This episode, where to begin? This episode was just a lot of fun for me. I really enjoyed it, more than I have enjoyed Doctor Who in a long time. It felt like an older new episode, circa David Tennant. I don’t know why it felt that way for me, but it did, almost like “Voyage of the Damned.” I suppose it was a similar concept, but with a mummy that appears and only one person can see them. Anyway, here is my review, containing the good, the bad, and my final verdict. Beware of spoilers, but I assume you knew that already.
The Good
There was a lot of good this time out in the TARDIS. I don’t know if one blog post can contain it all, so I will try to sum it up. First of all, it was a mystery. I think the Doctor is at his best when he is solving a mystery. The mystery format just seems to fit his particular skill set quite nicely, so any episode that is a mystery is typically pretty solid to start with. That might be a broad statement, but just remember, the type of story sets the foundation, and a crummy house can be built on a good foundation, but a good house cannot be built on a crummy foundation. But, since this episode had nothing to do with houses or foundations we will move on. It was a decent mystery. The story flowed well and moved at a good pace. There was relatively little of the Clara/Doctor drama in this episode, which I think contributed to that good pace. The episode also had some great nods to Doctors passed, like when he offered the Alien Mythology expert a Jelly Baby, or when he sees the mummy and says, “Are you my mummy?” Not only was that a classic pun, it hails back to “The Empty Child” story from the first series of the reboot.
I enjoyed the supporting actors quite a bit as well. The chief engineer was great, and the type of companion I think this Doctor both needs and would appreciate. Speaking of supporting actors and companions, this episode had very little Clara in it. Yes, she was there, but she played a very small role, which right now was a needed change of pace. I could not take another episode of drama between the two of them. While this episode had a little bit of that, it was very little bit of it compared to the last few weeks.
There were also explosions, and deaths and excitement, and in the end, the Doctor solves the mystery and saves all the survivors. It was a good happy ending.
The Bad
The bad in this episode was the little bit that Clara was in it. I know it seems like I have been harsh on her the last couple of weeks. Please understand, i like Clara, I just don’t like Clara and this Doctor together. I don’t like the recent drama, and I am looking forward to a permanent change in the companion department. All of Clara’s part revolved around this being their last adventure together. As they discussed, I began to wonder if Christmas had come early this year to my house. Unfortunately, it didn’t. Now she has lied to both Danny and the Doctor and she is staying on for few more adventures. I am begging Steven Moffat (Like he reads my blog), please end our misery. Bring us a companion that works with this Doctor.
The only other bad in this episode was the way the Doctor reacted to the people that died. The victims of the mummy. It was a blatant apathy. He really did not care. Somehow, he had worked out that he could not save them, so he simply moved on and that was it. I could not imagine any of the newer Doctors reacting this way, and this is something I am having to adjust to. I keep feeling like we need to give him time, and we will begin to understand him better, but it is starting to look like he really doesn’t care at a certain level.
The Final Verdict
This could be the gem of the season. Go and watch this episode. And you will probably want to watch it again. Overall, the bad gets drowned out with the overwhelming good, and the episode shines. All I have to say about that is that it’s about time. This should be what we should expect each time out.
