The Doctor Gets a New Partner in Crime on "Doctor Who"

Confession up front: I can't get enough Doctor Who but I was never actually a fan of the original, decades-spanning low-budget sci-fi series. So my experiences with the franchise (and its spin-offs, Torchwood and Sarah Jane Adventures) come courtesy of Russell T. Davies' reimagined BBC series, which airs on Sci Fi and BBC America here in the States.

I was very curious then to tune in on Friday to see the actual fourth season premiere of Doctor Who (following "Voyage of the Damned," the Christmas special which I caught during the winter) to see how well newest cast addition Catherine Tate (she of the eponymous sketch comedy series that spawned the catchphrase "Am I bovvered?") meshed with David Tennant's Doctor.

Tate famously appeared as Donna Noble once before on Doctor Who during the Christmas special "Runaway Bride," which bridged the gap between Season Two and Season Three. While the episode was a laugh, I was concerned about having the caustic Donna turn up every week as the latest foil for the Doctor. Don't get me wrong: I love Catherine Tate but, to date, the Doctor's companions have been less sardonic and more of the headstrong ingenue type.

I was happy to see that in the fourth season premiere ("Partners in Crime"), Donna has been toned down ever so slightly, retaining her trademark outspokenness but her omnipresent abrasiveness has been softened since her first encounter with the Doctor. I liked the way that her adventure with him has changed her perspective on life and that she's been driving around with her car boot full of luggage on the off chance that she runs into him again. In the meantime, she's been poking her nose into weird and strange phenomenon, knowing that the more she does so, the more likely she is to find the Doctor.

Donna and the Doctor's paths keep crossing without either of them realizing it as both launch their own investigations into a miracle diet pill called Adipose, actually a breeding ground for alien life and feeds off of human fat reserves and birthing themselves in the night. The villain this week comes in the form of Adipose Industries' chief officer, the malevolent Miss Foster (Lark Rise to Candleford and Corrie's Sarah Lancashire), who is an intergalactic nanny hellbent on delivering healthy babies to her clients. She's a hell of a threat to Donna and the Doctor and she possesses sonic technology (in the form of a sonic pen) to boot. Though I do wish that the Doctor hadn't so casually tossed away that sonic pen at the very end...

The big kicker, however, had to be the unexpected appearance of none other than the Doctor's former companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), who also unwittingly crosses paths with Donna--likely in pursuit of the Doctor herself--before vanishing into the ether. Something tells me that this won't be the last we see of Rose or this subplot. Are the walls between the dimensions bleeding through? Did Rose come through the Rift? Or is something completely different and far more sinister at work here? In any event, it was brilliant to see Rose, even if it was just for a brief minute and I cannot wait to see where this storyline goes.

Ultimately, I was pleased as punch to have Doctor Who back on the air and I am really liking the new interplay between the Doctor and Donna, especially as he did really need to think twice about inviting her aboard the TARDIS. The effect harkens back to a sort of 1960s tongue-in-cheek banter between the two of them as the almost-strangers take on the sort of in-fighting usually reserved for old married couples.

But I'm curious to know what you think: Are you a fast fan of Donna Noble? Do you miss Rose Tyler or Martha Jones? Which companion has proved to be the most memorable foil for the Doctor so far?

On the next Doctor Who ("The Fires of Pompei"), the Doctor and Donna travel to ancient Rome but find themselves in Pompei just before what the Doctor calls "Volcano Day," also known as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which--you know--wiped out the entire city.