The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for "Planet Of The Ood," the third episode from the fourth season of BBC?s "Doctor Who."

They journey across the stars for one purpose ... to serve. At least, that?s the way humanity are portraying the arrival of the Ood.

Who says dark, sinister and complex stories need to be reserved entirely for ?Torchwood?? If ?Planet of the Ood? is any indication, ?Doctor Who? is quite capable of delivering the same fantastic backdrops with a harder-than-normal edge to it.

In this case, the second great bountiful Human Empire isn?t quite as noble as the legends would suggest.

After setting the Tardis to ?random mode,? The Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna (Catherine Tate) arrive on a snow-covered planet inhabited by humanity and also The Ood, whom you may remember as the telepathic squid-faces from ?The Impossible Planet.? As servants to humanity, The Ood carry out all the tasks people don?t want to do ... and they are only 50 credits (what a bargain).

The Ood are by far the most interesting and unique aliens the new ?Doctor Who? has presented, and their return is a fantastic opportunity not only to explore the aliens themselves, but also to see a shadowy side of the human race, the side that doesn?t make it into the history books.

What Worked

The special effects for the episode were truly spectacular, and each grand sweeping landscape shot was even better than the one before. The Mill really outdid themselves with this one. The most impressive is of course the snow-covered landscape the Tardis materialized on and the subsequent treks through the barren wastelands.

In fact, the entire execution of ?Planet of the Ood? was made of stronger stuff than ?Doctor Who?s? usual high standards. Scenes of slavery where unusually sinister for ?Doctor Who,? particularly as a fallen Ood is whipped into shape, and the elegance and beauty of the Ood song only helps to reinforce the belief that Humanity is a monster spreading throughout the stars.

And that is perhaps why the revolution of the Ood comes as such a welcome event. The snow and spreading fires is the perfect backdrop for the revolt and you can?t help but feel a deep pang of sorry for the squid faced aliens. There was also one fantastically well-conceived shot of an Ood slowly surveying the damage through a small fire as the blizzard rages overhead, and then later there was something to humbling as The Ood stand and stare at the snow with new eyes as a free people.

Murray Gold was also up to his old tricks with some heart-pumping chase music as a SWAT team hunts down an Ood escapee while Solana (Ayesha Dharker) delivers the PR speech, and then again while The Doctor evades the giant claw like he was a cuddly toy in a games machine.

Over the last two episodes, it sounds like the third volume of the ?Doctor Who? soundtrack will be the best yet.

And, you can?t help but "ooh" and "ahh" at the "Coming Soon" trailer at the end: next week, a return to Earth, Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) and a Sontarn invasion.

What Didn?t Work

Turning the leader of The Ood processing plant, Halpin (Tom McInnerny), into an Ood was a little too out there and did slightly detract from the final release of The Ood kind. The special effects as the tentacles spread from his mouth were also greatly dwarfed by the majesty of what came before.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"Doctor Who" stars David Tennant and Catherine Tate, and airs Saturday nights at 6.20 p.m. GMT on BBC 1, and then on Friday nights on The SciFi Channel at 8.30 p.m. ET. "Planet Of The Ood" was written by Keith Temple and was directed by Graeme Harper.

Alan Stanley Blair is the assistant news editor for Airlock Alpha and its sister site Rabid Doll. Contributing from his home country of Scotland, he is currently studying for a diploma in freelance journalism and can be reached at anytime at ablair@airlockalpha.com.

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Hear Michael Hinman on SyFy Radio every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, and Sundays at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT at www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SyFyRadio.