One of my personal joys of Doctor Who is how versatile the show is, owing heavily to the way it bends genres and is able to switch from being humorous to dead serious without breaking a sweat and the new series accomplishes this feat like Joss Whedon on a really good day. That's why I didn't mind that the Series Four premiere "Partners In Crime" was a lightweight (no pun intended), fun spirited story. I also didn't mind the whimsical nature of that episode because it was pretty much a dead giveaway that story about Pompeii was not going to be all wine and roses, and especially with a show like Doctor Who in mind with only 13 to 14 episodes per series it's important that the array of stories within are a mixed bag and with a companion like Donna it was almost essential that her return story be more whimsical so that way her (official) maiden voyage could be more sobering, and that's one of the big reasons why "The Fires of Pompeii" is such an important and effective episode.
What's important is that it serves to show Donna that Travelling with The Doctor may wield amazing vistas and singular cultures but it also carries heavy decisions. It essentially rocks Donna's preconceptions about what life with The Doctor will be like and that her previous encounters with him have barely prepared her for what is to come and by the end of this story she finally begins to comprehend the essence of that bigger picture that The Doctor always encouraged her to see. So when she decides to help The Doctor throw the big switch to set off Vesuvius, it's a big step for her growth as a companion and the fact the she is able to take such a big leap when she starts off says a lot about where she is going as a companion.
Moran's writing abilities display remarkable flexibility, with "Pompeii" he deceives us into thinking in the beginning that it's going to be one of those "race against time" scenarios with a moralistic twist and pretty much up until they see that marble circuit that's what you think it's going to be. The marble circuit was a stellar device for the story cause it was the first real hook to keep The Doctor from just running off, and we know The Doctor. If it attracts his attention then it's evident that something is off.
Another element which really aids the audience to attach themselves emotionally to the inevitable disaster is that of the Caecillius family. You meet them in the first few minutes and from the get go you basically see a family who are disjointed and separate. The father and mother are focused on status, the son is apathetic and unaffected and the daughter is suffering from an influence beyond her parents comprehension. I think what is a remarkably nimble feat in Moran's writing is how he can show this family from the start and make them invariably appealing and likable in lieu of their flaws. Ironically I was sold on them pretty from from the father's first line "MODERN ART!" cause I actually agree with him, and because I agreed with him I was able to be interested in him and the characters close to him, and it does actually give Donna's argument more weight that there are good, innocent people who die in Pompeii and who don't deserve the fate that may befall them, and as their story with The Doctor progresses you see them gradually work past their detachment. The son becomes more driven to do good, the daughter becomes an independent thinker. The mother and father become more attentive to their children and less towards their status (which is all the more reason of how important the epilogue was and it's a travesty that the sci-fi channel cut it off).
I've heard people say that they shouldn't have been saved but that basically would have ruined Donna's contribution to the story. After saving the Caecillius family, The Doctor realizes that there are times that even he doesn't know best and that he needs someone with him to see the things he doesn't, because we keep forgetting is that in spite of the fact The Doctor may frequent Earth and is abreast of all it's customs and cultures he is still, ipso facto, an alien and he knows that the thing which pushes him to do right is that human element, and that has been the definitive traits from all of The Doctor's Earthling companions spanning all the way back to day one. That's why the family's salvation at Donna's insistence is so essential to both the story and the Doctor's constant evolution, and let's not forget he acknowledges that Donna was right to force him.
The whole concept of the Soothsayers has been done before but I noticed some subtleties in this story which elevate these characters in the story and much of it has to do with the fact that their power sparks The Doctor's curiosity owing to a sort of otherworldly accuracy which serves as the first few breadcrumbs on the trail. The soothsayers, if anything serve more as a means to carry the story along, which they do quite effectively and the scene where The Doctor rescues Donna and interrogates the High Preistess makes for an excellent transition to the final revelation of the Pyrovile's plans.
In conclusion, series four is kicking off with a sort of unpredictable variety which makes one truly curious as to where this series is taking us this year. but for now I say applause to James Moran, Colin Teague, Tennant and Tate, and all of the visiting supporting actors this was truly a milestone of Who-History
What's important is that it serves to show Donna that Travelling with The Doctor may wield amazing vistas and singular cultures but it also carries heavy decisions. It essentially rocks Donna's preconceptions about what life with The Doctor will be like and that her previous encounters with him have barely prepared her for what is to come and by the end of this story she finally begins to comprehend the essence of that bigger picture that The Doctor always encouraged her to see. So when she decides to help The Doctor throw the big switch to set off Vesuvius, it's a big step for her growth as a companion and the fact the she is able to take such a big leap when she starts off says a lot about where she is going as a companion.
Moran's writing abilities display remarkable flexibility, with "Pompeii" he deceives us into thinking in the beginning that it's going to be one of those "race against time" scenarios with a moralistic twist and pretty much up until they see that marble circuit that's what you think it's going to be. The marble circuit was a stellar device for the story cause it was the first real hook to keep The Doctor from just running off, and we know The Doctor. If it attracts his attention then it's evident that something is off.
Another element which really aids the audience to attach themselves emotionally to the inevitable disaster is that of the Caecillius family. You meet them in the first few minutes and from the get go you basically see a family who are disjointed and separate. The father and mother are focused on status, the son is apathetic and unaffected and the daughter is suffering from an influence beyond her parents comprehension. I think what is a remarkably nimble feat in Moran's writing is how he can show this family from the start and make them invariably appealing and likable in lieu of their flaws. Ironically I was sold on them pretty from from the father's first line "MODERN ART!" cause I actually agree with him, and because I agreed with him I was able to be interested in him and the characters close to him, and it does actually give Donna's argument more weight that there are good, innocent people who die in Pompeii and who don't deserve the fate that may befall them, and as their story with The Doctor progresses you see them gradually work past their detachment. The son becomes more driven to do good, the daughter becomes an independent thinker. The mother and father become more attentive to their children and less towards their status (which is all the more reason of how important the epilogue was and it's a travesty that the sci-fi channel cut it off).
I've heard people say that they shouldn't have been saved but that basically would have ruined Donna's contribution to the story. After saving the Caecillius family, The Doctor realizes that there are times that even he doesn't know best and that he needs someone with him to see the things he doesn't, because we keep forgetting is that in spite of the fact The Doctor may frequent Earth and is abreast of all it's customs and cultures he is still, ipso facto, an alien and he knows that the thing which pushes him to do right is that human element, and that has been the definitive traits from all of The Doctor's Earthling companions spanning all the way back to day one. That's why the family's salvation at Donna's insistence is so essential to both the story and the Doctor's constant evolution, and let's not forget he acknowledges that Donna was right to force him.
The whole concept of the Soothsayers has been done before but I noticed some subtleties in this story which elevate these characters in the story and much of it has to do with the fact that their power sparks The Doctor's curiosity owing to a sort of otherworldly accuracy which serves as the first few breadcrumbs on the trail. The soothsayers, if anything serve more as a means to carry the story along, which they do quite effectively and the scene where The Doctor rescues Donna and interrogates the High Preistess makes for an excellent transition to the final revelation of the Pyrovile's plans.
In conclusion, series four is kicking off with a sort of unpredictable variety which makes one truly curious as to where this series is taking us this year. but for now I say applause to James Moran, Colin Teague, Tennant and Tate, and all of the visiting supporting actors this was truly a milestone of Who-History