The Waters of Mars

The first of the final three Doctor Who specials aired last night. As much as I thought the "infection" made its victims look vaguely zombie movie-ish, it was frightening. Water in itself is the most powerful force on earth, as the Doctor say 'it wears away the mountain tops.' There is so much unknown and unexplained in this episode, the source of whatever it is in the water is never revealed. The unknown is always something this series plays on. It's why "Midnight" was one of the most frightening episodes.
What was most terrifying about this particular epsiode was the Doctor himself. He's reaching the end, he knows his death is inevitable. That coupled with his extreme feeling of loneliness, of loss and his own fear leads him to rail against the rules he's been living by. He's tired of doing the right thing and suffering for it. In the end we see a half crazed Doctor decide that he can and has the right to change time. He wages a battle against time itself, and yet in the end we see his extreme vulnerability and fear eclipse the arrogance he was projecting. He asks "Have I gone too far?"
That is where we are left until next Saturday and the US premeire of "The End of Time Part 1."
There's an article in The Guardian today. It's a bit long and there are a few lines that are spoilerish about the finale, but if you don't mind risking it, check it out here.

Photo courtesy of The Guardian, December 20th 2009.