Doctor Who (TV Series) Flatline (2014) User Reviews

A dark and visual delight that satisfies a more mature audience.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 19 September 2015]

Clara has got over her issues with the Doctor, and is now at ease travelling in the TARDIS, landing back on earth they find all is not as it should be, the dimensions of the TARDIS go very wrong. Two dimensional creatures are coming out of the walls and out of the floors and killing people, the Doctor is stuck in a miniaturised TARDIS, so it falls on Clara, and young helper Rigsy to try and sort the mess out.

This is one of the most original Doctor Who stories ever, it is fantastic. The visuals are just fabulous, there are so many jaw dropping scenes, the creatures coming out of the walls, as iconic a moment as Spearhead's mannequins surely. The scene of George being taken over was a scary one, utterly brilliant!! The creatures running along the Tunnel too are so impressive, something out of a Horror movie. Doctor Who for grown ups.

Fans of the Addams family will appreciate the moment when the Doctor moves the TARDIS by hand, love it.

Clara continues to grow as a character, she has become a brilliant sidekick for the Doctor. The scene of Missy though, what was her involvement with Clara!!

I totally love it, unique, scary, I must applaud Jamie Mathieson for this and The Mummy on the Orient Express, hopefully he'll be writing more for years to come, FANTASTIC, 9/10

Two Dimensional but far from Flat

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 19 October 2014]

When The Doctor returns Clara to Earth a couple of things aren't quite right; firstly they are in Bristol and secondly the Tardis has shrunk somewhat! While Clara is outside it shrinks again leaving The Doctor trapped inside struggling to find out what could be causing the shrinkage and how it is also sapping the Tardis's energy. Clara has other problems to deal with she learns that locals have being disappearing, strange memorial murals have appeared on a subway wall and nobody knows who is painting them. The Doctor can give her advice and pass her small items from the Tardis but this is a mystery she will have to deal with. She joins up with a group of youths who had been doing community service and their council overseers as they are pursued by strange two dimensional creatures, dubbed 'The Boneless' whose motives are unknown but whose effects are deadly.

I had been a bit unsure about this episode; The Doctor taking a secondary role while Clara and some 'urban youth' dealt with monsters didn't sound too promising… as it turned out this was a pretty good episode. The monsters were some of the creepiest for some time, especially when they became three dimensional; the special effects were pretty good. Writer Jamie Mathieson may be new to Doctor Who but he has now written two fine episodes; I hope he is given the opportunity to right more as on the strength of this and last week's 'Mummy on the Orient Express' he is clearly producing the kind of stories fans want without being too scary for younger viewers. His monsters were truly monsters not just something misunderstood and he had the confidence to let the character most viewers would like to see die survive without a schmaltzy 'seeing of the light'… the character started off unpleasant and ended unpleasant… also the dead stay dead. It wasn't all scares though; there were some laughs to be had; mostly from having a full sized Doctor in a tiny Tardis. Overall a surprisingly good episode; I hope the rest of the series is as good.

Growing Up To Be The Doctor

[boblipton · 9/10 · 18 October 2014]

The writer of this episode, Jamie Mathieson, is a new writer for Doctor Who; his first episode was last week's "Mummy on the Orient Express". It was a fast-moving debut. With his second, he offers us an interesting new monster, as well as some fine character development.

I'm not going to talk about the monster of the week, but about the characters. Good stories are more than defeating monsters. They are about the change of the characters. With the Doctor locked away in a failing TARDIS, Clara must step up and be the Doctor, armed only with the sonic screwdriver and psychic paper and she does. She finds herself forced to be clever, drive unwilling helpers and make the tough, unhappy decisions, and does so.

A couple of episodes earlier, the Doctor forced her to make a life-and-death decision without his help, and she threw a wing-ding. Now circumstances drive her and she steps up.

I've complained in the past that Clara seems undefined. With this episode, she comes clearly into focus.

Mathieson should be Head Writer!

[timelockp · 10/10 · 19 October 2014]

Mummy on the Orient Express AND Flatline are both the best episodes in the Series. Both episodes are really well-structured (as there is a pre-title sequence scene without the Doctor or Clara - it sets the tone) which is why he should be the next head writer! Both of his scripts are equally as scary, funny, dark and brilliant - he is probably the best writer there is. I assume he will return in Series 9 (hopefully for another 2 separate episodes).

Anyway - Flatline. Flatline is in the top 3 episodes of Series 8 so far - not only were the visuals fantastic, but the idea of 'The Boneless' was dramatic and creepy.

Overall a fantastic episode!!

That was VERY good =)

[rubenvanbergen · 9/10 · 18 October 2014]

Jamie Mathieson's writing is turning out to be a real breath of fresh air for this series. Last week's episode was great, and this one even better. A story of just the right size with some great (and surprisingly scary) monsters. No rushed or contrived denouement here, but a thrilling plot with a clever resolution that not only made sense but brought with it a highly overdue moment of kick-ass from the Doctor.

(I so prefer it when The Doctor actually defeats the monster rather than use his reputation for defeating monsters to talk the monster in to submission. You'd think they'd stop falling for that after a while.)

More of these please! =)

Love new Doctor!

[kikkapi20 · 10/10 · 18 October 2014]

Great, great stuff once again. Mathieson is such an impressive writer because he expertly, pretty much from scene to scene, balances the intrigue of the plot with the wider character dynamics – which is kind of what a good story is all about at the end of the day, but few Who writers achieve as effortlessly as he did here in 45 minutes (and last week, on reflection. I was ambivalent about it at first, but I was so wrong). And while a couple of the earlier humorous moments were a little intrusive, he mainly also got that evasive light/shade balance just right. I'd love to see him attempt a two-part story next series, that would have all the signs of being magnificent.

Replace Moffat With Mathieson Now !

[Theo Robertson · 8/10 · 18 October 2014]

I didn't have high hopes for this episode after seeing the Next Time trailer . Wall paintings representing human beings springing to life . Shades of Season twos Fear Her which is considered to be the weakest story so far in the annals of NuWho . Add to that the failing of the season where too many episodes have a same " seen it all before " quality to them and as I said I didn't have high hopes

The good news is that my low hopes were exceeded far more than reasonably expected and what we have is 45 minutes of the most involving and creepy DOCTOR WHO seen for some time . The Next Time trailer did give away a plot twist but this isn't the whole story . Watching this alone with the lights out it wasn't until the end credits rolled that I realised that unlike so many stories this year the episode managed to keep a consistent quality for the most part

I say for " the most part " because there are a few flaws to the episode which gets it getting 10/10 . I take it this is going to get a lot of full marks ? First of all the Doctor gets sidelined once again and it's up to Clara to carry the story . I'm somewhat of a traditionalist and the show is called DOCTOR WHO and the companion needs rescued rather than resolving the adventure and when the Doctor does turn up at the end it's a case of waving a magic wand to neutralise the monsters but apart from that Mathieson has written a very effective script . Nice to see the supporting characters developed well rather than being mere cyphers

Praise too for director Douglas Mackinnon who introduces some genuinely unsettling imagery . I was often reminded of the " Taxi stuck in a tunnel " scene from 28 DAYS LATER as Clara and her group are stuck in the subway . You could be uncharitable and say it's not too difficult scaring an audience in these type of circumstances but bare in mind this is often perceived as being a children's show and the director is obviously pushing boundaries as to what he can get away with

In conclusion this is one of the more satisfying episodes of NuWho which we rarely see and see rarer under the Moffat era . Considering the same writer was responsible for the previous episode I would like nothing more as a fan than to see Moffat replaced by Mathieson ASAP . I'm not claiming he'd be the new Nigel Kneale or even Terry Nation but for a new writer to television he seems to be on the same wavelength as to what the more reactionary elements of fandom want and that is to get children of all ages hiding behind the sofa . Bye bye Moffat

Female Doctor

[SpoodermanDerp · 9/10 · 18 October 2014]

Flatline is an episode which truly highlights Clara as a definitive companion or might as well the definitive female version of the Doctor. Not only does it depict Clara as a intriguing and well developed character it doesn't fail to give us a thrilling and satisfying episode.

The episode kicks off as the TARDIS is shrunk for some reason (and may later be explored and explained more in the future) and the Doctor has no choice but to trust Clara as an interesting case develops. The villain in this episode was creative and reminded me of the "Vashta Nerada" back from Tennant's run. They were terrifying, menacing and overall great villain. Clara was remarkable in this episode as effortlessly played by Jenna Coleman. The best Clara episode so far which makes her stand out from all the other companions. She truly was the "Doctor" in this episode and it can be seen that she is the Doctor in the past episodes. This episode makes me feel excited and even hopeful to have a female Doctor after Capaldi. A female Doctor could show that the show can remain intact and well even at a major change. Capaldi's doctor still remained and shined throughout the episode, even if he was just shadowed by Clara throughout the episode he was damn entertaining to watch. The narrative is normal Doctor Who plot, but it was executed well with some twists like Clara being the Doctor.

This episode is a step forward for Doctor Who, as proved by Clara. She might as well be entering the top 5 companions in Doctor Who for me because of this season and especially this episode. If you don't like Clara, watch this episode and you will instantly be hooked with her. And for those who love her already, you'll instantly fall in love with her in this one. With +Clara as the definitive female Doctor, +Menacing villains with riveting abilities, +Capaldi's doctor able to cope even with Clara as the star in the episode. +A well executed episode. Season 8 just keeps getting better and better.

Verdict: 8.6/10

Simple yet great idea, but didn't fulfil its potential.

[jamesflamesburns · 8/10 · 29 October 2014]

The premise for flatline was very good. The 2D monsters were very menacing. This episode should have become a classic.

It didn't matter that the Doctor rarely appeared - "Blink" achieved cult status. Coleman gave her best performance of the series up to then.

One thing ruined it. Halfway through episode, the monsters became 3D. It was chilling. But in the end - you have a perfectly good idea - never done on Doctor Who before - so why suddenly make the monsters a lot more ordinary? Before, even though you could hardly see the monsters, the flatlanders (or boneless as BBC has stupidly called them were a very deadly enemy who kept you tense. It's just a shame the second half of the episode failed to keep up the creativity of the first.

Good episode but not the masterpiece that many claim it to be

[pjgs200 · 8/10 · 28 June 2016]

Flatline was a good episode of Doctor Who. The Boneless were good villains; they were well thought out and had an original concept, but so far they aren't any better than any other villains this series. I enjoyed the funny parts of the episode, but it was more silliness than laugh-out-loud humor. One of the best parts of the episode was the scare factor. While the Boneless aren't as creepy as the Silence, the scene when they communicated with the Doctor through the speaker and gave the number on the jacket of their next victim was really well done. Aside, from that, I don't think that there is anything really special about Flatline that sets it apart from other episodes this series.

Many people are saying that Jamie Mathieson is as good as Steven Moffat was when he wrote for series 1-4, but I disagree. Mummy on the Orient Express and Flatline are both good enough episodes, but honestly they don't have the emotion, complexity, and quality of Moffat's earlier writing for Doctor Who. Evolving 2-d aliens and a mummy on a train don't compare to windows in time or data ghosts. I'm not saying that Mathieson's episodes are bad, I'm just saying that they're not as good as people say they are. Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of these two episodes, I'm excited to see what Jamie Mathieson can do for series 10.

One Dimensional...

[Xstal · 4/10 · 28 December 2021]

The Doctor and Clara rematerialise in Bristol in a shrinking TARDIS. Not soon after they begin to realise that something is very amiss. As it transpires the 2nd Dimension is waging war against the 3rd Dimension but there's no tension and people are being flattened. The result is that all those people who ate too much didn't need to as now they're no longer fattened. It's kind of reminiscent of the worst episode ever called Fear Her. Where a scribble monster was able to come to life and make a transfer. We desperately need a belting episode soon. But not one that involves a chicken laying an egg-like moon (comparably bad). And flailing fillers usually hunt in pairs. So beware of night forests and bright solar flares.

"Flatline" keeps the heart pumping

[dkiliane · 8/10 · 19 April 2019]

And the solid overall quality of the season continues in this episode. The Doctor fails to bring Clara back to the correct place (as she is still keeping her travels with the Doctor a secret from her boyfriend Danny - - a fact that crops up to provide tension throughout the episode). But that is the least of the Doctor's problems as the TARDIS' outer dimensions begin to shrink, w/ him trapped inside a now pocket-sized TARDIS, and 2-D aliens to contend with on top of it as they force people into two dimensions to study them (which of course is fatal).

An original monster, it is quite an inventive idea, which lends the episode some interesting and imaginative chills. It is also fun to see Clara poke fun at the Doctor as she impersonates him throughout the episode, him guiding her how to take control of various situations and save as many people as possible while trying to figure out how to stop the "Boneless" (what the Doctor decided to call them).

This episode dissects the character of Clara and her perception of the Doctor as the Boneless dissect the people unfortunate enough to get caught in their grasp. It is both fun and intriguing and perhaps by the end a little heartbreaking to see. The Doctor's return to save the day while a bit cliched, I suppose, is still quite fun to see and feels like the return of what we know the Doctor to be, as he says, "the man who stops the monsters!" It's probably the best Capaldi moment thus far in series eight.

The only real weakness of this episode, unfortunately, is the supporting cast. Quite frankly we are not invested in their survival. The only characters not completely forgettable is Rigsy the graffiti artist and his grumpy taskmaster determined to make Rigsy's community service as thoroughly unenjoyable as possible. Rigsy's survival didn't seem all that important (which feels mean to say) and the grumpy old man we almost wanted to get caught by the Boneless. But I suppose the fact that we are rooting for Clara to save them anyway cause we love Clara is enough (and you should love Clara all you Clara haters). 8.5/10

3-Dimensional Classic

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 10/10 · 18 March 2019]

This is the second episode in a row that manages to be a terrific 10/10 classic worthy of the great stories of the show's past for my taste. In fact this one is the one I rank best of the series, even slightly ahead of the other 10/10 Mummy on the Orient Express.

The concept of the TARDIS exterior shrinking with the Doctor trapped inside is fun and interesting and it is made both thrilling and funny. It harks back to the TARDIS shrinking in the classic era story Planet of Giants but with the twist that the interior and the occupant this time remain normal size.

The creatures from a 2-dimensional universe clashing with our 3-dimensional world is a fresh and exciting idea. The ingenuity of this concept and how it is used along with how the scenes are successfully made menacing and suspenseful makes this tremendously enjoyable and memorable. The antagonists, dubbed The Boneless by the Doctor, are a superb addition to the greatest adversaries the Doctor has faced.

Peter Capaldi is always brilliant and despite being trapped in the TARDIS he gets plenty of chance to show his talent, proving yet again how perfect he is for the role. He is dark yet funny, other worldly, charismatic and powerful. Sometimes he carries weak episodes with his great performance as the Doctor but when he gets terrific material like Mummy on the Orient Express and this it is wonderful to see.

The one and only thing I was not 100% keen on is that yet again the Doctor's 'dark' morals and questionable 'goodness' are brought into play. It is one of Moffatt's obsessions and is too repetitively pushed in his era in my view. Fortunately in this instance Jamie Mathieson is such a good writer that he weaves that theme cleverly into an awesome episode and does not allow it to detract from the overall story. The theme is used well with Clara taking on the difficult choices herself and the Doctor finding it uncomfortable to see his companion pushed into his role of making those tough calls. It is in other episodes that the theme of the Doctor's dark side is overstated and overused in my opinion whereas I can forgive the way it is mentioned in this story.

Clara is made central to this story and Jenna Coleman acts her part very well showing Clara's strength and bravery. The rest of the cast act their roles really well and the guest characters are all strong and well defined.

The direction by Douglas Mackinnon is perfect, the dialogue is sharp and intelligent, the effects are fantastic and the episode is just an instant classic. It is my favourite Capaldi era episode.

My Rating: 10/10.

Series 8 Episode Ranking: 1st out of 12.

I liked it

[ianweech · 8/10 · 16 January 2021]

Good monster idea. What happens to the TARDIS is interesting. Clara is great in this episode. I'm looking forward to what comes next.

Includes all the elements which make this show great

[nichster291 · 9/10 · 14 August 2023]

This episode is just great and has so many elements which make it a top tier episode for me. Capaldi is excellent in this story despite his presence in the story being limited. Coleman shines as an impersonating Doctor and the supporting cast, most notably Rigsy are interesting additions and contribute well to the story and don't feel shoehorned in. The monsters are unique and geniunely scary and their creepiness is always going to give me at least a few chills. There is well placed humour throughout the story and a natural and well executed series arc development. It's in the top 10 maybe in top 5 of my favourites in the show.

Good god! An actual SCIENCE FICTION story in 2005 Who!

[hoytyhoyty · 8/10 · 19 October 2014]

Yes, please sack Stephen Moffat and replace him with Jamie Mathieson - now, if possible!

I'll get my whinging and bitching out of the way first:

* Clara - just. SHUT. UP. You are a dickhead, and nobody likes you. You are a cheap synthesis of Sarah-Jane Smith and Romana with ALL THE BRAINS REMOVED. You are the most un-popular companion since Peri Brown and Mel.

* The ending - I think we are really seeing the limitations of the 1-hour format here. Hmm, Jamie, so ya couldn't think up an ending? Oh well, I forgive you - the body of the episode was very enjoyable!

* The wankton orchestra - please, PLEASE, just put a sock in it! How about an electronic soundtrack? Or even going out on a limb, a bit left of centre? Remember the wind instruments - saxophones and flutes - that soundtracked some of the best, and most atmospheric, John Pertwee and Tom Baker stories? Try that. Try anything. Just for god's sake retire the wankton orchestra.

Now that's out of the way - yes, well done Mr. Mathieson! I think this is the closest thing we've had to true-Who since a couple of Moffat's Weeping-Angel stories (except, of course, the last one, which could have been good, but was in fact a pox pile of shyte that went silly).

The idea is not new - but no idea is, pretty much, in any fiction. It's how you tell it. In fact, if I was being unkind (and wrong), I'd say some of the action of this episode was lifted from a recent sci-fi horror beginning with 'A' - but it isn't, it's just that the idea is a generic one.

A GOOD, generic one. And used in a *modern* way.

No need for silly pointy ears, epic civilizations epically charged with maintaining all the epictons in the universe since the epic dawn of time according to the eprophecy. No, just a good, *hard*-SF story, embedded within the space-opera world of the Who.

Scary, creepy (*loved* some of the early scenes, really gave me delicious chills), pacey, CLEVER, and - despite Clara and the ending - very satisfying.

And a final note on the production work: best monsters in a long time, and the tardis scenes were amazing as well as funny.

Good work. Keep it up. Save this series!!

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Another effective episode, but a bit weaker than the last few weeks.

[ryanjmorris · 9/10 · 19 October 2014]

Doctor Who has had a truly incredible run this series, particularly the last three episodes. The Caretaker, Kill the Moon and Mummy on the Orient Express are three of the best episodes this series has produced, and despite my monumental excitement for Flatline, I worried that four fantastic episodes in a row might be a bit of a push. Unfortunately, it was. Flatline is a good episode, but nowhere near the standard of what we've seen the last few weeks. It's the second episode in a row written by newcomer Jamie Mathieson, but whereas last week's Mummy built itself up brilliantly to a near faultless final act, Flatline struggles to reach a satisfying conclusion. It's as visually pleasing as everything else we've seen this series, and Capaldi and Coleman are reliably brilliant again, but due to the high standard we've had so far, Flatline is a rather low point.

Everything before the conclusion though is pretty good stuff. The idea of a two dimensional creature is genius, creating an unnerving sense of threat the entire way through. But, even better, these creatures fall into the "fear is in the unknown" category, much like the "creatures" from Listen. Everything is scarier when we can't see it, and Flatline is a contender for the scariest episode this series. Douglas Mackinnon returned again as director, and proved that he is one of the very best that Doctor Who has to offer. He knows exactly how to frame the frightening moments to heighten their intensity even more, and there are some terrifically scary set pieces here. The plot bounces along at a nice pace, and the idea of a shrinking TARDIS is utilised perfectly, with some great comedic moments littered throughout. The first two acts were pretty great overall.

But despite an interestingly creepy advancement in the Missy subplot, the final act sort of falls apart. The idea of using a painting to trick the now three-dimensional creatures felt cheap and easy, and almost becomes unrealistic considering these creatures are deemed smart enough to adapt through dimensions. The way the TARDIS was returned to standard size worked nicely, and the Doctor's speech was well written, but he didn't really do anything that he couldn't have just instructed Clara to do herself. I can't help but feel Mathieson wrote himself into a bit of a corner. That said, the parallels between Clara and the Doctor were effective and I'm glad the Danny story was advanced so suddenly after Clara lied to both of the men in her life last week. Overall, Flatline is still a solid episode of Doctor Who and better than most of the stuff we saw last year, but when you contrast it with the likes of Into the Dalek, Listen, Kill the Moon and Mummy on the Orient Express (all of which rate as classics, in my eyes), this week just felt like a bit of a step down.

A bloody good episode that was a little let down by the ending

[warlordartos · 9/10 · 19 April 2021]

The monsters this time were not only new but genuinely 10/10 good. There was a let down with the ending that cause the 9/10 I'm giving. Obviously they couldn't think of a good way to stop the monsters and save the people. Luckily the bulk of the story is the deadly 2-D monsters.

Another great thing I did like about this and previous recent episodes, is that the writers seemed to have finally listen and now have people dying like they use to back in RTD's era (and without bringing them back).

Very top marks with too much of an easy fix, but so great to see something new and the whole episode use to the best of it's ability.

Who on Earth is off the wall?

[GameAndWatch · 5/10 · 27 October 2014]

This episode had practically all the elements of a Who story. But I didn't find it that captivating. Not that there was anything particularly wrong with it.

I think I've just fooled myself into the belief that Who should be something that it isn't. The show keeps returning to Earth, and it just feels less and less believable (I know, I know it's a kids show).

I quite liked the self-mocking and fictional blurring of the Robin Hood episode, that was quite clever. But given all of time and space would the Doctor really want to continually revisit present day-ish little England and the Welsh borders?

I'm happy to stare into Clara's eyes and have the Doctor spout facts about the Tardis. But every episode I'm left wanting a great Sci-fi show, and all I get back is the odd glimmer. At this point in the series, I still don't have that much of a feel for who the 12th Doctor is.

Flatline

[MrFilmAndTelevisionShow · 9/10 · 16 April 2021]

The evil beings of the 2nd dimension come to turn people into paint. It doesn't sound like a particularly amazing episode but it is, the Doctor shrinking in his Tardis is very funny and well used throughout. Clara had naught much to do in the previous Orient Express episode so they made up for it in this one by giving her a far more active role.

Flatline

[studioAT · 3/10 · 3 August 2023]

This is why people dislike the Moffatt era - everyone is important, everyone could be the Doctor, we're all heroes. Yeah, yeah...

Clara gets the chance to be the Doctor here as it's that budget saving episode every series has where we only see him in snippets.

I'm not complaining. Despite the best efforts of Peter Capaldi the 12th Doctor is still a very dull incarnation, and travelling with him seems like a bit of a slog to be honest.

Unfortunately they were making the character of Clara a bit too full of herself prior to this (trying to pass it off as being endearing...) so giving her the sonic only added to this. The Doctor seemed a bit peeved towards her at the end, and I can only second this view.

She was so good during her time with Matt Smith's Doctor, what went wrong.

Weak plotting, a terrible depiction of Bristol and its people - I'm confused as to why people have given it such high scores.