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 #259 : Mummy on the Orient Express

"Would you like to think that about me? Would that make it easier? I didn't know if I could save her. I couldn't save Quell, I couldn't save Moorhouse. There was a good chance that she'd die too. At which point… I would have just moved on to the next… and the next, until I beat it. Sometimes the only choices you have are bad ones, but you still have to choose."

Episode #259:      Mummy of the Orient Express.
Companions:        The 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald.

Air Date:              11th October 2014.

After their previous trip to the moon ended on a sour note, the Doctor decides to take Clara on a final trip in the TARDIS - "our last hoorah!" The destination? There have been many trains that took the name Orient Express, but there's only ever been one that traverses space! However, they find their luxury trip may take an unexpected turn when they discover there's a supernatural passenger...

Mummy on the Orient Express is the sort of story that harks back to the days of classic Who. Swap the fancy sets for flimsy board and polystyrene, and you could easily have the 4th Doctor and Sarah Jane on a starship called the Orient Express playing out this very scenario. It is a great throw back to how classic and new Who can easily gel together. 

Our two time travelling companions decided to have one last adventure together but it turns out to be somethign more than expected. The premise was originally set up at the end of the 11th Doctor story The Big Bang, when they received a phone call in the TARDIS to say about an Egyptian princess lose on the Orient Express. Seems they never did take up that adventure and the individual behind it all has tried on repeated occasions to get the Doctor to go. Nice tie in.

It is another horror themed adventure with some great special effects, make up and atmosphere. Just what you want from Saturday tea time telly. Capaldi gets to shine in this story with some wonderful dialogue and just the right grumpiness that doesn't push over into the absurd like the previous episode.  This time though it seems to be Clara who takes a funny turn. From being so hurt by the Doctor while they were on the Moon she seems to have happily leapt back into the TARDIS with him with little concern for what had happened last time and in part, this time. 

Other than finding out that the mummy was a former soldier from an ancient war, there is no explanation as to who the mysterious Gus was and what they wanted with the mummy. The episode plays into the theme of this season which is the Doctor's dislike of soldiers but I had wondered whether it was anything to do with the "afterlife" plot with Missy but nothing ever comes back to it so I assume not.

Mummy on the Orient Express is a great episode and I would recommend it as one to watch. One of the best of Capaldi's run on the show.

Episode #256 : Time Heist

Psi: I still don't get why you're in charge.

The Doctor: Basically, it's the eyebrows.

Episode #256:      Time Heist.
Companions:        The 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald.

Air Date:              20th September 2014.

The Twelfth Doctor and Clara receive a mysterious phone call, and find themselves in a maximum security bank, memories wiped clean and two more recruited strangers to accompany them. Their mission: to rob from a bank that lives up to the reputation of impregnability, but will they be able to find out what they've been recruited to steal and why before they get captured?

Essentially, Time Heist is a take on the Hollywood heist movies like Oceans 11. This time it is taken further and the heroes must break into a science fiction bank with extreme defences including an alien creature, the Teller, which can detect guilt and liquefy brains. It is a very odd story and at first glance doesn't seen very Doctor like but as we all know it gets explained near the end.

I'm not especially fond of this one. In fact I think it is quite forgettable. I obviously remember it but unlike nearly every other episode I couldn't recall the details when re-watching it for this review. It wasn't good enough to be memorable. No classic references although it does feel like the sort of adventure the 6th Doctor might have found himself involved in so I guess there is some sort of throwback.

I suppose that it just isn't well put together. The characters that the companions meet are okay but are only there for the story and they have little to pull you in to them. The episode itself is a mixture if scenes that seem slotted together and the overall twist at the end isn't all that surprising even if you don't work it out. It isn't the worst or most boring episode I have ever seen but sadly Time Heist falls short of what I expect from modern Doctor Who.

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 #248 : The Night of the Doctor

"Four minutes?! That's ages! What if I get bored, need some books, a television? Anyone for chess? Bring me knitting."

Episode #248:      The Night of the Doctor.
Companions:        The 8th Doctor.
Air Date:              14th November 2013.

Still trying to skirt around the edges of the Last Great Time War, the Eighth Doctor is forced to fully join the conflict by the mysterious Sisterhood of Karn. Killed while trying to save a woman who hates him simply for being a Time Lord, the Doctor gets to choose what his next incarnation will be like. He arranges for a warrior... but makes the darkest sacrifice of his life in order to be reborn.

So this is a short, the first of two, to serve as a prequel to the 50th anniversary special and it brings with a special treat for us fans, we finally get to the see the 8th Doctor regenerate. Sort of. For some time now the fan base had been discussing what had happened to the 8th Doctor after his one appearance and then countless audio dramas (and whether they were canonical or not). At last we learn what happened.

We also get a reappearance of the Sisterhood of Karn, not seen since the 4th Doctor story The Brain of Morbius. While that may mean nothing to the casual modern view to us old school fans of the show, it's an exciting element. I do think we need more references to the days of the original show. I've said quite a few times on this blog and I don't expect to not keep saying that. The Sisterhood hasn't changed much from what we see and they are ready to intervene in the Time War. They do this by saving the Doctors life and giving him the opportunity to choose his next incarnation. So perhaps the fault is not with the War Doctor but with the 8th incarnation. He chooses to be a warrior and regenerates into a younger version of the War Doctor, meaning that he has been fighting the Daleks for some time.

The Night of the Doctor is only a short film running seven and a half minutes but it is really well done and helps cement where we last saw the Doctor prior to his 9th self appearing in Rose.

http://dai.ly/x190i1a

Episode #247 : The Name of the Doctor

"You didn't listen, did you? You lot never do. That's the problem. The Doctor has a secret he will take to the grave. It is discovered. He wasn't talking about my secret. No, no, no, that's not what's been found. He was talking about my grave. Trenzalore is where I'm buried."

Episode #247:      The Name of the Doctor.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor and Clara Oswald.
Air Date:              18th May 2013.

A prophecy is coming true. The Eleventh Doctor is summoned to Trenzalore where it was said he would fall. But what does the alleged site of his final battle have to do with the mystery of Clara — or is it Oswin — Oswald? Can the Paternoster Gang help him avoid his apparent destiny? And most of all...Doctor who?

What a fantastic ending to this season of the show. We get a host of the Doctor's friends together, the return of the Great Intelligence, the final revelation of what and were Trenzalore is and at last the resolution to the impossible girl story line.

It is difficult to explain how good this story is because it isn't any one thing. It's the emotion, the perfectly written scenes and dialogue and the awe moments when everything starts to come together. I have said it before and I'm repeating it now, when Stephen Moffat really puts his mind to it we get some phenomenal episodes. The Name of the Doctor has it all whether you are a modern fan or a classic one. The brief flashes of the old incarnations really gives me the giddy feelings watching this one.

But who is the mysterious Doctor not spoken about? And what a coup getting esteemed (now late) actor John Hurt in for that role is just a masterstroke. That all gets explained soon enough as well. You have to remember that this was leading up to the 50th anniversary episode and we're in for a wild ride.

Anyway, getting away from the excitement, the final set up for the overarching plot this season brings us finally to Trenzalore. This planet was mentioned by the headless Dorium during his "doctor who?" prophecy at the end of A Good Man Goes to War. The Great Intelligence has planned all this to get his revenge on the Doctor for thwarting his schemes. His plan being to enter the Doctor's time stream and cause his adventures to fail although this will destroy him. Clara realizes that the "impossible girl" is her existing in all the Doctor's time lines helping him out and stopping the Great Intelligence. Quite clever really although it does in my mind cause a few little paradoxes not to mention that this future for the Doctor and Trenzalore will never come about.

The Name of the Doctor is a great ending to the story arc and is a nice stepping stone to what comes next.

Episode #246 : Nightmare in Silver

"No need to panic, my young friends. We all know there are no more living Cybermen. What you are seeing is a miracle. The six hundred and ninety ninth wonder of the universe, as displayed before the Imperial court, and only here to destroy you at chess."

Episode #246:      Nightmare in Silver.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor and Clara Oswald.
Air Date:              11th May 2013.

The Eleventh Doctor takes his companion, Clara Oswald, and her wards, Angie and Artie, to the biggest amusement park, Hedgewick's World of Wonders. The theme park is empty, occupied by a "punishment platoon" and a lone impresario with empty Cyberman shells as exhibits. The Doctor decides to stay a while, however, to investigate strange insect creatures that are roaming the park. But these insects are really machines seeking to convert the life forms on Hedgewick's World into the newest generation of the ever-upgrading menace.

Watching this again has been only the third time I've watched this episode. Two of those times was on TV or the BBC website. Back then I really was not impressed by what I saw. Neil Gaiman, who wrote the fantastic The Doctor's Wife really lost the plot here. This time round four years later it has grown on my a little bit more. But not by much.

Nightmare in Silver fails for me purely in how it treats the Cybermen. In this adventure they have became a rip off of Star Trek's the Borg. They had been like this for some time and it never bothered me but I feel here that element of their existence is pushed too far. They don't just assimilate other humans to increase their numbers but are also able to upgrade themselves in a matter of seconds to adapt to weapons and conditions otherwise dangerous or difficult for them.

I'm also not so much a fan of how the children were treated in this one. Angie and Artie, the two children that Clara looks after, are just used to be hostages to the story. They have appeared once or twice previously in the background and despite this episode giving them a little air time they are just used as plot scenery. I'm sure something better could have been made of them.

Lastly, I didn't like the strange back and forth Doctor and Mister Clever double dialogue moments. Might have sounded clever on paper but it was just silly on screen. Why would the collective mind of the Cyber race sound and act like the Doctor? Didn't work for me.

Enough grumbling. What did work in this episode. Mainly it is Warwick Davis has Porridge ( aka Emperor Ludens Nimrod Kendrick Cord Longstaff XLI ). I'm sure I don't need to remind you of his many screen roles. It is nice to see that as the show goes on we continue to get well known actors and actresses popping up here and there.

I am sure that somewhere I am being extremely harsh on this episode but I truly feel that they missed something cool with the Cybermen here and it could have been a much better adventure. Perhaps Nightmare in Silver is another adventure that may have worked better as a two part story.

Episode #244 : Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS.

"She's going to die if you don't help me. Don't get into a spaceship with a mad man. Didn't anyone teach you that?"

Episode #244:      Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor and Clara Oswald.
Air Date:              27th April 2013.

The Doctor's TARDIS is captured by brothers running a salvage company in space. In the process, Clara gets lost inside the time machine. To save her, the Eleventh Doctor promises the brothers they can have the TARDIS if they'll help search for his missing companion. They agree, only to find that what lies at the centre of the TARDIS can kill them all.

This adventure breaks the usual mould by confining the characters to the inside of the TARDIS as opposed to running around an alien planet or a starship. In a way it reminds me of the 1st Doctor short story The Edge of Destruction which did something similar. The difference here is that rather than the companions going slightly mad, time has ruptured and now potential "time zombies" are running lose in the TARDIS corridors seeking to transform their real selves into their zombie selves.

As much as this episode is a cool adventure racing through the dangerous insides of the TARDIS, it is more the references that give me a big geek smile. Mostly though I was pleased that unlike the 4th Doctor story The Invasion of Time, which quite frankly was almost too awful for words, we have a decent showcase of what the interior of the TARDIS is like. In that older story the BBC just used random real rooms rather than making them appear as though the characters were running through the TARDIS. This time they have done a much better job of showing us what the inside of the machine looks like while keeping it in keeping with our expectations.

Although everyone forgets by the end of the episode, the Doctor and Clara have a revelation together that he has met her twice before and each time she has died. Just who is she? We'll find out soon enough.

I rate this one a 4 because while it does little to further the season plot arc, it is a really enjoyable adventure and one different from the usual fare. It has something for the classic era fans as well, which will usually help bump the rating as well.

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.

Epsiode #234: Asylum of the Daleks

"These are the Daleks who survived me."

Episode #234:      Asylum of the Daleks.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams.
Air Date:               1st September 2012.

Insane Daleks are about to escape the Dalek Asylum where they are kept. The rest of the Daleks call on their greatest enemy, the Doctor, along with his companions Amy Pond and Rory Williams, to lower the defences so they can destroy the Asylum. Can the Doctor save the day, along with his companions' marriage, as easily as he can fix his bow-tie?

The season starts up with a fantastic adventure for the Doctor and his companions. Normally, I am like a lot of modern viewers who grumble about Daleks being used in every season of the new show but with this story I forgive them. Primarily because this adventure is a great throwback for the old classic fans as it features daleks from throughout the run of the show and even makes references to a number of classic stories. My favourite, the special weapons dalek, even gets a brief showcase but unfortunately only in the background.

Other than the daleks the focus of this story is about the companions. Since Amy and Rory last travelled with the Doctor they have had a bad time in their relationship to the point that they are on the verge of splitting up. It takes the Doctor and the dangers of this adventure to bring them back together again. Also, we are introduced very briefly to Oswin, a young woman trapped in the Asylum. I won't spoil her plot for those who haven't seen this but suffice to say this isn't the last time we see her... sort of. Her inclusion is a nice set up for later in the show. The adventure isn't about the daleks but about the companions and it works really well.

The adventure is fun and feels like the old classic dalek stories which is why I enjoy it so much. But there is a niggle towards the end. The Doctor's existence or identity is removed from the daleks collective memory before he makes his escape. But why then is he remembered in later stories? Was it just those daleks in the council that have their memories altered or what? It isn't explained and it niggles in the back of my head.

This is a great adventure and certainly up there on my watch list.

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 #226: A Good Man Goes to War

"This was exactly you. All this, all of it. You make them so afraid. When you began, all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name? Doctor: the word for healer and wise man throughout the universe. We get that word from you, you know. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean? To the people of the Gamma Forests, the word "doctor" means "mighty warrior". How far you've come. And now they've taken a child. The child of your best friends. And they're going to turn her into a weapon, just to bring you down. And all this, my love... in fear of you."

Episode #226:      A Good Man Goes To War.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor, River Pond, Amy Pond, and Rory Williams.
Air Date:              4th June 2011.

On the asteroid Demon's Run, Amy Pond has given birth. But the villainous Madame Kovarian and the religious order of the silence are waiting to make a collection that tears Amy's world apart. Across the galaxy, the Eleventh Doctor and Rory Williams are assembling an army to fight the battle that lies ahead, whilst in Stormcage, River Song prepares to escape for what may be the last time. For this is the battle of Demon's Run. On this day, the Doctor will rise higher than ever and fall so much further, and finally, this is the day he discovers who River Song is.

Where do I start with this story? It is big. Each series of New Who has contained it's own plot line that builds and builds before reaching, hopefully, an awesome finale. A Good Man Goes to War is no different, other than it builds up to this mid-season break and ends on a real corker. A good few plot lines that have been building or hanging get resolved or at least opened up here. Mainly, who the mysterious eye patch lady is, who River Song is and who was the little girl from The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon? Even now I get goose bumps when the revelations come up at the end of this story.

We are introduced to three new characters in this story who become recurring allies of the Doctor. Madame Vastra (a Silurian), her lover/servant Jenny and a Sontaran nurse named Strax. Although not called such on screen, they are known as the  Paternoster Gang (Paternoster Row being the street in Victorian London where they reside). These characters have quickly become fan favourites.

I won't spoil the plot here as I think this is a great episode to watch and learn rather than be told. However, watching it did reveal to me why I think certain stories in New Who work better than most. Part of it is the plot and the excitement they generate but more specifically I think it is the perfect dialogue. Some writers seem to just coast through it sometimes getting those moments of exposition just right, but then you get some who seem to strike the right cord. The quote above is one that gets me every time. We learn so much from that short speech and it opens up our understanding of our beloved Time Lord. River's speech above mirrors, for me, Davros' speech about the Doctor from The Stolen Earth / Journey's End. We all look to the Doctor as a hero or even anti-hero and we see what he does. We give him the big thumbs up but really throughout time and space he has become the cause of so much bloodshed and destruction in order to achieve the desirable outcome. Does the final outcome outweigh the deed that brings them about? For the Doctor we say yes but is that right? These sort of questions make for me the better episodes.

So why then is this a 4 star story not a 5? Well, I'm being resistant I think. The 11th Doctor's adventures, as I have said many many times, has a certain strange fairy tale quality that doesn't always sit well with me. A Good Man Goes to War has those elements and pushes my personal enjoyment down slightly. Had it not featured strange headless monks and space worthy spitfire planes, for example, I might have given it a 5 star rating.

Episode #225: The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People

"I've got to get to that cockerel before all hell breaks loose! ... I never thought I'd have to say that again!"

Episode #225:      The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor, Amy Pond, and Rory Williams.
Air Date:              21st to 28th May 2011.

The Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams visit an acid-mining factory. A solar storm hits the factory, turning the workers' gangers into self-aware individuals. The Doctor must mediate between the original workers and their rebellious gangers.

The basic premise of the adventure is that the TARDIS lands on Earth in the 22nd century, some time before the Dalek invasion I would guess or maybe a few decades after. Humans now use a living material called the Flesh to work in hazardous conditions. When a solar storm and a few other calamities strike the Flesh come to life and decide that they will no longer be slaves. From there it takes on a nice horror feel with some unnatural flesh warping and form shifting.

When I first watched this two part story I was not all that impressed. It seemed like a very dull story that only had my interest because of a slight horror vibe. Watching them for the second time in preparation for this review I actually enjoyed the episodes a lot more. I still don't think they are that great but mainly because it feels like too much has been pushed into the story and it is padded out far too much.

Ultimately the story is simply one of differences and overcoming them. Nothing new to science fiction and I think is why the story doesn't really work for me. It is a troupe that has been done to death in almost every modern science fiction show since Star Trek first aired. I like something a little more well thought out and emotional. It is also another one that exists simply to set up the following adventure.

Episode #220: A Christmas Carol

"Nobody important? Blimey, that's amazing. You know that in nine hundred years of time and space and I've never met anybody who wasn't important before."

Episode #220:      A Christmas Carol.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams.
Air Date:              25th December 2010.

Amy Pond and Rory Williams are trapped on a crashing space liner, and the only way the Eleventh Doctor can rescue them is to save the soul of a lonely old miser. But is Kazran Sardick, the richest man in Sardicktown, beyond redemption? And what is lurking in the fogs of Christmas Eve?

The 2010 Christmas special is rather a let down to me. The story, as given away by the title, is based very loosely upon Dicken's classic A Christmas Carol. By it's self this isn't a bad idea but the implementation and the all to silly fairy tale elements spoil it. Flying fish and a giant flying shark? Good grief!

Even the time travel elements of the story contradict everything we've been told over the previous four decades. Once part of established events you can't go back and make changes but yet this is exactly what this episode consists of. The Doctor rewrites Sardick's memories by altering the events of his past. The Blinovich Limitation Effect is also ignored when the older and younger Sardick's interact with one another. I know that sometimes you have to let things slide in order to make a story work but these are big no no's in my mind.

Some elements, such as on board the space liner, do feel reminiscent of classic era sets and uniforms. In that regard I get some enjoyment out of the episode but the story is a real let down. Especially the reference to being Christmas. A Christmas special doesn't need to be set at Christmas, as I have said before. Attempting to do A Christmas Carol though does give it some bonus points though.

There isn't a lot to like in this episode to be fair. The pacing is wrong and the inclusion of the fairy tale elements, plus that it just ends, just leaves me disappointed with what could have been a good episode. My apologies for this being a rather negative review (and I would love to read your opinions) but this is probably the worst of the worst for Christmas specials.

Episode #213 : The Time of the Angels / Flesh and Stone

"Didn't anyone ever tell you? There's one thing you never put in a trap. If you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there's one thing you never, ever put in a trap."

Episode #213:      The Time of the Angels / Flesh and Stone.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor and Amy Pond.
Air Date:              14th April to 1st May 2010.

The enigmatic River Song hurtles back into the Eleventh Doctor's life, but she's not the only familiar face returning — the Weeping Angels are back! Following River's calling card, the Doctor is recruited to help track down the last of the Angels, which has escaped from the Byzantium starliner and into the terrifying Maze of the Dead.

The Weeping Angels and River Song return in a rather good story that continues the lore of the Angels. Most of the time the episodes that feature the Angels are rather naff but this one adds something to it. We learn a little more about them and what they are capable off. Blink barely touched the surface. As for River she is a very different person than when we last saw her. We are going backwards though as the Doctor and River do keep meeting in the wrong order.

This is also a major revelation episode where the crack in the universe is concerned. At the end of Victory of the Daleks the Doctor points out that Amy should remember the Dalek invasion that recently moved the Earth but she doesn't. In this adventure the Doctor realises that something is changing or rewriting history as, and I pointed this out a while back, no one remembers the giant Cyberking marching across Victorian London. Something is a foot and the Doctor is on the case.

The best bit about this adventure is that pretty much from the get go we have a suspense filled romp through an ancient maze and a crashed space ship. Most adventures are quite exciting but few are truly suspenseful. This is one of the few and it's worth it.

Episode #211 : The Beast Below

"A horse and a man, above, below,

One has a plan, but both must go,

Mile after mile, above, beneath,

One has a smile and one has teeth,

Though the man above might say hello,

Expect no love from the Beast Below."

Episode #211:      The Beast Below.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor and Amy Pond.
Air Date:              10th April 2010.

For Amy Pond's first trip in the TARDIS, the Eleventh Doctor brings his new companion to the 29th century, where all of the United Kingdom's citizens (apart from the Scottish) live on board Starship UK, searching for a new home among the stars as the Earth is being roasted by solar flares. However, the Doctor soon finds something amiss on board the vessel. The citizens appear to fear "the smiling fellows in the booths" and ignore crying children. What is going on? What secrets does Starship UK hold at its depths, and who is hiding them? Soon, the Doctor is forced to make an impossible choice. No matter what he chooses, death is the only outcome.

After the great start to the new series we hit this story and we're dropped into what I call science-fairy tale. Basically this resembles nothing like what we have seen previously and it just feels wrong. We can assume from the century given (and you may disagree) that these country starships are the people of Earth fleeing the solar flares that led to the events from The Ark in Space. So, why does the Nerva Beacon have proper technology and here we have most of the UK crammed into a city flying through space? A city sized space ship I could get but that isn't what we have here. 

Amy gets some better dialogue and more of a character in this story. I'd already warmed to her in the previous story but here is where we start to see the real her. She has her tough side but she is still as sympathetic as the rest of us. The Doctor on the other hand, for me anyway, turns into a rather unlikable character towards the end. To start with he's all in for the wonder and the adventure but once the realisation of what is happening hits him suddenly he is all "nobody human has anything to say to me today!" despite their actions being what saved them. They weren't to know what they were doing. His reaction just seems beyond the extreme. Anger I can get because of what has happened but blaming humanity for survival seems just over the top. 

The "Beast" resembles the poor creature in the Torchwood story Meat. Could that have been an immature space whale? I like the idea of the space whale and it does fit into the Whoniverse quite nicely I think. You could certainly imagine something like it in a classic Who story.

The Beast Below is not a bad story I suppose but the weird fairy tale feel to it spoils it for me somewhat. It works for some stories such as the horror genre ones, but not for something set in the distant future on board a large impressive star ship. 

Episode #203 : Turn Left

"The Doctor is dead. Must have happened too fast for him to regenerate."

Episode #203:         Turn Left.
Companions:           10th Doctor and Donna Noble.
Air Date:                 21st June 2008.

On the an alien planet, Donna meets a fortune teller, who launches her into a world based on one question: "What would happen if Donna never met the Tenth Doctor?" Without the Doctor, the whole world is in ruin, and a mysterious blonde tries to warn Donna of the oncoming darkness... Now a simple refugee, Donna is the only one who can undo the damage. But how?

Turn Left is a "what if" story. In this case we see what happens to the Earth and to Donna Noble if the Doctor was killed defeating the Rachnoss without Donna there to save him. The events we see unfold without his interference are the SS Titanic crashing into London, the Adipos (in the US rather than UK), and ATMOS. Without the Doctor there to save us everything goes very very wrong. The episode is Doctor lite to make up for the previous companion lite episode, Midnight. What causes all this? It is strongly hinted at that it is the work of the Trickster (or his Brigade) although he has yet to ever appear in an episode by this time.

Rose Tyler makes another appearance in this story alongside UNIT trying to fix the time line before everything goes pear shaped for good. She drops hints about the possible events that have been cropping up all season and we see the culmination in the following episode. The ending of the episode gives me goosebumps watching it when everything is revealed to the Doctor.

As an episode it isn't fantastic but likewise it isn't a bad story either. Not a lot actually happens in it but rather we see a world without the Doctor there to save it and how Donna's life would turn out. The pay out is more where the story leads at the end of it and where we go next.

Episode #202 : Midnight

"Ah, I'll be fine. Taking a big space truck with a bunch of strangers across a diamond planet called Midnight... What could possibly go wrong?"

Episode #202:         Midnight.
Companions:           10th Doctor and Donna Noble.
Air Date:                 14th June 2008.

The Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble go to the leisure planet of Midnight for a simple, relaxing vacation. However, life with the Doctor can never be that simple, and things go horribly wrong for the Doctor when he decides to go off on a bus trip to see the Sapphire Waterfall, starting with the bus shutting down. When a mysterious entity infiltrates the shuttle bus, no one is to be trusted. Not even the Doctor himself.

I'm never really sure what to make of this episode. On one hand nothing really happens and it just trundles along. On the other hand, it is delightfully disturbing and creepy. I think the problem is that you never actually see what the monster looks like or learn what it actually is. Less is often more but not in this case. As such I never really know how I should view the episode.

Partly I think that the problem is that tension is built up by having several characters trapped in an enclosed space paranoid and shouting at one another soon loses its power. It just becomes annoying instead after a while. I have the same opinion of similar situations in other disaster movies and shows.

Donna Noble only appears twice during this story as it focuses exclusively on the Doctor's adventure on board the train. In the next episode it swaps and Donna gets an adventure without the Doctor. As I understand it, this was done as a cost cutting endeavour and still occasionally happens in later seasons.

The episode features David Troughton, son of the second Doctor Patrick Troughton. He had previously appeared as King Peladon in The Curse of Peladon.

I'll leave this one to your devices to decide what you think of it.

Episode #201: Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead

Episode #201:        Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead.
Companions:           10th Doctor and Donna Noble.
Air Date:                 31st May to 7th June 2008.

"When you run with the Doctor, it feels like it will never end. But however hard you try, you can't run for ever. Everybody knows that everybody dies, and nobody knows it like the Doctor. But I do think that all the skies of all the worlds might just turn dark, if he ever, for one moment, accepts it."

The Tenth Doctor takes Donna Noble to a planet-sized library in the 51st century. They find it empty of human life, with a final recorded message: "4,022 saved, no survivors." As an archaeological expedition arrives, lead by the mysterious Professor River Song, they can only give one piece of advice: count the shadows.

Steven Moffat, future head man of the show, returns with a blinding spooky episode. Whatever we may feel about the man these days it cannot be denied that he knows how to write the proper spooky episodes. In Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead we see how time travelers drawn to a planet sized library where there are no people. It has been a hundred years since everything went wrong and everyone vanished. Now, am archaeological team has come to investigate and things have begun to awaken.

In this adventure we are introduced to a new character by the name of River Song. At this point we know very little about her other than she knows the Doctor's real name and that she knows him from his future in another incarnation. I won't spoil anything yet but as the Doctor says, there is only one time he could give someone his name.

Interestingly we never really see the monsters of this story, instead we see the walking dead of their feeding. Maybe not as scary as the Weeping Angels but creepy all the same especially as we are told that they are all around us in the dark...

The end of the story comes with a beautiful and emotional ending where the Doctor loses someone oh so important and has to come to terms with it. Even when we get a sad ending there is always something positive that comes out of it. The show hasn't had that for a long time and it is good ending for the episode.

Episode #199 : The Doctor's Daughter

"He saves planets, rescues civilizations, defeats terrible creatures... and runs a lot. Seriously, there is an outrageous amount of running involved."

Episode #199:         The Doctor's Daughter.
Companions:           10th Doctor, Donna Noble and Martha Jones.
Air Date:                 10th May 2008.

Just after finally defeating the Sontarans on modern-day Earth, the Doctor's TARDIS takes the Tenth Doctor, Donna Noble and Martha Jones on an unexpected trip to the planet Messaline. Arriving right in the middle of a war between humans and Hath, the Doctor meets someone he thought he never would: his daughter. Can the Doctor accept this clone as his offspring, and can he stop the war before it all ends in massacre on both sides?

It is always nice to see interaction between old companions and new. With the threat of the Sontarans out of the way the Doctor drags Donna and Martha off into time and space. Although they do get split up after a while there is some fun interaction similar to, but more serious than, when Rose Tyler and Sarah Jane Smith met back in School Reunion.

The biggest plot element that had people talking about the episode all week before it was shown was the trailer reference to "hi dad" and the episode title. I had hoped, against hope, that it would be his direct daughter - Susan's mother. But alas, that was not to be. Sometimes I do wish we could just get some direct continuity back to Susan but I doubt now that it will happen. Instead, Jenny, is a clone creation made by a machine. She is programmed to be a soldier, which makes the Doctor distrust her immediately, and it takes Donna to force him to see her as his own flesh and blood. I won't spoil the ending where Jenny is concerned but we need a repeat appearance or her own spin off show.

As you are already probably aware Georgia Moffatt who plays Jenny is the daughter of 5th Doctor Peter Davison. So technically she is the Doctor's daughter, who is married to the Doctor (David Tennant) and has had the Doctor's daughter. Timey whimey.

As an episode, the Doctor's Daughter isn't bad but it feels somewhat cheap in places as though this was the runt of the series. It is a story that doesn't really go anywhere and perhaps may have been better as a classic era story spanning three or four parts. It is the problem with many modern episodes though and by now I should be used to it.