So far, in the fourth year of his revived travels, the Doctor has encountered evil space babysitters, lava beasts, rabid Ood, war-mongering Sontarans, war-mongering Hath, war-mongering humans and Agatha Christie. You would think he would fancy some time off, you know, to polish his sonic screwdriver and catch up on Spooks. But no. Here he goes again, gallavanting on another three adventures in time and space, enjoying death, misery and horror everywhere he goes.
Episodes 8 and 9 of series 4 take the intrepid Doctor and his spunky companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) to a planet-sized library called… The Library. Did I just say ‘spunky’? Sorry. Anyway, Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead comprise Steven Moffat’s two-parter set in this bookworm’s paradise. For those who don’t know, Moffat is the mastermind behind the multiple-award winning Doctor Who episodes The Empty Child, The Doctor Dances, The Girl In The Fireplace and Blink and is set to take on the role of head writer for the 2010 series. So, with such a talent behind the scenes, fans were expecting a frightening ‘n’ exciting double bill which played on our common fears and brandished Moffat’s trademarks twists and stings in the tale. Do these episodes live up to our greedy expectations?
Well, kind of. When it comes to the common fears part, Moffat draws on the universal fear of the dark, proposing that it is not misguided or superstitious, but rather justified because of creatures who live in the shadows and consume the flesh of the unfortunates. The Doctor’s advice, then, is to “stay out of the shadows”. But then he, and half the cast, walk straight through them half the time. Having the entire cast avoid touching the shadows in a dark set was a logical disaster, but its foolishness is only highlighted because the folly of chicken leg eating shadows is so absurd.
The plot twists that are so looked forward to in Moffat’s stories are predictable and plain here – in the second episode, the Doctor realises something that the average viewer probably guessed half-way through the first, and it’s never a good idea to leave the audience feeling smarter than the Doctor.
Although it thinks too much of itself in places, there is a solid, enjoyable story at the heart of this romp. Dealing with a variety of interesting storylines (the evacuation of the library, the presence of future companion River Song) and providing a chilling parallel to the story with the little girl’s world and Donna’s interaction with it, there are a lot of elements – mostly powerful and memorable – crammed into the adventure that makes it linger in the mind. There are a flock of great quotes (“Ice cream… ice cream…”), massive belting emotional moments and some dark, murky psychology to warm the fear muscles. Catherine Tate wins the best actor award again, even eclipsing the magnificent David Tennant (although, to be fair, the series has demanded so much grief from the poor Scotsman that I wonder how he can go on). It’s not terrifying, and it’s not as smart as it wants to be, but it’s full of funky fantasy, brilliant ideas and cool characters. A spell-binding blinder. Both episodes get an 8 out of 10 with authority.
Wrapping up the DVD is Midnight, the Tenth Doctor’s first ever solo adventure. This experimental piece contains no TARDIS, hardly no companion (Tate is present for a couple of lines, but does nothing for the story), and is set almost entirely on one single set – a broken-down bus on the deadly surface of leisure planet Midnight. The script, which starts off with a spark of energy and enthusiasm and gradually descends into a dark dystopia, has all the ingredients for a slow, miserable story (a group of people trapped in a dark room), but it rushes by in what feels like seconds, pumping adrenaline straight into the viewer’s heart and keeping them breathless and goosebumped throughout.
The story is horrifying. Unlike most episodes, which throw a handful of ideas into the air and juggles with them, this story deals with one single – but dangerous – idea and watches it grow, absorbing the story, the cast, and the bombastic optimism of the Doctor himself. A terrifying concept presented brilliantly, this 45 minute wonder is easily the highlight of the series so far. A 9 out of 10 masterpiece.
This is definitely the scariest DVD release for the series so far, and easily improves upon the last part by tossing away the over-abundance of sassy Mary-Jane sidekicks (although River Song does grate at times) and half-stories and replacing them with pure psychology and drama. I would recommend these three episodes above the rest to any non-fan as an example of how well Doctor Who really can perform when it tries. And as for all the fans, this needs to be snapped up super quick. Definitely the best of show.