Doctor Who: The Well Review - 8 Ups & 2 Downs

In Aliens, James Cameron swaps the claustrophobic tension of Ridley Scott's original for a full-scale war movie set on a colony world. Steven Moffat's Blink sequel, The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone, did something similar by pairing our hero with a group of space marines to battle an army of Weeping Angels.

Both of these sequels lost their way in the upscale, losing the tension and atmosphere of the originals in pursuit of bigger thrills. By conceiving a similar type of sequel to Midnight, Russell T Davies and co-writer Sharma Angel-Walfall manage to retain the unnerving atmosphere of the original while expanding our knowledge of the central monster.

And yet, the old adage that sequels are never as good still applies here.

For all the new elements that The Well introduces, some don't quite work, while many of our supporting characters don't leave their mark in the same way as Midnight's fellow passengers. But more than any of that, The Well ends in a very similar way to Midnight – a heroic sacrifice that leaves the monster exactly where we found it.

So, after the mixed bag that was Lux, how does Doctor Who Season 2 fare this week? Let's find out.

Instead of Britney Spears' Toxic, the Doctor and Belinda should have been listening to David Bowie's Space Oddity. Because when it's time for them to leave their capsule, they very quickly have to put their helmet on and jump out of the platoon's tin can of a spaceship.

Let's not get hung up on how the TARDIS had two of the exact spacesuits the Doctor and Bel needed to blend into their mission because it enabled one of The Well's best gags. We're used to the Doctor and their companions bumbling into an adventure, but rarely is it as chaotic and high-octane as this.

Walking right out of the TARDIS into an outer space base jump is a pretty dynamic way to go into the title sequence, and sets up The Well as a thrilling sci-fi blockbuster.

It's also an interesting way to set up the episode's climax, which sends Shaya diving into the well to save the Doctor and Belinda. And if Bel thought jumping out of a spaceship was a heartstopping moment, she ain't seen nothing yet...