"...When
the ship crashes, the nanogenes escape. |
Billions
upon bilions of them. |
But
what they find first
is a dead child..." |
PLOTLINE
(Continues from the previous week's episode)
If the threat of invasion from another country
was not enough, aliens arrive during the London Blitz of World War II.
Can Britain cope? Will be fall to Nazi Germany
or the visitors from another planet?
Who is the mysterious Captain Jack? Is this all
too much for the Doctor to sort out?
EPISODE TEN REVIEW Spoilers
ahead
After last week's absorbing and spleen-trembling (thank you, Richard Wilson)
episode, which was as near perfect as perfect could ever be, could this concluding
live up to expectation?
More so.
Unfortunately, the eyeofhorus.org.uk hieroglyphic rating
system only goes from 1 to 5. THE DOCTOR DANCES is at least
a six, if not a six-and-a-half.
Unlike the previous two-parter, Steven Moffat's crafted story has a concentrated
progression of plot, with every word having layered meaning, a cast that honed
in their characters and a production excellence unrivalled by any television
that I have seen this year (perhaps, only the period drama, NORTH AND
SOUTH matched it).
You can probably tell that I loved both episodes. It seemed like a true DOCTOR
WHO four-parter, with even more pearls of wit and expertise broadcast
throughout.
DOCTOR WHO: Go.to.your.room!
The patients turn away and return to their
beds.
DOCTOR WHO (relieved): I'm really glad that worked. Those would have
been terrible last words.
And later.
DOCTOR WHO: It's got the power of a god, and I just sent it to its room.
And even later.
DOCTOR WHO (jubilant): Everyone lives, Rose, just this once. Everyone lives.
After such a stunning script, how on earth could Christopher Eccleston leave
the role? Could any acting role be as diverse, as moral, and as enchanting as
that of the Doctor (or should that be Doctor Who? I not sure what I should call
the character now). I believe that Moffat's scripts were Eccleston's favourite,
and it easy to know why.
It was the key episode for Florence Hoath's
Nancy. The twists and revelation surrounding this Blitz-time Florence Nightingale
became eminently watchable, and had the viewer siding with her as she 'turns
the (well laden) table' on (dirty dancing')
Mr Lloyd. Not surprisingly, Nancy becomes the 'nexus-point' (the focus) for the 'empty
child' (she reveals that it is her brother, Jamie). A key scene being the reuniting
of Nancy and her 'wards' in the backyard Anderson Shelter. Listen and read between
the lines for 'the' revelation.
It is an intriguing episode for the Doctor and Rose Tyler, pushing their friendship
(I am still not comfortable about using the phrase 'relationship') into a new
realm. Is there a sexual chemistry there, or is Rose just 'messing' with the
Doctor's head, in that cheeky teenage way? She admires and loves being with the
Time Lord (the last of the Time Lords is another matter I won't get into), but
she's not in love with him. A very paternal set-up, in the way that Pertwee and
Manning developed throughout the 1970s. It's the first strong male role model
that she has had in her life, following the death of her Father.
Her conversations about sexuality and sex
(read: the euphemism of 'dancing')
were clearly embarrassing ("I'm trying to resonate Concrete!") for the Doctor
but she ambushed him into admitting that he, having lived for 900 years, "must
have danced" at sometime or other. This encouragement of coming out of the temporally
inverted 'closet' (that sex, whilst may not be an everyday occurrence, is not
a taboo subject), the Doctor even plays with her mind too (suggesting that he
might even like to 'dance' with Captain Jack Harkness).
Fantastic. Subtle and slight, without the brashness of camp banter written
by Russell T Davies in previous episodes.
There's little more I can add, without gushing heaped praise and superlatives
(I did that in the review of THE EMPTY CHILD ) that would even
make Cassandra
(THE END OF THE WORLD ) blush.
Buy, rent or steal (no, don't do that.)
the DVD of THE DOCTOR DANCES .
Close the curtains, bottle of new world wine, bag of Tortilla Chips, and enjoy.
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