Doctor Who - IN THE FOREST OF THE NIGHT Review

For such a prickly, inaccessible incarnation of the Time Lord, Peter Capaldi's first season has been notable for the inclusion of children in his stories.  He grilled a young Danny Pink in Listen and the meddlesome Courtney went to the stars in Kill The Moon.  Now he has to deal somewhat entertainingly with an entire class of precocious moppets via Frank Cottrell Boyce's high-minded entry.  Boyce is one of the few writers selected with bona fide
credentials in kids' entertainment, so the diminutive cast are well-drawn.  Arguably a little too articulate to be fully plausible, but this is a tight forty five minutes of TV drama after all.  Brilliantly, Boyce creates a nonplussed reaction to the inner-workings of the Doctor's travelling machine.

The concept of the trees being our saviours is one of those ideas that could easily have sunk into sentimentality, and though it threatens to at times this is skilfully-executed stuff.  There should be a lot more cars and people around, but overall the freshly-sprouted setting gets handsomely realized.  The animal encounters, which appear to be a mixture of live action and CGI, lend a lot to the action.

Danny becomes an official part of the crew with the character proving a vital addition to the mix, boding well for his jumping aboard any future adventures.  Another interesting development sees Jenna Coleman send Capaldi away - though much criticism has abounded that the Twelfth lacks pro-activity, that's not the case here.  It's a part of his character that he's not barrelling in with his screwdriver out all the time, yet he's still indisputably the Doctor and here comes up with the solution to the situation as well as
saving a few necks in the process.  With the season finale imminent, this is a good way to round off a run of thought-provoking ideas featuring strong character development that has been a step up from the rollicking eye candy of previous years.
    

Doctor Who - LISTEN Review

Doctor Who has long been associated with everyday fears, from shop window mannequins to excess body weight.  But Steven Moffat goes right back to basics for Listen, creating a story around the things that lurk beneath your bed.  You might think this is a bit
simplistic at first, however the writer uses this idea as a springboard for an involving episode that has the feel of a play about it.  It's been a while since we've had intimate drama like this in the show and the result is the meatiest Capaldi instalment so far.

The main story of the Doctor's investigation into aloneness is supported nicely by Clara's date and the proper introduction of Danny Pink.  Paranoia over unseen creatures is contrasted with paranoia over making first impressions and the way the elements are drawn together is quite satisfying.  The relationship between Time Lord and companion is fast becoming one of the more interesting ones - two people of wildly different ages who are nonetheless equals and not a trace of sex in sight.  Peter Capaldi's incarnation is one that truly could go anywhere and it's fun watching him develop.  The Twelfth Doctor doesn't dominate the screen like former selves yet still has charisma.  Listen sees him interact with a child, though I'm still unsure how younger viewers are taking to this new take.

There's also a sense of Moffat revisiting and refining key concepts that have underpinned his era and working on them again with a restraint and maturity befitting his leading man.  He has crafted a script that is complex without being boastful, scary without being
overconceptualized.  The TARDIS top opening is weird and there's a dodgy bit of wire work but these are minor quibbles.  Arguably this most cerebral of writers is giving his series room to breathe for the first time.