The Fires of Pompeii [TV/2008.4.12]

★★★★★

  Something of a rarity in my books: a completely perfect introduction for newcomers to Dr. Who and what it's all about (it's got all the important elements), one of the Doctor's strongest character-building and character-defining moments, and a masterpiece of an episode that's practically peerless. Yes, this is me giving The Fires of Pompeii full marks... and here's why.

  Let's begin with the basics -- and oh, does this episode have all of 'em. As mentioned before, this is the quintessential beginner episode of Dr. Who. Don't believe me? Time travel (and "space" travel, too, if we're counting that they travelled from London to Pompeii), pseudo-historical narrative with great big aliens with beautifully wacky design, lots of running, gorgeous sets and location work, a Doctor and companion team that absolutely work (bonus points for the companion being the Doctor's moral compass), a brilliant score courtesy of Murray Gold, and if all that wasn't enough, a riveting final act that incorporates notions of fixed points in time, destiny traps, and the Doctor always finding the compassionate solution in the end. "Come with me" is etched into my mind as one of the defining Doctor lines, and no one can take that away from me. Don't you think all this in a deliciously shot and edited episode would pretty much be unbeatable as the episode to show your curious friends? Heck, even David Tennant and Catherine Tate are on fire here, and this is only the second episode of Series 4. I'm almost tired of all the insistence that Blink is the best starting point for potential new Dr. Who fans -- that episode doesn't even have the Doctor all that much, whereas here, he's front and centre moving the adventure along at breakneck speed, being charming and emotional and savage all in one go. The Tenth Doctor was always like an uncontrollable fire, and Tennant clearly relishes the role as he brandishes his water pistol and shoots streams of water at giant CGI volcano creatures. Speaking of, how gorgeous are the Pyrovile? Their CGI has aged quite beautifully, with Colin Teague capturing the space for them in such a unique way that makes them utterly believable. He captures their dimensions really well, shifting the camera angle whenever the focus detaches from them and latches onto the human characters. Really brilliant stuff both in front of and behind the camera here; I cannot wax lyrical enough about Fires of Pompeii, as you would have noticed by now.

  It's just... the entire package, isn't it? From retrospectively surprising appearances from Karen Gillan and Peter Capaldi to some beautiful colour grading, costume design and more, this episode's just got it all. It was a smart call for Russell T Davies to slot this before Planet of the Ood, because Donna's heartwrenching moment begging for the Doctor to save someone is a giant middle finger to everyone who thought Catherine Tate wouldn't be able to carry the drama of the piece. She's perfect, both character and actor. High-octane adventure, beautifully detailed and lush historical, mystery, tragedy, morality play... it's definable in any way you wish, because it's everything. For fifty minutes, The Fires of Pompeii achieves practically everything Dr. Who is most known for. Few episodes leave me awed upon every rewatch without fail, but here's just that sort of masterpiece.