“Dinosaurs…..ON A SPACESHIP!” Review by @cheezypeas

Well, after the fanfare and ticker tape from the series opener last week, the second episode had a lot to live up to. Especially with the promise of an intergalactic Jurassic Park!

It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old; Doctor Who is a family show. The writers need to balance this quite carefully as the target audience is basically everyone!

The title of this episode says it all. Immediately you think this will be focusing potentially on the little people in the audience and perhaps a little lighter hearted than last week.

But don’t let that assumption cloud your judgment…

A spaceship on a collision course with Earth. The Doctor comes to the rescue with the feisty Queen Nefertiti. On the way he picks up John Riddell (an explorer) and the Ponds; picking up Rory’s dad by accident.

You know you’re already in for some laughs as Mark Williams (aka Mr Weasley) is playing Rory’s father and he’s not the only Harry Potter actor in this episode.

They land on the spaceship and the pure childlike delight on the Doctor’s face when he discovers the dinosaurs is reassuring. Although you know Moffat is making his character darker, it’s a relief to see the lighter side of the Doctor is still alive and kicking in there.

Whilst the Doctor, Rory and his dad teleport to one of the engines that looks like a beach in Wales and get into trouble with pterodactyls and grumpy robots; Amy, Queen Nefertiti and John discover the spaceship is Silurian but suspiciously devoid of them.

Meanwhile the robots take the Doctor & the Williams’ to Solomon (aka Finch in Harry Potter), an injured man who isn’t very keen on telling the Doctor what he needs to know. He also turns out to be quite a nasty man; getting one of the Robots to injure Rory’s dad to force the Doctor to help him.  This is where the lightheartedness of the episode begins to disappear and the dark tone returns.

It turns out Solomon murdered the Sulirian’s in order to gain possession of the dinosaurs. Without having to say a word you can see the hate and disgust on the Doctors face and he certainly isn’t going to let Solomon get away with it.

The Doctor is aware missiles are being deployed from earth to destroy the ship but the controls to steer the ship away can only be used by 2 related individuals. Just as well Rory’s dad came along for the ride!  Whilst the Williams are steering the ship away, the Doctor is aware the missiles are locked onto the ship. Here is where he shows his darkest side yet this series, he places the tracking device in Solomon’s ship as he’s trying to escape, thereby killing him! 

So in summary, the darker side of the Doctor is definitely not a temporary change and has deepened during this episode with the murder of Solomon. He didn’t have to kill him but he chose to. The look of delight on his face when Solomon realises his fate is almost uncomfortable to look at. This Doctor doesn’t take prisoners anymore. Literally, and you suddenly feel like you don't know him anymore. He's a changed man and not necessary a good change.

This episode will have certainly appealed to younger fans, and the humor peppered through it almost fools you into thinking this wouldn’t be as dark as last weeks episode, but when the Doctor seals Solomons fate the mood of the episode becomes sinister. This is almost excused by the lighthearted travels of Rory’s dad afterwards, although the Doctor’s actions are still running through your mind.

You can’t help but think the Pond’s departure is going to be very emotive on every level and you can’t help but wonder how the Doctor’s dark side is going to evolve. How far will he go? Will we find out what’s brought this change of character on? 

I have to admit, this episode wasn’t as enjoyable as Asylum, and the addition of dinosaurs seemed to be an idea not really thought through and felt like they were in the episode just for the sake of having them there.  The flow of the episode was very disjointed, but the humour did help keep the momentum going. Not sure if I like the attitude of the Doctor in this one either as he seems so cold and calculating. Characters such as John and Queen Nefertiti didn't really get enough screen time, especially John Riddell who looked like he'd be more at home with Indiana Jones. 

 Really hope this is the only blooper in this series!