Written by Russel T. Davies
Directed by Joe Ahearne
“THE DOCTOR HAS INITIATED HOSTILE ACTION!”
Oh wow! Are you telling me I’m expected to wait one more week after watching THAT? It was wonderful!
Bad Wolf is an episode designed like an onion — you peel away the layers, and it becomes even more dense and substantial. Every layer works extremely well…and they get better and better as the episode progresses.
The first third of the story concentrates on the reality show commentary. It’s a touch unsubtle, and a bit heavy handed…but it’s SO MUCH FUN! The Weakest Link and the Ann-droid! Trinny and Susannah/What Not to Wear robots! All the music, logos, and affectations of this reality-crap-that-calls-itself-television is done beautifully…and then turned on its head!
And I’d like to take this opportunity to say two words: Captain Jack. He’s confident, sexy, funny, flirts with anything with two legs…and shows himself to be as trustworthy, emotionally-deep, and loyal as any of the best companions in Doctor Who history. This is Jack’s coming out party, and he scores brilliantly. John Barrowman also has a mischievous, toothy grin that rivals Tom (the 4th Doctor) Baker…that’s just a bonus.
But then the story gets better after the Doctor and Jack escape into Satellite Five, searching for Rose. The tone darkens, the plot is revealed…and we get explanations/recaps of the bad wolf references throughout the season. On top of that, we’re given the reason behind the transfer of the Doctor to the station…it’s a twist I should have seen coming, and it’s more enjoyable for the fact that I didn’t get it! The links to past stories, the horrific realization of the real intention behind The Long Game…it all comes together brilliantly.
Throughout all this, with Rose apparently dead, Christopher Eccleston provides what may be his greatest performance as the Doctor. The bleakness of his expression, as he suffers through the grief of Rose’s “death”; his cold, icy, VIOLENT anger in response to the situation — it’s at intensity factor 10 and rising. Then, with Jack’s discovery that Rose and everyone else is alive…the joy on his face, the re-emergence of his confident, self-assured personality is breathtaking to witness. Do we really only have one more week with him?
Then, just when you think it can’t get any more intense and exciting…we get DALEKS! Lots and lots of DALEKS in a fleet! We get a confrontation between two old enemies…and a cliffhanger that sits alongside Star Trek TNG’s The Best of Both Worlds for its sheer impact. This is the biggest oh-my-god moment Doctor Who has provided since Earthshock wrapped up with a Cyber-bang in 1982!
That sound you hear is my super-fast, geeky heart beat. 
I’ll stop here, because there’s no point in going further until it’s all wrapped up in the grand-daddy of season finales. Suffice to say, despite the loopy opening acts, Bad Wolf stands as one of the best openings a two-part story has ever had in the history of genre television. I get the feeling things are only going to improve next week…and that’s saying a hell of a lot!
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