Aside from 2011's 'The Doctor's Wife' which showed off some fancy corridors and the two latest control rooms we've never really got to explore the TARDIS in detail, have we? You'd think that in the entire 50 year history of the show that there would have been an episode that delved a bit deeper into the TARDIS wouldn't you, I mean it's not like it isn't ripe for story material, as the TARDIS is within itself an entire dimension filled with an infinite number of rooms and (judging from this episode) an equally infinite number of corridors all leading to places that viewers can scarcely imagine. Sure we've heard a few references to the swimming pool and the library here and there but COME ON this space has infinite potential for great sci-fi idea's (sadly, the show hasn't exactly got an infinite budget to demonstrate these infinite idea's). So when they announced this episode fan-boys all over the word shuddered in excitement. 'Will we finally get to see the infamous swimming pool?' they asked. 'Ooh, and what about that library the Doctor keeps going on about?' 'Ah, but let's not forget the Eye of Harmony, the miniature black hole that powers the place! I bet that would be a cool visual!' So yes, most Whovian's were pumped for this, including me. Unfortunately my hopes dampened a little when I saw the writer for this episode: the much reviled Stephen Thompson, who arguably wrote Series 6's worst script 'The Curse Of The Black Spot'. But having said that, between 'Curse' and this episode he did write 'The Reichenbach Fall', the last episode of Sherlock Series 2 which was (without exaggeration) THE BEST EPISODE OF EVERYTHING THAT HAS EVER BEEN AIRED ON BRITISH TELEVISION FROM NOW TIL' THE DAWN OF TIME. Soooo...maybe we should give this guy a second chance?
Thankfully what we got as a finished product was NOT another repeat of 'Curse Of The Black Spot'. Instead it was 45 minutes of the Doctor & Co being chased through corridors (remember people, budget) with a few quick glimpses at some of the iconic rooms that have been stated before but never actually seen until now. It was a perfectly fine 45 minutes but I could have done with some more imaginative idea's being thrown around, but perhaps my expectations were getting the better of me. Ultimately what we got to see was two blink or you'll miss it CGI cameo's of the swimming pool and the observatory, a brief detour into the library, a sequence with the eye of harmony, some weird machine building tree (similar to the one from 'Avatar') which to it's credit was a neat idea and a quick shot of the engine room that was sadly destroyed so we didn't actually see the engine room...oh and let's not forget, a TON OF CORRIDORS. So yeah it was a tad disappointing but I suppose we have to be realistic on what the production team can fit into the episode coupled with the budget constraints. But still, it's a shame that they never came close to the kind of impossible wonderment that the TARDIS ought to convey, I mean it all felt very ordinary, where's some of the more alien stuff? *SIGH* Anyway everything TARDIS aside, what about the actual story to the episode?
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| WHAT. A. TEASE. |
It's a pretty simple but intriguing set-up, and episodes like 'Cold War' and 'Dinosaurs On A Spaceship' this season have shown that thanks to compelling characters and witty scripts you can still make an entertaining episode. Unfortunately, Stephen Thompson's script doesn't really do anything interesting with the premise. Again I don't think it's 'bad' by any means, it just lacked imagination. I do have some rather serious nitpicks though, as the 'lava' monsters were rather weak, and when it was finally revealed what they were it didn't make a lick of sense (why would a horribly burned Clara decide to kill people?), they were literally there just so the episode could have some sort of threat (NOTE TO DW WRITERS: not EVERY episode needs a villain or monster), while the impeding threat of the TARDIS exploding was more than enough incentive to warrant a quicker pace. And the Van Baalen brother's are hideously one dimensional and rather dull, almost as if the episode needed a few supporting characters so the writer haphazardly wrote some in. See what I mean? It's almost like Thompson had a checklist and half heatedly wrote in a bunch of stuff, like the scene where the metal girder's started popping out of the walls for some reason.
The episode wasn't without it's moments though, like the Doctor FINALLY telling Clara just why he came looking for her. It's well acted by Matt and JLC (duh), even though they've repeatedly introduced the same narrative threads for 4 episodes without any development, which means that if this isn't resolved soon then the audience will quickly lose interest. Also the scene in the Library, with Clara finding out the Doctor's name, while one MASSIVE tease was still rather exciting for the hardcore Who fans like myself. And the ending, while a bit too much on the nose was nevertheless a clever way of solving things. Oh, and technically the episode didn't even happen in the first place, so there is that. *SIGH* So much for that ground-breaking conversation between the Doctor and Clara, talk about back to square one.
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| Hmmm, seems the TARDIS has a built-in quarry... |
Positives:
+ It wasn't bad like the writers last effort, just ok-ish
+ We did see a bit of the TARDIS
+ Lot's of teases
Negatives:
- Come to think of it, that ending was bullcrap
- The supporting cast were terrible, lifeless
- We didn't see MUCH of the TARDIS
- Nothing interesting done with the premise, unimaginative
- Clara plotline hasn't gained any traction whatsoever
- Monsters were weak
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