By: Steven Moffat & Gareth Roberts
**Spoilers**
If you have not yet seen this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.
This episode reminded me of The Power of Three. I've also noticed that, out of the six episodes we have had so far this series, four have been about robots in some shape or format. Does that mean something? Is Missy secretly an evolved Auton or something? Certainly she has enough lack of character to be considered one...
Okay. So I think I really love Clara now. At last she has developed a character beyond 'cute' and 'feisty' and I couldn't be happier because I really wanted to like her before and now at last I can say that she is blossoming into a beautiful and wonderful character. Danny too. I was initially unsure about him, but he has slowly grown on me and - as of this episode - I am totally sold on his character. This episode took place almost exclusively at Coal Hill school where Clara is now a teacher. (I have to say that I am disappointed in the episode for missing the opportunity for a Susan reference...) Stories where The Doctor has to fit in to the human world are always a lot of fun and I liked that this episode forced Clara to reconcile the two different sides to the coin of her life. It was very much a character piece, focusing more on the interactions and personalities with a fairly generic monster-of-the-week threat for them to work through. But it worked. It worked really well and I found myself really enjoying this episode. I don't know how much influence Steven Moffat actually has in these episodes he is co-writing this series, but I have to say that the banter had his trademarks all over it...without being offensive.
Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:
- The montage of Clara's dual life at the beginning reminded me VERY much of Amy and Rory in Pond Life/The Power of Three.
- I have to say that I'm annoyed about this new thing of Clara opening and closing the TARDIS doors with a snap of her fingers. That's supposed to be just The Doctor's shtick. Even River (the child of the TARDIS) never did that. I know it's just a little thing...but it really bugs me.
- Clara and Danny are a very cute couple. I really like what has been done with this relationship this series.
- It makes me laugh that The Doctor's idea of going 'deep under cover' is to don a coat that looks like he stole it from the Captain Mal cast-off closet.
- "River and I had this big fight..." So he ended up living among the Autons for a while? Hmmm...I want to hear this story!
- One thing that really has helped a lot with Clara's development as a character is the fact that she has become a teacher. Now I know full well that the occupation doesn't make the character. Clara in the 50th was a teacher and still was about as interesting as glue (and far less useful). But her having a job and a normal life has been good for her because it forces her to interact with people beyond The Doctor and the adventure of the week. Amy and Rory and River were strong enough in their own right to be able to get away with that kind of interaction. Matt Smith was also a more personable Doctor and interacted with them very well. Clara, though...she really needed this. She needed struggles and a life and character traits and this gave her the ability to develop those.
- That cop who went into the abandoned building where the droid-thing-y was had me face-palming. THAT is how people die in horror movies (and Supernatural)! Don't you know that you never go into such a place without backup? And that you leave whenever people don't come out at your shouting for them? (He was officially a human who got into 'Paradise' too...and the design of it today REALLY reminded me of Naomi's office from SPN. The similarities are distracting.)
- "I hate you!" "That's fine, it's perfectly normal."
- I love The Doctor arguing with Clara about Jane Austen in front of her class (I really want a Jane Austen episode now!) because he's almost like a grumpy little boy trying to show off by one-upping his caretaker. Really this whole dynamic between them is just awesome.
- I still don't get why the writers keep on trying to hammer in that The Doctor hates soldiers so much. Have they forgotten the Brigadier? What about Rory the Centurion? Kate Stewart? On and on the list goes...people The Doctor has worked with and considered friends who are soldiers. It's like the dialogue is saying one thing and the actions are saying another. Why do the writers keep beating this dead horse of a point? It makes NO sense!
- At least they didn't have The Doctor and Danny get into a measuring contest. That would have been stupid and in REALLY bad taste!
- The Skovoz Blitzer really looks like a metal owl/crab hybrid. The way it invades the school reminds me of the Series 2 episode School Reunion with Sarah Jane Smith. Much as I was prepared to roll my eyes and cry "REHASH!" I have to say that this didn't feel like a rehash at all, that it was interesting, and that the scene where the Blitzer is sucked into the vortex was actually quite exciting.
- And, of course, it led to the inevitable meeting between Danny and The Doctor.
- Clara's attempts to salvage her normal life and protect Danny from the insanity of her Doctor one are both sweet and a little bit sad.
- And poor Danny whenever he realizes that the woman he has been falling for has been lying to him!
- In some ways this scene reminds me of Amy and Rory (or Rose and Mickey) but it actually is handled very, very well. Danny goes through the shock of it all, of wondering if Clara is a space-girl, to butting heads with The Doctor because, quite frankly, The Doctor is being a jerk.
- Time Lord vs. Danny was...interesting. What exactly was the purpose of the Matt Smith lookalike? I thought we were past the whole 'is Clara interested in The Doctor or not' nonsense. Was that just to reaffirm the fact that she was not and never has been attracted to him? Hmmm. I'm going to go with that theory before I become angry...
- The device The Doctor rigs up to deal with the Blitzer's return reminds me of something out of Ghostbusters. I'm pretty sure that was intentional.
- "Not like a decoy...as a decoy."
- The climax of this episode with the parent-teacher conference being interrupted by the unplanned return of the Blitzer was quite good. There was great tension, some well-placed humor, a little bit of camp, and - of course - Danny getting the chance to be awesome. I really like the way he doesn't come bursting in to save Clara, exactly. But he does worry about her and want to have her back. He even tells her "If he [The Doctor] ever pushes you too far, I want you to tell me." because he's seen what battle can do to people and he's ready and willing to help Clara get out if she needs to get out. I like Danny.
All in all this episode was a nice little character piece that gave us a breather from this rather arc-heavy series while also not feeling out of place or distracted. The villain was a bit phoned-in and underwhelming, but the strength of the Doctor-Clara-Danny trio more than balanced that out. I've always loved Gareth Roberts' contributions to this show. His episodes with Craig and Sophie and Stormageddon were some of my favorites from Matt Smith's run and this episode, while smelling somewhat of The Sarah Jane Adventures in tone and setting, worked quite well. The kids were not as annoying as the urchins presented in Series 7 and it did wonders to flesh Clara and Danny's characters out some more while still furthering their story as a couple. Capaldi was wonderful as always, the story was fairly engaging, so I give it a 4/5.
What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?
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