Why Waters of Mars is the Perfect Doctor Who Episode

[@HarboWholmes]

The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/harbowholmes08211

[@SomeUsernameSomeoneElseTookIt]

poor harbo got taken by the sponsorships, don't worry some day you won't need to have sponsorships :(

[@MoUniiiiii]

Are you doing one on end of time next??

[@mattthesilent777RED]

NO ONE CARES!

[@jackyzimmerman]

As a kid I was confused by Adelaide’s shock and anger towards the Doctor. He saved the day, right? I swear the RTD era has so much rewatch value as an adult.

[@cyberfox9713]

I am glad I wasnt the only one who thought that I was like but but the doctor saved you stop being a bitch 😂😂

[@truebradfordean1555]

Because he explained that it would change history and the future so when she killed herself it changed the details and added a mystery to why she was back on earth but she still died and history continued as normal as far as we’re aware

[@jackyzimmerman]

@@truebradfordean1555 Well yeah I know that now

[@GavinsBazaar313]

@@truebradfordean1555 read the og post, they said "as a kid" and "as an adult it has so much replay value", aka, going in as an adult helped them to understand stuff better. :)

[@alim.9801]

Amen dude for me RTD seasons are peak NuWho (I do still enjoy Moffat tho, Capaldi is my fave Doctor)

[@theraccoonatic]

“He never stops, he never stays, he never asks to be thanked.” “Isn’t anyone gonna thank me?” Interesting detail

[@Asw_2004]

niice like it

[@ptolemeeselenion1542]

Hm.

[@christianwise637]

It's been a recurring theme for hubris and arrogance to be the Tenth Doctor's undoing, obviously that's most apparent in "The Waters of Mars", but it's really present throughout his entire era. His cockiness and arrogance nearly ended up getting him killed in "Midnight". His and Rose's blasé and cocky attitude in "Tooth and Claw" resulted in Queen Victoria setting up Torchwood, which in turn led to the circumstances that would separate them at the end of the series. And in probably the most extreme case of this, the Doctor deciding to wreck Harriet Jones' political career in "The Christmas Invasion" set off a chain of events that would lead to this incarnation's own downfall. In short, it opened a power vacuum in the British Government, allowing the Master to take over the country, meaning that everything that happened in the series 3 finale (and by extension Children of Earth) is the Doctor's fault. And because of what happened in series 3, the Master had a contingency plan to enable his resurrection, leading to him bringing back the Time Lords, and inadvertently creating a situation that necessitated the Doctor sacrificing his own life to save Wilf

[@joelkanamuli227]

This actually goes all the way back to the 9th doctor aswell

[@BambiTrout]

It's just another example of how perfectly and subtly interconnected the RTD era was. Everything took into account everything else, and there are so many moments that you never even realise are directly connected. It just made his era feel so alive. Moffat's era was still great, but it felt more like a story revolving purely around the main characters, while the RTD era actually felt like a universe which The Doctor was travelling around.

[@xx-footcmpsf.c3693]

@@BambiTrout I still thought Moffat was greatly overhated

[@BambiTrout]

@@xx-footcmpsf.c3693 oh same. I still think RTD is the gold standard overall, but Moffat gave us some absolutely knockout episodes, and I loved his willingness to experiment with format, and really dive DEEP with his sci-fi concepts.

[@xx-footcmpsf.c3693]

@@BambiTrout yeah RTD was very clever and ultimately superior but both were worlds ahead of Chibnall

[@iusedtowrite6667]

Episodes like Water on Mars is the reason DW is so much more than a just a 'sci-fi soap opera'. I know most people brush aside RTD's era as more of a soap opera'ish one but this is the stuff which proves em wrong. WOM is easily of the best DW episodes. It just shows the darker side of the Doctor which the show usually glosses over.

[@obi501]

Do people brush off RTD's era? Everyone I know agrees it's the best in doctor who.

[@-haclong2366]

R.T.D. was way more consistent, in the Davies era people had a memory, in the Moffat era people forget that the entire world was a forest literally the next day.

[@Tortoiz07]

I feel like the BBC sometimes forget that the Doctor isn't a super Hero or a God and He can be in the wrong sometimes and make mistakes and thats ok.

[@obi501]

@@Tortoiz07 no I like to think he can do anything, just chooses not to out of his own morality. Like we see in family of blood.

[@mayotango1317]

@@-haclong2366 London was invaded by dinosaurs in the 70s/80s and nobody remember that too.

[@benfleming-yates4996]

The laws of time are mine, AND THEY WILL OBEY ME. They will obey me is a variation on The Master's classic catchphrase, you will obey me, further showcasing how far The Doctor has fallen and in a way coming that little bit closer to becoming The Master.

[@Jaeden_Phoenix]

To me, it's a bit of a shame that The Timelord Victorious wasn't carried over to The End of Time. It would allow a really good story of how low the Doctor would fall before his regeneration

[@EmpireGamingWynter]

I would have loved it if The Doctor's actions brought about the return of the Time Lords exactly like The Master did with The Master trying to stop him, trying to warn him he was bringing the Time Lords back. Not deliberately, just him getting so cocky he thought he knew more than The Master and didn't think they'd come back sort of thing. That role switch would have been interesting and he'd have really been at his lowest when The Master sacrificed himself, it would be because of the Doctor's actions.

[@ashleytuchin7693]

If you're interested, last year there was a huge crossover event called Time Lord Victorious, which was spread across books, comics, audio dramas and various other forms of media. It essentially follows up on what the Tenth Doctor did after this story and the consequences of his actions. It also features other Doctors, mainly the Eighth and Ninth.

[@mayotango1317]

@@EmpireGamingWynter The Master never cares about the Time Lords. He even kill them in Spyfall.

[@EmpireGamingWynter]

@@mayotango1317 I know but at the time The Master was in a weakened state

[@mayotango1317]

@@EmpireGamingWynter ¿We talk about the same Master who kill half of the universe with a wave of entropy by fun in Logopolis?

[@EmpireGamingWynter]

People always mentions the Reapers but I've always understood them as not being THE result of changing a fixed point, but them just being creatures that just so happened to have found their way through the gaps left from the change. This would mean they aren't necessarily a consequence of this, but a possible consequence.

[@denestasinalis]

In that one Rose also created two time rips at the same time. She ran by herself and the Doctor from their first trip on her way to save her dad. Which altered the fact that she would even be there for the second attempt. So it gave the Reapers a pretty big gap to slip through.

[@minepose98]

Sort of like time bacteria. Not every wound gets infected, but some do. And the more severe the wound is, the more likely it is that they'll get in.

[@alim.9801]

@@minepose98 that's the perfect way to put it yesss

[@tillburr6799]

Nah. The doctor would have to dome roses dad in the head to set time right. He wasn’t going to do that. Her dad was going to survive. Doesn’t matter that the astronauts were saved, the most important one was always going to correct time anyway, no need to send anything to fix it.

[@secretbaguette]

Yeah, to be honest I kind of like that better. It seems to me like time would have more subtle agents than big winged creatures to go about cauterizing broken time lines.

[@csabaszalay9930]

I believe it is worth mentioning, that when the Doctor is confronted by Adelaide saying "No one should have this much power!", he answers just like the Master did in S3's Utopia: "Though!"

[@sassylittleprophet]

*"Tough."

[@csabaszalay9930]

@@sassylittleprophet My bad, sorry!

[@sassylittleprophet]

@csabaszalay9930 oh you're fine! I just thought you might want to know or correct it. And you're right, the Doctor saying "Tough" to Adelaide when she tells him no one should have that much power is frightening.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That one drip of water that hits the young dude is a nod to 28 Days Later when the Dad has a drop of blood hit his eye. Nice horror reference.

[@calumgardner6936]

Can I just say shoutout to whoever wrote all the website articles & obituaries in the episode. They're so detailed I actually had to pause the episode on my first rewatch just fully read them all, and they were convincing & realistic when it came to all the crews' backstories and how they came to be part of the mission it did actually almost make me believe they could be real people in the future. To me, it's always little things like that give a great episode of a show the umph it needs to be so, and for something that could've easily been left out, it's a great little touch to make you care about the characters even more 👌🏻

[@josh113866]

I think that it is again, part of RTD's great use of media to help push the story and make the world feel real, using TV, radio, the interent within the episodes.

[@carolinemcgovern4488]

I really loved the attention to detail of the RTD, made it seem so real.

[@calumgardner6936]

@@josh113866 Exactly, I mean episodes like Aliens Of London & World War Three would’ve been nowhere near as good if it weren’t for all the real-world tv coverage in them, same with all the other worldwide based stories post them

[@josh113866]

Spot on! I also love all the little Saxon tidbits throughout as well.

[@iusedtowrite6667]

This episode is Doctor who at its best. This is what RTD nails. While Moffat era had some cool new monsters and stuff, RTD really knows how to write a doctor. The 10th doctor doesn't need a brig ass grand speech to show how dangerous he is capable of being, his actions speak louder. RTD is best at characterization and while some may say he's stuff is too simple, it's the simplicity which just makes it so re-watchable.

[@obi501]

I also like it because the doctor loses so much. What Moffat tried to do with words in a good man goes to war with the doctor rising so high then falling so far, RTD did with events and emotion. It's so fun to rewatch and see more everytime. Also everything RTD writes is a treat to watch.

[@mayotango1317]

Is funny because the RTD era had so many speeches about how wonderful is the Doctor. Even Series 3 finale end with the power of love.

[@mayotango1317]

And we hate Chibnall now. He never understand Doctor Who.

[@Shay96]

@@mayotango1317 Watch some of his old interviews where he talks about classic Who. His criticisms seemed less constructive and more like he actively disliked the show. Having someone who hates a series as the showrunner, well it's no wonder it turned out as badly as it did.

[@aronseptianto8142]

@@obi501 ngl i do like a lot of moffat's speeches, most of them are well done, it's just not that great in context of the whole episode sometimes. But in general, i do like the speeches, i don't think it detracts from the episode, but since in a few cases the rest of the episode is weak, people blame the speeches to be the cause

[@Tulf42]

My trivial note for this episode is that it is one of the last times you see the tenth Doctor on screen in his blue suit, unless you count The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith. I think this choice of costume works more than people realise as it connects with the villain, since we see water as blue in most depictions, but it also makes me think of previous stories where the Doctor has felt darker in the blue suit. Sure, the tenth Doctor has had dark moments in stories where he wore the brown suit, or stories where he wore the blue suit but he wasn't as dark, but this story could argue that it sealed the deal in showing the blue suit is sort of like the Doctor's equivalent of Spider Man's black symbiote suit where the main character is making choices that can go against their moral code and how we think they would do things in a certain way. I should also point out the blue suit hasn't been worn since the Library two-parter, unless you count the meta-crisis Doctor wearing the blue suit in Journey's End, so it gives a good visual break if you have seen one too many stories with the brown suit. With that being said, I don't object to the tenth Doctor wearing the brown suit in his last story as it was more fitting and, like Spider-Man's iconic red and blue suit, showed the Doctor was returning to the character we relate to more. Thanks for reading if you made it to the end. I've probably looked way too deep into this but that's what enthusiastic fans do anyway.

[@alim.9801]

This is really interesting, now I gotta go back and rewatch and pay attention to when the suit changes bc I think you're really onto something

[@overlydramaticpanda]

This and Midnight are hands-down my absolute favourite Nu-Who episodes. Actually, on the whole, this episode was genuinely one of the single best hours of television I've ever seen; the way everything from the time the Doctor snaps to the end of the episode is just clearly somehow a little bit *wrong* despite the seemingly triumphant atmosphere - he's a little too manic, Adelaide is protesting the entire time, Mia and Yuri are clearly scared by his behaviour, and then the entire scene back on Earth... Everything on the surface is exactly like a happy ending for an average episode (right down to the "it's bigger on the inside" comment) but the context makes it all utterly sinister rather than fun or joyful. I can remember watching this when it originally showed on TV and just feeling this sense of dread building in my stomach from the moment 'All The Strange Strange Creatures' kicks in because it was always used to show that the Doctor was about to save the day but the entire episode had been reiterating the fact that these people *had* to die so you end up actually rooting against the Doctor saving a group of innocent people. Plus the sequence where all them start becoming infected still feels like a punch to the gut every time I watch it, especially Steffi with her using her last moments to watch a video message from her children. For a fairly sensitive 14 year old as I was when this episode was originally shown, this was some very heavy stuff but boy does it work fantastically...

[@mikviayatube4563]

The impossible planet water of mars BLINK face the raven last Christmas mummy on the orient express silence I’m the library turn left planet of the dead no particular order are my faves

[@amberpage7936]

I think it's so interesting to do an episode where there's an 'event that can't be changed' but it's set in the future. I think there's something so melancholy about the idea that something that hasn't happened yet cant be changed! It subverts the idea that we hold onto that we can't change the past but we can change the future and I think that really adds to the horror and pathos of the episode. Also, I watched this episode when it aired when I was seven and the Flood terrified me.

[@MrGreaves]

I was 4 years old and it was absolutely one of my favourite episodes for years, and I think it took me about 5 watches before I didn’t jump when Andy turns around in the gardens. I was bloody terrified!!

[@georggggggge]

I was born 2005 I’m not sure how old I was since I can’t remember however, this episode used to scare the life out of me until I was about 13 and now it’s just Maggie who freaks me out lmao

[@baders087]

The episodes hit harder when you see dates in the biographies include Adelaide at university in 2017, or Stephi born in 2021. It really hits home that these characters are ordinary people in our familiar world.

[@aileene534]

Genuinely think this is the best episode of doctor who ever. I was actually really scared of the flood monsters when I first watched this as a kid. One of the only times I actually had nightmares after dr who. And the whole time lord victorious story line is just *chefs kiss*

[@darthmummy7889]

Well I have had over 20 nightmares and even still get them to this day I still get chills looking at them something about being trapped in a space station on Mars knowing there is an unstoppable force which can end your life with 1 drop of water

[@evanhanley6437]

This episode blew my mind when I first watched it. The ideas, the writing, the suspense, the atmosphere, David's and Lindsay's acting along with the sets were beyond incredible. That ending really hits hard and its so poignant. Russell T Davies knocked it out of the park. I think its my favourite Doctor Who special.

[@obi501]

Also scary monster. It's so similar to the cybermen in concept but I think this is better than any cyberman story I've seen

[@dezzajones9437]

I agree

[@franl155]

"Is there nothing you can't do?" "Not any more." Gives you the chills wondering what the Doctor would be like as a Master, unbound by laws, morals or conscience, guided only by his hubris.

[@fartsofdoom6491]

I don't know about wondering what he'd be like as a Master. Isn't the Master already what the Doctor would be like as a Master? lol

[@franl155]

@@fartsofdoom6491 - lol imagine two of them teaming up!

[@Eroxi3]

"I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now"

[@redjirachi1]

We've seen a glimpse of that in the Valeyard. Now imagine the Valeyard with no other Time Lord to hold him back

[@eleanorcooke7136]

I want to see this version of the doctor as a villain. Not as a world conqueror but as one who travels and does whatever he wants. "With great power comes great responsibility" is the perfect quote because the doctor's real power is his brain. A genius untrapable traveller who can go and do whatever he wants, regardless of morality, while simultaneously thinking that he is right and not caring wether he is right anymore. I think then that would be a great villain for 14 to try to defeat.

[@greenivy713]

Throughout his run, the tenth Doctor stressed on multiple occasions that there is no such thing as 'ordinary humans'. That he calls them 'little' here just shows how much he strayed from his path. Strange that some of the best episodes for me are some of the most heartbreaking ones, like Midnight and Waters of Mars. While I do love the concepts and that they have been explored, I'm glad they didn't end his run completely with such a horrifying atmosphere. I'm glad the tenth Docor regained his moral code and I still find End of Time to be sufficiently heartbreaking :'D

[@johannvongenerico9487]

Random frame of Baker and McGann, sure, why not. Very glad for the 0.25x option because that was going to bug the hell out of me otherwise xD

[@dustinhatfield8373]

I always figured the reapers didn't show up because rose saved her dad. But rather because the doctor and rose went back again and then her saving him caused the original pair to disappear while the current pair were still there and that paradox is what caused them to show up. And thats why they didnt show up here either. Or really any other time. That specific event of going there twice and then preventing the first time going there from happening was what caused a time wound big enough for the reapers to appear.

[@kylejones8289]

I also got the impression that Reapers were a thing that could happen when you messed with fixed points but weren't an inevitability, kind of like cuts can get infected but it's not inevitable that they will. I mainly think this because the Doctor doesn't seem to realize that the Reapers are there until the Tardis flees and some people start to vanish. If Rose's actions would inevitably cause the Reapers to show up, you think that he would have known what was going on earlier. So the Reapers are kind of like an infection; they can infect some time paradoxes and feed on them but only if they were nearby and the paradox is big enough for them to detect, which it's hard to know if it is or not once it starts happening.

[@sanddagger36]

When I first saw this episode I watched it with the normal hope that the doctor would save the day. Now when I see it I am shocked by how quickly the tone changed. They were huddled behind him, begging for a miracle one moment but the second he used his impossible box to save them he was not someone to be trusted or forgiven. Even those 3 people who were faced with their own death saw that they should not have survived. He broke the universe to save them and it was not okay. Not a single second more is spent worrying about the water or mars at all. The rest of the episode is about time and consequences. The tone shift is amazing.

[@xGOKOPx]

Actually I thought that they just were in shock that he could do this all this time and only did it after half of the crew died, and only Adeleite (sorry if misspelled) knew what was really going on

[@sanddagger36]

@@xGOKOPx the way the other woman asked who the hell he was and then ran off always seemed like she did not trust him rather than just being in shock.

[@xGOKOPx]

@@sanddagger36 And why would you trust a dude who has a weird bigger-on-the-inside teleporting machine (MASSIVE, ENORMOUS shock) who hangs out with you all day and then suddenly saves a few of you when he could do it all the time? and asks for praise after that

[@sanddagger36]

@@xGOKOPx They already knew he had a space ship since he was on Mars. How he flies it is not the point. My comment was meant to point out the tone shift. They had just been fighting for their lives and they just lost all their friends and years worth of money and research. There were several things they could/should have been more worried about but they left all that behind on Mars. It became a completely different episode.

[@isengarde9490]

I dunno. Maybe I'm too inundated with 40k spirit, but the fact that Adelaide was so determined to die that she just turned around and blew her brains out the first chance she got was a little annoying to me. Where's that Human Tenacity, fighting against the concept of fated death until the universe itself buckles and gives in?

[@DanTheMan2150AD]

The review that everyone wanted but didn’t deserve. Shame Phil Ford never really wrote more than two stories for this show given how good his work on New Captain Scarlet was.

[@nightowl8477]

He head-showran The Sarah Jane Adventures to the same (unofficial) extent that Chris Chibnall head-showran Torchwood.

[@backpackerraden6268]

@@nightowl8477 so you're saying there's a slim chance Ford could take over for Chibby?

[@nightowl8477]

@@backpackerraden6268 - yess, absolutely. From the research I've done, Toby Whithouse, Mark Gatiss, and Peter Harness are the three most likely to be offered the job, followed by Phil Ford. Unless the BBC do something completely out of left field. Which I dismissed before, but now people are saying Sally Wainwright so who knows!

[@lukemccoy7785]

@@nightowl8477 I maintain that Joseph Lidster should be a candidate. It's such a shame that he has never written for the main show

[@nightowl8477]

@@lukemccoy7785 - unfortunately he hasn't got enough of a filmography to be a contender. But you know who thinks he should be showrunner? Russell T Davies. After writing The Mad Woman in the Attic, Russell was seriously impressed, especially as it was amongst his first. He said he'd be running the show one day. Haven't heard him give that compliment to any but Steven Moffat. He needs to be asked onto the main show, yes.

[@ashleywalla4087]

I love the scene with Adelaide and the Doctor in front of the TARDIS because she calls out things that have actually been called out about this version of the Doctor before by Donna but the Doctor was at such a different level before and those callouts happened so long ago both in real life and in continuity that they don't immediately spring to mind unless you are bingeing episodes. Adelaide says he needs someone to stop him and when it comes to this episode it's obvious that we are supposed to think of the Time Lords but in Runaway Bride Donna tells him the same thing but means that he needs a companion traveling with him, something that at this point he is actively denying himself. And I think it is interesting that by shooting herself Adelaide, the companion of the episode, does the Time Lords' job. In one action she perfectly accomplishes both meanings of the idea of stopping him. The Doctor has messed with time and she fixes it. The Doctor has forgotten himself and she reminds him. This one is more of a stretch but Adelaide's 'Who decides they are unimportant? You?' feels to me like it calls to Donna's 'What you're in charge?', or whatever the line is, in Pompeii. Even though the scene is played for comedy the Doctor's answer of 'TARDIS, Time Lord, yeah.' very much has the feeling of 'I am the Time Lord, I know better than you the simple human, I am in charge, do as I say.' The Victorious head space has always existed for 10 but since the finale with his self-imposed solitude and the unusually high positive response he gets from his last two 'Save the World' outings, it's been exasperated. It's the same 'I am the only person left to make these decisions and I will make these decisions and because I'm me the decisions I make will always be right.'

[@LiveHedgehog]

It contains my favourite 10th Doctor moments. I feel like he's at his best when he's angry, vengeful. A little unhinged maybe. "The laws of time are mine, and THEY WILL OBEY ME!" and "We're not just fighting the Flood, we're fighting time itself. AND I'M GONNA WIN!" being particularly favourite lines.

[@JoshSweetvale]

No-one should have that power. "Tough."

[@MultiRole214]

Weeping Angels: We are the scariest villains in doctor who The Flood: Hold my Dasani

[@altinaykor364]

I think the midnight monster was worse

[@jamiemccreath3959]

Sometimes I think this episode is *too* perfect. With the "water always wins" concept, the Doctor is fighting both inevitability in history and inevitability personified. That shot of the Doctor looking at the base burning (glass domes on a red planet) is such an amazing visual parallel to Gallifrey burning. Every character's transformation seems to have its own unique quirks in the actors' performances. Just... everywhere you look in this story you can find something to pick apart. I love a lot of Doctor Who episodes, but this is by far my favorite.

[@ohgoditshimrun1346]

I disagree about only one point. The classification as a moral stance against altering a fixed point in time. This very episode shows that the reasons not to do so are practical rather than ideological. The underlying problem is that most people grossly misunderstand the famous line about time being not a strict progression from cause to effect, but rather a big ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff. This is not Quantum Leap. It is not a ball of yarn being played with by a kitten. This is Doctor Who, and it is one of Five's cricket balls, rolling down the lawn. The ball wibbles and wobbles as it rolls. And a Time Lord can perceive how much wibble and wobble the ball has, as it rolls on its axis. All that is, all that was, all that ever could be. Allowing him to ignore the thousand possible outcomes in which the innocent person dies and focus on the one where they live. But the rolling ball doesn't always have the same degree of flexibility for adjusting the course of history. Some points are fluid, others still, and others fixed. Trying to alter a fixed point here resulted in time aggressively correcting itself, as the fixed future kept altering its own past to maintain temporal continuity. While the Reapers were invoked not by the altering of a fixed point in and of itself, but by Rose crossing her own timeline and drastically altering her own personal history. Which is exactly why TARDISes have safety mechanisms to prevent the Doctor and the Master from meeting each other out of order.

[@gaynarchist]

One thing to note is that the Reapers actually showed up due to Rose bumping into herself. The Doctor was pretty sure he would be able to make it so Pete could live but that was ruined by Rose coming into contact with her baby self. The reapers only originally showed up after she bumped into herself from the recent past.

[@Masterful]

I don't know about you guys, but stephie's death, in my opinion, is perhaps the most haunting scene in this episode. While Maggie, Tarak and the rest of the crew transformed off screen, watching Stephie just uncontrollably convulse leaves a really horrifying impression, because we actually see it.

[@MDaggatt]

Everyone loves this episode but seeing it as a kid I was TERRIFIED. Then again, not the best episode for a kid that lives on a boat...

[@ishathakor]

i rewatched this episode recently and it was really crazy how unrecognizable the doctor became after he decided to go back and save them. i watched some other tenth doctor episodes right before (runaway bride and planet of the dead) and those last few minutes of waters of mars were almost like watching the villain's side of the story. especially right after planet of the dead where he's sitting in a bus full of regular human beings and telling them that they ARE important in that way that the doctor always does mean it. it was just very well done. his sudden realization after he realizes adelaide killed herself is heartbreaking too

[@GeorgeMarionerd]

The idea of him becoming the timelord victorious was so interesting but shortlived. What if after this failure he then went travelling through time, actively trying to change history to his own liking? Could've been an interesting story, that I suppose is just an extended version of this episode's climax, but I would've liked it.

[@MrGreaves]

You should read the two Time Lord Victorious novels “The Knight, The Fool and The Dead” and “All Flesh is Grass”. Glad they made these to further the time lord victorious plot that sadly got skipped

[@GeorgeMarionerd]

@@MrGreaves Ooh I didn't know about them. Doctor who Books is something I'm yet to try actually.

[@MrGreaves]

@@GeorgeMarionerd I haven’t read them yet but I’ve heard very great things. Apparently The Knight, The Fool and The Dead follows directly on from The Waters of Mars.

[@GeorgeMarionerd]

@@MrGreaves Like an alternate 'what happened next' story

[@olived9560]

@@GeorgeMarionerd It’s not alternate, it’s a direct continuation of events (sorry if I misunderstood what you were saying, by the way).

[@JoshSweetvale]

18:30 One of The Rules for RTD-era writing was: Thou shalt not use the TARDIS to solve plot. Only other time we saw Ten break that rule was running a starter cable in Utopia, and he even _called_ that cheating.

[@adamarycurtis7016]

This episode had one of my favourite Easter eggs which was the bio for the Australian astronaut character - a south Australian who had gone to Adelaide University for his engineering degree before going OS, which mimicked the path of Andy Thomas who was one of the first Australian astronauts to go to space.

[@shannonclark8313]

The fact that this episode was meant to just be a filler Christmas special apart of the holiday line up, it had a smaller budget compared to most episodes (due to the 2008 financial crisis) and the main villain got changed last minute due to some of the budget being given to a different episode. THIS IS AMAZING the episode is just fantastic. It literally the perfect episode to show someone who has no interest in doctor who cause it’s both a great standalone episode and the best of what this show has as an intro.

[@KevinLeroyGrant]

I feel like this special was the perfect lead in to The End of Time and makes watching all three of those episodes in succession so satisfying

[@Road_to_Dawn]

Waters of Mars is my favorite episode of the entire show. And you briefly mentioned this, but one reason I love it so much is the fact that it’s almost treated like a historical. Like the Martian pioneers are real people. You might as well have had David Tennant saying “Oh, you’re Neil Armstrong! And Edwin Aldrin Jr! They used to call you ‘Buzz’… Oh, and Michael Collins, I could never have forgotten you!” And with the setting, the base, and the suits looking so genuinely NASA, even reminiscent of the ISS, it feels authentic, like it could’ve actually happened. Another thing is when the Doctor is describing to Adelaide just how important to history she is. It's like Vincent and the Doctor, when Vincent learns just how beloved and remembered he is, how he actually made a difference in the course of history, and is celebrated.

[@Daniel_leading_the_13_Plateans]

Best episode EVER . (except midnight ofc)

[@ChanchoCubano]

Midnight is bad I don’t get why everyone likes it. Premise is boring, plot is boring, characters suck, just so bad. I don’t get what‘a so good. Same for heaven sent.

[@georggggggge]

@@ChanchoCubano Tbf I also really love both of those episodes, they’re the kind that age with time and people turn around to yknow, it’s hard to explain but when you realised you like it, you like it and there’s not much else from that

[@johnmorrison4639]

I used this episode to introduce my friends to Doctor Who, they’ve been hooked ever since

[@captainstage2009]

I bet the doctor would’ve known how to mess with time more carefully if he had taken a skill share lesson on paradoxes LOL!

[@elodiealaya]

Regarding the point with Father's Day that is often overlooked; the Doctor and Rose travel to the same point in history twice, and the two sets of them there make that point in time particularly vulnerable, as the Doctor mentions, which is what I think caused the Reapers to appear. It wasn't that Rose saved Pete from being run over, but the doubles of Rose and the Doctor that weakened the moment just enough to allow the Reapers to begin coming through.

[@kieran7675]

It annoys me so much when people miss this, Rose essentially erases her past self and then changes history, that's why they appear

[@xBoringPerfectionx]

This kind of episode just confirms RTD as the greatest showrunner. Looking at this episode and the shit the chibnal churns out, it's hard to believe it's even the same show.

[@ashokrai2263]

fart now fart

[@alim.9801]

1000000% agree

[@gojira545]

This aged well

[@xBoringPerfectionx]

@@gojira545 how so? He's still the best

[@hokage102364]

Tbf, it was also heavily implied in Father's Day that them having visited the exact same point in space time multiple times, destabilizing things, leading to the reapers.

[@dalekcaan99]

Okay,, so this is not much of a consequential fan theory - but it's always interested me. Seeing this video, I was reminded of one of my biggest questions of the episode. Why was Maggie's infection so different from the others? Now, whilst we see several infections towards the end of the episode, we only really see three infections for long scale; Maggie, Andy and Tarak. So only these three are really long enough to use for comparison. We saw that Maggie was very much more aware or sentient than the other two and the Doctor even makes a point of mentioning it, but we are never given a reason. She even has different eyes to the male infected we see. Furthermore, we do briefly see Steffi's infection and she seems to have the same eyes as her. However, we know that the Flood were frozen in the ice by the Ice Warriors, we know that they had some contact with one and another. We also know from classic who and "The Empress of Mars" that the ancient Martain Ice Warriors were a matriarchal species, with a Queen in charge, like a Bee Hive or an Ant nest. So, my idea is, what if the Flood virus used this? What if it specifically evolved like this; to treat the men of a species like drones and the female of a species like a hive queen - because that's what it was used to with the Ice Warriors? Its not a massively important point, but it explains a question that always made me curious. Thoughts?

[@MrGreaves]

That’s a very nice theory and I’m accepting it. To be honest it’s unlikely Russell thought of this but if he acknowledged it and that’s the real reason then I’m fucking impressed at this attention to detail. Again it’s probably just a theory but it’s one that I love

[@dalekcaan99]

@@MrGreaves Yeah! Probably not the intended thing, but I love how well it fits. Glad youre a fan.

[@olived9560]

Yeah, I really, really like that theory.

[@dalekcaan99]

@@olived9560 Thank you!

[@KrisFrost4359]

In a deleted scene, the Maggie zombie even speaks, though RTD said in the commentary they cut it to maintain the creepiness.

[@lilithhedwig5408]

Also one of the most chilling performances from Tennant That "though" always gets me

[@JyujinPlus]

I don’t know if this carries over to the UK, but something I think it deserves praise for is that Waters on Mars went so far and so hard that it’s the only Doctor Who story to receive a different TV rating. Most Doctor Who Episodes in the states are rated TV G, but Waters on Mars is TV PG

[@quantummidget]

My personal headcanon regarding the reapers is based on something that the ninth doctor says during that episode, that the two pairs of Rose and The Doctor created a weak point. Then, when Rose saved her dad and changed that fixed point, it ruptured the point in time. If there had been other versions of the tenth doctor on Mars, the reapers may have come through the breach, but without that, the universe was able to correct its course. It's kinda like getting a light graze. If you just graze it once it'll heal over, but if the skin is already weak and thin, the skin will break and you'll start to bleed.

[@carolinemcgovern4488]

Honestly, this makes sense to me

[@Greenhourglass]

as i was rewatching the series as an adult, i had started thinking about how it would be a fantastic idea to have a "fires of pompeii" esque episode where the doctor ends up in the middle of a major historical event, but for something set in the future. i had totally forgotten about this one. this really is the perfect episode - and #1 most depressing one too

[@supuaforever21]

The Water of Mars, is like we saw the Doctor's Darkest Hour after hearing the warning "He Will Knock Four Times" in the ending of "Planet of the Dead" This is truly the Best Special to be ever existed , man I wish there's a OST for this episode, not only it was amazing, but it's also an amazing way to continue this "Time Lord Victorious" arc The Waters of Mars is a Must-watch Special , because of David Tennant's Performance, and the plot twists and also it's Dark Moments 10/10

[@EpicGamer-dk1tp]

This is one of my favourite Doctor Who review shows, I don’t know a single person who can make these videos so quickly and of such high quality from back when you used to speak in your videos like you were heavily sedated 2 years ago to the amazing videos we watch now. Thank you.

[@codyxvasco592]

First time I saw this I thought it felt like a random sci fi horror adopted into a doc who episode.

[@thevfxmancolorizationvfxex4051]

Honestly, I would've liked The End of Time More if The Doctor's Time Lord Victorious arc carried over there. Waters of Mars would be Revenge of The Sith, and End of Time would be Return of The Jedi with The Doctor overcoming his time lord victorious persona to save the day and go out in a dignified manner

[@CREN13Queen]

This episode always gives me Torchwood vibes in just how dark and twisted it all is. It's messed up for him to walk away but it's also messed up for him to give in and save them, it's a no win sinario, either way the hero comes away looking morally comprimised and emotionally messed up by the experience - which is basically Jack in Torchwood.

[@mattotoo-anakwa579]

Adelaide killing herself also feels like death and time winning in this moment. It’s very chilling. As though death is around the corner laughing at him and the fact he thought he could win against it.

[@redjirachi1]

"The laws of time are mine and they will obey me!" "I am the Master, and you will obey me!"

[@etherealtb6021]

Such a great ep and an acting triumph for Tennant. He's genuinely scary at the end. Too bad the next ep just couldn't live up to this. Pretty impossible!

[@lykan2]

"The Doctor, Doctor....fuuuuuuun....." is probably one of my favourite lines in Doctor Who.

[@GuineaPigEveryday]

I really like that this episode is in a way an homage to The Thing but never takes too much from it. It shares a lot of similarities but in a good way, by adapting a few plot points as well as the tensions and fears from that film. In the same way that there are a few episodes that take inspiration from Alien.

[@baders087]

I’m surprised Harbo didn’t talk more about the Dalek scene. There was always something so unsatisfying about the fact the Dalek abiding by Time Lord rules, when it was the Daleks’ objective to destroy reality. A Dalek would never just accept that it is going to be defeated, and it would probably relish in the notion it is destroying human advancement.

[@kieran7675]

I don't think it's necessarily the time lord rules it's obeying, it's essentially the universe giving her plot armour

[@Finn_01]

@@kieran7675Plus Davros would probably be pretty pissed if he found out a random Dalek was able to destroy all of time before he could

[@carolinemcgovern4488]

My pet theory is that yes the Daleks wouldn't care- but before the reality bomb goes off history is still historying-the rules of time are still in effect- therefore Adelaide can't die.

[@captainstage2009]

I bet the crew would’ve easily been able to save themselves if they had taken a skill share class on how to survive water aliens LOL! Back with another skill share joke :D

[@NileSWPhotography]

I remember dying to get home to watch this episode after waiting a whole 7 months since Planet of the Dead and I swear I wasn’t disappointed. Really wish they kept the time lord victorious mood going until the end having the Doctor regenerate after going TOOOO far

[@azapro911]

The water beasts are probably RTD's greatest ever monster, Moffatesque in its terrifying everyday simplicity like statues or shadows. One drop, even on the skin, you're done.

[@user-jn1wm3tb8v]

You know what this means... *Where's the End of Time review?*

[@msredfox]

Eyy, yet another brilliant upload, thanks for the constant quality content, Harbo

[@connorslibrarycorner4996]

Part of me would love a "fixed point" episode where the doctor does leave and he just sits in his tardis watching and breaking down as events happens knowing he can't help and remembering this moment every time he's tempted. Eventually it just happens and he just walks away. It sounds so depressing but it would be so impactful seeing the doctor's struggle but using his past to know it needs to happen

[@CREN13Queen]

I think the setting being so close to us really helps, like you said it's like a historical figure episode but about someone from the future. Reminds me of people having the thought that The Martian movie is a biopic for a moment when watching before remembering we haven't actually put people on mars yet. It's space but it feels grounded in this really special way, and that just makes all the themes and ideas explored in the episode just hit that much harder

[@NoahIsCanned]

The time has finally arrived!

[@BatmannotBruceWayne1]

“Water always wins” But why does water always win? Because water has time. Really “time always wins” water is just its medium, much like in this episode.

[@CalamityVirus]

You either die a hero, or live long enough to become a villain. Really fits the doctor here.

[@SuperFitzyBoi]

With the villains in this being called The Flood, and the planet in the previous episode being called San Helios, I wonder if RTD or the other writers had been playing Halo at all in the lead-up to writing these episodes

[@marianne2529]

I love that you covered this episode - despite never being able to rewatch the episode since it first aired because I am still freaking terrified of the Flood! It's a sign of how excellent the episode was is that I still remember it so clearly and still love it even after 10 years+ (I'm pretty sure it also kicked off my love for zombie/horror films as well)

[@DarkButz]

Holy crap, I just noticed this episode's conclusion is basically a mirror of Fires of Pompeii, how reluctant the Doctor was to save Caecilius and his family, because it could mess up the timeline, but he then also becomes loved and literally worshiped by them. But he does it out of kindness (and because Donna begged him to do it, but the decision was ultimately his). Then comes Waters of Mars. Ten also saves people whose survival could mess up the timeline (and it did), but this time he does it out of arrogance, becomes hated and feared by the ones he saved and pays for it.

[@JoshSweetvale]

Also the Impossible Planet. Humans reached beyond their grasp, built a base and dug up a sealed horror. Which would also get repeated underwater with 12. Who fixed the paradox problem. :D Because the Doctor learns from his mistakes.

[@shonen_x_trash2488]

"I'm the winner. The Timelord victorious," was bad ass. One woman sticking up to him with her life was even more bad ass. She humbled a god who had overstepped.

[@OfficialRaveBlitz]

This is possibly my personal all-time favorite Doctor Who episode. The tension, the stakes, the horror aspect, and the drama, as well as David Tennant's incredible performance. This episode is just perfect. Not to mention it takes place on my favorite planet of the Solar System: Mars.

[@SymphonyDemons]

I might be missing or forgetting something imporant about how fixed points and stuff work, but If the Doctor wanted to save Adelaide, could he have just taken her as a companion and asked her to change her name to be on the safe side. Then they could just go on adventures across time and space. As far as anyone back on earth would know she would be dead. I doubt they are going to go to the base wreckage and dig up any bodies. Don't get me wrong I love this episode and wouldn't have it any other way, I just always wondered why the thought never even crossed his mind.

[@special_patrol_group]

you really can't watch dr who without recognising actors from sherlock , torchwood, soaps etc. love how few actors the bbc actually seems to have

[@Eroxi3]

Don't even get me started on how chillingly beautiful Vale playing during the evacuation scene is. Gives me chills just THINKING about it

[@MyNamesDEADMAN]

I remember watching the waters of Mars when it first released I had starting watching with tennant but had watched Eccleston before this the water creatures terrified me and I adored gadget gadget I was a kid like 6 or 7 but I still saw the greatness in this a classic episode of Doctor who that built my love for the show alot more.

[@colmcille4388]

The episode scared the shit out of me when I was 10 (I was a big scardey cat back in the day)

[@Pacmanfan-po9rn]

Still wish some of the deleted scenes for this episode were included. The one where we find out the two researchers were a couple is great.

[@KrisFrost4359]

Also Ed's original final words. "I'm sorry Adelaide. No couples on board, good rule. See you later." I did like the "You never could forgive me" line, though.

[@OblivionWalkerVerified]

You’ve inspired me to make a video essay on production errors in all doctor who episodes.

[@jaburke1054]

The single most haunting "It's bigger on the inside"

[@Mattswfc14]

He did it. He finally did it!

[@akodaah13-e32]

i think the "that's for me to decide" after adelaide saying "the timelord victorious is wrong" is just... ufff... that moment i was a little bit scared

[@MantraHerbInchSin]

Waters of Mars and the Impossible Planet/ Satan Pit are my favorites

[@Andrew-up3dr]

The ending of this episode really creeped me out as a kid

[@jaysinha0]

Great episode - quite scary too. The sequence where parts of the exploded station were in flames would not happen as there isn't enough free oxygen in the atmosphere of Mars.

[@ohmy255]

I love this episode. I've watched it so so so many times (Well more than 15) and I never tire of it. It's just such a perfect episode that absolutely captures the essence of Dr who

[@tawhid765]

Best episode ever! One of the first Doctor Who episodes I watched when I was 2

[@mesiah21]

I would have loved to see some episodes of Ten going on as the 'Timelord Victorious'. To see him as the cocky, ego-centric Doctor for a few episodes, before coming to his senses would have been great.

[@mccorade5941]

Given who the doctor faces off against in the End of Time, I think the line "The laws of time are mine, and they will obey me" is meant to create a parallel between the Doctor and the Master, referencing the Master's tendency to say "You will obey me" whenever he hypnotizes someone.

[@kieran7675]

It's genuinely the best new-who episode, by far I remember as a kid not quite getting it and watching it again a couple of years ago and being blown away

[@willbaker6532]

Regarding the reapers I thought they only appear when a paradox is caused? Like in fathers day there was a paradox because rose wouldve never gone back to save her father if he hadn't died. And then created more of a paradox by coming into contact with herself as a baby which is physically impossible. Waters of Mars changes the future but doesn't exactly create a paradox as its so easily changeable and the events of the episode don't make themselves impossible. Like the Dr going to Mars and saving them doesn't make it impossible for the doctor to be on Mars at that time

[@therealeikichionizuka]

The Waters of Mars was the first episode I ever watched of Dr Who back in preschool. So glad people love it this much.

[@DoubleFractals]

This is my favourite episode in the Series by all means.

[@benpriest9555]

Harbo: You can’t grow any crops (on mars) Mat Damon: Hold my beer

[@lucypreece7581]

This episode I exceptional and honestly if this had been the regeneration episode I would not have been disappointed

[@yannatoko9898]

The best story ever indeed, watched it many many times. Pity about the re-used shot of the Doctor looking up at the ceiling, and the Dalek... but otherwise, masterpiece!