NuWho Review: Series 3 Episode 6 "The Lazarus Experiment"

By: Stephen Greenhorn

**Spoilers**

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

         This episode is great for two reasons. One, we get to see The Doctor don his tux again. Two, because it has Mark freakin' Gatiss playing the lead role. Yes maybe some of the special effects are a bit cheesy (When on Doctor Who aren't they?) and yes sometimes the story might try to hammer the point home a bit too hard, but overall it is just a fun monster chase with some funny one-liners and Mark Gatiss.

The meme is wrong. This ^^ is the scene to go with the quote!

        Whenever one is reviewing an episode, there is always a conflict as to whether the rating should be decided on premise or execution. I am firmly of the belief that something should be rated on the execution and overall experience, rather than the premise and setting. You can have the most solid story in the world - textbook, check-of-all-the-points, with a beginning/middle/end that is coherent to the point of uniformity and still end up with something woefully boring and unmemorable. At the same time, sometimes stories with ridiculous premises, off-the-wall ideas, and less-than-picture-perfect storytelling work so well because the emotional aspect speaks clearly to the audience. Look at The Lord of the Rings. Much as I LOVE those films, sometimes I have to admit that when I really think about it there are many, many problems with them. Yet the overall experience is still perfect because the story impacts us. Same thing with television. Within Doctor Who itself, I can think of two episodes (the ones called Who-By-The-Book) that have solid premises, by-the-book stories, and yet are totally different. The Idiot's Lantern is tired, boring, and all-around unappealing, while The Shakespeare Code is funny, touching, and extremely enjoyable. It's all in the execution.

        So while this episode (The Lazarus Experiment) does have some serious issues, I still consider it something great because of the experience it gives me. It's funny and tense and gross and uses some T.S. Eliot quotes.

Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- I think my favorite part of this episode is about the whole first fifteen minutes or so. I love the set-up for the party, I love the quips about James Bond, and I especially love the meeting between Martha's family and The Doctor. Contrary to what some people say, I really like the emphasis that the New Series puts on the families of the companions. It's always hilarious to see their reaction to The Doctor (I'm a sucker for Outsider POV's) and the various assumptions they make.


- In this case, I'm pretty sure Francine thought that The Doctor was sleeping with her daughter...

- It's his fault for not being very clear about what the 'stuff' was they were doing. He's over 900 years old...how can he not get the concept of double entendres?!

- I also have to snicker at the mountain of hors d'oeuvres he snarfs down. He really took advantage of his +1 status, didn't he?

- old!Lazarus also is quite funny...in a creepy old man stalker kind of way. It all makes sense within the context of the episode!

- The age makeup they put on Gatiss looks wonderful. One thing Doctor Who excels at are the practical effects. We all joke about the terrible graphics in the CGI, but let's not forget their excellent practical effect department.

- There are a lot of Saxon references in this episode. 'Saxon' is the arc word for this season and I've counted at least six mentions of it within this story alone. Talk about trying to hammer the point home!

- "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I’m going to perform a miracle. It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you’ll awake to a world which will be changed forever." I love how people in films and television shows always have these perfect speeches composed that manage to sound both awesome and foreboding while at the same time handing out vital exposition. How do they do it?

- I'm not entirely sure I buy The Doctor's explanation of Lazarus' mutation being something that human evolution rejected. Does this look like anything that could even have popped up somewhere back along our family tree? I don't think so! Isn't the whole idea of mutation advancing evolution the fact that it develops useful things? How is that useful? What purpose would it serve? And how wasn't it bred right out of us? It doesn't even look like a human, so how could it still be locked into our DNA? It's not like we could argue that it's an X-Men type of thing!

- I also want to know just what is making Francine (Martha's mum) so upset over The Doctor. Is she really that domineering and controlling? It isn't like he stole Martha away for twelve months like he did with Rose...so what is her problem?!

- I wasn't sorry to see Lady Thaw go. Aside from the fact that her name reminds me of a lesser Redwall villain, she just gave off bigger creepy vibes than old!Lazarus hitting on Tish did.

- "Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It's not the time that matters, it's the person." 

- I love all of the T.S. Eliot quotes that they use in this episode. Yes '...not with a bang but with a whimper.' was a fairly obvious choice, but it still works perfectly within the context of the episode.


- This episode also has one of the best climaxes ever: a Disney Villain death via pipe organ. HAHAHA!

            This episode is a delightful and strange story with some surprisingly touching moments and meaningful quotes. It has Mark Gatiss as the main character and pounds straight along as a story to the fake-out climax before tapering off and then coming back with a vengeance for the real climax. It is at once a humorous social commentary and a heart-felt story about man's fear of death. And it ended not with a bang, but with a whimper. The Lazarus Experiment is a solid 4/5.



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