I suppose it’s a case of timey wimey timing that yesterday I saw the latest episode of Charlie Brooker’s ‘How TV Ruined Your Life’ which focussed on love and how television facilitates the myth that love at first sight exists and couples rarely share an emotional introduction that doesn’t involve rain. Naturally, this week’s ‘Doctor Who’ ticked both those clichéd boxes, but in a sweet, actually quite touching montage, that signalled a strong start and end to an episode but nothing particularly exciting inbetween.
In fact, the opening felt like a live action, less emotional sci-fi remake of the opening of Pixar’s ‘Up’, mixed with the ‘Paperman’ short from ‘Wreck It Ralph’. It didn’t have me in tears but I felt a slight lump in my throat. The ending also continued the theme well, from the moment Clara defeated this week’s big bad to the two-way conversation in the TARDIS at the conclusion.
Outside of these story arc-based elements the episode was actually pretty, and I dare to say the word, tedious. ‘The Rings of Akhaten’ excelled with its costume design and CGI, especially in the planetary system and giant sun (even if it did feel like the concluding imagery of ‘The Matrix Revolutions’) and we’ve seen very little on television that perhaps could surpass such a spectacle on such a budget. But elsewhere, other than Clara building as a character and coming across as genuinely three-dimensional and feeling like she is more than just a plaything for the Doctor, the plot dragged on, whether it was a lacklustre chase around the market place to a religious song ceremony that just went on for far too long, something which was then repeated.
In fact, many of the set pieces felt rushed and missing something and aside from a few stabs at emotion and pathos about losing people, it felt like one long trailer for religious criticism in lieu of a decent plot, though arguably there were lots of issues tackled in the episode in a dramatic fashion, though it didn't really compensate for the lesser moments. Even an overdone reference to Indiana Jones felt uninspired.
I’m possibly being a little harsh on the episode and looking back might be rosier, but after last week’s rip-roaring adventure that, though not without its faults, felt like an adrenaline rush, this week’s felt just boring and sub-par.
We’ve been spoilt with Moffat’s era so far – I can’t think of an episode since ‘The Eleventh Hour’ that I’ve not enjoyed – but this was hopefully a minor blip.
An episode with a great start and end, just a shame about the middle bit. Next week looks better though.
(4/10)
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