...I can't believe that the Doctor would be aware of something horrific on the top floor, and not dash headfirst up there to discover what it is. As soon as I worked out that was going on, then this episode bothered me at every point the Doctor WASN'T upstairs dealing with the mounting death toll.
Like, most of it.
If there had been a good reason to wait - but there wasn't. When he finally got upstairs, he didn't have a plan. This episode could have been redeemed by a montage revealing all the things we missed which, McCoy style, he had been baking under our noses, and the collateral damage a sacrifice because waiting was "the only way" to defeat a greater evil. Or if his decision to stay downstairs was at all examined (just as Warriors of the Deep consciously shows the Doctor in a poor light) As it stands, he demonstrated a bizzare lack of curiosity and an undoctorly attack of nerves. Especially when we discovered what the machine wanted - I find myself asking, is this cowardice?
The antithesis of this episode: Whispering "boo" to Sutekh.
Ignoring this - and I don't think I can - on a scene-by-scene it was otherwise a real charmer. It is clearly the Love and Monsters in a season made of marmite, and I enjoyed it very much. I loved his pursuading Daisy to chase her dream job, and the central relationship was sweet and nicely played. This was in part to our total understanding of the demands of sitcom, but also a jam-packed script. I particularly liked "I have one of those faces. People see it and want to tell me all of their plans." It perfectly defined the episode dragging the epic into the mundane.
The monster was very cool - things lingering at the top of the stairs always scare me. I loved the out-of-focus design, the darkness - the way it peered at Craig through the door. Gbase is theorising the fake-TARDIS will return, and this is actually part of the finale. Oh, how I hope this is true! It's interesting how close this was to the hidden room in Eleventh Hour. Was it Prisoner Zero? Prisoner Zero could shapeshift too, and the Doctor doesn't have Amy to say "oh look who it is!" to.
But for a moment, gritting my teeth and forgetting the body count, the climax was excellent. In conjunction with the rest of the episode, I didn't like the Doctor asking Craig to risk his life for him. But I still think the following exchange is devastatingly effective:
Craig: Will it work?Partly the delivery, partly because it's perfect.
Doctor: Yes.
Craig: Are you sure?
Doctor: Yes.
Craig: Is that a lie?
Doctor: (yells) Of course it's a lie!
What worries me more is how frequently I am not engaged with this series. If I am involved with an episode, such logical slips don't bother me - and that probably explains my forgiving attitude towards traditional turkeys. "What do you mean Kings Demons makes no sense? Did you see the bit with the swordfight? Epic!". Maybe the Doctor's negligent behavior is too big a black hole for me to work around; but the fact it stands out demonstrates how little this season needs to do to piss me off.
I don't know what it is. Eleven is perfect. Amy I am indifferent to, but I'm indifferent to a lot of companions. Maybe the standard of writing has just gone down...? But that doesn't make sense. Maybe instead of a mixed bag season, like season 2 flailing between classics and crud, each episode is itself a mixture of good and bad things. Or maybe I have become a crotchety ming mong who can only criticise - or, in more generous terms, a more discerning fan?
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