Episode #264: The Magician's Apprentice / The Witch's Familiar

 

"There's no such thing as the Doctor. I’m just a bloke in a box telling stories. I didn’t come here because I'm ashamed. A bit of shame never hurt anyone. I came… because you're sick and you asked. And because sometimes, on a good day, if I try very hard… I’m not some old Time Lord who ran away. I'm the Doctor."

Episode #264:      The Magician's Apprentice / The Witch's Familiar.

Companions:        The 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald.

Air Date:              19th to 26th September 2015.

The serpentine Colony Sarff has searched the entire universe for the Doctor, to give him the final message of Davros; however, the Time Lord is nowhere to be found. This is quite serious, as not even the Doctor's closest frenemy, Missy, is able to find him. Adding onto this is the fact she was given his Confession dial, which in human terms is the last will and testament of the Doctor.

This is an awkward story. Simply put it is a weird jumble of ideas. Aircraft across the world freeze in mid-flight. It's all a ruse by Missy to lure out Clara, so that they can go hunting for the Doctor as Missy has his last will and testament in the form of a confession disc. At the same time a weird alien made up of snakes who works for Davros (didn't he and his creations hate all things not Dalek before this?) is also looking for the Doctor because Davros is on his last legs. When they finally get together it's nothing part running through corridors/Dalek sewers and lengthy not so well written exposition between the Doctor and Davros. The plot is exposed, the Daleks defeated and everyone more or less escapes.

I could take this as a not so great episode but for a couple scenes where we almost get a jump the shark moment (look the phrase up if you haven't heard it before). The lesser one is this weird idea that Daleks cannot ever die and instead continue living as a form of conscious poop in the sewers of Skaro. What? Who let this idea through in the writing department? Seriously. The main one for me is part of the initial meeting of out characters somewhere in medieval England where the Doctor enters the room riding a modern day tank and playing the electric guitar. Again... what? For a television show about time travel, possibilities and occasionally the absurd, this for me broke the verisimilitude of the show. Why would the Doctor do anything like that? Surely that breaks the time travellers rules of messing up the timeline. Especially as they get left behind in medieval England. It spoils the whole first episode for me.

The story as such isn't all that interesting either and doesn't really set up anything with the Doctor or Davros since then, until the time of writing this. It's just a set up for the introduction of two new themes - the confession disc and legends of a half Dalek/half Time Lord hybrid. There have been some good series themes in New Who since it appeared on our screens but this one as it plays out in seasons to come is not one of the best.

More positively, it is good to see Davros back again although there is no explanation has to how he survived the prior encounter during the episode Journey's End". Who villains have survived many times before so that is fine by me. The story does have some nice revelations about Davros and his past, and potentially his inner workings during this two part story and it is probably the only bit of good exposition we get.

I have to be honest and just say that from here on, New Who does take a lengthy dip. Up until where we are with the show at the time of writing this (January 2021) the show has lost something crucial. The stories just aren't as good generally and the show really needs a true fan of the classic era to take over as executive producers and show runners. The Magician's Apprentice and The Witch's Familiar could have been so much better. 

Episode #262 : Dark Water / Death in Heaven

"I am not a good man! And I'm not a bad man either. I'm not a hero. I'm definitely not a president, and no, I'm not an officer. You know who I am? I… am… an idiot! With a box and a screwdriver. Passing through. Helping out. Learning. I don't need an army. I never have. Because I've got them, always them, because love is not an emotion. Love is a promise, and he will never hurt her."

Episode #262:      Dark Water / Death in Heaven
Companions:        The 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald.

Air Date:              1st to 8th November 2014.

In the mysterious world of the Nethersphere, plans have been drawn up. Missy is about to come face to face with the Doctor, and an impossible choice is looming. "Death is not an end," promises the sinister organisation known only as 3W – but, as the Doctor and Clara discover, you might wish it was.

When Danny Pink is killed by a hit and run driver, he is pulled into the afterlife of the Nethersphere and Clara will do anything to get the Doctor to save him. A basic premise to this end of season two part story but which soon blossoms into a much larger and stranger story.

First things first, the way Danny is bumped off, off screen feels like a wasted opportunity, not unlike this character throughout this season. Danny Pink had the potential of being a different sort of companion who could have been introduced through the series until the Doctor comes to terms with his past as a soldier and being Clara's love interest. He has a part to play through this particular story but I can't help but feel it was a wasted effort. His final death leaves a potential hole in the series though considering his descendent Orson Pink who appeared in the episode Listen. However,  Steven Moffat has stated that one possible explanation is that Orson was a lateral descendant of Danny's. According to this theory, Clara contacted Danny's relatives after his death and told them of his sacrifice.

Ultimately with this story I have come to dislike the character of Danny and it is simply down to his dislike of the Doctor. The confrontation between cyber-Danny and the Doctor does it all. The Doctor is a hero (even if he says he isn't) and he has his faults but Danny's dislike is beyond the pale.

Next we have Missy, the background villain of the series and the source of the "lady in the shop" who originally gave Clara the phone number of the TARDIS way back in The Bells of Saint John. Missy is here explained to be the new regeneration of The Master. Now I am not a fan of the regeneration gender swap concept, but I must admit that I do love Missy. The weird and quirky female persona quickly grew on me. Michelle Gomez takes the role and makes it her own. Although a bit strange I do love this incarnation of the long running villain.

It is the Cybermen in this story that spoil it for me. It seems that they can't be left alone and instead it seems in every new episode they get an "upgrade". Flying cybermen now and it is just ludicrous. However, the cool scenes of them climbing from their graves is very reminiscent of various zombie movies and is suitably creepy. The story gets a thumbs up for that but could we not just have classic cybermen again?

One last topic I want to speak on is the appearance of cyber-Brigadier. While this was a nice send off perhaps it feels unnecessary. We already had this in a sweet moment from The Wedding of River Song.

Like a lot of new Who it is a rather silly story when you stop to think about it. Exactly what was Missy's plan? Where did she get the cybermen from? Why did they have to fly? Had Missy been collecting dying minds for over a hundred years in real time? I really want the writers and producers to sit down and look at the stories that made classic Doctor Who work so well and try to incorporate those elements into the show. Maybe things wouldn't be so odd and the show might appeal more to both classic and new fans.

Episode #261 : Night in the Forest

"Stars implode, planets grow cold, catastrophe is the metabolism of the universe. I can fight monsters, I can't fight physics."

Episode #261:      Night in the Forest.
Companions:        The 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald.

Air Date:              25th October 2014.

One morning, in every city and town in the world, the human race wakes up to face the most surprising invasion yet. Everywhere, in every land, a forest has grown overnight and taken back the Earth. It doesn't take the Doctor long to discover that the final days of humanity have arrived...

Night in the Forest is one of those unusual stories where there is no actual villain. In fact there is no conflict whatsoever. The story revolves around the idea that overnight (and yet no one saw it) a forest grows up over the world in preparation for some big cataclysmic event which only trees can stop. The Doctor doesn't even do anything in this story. No one does really. They just work out what is happening and let it happen.

It is an okay story and watchable but when nothing happens really it feels like a wasted effort. Too much environmental issues being pushed forth maybe? I don't know but because of how the writers chose to write this one it doesn't really hold water for me.

There is a nice throw back to some earlier stories when Clara says that no one will ever forget this and the Doctor points out how humans forget everything weird that happens to them. The 8th Doctor points this out in Remembrance of the Daleks to Ace that humans don't remember the Yeti in the underground, the Loch Ness Monster in the Thames or any number of weird things. Humans deceive themselves and forget. Just a function of how we can continue withe the Earth based big scale stories that we have I suppose.

I wanted to give this episode a 3 star (average) rating but I can't do it. Nothing happens and the story is just a series of set pieces that don't ultimately lead anywhere.

Episode #260 - Flatline

"I tried to talk. I want you to remember that. I tried to reach out. I tried to understand you, but I think that you understand us perfectly. And I think that you just don't care! And I don't know whether you're here to invade, infiltrate or just replace us. I don't suppose it really matters now. You are monsters! That is the role you seem determined to play, so it seems that I must play mine: the man that stops the monsters. I'm sending you back to your own dimension. Who knows? Some of you may even survive the trip. And if you do, remember this: You are not welcome here! This plane is protected! I am the Doctor, and I name you the Boneless!"

Episode #260:      Flatline.
Companions:        The 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald.


Air Date:              18th October 2014.


Separated from the Doctor, Clara discovers a new menace from another dimension. But how do you hide when even the walls are no protection? With people to save and the Doctor trapped, Clara comes up against an enemy that exists beyond human perception.

Another really good horror based episode. This time dealing with two dimensional creatures trying to find their way into our three dimensional universe. The Boneless, as the Doctor calls them, are really cool throwaway monster of the week type opponents. Creepy in appearance as well as the on screen methods they use to drag you away. Bonus points to whoever came up with that idea.

Flatline is a Doctor-lite episode where it focuses on Clara as an active protagonist companion. We haven't had an episode like this for a while and it is a nice change of pace. A plot mechanic (a shrunken TARDIS) keeps the Doctor to the sidelines. Where this works really well is how easily Clara takes on the role and attitudes of the Doctor - something that gets mentioned near the end. The look on the Doctor's face show's exactly how close to the truth that comment was. In previous incarnations the Doctor has proven himself to be manipulative towards his companions and the inhabitants of wherever he turns up. Davros even makes reference to this during the events of The Stolen Earth / Journey's End. We don't always see it as viewers but it is very true. 

Flatline is one my favourite Capaldi era episodes. Excellent monsters, cool plot and well written. 

Episode #257 : The Caretaker

"You want to know what's in that box? I'll tell you what's in that box! It's a Time Machine! It also travels in space! And it usually contains a man who just wants to get on with his work of preventing the end of the world — but keeps on getting interrupted by boring little humans!"

Episode #257:      The Caretaker.
Companions:        The 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald.

Air Date:              27th September 2014.

The Doctor's decision to use Clara's school as the centre of a trap for a wild Skovox Blitzer results in revelations in her personal life. Meanwhile, the Doctor's mechanical quarry, which has enough firepower to decimate entire planets, is running amok in the halls of Coal Hill.

The Caretaker is one of those episodes where I can't help but think that the writing team were running out of ideas. It is a story that makes minimal sense and does little but be a progression from one scene to another with no real plot behind it. Essentially the Doctor disguises himself as a janitor at Coal Hill school in order to locate and deal with an alien robot monster capable of destroying everything. By itself this is a fair premise but we get no real explaination as to how the robot got there or why it was drawn here. Instead we get nearly an hour of the Doctor being a grumpy old so an so, shouting at or being rude to Danny Pink and not all that nice to Clara either. We get it. The Doctor doesn't like soldiers but Danny isn't a soldier anymore. The episode feels like a family squabble with a side plot of a killer alien robot.

That being said, I just don't find this a very good episode. It has some funny moments but not enough. There is too much of the Doctor being a big old grump and it gets old fast. It isn't the worst by far but  A better way of handling the episode would have been to have the Doctor and Clara arrive at the school that find that something was up, team up with Danny and the school girl, and they have a chase/fight encounter through the school on parent teacher night. What we got was a wasted potential and a bit of a mess.

It is episodes like The Caretaker that make me so hearken back to the good old days of classic Who. I am sorry to say it but from here on, it feels like New Who has lost it's way somewhat. 

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 #252: Deep Breath

"I'm the Doctor. I've lived for over two thousand years, and not all of them were good. I've made many mistakes, and it's about time I did something about that. Clara, I'm not your boyfriend."

Episode #252:      Deep Breath.
Companions:        The 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald.
Air Date:              23rd August 2014.

Shortly after his regeneration, the Twelfth Doctor arrives in Victorian London, and Clara Oswald struggles to embrace the new man the Doctor has become. All the while, they reunite with the Paternoster Gang to investigate a series of combustions that have been occurring all around the city.

And so begins the 12th Doctor's era on the show and what a great start it is. Deep Breath is a bit of a rather odd story though. Since the end of The Time of the Doctor, somehow he and Clara ended up back in the Mesozoic, swallowed by a dinosaur (and that is enormously incorrect in it's size) and somehow time travels with it to the Victorian era where robots are stealing body parts. By Doctor Who standards it's probably just another Saturday.

The Doctor's new persona is quite similar to that of the 1st Doctor, in that he is rather a grumpy grandfatherly figure. A bit rude perhaps but also funny. I had wondered whether this was intentional as this is a brand new reset of regenerations. I don;t know whether that was the case but it seems to fit the new personality.

The new element of this story is that the robot body part thieves aren't just a random villain for a one off post-regeneration story. They are in fact connected to a previous story The Girl in the Fireplace. You may remember that one as the story where the 10th Doctor, Rose and Micky fought time travelling robots using body parts to fix their ship. While not from the SS Madame de Pompadour, they are from the sister ship SS Marie Antoinette. It's a nice tie in to a previous story.

Part of the story that doesn't really work for me is Clara at the beginning of the episode. In her recent adventures she has had to deal with the concept and actuality of Time Lord regeneration and yet she seems to not understand it now where the Doctor is concerned. The writers try to make this seem about her being in love with the 13th Doctor and wanting him back over an old man, but it doesn't come off that way to me at all. It takes a final moment of the episode to reconcile this which it does to an extent.

The adventure is a good one. It has adventure, action, excitement, humour and a slight bit of horror. It has some great dialogue too, from Clara's logic about torture to the final unanswered confrontation between the Doctor and the half-faced robot. Even the phone call from the 11th Doctor is a good emotional ride. Eventually it ends with a bizarre twist involving a mysterious woman named Missy in some sort of "afterlife". An interesting set up for later in the series.

A great start to the new series and a new Doctor.