I really liked this episode, for a variety of different reasons, though I should probably qualify that by mentioning that I am (a) very interested in fairy folklore, and (b) not a stickler for maintaining a hard and fast division between science fiction and fantasy.
And it's because of the former that I found some of the other comments unintentionally amusing. Anyone who finds the idea of fairies killing people far-fetched clearly doesn't have much knowledge of traditional fairy lore - the cutesy butterfly-winged depictions most people think of when they hear the term "fairy" now are actually pretty historically recent, dating back no further than the Victorian era. Most of the older legends about fairies are a lot darker and more disturbing, and yes, they frequently do have a body count.
I actually found a lot of elements in this episode to be satisfyingly consistent with traditional folklore - the way they were depicted as capricious and amoral, childlike and dangerous at the same time, the connection with special places that have to be respected, the child-stealing aspect, the connection with nature and the elements, and their tendency to take violent revenge on people who offend them.
But what I think I found most surprising and pleasing about the treatment of the fairies in this episode was that they didn't take the easy and obvious way out and have them turn out to be really aliens. I get so tired of that with Doctor Who - surprise, werewolves are really aliens! Surprise, witches are really aliens! Surprise, angels are really aliens! Surprise, Satan is really an alien! After a while it's not much of a surprise, you know? But they didn't do that here - they didn't exactly take the "OMG fairies are real!" approach but they didn't try to rationalize them away, either. In the ends they were a sort of elemental force that can't really be explained or defined... or controlled.
And that was the other thing that was both surprising and satisfying - that there was no technological quick-fix solution. In the end there was no choice but to let them do what they do, and have what they wanted, because no matter how big a box of toys you have, there are some things in this world that can't be dealt with that way.
And it's because of the former that I found some of the other comments unintentionally amusing. Anyone who finds the idea of fairies killing people far-fetched clearly doesn't have much knowledge of traditional fairy lore - the cutesy butterfly-winged depictions most people think of when they hear the term "fairy" now are actually pretty historically recent, dating back no further than the Victorian era. Most of the older legends about fairies are a lot darker and more disturbing, and yes, they frequently do have a body count.
I actually found a lot of elements in this episode to be satisfyingly consistent with traditional folklore - the way they were depicted as capricious and amoral, childlike and dangerous at the same time, the connection with special places that have to be respected, the child-stealing aspect, the connection with nature and the elements, and their tendency to take violent revenge on people who offend them.
But what I think I found most surprising and pleasing about the treatment of the fairies in this episode was that they didn't take the easy and obvious way out and have them turn out to be really aliens. I get so tired of that with Doctor Who - surprise, werewolves are really aliens! Surprise, witches are really aliens! Surprise, angels are really aliens! Surprise, Satan is really an alien! After a while it's not much of a surprise, you know? But they didn't do that here - they didn't exactly take the "OMG fairies are real!" approach but they didn't try to rationalize them away, either. In the ends they were a sort of elemental force that can't really be explained or defined... or controlled.
And that was the other thing that was both surprising and satisfying - that there was no technological quick-fix solution. In the end there was no choice but to let them do what they do, and have what they wanted, because no matter how big a box of toys you have, there are some things in this world that can't be dealt with that way.