First and Foremost, I want to apologize for something. In last week’s review I talked about how the flash cards the Doctor had to use to try and find a response to a situation did make me laugh at it’s “jerkiness”. A friend of mine made me realize that this could have been an allusion to the Twelfth Doctor potentially being on the Autism spectrum. I had not that considered that, even if that is no excuse at all and I will try to be more considerate in the future.
Alright, let’s do it.
1. A One-On-One Conversation
So, this episode begins with the Doctor in the TARDIS heading back to before the dam that sunk the town in “Under the Lake” to stop whatever has been causing the mayhem. As he and O’Donnell and Bennett are traveling back, he’s discussing the concept of the “bootstrap paradox”, or where a subsequent event becomes the cause of a previous one. Except he’s not talking to the two with him.
He’s talking to the audience.
Now, this isn’t the first time Twelve’s done this. Last season’s “Listen” had a similar pre-credits scene where he’s discussing the concept of “perfect” hiding. In “Listen” though it was more talking to himself with the fourth wall breaking laced in. Here’s it’s more blatant. Still, Capaldi was great in the scene.
2. Oh, Not These Guys Again
So I realized that Toby Whithouse wrote this episode and “Under the Lake”. It came to me because he had written another episode, the Eleventh Doctor episode “The God Complex”. Remember that? More specifically, remember the alien in that who came from the planet that was the most invaded/occupied planet in the universe? You know, the most annoying part of an otherwise good episode? Yeah, another one of those guys are in this episode. Thankfully he is killed almost immediately and becomes the first ghost from last week’s episode (who dressed like a Victorian man because… reasons)
I’ll give it this, the dude made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, and yet incredibly blatant, reference to S&M soooo plus?
3. Kill All The Fans!
Yes, that is technically the cry I make whenever some useless bit of protoplasm complains when a non-straight white male gets some page time in a comic, but I mention that because this show has been having a habit of killing fans of the Doctor. Yes, O’Donnell, who worked in U.N.I.T. and knew about a lot of the Doctor’s exploits (and even hinted to something yet to come) dies. I will say, it is a lot more respectful and not at all mean spirited like I found the death of Osgood in last season’s “Death in Heaven”. Now, if this is the last time I can be reminded of that godawful episode, I’d very much appreciate it.
4. I Too Loved Daredevil
So, the deaf woman Cass had a really cool moment in this episode. She is traveling one of the corridors of the base in search of one of her comrades, not knowing one of the ghosts is behind her, dragging a fireaxe, scraping it across the ground. It’s a tense and creepy scene as Cass begins to have suspicions of being followed and puts her hand to the ground and we get a nice shout out to old Hornhead’s ability to sense things. I look forward to Cass defending Hell’s Kitchen (or whatever the London equivalent is) and for Space Punisher to show up next season…
I’m not kidding about that “Space Punisher” thing. It exists.
5. Them Shades
So this was the episode that finally sold me on the Sonic Sunglasses. Apart from the fact, that the Doctor didn’t always have that Screwdriver, the dude was over relying on it. Both in the Russell Davies era and in the Moffat era this has happened. Dialing it back a bit was good, plus it does add something uniquely to Twelve. And they do play a critical role in this episode that tied into the beginning of this review with the concept of the bootstrap paradox. And it’s a well done change, considering it was done on a whim.
