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The Satan Pit Format Reviewed: TV Review The Satan Pit brings to a close the two part story set around a black hole in deep space. As might be gleened from the title, there are religious undertones here and the implication is that the main aggressor is the centre of all myths surrounding devils or satan. With ancient mystical writing and a dark tone, the story continues in much the same way as it started. Picking up from the cliffhanger of the previous episode, The Doctor and Ida are ordered to return to the colony and Toby appears to not be possessed any more. The crew meanwhile try to work out a way of stopping the Ood who are attacking, and could soon overwhelm them. After a message from The Beast, the Doctor decides to descend into the pit and is lowered on a rope. Eventually the rope runs out and he decides to drop. He is OK though and goes on to discover The Beast. The crew find a way of paralysing the Ood and set about excaping in their rocket, while the Doctor realises that to stop The Beast he must effectively sacrifice the fleeing crew complete with Rose. When he discovers the TARDIS, he stops The Beast and rescues the rocket just before it is sucked into the black hole, after Toby has 'turned' again because of The Beast. The Satan Pit carries on with the good themes and tone from the previous episode, but for me it seemed to be more focussed on the special effects. Granted the special effect of The Beast is mightily impressive, but we seem to be asked here to rely on this for the terror being put accross in this episode. In the previous epiosode, it was more subtle and hinted threat, and much like in the original Alien film, this can be much scarier than seeing a great dolloping monster on-screen. With the cast being the same as the previous episode, surprisingly enough, the performances are largely similar. Billie Piper again excels, and David Tennant is once more slightly subdued, but not as much as in the previous episode. The stand out performer of the guest cast is once again Will Thorp playing Toby. He largely is not possessed in the episode, but the scenes around his death are truly memorable. Yet again we get bombarded with heavy emotion, as Rose believes the Doctor has died, only to have him rescue her in the end. Also, in the scenes around The Beasts message, the interplay between Rose and the Doctor is deep. It's not too bad here, but continues a worrying trend. Having been critical so far though, I should override that somewhat with praise for the writing and direction. The Satan Pit is probably one of the better conclusions of a two part story since the return of Doctor Who to our TV screens. I think that on the previous ones I have been left rather unfulfilled after a terriffic first episode only to be slightly let down by its conclusion. Overall, The Satan Pit will probably stand the test of time and be an example of how good and varied the new series of Doctor Who can be. The story is certainly not without its faults, but it is a good'un. If not for the story, it is well worth watching for Will Thorps portrayal of Toby alone, as he is electrifying thoughout. Rating:  |