This was an experimental film for Doctor Who as it was shot like found footage film. At first this was an exciting prospect, as I really enjoy when films are shot like. However, the story fell a bit flat for me. Quite a boring episode overall, but Capaldi is brilliant as always.
43 Reviews
Scares and thrills.
Sleepin_Dragon14 November 2015
38th Century and the Doctor and Clara land on a space station, which up until 24 hours ago had been fully manned, but now appears abandoned. The Doctor and Clara walk into a team of four armed investigators, Nagata, Chopra, Deep Ando and 474, sent in to discover what had happened. Out of nowhere they're set upon by an unknown being, Deep Ando gets split from the other group who retreat into a locked room. In that room are Morpheus pods, large caskets designed to induce all necessary sleep in just 5 minutes. Out of a pod comes Rassmussen, creator and man behind Morpheus. A desperate battle for survival begins as the Doctor discovers what the creatures are and their purpose.
The beginning felt like a hybrid of Blair Witch and Event Horizon, I liked it a lot, the crew going into the unknown, the threat of shadowy monsters. There was lots of atmosphere it was well done. The pace of the episode never let up for a single moment.
Reece Shearsmith showed when he starred in the Widower last year that he's actually a really talented and capable actor, they didn't really make the best use of his talents I didn't think. His performance felt more like it belonged Inside no 9.
Did I notice no opening credits? Kept waiting for them, maybe it was to do with the running time, or to add to the whole found footage angle.
Some excellent elements to it for sure, it very much kept you on the edge of your seat, I applaud them for that. I loved the concept of sleep being abandoned in the future for corporate reasons, that was brilliantly imaginative. Issue for me was the monsters themselves I didn't love them, I wasn't sold on the the theory of them nor the execution. They could have easily been in Timeflight!
I enjoyed it a fair bit, even though it left me a little confused. I give plaudits for the brilliant ending 7/10
The beginning felt like a hybrid of Blair Witch and Event Horizon, I liked it a lot, the crew going into the unknown, the threat of shadowy monsters. There was lots of atmosphere it was well done. The pace of the episode never let up for a single moment.
Reece Shearsmith showed when he starred in the Widower last year that he's actually a really talented and capable actor, they didn't really make the best use of his talents I didn't think. His performance felt more like it belonged Inside no 9.
Did I notice no opening credits? Kept waiting for them, maybe it was to do with the running time, or to add to the whole found footage angle.
Some excellent elements to it for sure, it very much kept you on the edge of your seat, I applaud them for that. I loved the concept of sleep being abandoned in the future for corporate reasons, that was brilliantly imaginative. Issue for me was the monsters themselves I didn't love them, I wasn't sold on the the theory of them nor the execution. They could have easily been in Timeflight!
I enjoyed it a fair bit, even though it left me a little confused. I give plaudits for the brilliant ending 7/10
Found it enjoyable
jesusfreak-008816 March 2020
Confused? Read this.
TouchTheGarlicProduction14 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Many people will find this episode confusing, and I don't blame them. The episode is made in the "found footage" genre, and at first appears to be falling for all of the same mistakes that films in this genre have fallen for; shots coming from places they shouldn't be able to, cameras that should be there not being there, etc. But the Doctor too begins to realize that there is something not quite right.
It is then revealed that what appeared to be continuity errors of a sort is actually due to the fact that we have been watching through the eyes of the villains the whole time (beings made from the dust that gathers in your eyes during sleep). We've been seeing the whole thing through the bits in the character's eyes and little bits floating in the air. The doctor and the others flee.
Finally, it is revealed that the guy who created the pods and who has been talking to us the whole time is mentally linked in to the feed from the seeing dust. He is one of the sandmen, controls them, and has used them to create a found footage type horror story by making them the monsters. He plans to send out the video in order to infect the galaxy with the dust; everyone who watches the video is infected. The idea is that this episode is that video, a trap that will lure people like us into watching by telling us not to then infecting us. The guy reveals that he is a sandman at the end because people have already watched the video; they're already infected, and knowing it won't change anything. The villains win in this episode. But worry not, the writer of the episode says that he has a sequel planned for it you'll get your convenient resolution later on.
It is then revealed that what appeared to be continuity errors of a sort is actually due to the fact that we have been watching through the eyes of the villains the whole time (beings made from the dust that gathers in your eyes during sleep). We've been seeing the whole thing through the bits in the character's eyes and little bits floating in the air. The doctor and the others flee.
Finally, it is revealed that the guy who created the pods and who has been talking to us the whole time is mentally linked in to the feed from the seeing dust. He is one of the sandmen, controls them, and has used them to create a found footage type horror story by making them the monsters. He plans to send out the video in order to infect the galaxy with the dust; everyone who watches the video is infected. The idea is that this episode is that video, a trap that will lure people like us into watching by telling us not to then infecting us. The guy reveals that he is a sandman at the end because people have already watched the video; they're already infected, and knowing it won't change anything. The villains win in this episode. But worry not, the writer of the episode says that he has a sequel planned for it you'll get your convenient resolution later on.
The episode to skip
zadoc-paet14 November 2015
On occasion, when re-watching 'Doctor Who' there are episodes to skip. 'Fear Her' and 'Love and Monsters' come to mind, both episodes being universally regarded by the fandom as being two of the worst, if not the worst, episodes of 'New Who' ever made. But what sets them apart from 'Sleep No More' is the fact that despite their flaws, they have coherent plots that the viewer can actually follow.
'Sleep No More' is a "found film" kind of an episode. It is even sans the iconic intro. I'll admit that it does start out as an interesting concept. Also intriguing is the plot device that humans in this era use a machine that provides them with a month's worth of sleep. Which is ironic, because the episode was putting me to sleep while I was watching it.
Series 9 of 'Doctor Who' had, to this point, been the most solidly consistently good series to date. 'Sleep No More' takes a turn for the worst with this episode that prevents viewers from forming any connections to the characters, introduces a nonsensical monster that is less believable than Sharknado, and a "twist" ending that divorces it from the entirety of 'Doctor Who' lore.
Not only can you skip this one to save your sanity and about 42 minutes of your life, but in doing so you won't miss a single plot point. This episode may as well have never happened. So do yourself a favor and pretend that it didn't.
There is one thing I have to credit this episode for. At the very beginning it says, "Do not watch this video." I suggest that everyone take that advice.
'Sleep No More' is a "found film" kind of an episode. It is even sans the iconic intro. I'll admit that it does start out as an interesting concept. Also intriguing is the plot device that humans in this era use a machine that provides them with a month's worth of sleep. Which is ironic, because the episode was putting me to sleep while I was watching it.
Series 9 of 'Doctor Who' had, to this point, been the most solidly consistently good series to date. 'Sleep No More' takes a turn for the worst with this episode that prevents viewers from forming any connections to the characters, introduces a nonsensical monster that is less believable than Sharknado, and a "twist" ending that divorces it from the entirety of 'Doctor Who' lore.
Not only can you skip this one to save your sanity and about 42 minutes of your life, but in doing so you won't miss a single plot point. This episode may as well have never happened. So do yourself a favor and pretend that it didn't.
There is one thing I have to credit this episode for. At the very beginning it says, "Do not watch this video." I suggest that everyone take that advice.
Why was this episode made at all ?
brownniall15 November 2015
Worst episode EVER ! Acting atrocious. Camera work looked like a five year old holding the family videocam. Plot , what plot !! Supporting characters / actors probably would not even want to have this on their portfolios. Only decent thing was spotting "Clara Oswald" in the text at the start. Regards the start, it's not Doctor Who without the theme tune at the start, as even as a child, hearing that tune meant,it was hide behind the sofa time, and it still does that to me at 50 years of age. Think Gatiss & Moff should park the idea of doing a sequel to this episode, as people will not even tune in if they know that a second part is made. Regards, last comment, glad Gatiss decided NOT to make this a two- parter as all stories this season have been, as having to stretch this dull amateur production over two weeks, I think I would have lost the will to live and just let the Sandmen kill me. There is always on episode every year that we quickly gloss over and quietly forget it. I can be 99:999998% sure that anyone who DID watch this dross, despite being told NOT TO, will agree.
Tradition Served Up In An Untraditional Way
Theo Robertson14 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
How do you bring something new to the table ? In the case of DOCTOR WHO is there any need to radically change things ? For me the show that I grew up with was more often than not horror-lite with scary moments and scary monsters . By the mid Tom Baker era this type of story had faded and the show was never the same . When it returned ten years ago under the auspices of RTD we had DOCTOR WHO meets soap opera . With Moffat we get something different which often feels like a parody of the show . Will NuWho be remembered in the way the classic show was with monsters coming out the sea , the one with the Mummies or the one with the man turning in to a murderous plant ? It'll be interesting to see how long Sleep No More will be remembered for
That's not to say the episode is flawless . Gatiss is a very divisive writer but he probably writes at his best when he knows the little ones love to be terrified . Here he comes up with the monsters creeping about dark corridors stalking humans plot . It's sheer sci-fi B movie stuff but one that I and I imagine others can't get enough off . The downside is that the production team try and go one further and present it in a lost footage format . The problem with that is if you've one of these type of stories you have literally seen them all and we've been getting literally tons of these stories in cinema since the turn of the Century . In other words it's been done to death and for the show to steal this concept seems to be clutching at gimmicks . I often found myself wishing the execution would have worked much better if it'd been done in a more traditional way . Tell the story through the Doctor's eyes rather than relying on spoken exposition and on screen graphics etc . Despite this there's a neat twist at the end , has great monsters in the Sandmen and is one of the better stories from a bitterly disappointing season . Might the fact that it's a one episode story non reliant on continuity have something to do with this ? Make up your own mind
That's not to say the episode is flawless . Gatiss is a very divisive writer but he probably writes at his best when he knows the little ones love to be terrified . Here he comes up with the monsters creeping about dark corridors stalking humans plot . It's sheer sci-fi B movie stuff but one that I and I imagine others can't get enough off . The downside is that the production team try and go one further and present it in a lost footage format . The problem with that is if you've one of these type of stories you have literally seen them all and we've been getting literally tons of these stories in cinema since the turn of the Century . In other words it's been done to death and for the show to steal this concept seems to be clutching at gimmicks . I often found myself wishing the execution would have worked much better if it'd been done in a more traditional way . Tell the story through the Doctor's eyes rather than relying on spoken exposition and on screen graphics etc . Despite this there's a neat twist at the end , has great monsters in the Sandmen and is one of the better stories from a bitterly disappointing season . Might the fact that it's a one episode story non reliant on continuity have something to do with this ? Make up your own mind
Seriously, don't watch this.
adric22-117 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The first thing you see when you turn on this episode is a guy telling you not to watch it. It would be in your best interest to take the advice. I've been watching Doctor Who since the 3rd doctor and I can honestly say this is one of the worst episodes ever made. I would rank it in the bottom 5 for sure, it is really challenging "Fear Her" for the worst spot ever.
The episode started off mildly interesting. But once it is discovered that the monster that threatens the universe is actually the sleep dust left in people's eyes when the sleep, well, it just lost all credibility for me at that point.
I realize with science fiction you have to suspend disbelief somewhat. But this just goes too far. I felt more like I was watching something made to scare 5 year olds and belonged in some sort of fairy tale book.
The episode started off mildly interesting. But once it is discovered that the monster that threatens the universe is actually the sleep dust left in people's eyes when the sleep, well, it just lost all credibility for me at that point.
I realize with science fiction you have to suspend disbelief somewhat. But this just goes too far. I felt more like I was watching something made to scare 5 year olds and belonged in some sort of fairy tale book.
Sleep (No More) is underrated
dkiliane24 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the most hated episodes in all of Doctor Who, but for the life of me I cannot figure out why. It's fun and thrilling in a Sci-Fi channel B movie sort of way. Yes, the premise is a little ridiculous-sleep basically keeps the "sleep dust" in the corner of your eye from digesting you and turning you into a "Sandman," as Clara and The Doctor call them, which are basically giant booger people. As I said, very Sci-Fi channel, and the episode doesn't seem to have much to say (other than "sleep is good"), which is a typical weakness in the writings of Mark Gatiss.
But it's done in such a fun and thrilling way, I really don't mind. And, dare I say it, this episode is actually well written - by Mark Gatiss, no less, which is a pleasant surprise, considering my general opinion of his writing for Doctor Who. The characters are decently developed, especially Nagata, the female captain of the ill-fated rescue team. I was sufficiently attached to these characters, that Their deaths, while technically throwaway in tried and true horror fashion, still makes me wish they could have survived. And I was glad that Nagata did manage to survive in the end.
Which brings me to the structure of the episode. The episode definitely has some loose ends, and while the plot is fairly straightforward on the surface, it gets a bit convoluted by the end. The purpose of the Sandmen, the found footage style cinematography (which I'm not usually overly fond of, but manages to work for the episode), the character of Rasmussen (the only "survivor" of the original crew and scientist who invented the Morpheus sleep pods causing all the problems), are all interwoven in an interesting but overly complicated way, which Rasmussen's twist explanation at the end does little to clear things up and doesn't give the remaining characters nor the audience the chance to truly assimilate his revelations. The episode almost appears to be setting up for a second part due to some of the loose ends, (definitely more so and in a better way than "The Girl Who Died" set up for "The Woman Who Lived"), but unfortunately never delivers. What happens on Triton? Assuming The Doctor does indeed destroy all of Morpheus, how is that accomplished? How does he cure Clara and Nagata? What eventually happens to Rasmussen and the Sandmen? What happens with the video that will supposedly spread the Sandmen? We never find out and I suppose the episode is trying to be clever by not answering these questions, which beg for a second part that never comes.
That being said, the episode is still a fun thrill ride with interesting characters and twists, and definitely does not deserve all the hate it gets. I would even say it's probably a personal best for writer Mark Gatiss (take that as you will). I just wish we could have seen a second part tp tie up those loose ends. 8/10
But it's done in such a fun and thrilling way, I really don't mind. And, dare I say it, this episode is actually well written - by Mark Gatiss, no less, which is a pleasant surprise, considering my general opinion of his writing for Doctor Who. The characters are decently developed, especially Nagata, the female captain of the ill-fated rescue team. I was sufficiently attached to these characters, that Their deaths, while technically throwaway in tried and true horror fashion, still makes me wish they could have survived. And I was glad that Nagata did manage to survive in the end.
Which brings me to the structure of the episode. The episode definitely has some loose ends, and while the plot is fairly straightforward on the surface, it gets a bit convoluted by the end. The purpose of the Sandmen, the found footage style cinematography (which I'm not usually overly fond of, but manages to work for the episode), the character of Rasmussen (the only "survivor" of the original crew and scientist who invented the Morpheus sleep pods causing all the problems), are all interwoven in an interesting but overly complicated way, which Rasmussen's twist explanation at the end does little to clear things up and doesn't give the remaining characters nor the audience the chance to truly assimilate his revelations. The episode almost appears to be setting up for a second part due to some of the loose ends, (definitely more so and in a better way than "The Girl Who Died" set up for "The Woman Who Lived"), but unfortunately never delivers. What happens on Triton? Assuming The Doctor does indeed destroy all of Morpheus, how is that accomplished? How does he cure Clara and Nagata? What eventually happens to Rasmussen and the Sandmen? What happens with the video that will supposedly spread the Sandmen? We never find out and I suppose the episode is trying to be clever by not answering these questions, which beg for a second part that never comes.
That being said, the episode is still a fun thrill ride with interesting characters and twists, and definitely does not deserve all the hate it gets. I would even say it's probably a personal best for writer Mark Gatiss (take that as you will). I just wish we could have seen a second part tp tie up those loose ends. 8/10
Sleep no more tonight as you will be too wowed.
Equalizer1614 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This week Doctor Who brings fear to a precious habit of ours, our own sleep and the dust that is produced. An interesting new camera footage episode that finds the Doctor and Clara on a quite spaceship that is inhabited by Sleep san monsters. I'm personally not a fan of camera footage films or shows, but Doctor Who makes it cool and scary.
Even with no suspenseful music in the background, the chill is invading our bodies. Mark Gatiss brings strong fear and terror this week, and just makes this series look so much better. Reece Shearsmith provides a suspicious and insane human performance to the episode which provides scariness even without horrible looking creatures.
Although the episode is meant to be bits of footage tied together which may not make complete sense, this is the exact first impression we get, which may weaken the episode, but wait 10 mins and then it will click. You'll find event the ending is freakier than the beginning. I was in morn of the opening sequence, but this made the episode so much darker, this was not an episode this was 45mins of fright.
Overall this was one of the best episodes of the series, even maybe the best, this is a total 9/10, and a masterpiece in science fiction.
Even with no suspenseful music in the background, the chill is invading our bodies. Mark Gatiss brings strong fear and terror this week, and just makes this series look so much better. Reece Shearsmith provides a suspicious and insane human performance to the episode which provides scariness even without horrible looking creatures.
Although the episode is meant to be bits of footage tied together which may not make complete sense, this is the exact first impression we get, which may weaken the episode, but wait 10 mins and then it will click. You'll find event the ending is freakier than the beginning. I was in morn of the opening sequence, but this made the episode so much darker, this was not an episode this was 45mins of fright.
Overall this was one of the best episodes of the series, even maybe the best, this is a total 9/10, and a masterpiece in science fiction.
'Mark Gatiss does sleep no more' and here's the result
revans-5836817 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Watching Sleep no more made the Dalek opener seem like Caves of Androzani Episode 4. I admire Gatiss as an actor and as a human being, but his efforts on Doctor Who are missing the mark wildly, does he perhaps have something on the powers that be? A pathetic story line, which they seemed to make up as they went along, dreadful characters, how many clichés make four? terrible monsters, I'm assuming will never see the light of day ever again. All resulting in what was arguably the lowest point since Fear her, found footage was 'in' ten years ago, and was done to death, who on Earth thought it would be a good idea to use it here? Reece Shearsmith does black humor very well, but even he felt incredibly flat and lifeless, it felt like a case of 'jobs for your mates.' His being there reminded me of Ken Dodd having a part in Delta and the Bannermen, a useless character with a 'name' to try and add interest and attract viewers. Sorry team this was a shambles.
I won't be losing sleep over this...
Robinson251115 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Well, it's the polarising Sleep No More, an episode that has divided fan opinions with some calling it the best episode of the series, and other calling it the worst episode ever, me, I though it was pretty damn awesome.
No, it's not the best episode ever, or of series 9, but while it feels a little incomplete at points, the story can be hard to follow and there's no real resolution, I can't fault this episode for it's innovation.
The found footage genre is interesting, I personally have seen several found footage horror films and the odd sci-fi adventure done in this style, and they all had one thing in common, they all SUCKED! Sleep no More however manages to do the found-footage genre while still feeling like a Doctor Who story.
Seeing the story through the viewpoints of the people on the space station is pretty cool, and is used to clever effect at points, but some scenes feel incomplete. The scene where Clara is dragged into the sleep pod, is completely baffling, in one shot she is standing with the Doctor, the next she is trapped in the sleep pod, only to be released 5 seconds later.
The monsters are cool, and somewhat scary, but the fear becomes kinder nullified when the Doctor explains they are made of 'sleep dust', at which point, they suddenly seemed less scary. The acting is cool by the entire cast and I like the characters, to the point where when they died I felt kinder sad.
The episode doesn't end on a high unlike most Doctor Who episodes, the Doctor didn't win here, and I like that, and it seems the universe may actually be in danger from the professor's video, but I'm sure Gatiss' proposed 'sequel' will sort all that out next year, but until then, Sleep no More is a fun but dark episode that I feel is already getting more hate than it deserves. I was certainly expecting a lot worse than what we got, and I'm happy with this episode.
I'm not the biggest fan of Mark Gatiss' episodes, but something I said when I heard about a found-footage episode of Doctor Who was, 'I hope Mark Gatiss writes that episode', because Mark Gatiss may not write the best Doctor Who episodes, but he will make it work, and he sure delivered.
No, it's not the best episode ever, or of series 9, but while it feels a little incomplete at points, the story can be hard to follow and there's no real resolution, I can't fault this episode for it's innovation.
The found footage genre is interesting, I personally have seen several found footage horror films and the odd sci-fi adventure done in this style, and they all had one thing in common, they all SUCKED! Sleep no More however manages to do the found-footage genre while still feeling like a Doctor Who story.
Seeing the story through the viewpoints of the people on the space station is pretty cool, and is used to clever effect at points, but some scenes feel incomplete. The scene where Clara is dragged into the sleep pod, is completely baffling, in one shot she is standing with the Doctor, the next she is trapped in the sleep pod, only to be released 5 seconds later.
The monsters are cool, and somewhat scary, but the fear becomes kinder nullified when the Doctor explains they are made of 'sleep dust', at which point, they suddenly seemed less scary. The acting is cool by the entire cast and I like the characters, to the point where when they died I felt kinder sad.
The episode doesn't end on a high unlike most Doctor Who episodes, the Doctor didn't win here, and I like that, and it seems the universe may actually be in danger from the professor's video, but I'm sure Gatiss' proposed 'sequel' will sort all that out next year, but until then, Sleep no More is a fun but dark episode that I feel is already getting more hate than it deserves. I was certainly expecting a lot worse than what we got, and I'm happy with this episode.
I'm not the biggest fan of Mark Gatiss' episodes, but something I said when I heard about a found-footage episode of Doctor Who was, 'I hope Mark Gatiss writes that episode', because Mark Gatiss may not write the best Doctor Who episodes, but he will make it work, and he sure delivered.
Don't understand the hate
hannahgvcarson25 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I really don't understand the hate with this episode. Is it the best Doctor Who episode? No. But is it the worst? Far from it. The themes of technology taking over our lives, sleep deprivation - all of it is so applicable to our society. Granted, I'd be sorely tempted by the ability to condense a night of sleep into a few minutes! I'm sure I'm not alone. But it raises questions about what happens when you try to to take shortcuts instead of taking care of yourself. I also oddly loved the found footage. I'm shocked that this ranks so low! Especially when there are other episodes like "Love and Monsters" out there haha.
Sleep no more will put you to sleep.
jvm039318 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This is the first and probably the only Doctor who episode that is told through found footage. It is written by Mark Gatiss who is mediocre at best when it comes to writing Doctor Who Stories though I did enjoy 'An Adventure in Space and Time' which he wrote. Sleep No More is nothing more than a Paste and Copy of Under the Lake but done with less effort. Story begins with a Scientist Dude (Reece Shearsmith) on an abandoned Space Station warning us the viewer not to watch this. However he Contradict himself by aligning footage that he possesses and then showing to us. At the beginning you see a bunch of Soldiers from Triton on the ship Le Verrier (the same ship that Scientist dude is on) who our only there to die and are given little to no backstory to their character other than Grunt who is a bio-engineered soldier with the intelligence of a Dog.
They so meet up with the Doctor and his Companion Clara Oswald, at this point the Doctor mentions that the Triton colonists were originally from India and Japan which merged to become its own Culture along with a Communist Revolution many years later. This is the only interesting part that I found in this episode, I would of love it if they put a story surrounding Triton's Communist takeover and how the Doctor being somewhat of a Marxist himself (in this incarnation anyway) react to it, unfortunately we get this.
After running away from the Sand monster things The Doctor along with Clara and the soldiers from Triton Stumble across some sleeping pods with the Scientist dude from earlier pops his head out of the Pod to see what's going on. It is then revealed that the Sand Monster things are in fact made from Eye Mucus form from sleep and the found footage you're seeing is nothing more than dust. Unsurprisingly nearly all of the Soldiers including Grant (or as they call him on the show 474) get killed by the eye snot monster leaving out the Leader Nagata (Elaine Tan) and the Scientist dude.
Towards the end the plot becomes Non-existent, the Doctor and Clara survive of course but I can't remember what happened to Nagata. As for the Scientist dude it turns out that he is also made from Eye Dust, as he begins to turn to dust and fades away ended the Episode. This isn't a bad episode it's just plain forgettable. I wasn't kidding when I said it will put you to sleep, it nearly put me to sleep when I watched it. Everything about this Episode including the characters is dull and bland, nothing really add up, though it does feel like a Classic Doctor Who with the campy Monsters there is no real story to keep you engaged.
If you are watching the Season ninth of Doctor Who on your DVD or Blu-ray box set, give this one a miss, you won't be missing much.
They so meet up with the Doctor and his Companion Clara Oswald, at this point the Doctor mentions that the Triton colonists were originally from India and Japan which merged to become its own Culture along with a Communist Revolution many years later. This is the only interesting part that I found in this episode, I would of love it if they put a story surrounding Triton's Communist takeover and how the Doctor being somewhat of a Marxist himself (in this incarnation anyway) react to it, unfortunately we get this.
After running away from the Sand monster things The Doctor along with Clara and the soldiers from Triton Stumble across some sleeping pods with the Scientist dude from earlier pops his head out of the Pod to see what's going on. It is then revealed that the Sand Monster things are in fact made from Eye Mucus form from sleep and the found footage you're seeing is nothing more than dust. Unsurprisingly nearly all of the Soldiers including Grant (or as they call him on the show 474) get killed by the eye snot monster leaving out the Leader Nagata (Elaine Tan) and the Scientist dude.
Towards the end the plot becomes Non-existent, the Doctor and Clara survive of course but I can't remember what happened to Nagata. As for the Scientist dude it turns out that he is also made from Eye Dust, as he begins to turn to dust and fades away ended the Episode. This isn't a bad episode it's just plain forgettable. I wasn't kidding when I said it will put you to sleep, it nearly put me to sleep when I watched it. Everything about this Episode including the characters is dull and bland, nothing really add up, though it does feel like a Classic Doctor Who with the campy Monsters there is no real story to keep you engaged.
If you are watching the Season ninth of Doctor Who on your DVD or Blu-ray box set, give this one a miss, you won't be missing much.
Hehe
FilmAnon_5458816 January 2020
Mark Gatiss stumbles again in an aesthetically excellent but narratively poor episode
ryanjmorris14 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
So tonight Doctor Who tried its hand at the found footage genre, and all of a sudden this consistently excellent standard of series nine has come grinding to a halt. It's not as if Sleep No More is a truly bad episode, in fact there is actually quite a lot to like here. We can go into the specifics later on, but for now let us summarise this episode as follows: aesthetically sublime, but narratively sloppy. Mark Gatiss is an unusual writer for Doctor Who. He has written episodes for this show since its reboot back with series one, and he's never really given us anything special. He's had some complete disasters (namely series five's Victory of the Daleks), but the vast majority of his episodes fall into that woeful category of potentially classic ideas squandered with poor scripting. Sleep No More, regrettably, follows that trend to the letter. Its base idea - "Found footage story of the aftermath of an invention causing the human race to no longer require regular sleep" - could be something special indeed. But despite the absolute best work of new time director Justin Molotnikov, none of it really comes together.
What this episode does having going for it, though, is its aesthetic design. The found footage format has become well worn and tiresome in film, but is rarely used on television. We see this story unfold through the perspectives of each individual character (and occasionally some wall POV shots, but we'll get to that later), and this cuts out the possibility of establishing shots or wide angles. Every frame of the episode feels tight and compact, it has the best sense of claustrophobia of any Doctor Who episode this series. Similarly, characters rapidly turning their heads creates a wonderfully jarring feel to each sequence as the frame whips round with them, and the way the Doctor and Clara are introduced to the episode is brilliantly unique. Rather than us following them, we begin with the ship's rescue team and just stumble across our protagonists. Despite the fact that, really, it's no different to any other episode, Molotnikov does a fantastic job of making this sequence eerie; we feel as if we shouldn't be watching the Doctor and Clara in that moment. As the introduction to a story, Sleep No More scarcely goes wrong in its first act. It's also benefited by the brave and satisfying idea of removing the show's famous title sequence entirely, for the first time in the show's history.
So, whilst the episode's cinematography and sound design remain excellent throughout (the lack of a musical soundtrack feels so wrong in Doctor Who, yet so right for this episode), once Sleep No More shifts gears into act two, the brief set up begins to crumble and the story falls apart frustratingly early on. Firstly, we're introduced to the Sandmen far too soon. Whilst the fact that we see the creatures almost immediately, and at the same time the crew does, benefits the episode's narrative format, it weakens the monsters substantially. There's no mystery, no enigma to keep us hooked. While the superb Under the Lake from earlier this series (an episode that draws many similarities to tonight's but is supremely more enjoyable) also introduced its villains early on, there were questions that needed answering about them, and we learnt more as the episode progressed, before reaching a satisfying if slow conclusion in Before the Flood. On first viewing, the Sandmen are acceptable monsters up until the episode's ending, in which the story is concluded so quickly it's almost impossible to comprehend after just one watch. Sleep No More doesn't answer enough of our questions (Is Clara still infected? Did the Doctor shut down the programme? Was Rassmussen successful in his plan? What happened to Nagata?) to reach a satisfying conclusion, and the few mysteries of the Sandmen aren't addressed well enough to justify us seeing them so early on. On second viewing, this is doubly frustrating.
Another issue that plagues this episode is its eventual sloppy approach to its own format. Whilst the found footage trope works well in the first half, once we discover the real nature of the footage it stops making any sense. If the footage we see is coming directly from the perspectives of infected characters and/or infected dust particles, why are some of the wall POV shots black and white, and some aren't? I'm never nitpicky with Doctor Who, I always let it put thematic content and character moments ahead of general logic, but when these errors force both the episode's narrative and its format to stumble, they're difficult to ignore. Once we reach the final act, there are perspective shots that I still don't understand after two viewings. Shaky over the shoulder shots of the Doctor take up a lot of screen time, yet no character is stood behind him. Are we to believe that the infected dust particles have now taken it upon themselves to gaze around their environment and look at whichever character is talking? It just seems odd, and what once was being used, albeit briefly, as a clever storytelling tactic has by now fallen into the abyss of nonsense. The supporting characters are all also ridiculously weak, normally I overlook this with Doctor Who but they were just so underwritten in this episode that there were moments where I couldn't tell who had died, let alone why or how. I can overlook not caring about a supporting character when they die, but not even knowing which one they were is an issue.
Sleep No More, like other Gatiss offerings, has all the makings of a classic, but falls way short. Perhaps if watched in complete isolation, out of the blue, with lowered expectations, something really enjoyable could be found here. But slotted behind eight consecutive stellar episodes, and crammed before what seems to be an epic, three-part concluding story, Sleep No More will never make an impact.
What this episode does having going for it, though, is its aesthetic design. The found footage format has become well worn and tiresome in film, but is rarely used on television. We see this story unfold through the perspectives of each individual character (and occasionally some wall POV shots, but we'll get to that later), and this cuts out the possibility of establishing shots or wide angles. Every frame of the episode feels tight and compact, it has the best sense of claustrophobia of any Doctor Who episode this series. Similarly, characters rapidly turning their heads creates a wonderfully jarring feel to each sequence as the frame whips round with them, and the way the Doctor and Clara are introduced to the episode is brilliantly unique. Rather than us following them, we begin with the ship's rescue team and just stumble across our protagonists. Despite the fact that, really, it's no different to any other episode, Molotnikov does a fantastic job of making this sequence eerie; we feel as if we shouldn't be watching the Doctor and Clara in that moment. As the introduction to a story, Sleep No More scarcely goes wrong in its first act. It's also benefited by the brave and satisfying idea of removing the show's famous title sequence entirely, for the first time in the show's history.
So, whilst the episode's cinematography and sound design remain excellent throughout (the lack of a musical soundtrack feels so wrong in Doctor Who, yet so right for this episode), once Sleep No More shifts gears into act two, the brief set up begins to crumble and the story falls apart frustratingly early on. Firstly, we're introduced to the Sandmen far too soon. Whilst the fact that we see the creatures almost immediately, and at the same time the crew does, benefits the episode's narrative format, it weakens the monsters substantially. There's no mystery, no enigma to keep us hooked. While the superb Under the Lake from earlier this series (an episode that draws many similarities to tonight's but is supremely more enjoyable) also introduced its villains early on, there were questions that needed answering about them, and we learnt more as the episode progressed, before reaching a satisfying if slow conclusion in Before the Flood. On first viewing, the Sandmen are acceptable monsters up until the episode's ending, in which the story is concluded so quickly it's almost impossible to comprehend after just one watch. Sleep No More doesn't answer enough of our questions (Is Clara still infected? Did the Doctor shut down the programme? Was Rassmussen successful in his plan? What happened to Nagata?) to reach a satisfying conclusion, and the few mysteries of the Sandmen aren't addressed well enough to justify us seeing them so early on. On second viewing, this is doubly frustrating.
Another issue that plagues this episode is its eventual sloppy approach to its own format. Whilst the found footage trope works well in the first half, once we discover the real nature of the footage it stops making any sense. If the footage we see is coming directly from the perspectives of infected characters and/or infected dust particles, why are some of the wall POV shots black and white, and some aren't? I'm never nitpicky with Doctor Who, I always let it put thematic content and character moments ahead of general logic, but when these errors force both the episode's narrative and its format to stumble, they're difficult to ignore. Once we reach the final act, there are perspective shots that I still don't understand after two viewings. Shaky over the shoulder shots of the Doctor take up a lot of screen time, yet no character is stood behind him. Are we to believe that the infected dust particles have now taken it upon themselves to gaze around their environment and look at whichever character is talking? It just seems odd, and what once was being used, albeit briefly, as a clever storytelling tactic has by now fallen into the abyss of nonsense. The supporting characters are all also ridiculously weak, normally I overlook this with Doctor Who but they were just so underwritten in this episode that there were moments where I couldn't tell who had died, let alone why or how. I can overlook not caring about a supporting character when they die, but not even knowing which one they were is an issue.
Sleep No More, like other Gatiss offerings, has all the makings of a classic, but falls way short. Perhaps if watched in complete isolation, out of the blue, with lowered expectations, something really enjoyable could be found here. But slotted behind eight consecutive stellar episodes, and crammed before what seems to be an epic, three-part concluding story, Sleep No More will never make an impact.
What the hell was that?!
zacpetch17 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Just to be clear on where we stand: I like Doctor Who and think it's never been better than under Moffat was showrunner (yes that includes the classics, even Holmes & Hinchcliffe). I think series nine is the best season of the revived era, possibly of all time.
But...
'Sleep No More' is not a good example of why I think that. It's one of the worst episodes of the revival.
Mark Gatiss attempted to create nightmare fuel with this episode and while he does technically turn watching this into a living nightmare it's not the way he intended. What should have been and could have been a horror masterpiece is laughably bad at best and, ironically, sleep-inducingly boring at worst.
To be fair there are some nice ideas at play here. I can't fault a 52-year-old show for trying something new but sadly, because Gatiss is such a poor writer, none of it clicks into place. 10/10 for ambition but the execution is awful.
I have said all I want to say as I don't feel that this episode is worth any more of my precious time but let me close with an observation: Mark Gatiss comes back every single year. The Who Fandom let out a collective groan when he was confirmed for series ten shortly after this was broadcast and again when he said he wanted to write a sequel. I doubt that he'd be back year on year if he wasn't Moffat's bestie, but it's not what you know is it?
But...
'Sleep No More' is not a good example of why I think that. It's one of the worst episodes of the revival.
Mark Gatiss attempted to create nightmare fuel with this episode and while he does technically turn watching this into a living nightmare it's not the way he intended. What should have been and could have been a horror masterpiece is laughably bad at best and, ironically, sleep-inducingly boring at worst.
To be fair there are some nice ideas at play here. I can't fault a 52-year-old show for trying something new but sadly, because Gatiss is such a poor writer, none of it clicks into place. 10/10 for ambition but the execution is awful.
I have said all I want to say as I don't feel that this episode is worth any more of my precious time but let me close with an observation: Mark Gatiss comes back every single year. The Who Fandom let out a collective groan when he was confirmed for series ten shortly after this was broadcast and again when he said he wanted to write a sequel. I doubt that he'd be back year on year if he wasn't Moffat's bestie, but it's not what you know is it?
The Most Underappreciated New Who Episode Ever
maxypaw30 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The main problems I see argued when this story is criticized are the plot, the acting and the camerawork. Let's take a look at each of these.
Firstly, getting it out of the way quickly, the camerawork. Really? Criticizing camerawork on a found-footage story? Just think about that.
Secondly, again to get it out of the way quickly, the acting - the found-footage element meant the characters had much more colloquial acting than the norm found in Doctor Who and works perfectly fine in context. Focusing on one actor in particular, Shearsmith plays a brilliant character, with both of his reveals as a twist-villain and, ultimately, a sandman feeling perfectly surprising with his slightly holier-than-thou attitude before getting to know the crew and his almost apologetic attitude in the tapes which would make sense considering what he would have been through were that actually him as we knew him before the reveal he would be like that.
Now, the juicy part. The plot. People rag on this episode for plot holes, and to this I have two things to say: 1) all the best New Who plots have holes in them (Blink being the main example of this) and 2) nothing in this episode is so egregious as to draw out your investment. The plot has been described by many as boring. That's simply because you're not watching it properly. Overall the episode has an absolutely brilliant atmosphere, with dark corridors and sinister futuristic tech that got the better end of Under The Lake/Before The Flood's endless hospital-white or whatever The End Of The World tried to do, and it perfectly compliments the slowly unraveling plot that people called tedious because they didn't follow along well enough. The hints are enough to make you want to keep watching. The 'survivability' bar, the fact Rassmussen has a camera feed without having a camera, 'Do you ever get the feeling we're being watched?' - it is very engaging to those who notice. Along with some surprisingly good comedy at times and the play on the found-footage ploy by having 'nothing' to take the footage - this is all a very entertaining, very intelligent and very underappreciated story. Hell, they even make you feel for the grunt. 10/10, exceptional.
Firstly, getting it out of the way quickly, the camerawork. Really? Criticizing camerawork on a found-footage story? Just think about that.
Secondly, again to get it out of the way quickly, the acting - the found-footage element meant the characters had much more colloquial acting than the norm found in Doctor Who and works perfectly fine in context. Focusing on one actor in particular, Shearsmith plays a brilliant character, with both of his reveals as a twist-villain and, ultimately, a sandman feeling perfectly surprising with his slightly holier-than-thou attitude before getting to know the crew and his almost apologetic attitude in the tapes which would make sense considering what he would have been through were that actually him as we knew him before the reveal he would be like that.
Now, the juicy part. The plot. People rag on this episode for plot holes, and to this I have two things to say: 1) all the best New Who plots have holes in them (Blink being the main example of this) and 2) nothing in this episode is so egregious as to draw out your investment. The plot has been described by many as boring. That's simply because you're not watching it properly. Overall the episode has an absolutely brilliant atmosphere, with dark corridors and sinister futuristic tech that got the better end of Under The Lake/Before The Flood's endless hospital-white or whatever The End Of The World tried to do, and it perfectly compliments the slowly unraveling plot that people called tedious because they didn't follow along well enough. The hints are enough to make you want to keep watching. The 'survivability' bar, the fact Rassmussen has a camera feed without having a camera, 'Do you ever get the feeling we're being watched?' - it is very engaging to those who notice. Along with some surprisingly good comedy at times and the play on the found-footage ploy by having 'nothing' to take the footage - this is all a very entertaining, very intelligent and very underappreciated story. Hell, they even make you feel for the grunt. 10/10, exceptional.
Who Knew the Moon Egg was Beatable...
Xstal29 December 2021
I am the mucous man and I come from down your way, and I can pick, what can you pick? Oh I can pick - Muc-ous Muc-ous Muc-ous Mu Muc-ous Mu Muc-ous Mu, Muc-ous Muc-ous Muc-ous Mu Muc-ous Muc-ous Mu.
And you may need picking up after you've fallen off your chair once the men of mucous matter have got into your eyes, or fallen from them. A soiled handkerchief of nonsense.
And you may need picking up after you've fallen off your chair once the men of mucous matter have got into your eyes, or fallen from them. A soiled handkerchief of nonsense.
Not as bad as people are saying.
s-jake-d-545-64485820 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This episode is unique in its execution, being a found footage sort of thing. It's exciting and spooky and has characters that develop and some that die and plays with breaking the fourth wall, the fourth wall being in your hand or on your television screen. I think it does a good job at making us, the viewers, feel like a part of the Whovian universe, and the beginning and ending does just that.
I think most people are angry because the ending didn't resolve like other episodes. We didn't get to understand everything that was happening.
As the doctor was screaming as they escaped in the Tardis at the end, "This doesn't make any sense!"
Well no not entirely, but that was the point.
Artistically, this episode was executed I think exactly how the artists who worked on it intended. Found footage, not knowing or understanding the big bad, and creepy as hell. It's basically Doctor Who's version of the video from The Ring.
I think I would've rated it higher if the man in the video's (forget his name, it's rather long,) identity was hidden better. Him dying twice made me know that the guy at the end was a sandman before the great reveal.
All in all, an enjoyable, senseless (in a good way), episode. Not everything has to make sense and I believe that that was this episode's message and I think they executed it well.
I think most people are angry because the ending didn't resolve like other episodes. We didn't get to understand everything that was happening.
As the doctor was screaming as they escaped in the Tardis at the end, "This doesn't make any sense!"
Well no not entirely, but that was the point.
Artistically, this episode was executed I think exactly how the artists who worked on it intended. Found footage, not knowing or understanding the big bad, and creepy as hell. It's basically Doctor Who's version of the video from The Ring.
I think I would've rated it higher if the man in the video's (forget his name, it's rather long,) identity was hidden better. Him dying twice made me know that the guy at the end was a sandman before the great reveal.
All in all, an enjoyable, senseless (in a good way), episode. Not everything has to make sense and I believe that that was this episode's message and I think they executed it well.
Worst Episode Ever!
rwakeman20011 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I'm a big fan of Doctor Who, and although some episodes haven't been great I never thought they were terrible - until this one!!
It's done in a "found footage" style, now I know some people don't like this genre but I have no problem with it when it's done well, this wasn't.
The villain in this is meant to be the sleep in the corner of your eye - which is completely ridiculous, it's like this episode was written exclusively for young children.
Honestly if you like Doctor Who, don't watch this episode - if you do, you'll regret it and like Doctor Who slightly less afterwards...
It's done in a "found footage" style, now I know some people don't like this genre but I have no problem with it when it's done well, this wasn't.
The villain in this is meant to be the sleep in the corner of your eye - which is completely ridiculous, it's like this episode was written exclusively for young children.
Honestly if you like Doctor Who, don't watch this episode - if you do, you'll regret it and like Doctor Who slightly less afterwards...
That was the dumbest episode I've seen on Who
shadho17 November 2020
Honestly Mr Gatiss , come on now
lmilovitch4 November 2018
An interesting 'found footage' story
Tweekums15 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This stand-alone episode opens with a warning not to watch what follows; it as informs us that what we are about to see if we don't heed the warning is footage found on the wreckage of a space station which had been orbiting Neptune. The footage shows a rescue team arriving to investigate why they have lost communications with the station. Shortly afterwards they find The Doctor and Clara who have also just arrived. They investigate together and find two things; creatures that try to attack them and sleep pods which claim to let the users cram a whole night's sleep into five minutes
it isn't long before The Doctor suggests that the pods are actually creating the monsters out of the sleep that forms in people's eyes! One of the pods is occupied by Gagan Rassmussen, the man we saw in the introduction and who continues to serve as a possibly unreliable narrator.
This episode is quite different to most in the series and nicely takes various horror tropes; most notably the video you shouldn't watch (Ringu), found footage (Blair Witch Project) and creatures on a spaceship (Alien) then delivers them in a family friendly, if slightly scary than usual, story the ending might give younger viewers nightmares. The creatures are inventive and rather creepy and the found-footage shaky-cam imagery adds to the sense of danger. Unfortunately it also makes it feel a little disjointed at times although this is explained within the episode as Rassmussen tells us the footage we are watching has been edited. The explanation of how the footage exists when there are no obvious cameras is also dealt with in a way that works well within the context of the story. Overall I think that writer Mark Gatiss delivered an interestingly atypical episode I wouldn't want every episode to be like this but the occasional one is a nice treat.
This episode is quite different to most in the series and nicely takes various horror tropes; most notably the video you shouldn't watch (Ringu), found footage (Blair Witch Project) and creatures on a spaceship (Alien) then delivers them in a family friendly, if slightly scary than usual, story the ending might give younger viewers nightmares. The creatures are inventive and rather creepy and the found-footage shaky-cam imagery adds to the sense of danger. Unfortunately it also makes it feel a little disjointed at times although this is explained within the episode as Rassmussen tells us the footage we are watching has been edited. The explanation of how the footage exists when there are no obvious cameras is also dealt with in a way that works well within the context of the story. Overall I think that writer Mark Gatiss delivered an interestingly atypical episode I wouldn't want every episode to be like this but the occasional one is a nice treat.
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