Before the Flood

Quite masterly.

That beginning: the Doctor, unexpectedly addressing the camera, with his ferocious intelligence - teaching, because Twelve is the discovery Doctor. He wants to know, and today he wants you to know too. More than that: this episode is structured like an essay, and this is its thesis.


Before the Flood doesn't *quite* manage to keep up with its predecessor, Under the Lake. But that's OK. I can't remember the last time I was quite as excited by any Doctor Who, or indeed any television, as I was about Under the Lake. Before the Flood doesn't hit all the beats, but it hits enough to be a satisfying sequel.

One of the biggest problems is that the pace drops - immediately. Under the Lake was so freakin exciting - thrilling both to the pulse and the brain. Before the Flood is slow to get going, and that's a shame. The Doctor says "quick, back to the TARDIS" at least three times, like it's still the 1980s and they have two hours of story to pad out.

The cold war village is a cool concept. So is a space hearse (one wonders if they have seen Blake's 7: Sarcophagus, another cool episode about a hearse in space; it also reminds me of Mawdryn Undead). I was less excited by the Tivolians and the Fisher King.



Clara/Doctor now reminds me of Ace and Seven in many ways. But I like that Clara is smart enough to call him on his bollocks; the Doctor always needs that, and Twelve more than anyone. He trusts her, like he trusted Ace - competent, equal, life partner, whatever. I love the way she switches between referring to the ghost as "him" and "you", depending on whether she perceives it as the Doctor or not.

Here, he is more invigorated than scared by the idea of investigating his own murder; doesn't understand that it's creepy; and especially, that it's creepy to let other people die to test a theory. "You didn't try very hard," as Bennett points out.

As for Clara - this exchange? This is what I wanted from Rory:

DOCTOR: Listen to me. We all have to face death eventually, be it ours or someone else's.
CLARA: I'm not ready yet. I don't want to think about that, not yet.
DOCTOR: I can't change what's already happened. There are rules.
CLARA: So break them. And anyway, you owe me. You've made yourself essential to me. You've given me something else to, to be. And you can't do that and then die. It's not fair.
DOCTOR: Clara.
CLARA: No. Doctor, I don't care about your rules or your bloody survivor's guilt. If you love me in any way, you'll come back. Doctor, are you?

When Rory and Amy discover they had a baby, and that baby was stolen from them, this is what I wanted to hear. I wanted the episode where they knock the Doctor out and attempt to go rescue their child, damn time and all else. At the very least, I wanted them to have this conversation. Instead, they shrugged and accepted Eleven's logic, and off they went for more fun.


I'm looking forward to what sort of damage a thrill-seeking, newly bereaved companion and an analytical Doctor who both have a casual relationship with smashing up time can do.


OTHER STUFF

This review written from four-week-old notes, hence the choppiness and lack of detail.

O'DONNELL: So, pre-Harold Saxon. Pre-the Minister of War. Pre-the moon exploding and a big bat coming out.
DOCTOR: The Minister of War?
O'DONNELL: Yeah.
DOCTOR: No, never mind. I expect I'll find out soon enough.

I loved the silent argument.

VALEYARD TIME: My hypothesis for the Valeyard, which exists between the Twelfth and Thirteenth incarnations, is based in the Time War. The Doctor's guilt would eventually weigh him down so far that he longs for Gallifrey, and even comes around to thinking Gallifreyan dispassion is right, and that's how he becomes such a pretentious council toady. And he would become increasingly cold, logical, meddling in time as he chooses, and seeing the big picture over the small - like Seven writ large, or Rassilon. Making unconsciable changes to suit his own cold agenda. Like: "I'm going to save Clara and no-one's going to stop me". Twelve even looks Valeyardy, all drawn and wan.