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.