Review: 'Doctor Who' - Journey's End

After the ending of "The Stolen Earth," it didn't look like David Tennant and Billie Piper were ever going to get the on-screen reunion that has been building since the beginning of the fourth season.

And while their get-together is most certainly a joyous one, gone is the momentum that propelled "The Stolen Earth" with such intensity, and in its wake are false promises, an overly convoluted plot filled with Trek-style techno-babble and a TARDIS load of throwaway lines. Still, at least there wasn't a reboot.

Last week's "The Stolen Earth" was a magnificent convergence of all things Whovian, as "Doctor Who," "Torchwood" and "The Sarah Jane Adventures" all come together for a singular adventure. Unfortunately, once The Doctor and Rose are reunited in the opening moments of "Journey's End," all of the characters go their separate ways and descend to cameo status. The addition of Jackie Tyler (Camile Couduri) and Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) and subsequent absence of Gwen (Eve Myles) and Ianto (Gareth David-Lloyd) certainly didn't help matters much as they bring with them an assortment of McGuffins that will get the leading players out any sticky situation.

Also, for the second time in the revitalized "Doctor Who's" run, a prophecy has been laid out that one of the Doctor's companions will perish in a great battle ... and it is also the second time all of the foreshadowing and intense arc building has been cast to the side on a technicality. Had it not been for the top-notch performance of Bernard Cribbins, the "death" of Donna would have been entirely forgettable. Instead, Cribbins brings a touch of class and genuine loss to Donna's situation and brings the episode to a very touching conclusion.

What Worked

Once again, Davros shows himself to be the scariest villain in the entire Whovian universe. In the original series, the creator of the Daleks proved he could be more scheming and sinister than any other baddie the writers could think up, and the same holds true to his latest appearance and the whole New Empire set-up pulls on more classic mythology than the average viewer may realise.

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