TV Review: Doctor Who: The Name of the Doctor (Series 7 Episode 13-Season Finale)

I'm just sitting here in shock while chills run repeatedly through my body. I'll give it a while.

Update: Now I'm sitting here retching as the feels are getting to me as I'm scrolling down my Tumblr dash.

Update #2: My hands are trembling.

Update #3: My stomach is tight but I think I'm calm enough to start writing this review.

Title: The Name of the Doctor
Writer: Steven Moffat (finally)

TV Review: Doctor Who: Nightmare in Silver (Series 7 Episode 12)

Despite loving the previous episode for fangirl reasons, I'm starting to notice the declining quality of the story arcs for Moffat's Doctor Who.

Title: Nightmare in Silver

TV Review: Doctor Who--The Crimson Horror

Oh my GOD.

Title: The Crimson Horror
Writer: Mark Gatiss

Synopsis:

Madam Vastra and Jenny get caught up in a case of people disappearing--and never coming back. The only clue are the dead who come out--and they die with their entire body turned red. They all enter the home of the mysterious Mrs Gillyflower, a leading expert in chemistry. Jenny enters undercover...and discovers the Doctor, with his skin dyed red and unable to move, in a cell. They must save Clara and stop Mrs Gillyflower before it's too late.

Review:

Well, I generally don't like Mark Gatiss' episodes (no offense to him), but this was okay. The idea of centering it around Vastra, Jenny and Strax is hilarious, and the setting and style of this episode is different from the other episodes of the season. And it makes me happy.

The villain, Mrs Gillyflower and her disabled daughter Ada make a fine duo, with the pure evil and the misguided soul making for an interesting conflict at the end. The acting was well done, too. I loved all that. 

I love Vastra Jenny and Strax. The dynamics of that little group bring an interesting and entertaining lightheartedness to this episode and is a nice breath of air after the complete depressing-ness of the last few episodes. And Jenny is a complete badass in that scene where she's beating up all the brainwashed people. 

We finally get to return to the "Who is Clara Oswald?" plotline. *squeeee* Because Jenny, Vastra and Strax were the ones who first met the Victorian Clara that sent Doctor on his hunt. And the end... Not only was it a perfect layout for the next episode, but it was also the thing I've always wanted. *spoiler* I mean, I always thought it was a bit odd that no one ever found pictures of these people from the past and pointed it out and confronted them. Now i just..... *scream* *end spoiler*

Okay the rest of this is spoilers so just skip to the grade at the end if you haven't watched.

What I didn't like about this episode was the motive of Mrs Gillyflower. She seemed to think that the end of the world was coming and that spurred her plans to find all those people and try to kill everyone else, but I don't see what could have pushed her over the edge like that. It was never explained. I just didn't get it. And I also didn't understand her blatant disregard for her daughter's wellbeing. And Mr Sweet. Don't get me started. There was all this buildup to who he was, but it was kind of obvious from the start and got more and more obvious as the plot progressed, and "he" was never really a part of the plot or anything so I though it was redundant.




Grade: A- Perfectly fine episode, Jenny, Vastra and Strax should have their own show, great setup for the next episode. 

TV Review: Doctor Who-Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

OH MY GOD

Title: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS (Doctor Who)

Synopsis: 

After crashing into an android-run salvage ship, the Doctor and several of the android workers venture into the destroyed TARDIS to save a trapped Clara, running into the secrets of the TARDIS. Meanwhile, Clara explores the TARDIS while running from a deadly monster, the origin of which the Doctor will not reveal. 

Review:

Okay If I said the last episode was good, I'm lying. Because this just made me so incredibly happy. The suspense was incredible, and you can't stop watching once the Doctor has stepped back into the TARDIS. 

We finally see how the mystery of Clara is affecting the Doctor when he bursts with paranoia, and he finally cracks and unwittingly reveals his secret to Clara. Matt Smith's acting was brilliant in those parts, where you can really see what all this buildup has been leading to. We can see clearly his regret from the previous versions of her, and his regret from all the previous companions that he's had and lost. Truly impressive writing there. 

Clara's adventure through the TARDIS was intriguing--I mean, most fans of Doctor Who would be anxious to find out what lies in the mysterious depths of the TARDIS because we've never really explored the interior so thoroughly. All the tiny little nods to the previous episodes and companions seem to be prevalent in this new series of Doctor Who. We get to see memorabilia from previous adventures, like the Doctor's cot and Amy's toy TARDIS (I was practically crying by then). And Clara's quips at the TARDIS added extra fun. But when Clara reads the Doctor's name and tries to mention it to him, he immediately stops her, adding to the big mystery about the Doctor's name. Her curiosity mirrors what the viewer is feeling and the Doctor's deliberately elusive responses make you feel Clara. Moffat. 

Unlike the previous episodes, the resolution didn't feel rushed here. The climax came with a steady build and didn't rush into the action too quickly and the ending was sufficiently built up to leave you satisfied. And I never guessed the ending until, you know, the ending. So great work there. 

One thing I totally didn't get was the android brother storyline. I mean, I totally understand that they needed their supporting characters to have their own personal storyline, but I just didn't feel the weight of it. But, of course, the Doctor's storyline was what I was paying attention to. 

I loved the visuals in this episode. We've never seen the whole interior of the TARDIS, and I think they did I great job of making it look impressive. And the atmosphere of the TARDIS was a big part of the episode. 

Grade: A+ YOU GO MOFFAT YOU GO.

TV Review: Doctor Who, Season 7 Episode 9-Hide

Okay if you've seen my last review you know I didn't like it that much. BUT THIS EPISODE. IT MADE ME SO EXCITED.

Title: Hide
Writer: Neil Cross (The Rings of Akhaten)

Synopsis: 

The Doctor and Clara arrive in 1974 to investigate a house haunted by a ghost. Already investigating the house are ex-military professor Alec Palmer and empathetic psychic Emma Grayling, who attempt to reach out to the ghost woman who has been haunting the house for centuries. Upon arrival, the Doctor and Clara immediately  wreak havoc on the place, revealing the truth about the haunted house. It is up to Emma and the Doctor, working together, to save the woman. 

Review:

I really didn't like the last episode. I made that clear. But this episode just redeemed that. Neil Cross did an excellent job. The monologues he gives the Doctor are heart-wrenching and all the tiny nods to the previous series are just...I cried a lot. Let's leave it at that. 

Matt Smith's acting wasn't put to the test as much as it was in the ROA, but Clara's sudden awareness that she would one day just be 'temporary' to the Doctor gave him a lot of room to return to that place in the Doctor's head that was shut when Amy and Rory left. Clara's cute matchmaking between the professor and Emma was adorable and sweet and added a nice touch to the intriguing plot. 

It starts off scary, with flashes of the ghost screaming for help and then the Doctor comes in and makes it a whole lot scarier. The creeping around the house with the candlesticks was a bad idea for them, but it certainly added to the creepy atmosphere of the first half. Then the Doctor's heroic mission to save the screaming woman was just incredible. The forest reminded me of Purgatory from Supernatural. Yes, creepy. But all the nods to the previous series are what made it awesome. Like the spacesuit. Remember when the Doctor wore that orange space suit in Series 2? Yeah. He wore that spacesuit. 

And we get a sense of wrongness with Clara. She's beginning to notice that the TARDIS doesn't particularly like her. (Captain Jack Harkness, anyone?) And her sass-off with the TARDIS interphase was just hilarious. When she starts to question it, you can see the Doctor visibly hiding something. When he finally questions her existence by asking Emma, you get the feeling it's building toward something. 

But the last scene was just...weird. I can't say I disliked it, but it wasn't particularly what I had hoped for. So that's pretty much the only thing I disliked. But it was an adorable ending to an episode anyway. 

Okay. That's it. Now I have to wait a whole week. 

Grade: A+ Win. 

Review: Cold War- Doctor Who

Boy do I have things to say about this episode. 

Cold War 

Synopsis:

In this episode of Doctor Who, the Doctor and Clara arrive on a sinking submarine near the North Pole. Of course, they stop the sinking, but the vessel is stranded, with a legendary member of the Ice Warriors, who has been frozen for thousands of years. He unleashes his revenge on the crew members, but the Doctor manages to convince him to halt his attack before he is beamed up by other Ice Warriors. 

Review: 

I loved this episode. Don't get me wrong. Clara was enchanting and the tiny little nods to previous episodes (for example, this sonic has a red setting this time, like when River Song showed the Tenth Doctor the red setting on her sonic screwdriver, and the Ice Warrior at all--I think the Second Doctor met the Ice Warriors) Matt Smith was brilliant too--His acting in this new season is just a-freaking-mazing. I also loved some of the supporting cast, like the scientist who sings a lot and provides wisdom, and the captain of the ship. 

But I had a few problems with this episode that I don't usually have with Doctor Who episodes. Firstly, the water. Having the water gushing everywhere was a bit overwhelming. While it was fun watching the Doctor sloshing around and trying to save the submarine, and the water providing some pretty good lines for the Doctor, the noise and the constant tossing about was just too much for me. I know a lot of people will love it for the action, trust me, I loved it too, but the running around while having water pouring down all over you, while trying to deliver lines, was just... meh.

Also we never really delve into the story of the Ice Warrior that much. We do get a glimpse of him at the end, and learn about his pain of losing his family and his desolation at the belief that his people have died out, we barely see him at all in the episode and it sort of shifted the focus of the episode off a bit. 

Grade: As I said, this episode was amazing, except for the problems with too much water. I would rate it a B+ (A+ being, for example, the last episode. That was brilliant.)