What did you think of this episode?
Sonic!
Good!
Bumpy-wumpy!
Exterminate!
A slightly click bait episode title, considering Tennant had told us all he was hanging up his screwdriver - for the time being anyway. This was a Christmas special set in Victorian London during the festive season, and the episode opens with the Doctor charging to help someone calling his name, or so he thinks.
The Doctor crosses paths with a man also called the Doctor, a man we later find out to be Jackson Lake played by David Morrissey. It is around the time we discover Jackson Lake that the episode goes a bit pear shaped, but the first half is intriguing stuff. I think the perfect way to describe this episode is to use some football terminology - it was a game of two halves.
The first half was full of great moments as the Doctor tried to work out who 'The Next Doctor' was. Why did he have no memories? Why was his sonic screwdriver just a screwdriver? Why was his TARDIS a hot air balloon?
David Morrissey played the role perfectly, and it was a thrilling watch. As I mentioned, after the reveal of who he really is, a brilliant scene where he realises his wife has been killed, the episode starts to fail to deliver.
"If you could stand back sir. This is a job for a Time Lord."
Is this a slightly controversial opinion? I think the Cybermen are slightly overrated as villains. The concept of them is gruesome of course, but they are loud, and clunky, and never seem all that menacing. It isn't until World Enough and Time when we truly get to see the horror of them.
Another thing I was thinking is we need more female villains. I loved Miss Hartigan played by Dervla Kirwan in this episode - a woman scorned, who seized control of a cyber army. I loved her until it all went awry anyway, but I'll get to that. She’s cunning, ruthless, and power-hungry, making her one of the more memorable human villains in the show for me. I love how she stands out in the snow and dour colours of Victorian London as well.
Sometimes I get the feeling that women don't get to flex their muscles as much as men. Where are all the iconic villains? I don't want women who are perfect, I want them flawed. Perfect characters are boring. People seem afraid to write flawed women. Check out any advert on TV, a perfect woman and a dozy bloke, always, it makes you despise the pair of them!
"I saw you looking. You cheeky boy."
I was never fully clear on Miss Hartigan's plan, and this is where the episode unravelled. Suddenly it was revealed she was a genius, one of the great minds, I'm not sure that was shown in the episode, it didn't feel justified. We hadn't seen how she took charge of the Cybermen, we just saw her acting iconic bowling about with them at funerals.
She had the potential to be such a memorable villain, and then just like that she was a giant robot stomping about, and then just as quickly, she had gone. I would have much preferred her not to have been converted, maybe she could have tricked someone else to be CyberKing, and then, she could have survived, it is much more fun when a villain isn't fully defeated.
This is a problem with the Cybermen, they are always fully defeated. Again, it isn't until World Enough and Time and The Doctor Falls where we don't fully know what happened to them. We can only assume that they eventually worked their way through the ship and Nardole and co are now all converted. Maybe I am just sick, but I prefer that ending.
"TARDIS. T-A-R-D-I-S. It stands for Tethered Aerial Release Developed in Style. D’you see?"
If I could sum up the episode in one scene it would be David Morrissey putting in a performance as Jackson finds his son, only for his son to be one of the shittest child actors we have seen. We get Tennant being heroic in what could be a great scene only that great scene is slightly ruined by the fact the kid is just stood there, he doesn't look frightened, he just looks a bit bored. The good and the bad. The episode hints at being brilliant, but then isn't.
Miss Hartigan could be an all time villain but ends up stomping around in a big robot for a bit. Rosita could be a fun addition, but then we don't see much of her. Every good moment was cancelled out by a bad one. Still, onwards and upwards.
RATING: Bumpy-wumpy!
BEST LINE: "Well… it makes noise. That’s sonic, isn’t it?"
#DoctorWho #TheNextDoctor #DavidTennant #DavidMorrissey #JacksonLake #DervlaKirwan #VelileTshabalala #Rosita #Cybermen #Cyberman #CyberKing #MissHartigan #Ten #FourKnocks #Christmas #HeWillKnockFourTimes #Regeneration #RTD #TARDIS #Series4 #DWSpecial
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