The Doctor faces a rebooted Master and the Cybermen in this jam-packed finale that combines the good, the bad and the downright weird. The best aspects are the revelations that both his arch enemy and staunch allies want the Time Lord to do the same thing; nourish his ego and take charge. Steven Moffat cleverly has The Mistress pulling Peter Capaldi's strings over the nature of his relationship with Clara, a source of much griping from fans. This strand also brings the issue of the new Doctor's dual nature to a reasonably satisfying conclusion. The Cybermens' water-based plot is rather unfathomable and veers onto the silly side (presumably the 'dark water' of last week is involved but it's never clarified).
Of the supporting cast, it's essentially Michelle Gomez's show. She makes a terrific Master, creepy and funny by turns. You can speculate why Moffat gave the character a sex change till the cyber cows come home. Either way, Gomez's performance is a pleasure, though she's let down by the script rapidly lurching into cartoon villainy so quickly. Some background as to how the Master ended up in her current form wouldn't have gone amiss. Jemma Redgrave is back heading up UNIT but she doesn't really add anything to the mix. Sanjeev Bhaskar is similarly wasted. Redgrave has apprently been inserted to usher in an odd cameo from her late onscreen father, itself part of Danny Pink's exit storyline, a bizarre tribute to the fallen of World War One.
As with last week there is a cruel streak to the episode that sits uneasily with the show in general. After "Cremationgate" we now see a popular supporting character bumped off in a manner arguably more suited to The Dark Knight than Doctor Who. I'd say overall this two parter has been the weakest story in the run, but there are still encouraging signs of the newfound maturity the series has displayed, seemingly inspired by its leading man. A hilarious end credit sequence suggests his mettle is going to be tested to breaking point by a rotund and rosy-cheeked polar opposite. Christmas couldn't come early enough for this reviewer.
The Doctor goes to the undiscovered country in this curate's egg of an opening instalment. Pitch black in its humour with very little to recommend for younger viewers, it heralds the start of possibly the most challenging and downright odd finales in the show's history.
Opening with the shock of Danny Pink's death before hotting up quite literally by the side of a volcano (candidate for most impressive scene in the run), it then takes us into the heart of Missy's world - what it represents and indeed who she is.
Having trumpeted the Cybermen as the villains of the piece it comes as no surprise to discover the identity of those skeletons immersed in the nefarious liquid of the title. It would have worked better if they'd been kept a secret (in fairness the production team
did have them stomping about St.Paul's). While I was disappointed not to see some Jason & The Argonauts-style action, this is at
least a novel way of introducing the monsters on a Halloween weekend. Whether "dark water" is going to form a solid part of the plot or if it's just one of Moffat's patented attention-grabbing gimmicks remains to be seen.
The setting and the script's attitude toward the afterlife could be seen as contentious. As someone who's experienced a bereavement I have to say I wasn't offended. The question for me is its suitability as a subject for family viewing, Danny's storyline being a wider case in point. I'll make a final judgment after the conclusion but I'd say, despite enjoying the episode, Steven Moffat has misjudged things here.
Michelle Gomez is a positive boon to the action. Showrunner Moffat has described her as treading a fine line between funny and scary. I agree. She's certainly dangerous and makes a strong counterpoint to Peter Capaldi. Chris Addison is also a clever piece of casting, his ingratiating yet cheeky presence adding dimension to the role of Seb. As for the revelation that Missy is the Master, well it's hardly a surprise if you've done any degree of fannish speculating over the past weeks. As someone who thinks the Master is a bland character I find it a shame they didn't create a more original enemy for Gomez. Why not just make her the Rani? She's going to be an improvement on John Simm's overgrown megalomaniac at any rate. A rather shoddy cliffhanger paves the way for an intriguing denouement.
The Doctor faces an army of lethal Banksys in this imaginative script from Jamie Mathieson, which asks the simple but fiendish question: "What would happen if the TARDIS exterior became really small?" It's arguably the show's best in terms of special effects, with a disintegrating settee and marauding Bacon-esque figures among the highlights. The tone is lean and dark, a good fit for Peter Capaldi's trapped Time Lord.
It's also a rare case of the series attempting to reflect modern life, returning to a council estate environment last seen properly during the days of Rose Tyler. A community service team are the main characters, pilloried by guest star Christopher Fairbank (who
is underused). There's a decent "replacement" companion in Joivan Wade, named "Rigsby" for some bizarre reason. Capaldi and Coleman continue their strong partnership, and while critics of the Doctor's lack of involvement won't be pleased, they can't argue
that Coleman's performance doesn't compensate for a neutered title character. Personally I love the balance - if you hate it don't worry, there'll be another one along in a minute.
As with last week the conclusion is hurried and you could claim the overall concept needed a bit more development before leaving the 2D page. But this is another memorable three quarters of an hour and the latest in a string of interesting ideas that has set Series Eight apart from its predecessors.
Strong production design, a reasonably natty concept and a scary monster combine in another quality instalment. The Doctor once visited the Titanic in space for an unsatisfying Christmas episode, now the trick is refined for The Orient Express, which plays host to an Ancient Egyptian curse. The Mummy is rendered here as a classic horror movie creation and the idea of having a countdown to each death is an unusual and memorable one.
New-to-Who writer Jamie Mathieson has created a thrilling story that ends up a bit repetitive and overconceptualized, but still keeps the audiences' minds ticking over. Sadly the ending is rushed and there's a lack of overall explanation. The twist in the tale is exciting and the transformation of a train carriage into a science lab is handled well, switching from mood lighting to stark brightness for the dissection of the threat.
With his foreboding features Peter Capaldi is right at home in this entry and though Jenna Coleman seems a bit of an add-on this week the two stars continue to share their surprising chemistry. Of the guest cast, Frank Skinner is fine, though is better as a comedian than a slightly reserved actor.
A silly idea is given just the right amount of credence in this scary adventure from the imagination of debut writer Peter Harness. You can say a lot of things about Series 8 but you couldn't accuse it of lacking content, especially in terms of the characters' relationships. Whereas previous runs have contained the odd filler episode (still a possibility here with five stories to go) the Capaldi season has been distinctive in that each instalment has carried a fair amount of meat. The moral dilemma and the Doctor's actions in relation to it are nothing new, but are handled in a more satisfying way via this latest team.
Chronically apathetic Courtney (Ellis George) accompanies the Time Lord and Clara this time, a brave gambit that in my view pays off. Harness makes her a central part of the action, in a scenario that would put cushions over many adults' faces, let alone childrens'. Hermione Norris is well-cast as a cynical planet-saving astronaut and the symptomatic "spiders" are rather nasty. The production moved to Lanzarote for the lunar landscapes and while it looks good they've treated it in a way that could have been
achieved in the studio in my opinion. At least the BBC has a bit of ambition, but more budget could have been freed up to realize things like the Doctor jumping into amniotic fluid or more importantly the Moon "baby" itself, eventually seen at a distance.
You may argue the denouement is on the touchy feely side and over-fantastical, but I won't, particularly when it's followed by a great scene where Clara turns on her friend and Danny's instincts prove to be correct. Jenna Coleman is really being tested this year
and she's more than rising to the challenge. As for the title character, this was a splendid demonstration of what Capaldi does best - he's still the Doctor, only different, and sums up what the programme is all about. His predecessor once abandoned his companions to thrash things out with the enemy in Cold Blood. That was a bit feeble. Here we're more in the realms of serious drama and at just past the halfway mark the diverse series is all the better for it.
