As you can see, I’m really struggling with my titles for these Doctor Who reviews.  I’m not actually sure why I don’t just state the title – but that would be dull, I suppose.

Anywho, in short:  Better than Daleks in Manhattan.  Just.

Look, I wasn’t expecting much from The Sontaran Strategem.  Not surprising, really, as we – the fans and the rest of the viewing public – have been burnt a number of times with the first two-parter of the season.  (Though, in retrospect, RTD’s Aliens in London and WW3 is looking more and more like a masterpiece, even if it does have farting aliens).

But there’s something terribly in-offensive about The Sontaran Strategem.  As much as they were rubbish, both the Cyber and Dalek two parters of the previous years seemed to be about something.  With the Cyber two-parter it was about human emotion, with the Dalek two parter it was about identity (I think, it’s hard to tell with a story so bad).  But the Sontaran Strategem is about nothing at all… well, possibly the environment, but the ATMOS device is really treated like a plot point then a commentary on pollution.  The Sontaran Strategem is basically a run around, a romp, a bit of fun and set-up for next week.

Taken as all that, it’s not bad.  All the UNIT shenanigans (I love that word) are decent enough, and I did smile at the opening scene with Martha, Donna and the Doctor.  I even laughed a couple of time.  And I did love the scene where Donna tells the Doctor she’s leaving only to see how he’d react.

The Sontarans were also decent as villians.  Mike from the Young One’s does an excellent job at Stall the Undefeated (though he could have stuck his tongue out at least once, c’mon if you’re gonna repeat the thorax line *and* make a joke about UNIT dating, you could give us a bit Sontaran tongue porn… anyway).  His off-sider, wasn’t as good as just sounded like an ordinary bloke with potato faced make-up.  I’m not sure why a character needed to mention that they looked like a baked potato.  It feels like a cheap shot, which is precisely what it is.

But while UNIT are OK and the Sontarans are reasonably well realised, for a two parter the story seems a bit thin on the ground.  Actually, the biggest problem with The Sontaran Strategem is its structure.  Donna, the Doctor and Martha disappear for good chunks of the episode as the script struggles to deal with three leads.  This is evident with the Donna at home scenes, which don’t seem to fit the “action-packed” feel of the episode.  I actually like these moments – more than anything else in the episode – but I’m not sure they sit well with everything else.

And there are other annoying plot holes such as why UNIT haven’t requisitioned vehicles without ATMOS?  I mean, they’re so high tech and powerful now, what with the VALIANT and all, it’s a wonder why they couldn’t get a few non-ATMOS vehicles for themselves.  And its the same with the journalist in the opening scene.  If you’re so scared of the technology, then ride a bike, or walk or take the tube.  But don’t drive in a car with the very same tech that you think is suspect.

I also wasn’t keen on the scene where the Doctor talks the ATMOS device to death.  It’s just silly, and treats the audience like they have no idea at all how computers work. 

As for the acting – for the most part it’s terrible.  OK, Donna is great, again and so is Bernard Cribbins.  David is actually fantastic.  Normally, in these episodes, he’s totally over the top – either shouting or acting like he’s just snorted some speed.  But here, he’s more measured.  The scene with the boy genius is a case in point.  While not the best scene in the episode, I do like the bit where he asks the Boy Genius whether anyone had ever said no to him.  Compare this performance to Rise of the Cybermen, or any episode in Season 2, and you’ll see how David has really become comfortable with the role.

Freema is OK and seems competent enough as UNIT Doctor.  As the clone, however, she’s terrible.  The rest of the supporting human cast is, for the most part, awful.  The scene with the two soldiers goes on for far too long and isn’t clever in the slightest.  The over-confident soldier is just terrible, especially when he’s trying to show how tough he is to the Sontaran.  The American Boy Genius isn’t much better, and really does nothing to serve the story, other than be a distribution arm for the Sontarans.  All his scenes on the Sontaran ship are terrible, especially the bit where he and Stall look at Earth.

Still, for all its faults (including the Sontaran war dance), Sontaran Strategem at least doesn’t try to be more than it is – an action adventure romp.  It probably could have done with more actual action adventure, but overall it felt like a harmless 43 minutes of TV.  And it didn’t bore me like last years two-parter.

So, 6/10 from me.