Doctor Who: Mummy On The Orient Express

With a title like this do I really need to explain the plot? There's a mummy lurking about on a gorgeous recreation of the Orient Express, and it's picking people off one by one. The Doctor has to find a way to stop it before they all fall victim to the Foretold...

'Mummy On The Orient Express' is one of those episodes where everything just works. On the surface this episode looks like a light romp, which it still is, but it also deals with a lot of the leftover baggage from 'Kill The Moon' and turns an inventive premise into something rather special that feels fresh. The acting, direction, plot, set-design...everything is well executed and adds up to a satisfying whole. Jamie Matheson's script is no sloucher either, he manages to feature a lot of supporting characters that are given a surprising amount of characterisation in little screen time AND build upon the Doctor/Clara dynamic in the wake of last week (he's another 'fresh blood' writer that's been brought onto Doctor Who this season to shake things up and is penning next weeks episode 'Flatline' as well). I was surprised at how adept the guest cast was, they all deliver straight performances that imbue their character's with believability. David Bambers' Captain Quell comes off as your stereotypical 'NOTHING TO SEE HERE!' type of guy but backs down after the third death: 'Three, the amount of people that have to die before I stop looking the other way'. It's a small thing but it stops the character from being a caricature. Another neat moment was Professor Moorhouse's death, him breaking down after he realises the Doctor isn't going to save him was juicy as hell. Then we have Mrs. Pitt, an innocent that the episode uses to turn Clara against the Doctor again before he saves the day. And Perkins was a fun character that was again played surprisingly straight by comedian Frank Skinner. Skinner is a die hard Who fan so to finally see him feature in an episode of the show is a delight. I hope we see Perkins again someday because there was definitely something going on with the intelligent engineer in a boiler suit. I mean where does he come from? Who is he exactly? How come he knows so much about 'phasing' and doesn't seem to be fazed too much by the TARDIS? Interesting...    

The main 'gimmick' here is that only the victim can see the Foretold and they only have 66 seconds left to live, played out in real time thanks to a handy timer on the corner of the screen that's ticking down til' their untimely demise. It's a genius twist on a classic movie monster and the Mummy itself is superbly realised, heaven knows how long it took for actor Jamie Bell to get done up in those bandages. Every encounter with him is a thrilling ride that captures a morbid fascination as the various victims succumb to their death. The episode isn't content to stop there however, something nefarious is going on, a neat little mystery other than the identity and motive of the Mummy itself which literally turns the rest of the story into set-dressing. There's no resolution to it, things have clearly been left dangling for another time, I wonder if this *GUS* will pop up again sometime soon?  

That's one creepy looking mummy alright.

Threatened with death unless he figures out the Mummy's secret places this Doctor in another situation that makes good use of his ability to completely detach himself from the situation emotionally. His seemingly callousness nature is justified for once though, which makes him even more compelling. He's a dick, but only so he can save you. That line at the end about how he might've just saved Clara and everyone else perished is wonderfully ambiguous, you genuinely get the sense that with Capaldi's Doctor anything can go. His unpredictable nature has been a big draw of this series so far. What's he going to do next?

My only disappointment with this episode is what's NOT in it: we skip ahead a few weeks from 'Kill The Moon' where Clara has softened up a little and is once again travelling with the Doctor. Interestingly ALL of the marketing materials for this episode have kept Clara's involvement in 'Mummy' a secret, giving off a false pretence that this was a companion-free episode. Notice her absence on the poster up above? That's just the BBC screwing with you! It's jarring to see her show up on relatively chummy terms with the Doctor again so soon after last week, it's seems that Danny's line about never being finished with someone whilst you're still mad at them is the only breadcrumb we're going to get about her total 180. This isn't to say the events of last week are ignored, Clara spends the entire episode pondering over whether or not she should leave the Doctor for good, the Mummy adventure supposedly being their 'last hurrah' together. 

New Who sure likes it's beach scenes...

Fans of the show are complaining that the show has recently become 'Clara-Who', putting Clara at the forefront of every adventure and leaving the Doctor on the side-lines. While I agree, the show is infinitely better for it. Jenna Coleman continues to be a revelation, every scene she has alone with the Doctor is complete dynamite thanks to an emphasis on a more 'talky' Who. Seriously, I got chills during that beach scene. Her decision to stay with the Doctor at the end (and blatantly lying to him) adds another interesting spin to their dynamic, that will probably have consequences with her relationship with Danny. The finale is just around the corner and Danny's words at the end of the Caretaker: 'Lie to me about your safety again and we're finished', has to lead to something because Clara has done exactly that. They might as well put up a sign saying *FORESHADOWING*. 'Is it like an addiction for you?' Clara asks. 'Well you can't really tell if something's an addiction until you try and give it up. Tell me how it goes'. Telling words indeed. 

Positives:

+ Thrilling Mummy encounters
+ Intriguing mysteries
+ A surprisingly good guest cast
+ Capaldi's Doctor is morally ambiguous 
+ Perkin's was a fun character
+ Great set-design

Negatives:

- Clara's departure at the end of 'Kill The Moon' is surprisingly muted
- A teasing loose end

Overall Score: 9,5/10