

First, let me say that David Tennant is MY Doctor.  He was my first and I don’t care who came before or who comes after, there will never be another Doctor love for me.  (My fondness for skinny, geeky guys does come into play on this one I have to admit….)  And “Love and Monsters” is one of my favorite David Tennant (and all time) Doctor Who episodes.  Why?  Because it encompasses all the wonderfulness and greatness of the Doctor along with all the pain and sadness.  It’s an episode all about the Doctor yet the Doctor appears only briefly in it.  “Love and Monsters” is about love and family, togetherness and joy, and the heartbreaking loneliness of being alone.

The episode starts wonderfully with a hilariously mad-cap chase scene featuring the Doctor, Rose (Billie Piper) and one scary looking alien.  We see a man stumble upon their high speed caper (complete with buckets, I might add) only to run away once he comes face to face with the Doctor.  We find out later that this isn’t the first time those two have met.

Elton, our protagonist, narrates “Love and Monsters” via a video blog/journal.  He starts with his meeting of Ursula (whom you’ll probably recognize as “Moaning Myrtle” from “Harry Potter”), then comes a quick little highlight reel of past strange occurrences that have occurred in London and involve the Doctor.  (This makes this a nice episode for someone who has never seen the show before.  You can go in knowing nothing but leave with a pretty solid idea of who the Doctor is.)

Ursula knows a group of people who are devotees, if you will, of the Doctor.  She brings Elton to their next meeting and we see the group go from The Doctor fan club (favorite line – “…..what he never won’t represent….”) to a group of friends bonding and supporting each other’s creative endeavors (writing and cooking) to finally a not wonderful but not half bad band.  This transition is pretty wicked awesome, no lie.

Enter one strange man in a trenchcoat and hat and fabulous cane and our poor group is turned upside down.  Victor Kennedy berates the group for losing their Doctor Who focus and convinces them that they can actually find the elusive Doctor.  He guides and educates the group on the arts of infiltration, location, and how to “catch” the Doctor.  He produces a picture of Rose and commands our group to go find her.  It’s just London, how hard can it be, right?  Actually not hard at all as Elton quickly discovers Jackie (Rose’s mum) who is vivacious, talkative and has never met a stranger in her life.  Oh and she quickly develops a highlariously awkward crush on him which leads to an entirely cringe worthy scene of Il Divo in the background and her “spilling” wine on his shirt so he’ll have to undress.  And by spilling I mean, tossing her wine on him and saying, “Oh, whoops.”  *giggles*  Oh, Jackie, I adore you!

While Elton is infiltrating the inner sanctum of Rose Tyler, other members of our fearless group start to go missing.  First it’s hippy-dippy Bliss, then Brigitte (who lost her daughter to drugs).  Mr. Kennedy simply tells the others that they ran off to get married or to find their daughter.

Unfortunately for Elton, on the same night as the wine spillage, he realizes he’s in love with Ursula.  Then Jackie realizes that he’s not who he seems to be and is really hanging out with her in an attempt to reach the Doctor.  And this leads to a heartbreaking monologue wherein lies the heart of what it means to be the Doctor or to be touched by the Doctor.   Because Jackie is alone, with her daughter off gallivanting about the universe and rarely checking in.  And far too often when people reach out to Jackie it’s because they want to know the Doctor.  As Jackie says, it makes one hard.

At long last we find out what has happened to not only Bliss and Brigitte but now also Mr. Skinner from the Doctor’s fan club – it seems our Mr. Kennedy is actually an alien.  An “absorbalof” if you will who resembles that bagpipe playing guy from “Austin Powers” (a very STRONG resemblance).  Ursula and Elton are the only two left to face the monster when Ursula is absorbed.  Elton runs and is backed literally against a wall prepared to face his doom when suddenly the Doctor and Rose appear.

Rose:  You upset my mum!!!

Elton:  Right.  Big absorbing alien over there, and you’re having a go at me?

*giggles*

What happens next, I’ll leave for you to find out on your own but once again, it fully exposes the heart of David Tennant’s Doctor (they’re all different and his is by far the most tragic, at least of the new show).