Doctor Who at 10 - The Long Game (S1E7)

And Russell T Davies returns to the writer's chair with the very tough task of following on from the events with Dalek - not only having to fight against the strong quality of the Robert Shearman piece, but also with the task of fleshing out new companion Adam (Bruno Langley) and try and bring the character out as more than another fling for Rose (Billie Piper). But this episode does something new for the programme, as it follows in the footsteps of its 1960s counterpart Mission to the Unknown by acting as something of a prequel for a later adventure. Not that we knew at the time of transmission though...

In the year 200,000, the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire is meant to be taking place - an ideal spot for a first date between Rose and new addition Adam - but the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) quickly figures out that something's wrong with history. Whilst on board Satellite Five, home of the future of journalism where the reporters literally open their minds for the purpose of telling and gathering stories. The goal for one such reporter called Cathica (Christine Adams) is to get a promotion to the secretive Floor 500, where the room is apparently made of gold.  As per usual, the Doctor and Rose go investigate the coveted room - where a man known only as the Editor (Simon Pegg) follows the orders of a hidden menace  - while Adam has his own ideals in mind.

As a precursor to a future adventure, albeit for small and subtle purposes, it's not one which goes out of its way to set up the events of what to come, unlike the norm for various mediums these days such as The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron and the Missy storyline during Series 8 of Doctor Who. Instead, it paves the way for its own story, which unfortunately isn't a particularly strong one. It's a standard mysterious entity story which doesn't add much outside of another ridiculously long name for the aliens (following on from intergalactic tongue twister Slitheen home world Raxacoricofallapatorius from Aliens of London/World War Three) in the form of the Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe. However, it is a nice touch that the Adam storyline, whilst often rather slow and ultimately not adding up to much until the last five minutes, shows that not everyone can become a companion, as he tries to steal future information for his own financial gain. Sure, you have to put up with weird jokes about beef flavoured Slush Puppies and frozen vomit, but at least It's a tad more riveting than trying to figure out what's going on upstairs.

What doesn't help that segment however is Bruno Langley's performance, which is on the verge or being either bored or overdone. He tries a little too hard in being the unlikable guy he is once he realises he could have ulterior motives, but still fails to earn a noteworthy spot in the TARDIS hall of fame. Going by the fact that no one else even considers him a companion, it's safe to say he was thankfully forgotten about (although he was brought back as a villain for comic series 'Prisoners of Time'). As per norm, Eccleston and Piper are showing clear signs of enjoyment with their roles, with Rose having  a little less to do by comparison of past episodes to pave the way for Cathica to enter the fray whilst the Doctor continues to walk about as though he owns the place. Cathica isn't a very noteworthy character, seeing as her actions to save the day were remarked as being revenge for not promoting her earlier on and it takes her until the last minute to actually act on what she's learned. Brief friend and co-worker Suki (Anna Maxwell-Martin) is a understated character who unfortunately acts at the setup for the story ahead; if the characters were switched, we may have something a little more engaging. Tasmin Greig as a nurse is a nice touch though, and you can never fault Simon Pegg with his out-there performance.

The Long Game is an often forgettable episode which is there as merely a precursor to something greater, even if it barely hints to it. It's all a part of the title and the set up, whilst making do with a somewhat satirical main story coupled with explanation into the companion choices of the Doctor. It's a dull and slow tale with nothing to really show for it. That said, it's not really a bad episode; sometimes the comedy does work, and you at least have some bewilderment by the mystery at hand. 5/10.