The Doctor is back and starts this three-part special with the petal to the metal!
As The Doctor returns to earth, he shockingly reunites with Donna Noble, who still doesn't remember him. He tries to keep his distance from her, but soon, a spaceship that looks to be crashing down suddenly lands, and UNIT and Doctor investigate.
Donna's daughter, Rose, meets The Meep, who happens to be hunted by the Wrath warriors. Donna soon meets The Meep, and in that classic, Donna reacts to the space creature. The Doctor arrives and tries to understand the situation but gets caught in a battle between the hunters and a UNIT, who are under a mysterious possession from the spaceship.
As Doctor and the rest escape, he questions why no one got hurt, or even the car they took wasn't damaged. He summoned the warriors to meet along with the Meep and learned that the Meep was a creature that went mad and killed its kind. But just as they explained, the Meep kills the warriors and goes on to do its grand plan by using its drill from its ship to destroy London.
As the Doctor and others were taken in a holden-cell, UNIT's Shirley Anne Bringham helped break them out. The doctor tries to stop Meep but also gets help from Donna, who believes she needs to do something. Trapped in the ship and separate from a glass wall, the Doctor triggers Donna's memories, goes button-pushing crazy, and stops Meep's plans.
But that doesn't end as Rose takes the sun-possessed soldier's powers away, but there's a game changer: Donna doesn't die because she passed along half of the time lord powers to Rose.
Just as The Meep is taken into custody, it warns about how its boss will learn about The Doctor.
The Doctor and Donna agree to take the TARDIS to visit Wilford, who is alive and living in a living facility helped by UNIT. But as they look around the new digs of the TARDIS, Donna spills coffee, and the machine catches on fire.
"The Star Beast" is an hour special that doesn't waste time explaining the plot and keeps the pace well, making this feel like a mini-movie event wrapped with the classic Russell T. Davis style of a Doctor Who episode.
I loved this episode, and it had me at times in tears with not only seeing Donna and the Doctor together but also hearing about Wilford and even The Meep with Rose, which has me crying.
The performances from Tennant and Tate were terrific. I loved Yasmin Finney's performance as Rose and Ruth Madeley's performance as Bringhman.
Overall, I give this episode special a 9/10.
You can catch Doctor Who The Star Beast on Disney+ with the following special next Saturday.
What did you think of The Star Beast? Leave a comment below!
