I’ve made no secret through these recent reviews that I’ve not been a big fan of series seven. Compared to the two that came before it it’s lacked the over-arching feel and stand-out episodes I’ve come to expect from the otherwise superior Moffat era. Though it would be an almost gargantuan task for one episode to reverse my feelings on a series, concluding episode ‘The Name of the Doctor’ makes a pretty good stab at it in one of the best episodes of New Who.
Much has been made about the potential early reveal of the plotline through DVDs in American being dispatched early and other spoilers from the Sun, with that in many ways devaluating some of the revelations here, but it was the BBC trailer that spoilt the opening reveal though at least it didn’t damage the enjoyment too much. I was just worried that there would be a new twist after the announcer talked about a man that has had us hiding behind the sofa for all these years, and that someone from Operation Yewtree would appear…
‘The Name of the Doctor’ enjoyed one of the best openings of an episode I’ve seen and, even though I’ve only seen the show from the Tennant era, felt brilliant and I imagine older fans would have enjoyed it more. The composition of Clara into the old footage was very well done in the most part and helped tie New Who in with the classic series.
As we got into the bulk of the episode it was obvious that there would be a lot to juggle, but the forty-five minutes saw a well-balanced menu of humour, emotion and pathos. Strax was, once more, one of the big stars of the show with some great one-liners scattered throughout the piece, helping break up the darker sides, even if Anglo-Scottish relations may not be as good now.
The Conference Call scene was well composed with the Whispermen being successfully scary villains, more so than the similarly-styled Silence. The line by Jenny of ‘I think I’ve been murdered’ was a shocker and delivered brilliantly, with Matt Smith’s eventual appearance continuing the funny lines amongst all the emotion.
As the Doctor and Clara headed to Trenazlore we got a look at where a lot of the series’ budget must have gone, with a very atmospheric and detailed landscape built up around them, the apocalyptic scenario emphasised by the great weather mapping and Murray Gold’s tense, creepy score. The only two questions I found myself asking at this point is how many people knew of Trenzalore and why have no other baddies gone there before? And how much of Harry Hill’s TV Burp would be taken up with ‘Poetry Corner’ segments from this episode if it was still screening?
With the re-introduction of the Great Intelligence in the guise of Richard E Grant’s ‘Dr Simeon’, one of the few arc-strands adopted by the season outside of the central mystery of Clara, we got to enjoy a fun, pantomime performance that was tinged with genuine scares. This section in particular was a joy to watch, drinking in the detail of the landscape and wondering who Clemency Burn and Commander Lavante might be, from looking at the gravestones. Musically excellent with great visuals, this section was only spoilt by the show’s refusal to kill off characters. Like several films in the cinema at the moment, Jenny’s death was temporary and easily resolved and, ironically, killed off most of the emotion built up there.
Richard E Grant enjoyed a strong monologue about just how good the Doctor is – when a fan-based reference to the Valeyard, which may or may not be significant come November 23rd – alongside a very strong CGI face-ripping effect.
Through the Doctor and Clara’s travel up through the TARDIS tomb – why is it the same style as the current TARDIS – shouldn’t it look different? Did budgets restrict them from building or CGIing a new control room? – we got some tying links to the other episodes, in particular ‘Journey To The Centre of the TARDIS’, which helped bridge the series together and perhaps emphasised that the arc this time around was more subtle and less ‘Bad Wolf’ obvious.
The time came, of course, for the subject of the episode title to be discussed and, as expected, the Doctor’s name wasn’t heard. It could have been a bit of a cop out but it was handled in the best way it should have been without revealing it, but quite why River Song would open up the tomb and threaten the entirety of the Universe instead of just seeing four people die I’m not sure.
Whilst Matt Smith continued to cover a wide range of emotions in this episode – and seemingly plan a parody song of ‘From Gallifrey to Trenzalore’ - we got more references back to the older series, cementing the feeling that this feels like the 50th anniversary special but earlier. Though the composition was mostly good – not quite as well done in this section as at the start – the repeated use of the same stock footage over again felt a little tired, something that stood out to me when they could have introduced a few new elements.
As the episode neared its conclusion we continued to get some great treats, especially with the first doctor, and the original TARDIS design rocking through the vortex like in the opening titles. We got a very well written and acted scene between the Doctor and River Song and lots of nods to other doctors in Clara’s final room, though in my excitement at pointing them out shouted ‘It’s Chris Tarrant’, rather than Ecclestone, which would have perhaps been a twist too far.
Naturally the final revelation of another Doctor was a talking point and, though spoilt by the press recently, was still powerful, especially with the coded conversations between both Doctors. The on-screen captioning was something different for the series and, though a little cheesy, ramped up the drama. Who is John Hurt’s character? Is he the Valeyard from the future? Is he the Doctor who ended the Time War with destruction, therefore being the black sheep of the family, cast out for his actions? We’ll find out in November, I imagine.
Overall ‘The Name of the Doctor’ was a strong episode that stood head and shoulders above what we’ve had so far. Emotional moments stood alongside funny passages and fan-pleasing nods to the past. The plot doesn’t really hold up to much scrutiny with paradoxes laid on paradoxes, but it was an enjoyable ride. Musically and visually the episode was one of the strongest in a long time, with a strong cliffhanger at the end.
‘The Name of the Doctor’ was promised to wrap up everything so far, and though lots of things were answered, some things remain unsolved: what caused the TARDIS to explode in series five? At Trenzalore silence was supposed to fall when the question is asked – was that the galaxies once more going out? (This wasn’t really signposted and, in some ways, the arrival at Trenzalore felt a little bit anti-climatic). And was the voice in series five saying ‘Silence will fall’ the Great Intelligence? Maybe we’ll never find out?
But, anyway, a thoroughly enjoyable, amibitious and well created episode. 9/10
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