Doctor Who's 60th anniversary celebration continues with the second adventure, "Wild Blue Yonder."  When last we left the 14th Doctor and Donna Noble, the TARDIS was having a meltdown because Donna accidentally spilled coffee on the console.  Perhaps adding a coffee maker to the newest interior wasn't the greatest idea if a small mishap could cause such damage, but we digress.  In any case, the out of control TARDIS drops the duo off on a seemingly deserted spaceship and then disappears.  That's when the weirdness begins.

Warning:  There are a few spoilers ahead.

"Wild Blue Yonder" begins with our crew accidentally causing an apple to fall on Sir Isaac Newton in 1666.  You can guess what happens next, but what's telling is that Donna and the Doctor later both comment on the hotness of Sir Newton.  Even the Doctor seems a little surprised by his own reaction (and somewhere Captain Jack Harkness' ears perk up at this development.)  That's something to keep an eye on moving forward.

The damaged TARDIS eventually reaches the abandoned spaceship, while continuing to go crazy over the spilled coffee.  There's just no way they're abandoning that gorgeous set after one episode.  However, for now, the big blue box is out of here.

The visuals are once again gorgeous.  The shots are bathed in a luscious blue tint, they're brightly lit, and they're a new level of complexity in structure.  However, there's one small issue, which we don't want to harp on, but we need to briefly discuss.  There are a number of scenes, particularly in the first half of this story, where it's clear that David Tennant and Catherine Tate are standing in front of a green screen, and it's distracting.  This also happens sometimes in Marvel movies.  Hopefully it won't be a recurring issue, and it doesn't happen for whole time, but it's a touch off-putting.

Putting that to the side, someone is watching the Doctor and Donna as they try to work out their current situation.  This is a familiar spot for the Time Lord.  It's like an updated version of "The Ark in Space."  The Doctor eventually figures out that the ship fell through a wormhole and ended up on the edge of the universe.

Then things get trippy.

In general terms, "Wild Blue Yonder" starts to resemble Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.  These might be the oddest visuals we've ever seen on the show.  Things and people aren't how they appear, and the threat on board the ship is  eventually discovered.   The Doctor and Donna have to have faith in each other to solve the problem.  (Think Amy and Rory in "The Doctor's Wife.")

As you may have read elsewhere, "The Timeless Child" story gets a brief mention.  We argue there's a treasure trove of stories to be explored there, so it was great to hear that Russell T. Davies intended to keep it as canon.  It packs a real punch here and is one of the best parts of the episode.   It's also a moment to see the Doctor struggling with the aftermath of the whole Flux saga.  He hasn't forgotten half the universe got wiped out in that mess. 

The threat is eventually resolved, and the Doctor and Donna have a few minutes together before returning to Earth.  These two are one of the best pairings in the history of Doctor Who, and it's easy to see the strength of their friendship.  The 14th Doctor radiates loneliness, and you can see how much he treasures Donna.  We're totally there if Big Finish ever decides to feature them (with David Tennant playing the 14th Doctor, not the 10th) in some audio adventures.

The duo finally makes it back to Earth, and we can sum up our excitement for the third and final chapter of this anniversary celebration in one word:

Wilf!

See you next week!

The Doctor and Donna go on a disturbing ride.  (pic via ew.com)