© BBC Pictures Episode: 9.07 "The Zygon Invasion" & Episode: 9.08 "The Zygon Inversion"
Directed by: Daniel Nettheim
Written by: Peter Harness and Steven Moffat
Air date: 31 October 2015 & 7 November 2015
Reviews so far:
Episode 9.01 - "
The Magician's Apprentice"
Episode 9.02 - "
The Witch's Familiar"
Episode 9.03 - "
Under the Lake"
Episode 9.04 - "
Before the Flood"
Episode 9.05 - "
The Girl Who Died"
Episode 9.06 - "
The Woman Who Lived"
First of all, I have to say I really enjoy these two-part stories. For example, the episode last week didn't make a significant impression on me but this one got much better and I will remember it well. So overall, focusing on the best things of these two hours makes the whole story much better than I originally expected. We got to see Jenna playing two different characters, the Doctor's powerful speech and just how important Osgood has turned out to be for both UNIT and the Zygons. Since we're already after 8 episodes this season, it's about time to say that I'm liking it much better than the last one. And there's only a few more hours left...
The Doctor
Peter Capaldi - what a wonderful Doctor you have become! I absolutely love all the Doctor's speeches. No one could ever really say all those powerful things like him. Every single Doctor has his very unique way of winning the battles and wars just with words and Twelve's internal struggle, clear memory and pain of the Time War says it all. At times he seems quite similar to Nine, in the quiet, emotional moments he reminds me of Ten and when he introduces himself as Dr. John Disco or Basil, there's something of Eleven about him. Twelfth Doctor truly is all of the previous Doctors, yet still remains his own person. And that's exactly what's really fascinating in his character. In this Zygon story the Doctor once again showed everyone just how much he's against war and violence. In the most clever way of course. It wasn't actually hard to guess the Osgood box was really just a box (or boxes), it's precisely what we expect from the Time Lord, but it didn't take away the significance of the part where Bonnie and Kate make their choices. Aside from this most memorable scene of the two-parter, the Doctor's interactions with both Osgood and Bonnie are what kept stealing the show for me. And in the best possible ending he got through to Zygon rebel and with the act of forgiveness inspired her not just to abandon her plans, but to actually join the ones responsible for keeping the peace between two species. Brilliant!
Clara
For a while I was worried that we wouldn't get to see much of Clara once again in this story. The reveal that it wasn't actually her working with UNIT for most of "The Zygon Invasion" was very well done, though of course she wouldn't just leave that little boy when there are so many strange things going on around her. Luckily she got to be quite an important part of this week's conclusion. After her sudden disappearance in part one, she was her fantastic self in all the scenes with Bonnie this time. She really is one of the strongest Doctor's companions, it would seem. She's clever enough to find a way to fight for herself and trick the others, I didn't expect there to be such a strong connection between Clara and Bonnie so it was great to see her using it to help the Doctor. She's learned a great deal from the Time Lord but also impacted him in the most significant way. "I let Clara Oswald get inside my head... She doesn't leave." Unfortunately, the closer we are to the end of the season, the more clues we get that Clara's time on the show is running out... They're not even subtle at this point. I'm both excited and scared to see how her story ends.
Bonnie
Wonderful work by Jenna Coleman in making Bonnie's character feel really different than Clara. She has hurt a lot of people, in a truly cruel way, yet she understood it, she knew what she's doing was wrong, she needed the forgiveness and strangely, the Doctor gave it to her. He's the one who can't take the violence but he chose to gave her a second chance, if only to avoid even bigger bloodshed. In the past episodes, I pointed out that the aliens, the villains of the story ended up being its weakest part most of the time. It wasn't like that with Bonnie. Despite her actions, we actually got to understand her a little better, see where she's coming from, and I like that there was more to the character than the destruction and pain she caused. Maybe that's exactly why the Doctor managed to get through to her when it really mattered. And in the end, she joined Osgood. Great twist!
Osgood
Now I'm really glad we haven't lost Osgood last season! She was such a brilliant part of this story. The next hybrid, both Human and Zygon, a real proof that the peace is possible between the two species. Also, her interactions with the Doctor, on the plane and at the end especially, when she refused to admit which Osgood she actually was, not until it won't matter anymore, they were quite important piece of the story, a point of it really. As much as I liked what Osgood represents, I was also quite taken with the character herself. She's funny, a bit awkward, but kind and strong, good companion for the Doctor really. No surprise he invited her to join the TARDIS crew. Would love to see her back in the future.
Kate & UNIT
Gotta say, the view of what happened with all the people killed by Zygons was horrific. No wonder UNIT was willing to take them out. I'm actually quite surprised they managed to come up with a such plan and agreed to Osgood operation in the first place. It was good to see Kate again, though. Always found it strange how UNIT was hardly present since season 4 but now they're surely back in action. And it takes much more to get Kate Stewart than a Zygon! Can't say I didn't expect that, knowing the character but I liked the way she fooled Zygons. Good work. Till the next time, hopefully not in another Nightmare Scenario. 16 times!
Whovian notes and questions:
1. The Doctor mentioned Clara being dead for a month, not a few minutes from his perspective. He could have meant it as in, it felt like a month to him, but something tells me that's not the last time we've heard of this... It almost seems like we're missing something.
2. 15 times already, which makes this 16th time when the peace between Zygons and Humans could have been broken. Not going so great with all those attempts, I'd say. The Operation Osgood has started rocky, but hopefully this time it's permanent.
3. Another reference to The Day of The Doctor! I'm a big fan of those. Makes the episode feel even more special and significant for the Doctor's story. Plus, it's so great to see the previous Doctors again. I'm loving Twelve, but it doesn't make me miss the others much less, to be honest. Anyone else getting ready for a big re-watch?
4. Another story, another hybrid. Osgood was a great one though. Would you like to see her again? If yes, as a new companion or guest star?
Memorable quotes:
1. Clara: "You must have thought I was dead for a while?"
The Doctor: "Yeah."
Clara: "How was that?"
The Doctor: "Longest month of my life."
Clara: "It could only have been 5 minutes."
The Doctor: "I'll be the judge of time."
2. The Doctor: "I need to know. Which one are you?"
Osgood 1: "I'm Osgood."
The Doctor: "Human or Zygon?"
Osgood 1: "I'll answer that question one day. And do you know when that day will be?"
Osgood 2: "The day nobody cares about the answer."
3. Bonnie: "You will never understand."
The Doctor: "Are you kidding? Me? Of course I understand. You mean, you call this a war? This funny little thing? This is not a war! I fought in a bigger war than you will ever know. I did worse things than you could ever imagine. And when I close my eyes... I hear more screams than anyone could ever be able to count! And do you know what you do with all that pain? Shall I tell you where you put it? You hold it tight... till it burns your hand and you say this... No one else will ever have to live like this! No one else will have to feel this pain! Not on my watch!"
4. Bonnie: "It's empty, isn't it? Both boxes. There's nothing in them, just buttons."
The Doctor: "Of course, and you know how you know that? Because you've started to think like me."
5. Kate: "You left us with an impossible situation, Doctor."
The Doctor: "Yes I know, it’s called peace."
What did you think about "The Zygon Invasion" & "The Zygon Inversion"? Any favorite scenes, quotes or theories? Feel free to let us know in the comments. And check out the trailer and episode info for the next week's "Sleep No More" here. As always, thanks for reading!
