NuWho Review: Series 2 Episode 2 “Tooth & Claw”

By: Russell T. Davies

**Spoilers**

If you have not yet watched this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.

 

             Named after a line in Lord Tennison’s poem In Memoriam A. H. H. (a favourite of Queen Victoria) which says: “Nature, red in tooth and claw” this episode was clearly meant to tackle the mythology of werewolves and the fascination with life after death. Unfortunately, problems crop up within the first three minutes when a group of monks commandeer the Torchwood Estate for some (doubtlessly nefarious) purpose.

          Seriously, less than two minutes into the episode the gothic-horror mood is completely ruined by the monks who mistakenly think they're auditioning for Mortal Kombat. So they beat up the household staff and lock everyone (including the landlord’s wife) in the basement, but not before bringing the Wooden Crate of Doom in and unveiling it with a flourish. Cue horrified screams from the prisoners as something unseen breaths heavily from within its constraints. 

Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- After the credits roll, we get a reference to The Muppet Movie as The Doctor rambles at a grinning Rose about this and that before stepping out of the TARDIS and looking down the barrel of several guns (still nattering on about his attachment to his thumb).  Apparently he got the coordinates just a bit off – try roughly one hundred years – and a blue box looks quite odd in the middle of a moor.

- After realising that they are in Scotland in the 1800’s, David Tennant slips into his native accent as he tries to explain Rose’s outfit to the soldiers. (She had dressed in overalls and stockings because they were supposed to be going to a concert). The look Rose gives him when he calls her a ‘wee naked child’ and ‘timorous beastie’ is pure, unbelieving indignation. I thought she was going to let him have it right then and there, especially when he decries her rather painful attempt to adopt a brogue.

- So it’s Queen Victoria in the carriage. No wonder The Doctor decided to introduce himself under an alias (he had met her before twice, once at her coronation as his Third Regeneration and once again years later in his Fifth). James McCrimmon, the name The Doctor takes, was a Scottish piper and a companion to the Second Doctor in the sixties. The Doctor takes on this name (adding the obligatory ‘Dr.’ to the beginning) and claiming that he graduated with honours from Edinbourough University. He doesn’t do anything by halves, does he?

- Pauline Collins has such gravitas in the role of Victoria that as you watch you really can believe that she is Queen of the British Empire. She carries herself with aplomb and majesty, yet manages to find the person behind the personage and avoids making her character into a caricature. 

- Gee, what’s with that bet? Why are The Doctor and Rose behaving like a pair of goofy teenagers all of a sudden? It’s so annoying and breaks the mood more than the Karate Kid wanna-be’s did. I guess Davies was trying to make it into a running gag…but it never quite took. It just ends up ruining the dark mystical feel of the episode and makes both The Doctor and Rose looks like the epitome of juvenile jerks. 

- Sometimes a bit of comic relief is just what the doctor ordered to release the tension before the next jump-scare, but it has to fit within the context of the scene. The whole “I am not amused” joke just felt shoehorned in like Davies realised that the script was going to send kids running from the room rather than just behind the sofa and so hurriedly sat down at his keyboard and thought up something that he deemed to be funny. Remember, the Slitheen were supposed to be funny too. But they definitely were a better fit in their episode than this pathetic running literal gag does here. It isn’t witty, it isn’t funny, and it doesn’t fit so I don’t understand why it’s here.

- I do, however, love the way the telescope was introduced. At the time it just seemed like filler conversation and rather insignificant to the plot as a whole, yet in the end it was a major, major thing. I do like the way they are all standing around (The Doctor is accidentally being rude again) and Sir Robert redeems himself a bit by trying to warn Queen Victoria of the danger. 

- So how did anyone not notice that blatant redirection by Father Angelo? That practically dripped ‘suspicious’ and ‘we’re hiding something’! I think The Doctor looks a bit wary for a moment, but I have to say I’m surprised Victoria didn’t notice anything.

- So Rose is going to try and pull a Gwyneth conversation with Flora now? While it’s encouraging that she hasn’t actually lost that part of her character (because I did wonder) such moments of actual thoughtfulness just make her seem worse during the ditzy, childish moments. Rose is terribly inconsistent and it’s a shame because I want to like her, I really do. 

- The talk where The Doctor and Victoria discuss her wanting to know about the afterlife is just great because I think every person who’s ever lived contemplates something similar at some point in his or her lives. Victoria would have been no different and it adds another layer to her character, not to mention leading very nicely into Sir Robert’s story.

- The tale of the wolf has a very Hound of the Baskervilles feel to it and the way Tom Smith delivers his lines it seem epic. I’ll admit it: I got chills when he said that there was something of the wolf about Rose. And the part where he observes that she burns like the sun but he needs only moonlight? Ugh! That actually made me shudder. 

- One of the things that is so effective about this episode is that it doesn’t rehash what we all already know about werewolves. In fact, there is little to none Davies Forced Exposition within the dialogue because there doesn’t need to be: people already know about werewolf lore and so can fill in the blanks themselves with their imaginations.

- The Host looks quite sinister as well, what with his yellowed teeth, sibilant voice, and dead black eyes. His transformation sequence is impressive as well: the motions are fluid and believable and inspire a real sense of terror as he howls to the skies. This scene also finally has Rose using her brain as she organizes the movements of the other captives to help pull the running chain loose before the wolf breaks free.

- But it is not only the Host that has a frightening design. The wolf itself looks very three-dimensional and solid and is possibly best piece of CGI work this series! No wonder The Doctor stopped to admire it, despite the danger, because there is a kind of feral and frightening beauty about the creature.

- The first death happens off-camera, but is suitably gruesome through the use of sound effects (and our own imaginations working off of previous knowledge of werewolves). Suddenly the stakes are raised as we realize that this wolf means serious business. From here on the episode is one huge chase at a breakneck pace with a few moments to stop and gasp for breath in-between sprints.

- First order of business for Sir Robert and The Doctor is to get the Queen to safety. The Doctor, genius that he is, comes up with a brilliant solution: “Pardon me, your Majesty, but you’ll have to leg it out of the window.” She prepares to do so with much dignity until the bald monks outside decide to use that window for target practice. So much for The Doctor’s amazing plan!

- The atmosphere by this point is perfect: dark and frightening with tension that could be sliced with a knife. Between the visuals, non-stop running, and Gold's music the chase through the Torchwood Estate is sure to have you at the edge of your seat.

- While they are barricaded in the library, the cameras show us a shot of The Doctor and a wolf on either sides of a wall. Bit of foreshadowing, maybe? The moment doesn’t last long, but it’s definitely there.

- The group then stands in a tense huddle as the wolf prowls around the room, looking for a way in. Nothing is more creepy than standing there while something unseen pursue’s you – even more so if you can hear it but have no way of knowing where it will break through. This is tension at it’s best right there. Unfortunately, the moment is ruined by The Doctor and Rose’s giggling about “Werewolf?” “I know!” No wonder Victoria snapped at Rose when she tried again to get the queen to say: “I am not amused”. Her timing stunk!

- Doctor, you seriously need to grow up. I’m all for putting up a slightly childish façade, but once business starts (like it did some time ago here) and people start dying, then it is time for that to stop and the Oncoming Storm to come out. Tennant keeps trying to follow that tried-and-true pattern, but the script keeps foiling every attempt.

- So mistletoe will repel a werewolf? And here I thought it was silver! Interesting, I’ll have to remember that one. I like how both the women in the kitchen and The Doctor in the library discover that fact at the same moment.

- After a few tense moments, the wolf lopes away to presumably terrorise some other innocents while it looks for an alternate route. Queen Victoria expresses the sentiment that she would sooner take her own life than allow herself to become infected and bring about ‘The Empire of the Wolf’. The Doctor says he hopes it won’t come to that and Sir Robert says that they should arm themselves against the monster’s return. “We’re in a library – books! The best weapons in the world! This room’s the greatest arsenal we could have.”

- I couldn’t agree more, Doctor! 

- And they certainly find what they need after much searching. After hearing about a star that fell from the skies and burnt in the vale (where the monastery of the bald monks is), The Doctor realizes that Sir Robert’s father soaked the wood of the library door in mistletoe oil because he and Prince Albert believed in the legend of the wolf and planned accordingly. He then has the epiphany that the reason the diamond that Queen Victoria is carrying was never considered finished was because it was meant to be a conductor of light for the ‘malfunctioning’ telescope on the estate’s roof.

- Good thing he realized it too because at that moment, the wolf found its way to the glass ceiling and broke in. Thankfully it was rather dazed by its fall so they had time to un-barricade the door and run out, but not before Rose gets the chance to release some excellent Companion Screams. 

- They race up and up through the house, all the while pursued by the wolf, until at last they reach the observatory. Here Sir Robert sends the others inside while he holds the wolf off long enough for them to complete its trap. 

- Out of all the people who die in this episode, Sir Robert’s death is the most epic. It’s what I call a Boromir Death because, having turned traitor for the sake of his wife, Sir Robert regains his honor by sacrificing himself for the Queen by taking on the rabid beast armed with only a ceremonial sword. He knows the consequences, but he does it anyway to protect his wife and his monarch. That is an example of a heroic man.

- The Doctor uses the Koh-i-Noor diamond to focus the moonbeams caught by the specially crafted telescope in order to drown the wolf in moonlight. I guess that it worked better than silver bullets in this case. That scene was powerful and beautiful and thankfully not broken by any “I am not amused” moments. Although I would like to know why the light lifted the creature into the air. This scene actually made you feel a bit sorry for the Host who had so long been trapped by the creature within.

- Queen Victoria got a scratch, although I cannot find any real glimpse of contact between her and the wolf (no matter how hard I try). I do find the scene where she knights The Doctor and Rose just a wee bit cheesy...but the problems of having a happy-sappy ending are quickly cleared up when she scolds and banishes them (not that it seems to sink in since they are giggling again as they return to the TARDIS).

            So there are some things I genuinely love about this episode. I love the mythological theme and the dark, horror-inspired tone. The scenery is amazing too, both exterior and interior. The historical characters are played and feel like real people. There is an excellent set-up to the mystery and a wonderful climax. But, unfortunately, the bad parts of the episode are the parts with our two heroes: The Doctor and Rose. I can’t bear all of the smug giggling – particularly when it is put in extremely inappropriate places. This episode is very important because it sets up the Torchwood Institute and I do appreciate that the Series 2 arc word was set up earlier than ‘Bad Wolf' in Series 1. In light of these observations, I give Tooth and Claw a 3/5. 




What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?