Episode #273 - The Husbands of River Song

River: When you love the Doctor, it's like loving the stars themselves. You don't expect a sunset to admire you back. And if I happen to find myself in danger, let me tell you, the Doctor is not stupid enough, or sentimental enough, and he is certainly not in love enough to find himself standing in it with me! 

The Doctor: Hello, sweetie.

Episode #272:      The Husbands of River Song.

Companions:        The 12th Doctor.

Air Date:             25th December 2015

The Twelfth Doctor is on the planet Mendorax Dellora in 5343, where he is asked by a man named Nardole to follow him, thinking he is a surgeon, on the orders of River Song. A surgeon is required to remove a diamond from the head of the tyrannical King Hydroflax. It became lodged there due to a ruthless act of thievery gone wrong, and River seeks to recover it. Surprised that River cannot identify his newest face, the Doctor struggles to break the news to her while learning how she acts on her own - and how many other lovers she has had. However, both he and River soon find that the time is drawing close for the last page in the diary of their journeys together to be written.

The Husbands of River Song is another hodge-podge Christmas special that does little but emphasise that it's Christmas here in the real world. It's another episode that jumps from place to place with no real story behind it. But it doesn't matter. With this episode we are here to see the final visit from the Doctor's wife River Song. It's an episode with a lot of humour, silliness and once we get to the end, a hint of romance. 

As Christmas episodes go, this isn't too bad. The real Christmas trappings only appear right near the beginning and hinted at towards the end. Otherwise it's more or less a modern Who story with a heavily humorous plot line. I am not even going to dwell on the story as it doesn't go anywhere. The Husbands of River Song basically wraps up the end of the 9th season of the show. The Doctor has had his moment of mania and now is calming down again. Realising that there are things and people in the universe other than Clara.

We do however have the introduction of a new companion of sorts in the bizarre little character of Nardole, played by Matt Lucas. He only has a "small" part in the story really but he will go on to be appear in the following season with an important role. 

Episode #272 - Hell Bent

 

"First thing you notice about the Doctor of War is he's unarmed. For many, it's also the last."

Episode #272:      Hell Bent.

Companions:        The 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald.

Air Date:             5th December 2015

After being tortured for billions of years inside his own confession dial, the Doctor has been pushed to the brink of madness. Returning to Gallifrey, he must face his own people, the Time Lords, but how far will he go in his quest for vengeance? Does he have another confession? And how fiercely does his rage towards them for causing Clara's death burn?

After the disappointing episode that preceded it, Hell Bent picks up the pace and the story quite nicely. After escaping from the confession dial he finds himself back on Gallifrey, now hidden at the far end of time. He comes into conflict with Rassilon (who seems to have gone more mad since we last saw him) and sort of takes over. It's all a ploy to snatch Clara at the moment of her death and keep her alive though, an event that causes more problems for the Doctor. Ultimately he escapes, meets up with Ashildr (Me), has a heart to heart with her, before believing that he had mind wiped her and they go their own ways. The Doctor once again on his own and Clara travelling, for now, with Ashildur. 

It's a good story with some well written dialogue and just the right amount of tension between the various characters. There are some nice throw backs to things like the Matrix and we get a bit more lore expansion. Little things that expand on the show. If I have any issue with this episode it is that it is somewhat disjointed for such an otherwise good story. We start off with the Doctor's return to Gallifrey and his meeting with Rassilon. He boots Rassilon off and then the story changes to the mythology of the Hybrid (which has been hinted at here and there). It then becomes an escape story and then falls into the explanation with Ashildr... and it doesn't flow very well. Almost like the ending was rushed. It's not a bad episode though which makes it feel odd. I just wish that somehow it had resolved itself as it leaves a lot of things left essentially unanswered.

Episode #270 - Face The Raven

 

"I can do whatever the hell I like. You read the stories, you know who I am! And in all that time, did you ever hear anything about anyone who stopped me?"

Episode #270:      Face The Raven.

Companions:        The 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald.

Air Date:             21st November 2015.

The Doctor, Clara and Rigsy are trapped on an alien street in London, that is hidden from the rest of the world. Ashildr, the immortal hybrid-girl, is taking care of some of the most dangerous creatures in the universe. Not everyone will get out alive; one of them must pay the price and face the raven.

Face The Raven is a story that knows it's ending but hasn't quite decided how to get there. We have the return of Rigsy, who we last saw in the episode Flatline, who has somehow lost a day's memory and ended up with a tattoo which is counting down. From this we end up in what the episode tries to make out is a murder mystery on a street of alien refugees overseen by Ashildur. At this point the murder mystery falls to wayside and we find that we, the viewers, and our heroes on screen have been the recipients of a bait and switch.

From this point, around half way through the story, the tone changes to something a little darker. It's a big improvement over the first half of the story. It's a set up to catch the Doctor, instigated by Ashildur who in turn has been paid by someone to catch and teleport the Doctor. In order to save Rigsy unfortunately our brave Clara gives her own life in a very heroic way which is extremely well written and acted. It's one of those rare moments in modern Who where the writers get something spot on and it gives you the feels big time. It's just a shame that it takes so long to get there with a story that could have been better up front. Face The Raven is the sort of modern story where I want to just be blunt and give it a 2 star rating but that final third of the story makes it so much better. Enough to outweigh my initial thoughts. 

Face The Raven has a sad ending but a honest and heroic one for Clara. Up to this point, she is only the second companion to die while travelling with the Doctor. The first being poor Adric back in 1982 (hence the in episode reference to "remember 82") during the adventure Earthshock. I rather liked Clara Oswald as a companion. She was a tough no nonsense companion who I hope was a great role model for girls watching the show. She could be feminine and stand up for herself and her morals with she needed to. 

This is not one of my favourite episodes but it sets up the next two episodes/adventures and sometimes you have to have the weaker act before the edge of the seat section. Just like we have here.

Episode #269 - Sleep No More

 "To die, to die, Glamis hath murdered sleep, therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more."

Episode #269:      Sleep No More.

Companions:        The 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald.

Air Date:             14th November 2015.

The Le Verrier space station fell silent only a day ago. No-one really knows what happened. However, some footage of the attempted rescue mission was found. The station appears empty, except for two nosy time travellers: the Doctor and Clara.

Sleep No More is quite a clever story even though it has it's faults. Well, I think they are faults but you may disagree. Our heroes arrive on a deserted space station to find that someone has been experimenting with ways to overcome sleep. Time is money and all that. The result is that people don't need sleep anymore and that all that sleep wipe from your eyes each morning is now a sentient killing organism. In this context it is a rather well thought out idea and harkens back to the days of classic Doctor Who. I could certainly see the old Doctor's running through this scenario quite nicely.

The plot is simple enough and the monsters are suitably scary and in keeping with the one off Doctor Who monster villains. There are two problems with the episode that I find bother me. Firstly, the entire episode is shown in a found footage style, which while in keeping with how the episode is written just doesn't work for me all that well. The writer, Mark Gatiss - a man who knows his horror and has done some excellent scripts, has tried to use this angle to create something different and creepy while tying it into the episode. From a personal viewpoint, I think it would have come across better if filmed in a regular style. Bonus points for trying something different though. 

Secondly, the episode ends without any real conclusion. The idea is (spoiler alert) the monsters are  seemingly defeated on the space station but because anyone viewing the found footage (that's you the viewer as well) could become or spawn one of the sandman monsters they could be out there. Nice horror approach to the end but unfortunately it didn't work well as an ending for me. I come away feeling that the Doctor hasn't defeated the monsters and just runs away at the end. Just my interpretation though, right or wrong.

All in all, Sleep No More is built on a solid frame for a story and does the job it sets out to do. Not one of the best but it could have been if perhaps it had been made in the usual episode style and with a more decisive ending, it could have been a 4 star episode in my mind. It's still a good watch and well worth making time to see if you haven't.

Episode #267: The Woman Who Lived

"People like us, we go on too long. We forget what matters. The last thing we need is each other."

Episode #267:      The Woman Who Lived.

Companions:        The 12th Doctor.

Air Date:             24th October 2015.

Adventuring on his own for a while, the Doctor seeks out an artefact of great power that could spell disaster in the wrong hands: the Eyes of Hades. However, he soon comes face to face with consequences of one of his past acts of compassion, when he meets an immortal he created, who has now lost all hope with a heart filled with centuries of pain.

The Woman Who Lived is a follow up to the previous adventure, The Girl Who Died. The Doctor while travelling without Clara ends up in 1651 and encounters Ashildr again. The general plot of the episode isn't all that great and doesn't really go anywhere worthwhile. However, you aren't watching for the obvious plot story. Instead, The Woman Who Lived is about the darker side of being immortal. Ashildr has grown from an imaginative young girl into a woman who has seen loved ones grow old and die, and has fallen into the grey where she has lived too many lifetimes and has lost some of her humanity. This is what makes the episode in my opinion.

For such a darker episode there is slightly too much humour involved in the attempt to lighten in somewhat. Modern jokes, puns, and gallows humour (literally) cause a loss of immersion for me. I know I keep saying it through these episode reviews but it's a problem with modern Doctor Who. Coming from the Doctor, such quips are fitting and appropriate. It's one of the personality quirks that we like from the character. But when you have characters from the 17th century making such jokes it pulls the immersion out of it's historical placement. 

The Woman Who lived isn't a great episode by any means but it isn't a bad one either. It has it's flaws but generally it works compared to many of the current episode formats. It continues the set up of where the character of Ashildr goes and I like the change to her character and the idea that she has always been there in the background of the Doctor's adventures on Earth and maybe elsewhere. That itself gets a thumbs up from me if the story isn't totally engaging.

Episode #266 : The Girl Who Died

"Immortality isn't living forever, that's not what it feels like. Immortality is everyone else dying. She might meet someone she can't bear to lose. That happens… I believe."

Episode #266:      The Girl Who Died.

Companions:        The 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald.

Air Date:             17th October 2015.

After an adventure and a half in space, the Doctor and Clara are kidnapped by 9th-century Vikings. However, to make matters worse, hostile aliens have also arrived in the vikings' village; they are provoked into declaring war on the village by a stubborn girl. By the end of the adventure, the Doctor will learn where it was that he saw his own face before, and the reason why he chose it.

The Girl Who Died is a nice if average type story. It certainly has it's cool moments but it largely falls into the usual fare of modern Who. I like the story though. We have a historical story, to an extent, with the inclusion of a war like race of aliens pretending to be Odin. one of the Norse gods. Their reasons for why they attack are a bit odd but it's more of a throw away excuse just to bring about some conflict. It has it's silly moments though... speaking baby, for example. For that I give it an average rating.

The villains of the piece, the Mire, are another warlike race of aliens, who attack weaker civilisations presumably because they know they can win. Makes you wonder why so many species in the universe are so hostile really. They are a throw away classic type of Doctor Who villain but they do the job in this story although they are hardly hide behind the sofa type scary. 

There are a two things that make this an enjoyable episode. One is the character of Ashildr, played by Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams. She is the centre point for the story and a handful yet to come. One of a couple plots arching through this series. The second is some of the dialogue given to our heroes. As I have said in previous episode reviews for the modern show, with a good writer and story, some of the inner workings of the Doctor's character come out with the real feels. There is a nice edge of seat insight to this now very ancient Time Lord that we never/rarely saw in the classic days of the show. 

One such element takes us back to the 12th Doctor's first adventure where he tries to remember where he got his current face from - obviously that of the Roman Lobus Caecilius from The Fires of Pompeii. It is nice to have that throw back and the reminder that he took that face for a reason. We know the Doctor is a hero, a dark hero sometimes, but moments like this remind us that despite the deaths and destruction that follow in his wake, the Doctor does good even when he's a grumpy old man.

Ultimately though this is a story that exists to set up the following episode and the Ashildr storyline to come over this season. It's good but it's average for what I expect from the modern show.

Episode #263 : Last Christmas

The Doctor: Do you know what the big problem is in telling fantasy and reality apart?
Ashley:        What?
The Doctor: They're both ridiculous.

Episode #263:      Last Christmas
Companions:        The 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald.


Air Date:              25th December 2014.

Clara Oswald is in for one Christmas Eve that she's never going to forget. Reunited with the Twelfth Doctor, she faces what could possibly be her last Christmas. Something sinister lurks in an arctic base at the North Pole, and it's beyond even the most terrible, nightmarish creatures the Doctor has faced before. Who ya gonna call? Santa Claus!

Another Christmas story set at Christmas. Why? Could we not have just had an episode that doesn't revolve around it being Christmas. It is so frustrating and as I have said in the past, just so unnecessary. It spoils any sense of immersion for me.

Anyway... I'm never sure what to say about this story. Every time I watch it I feel that the whole Santa thing just makes the episode out to be a joke and not a funny one at that. When the story turns around and becomes a dream horror story it becomes more enjoyable, even watchable but then we have Santa again. I wish that they had stuck with one format or another.

The villains of the story, such as they are, are the Kantrofarri  or dream crabs. Strange alien crustacean like beings that feed on the brains of sleeping beings while keeping their minds active in a sort of dream realm. They resemble the facehuggers from the Alien movies and that even gets a throwaway joke in the episode. They are quite cool little creatures and the way they operate feels rather fitting for a non-intelligent Doctor Who monster. References to them before would have been nice though as it seems they are just dropped in and the viewer is just as in the dark about them as the characters are.

The Doctor and Clara are both on top of their game in this story and there is some nice dialogue between them as they both come to realise that they lied to one another about Danny Pink and Gallifrey. It sort of brings them together again after the break up of the last few episodes. They gel much better here.

All in all, Last Christmas isn't a great episode but it is fun and it has some great moments of suspense and humour. The supporting characters are likeable, even though Santa gets on my nerves, and I probably wouldn't have minded if one or two had been able to become companions. I've given the episode an average 3* rating as although there are elements I dislike I feel I am focusing too heavily upon them and probably not giving the episode its credit.

Episode #258 - Kill The Moon

"Tell me what you knew, Doctor, or I'll smack you so hard you'll regenerate."

Episode #258:      Kill the Moon.
Companions:        The 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald.

Air Date:              4th October 2014.

The Doctor, Clara, and Courtney go visit the Moon in 2049, where they discover that the Earth's constant companion is a little more than another mere celestial body.

Kill the Moon is an adventure where the Doctor takes Clara and one her students, Courtney (who we have seen about Coal Hill school this season), on a trip to the moon in the year 2049. Mankind has all but given up on space travel but there has been a mining survey which has gone quiet - bar a few final screams. The companions meet up with an unlikely group of former astronauts sent on mission to find out what has happened. One by one they start being picked off until the cause of the problem is revealed to be a giant space creature hatching from inside the moon-shaped egg.

At first this is a good story that plays into some nice science fiction horror tropes. Always my favourite Doctor Who type adventures. We have suitably edge of the seat type scenes and encounters with giant spider bacteria monsters. Great. Once it is revealed to be a hatching egg the tone changes into a moral dilemma. Do you blow up the creature to save the Earth or do you let it hatch and risk the lives of everyone down on the planet below?

The dilemma is quite thought provoking and how it is scripted is done well too. You can feel the issues on both sides. A credit to the screenwriter. However, and this is where I have an issue with the episode. The stance taken by the Doctor feels so far out of character that I wonder what they were thinking. The Doctor basically says it is nothing to do with him and humanity must decide. Okay, that may an overreaction to the human situational reaction - this incarnation of the Doctor seems to do that a lot! - but abandoning Clara, Courtney and the astronaut to their possible fate one way or another is so out of character. Then when confronted by Clara at the end, it feels like he is backpedalling his way out if it. I really think that they could have done better than that with the Doctor's personality and reactions.

We are left with a brand new moon so that clears up that little problem. However, the Doctor says that the moon was laid 100 million years ago. We know that the Silurians went into hibernation because of an appearance of the moon so did a giant space creature lay an egg then and it only just hatched? Just an small aside that came to mind whenever I have watched this episode.

Overall I like this episode even with the out of character elements of the story. It holds up as a typical sort of adventure for the modern era of the show. Not one of the best but far from being the worst we have had in recent years. Could have been a lot better though.

Episode #253 - Into the Dalek

                 The Doctor: This is Clara. Not my assistant. She's… er… some other word.
                 Clara: I'm his carer.
                 The Doctor: Yeah, my carer. She cares so I don't have to.

Episode #253:      Into The Dalek.
Companions:        The 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald.

Air Date:               30th August 2014.

Surrounded by his greatest enemies, the newest Doctor will journey into the most dangerous place in all of the universe. With the limits of his compassion being tested, the Doctor will be forced to ask a question about himself that he doesn't know: "Am I a good man?"

In this adventure, the Doctor and Clara find themselves being shrunk down and inserted into a supposedly "friendly" Dalek which has come to hate it's own kind. Once inside they must repair the damage effecting it and in hopes that it will remain friendly. Basically this story is quite reminiscent of the classic 4th Doctor adventure The Invisible Enemy, which itself was based upon the science fiction movie The Incredible Journey.

Into The Dalek is a good adventure as we get to see something new that we haven't seen before. It may not be the most original story but we've not see the inside of a Dalek before. If it has a downside it is simply that the story just goes from point A to point B to point C... and so forth. It's just far too linear with little get up and go. But by the stands of modern Who it's fairly typical in that regards. It just doesn't provide an all that interesting story.

One element that I really do like with this one and it is a staple of the Capaldi era is how the writers continue to play with the Doctor in ways that help us understand him more, especially the post Time War him. In this instance it's that despite being our hero and wanting to help, the Doctor is consumed almost by his hatred of the Daleks. Nothing new there but it is perhaps handled better in this story than it has in other previous ones. There is also a sudden and previously unseen mentality where he doesn't like soldiers. This may just be a part of this incarnation but previously he never had an issue with his friends from UNIT. Just seems a bit odd and part of the emerging storyline for Clara's new love interest at Coal Hill school, Danny Pink.

We also have another snippet with the mysterious lady in black and we have a name now, Missy. There was much internet debate about this but I think we all worked out who is was very quickly. For spoilers sake I won't give it away here just in case you haven't seen the episodes for the rest of this series.

This incarnation of the Doctor grew on my very quickly and the dialogue between him and Clara is especially witty. The quote at the top of this page is one of my favourites and I think sums up all regenerations of the Doctor very well.

Episode #245 : The Crimson Horror

"Them new manufacturers can do horrible things to a person. Horrible. I've pickled things in here that'd fair turn your hair snowy as top of Buckden Pike."

Episode #245:      The Crimson Horror.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor and Clara Oswald.
Air Date:              4th May 2013.

In 1893, the Eleventh Doctor's old friends, Vastra, Jenny Flint and Strax find an optogram of the Doctor on a victim of the mysterious "crimson horror". They head for Yorkshire, where Jenny infiltrates Mrs Winifred Gillyflower's community of Sweetville to find what has happened to him.

A good old Victorian gothic horror. The Paternosta Gang investigate a strange series of murders in Yorkshire which leave red-skinned bodies floating in the canal. The Doctor and Clara have got their first but both need rescuing before the villain of the piece can be stopped. It's nice to see the old Victorian gang getting some centre stage again but half way through it becomes the Doctor and Clara show once again.

For it's nice gothic storytelling it isn't a great episode mainly because it jumps around a bit in the middle explaining what happened to the Doctor and Clara before the episode even starts but also because once it does get going the ending feels all too rushed just to get to a rather unsatisfying climax. The Crimson Horror is one of those stories that if fleshed out a bit could have done better by being a two part story rather than being crammed into 45 minutes.

The actual villain of the story isn't very inspiring either being an old lady with a prehistoric leech stuck to her. Both are defeated way too easily and the story just ends. Even the leech, while creepy crawling across the floor, just seems a weak adversary.

There is a continuation to the Clara mystery but it doesn't go anywhere as the Doctor refuses to inform his Victorian friends about what is going on, leaving them just as much in the dark as the rest of us were at the time.

I really do like Clara has a companion. For a time I would have said that Amy Pond was my favourite modern companion but I have come to appreciate Clara more. She is a good strong female role model who knows her own mind and isn't just on screen to be a screamer. She is part of the story, leading from the front with the Doctor. That she isn't living on the TARDIS and has her own life away from time travel feels better than the later Pond stories where they lived at home. I think Clara has, at this point, become my favourite Doctor Who companion.

It is with her that the story ends on a lead in to the next adventure with the children she looks after finding some rather random photos online of Clara during her recent adventures. Some of them I'm not sure how they could have been taken but that doesn't spoil it.

Episode #240 : The Bells of Saint John

"I'm the Doctor. I'm an alien from outer space. I'm a thousand years old, I've got two hearts, and I can’t fly a plane! Can you?"

Episode #240:      The Bells of Saint John.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor and Clara Oswald.
Air Date:               30th March 2013.

London, 2013. "Danger. This is a warning. A warning to the whole world. You're looking for Wi-Fi. Sometimes you see something, a bit like this. Don't click it. Do not click it. Once you've clicked it, they're in your computer. They can see you. If they can see you, they might choose you. And if they do... you die."
When Clara Oswald has problems with her Internet, she's given a telephone number: the number of the "best help line in the universe". When the Eleventh Doctor answers at the other end, Clara is pulled into a life of adventure and mystery. But danger is lurking in the signals, picking off minds and imprisoning them. "It's like immortality, only fatal." But can the Doctor save Clara before... "I don't know where I am!"

This story is the first proper introduction for Clara Oswald as a companion. She's immediately likeable which is always good, but then we have seen two other incarnations of her at this point so it's already been set up that we'll like her. She's certainly a strong character and that fits with the companions of modern Who very well. I don't think that the classic screamers would work in this day and age.

The puzzle of Clara Oswald has certainly peaked the Doctor. The funk that he was under during The Snowmen has gone and he's back to being his usable excitable self again. I much prefer this personality over the that one.

As it's basis the episode uses the idea that the internet and wi-fi is all around us, and the dangers that it could present if something alien dwelt within. That something is the villain of the current series and it's a much better presentation than it's previous appearance. Though The Great Intelligence is only briefly seen it's appearance once again is a nice incitement for the arching plot of the season. What is this old adversary up to?

Although the story is a good one is again another set up to introduce a new companion and provide hints at the upcoming story arc but little else. Although there is something that I think many people missed at the time which pops up again much later... Who was the woman in the shop who gave Clara the phone number for the TARDIS?

SJA #27 : The Man Who Never Was

But there's not much time. How are you going to feel tonight if everyone's walking down Bannerman Road with their arms out, going, "Serve the computer!"

Episode #27:        The Man Who Never Was.
Companions:        Sarah Jane Smith, Mr Smith, Rani Chandra, Clyde Langer, Luke Smith & Sky.
Air Date:              10th to 11th October 2011.

Joseph Serf has launched his new SerfBoard, the must-have computer that no one can resist owning. Everyone wants the brand new device — and why not? What could be so dangerous about a computer?

This is the final ever episode of the Sarah Jane Adventures before the death of Elizabeth Sladen.

The story goes back to Sarah Jane's roots as an investigative journalist, which is something we rarely saw after her initial appearance on the show with the 3rd Doctor. In this adventure she is drawn into the story by a mysterious glitch seen by Sky and Luke. An investigation leads them to a group of alien Skullions who have been enslaved and forced to work for the villain.

As a story goes it is very straight forward and basic but very much in keeping with the nature of the Sarah Jane Adventures. It is also the sort of story that if expanded upon could have worked well for Torchwood.

Although not intended it is good that for this adventure that we see everyone together again (minus K9 though he is mentioned), and Luke finally gets to meet Sky in person. Their interaction is nicely written and it ends with them being a proper brother and sister. With the show coming to such a sudden end it does make me wonder where their characters and relationship could have gone in the future.

As this is the last SJA episode I'm going to be very honest here. I find them enjoyable and fun to watch but as they are written primarilly with children and younger teenagers in mind I have found it difficult to adequately review them as I can the more grown up Doctor Who and Torchwood. The adventures are a little too simplistic and I have a hard time really getting into them. But anything that adds to the Whoniverse is always good.

"I've seen amazing things out there in space but strange things can happen wherever you are. I've learned that life on Earth can be an adventure too."

SJA #25 : Sky

Miss Myers: "My name is Miss Myers."
Clyde: "That doesn't sound like much of an alien name."
Miss Myers: "We don't spell it the same way."

Episode #25:        Sky.
Companions:        Sarah Jane Smith, Mister Smith, Rani Chandra, Clyde Langer and Sky.
Air Date:              3rd to 4th October 2011.

Sarah, Clyde and Rani try to figure out why a baby abandoned on Sarah's doorstep is undergoing rapid maturation, and how she's connected to a war between the Metalkind and the Fleshkind.

The short fifth and final season of the Sarah Jane Adventures starts with this story. The basic premise is that with Luke away at university (and Tommy Knight studying for his exams in real life) Sarah Jane gets a new young person to looks after in the form of a young girl names Sky. Couple that with a war between two alien species - Metalkind and Fleshkind, and you have the story pretty much complete,

Sky, unfortunately comes across as just another Luke Smith being naive but also very intelligent. Perhaps because it is just a kid's show that they didn't worry about the comparison but I find it rather unoriginal.

There is a brief appearance by the mysterious shopkeeper who originally appeared in the SJA story Lost in Time. He would have had a larger role further into the season had it not had to cease production following the death of Elizabeth Sladen.

I have to be honest that I don't really get much out of this story but I can't fault what the writers were trying to do and so I give it an average rating. It's a Sarah Jane Adventures story after all and perhaps should not be held to a more exacting standard.

Episode #239 : The Snowmen

"I said I'd feed you. I didn't say who to."

Episode #239:      The Angels Snowmen.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor.
Air Date:               25th December 2012.

After losing Amy Pond and Rory Williams, the Eleventh Doctor has retired to Victorian England, where Strax, Jenny Flint, and Vastra assist him. The Doctor eventually meets Clara Oswald, and takes a liking to the young barmaid who leads a double life as a governess. At the same time, a sinister plot is unfolding; snowmen are randomly appearing around London, growing in size and power. All they need to take over the world is some human DNA in ice crystal form, and the frozen body of a drowned governess can give them just that.

The 2012 Christmas special and while set at Christmas it isn't written around the holiday period specifically which for me is very nice. Using Victorian Christmas is a bit cliché but it works well for this story. Probably wouldn't work as well without it.

Once again we see a Clara look-a-like. How is this connected to Oswin from Asylum of the Daleks? Well, that is for the future and we'll get there soon enough. It was a very clever introduction and sets up our next companion and her story arc nicely.

As for the Doctor he has had time away following the loss of the Ponds. We have a change of outfit to something more Victorian/Edwardian and he's a bit depressive until a new adventure takes a hold of him. I rather like the new outfit style over the more modern one that he has had during his time with the Ponds.

Our villain is an old classic, The Great Intelligence, last seen during the days of the 2nd Doctor in 1968. It wasn't a great villain back then and it isn't very good now but as a classic era fan it is great to see another connection to the halcyon days of the show. It is rather different to that original form but the end of the episode gives us another connection and explains why the original Great Intelligence uses the London underground for it's schemes in those original stories.

The adventure itself isn't all that unfortunately. It is another very typical modern story that might have worked better had it been a multi-part adventure akin to the good old days. As it is, it feels to me as though too much is pushed together, it is rushed, and it doesn't have enough time in an hour to do it all justice. But it is an entertaining story and one which in hindsight sets up a lot of what is to come for the 11th Doctor.

Episode #238 : The Angels Take Manhattan

"You are creating fixed time. I will never be able to see you again!"

Episode #238:      The Angels Take Manhattan.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor, Amy Pond, Rory Williams and River Song.
Air Date:               29th September 2012.

A simple trip to New York in 2012 goes horribly wrong when the Eleventh Doctor's companion, Rory Williams, is sent back to the 1930s by the Weeping Angels. There, he finds that his daughter, River Song, is investigating the Angels, as Manhattan has become their hunting grounds. The Doctor and Amy Pond must find Rory before it is too late, but they soon find that not every point in time can be changed. And here, the Doctor must face the one thing he has been dreading — a final farewell to the Ponds.

After a nice run on the show we finally say goodbye to Amy and Rory. Amy grew on me immediately but it took the better part of two seasons before I came to like the character of Rory. Sometimes you click with a companion and sometimes you don't. Either way it was a shame to see them go and that final moment has some nice emotionally charged scenes that almost bring a tear to the eye.

The story itself is fairly ludicrous and has some fairly obvious plot holes. The Angels are on Earth feeding on the energy of people they send back in time. This bunch of angels are sending them to an old apartment building forcing them to remain trapped within for the rest of their lives. How do these people eat then or get repairs done, if they can't leave? The building itself is said to be part of the trap but I don't see how. We also have the paradox that destroys the building and resets everything. It takes the Ponds throwing themselves to their doom but no one in the history of the building tried to do something similar just to escape a life trapped in the tower? I am sure that I am reading too much into it but if I can see these issues then I'm fairly certain the writers did.

There is one other annoying issue to this episode that I simply hate. The Statue of Liberty is a gigantic weeping angel? One that walks but is observed constantly by locals and tourists a like? Nice idea but doesn't hold up under logic.

The Angels Take Manhattan despite it's obvious plot holes and failings is still a better Angels story than we've had since their original appearance. This time at least we get that creepy feeling again that served so well but has been lacking in other stories.

All in all I consider this one to be one of the more typical of modern Who episodes and it should be viewed in that light.

Episode #236 : A Town Called Mercy

"Why would I be curious? It's a mysterious space cowboy assassin. Curious? Of course I'm not curious."

Episode #236:      A Town Called Mercy.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams.
Air Date:               15th September 2012.

Missing Mexico by 200 miles, the Eleventh Doctor ends up in Mercy, Nevada, where something's not quite right... The locals are hostile to strangers, and a border of stone and wood surrounds the town. As the Doctor soon finds out, a gunslinger is behind this, and not just an ordinary one.

First dinosaurs on a spaceship and now a return to the Wild West with a killer cyborg. A couple of great time travel troupes. This adventure is the first trip to the wild west since the 1st Doctor paid a visit to the OK Corral in The Gunfighters. Thankfully this adventure does not feature a long repetitive ballad being sung throughout.

It really is nice to have a western style tale again and the show does it just about right. They use fairly cliché story ideas, corny but fitting western music but they do it nicely within the confines of the show so you are drawn in. It is also about right for a 45 minute slot on a Saturday night where as a lot of the new adventures feel that they would have been so much better if they were two or more episodes in length. I really do miss that from the classic era.

What is also a nice touch is that in reality the story doesn't feature an actual villain. Jex isn't really guilty of a crime per sey (not in my eyes anyway) as he was a healer, just one who took extreme action to end a violent confrontation on his world. Upon arriving at Mercy he puts his skills to use for the betterment of the town. There is no hint of malice in him at all. Likewise, the "Gunslinger" doesn't hurt innocents and is only doing what he feels is right, punishing those who did these horrific cybernetic experiments to him and others like him. Although he seems honourable, you have to wonder whether he isn't actually the closest to a bad guy we have here.

Where this story really shines though is pointing out again, that the Doctor when bereft of companions to keep him grounded becomes quite a dark character. He's been travelling alone lately between adventures with the Ponds and it is beginning to have a mark. We saw it with his callous killing of Soloman in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship and we almost see something similar here. Prior to Colin Baker's 6th Doctor we never really saw anything like that, but subsequent Doctors have definitely added a darker undercurrent to the character which fits him very well without going too far.

Episode #235 : Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

"What sort of a man doesn't carry a trowel? Put it on your Christmas list."

Episode #235:      Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams.
Air Date:               8th September 2012.

In 2367, the Indian Space Agency is on high alert as an unidentified spaceship hurtles towards the Earth. The Eleventh Doctor assembles a team to investigate, including the legendary Queen Nefertiti, a big game hunter named Riddell, Amy, Rory... and Rory's father, Brian. Materialising aboard the mystery ship, they're surprised to find it populated by dinosaurs. With time running out before the ship is blasted out of the sky, the Doctor must confront a vicious criminal named Solomon, as the lives of his companions and the dinosaurs hang in the balance.

Dinosaurs are a good staple of time travel stories and even better when put out of place, such as on board a starship. Add some strange comical robots, Rory's odd father, an Egyptian queen, a 19th century big game hunter and an insidious space pirate villain who quite frankly has no redeeming qualities, and you have quite a fun adventure for a Saturday night tea time. A perfect bit of modern Doctor Who.

We learn that the Silurians, with all their technology, had the ability to construct and pilot spaceships - something never previously mentioned or considered really. So, it makes me wonder how many more Silurian ships may still be out there or did they find a new home? Could there be Silurian colonies out in deep space on jungle worlds filled with dinosaurs? That could go a way to explain why we never see Silurians on Earth in the future despite repeated pointers that in the future both species cohabit.

I love the addition of Mark Williams, a star of the Harry Potter movies, as Rory's somewhat odd father Brian. The modern series, far more than classic, tends to give cameos to household name actors and actresses. When watching a classic story you would be surprised to well known names from the 70's and 80's mainly making the occasional appearance. New Who and their appearance is too commonplace to bother mentioning most of the time. However, Mark Williams stands out nicely and his talents really brighten the fun of the episode.

The role of the pirate trader Soloman is likewise played by a name from the Harry Potter movies, David Bradley. He would also go on to play William Hartnell in the 50th anniversary program An Adventure In Time and Space. In Dinosaurs on a Spaceship he plays a very unlikeable villain. Even the evil deeds of villains such as Daleks and Cybermen, you never feel a sense of actual dislike or unpleasantness about them. The deeds expressed by Soloman make him a very dark and unpleasant personality. I guess more for the adults watching than something to be picked up by the younger viewers.

So, if I like this adventure why do I only give it a basic 3 stars? It does what it says on the tine. It's fun but it doesn't raise the excitement level or give true squee moments. It doesn't push an ongoing plot forward or anything like that. Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, while good, is a modern example of what I expect a modern Doctor Who adventure to be.

Episode #233: The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe

Madge: Are you the new caretaker?
The Doctor: Usually called "The Doctor." Or "The Caretaker." Or "Get off this planet." Though, strictly speaking, that probably isn't a name.

Episode #233:      The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor.
Air Date:               25th December 2011.

Christmas Eve, 1938. Madge Arwell comes to the aid of an injured Spaceman Angel, the Eleventh Doctor, who promises to repay her kindness – all she has to do is make a wish. Three years later, Madge escapes war-torn London with her two children for a dilapidated house in Dorset. Crippled with grief at the news her husband has been lost over the English Channel, she wishes to give her children the best Christmas ever. The Arwells are greeted by the Doctor, who acts as their madcap caretaker. However, a mysterious Christmas gift from him leads them into a wintry, magical world. Madge must learn how to be braver than she ever thought possible... and that wishes can come true.

Another Christmas special and a better one than recent years. Although set at Christmas the season of good will is not the centre piece of the story which immediately boosts it for me. But saying that the episode features a nice amount of Christmas spirit which does raise a little smile even now watching well past Christmas itself.

The episode itself does not tie into any of the continuing plots and is nicely self contained. The only reference to the previous show is the future setting of Androzani Major. The foresters are from that system but it isn't clear whether the story takes place there or not. If it does, it doesn't resemble anything from 5th Doctor story The Caves of Androzani.

Like previous Christmas stories, this one seems based on a piece of literary work. In this case, as I am sure you can tell by the name, it is The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Thankfully there isn't too much of a correlation between the two. Other than a play on the name, it is only the strange "magical" box which takes them from the old country manor in 1938 to an alien forested winter planet in the distant future.

While the build up is slow and there isn't an actual villain to the story, what I enjoy most about this is the emotional aspect that builds up in the second half. First off by building on the love of a mother for her children, and then the revelation of her husbands death and finally the union of the family on Christmas morning... even I had a lump in my throat watching it. Whether I had that the first couple times I watched this I don't recall but it hit me this time.

The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe is a good story but it does suffer from both slow pacing and a lack of any real story. It just starts, flows along and then ends. Not to mention, once again, that is a little too fairytale for me. I suppose that is fine from the point of view of a basic Christmas episode for the family but it isn't what I would like to see from a special episode like this. Still, enjoyable.

Episode #232 : The Wedding of River Song

"The first question! The question that must never be answered! Hidden in plain sight! The question you've been running from all your life! Doctor Who? Doctor Who? Doc — tor — who?!"

Episode #232:      The Wedding of River Song.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor, Amy Pond, Rory Williams and River Song.
Air Date:               1st October 2011.

Something is wrong, in the fullest sense of the word. At first glance, the world seems fine, but upon closer inspection, dinosaurs, Romans, and other things throughout time have appeared. Oddly, nobody seems to be bothered by it, like was it part of every day life. Another oddity has occurred. Despite the sun rising and setting like normal, the time is always the same. Only the Doctor has the answer, and boy oh boy, it's gonna be a whopper!

The season comes to an end with a rather strange episode. It wraps up the strange events from the start of the season and gives us a revelation about the future of the Doctor. The Doctor didn't die at Lake Selencia and this has created a paradox in which past, present and future co-exist. Even though the story reveals what happened, it doesn't actually cause a paradox so why does this happen? The episode unfortunately just sweeps it under the carpet. But saying that, we get a nice reveal and return to the true timeline.

The important revelation is that the Silence aren't a species but part of a religious order which fears what the Doctor may do based on some sort of prophecy: "On the fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the eleventh, when no living creature can speak falsely or fail to answer, a Question will be asked, a question that must never, ever be answered." The Silent creatures are just agents for the order.

As a story goes, this isn't one of the best and it's frankly a bit odd. But the dialogue, especially between the Doctor and River near the end goes a long way to add a sense of drama to the story. I may prefer the old style classic episodes a lot more than the modern ones but I thoroughly enjoy the depth of dialogue and feeling that the modern stories have which adds to the show.

The Wedding of River Song is a nice end to the season simply because it wraps up the current storyline and opens up a whole new one, which is far more interesting. Without that I think i would enjoy this one quite so much. The final quote by Dorium still gives me shivers watching it even now. A new explanation for the show's title.

Lastly, the show gives a short send off to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. The actor had passed away of Cancer shortly before and they had the character pass away too before the Doctor could could pay a visit to him. An event which makes the Doctor take responsibility for what is happening at present. It's a nice send off for the character and Nicholas Courtney both.

Episode #228 : Night Terrors

"Through crimson stars and silent stars and tumbling nebulas like oceans set on fire, through empires of glass and civilizations of pure thought, and a whole, terrible, wonderful universe of impossibilities. You see these eyes? They're old eyes... and one thing I can tell you, Alex: monsters are real."

Episode #228:      Night Terrors.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor, Amy Pond, and Rory Williams.
Air Date:              3rd September 2011.

The Eleventh Doctor receives a distress call, bringing him, Amy Pond and Rory Williams to Earth. George is a young boy terrorised by the monsters in his cupboard. Are they imaginary, or are they real?

With Night Terrors the show goes back to the good old horror stories. This one is good but doesn't quite go creepy enough for me. The time travellers get drawn to Earth due by the psychic fears of a little boy to find that all his fears are now "alive" and  hidden in the bedroom cupboard. Most of the story is the set up and it takes too long to get to the scary bits but when it does it's not too bad.

The resolution of the story is a little too much like the Isolus from the episode Fear Her. In fact is almost like the writers couldn't come up with something different. The story worked well enough without needing an alien explanation for the little boy and his fears. The fears themselves would have worked just as well.

It is also another story which just ends. While the story has a resolution it isn't a very satisfying one. Had the set up been swifter and the story given a better ending rather than one which feels rushed I would probably have given it a 4 star rating but as it stands Night Terrors is fairly average.