Series 9 - The Girl Who Died / The Woman Who Lived

          I fell a little behind with my take on “The Girl Who Died”, so I thought this was an appropriate spot to look at both parts of this story together. As two parters go, this was less “two halves of a whole” and more a story and its sequel – definitely related, but by no means a traditional two-part story.

          “The Girl Who Died” comes across as the slightest story this season, which doesn’t mean it’s the worst, but one that doesn’t have some of the gravitas that previous stories did. It is, for most of the story, a good old fashioned Doctor Who romp. It’s a bit of fun, some goofiness (although even I think the Benny Hill music was a bit much), and the Doctor finally understanding why he chose his current face. But then Ashildr dies. (By the way, I wouldn’t really call that a spoiler, as it’s the title of the story, but different strokes…) Ashildr dies, and because the Doctor saves people, he brings her back to life, making her immortal. OK, I can live with that as a plot device, but it just seems wrong for the Doctor. He *knows* what is going to happen to Ashildr, and revives her anyway. It felt a little “Time Lord Victorious” and that can’t be a good thing. If he had the chip in the previous story, would he have revived O’Donnell? My gut tells me “no” – death is usually a fixed point and when it is compromised (Hello, Pete Tyler!) bad things result.

          Maisie Williams is quite good as Ashildr. She really does command the screen when she is on, even in quieter moments. She can also give Jenna Coleman a run for her money in the “who has bigger eyes” competition.  More impressively, she does a complete about face in “The Woman Who Lived” and presents the now 700+ year Ashildr (now called “Lady Me”) as a colder, harder person. Her centuries of living have made her this way, and even though she has forgotten most of her origins, she still remembers the Doctor, the one who “saved” her when she died.

          “The Woman Who Lived” is very different in tone from the first part. It reminded me very much of “The Witch’s Familiar”, as it has a lot of character study with the Doctor and, in this case, Me. The two of them are definitely not enemies, but I don’t quite go along with Me’s assessment of them as friends. Frenemies? She has a lot of resentment towards the Doctor, and rightfully so, so I don’t know if just cleaning up his messes in lieu of traveling in the TARDIS is going to be enough for her.

          Writer Catherine Tregenna is the first woman writer on the show in simply ages (Helen Raynor in Season 4, if memory serves) and I think “Woman…” is one of the strongest written stories this season.  “Girl…” was fine as a set-up, but I find it’s pretty forgettable when compared to “Woman…” a comparison that can’t really be avoided. I said earlier that “The Girl Who Died” wasn’t necessarily “bad” but I do think it’s the weakest story of the season. In contrast, “The Woman Who Lived” has a strong claim to being the best of the season so far, and that’s coming from someone who still adores the opening two-parter, as well as “Under the Lake”.

          I like where this season is going, with a lot of great character material for the Doctor. We’re seeing his relationships with friends and enemies on a more intimate basis than we are used to, and I think it’s going to be important by the end of Series 9. The evolution of Capaldi’s Doctor this season has been fascinating to watch, and Capaldi is quickly becoming a top-tier Doctor. This has been a strong season for him, and I can only anticipate things getting better.

Series 9 - Before the Flood

          Well, that was good, wasn’t it? I think the opening two parter is still my favorite of the season so far, but “Before the Flood” held up the bargain made the previous week pretty darn well. It was definitely a familiar return to the Steven Moffatt-y two parters where the second part is tonally different from the first. “Under the Lake” was classic base-under-siege, while “Before the Flood” is a timey-wimey (can we think of a replacement phrase, please?) runabout.

          That pre-credits sequence! Full on, breaking the fourth wall, direct to the audience Capaldi, and it was wonderful. His example of the Bootstrap Paradox is great and structurally fascinating as he essentially gives away the solution to the whole story. (As an aside, there is a beautiful example of the same paradox in the New Adventures novel “Happy Endings” by Paul Cornell. Seek it out.) The power chords over the theme tune were a nice touch, and if it truly was Capaldi playing, then more’s the better!

          Before I get into the things that I liked, let me gripe for a moment. I *really* do not care for the Tivoli as characters. They were a good one-off in “The God Complex” but Prentiss here is just aggravating. The concept of the always conquered race can be intriguing, but so far, I do not like them at all. Soapbox over.

          O’Donnell! Oh I liked O’Donnell in this – a fangirl of the Doctor without some of the cloying fan service like we have in the otherwise delightful Osgood. Of course members of UNIT will read the old files, and how could you miss “The Doctor” turning up in them, time after time. Her fate was telegraphed MILES away and frankly would have turned viewer expectation on its head had it resolved in some other way. 

          The (oh, okay) “timey-wimey” aspects of the story were good.  Not ultra-complex, unless you count the whole Bootstrap Paradox itself, but pretty straightforward.  Loved the Doctor saying that there was no one to stop him and then the cloister bell goes off. I do love the cloister bell sound effect, always have.

          Clara, whilst good as always, seemed a little underused here, especially coming on the heels of all her interaction with Missy. Her “If you love me in any way” speech could have been whiny, needy or any of a dozen other things, but Jenna Coleman hit just the right line between anger and desperation. I started out lukewarm on Clara, although Victorian Clara in “The Snowmen” was marvelous. I’m not sure the chemistry was right between her and Matt Smith, but there is something about her interactions with Peter Capaldi that really bring out the best in her performances. I’ll be sad to see her leave.

          The design of the Fisher King was gorgeous. Oversized monsters haven’t always fared well in Doctor Who (cough “Dragonfire” cough), but here the Fisher King had substance and weight. When he loomed over the Doctor, it was proper looming.

          All in all, it was a good “second part” to the story. I would have perhaps liked a *bit* more of the ghosts in the base than we got, but primarily because I thought they worked so well in the first half. Another strong episode this season and I don’t foresee that changing over the next couple of weeks with the Maisie Williams guest appearances. Really, I only have one thing left to say about this episode.

          Who DID write Beethoven’s Fifth??

Series 9 - Under the Lake

          “Base under siege” is a common trope in Doctor Who, but one that, when done right, works exceedingly well. The tension is cranked up, the characters reveal their truest natures when under stress, and the Doctor seems to be at his best when under some kind of pressure. All of these things are apparent in “Under the Lake”, a story that offers some good spookiness as we get closer to Halloween.

          The Doctor and Clara’s arrival is a little bit different with the TARDIS really not wanting to be there. That can’t ever be a good sign, and neither is the cloister bell we hear later in the episode. The claustrophobic feeling of this story is done remarkably well, and the lighting design is spot on. Day mode is tense, but night mode is flat out creepy. 

In classic Doctor Who, I was always a fan of stories that took something familiar but added that Who spin – vampires (“State of Decay”), Frankenstein, (“The Brain of Morbius”), mummies (“Pyramids of Mars”), etc. While the idea of ghosts and hauntings has been batted around a bit in old and new Who (“Ghost Light”, “Army of Ghosts”) “Under the Lake” is the first one to kind of get the feel of them right. I’m sure they’ll turn out to be some kind of alien after-image or something, but the “ghosts” here really seemed ghost-like.

I’m writing this only a few hours before the second half airs, and from the looks of things, it’s going to be a departure from the look and feel of “Under the Lake”. I want to withhold my final opinion until I see the story as a whole, so until then here are some highlights of this story.  See you after Part Two!

•        The Doctor’s cue cards. Wonderful! I get the feeling the Eleventh Doctor could have used a set as well, but with instructions like “Don’t need to air kiss everyone”.

•          Cass and her interpreter. Loved that she was simply a character, and her lip reading skill only became important later. She was someone who happened to be deaf not “the deaf character”.

•          Again, the lighting design. Just great

•         The design of the ghosts. The whole “eyeless” thing is a little redundant after two weeks with Davros, but seeing characters both before and after they’ve become ghosts makes the look that much scarier.

•        Sonic sunglasses. Eh, they served a useful purpose here. I don’t mind them as much as some people seem to, and I feel pretty certain the screwdriver will return. 

•       That cliffhanger! Obvious when you think about it, but still damned effective.

That’s all for now. See you all “Before the Flood”!