New Who 8.4 Listen

So, yes - still a week behind on Who blogging, then. But I did really enjoy this episode, and not just in and of itself, but as yet another entry in what has so far been one of the thematically-strongest seasons of Doctor Who I've ever seen. Fear, heroism, companionship and prejudice are all being developed steadily and substantially from episode to episode - as the genre of each story permits, of course - and it is really looking impressive. I don't know what changed or what happened, but it really seems like Steven Moffat has his eye 100% on the ball at last. Perhaps things will suddenly go downhill again this evening, or perhaps the price we'll pay for this is a shoddy next season of Sherlock? But right now, I am liking it.

In this particular episode, there was a lot of very good stuff about fear and bravery and what makes a hero, but most of that has been discussed at length all over the internet, so I won't be adding much if I talk about that now. Let's just say I liked it a lot, and leave it at that. Perhaps more interesting, and less thoroughly raked over, was how much the story really explored ( the relationship between the Doctor and Clara )

Companionship issues aside, Listen was more straightforwardly a classic ghost story, and like all the best ghost stories, it kept the matter of whether or not there is actually an unseen other-worldly entity out there ( as ambiguous as possible )

Other things... I like the way the Doctor and Clara are ( positioned as complementary equals in this story )

I also think there was ( a nice little riff on Harry Potter )

Then, of course, there is ( the scene in the barn )

Finally - and I am sorry to keep going on about this - there really is ( quite a lot of watery business going on in this season )

All of this could still turn out to be nothing remarkable, but in case it isn't, I'm setting out the pattern as I see it so far here. Time will tell.

Click here if you would like view this entry in light text on a dark background.

New Who 8.5 Time Heist

After last week's big scares, deep exploration of the Doctor / companion dynamic, and epic rewriting of the Doctor's personal history, this episode was bound to seem rather work-a-day and ordinary by comparison. It did, and that's OK. You do actually need some of those each season to fill the gaps between the OMGWTF? episodes. But it was a very polished and nicely thought-out work-a-day episode, all the same. Just as they should be when Who is running properly.

This one gave us a nice mystery, some clever time-travel shenanigans, and indeed some ( further development of the season's big themes to boot )

Also ongoing is the importance of ( Clara and her relationship to the Doctor )

Meanwhile, it seems like the people responsible for both the casting and the wardrobe for this episode ( worked quite hard to make it inclusive and diverse )

A few ( smaller things )

Finally, ( I am now going to have to talk not only about water, but also about breathing )

Click here if you would like view this entry in light text on a dark background.