So, a Maths teacher and an English teacher take half a dozen of Coal Hill’s slightly more behaviourally challenged children to a sleep over at the London Zoological Museum, as is completely normal... Perhaps it’s to do with the success Clara had with getting Courtney ‘disruptive influence’ Woods to buckle down and improve as a student. Who knows? It’s only one of the numerous plot holes this episode suffers from after all, and like the rest of the story you’re either going to roll with it and be taken in by Frank Cottrell Boyce’s enchanting fairy tale, or nit-pick and wind up feeling slightly underwhelmed.
Like last week’s
Flatline, this boasts a new Season 8 director and writer working together for the first time. Sheree Folkson's (Truckers, Graceland) vision of London overrun with plants is wonderfully actualised; there are some really beautiful shots of sunbeams struggling to shine through the trees on to the scant reminders of urban life which are swathed in creepers and vines. A lamppost here, a bus there, and even the TARDIS itself, all start to disappear under the ever growing vegetation as it increases its stranglehold on Earth. However there is only so much she can do, and this one way in which I feel the script is weak, there is a no real sense of any threat building.
The so called ‘scary bit’, when it does finally come, is very brief and not in any way satisfying after the darker tone the rest of the season has provided. I know that some will probably enjoy a frothy, whimsical fable before we dive into the two part finale, but for me it jars me out of the arc that was coming along so perfectly at the end of last week. Consequently it feels as if the characters have taken a step backwards, and when you tack on a conclusion that is even more convenient and slapdash than
Kill the Moon, I'm afraid to say that it’s not a story I can see myself wanting to revisit anytime soon.
In spite of the negatives that I feel about the episode it does have some captivating moments too. On the whole the children handle their roles pretty well; Capaldi has some delightful scenes with young Abigail Eames who plays the troubled Maebh – showing once and for all what a ludicrous notion it is that his older Doctor can’t connect with the children. Clara has a couple of weighty decisions to make, including a massive lie that she tells the Doctor which leads to a very poignant scene between the two of them. Also, it’s fantastic that we finally get to see more of Danny as opposed to relegating him to the occasional phone call, although I do prefer his natural comradery with the children opposed to his endless patience with Clara.
In the Forest of the Night airs on Saturday 25th October at 8.20pm on BBC 1 and BBC 1 HD in the UK, and at 9pm on BBC America. Below are a few dialogue teasers to see you through until then. Don't forget to come back to vote in our poll after the episode and let us know what you thought.
"I don’t wanna see more things. I wanna see the things that are in front of me more clearly"
"Which one’s Maebh? Maebh? Maebh? Maebh? Maebh? Maebh? Maebh? Maebh? Maebh? Maebh?"
"I'm allowed a torch sir, I've got a note. I'm darkness phobic"
"Why are you asking me all the questions? Give someone else a go!"
"What are the round bits for?"
"Oh, you didn't call the school, you called him"
"What are wolves scared of?"
"We will create pathways through the trees using carefully controlled fires"
"Do you have an appointment? You need an appointment to see the Doctor"
"Why would trees want to kill us, we love trees!"
About the Author - Sandi
Sandi is part of the Senior Staff at SpoilerTV having been a contributor from back in the Lost days of DarkUFO, and who now writes previews for Banshee, The Musketeers, Atlantis, and other BBC shows. She also enjoys watching and commenting on other shows such as Sons of Anarchy, Hannibal, Game of Thrones and Elementary.
Saturday 25th October...
ReplyDeleteDoh! Thank you, I've edited.
ReplyDeleteNo next time teaser?
ReplyDeleteI've heard there wasn't no next time teaser attached to the preview copy. It went straight to the credits which were silent. Now that doesn't mean there won't be one on the final broadcast version, rather it was an unfinished copy. Or it was deliberately removed for spoilers.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid not, there wasn't a trailer on the end of the episode. That's not unusual for the finale, it's happened before in past seasons, but since the filming for it was so public I can't see why they are keeping it so quiet this time round. Hopefully there will be one on Saturday.
ReplyDeleteThat's correct. It was pretty much a finished copy, just a couple of bits of CGI missing on screens in the TARDIS were missing really, the rest was all there. The episode ran at 44 minutes 44 seconds, and the time slot on Saturday it has is 45 minutes, so I'm not sure what they will do. Like I've said above, it's not unheard of them to not have a trailer for the finale, but with the filming having been so public and the photos already being out there for months it does seem a little odd, lol.
ReplyDeleteDidn't the BBC do a similair thing with Mummy on the Orient Express? Reviewers couldn't talk about Clara's role in the episode because the BBC wanted people to be unsure if she would return to the TARDIS. They even removed her name from the episode description. However, a couple of weeks before the episode aired they already released an episode description in DWM which stated that Clara was in the episode and Peter Capaldi even said in an interview that Clara was in the episode.
ReplyDeleteSo I'm expecting a similair thing here. They want to keep the episode's plot secret, but they don't realise the fans already know what the episode is about (wel kind of).
Yeah, that was pretty hard to then keep quiet about as so many fans had already read the original press releases and she was in the trailer, lol. Most of the episodes come with embargoed bits of information attached that we're not allowed to mention, including this one. The Mummy had the Clara info and we were also not allowed to reveal that the Foretold could only be seen by who it was about to kill (which was something else the promos gave away anyway) and we were not allowed to say what its real identity was.
ReplyDeleteAnother example, with Kill the Moon we were not able to say that the moon was an egg or to mention that the Doctor left Clara alone for any part of the episode. It's pretty obvious stuff really, things that don't spoil the episodes main twists :)
"Oh, you didn't call the school, you called him" definitely a Danny line
ReplyDeleteTo be honest there is very little of the arc in the episode, I don't think this episode moves it on in any direction particularly. If pushed, I'd say the Doctor is definitely not wanting to lose Clara at present due to one scene in it, but I don't think that the arc itself is really carried on in this enough to really balance that out...
ReplyDeleteIm still waiting for the moment where from Claras POV, we see , this is HER doctor
ReplyDeleteThis danny thing is a means to an end I guess, she will either go or stay because of him.
Some of the looks she gives Twelve are very telling I think, last week as the TARDIS came out of siege mode for example she was gazing at him with absolute adoration on her face. I think she is very much addicted to him as well as the lifestyle that he provides her with, but it's not a totally healthy relationship at present. I've really enjoyed the arc this season between them, it's been an interesting one to explore.
ReplyDeleteThe finale is where it will all come to ahead from what we know of it, and Danny will play an important part of that I'm sure. I personally don't think that Jenna is going to go anywhere at present though, she's on board until at least halfway through S9 is my prediction.
You have me worried.
ReplyDeleteThere is no mention whatsoever on what happen in Flatline ? Danny still doesn't know that Clara travel with the Doctor? It's always weird to have a gap between two episodes.
Well, I can imagine. The doctor might be afraid to confront Clara, to loose his friend (the poor guy changes of companions more often than he changes his clothes) or to change things. Or he does not think an intervention to be necessary yet. Either way he stubornly ignores it. Also, Clara doesn't see what's happening so... And the Doctor's not one to interfere. With Danny, I mean.
I know I like having a light episode, from time to time before going back to more serious storyline, but obviously I don't like when they ignore what happen before.
The arc isn't completely forgotten, but very little is said or done that moves it on in any real way from where it left off from last week. I think that many people will enjoy the episode, especially those that aren't so wrapped up in the character and/or Missy arcs. It is beautifully shot, the performances are great and if you're up for a good old fashioned fable with a moral attached to it then this will satisfy. Unfortunately for me that isn't my favourite kind of episode, but I know for others it will be :)
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or did that Museum Curator look a lot like William Russell, i.e. Ian Chesterton, 1st Dr who companion?
ReplyDeleteHe did didn't he, a friend of mine said the same. How great would that have been if it had of been him, lol.
ReplyDeleteAll I know is there's no listing of who that was, and seeing on how Tom Baker played a Museum curator, maybe. Maybe that will be a thing now. Every time they go to that Museum, someone new from old dr who's will play the curator
ReplyDeleteAs I understand it, William Russell is unfortunately not really well enough to be up for filming. He's now 90 and not in the best of health :(
ReplyDeleteThe reason why I thought it might be him, he looked pretty aged, and did not look in the best of health, so they might have had to get it in one take, it sounded like him, but they never named the curator so I don't know who to ask
ReplyDeleteHe was the security guard rather than the curator, but no, it wasn't him :)
ReplyDelete