The Lazarus Experiment

"..., just a child. The sound of..." ~ Professor Lazarus

Between the great ones and the mediocre ones, lies the Normal Episode.

Greatness tends to coincide with drama, and drama coincides with Big Events. Dead companions (Earthshock), important developments (Genesis), ends of seasons (Doomsday). Doctor Who's episodic nature means it fares better than most, yet even it suffers from the Normal Episode: those ones which aren't bad, but aren't memorable. Perfectly formed and perfectly executed, but they don't change the characters in any way, and thus they don't change us. A show needs episodes like this as a breathing space between Huge and Dramatic events, to prevent the audience from becoming emotionally fatigued. Torchwood hasn't learnt how do do Normal Episodes yet, and feels the need to be uberDramatic every week, forgetting that the quiet moments are the ones that give the noise their power.

No one is ever going to call the Lazarus Experiment the Greatest Episode of All Time, because it's just too normal. It's one of 10 weeks of wasted time, while we wait for the season finale.
Which is a shame, really, because it's rather good. Misguided scientists tampering with what they should not are as firm a show staple as people being chased by huge monsters or the Doctor defeating beasties with vibrations. That's not to say it lacks originality - unlike Planet of the Dead, which does ordinary in an ordinary way, this executes the concepts well and not without drama. Just not too much.

Lazarus himself is a great baddie. There's something Dorianesque about his looks and his cruelty - "People will sell their souls to be reborn like that!" as his lady friend comments. You know she's for it, from the first moment she appears. Not in an irritating, cliche way, but with all a matter of time excitement. As a pair, they are wonderfully mercinary: loving and double crossing in equal measure. "You think I'd waste another lifetime on you?" is a fantastic, villainous line. My only qualm is his name - Lazarus indeed! At least Mr Magister had some style with his obvious monickers. "Lazarus, back from the dead - should have known really," the Doctor comments as we groan into our sofas. I also love the irony of "I'm still adjusting myself..."

I'm sure the Master heard about this afterwards - in fact, I'm sure he had that building wired up with CCTV from every angle, and took great pleasure in watching the whole affair. Probably with popcorn. I know the Master grew out of his "rubber mask" phase pretty quickly, but I also wondered if that man who keeps chatting to Francine is the Master in disguise? Whatever he says, he says it very quickly and with instant effect. Why trust so important, and so fun a job to anybody else? Maybe not, though - Arkangel or no, perhaps being that close was a risk too far. The Master of the 70s and 80s would have risked it! In a classic example of the Doctor seeing everything but that directly under his nose, that symbol is from the Master's ring is plastered all over the place...

Oh, naturally, it'd be all about him. I do have a Saxon-centric view of the show, and couldn't help but be struck by some of the dialogue. "...just a child. The sound of..." is slipped into an otherwise innocent speech. Maybe it was merely my imagination, but those words have a particular resonance for me now. "I am reborn!" also struck me. "The only certainty left is that you'll end up alone" declaims a very weary Doctor, and very quietly in the background you can hear the sound of drums. Alone, but not for very much longer. The Doc has always had problems with people leaving, but Gallifrey was to an extent a security blanket. He ended up alone because he chose to spend time with other races who could never understand - perhaps thats why his periodic contacts with the Master became so important. With the Time War, he is never going to find that level of companionship - choosing not to and being unable to are two entirely different things. Hence the drums here, making a great scene that little bit greater.

Yes, let's talk about the bit in the cathedral. When I praised the Normal Episode for it's lack of drama, I didn't mean it should lack emotion. I merely meant that a Normal Episode shouldn't be preying on my brain the next morning. This scene is incredible - the dialogue, the acting, the photography. It's not a huge, show-defining moment - it's not a bang, but far from a whimper. I like the way the Doctor is looking around for a way out, all the way through the monologue. He's keeping him talking. Incidentally, I'm not sure what the point of the Eliot is, but it sure sounds nice.

The Tenth Doctor is such a mess in S3 - it always surprises me, because his hair is so neat and his eyes are so wild. He's always had a bastard streak a mile long, but Martha gets him at a very bad time. He just looks like a wreck. Doomsday has got under his skin for all sorts of reasons which, uncharacteristically, I can't be bothered to discuss now. If Rose was his redemption, the thing which made him carry on and get back into his own life, and get over the Time War, then losing her was obviously more than a simple social blow. Ironically, the Master's death seems to give him a level of closure and peace - he seems less twisted and reckless in S4. There's just something a little bit suicidal flickering in the corner of his expression. The Doc has always had it in for bad guys, but you get the sense he's really enjoying taking out his bad mood on Lazarus. "This isn't about improvement, this is about your customers living a little longer..." - in particular, he's always had nothing but contempt for those who get this wrong, from Jack to Mawdryn. Perhaps the concept of living well and making the most of things is the one most central to the show. I suppose the Doctor would know all about facing death. The point is, he's not immortal - that's why regenerations are sad, because it is still the death of something. Oh, dear dear me. I think it's cute that he embraces the name "geek". I also think the mention of James Bond is interesting, as I've a private theory he may be a timelord...

Martha - well, she's not my favourite companion. I've noted before that she's only fun when she's being useful. She isn't really suited to the role of "standing to one side and asking dumb questions", and only blossoms into greatness when the plot requires her to actually do something - Human Nature and Sound of Drums are two examples. She's pretty awesome in this, getting the DNA sample, doing some first aid and saving a bunch of folks. Her level of trust in the Doctor is almost unprecedented, and really rather cute. It's only really matched by Ace, but I think Ace has better grounds because she knows that the Doc can turn nasty in the blink of an eye, and chooses to trust him all the same. She knows what she wants too at the end. I also adore that hug when she runs back in for the Doctor at the end - I always approve of companion hugging!

It is an important episode because of the interactions with her family, who ultimately turn out to be crucial. I think Francine has abandonment issues - maybe it's something to do with her ex? She certainly appears very posessive, and it doesn't suprise me Martha hasn't been able to hold down a boyfriend! She is quite intuitive, though, and ultimately turns out to be very right about the Doc. Leo and Tish are cute - I especially like him blaming her for the night's troubles. It says something about the men in that family that Leo stays behind with his mum at the end, when the girls run off.

It's nicely shot - I love the circular corridor shot when the beastie is chasing him. The crunching sound effects are brilliant too, and I love the music as the manipulator opens. I love the OTT lab, and the Doctor's smart use of improvised explosives (although I wonder, isn't gas taps a little imitable for children?) Reverse the polarity!

All in all, this is not an episode about which I have a single misgiving, except I'm not sure why they bring Tish at the end either - the Doctor or the production team. But it's always nice to see her. Just a brilliant piece of perfectly Normal Who.