Geek Syndicate
the last few minutes of the episode. It’s always a joy to see Vastra, Jenny and Strax in an episode and it’s clear how much enjoyment Steven Moffat gets out of writing these characters. From Vastra’s deviousness in contacting Clara through Jenny’s heart-rending confession during the conference to Strax’s one-liners, the trio are a delight to behold. I wasn’t looking forward to River’s return as I think her story was complete and I’ve never been a fan of how the character developed over the previous series of the show. But actually, I enjoyed seeing her again. But I really, really enjoyed Richard E. Grant being back. The Great Intelligence has hovered over this half of the series since Christmas and it’s great to see the resolution to this side of the story. Also – when you think about it, the villain wins here. Maybe not for long. But the Intelligence gets exactly what it wants. Oh, and the Whisper-men? Creepy as hell! But the stand out performance for me was the prisoner at the beginning of the episode. He was superb. In many way’s he’s the embodiment of Doctor Who actors in recent years. He may well have a teeny-tiny part, but the actor sells the part beautifully. Top marks that man. I have one niggle and it’s a pretty harsh one. Clara. When the choice she had to make came about, I was genuinely gutted at how her story would end. It would be amazing, fitting and yet sad all at once. This sacrifice was slightly undermined by the Doctor and his subsequent decision. Considering the payoff we’re then treated to, however, I can easily forgive this. Also I quite like Clara, so I couldn’t hold it against them for long anyhow. So. To conclude, I absolutely adored this episode both as a long-time Who fan and a general viewer of TV. While references to the past may well be above some viewers (though everyone should be familiar with the fact that there have been other Doctors by now and google is a wonderful tool for anyone else), I don’t think they will intrude on anyone’s understanding of the episode at all. Congratulations, Mr. Moffat – the episode far exceeded my expectations. Roll on November 23rd. Doctor’s Ten and Eleven. John Hurt. Returning monsters that I won’t mention incase reader’s aren’t aware… Rating:
GGGGG
Antony McGarry-Thickitt
80