Doctor Who
Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS
Review by Ken Parker
“Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS”
is another in the superior format series that this season has been
able to put on display for us this year. Yet again we have a simple
story with few characters that allows the characters of the Doctor
and Clara to shine through and they do so with great success in this
episode.
Spoilers
The TARDIS being damaged and its
occupants having to survive and figure things out is a great idea
that reminds fans of the William Hartnell story “The Edge of
Destruction.” In that two part story the TARDIS is on course for
destruction and the only way to let the Doctor and his companions
know is to drop subtle hints in order for them to figure it out.
That 1963 story was fantastic and really was a great way to see the
characters of the show and put the actors and actress’s skills on
display. The same can be said for” Journey to the Centre of the
TARDIS”. The TARDIS is always been a safe spot for the Doctor and
for a change it is damaged and on the verge of destruction (The
Hartnell title makes more sense actually!). To see this safe element
removed is a welcome sight for this viewer, especially when at times
the Doctor is completely helpless and cannot find a way out of it.
Others might look at this as out of character but if you have a
character that is always in control, it can become boring. Its good
to see Matt Smith’s Doctor over his head for once.
Clara is perfect in this one. Jenna
Louise Coleman does an outstanding job being a person in this
situation. She is frightened but able to stand her ground,
especially as she is by herself for so long in the story. Clara’s
and the Doctor’s chemistry soar in this one. They play off one
another perfectly while not coming off as sexual tension or flirting
(although I am sure some will disagree). It is good to see a healthy
relationship that is not about sex.
The design of the TARDIS is spectacular
and well conceived. Hopefully we will see more in the future. That
telescope room looks interesting. The idea that they are trapped in
the TARDIS and must avoid it’s destruction is well executed.
I guess the weakest elements were the
salvage crew – not sure why they were even there, other than add
some horror realism to the situation. Their sub plot about the
brother who thinks he is an android seems tacked on and really
doesn’t add anything to the story. One would have thought
something else might have been a better substitute for this. The
Doctor did need someone to explain things to when not with Clara but
it was the second weakest part of the story.
I also was not a big fan of the burnt
‘creatures’. At first I thought they were excellent but the
reveal and result had me thinking of why would the TARDIS passengers,
after being burnt to a crisp, wander around the TARDIS. Wouldn’t
they just… I don’t know, die? The Doctor would regenerate
anyhow, right? I then took it that their appearance was only a brief
sliver of time, mere seconds during their final death throes and that
the TARDIS showed them to demonstrate the danger they were all in.
Yes?
The reset at the end. I dislike when
movies and shows reset like this. Doctor Who has done it a number of
times, “The Last of the Time Lords” and the 1996 movie are two
that come right to mind. They are massive cop outs and while a show
like Doctor Who can’t help but deal with this possibility, it is
better to stay away from this conclusion if possible. I felt let
down by this cop out and how everything completely reset. Basically
the episode did not happen. All the events were changed. Basically
it was all for us, the viewer learning more about the TARDIS and
seeing hints about the upcoming season finale with the Doctor’s
name. BTW - I am so not looking forward to seeing a story about the
Doctor’s name, it is the least important thing about Doctor Who,
as uninteresting as whether River and the Doctor are married or that
Amy is River’s mother. Still, it is what the viewers want so there
you go! Still, my bet is that the Doctor’s name is George!
Despite that massive reset, I felt the
story was excellent and in the vain of Star Trek – the Next
Generation’s “Yesterday’s Enterprise” it shows us an
alternative reality story with some great ideas and moments.
Then there was the preview for next
week. Oh, well, all good things must come to an end sometime….
Interesting review, made me think of something I had not. I disagree about the "reset." I had not thought about this until reading here, but--I offer for consideration that in RL, we "reset" things in a way ourselves. For example, say we have a bad upsetting unsettling argument/fight with a loved one. We burn in anger, wonder if the "we" will survive, should we run, what to do--then somehow we find a small way toward each other--and just maybe, that past burning *never happened." It is forgiven, forgotten, cast aside, won't ever come up again.
ReplyDeleteI think life might reset us in small and large ways.
Just my own reflection on that.