The Time Lord Victorious is WRONG.
The Waters of Mars is arguably the best Tenth Doctor story in my opinion. There is almost nothing that doesn't work in this story.
The Doctor lands on Mars and walks into a Mars expedition that will be destroyed with all crew killed to prevent a virus escaping that is passing through the water extracted from the planet. The Doctor talks for a majority of the episode of how that while he will help them, he cannot openly thwart time. Then angry Ten shows up and tells time to go to hell. He rescues three of the crew and blows up the base to strand the virus. But in the end, the mission commander (who serves as the pseudo-companion) kills herself to preserve the essence of the timeline. This knocks the stuffing out of the Doctor who realizes that not even he can fully thwart time.
There is almost nothing bad to say about this story. The villains are simple, but very effective in their scariness. Simple zombies but with infection coming through something as ubiquitous as water, there is a feel of relenting attack from these foes. The overall tone is also impressive as there is a dark pall that hangs over the story. You get invested in the characters and you want them to escape, but the weight of inevitability hangs over things and you feel the futility as they attempt to fight. The scene of the Doctor walking away as the base prepares to fall to the water menace is both heartbreaking and intense at the same time. Then at the last moment, he comes back. But it's not the Doctor on the white horse. This is the angry Doctor. The Doctor who gives no second chances. The Doctor who watches without pity as you die or are sentenced to a fate of eternal suffering. But even then, it's not enough. When Adelaide kills herself, the shattering that the Doctor feels is palpable. The acting is extreme and intense.
There was no part of this story where I was bored. There was no part of this story where I winced at the poor effects. I cannot recall a point where I was taken out by bad acting. It was simply an intense and very enjoyable ride.
Overall personal score: 5 out of 5
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