May
21

Who Review: The Name of the Doctor

London, 1893, and a serial killer buys his life by giving Madame Vastra critical news about the Doctor: his secret has been discovered! She summons Jenny, Strax, Clara, and River Song to a “conference call” by means of a sleep-induced state. But during the call, the creepy “Whisper Men” come for the Detective trio. When Clara revives, she informs the Doctor what happened. He becomes extremely upset when she tells him what has been discovered: Trenzalore. In a bid to save his friends, the Doctor must go to a place no Time Lord should ever go, and risk his life–past, present, and future–in the process.

SPOILER ALERT!! My comments may (and likely will) contain spoilers for those that haven’t seen the episode. If you want to stay spoiler-free, please watch the story before you continue reading!

If you’re a Doctor Who fan, especially a life-long fan like me, I expect you were delighted by the first few minutes of this episode. What a way to begin–the very beginning (before the beginning, really)! The story itself both ties together some loose ends, and sets the scene for November’s 50th Anniversary Special. In particular, we learn the truth about Clara, and how it is she has died twice in very different times and yet she travels with the Doctor. We also learn the meaning of the prophecy given by Dorium in “The Wedding of River Song” regarding “the fall of the Eleventh” on the fields of Trenzalore.

The story title is a bit deceptive because we don’t actually learn the Doctor’s name (for which I was thankful–some things we don’t need to know), but his name is critical to the plot.

I can’t say I’ve enjoyed River Song’s character since “Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead,” but in this episode, I think she hit the right note. Perhaps my memory plays tricks, but in “Silence in the Library” she wasn’t quite as flirty/feisty/take-control as she has been with the Eleventh Doctor. This may be due to the fact that the Tenth Doctor met her after they were already married (maybe for a long time), and she had, perhaps, matured somewhat. It’s this River we meet in this story–the River from the computer in that library, uploaded by the Doctor at the point of death.

(By the way, some fans may object to the kiss. I personally thought this was the most appropriate Doctor Who kiss in the history of the show (okay, maybe not counting the Ninth Doctor kissing Rose to absorb the TARDIS energy). For crying out loud people, this is his wife! The person he loves more than any other. Possibly the mother of his children. Where do you think Susan, his granddaughter, came from–a Gallifreyan stork?!)

One might wonder why the Great Intelligence was the first one to ever hit upon this idea for taking revenge on the Doctor. You’d think maybe the Master, with his knowledge of Time Lord lore and tradition, would have considered this. But maybe the Great Intelligence was the only thing capable of gathering and processing the information necessary to locate the Doctor’s tomb. And yet he doesn’t know the Doctor’s name..?

I liked the resolution to the Clara mystery. In the wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey world of Doctor Who, it makes perfect sense. Ever since Steven Moffat announced that the 50th Anniversary Special would be “a love-letter to the fans,” I’ve wondered exactly what he meant. Certainly, he would have to include as many past Doctors as possible, and make the show as chock-full of Who references as possible. But how to do this with a credible storyline and with minimal cheesiness (*cough* “Dimensions in Time” *cough*)? How about, the Doctor rescuing Clara from his own time lines? And the promise of the Tenth Doctor and Rose coming along to help! The insertion of past Doctors from old episodes we saw in this story maybe foreshadows what they plan to do for the special–and that would be awesome if they can make it work. Filming on the special finished a week or so ago, so they have all summer to work on post-production!

And who is this mysterious Doctor at the end, the one who “broke the promise”? Will he be the Doctor’s (or Doctors’) antagonist as he and Clara try to escape? Another version of the Valeyard?

What are your thoughts? Please use the comments to share about this episode, this season, your hopes and fears for the special, and anything else about Doctor Who! Feel free to be as spoilery as you want.

May
21

Sunday School Notes: Romans 14:4-6

4 Who are you to judge another’s domestic servant? He stands or falls by his own lord; and he shall stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person considers one day over another, and one considers all days [equally]; let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one observing the day observes for the Lord, and the one eating eats for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and the one not eating abstains from eating for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God.

We started this week reading 1 Corinthians 8, since there are a lot of parallel ideas there. While the context of 1 Corinthians 8 is different (whether or not to eat food sacrifice to idols), the attitude Paul advocates is the same. Our understanding of both Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 is enhanced, I think, by reading both.

Having told the omnivore not to hold the vegetarian in contempt, and the vegetarian not to judge the omnivore, Paul draws an analogy with the social custom of the day. You wouldn’t walk into someone’s house and presume to “judge” his household slave (Greek oiketês). You are not his master, so it is not up to you to speak to his position in the household or to his relationship with his master. The one to whom the slave belongs alone has the authority and the right to speak to these things. Likewise, as Christians, we were bought with a price. Christ is our Lord, and he has declared his judgment upon us by clothing us with his righteousness, and forgiving our sin. No-one else’s judgment matters. Our standing before God is based on the merit of Christ, and any attempts to make us fall will fail, because we stand by the grace of God and in His power.

I think it’s important to note here–and I won’t tire of repeating this–that our acceptance of a person is based on the fact that God has received them. But, implicit in God receiving them is the fact that they have been made acceptable to God. This means, God has changed their heart, causing them to recognize and repent of their sin, and turn to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. If they are truly Christians, then we have no right to demand that they take the same position as we do on secondary matters in order to be right with God. They already are right with God–anything else is a matter of Christian growth and maturity.

In verse 5, Paul brings up another case in point: having regard for particular days. Some people put certain days above others, some regard all days as of equal importance. If we bear in mind the Jew-Gentile conflict behind the letter, it’s not hard to see what this refers to. Clearly, the Jewish Christians were still holding to Jewish feast days, and, as with their vegetarianism, looking at their observance as some kind of indicator of their piety. In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul warns the Gentile church about those who would judge them by what they eat, drink, or for not observing feast days. This sounds like a similar situation, though it’s possible the Judaizers in Colossae were outside the church (note, Paul doesn’t address both groups as he does in Romans).

Paul’s use of the verb “to judge” (Greek krinô) is meant here to indicate discernment, or preference, not necessarily condemnation. Paul’s admonition at the end is particularly interesting. He doesn’t tell the Jewish Christians to stop celebrating feast days, nor does he tell the Gentile Christians to start celebrating them. Rather, he says that each must be fully convinced in his own mind. This is a matter of conscience, not so much of practice. If a believer is fully convinced by the Lord through his study of Scripture that he should observe the Jewish feast days–or perhaps his conscience is still bound by the traditions he grew up with, even though he knows and understands the gospel–then he should follow his sanctified conscience.

There is, I think, a subtle message here that needs to come out: Christians have a duty to be educated in their faith. This doesn’t mean every Christian should have a seminary degree, but that every believer needs to take time to study their faith, read the Scriptures and apply them to their life (being transformed by the renewing of the mind), be under the preaching of God’s Word every Lord’s Day, and participate in Sunday School, small groups, Bible studies–whatever opportunities the church provides for becoming more aware of what the Bible teaches and how that impacts life.

In verse 6, we possibly have the earliest reference to Christians giving thanks for their food at mealtimes. Both those that eat meat and those that don’t eat meat give thanks to God. Both sides of the day-observance issue take the position they take for the Lord. That is, it’s not a matter of personal pride, or selfish gain; it’s all about the glory of God and wanting to honor Him in what they do. If the vegetarian believes he is accomplishing this by abstaining from meat, then that’s what he must do.

In our discussion, we talked about issues of Christian liberty, and how Christian leaders should teach freedom in Christ, but practice it with extreme caution. It seems to me that, as much as Paul rejoiced in the liberty he had in Christ, he would sooner be bound to the Law than cause his brother to stumble. Freedom in Christ is both freedom to act, and freedom not to act. The Christian minister may have the freedom to drink alcohol, for example, but for the sake of those in his congregation that struggle with substance abuse, it would be wise for him to abstain.

Clearly, when two people hold diametrically opposed views on a secondary matter, one of them is wrong. The wrong position may not be clear, in which case discussion may sharpen and deepen one another’s understanding of Scripture, but there may never be agreement. And that’s okay: Christian brethren can disagree in love on secondary issues. However, the issue may be one in which the correct position is clear in Scripture. Paul evidently believed the Jewish Christians were wrong. But he doesn’t tell them to change. Rather, he wants an atmosphere of loving unity to pervade the church, where their agreement on the essential points forms the basis of their fellowship. Within that kind of atmosphere, the “weaker” can be encouraged, taught, and brought to a full appreciation of Christian liberty. People who feel maligned and judged are far less open to being corrected.

We’ll continue from verse 6 next time.

 

May
19

Sunday Devotional: Psalm 88:1-2 (2-3)

1 O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out by day, [and] in the night in Your presence. 2 Let my prayer go before You; incline Your ear to my cry.

Psalm 88 has been characterized as the saddest psalm in the Bible. It’s a psalm of lament, but unlike other psalms written in times of trial or suffering, there is no “happy ending.” There’s no turn around at the end, where the psalmist rejoices in the grace and mercy of God. Indeed, in verses 6-8, the psalmist says it is God who has put him in the pit, poured wrath upon him, and turned people against him.

It may seem strange that such a negative psalm is in the Bible. Where is the comfort here? How do these words of distress and hopelessness draw us close to the Lord, and help us gain strength in times of trial? We may be able to identify with the psalmist, but there doesn’t seem to be anything here that would help us see beyond our circumstances. The God who has the psalmist in the palm of His hand is the One who has apparently destroyed his life.

The interesting thing is that, while the psalmist speaks no explicit words of hope, his hope is implied in the first couple of verses. Despite what’s going on around him, the psalmist calls the Lord the “God of my salvation.” He hasn’t gone looking for other gods to serve, believing his God to have failed him. He knows there is no other source of divine power to go to. And, indeed, salvation can only come from this one true God. The psalmist not only turns to God, but he continues to cry out to God, and to pray to God. The Hebrew words for “cry” refer to wailing and screaming out for help. The fact he pleads before God to hear him, and persists in crying out, shows his conviction that if there is any comfort in his circumstances, it can only come from the Lord.

I think the lesson for us is clear: it doesn’t matter what’s happening in our lives, or whatever difficult circumstances the Lord has given to us, He is the only one we can turn to. There are no other sources of true comfort. There’s no-one else that will sustain us. And often, the purpose of these trials is to make us more dependent upon Him. I think that’s the lesson the psalmist is learning here. May we face times of trial with the same faith in the God who saves.

Have a great week!

May
18

Who Review: Nightmare in Silver

In the last story, Angie and Artie discovered that their nanny, Clara, travels through time and space with her “boyfriend.” To keep them quiet, the Doctor and Clara take them to an alien theme park. But it seems the park has closed down and is under military control. The park’s owner, Mr. Webley, shows them round his exhibits, including some left over Cybermen from the last war they fought a thousand years ago in which the Cybermen were destroyed. Webley has rigged up one of the Cybermen to play chess (under the control of a vertically-challenge man called “Porridge”). But hiding in the shadows are thousands of tiny cybermats (“cybermites”), presumably left over from the war, ready to take control of the Cybermen and install upgrades. They start with Webley, then the children, and before long the Doctor is locked in battle with the Cyber Planner for control of his mind. As millions of Cybermen come to life across the planet, the lives of the Doctor, his companions, and every being in the universe hangs on a game of chess.

SPOILER ALERT!! My comments may (and likely will) contain spoilers for those that haven’t seen the episode. If you want to stay spoiler-free, please watch the story before you continue reading!

It seems when Neil Gaiman was charged with returning the Cybermen, he wanted to do it in a way that brought together the classic former inhabitants of Mondas (“The Tenth Planet”), and the new Cybus Industries alternate universe version (“Rise of the Cybermen”). These “new” Cybermen have undergone a bit of a redesign, which is in-keeping with past versions. Indeed, during the classic series, the Cybermen were re-vamped fairly regularly. According to Gaiman, these Cybermen are the result of an amalgmation of the classic and the new resulting from an encounter following the story “The Next Doctor.” I was never entirely happy with the “Cybus Cybermen” largely because it was a re-write of Cyberman history, and we never re-established the original history. Perhaps now…?

I like the new Cybermen, especially their ability to “upgrade” when faced with a new challenge (or, indeed, a weakness inherited from old code–did anyone else smile when the Doctor used gold?). This is not only true to the way Cybermen adapt and change, but it makes them far more formidable.

On the whole, I thought this was a good story. The plot mostly worked, and I especially liked the character moments–Clara in charge, the Doctor dueling himself, and even the soldiers who looked like army rejects, but showed themselves to be the equal of the best soldier, at least in terms of bravery and resourcefulness. My only major plot quibble has to do with the Emperor beaming everyone to safety when he activated the bomb. It wasn’t clear to me why he couldn’t have done that earlier. Did I miss something?

Aside from the gold, other nods to classic Who Cybermen stories included the cybermats, now reduced to cybermites, and the emergence of the Cybermen from their tombs, reminiscent of “Tomb of the Cybermen” and “Attack of the Cybermen.” The Doctor’s reference to Cybermen’s weakness to “cleaning fluids” dates back to the 1967 story, “The Moonbase,” where companions Ben and Polly mix a cocktail of chemicals that dissolve the Cybermen’s chest units. Also, did you catch the Doctor putting on a northern accent and saying “Fantastic”? And the use of “Allons-y”? Clearly nods to the Ninth and Tenth Doctors.

The Doctor, under cyber influence, tells Clara she’s “the impossible girl.” Once again, Clara is given reason to suspect something’s not right. And again, at the end of the adventure, Clara and the kids leave the TARDIS until the next time. For some reason I was reminded of Mr. Benn and his weekly trips to the costume shop for an adventure. Perhaps this arrangement is out of respect to Clara’s nannying responsibilities, though the Doctor hasn’t had much respect for his companions’ work schedules in the past.

Will the truth about Clara be revealed in the next episode, the season finale? Or will we be left hanging until November? This much I do know: both Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman have signed on for another year (hurray!), so whatever the truth is behind the mystery, Clara will be back.

If you saw this episode, please share your thoughts: the comments are open for as-spoilery-as-you-want discussion! I’ll be reviewing the season finale, “The Name of the Doctor,” sometime next week. In the meantime, to whet your appetite, here’s the Season Finale Prequel, “She Said, He Said”:

May
18

Who Review: The Crimson Horror

The Victorian detective team of Madame Vastra (Silurian), Jenny (Human), and Strax (Sontaran) return to try to solve the mystery of the Crimson Horror. They become embroiled when a Mr. Thursday asks them to look into the death of his brother. He was one of a number of red corpses turning up in the river. An old Romani myth says that a dead person’s eyes retain an image of the last thing they saw. With Thursday’s brother, the myth holds true. So why is the last thing he saw the Doctor? And what is the real horror behind Mrs. Gillyflower and her safe haven from the Apocalypse, Sweetville?

SPOILER ALERT!! My comments may (and likely will) contain spoilers for those that haven’t seen the episode. If you want to stay spoiler-free, please watch the story before you continue reading!

“The Crimson Horror,” is Mark Gatiss’ second offering for this season. This episode is also the 100th episode of the new series. It seems Steven Moffat wanted to tell a story from Vastra, Jenny, and Strax’s viewpoint, which is why the Doctor isn’t in it for the first third of the story, and Mark Gatiss wanted to write something for Diana Rigg and her daughter, Rachael Sterling. But as with “Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS,” the story is not merely a pretext. It’s a strong, well-developed story, with an excellent script. The idea of using a prehistoric poison to wipe out humanity, but using a diluted form to preserve “the very best” for Mrs. Gillyflower’s Utopia, is a novel twist on a popular “Noah’s Ark” theme (already seen twice in Doctor Who: “The Ark” from 1966, and “The Ark in Space” from 1974).

I’m in two minds about the Vastra-Jenny-Strax team. On the one hand, they seem to be an awkward fit in Doctor Who, perhaps because at least Vastra and Strax are out-of-character for their species. Silurians may be at peace with humans, but for Vastra to have a human companion, and try to assist humans in this capacity, perhaps goes a bit too far. And Strax is pure comic relief, though I understand he’s serving a sentence for dishonoring his gene batch by doing something shameful: helping the weak. But he seems to be enjoying it a little too much! Nevertheless, they work as characters, and I actually enjoyed them.

I laughed at the reference to the problems the Doctor had trying to get a “gobby Australian” back to London–clearly referring to the Fifth Doctor’s attempts to take Tegan Jovanka back to Heathrow after she became stranded on board the TARDIS in 1981 and ended up staying for about three years. And then he turns to Clara and says, “Brave heart, Clara.” “Brave heart” was something the Fifth Doctor used to say to Tegan. (BTW, I thought the use of turn-of-the-century-looking film for when the Doctor’s recounting what happened to him was a creative way to do a flashback.)

It appears the Doctor and Clara ended up in Victorian Yorkshire by accident–he was trying to get to Victorian London. When they meet up with the trio, Jenny reminds the Doctor more than once that Clara’s dead. Of course, the Clara they knew was the Clara from “The Snowmen.” This story, then, was set not long after “The Snowmen.” Why was the Doctor trying to take Clara to London at the time Victorian Clara died?

At the end, Clara’s back home in the present day (interestingly, she doesn’t live 24/7 on the TARDIS as previous companions did), but she’s been busted. Her young charges have come upon pictures of Clara from 1983 and 1974… and also one from Victorian London. But Clara knows that can’t be her. Rather than advancing what we know about Clara, this episode seems to alert Clara to the fact that something strange is going on. What do you think?

If you saw this episode, please share your thoughts: the comments are open for as-spoilery-as-you-want discussion (though I encourage you to restrict your comments to this particular episode)! My review of the next episode, “The Silver Nightmare” is coming up later today…

May
17

Who Review: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

Sensing tension between the TARDIS and Clara, the Doctor decides to teach Clara how to fly the ship as a way to help develop their relationship. He puts the ship in “Basic Mode,” which makes it easier to control, but also leaves it vulnerable to attack. The attack comes in the form of a salvage ship, scouring space for junk to resell. The salvage team capture the TARDIS with a tractor beam, and the TARDIS is severely damaged in the process. Inside the salvage ship, the TARDIS lies on its side in a heap of trash. The Doctor convinces the crew to help him go into the TARDIS to find Clara, telling them they can have his wrecked ship if they help. They agree, but once inside, the Doctor further persuades them to help by setting the TARDIS self-destruct for 30 minutes, saying he’ll turn it off once Clara is found. But finding Clara won’t be as simple as that: there are malicious life forms roaming the TARDIS corridors…

SPOILER ALERT!! My comments may (and likely will) contain spoilers for those that haven’t seen the episode. If you want to stay spoiler-free, please watch the story before you continue reading!

As we might expect, this episode is a TARDIS-centered episode. We know the TARDIS is infinitely large, and some of its rooms have been mentioned in the past (e.g., the library, and the swimming pool), but now we get a chance to see these places. And more! The last time we had anything like a tour of the TARDIS was in 1978′s “The Invasion of Time,” but that really doesn’t compare to what we get here.

(For the less literary people in the audience, the title is a play on the Jules Verne novel, A JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH.)

From the fan’s point of view, the episode is chock full of Who goodies. There are voices from the past when a section of the console is removed (can you spot which episodes, classic and new, are in the audio montage?), there’s the Eye of Harmony–seen in its fullness for the first time, there are props from previous episodes (the Doctor’s crib, the hand-crafted TARDIS Amy made, one of the Doctor’s umbrellas, etc.), and even a book on the Time War. Clara’s curiosity leads her to flip through a few pages of this (making fans across the world weep with envy), and she comes across the Doctor’s real name. The resolution to the story will cause her to forget… but something tells me that’s going to come back in the finale. Oh, and there’s lots of running through corridors. We even have a sort-of quarry scene when they’re in the engine room!

Separating the fan-squee moments from the substance of the story, it’s a good, solid tale. It hangs together well, and explains itself coherently. In other words, if the episode was just an excuse for us to explore the TARDIS, it did that, but managed to put a good story around it so it didn’t feel like a pretext. The time crack explanation for the creatures in the TARDIS wasn’t immediately obvious, but made sense (at least within the context of Doctor Who). And I liked the little sub-plot with the brothers and the “android” that really wasn’t germane to the main plot, but showed character depth and development.

This episode didn’t knock my socks off, but it was still good storytelling, well acted, and thoroughly enjoyable Doctor Who. I don’t think we learned much more about Clara, except that she really doesn’t seem to remember her “past lives.” Even at the point of certain death, when secrets are pointless, she has no memory of a life outside the one she’s living. This, in itself, could be significant. What do you think?

If you saw this episode, please share your thoughts: the comments are open for as-spoilery-as-you-want discussion (though I encourage you to restrict your comments to this particular episode)! I’ll be reviewing the next two episodes tomorrow…

May
17

Who Review: Hide

It’s November, 1974 and Professor Alec Palmer and his “assistant” (and empathic psychic) Emma Grayling are hunting a ghost. They’ve set up equipment in Claiburn mansion to track a centuries-old spirit, using Emma’s unusual abilities to help sense and contact her. When the Doctor and Clara show up, they get involved in the ghost hunt. But if searching for a ghost in a spooky old house isn’t scary enough, discovering the truth results in an adventure that’s more terrifying than things going bump in the night…

SPOILER ALERT!! My comments may (and likely will) contain spoilers for those that haven’t seen the episode. If you want to stay spoiler-free, please watch the story before you continue reading!

In short, this story by “Rings of Akhaten” writer Neil Cross is a homerun, touchdown, winning goal–whatever sporting analogy you want to use for “complete triumph.” The atmosphere of the haunted house, the set-up to the mystery, the truth behind the ghost, and even the ending (which some critics didn’t like) worked for me. Structurally, I thought it was very well put together, well thought-through, and both scary and fun at the same time.

Doctor Who rarely, if ever, embraces the supernatural as an explanation. Knowing this, one might wonder how the show would deal with ghosts. In season 2′s “Army of Ghosts,” they were Cybermen. Here, it’s a time-traveling explorer trapped in a pocket universe, screaming for help because there’s a monster trapped in the same pocket who’s not very happy and trying to get free. Emma’s psychic powers act as a beacon drawing the traveler back to the “real” universe. This explains her ghostly appearance. And the time warping effects explains why she’s been showing up in the same place for centuries. Clever, clever, clever–at least I think so.

Emma’s powers alone are not enough to traverse the wormhole and rescue the explorer. She needs something to amplify her powers–and the Doctor has the perfect solution: the blue crystal from Metabelis 3, last used for a very similar purpose in “Planet of the Spiders,” the final Third Doctor story, broadcast in… 1974! I must admit, it took me a few minutes to catch this because of Matt Smith’s pronunciation of Metabelis (MeTAbelis, as opposed to MetaBEElis). I wonder if this was a deliberate mispronunciation to catch long-time fans off-guard. I could be wrong, but that’s my theory.

Other classic show references: the whole “assistant”-”companion” thing near the beginning. This is a nod to the fact that in the classic series, the Doctor’s traveling companion (usually female) was referred to as his “assistant.” These days, they’re called “companions,” I think because this makes them seem less like the tea lady, and recognizes the important role they often play in the adventures, as well as the friendship they have with the Doctor. While this came up in reference to Professor Palmer and Emma’s relationship, it’s clear (at least to me) what this was really about.

As for the TARDIS umbrella stand–I don’t recall there ever being one. The Doctor used to have a coat/hat stand in the TARDIS, and he occasionally used this to hang his umbrella on (the Doctor often used an umbrella–indeed, with the Seventh Doctor, it was part of his costume). Maybe this is what the Doctor meant?

One thing that threw me a bit with the story is the fact that the Doctor and Clara just show up at this house. The way the Doctor recognizes the Professor and Emma indicates he intended to visit. But we aren’t told why. This would have been my biggest critique of the episode, if it weren’t for the fact this is explained at the end. The Doctor wanted to consult with Emma about Clara–given Emma’s extraordinary abilities, was there something she could tell him about Clara he should know? As it turned out, there wasn’t. And so the mystery continues…

If you saw this episode, please share your thoughts: the comments are open for as-spoilery-as-you-want discussion (though I encourage you to restrict your comments to this particular episode)! Look out for my review of the next episode, “Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS” later today…

May
16

Who Review: Cold War

It’s 1983 and the Cold War has never been hotter! A Soviet nuclear submarine is practicing war maneuvers in the North Pole when trouble strikes. An ice-encased creature salvaged by the sub crew has broken free of its frozen tomb, and is threatening the crew. Then the Doctor and Clara arrive, and what was supposed to be a vacation in Vegas turns into a life-and-death struggle with a desperate alien who’s willing to push the button…

SPOILER ALERT!! My comments may (and likely will) contain spoilers for those that haven’t seen the episode. If you want to stay spoiler-free, please watch the story before you continue reading!

Now series 7 part 2 really gets going–at least it does for me! Mark Gatiss’ story has genuine, believable threats, suspense, and some fun too. All the elements that go into a great Who story. Setting the story on a Soviet submarine during the Cold War was, I think, clever and unexpected, and it provided an opportunity to deal with the “how come I can speak a foreign language and understand these people?” question companions have been asking since 2005 (though Sarah Jane was the first to ask in 1976–see “The Masque of Mandragora”). The cultural references provided by the professor were charming (singing Ultravox and Duran Duran while listening to cassette tapes he’d been sent, since such music was not officially available in the USSR).

The main feature of this story is, of course, the return of the Ice Warriors, a classic monster last seen in the Third Doctor story “The Monster of Peladon” from 1974. That’s a long time to be gone, and their return is well overdue. I’m so glad they didn’t do as severe a re-imagining as they did with the Silurians. The Ice Warrior still looks very much like an Ice Warrior, even if they’ve spent a bit more money on the costume–a necessity for today’s discerning viewer watching in hi-def. The biggest risk was, I think, daring to take the creature out of his costume. Some purists may recoil at the sight of the Ice Warrior’s helmet-less head, feeling this to be some great blasphemy. Frankly, I think it worked well. We didn’t see too much of the “naked” Ice Warrior, so much was still left to the imagination. I’m sure the only reason we only ever saw Ice Warriors in full costume in the classic series was that it was cheaper–they simply didn’t have the budget to do what they can do now. I think Brian Hayles would have approved. My only slight disappointment is the loss of the hissy, whispering voice. Some of the hiss is still there, but it’s more growly. This could be explained away by the type of Ice Warrior he is (i.e., one of the bulkier ones that didn’t talk much in the classic series).

In short, I consider this story to be a success. Great storytelling, with a much more satisfactory resolution than the previous story. The Doctor exerts control over the situation, and is truly the hero of the show (though at the end, both the Doctor and Clara save the day). The model effects (yes, they used a model submarine, not CGI!) were well done, and while I’m sure more astute viewers will pick a million holes in it, I had few problems with the plot.

Nods to the classic series in this episode? You mean, aside from the Ice Warrior? The Doctor’s polka-dot bow tie is definitely Second Doctor-ish! Oh, and the HADS (Hostile Action Displacement System) was last used in “The Krotons”–a story from 1968, where the TARDIS appears to be destroyed, but has in fact relocated. “The Krotons” was a Second Doctor story. Are we seeing a lot of Second Doctor references? Not surprising really, since Matt Smith modeled his Doctor on the Second Doctor.

If you saw this episode, please share your thoughts: the comments are open for as-spoilery-as-you-want discussion (though I encourage you to restrict your comments to this particular episode–I’ll be reviewing the rest over the coming days)!

May
15

Who Review: The Rings of Akhaten

For her first TARDIS trip, the Doctor takes Clara to see the Rings of Akhaten. At Clara’s request, they then go down to a marketplace, where she meets the young Queen of Years and helps her overcome her fear of singing at an important religious festival that day. The people believe the singing keeps their god at rest, but when the god suddenly wakes up, the Doctor finds it’s not the Queen’s song he wants–it’s her.

SPOILER ALERT!! My comments may (and likely will) contain spoilers for those that haven’t seen the episode. If you want to stay spoiler-free, please watch the story before you continue reading!

The episode opens with a pre-title sequence introducing us not only to Clara’s parents, but also to a leaf–”the most important leaf in human history.” It was the chain of events starting with the leaf falling from a tree that led to Clara’s parents meeting. This same leaf was in Clara’s book, 101 PLACES TO SEE, in the previous episode. And it was that leaf that ended up saving an entire planet in this episode. The idea of things being imbued with value because of what they mean to their owner, or the future consequences–and lives cut short (as with Clara’s mum)–held by those things, is at the heart of this story. Is this a clue to Clara? Why was the Doctor so interested in being there when Clara’s parents met? That may be significant… or it may not be. The general idea of actions creating ripple effects is important to Doctor Who. I don’t know that the idea of ripples stopped in mid ripple, leaving “stories not told” that could have been told, has ever been explored before. Again, this is key to this story. And maybe Clara’s…?

I liked the fact that this story gave us a chance to see Clara in an alien environment. As we know, the Doctor likes people who are prepared to get stuck in, “eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing complete strangers,” and Clara doesn’t seem to be at all shy around aliens. Her first question about all the varous life forms isn’t “what’s that?” but “where are they from?” She may be a little unnerved, but she’s not frightened. And she’s more than willing to leave the Doctor to help a young girl in distress. Once more she shows herself to be an excellent companion for the Doctor: ready and willing to get stuck into the action, and not afraid to help without being asked.

I didn’t like the resolution to the story. The idea of a planet-like monster feeding off of stories is a bit too “out-there” for me. Would something really ever get so “full” of stories and memories (even the infinite possible “untold stories”) that it ends up imploding? I have shelves full of stories to be read, and I’d read them all without burping if I had the time. And there are plenty I could read but never will, so it makes no sense to me. The only reason I might give this a pass is if it’s a clue to the Clara mystery. Perhaps.

So I think it’s a good episode–but not really for the story, more for the characters. Emma Jones, who played the young queen, gave a stellar performance.  A more satisfying resolution might have made this a better story, at least in my opinion.

Oh, and for the first time in the re-boot, the Doctor makes explicit mention of his granddaughter, though not by name.

If you saw this episode, please share your thoughts: the comments are open for as-spoilery-as-you-want discussion (though I encourage you to restrict your comments to this particular episode–I’ll be reviewing the others over the coming days)!

May
14

Who Review: The Bells of Saint John

Part two of Doctor Who, Series 7, the 50th anniversary year, kicked off with a tale of Wi-Fi paranoia. The world is connected by invisible lines of data traveling from computers, smart phones, cameras, and all sorts of devices to and from servers across the world. What if a malevolent power could infiltrate those data streams and use it to capture human minds, uploading people into a cloud from which it can feed? That’s the crisis facing the world when the Doctor is awoken by the Bells of Saint John, alerting him to the location of Clara Oswald. But finding her means having to save the world, too.

SPOILER ALERT!! My comments may (and likely will) contain spoilers for those that haven’t seen the episode. If you want to stay spoiler-free, please watch the story before you continue reading!

It seems that after the events of “The Snowmen,” the Doctor has joined a thirteenth century monastery, secluded, trying to figure out where the mysterious Clara–the girl who died twice–might be. The “Bells of Saint John” that alert him is, in fact, the ringing of the TARDIS telephone (“Saint John” being a reference to the “Saint John’s Ambulance” badge on the front). That telephone is not supposed to work, and on the other end of the line is Clara, thinking she’s calling tech support because she’s lost internet connectivity. This brings the Doctor back (or forward) to 21st century London, where he connects (or re-connects) with Clara.

Overall, I enjoyed the episode. Yes, the idea that human minds can be beamed across Wi-Fi is a bit of a stretch, but let’s face it–the main story here is Clara. The anti-gravity motorcycle ride up the building was also, perhaps, a bit too much, but, again, all good Doctor Who fun.

I thought the story was a good introduction to 21st century Clara. She has that feisty independence that seems to be a requirement for Doctor Who female companions these days, but she’s not as sassy as Amy was–which I like. I also like that Clara’s not trying to upstage the Doctor, which I felt happened too often with Amy. I wasn’t a big fan of Amy Pond (if you can’t tell), and I think Clara is a marked improvement.

I probably missed a ton of things, but I don’t know that this episode gave many clues to the Clara mystery, other than establishing a connection with the Claras we’ve already met (RYCBAR as the household Wi-Fi password–”Run You Clever Boy and Remember,” a combination of phrases used by future Clara and Victorian Clara). I think there’s some laying of clues that will come to fruition later. The Great Intelligence makes a return appearance, showing he/it survived “The Snowmen,” and seemingly survived this encounter with the Doctor. He may well be prove to be an important part of this season–and possibly has something to do with the Clara mystery? And I’m still convinced that the bow tie the Doctor uses is either one of the Second Doctor’s bow ties, or one very much like it. Compare pictures and you’ll see what I mean!

As I said, it was a fun episode, not the greatest, but certainly not the worst. I like Clara, and there’s a good chemistry between her and the Doctor. Being the 50th anniversary year, I expect the truth behind Clara to be something big and special.

If you saw this episode, please share your thoughts: the comments are open for as-spoilery-as-you-want discussion (though I encourage you to restrict your comments to this particular episode–I’ll be reviewing the others over the coming days)!

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