What a wonderfully creepy episode that had several jaw-dropping surprises.
I knew that the episode was designed to be scary, but I wasn't sure Moffat could pull it off; now we're *expecting* to be scared instead of being caught off guard, and the Silence (Silents?) weren't nearly as terrifying as Moffat hoped they were. But that silent figure on the bed, the undefined lump under the covers...oooh. Chills. Wonderfully done.
I love the fact that we never know whether or not there were even any monsters this time. Everything had two possible explanations. That made it all the creepier. But it's not just creepiness for its own sake (which would have been fine, too). It was a rich character piece. The Doctor is now so used to saving the world every week that if nothing is going on, he might just start inventing problems to solve.
This story required no prosthetics or effects for aliens, but in no way did it feel like just a "filler" episode. Instead, it's one of the best stories in several years.
When the figure in the astronaut suit unmasked, I thought that it was either going to be the Doctor or it was going to be the monster. I wasn't expecting Mr. Pink to be there, and the fact that it was a descendant was another good twist. And the figure in the bed turning out to be the young Doctor -- that was a real corker!
It seems like it should have been one revelation too many to find out that the Doctor returned to that barn when he was going to set off the bomb (as seen in "Day of the Monster"), but it wasn't. It makes absolute sense that if the Doctor thinks he's going to commit the most heinous crime in the galaxy that he would want to return to a place where he felt safe--or, alternatively, to return to confront old fears.
As for Capaldi: I've understood why the Doctor has been written and performed the way he has this season. Moffat seems to be trying to address long-term fans' complaints about the show: that the Doctor shouldn't be romantically involved with his Companions, that he should be more mysterious and unpredictable, that he should be more of an older mentor figure, and that he should be more cantankerous (this version seems to lean heavily on William Hartnell, Jon Pertwee and even the controversial Colin Baker). I wasn't bothered by any of the modern portrayals of the character, but a lot of fans were; this version of the character seems designed to address those issues.
Since the Doctor is now less sympathetic and knowable, the character that the audience now relates to is the Companion, and that's just as it used to be. This shift in the character dynamic has worked wonders for Clara, who previously was the dullest of all the modern Companions. I like her a great deal more this year.
Ironically, though, all of the aspects being put back into the Doctor--his grouchiness, his unknowableness--have meant that I hadn't really grown to like this Doctor yet. But then came this episode, and now I love the guy. His fears, his past, and especially the scene where Clara hugged him and he half-jokingly said not to (but let her do it anyway)...just terrific stuff.
The first three episodes were all solid (or four, depending on how you count the 2-hour premiere), but I wasn't really engaged with them. But with this one, Season 8 finally hits its stride. I'm now really excited for next week!
I knew that the episode was designed to be scary, but I wasn't sure Moffat could pull it off; now we're *expecting* to be scared instead of being caught off guard, and the Silence (Silents?) weren't nearly as terrifying as Moffat hoped they were. But that silent figure on the bed, the undefined lump under the covers...oooh. Chills. Wonderfully done.
I love the fact that we never know whether or not there were even any monsters this time. Everything had two possible explanations. That made it all the creepier. But it's not just creepiness for its own sake (which would have been fine, too). It was a rich character piece. The Doctor is now so used to saving the world every week that if nothing is going on, he might just start inventing problems to solve.
This story required no prosthetics or effects for aliens, but in no way did it feel like just a "filler" episode. Instead, it's one of the best stories in several years.
When the figure in the astronaut suit unmasked, I thought that it was either going to be the Doctor or it was going to be the monster. I wasn't expecting Mr. Pink to be there, and the fact that it was a descendant was another good twist. And the figure in the bed turning out to be the young Doctor -- that was a real corker!
It seems like it should have been one revelation too many to find out that the Doctor returned to that barn when he was going to set off the bomb (as seen in "Day of the Monster"), but it wasn't. It makes absolute sense that if the Doctor thinks he's going to commit the most heinous crime in the galaxy that he would want to return to a place where he felt safe--or, alternatively, to return to confront old fears.
As for Capaldi: I've understood why the Doctor has been written and performed the way he has this season. Moffat seems to be trying to address long-term fans' complaints about the show: that the Doctor shouldn't be romantically involved with his Companions, that he should be more mysterious and unpredictable, that he should be more of an older mentor figure, and that he should be more cantankerous (this version seems to lean heavily on William Hartnell, Jon Pertwee and even the controversial Colin Baker). I wasn't bothered by any of the modern portrayals of the character, but a lot of fans were; this version of the character seems designed to address those issues.
Since the Doctor is now less sympathetic and knowable, the character that the audience now relates to is the Companion, and that's just as it used to be. This shift in the character dynamic has worked wonders for Clara, who previously was the dullest of all the modern Companions. I like her a great deal more this year.
Ironically, though, all of the aspects being put back into the Doctor--his grouchiness, his unknowableness--have meant that I hadn't really grown to like this Doctor yet. But then came this episode, and now I love the guy. His fears, his past, and especially the scene where Clara hugged him and he half-jokingly said not to (but let her do it anyway)...just terrific stuff.
The first three episodes were all solid (or four, depending on how you count the 2-hour premiere), but I wasn't really engaged with them. But with this one, Season 8 finally hits its stride. I'm now really excited for next week!