Things are going to change for the Doctor and Rose…
There’s a new Doctor (David Tennant) and he’s finding his feet with the help of Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). With the return of his old enemy the Cybermen to battles with a werewolf in 1879, the Doctor and Rose never find their lives dull. As the Time Lord travels through time and space, a group called Torchwood tracks his actions…and Torchwood could lead to the return of the Doctor’s ultimate enemies…the Daleks!
Doctor Who—Season 2 aired from April 15, 2006 to July 8, 2006 on BBC One. The relaunch of the series continued to receive rave reviews and high ratings. Tennant’s run can be credited to bringing in tons of new fans. Following the original numbering (varying on how you count Shada and some of the other specials), the series would be Story #167-177.
You thought your teachers were monsters
I love Doctor Who, and this season really shows the strengths of the series. Tennant is possibly a perfect Doctor. He’s able to go from glee to serious in a flash and he genuinely looks like he’s having fun exploring the world. Of the season with Tennant, I find this actually might be the weakest. I think I like both Martha Jones and Donna Noble are better as companions, though Billie Piper does a fine job as Rose. It is also interesting to note that Freema Agyeman who played Martha Jones appears in the season finale episodes as a different character and was called back when Billie Piper left.
This season also helped spin-off two series. Throughout the season, there are whispers of Torchwood which culminates in the two episode finale. The Torchwood series premiered in October 2006 with the former Doctor companion Captain Jack Harkness at the helm and targeted the adult viewers of Doctor Who.
Want to hang out with kids and solve mysteries?
The second spin-off came directly off the episode “School Reunion”. The episode features the return of fan favorite Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) along with the Doctor’s robot companion K-9. Sladen last appeared as the Doctor’s regular companion in Doctor Who: The Hand of Fear and appeared in Doctor Who: The Five Doctor. Sladen previously had an attempted spin off called K-9 and Company in 1981. The episode was popular enough among fan to bring Sarah Jane back in the spin-off focusing on younger viewers The Sarah Jane Adventure in 2007.
The season also brings back the Cybermen who first appeared in the missing episode Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet and last appeared in Doctor Who: Silver Nemesis. The episodes “Rise of the Cybermen”, “The Age of Steel”, “Army of Ghosts”, and “Doomsday” served to reintroduce the great characters who have proved to be good enemies.
Best chili ever!!!
In “Army of Ghosts” and “Doomsday”, the season also brings back the Daleks to power. I love the Daleks, and they are the ultimate enemy of the Doctor…so it is appropriate that they meet one of the ultimate doctors.
Doctor Who is a great series and season 2 helps. Tennent is a great Doctor. I probably put him just behind “my” Doctor Tom Baker, but I wouldn’t besmirch anyone who put him as the best. If you haven’t followed Doctor Who, watch Doctor Who—Season 1 but make sure you stick around to catch the fun.
Doctor Who—Season 2 Complete Episode Guide:
“The Christmas Invasion”
2.0 The Christmas Invasion Airdate: 12/25/05
The Doctor (David Tennant) is dealing with his new body, and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), her mother Jackie (Camille Coduri), and Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) are trying to help him as he remains in a coma. As the Doctor is bursting with energy, the energy attracts an unusual Christmas Eve visitor in a species called the Sycorax revealing to the world the truth of alien existence. Prime Minister Harriet Jones (Penelope Wilton) finds a link to the exploratory satellite the Guinevere One and finds herself forced to call on Torchwood if the Doctor is unable to help.
“New Earth”
2.1 New Earth Airdate: 04/15/06
The Doctor and Rose travel to New Earth and visit New New York. Visiting a local hospital, the Doctor discovers the Face of Boe has summoned him while Rose faces an old enemy in Lady Cassandra (Zoe Wanamaker). Ward 26 has a secret however, and it is protected by the Sisters of Plenitude. With Cassandra stealing Rose’s body, the Doctor finds he might have to work with her if there is any hope of survival.
“Tooth and Claw”
2.2 Tooth and Claw Airdate: 04/22/06
A trip to 1979 ends up sending the Doctor and Rose to 1879 where they meet Queen Victoria (Pauline Collins) on a trip to the Scottish moors and a place called Balmoral Castle. As the moon grows full, a new danger awakens in an attempt to assassinate the Queen, and the events lead to the formation of a group called the Torchwood Institute.
“School Reunion”
2.3 School Reunion Airdate: 04/29/06
The Doctor and Rose are called in by Mickey to investigate strange goings on at a British school. The Doctor finds his old longtime companion Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) investigating the school as well and learns she’s brought his old friend K-9. Rose learns Sarah Jane traveled with the Doctor and that the Doctor abandoned her, and Sarah Jane learns that Doctor’s adventures continued with other companions. As Rose, Mickey, Sarah Jane, K-9, and the Doctor discover the school houses a threat from an alien race called the Krillitanes who have plans for the children of Earth.
“The Girl in the Fireplace”
2.4 The Girl in the Fireplace Airdate: 05/06/06
The Doctor, Mickey, and Rose find a spaceship with a link to France in the eighteenth century. As the Doctor visits a girl named Reinette starting in 1727, he realizes that she is Madame de Pompadour (Sophia Myles) who became the mistress of King Louis XV (Ben Turner). The Doctor learns that Reinette is wanted by a race of mechanical men who have a need for Reinette’s knowledge.
“Rise of the Cybermen”
2.5 Rise of the Cybermen Airdate: 05/13/06
The TARDIS materializes in London, but the Doctor, Mickey, and Rose discover that it isn’t the London they know. Now the Doctor must repair the TARDIS to escape the parallel universe, but Mickey and Rose realize that the parallel Earth offers them opportunities. Rose discovers her father Peter (Shaun Dingwall) is alive and financially successful with Cybus Industries magnate John Lumic (Roger Lloyd Pack). Mickey leaves to see his grandmother and finds himself part of a resistance against the government when he’s mistaken for his parallel Earth equivalent Rickey. Lumic has been doing secret experiments however and one of the Doctor’s greatest enemies is returning…the Cybermen are coming!
“The Age of Steel”
2.6 The Age of Steel Airdate: 05/20/06
The Cybermen are taking over Earth and the only thing standing between them and world domination is the Doctor. With Mickey and a group set on stopping the Cybermen, the Doctor must free the humans but find Lumic has now fallen into their control. As the battle increases, the Doctor could lose one of his companions.
“The Idiot’s Lantern”
2.7 The Idiot’s Lantern Airdate: 05/27/06
A trip to see Elvis in New York City goes awry, and the Doctor and Rose find themselves in London just before Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. The Doctor finds a strange sickness spreading through the people of a neighborhood and discovers an enemy called the Wire (Maureen Lipman) intends to use the coronation to free herself.
“The Impossible Planet”
2.8 The Impossible Planet Airdate: 06/03/06
Rose and the Doctor materialize on a sanctuary base on the edge of a black hole. Separated from the TARDIS due to an explosion, the Doctor and Rose question if they will ever escape. Rose learns that the workers on the base are slaves called the Ood, but something is wrong with the Ood and the planet. A researcher named Toby (Will Thorp) finds him becoming possessed by the Beast and the Beast wants freed…with an army of Ood to do its bidding.
“The Satan Pit”
2.9 The Satan Pit Airdate: 06/10/06
The Doctor has descended into the planet to uncover a hidden temple meant to trap the Beast. As Rose and the other members of the base try to escape the planet and the black hole’s gravitational pull, the Doctor tries to determine what the Beast is attempting and if he could possibly be the Devil of legend.
“Love & Monsters”
2.10 Love & Monsters Airdate: 06/17/06
The Doctor has many fans and the London Investigation ‘N’ Detective Agency (aka L.I.N.D.A.) is determined to find him. Elton Pope (Marc Warren) recalls seeing the Doctor as a child and tries to determine the significance. As L.I.N.D.A.’s quest for the Doctor gets closer, a new member named Victory Kenedy (Peter Kay) could give them the push they need to track down the elusive Doctor.
“Fear Her”
2.11 Fear Her Airdate: 06/24/06
The Doctor and Rose go to London right before the 2012 Olympic Games. There, they discover a street living in fear due to the recent disappearance of children. The Doctor and Rose try to uncover the source of the disappearances which is tied to a woman named Trish (Nina Sosanya) and her twelve-year-old daughter Chloe (Abisola Agbaje) and stop them before a tragedy occurs at the London Games.
“Army of Ghosts”
2.12 Army of Ghosts Airdate: 07/01/06
The Doctor and Rose return to Jackie and learn that ghosts have been appearing all over the world in their absence. The Doctor tracks the source of the ghosts to a secret facility called Torchwood. With Jackie and Rose, the Doctor is about to uncover the ghosts are Cybermen from another dimension…but they might not be as bad as the enemy hiding in a void ship within the compound.
“Doomsday”
2.13 Doomsday Airdate: 07/08/06
The Daleks have been revealed to have survived the Time War within the void ship and are planning their own invasion of Earth. Now, the Daleks are battling the Cybermen with the Earth hanging in the balance, and the Doctor has discovered that the strain of jumping between the parallel worlds could end up destroying both universes. The Doctor must make a choice to save the Earth, and it could change things for the Doctor forever.
Preceded By:
Doctor Who—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide
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