Review by Ken Parker
Doctor Who, like many good TV shows
often have two or more stories going on at the same time. We have
the surface story that often involves a weaker written structure that
may keep younger kids happy with monsters, explosions and action.
Then there are the underlying ideas that are generally character
orientated. "The Caretaker" is about a killing machine let loose near
Coal Hill School and the Doctor tries to stop it. The underlying
story involves Clara, Danny Pink and the Doctor. Can the three of
them get along long enough to stop the alien threat?
Some Spoilers
The primary story of the killing
machine and the Doctor's attempt at stopping it is certainly not this
episodes strength. It is presented and mostly treated as an almost
backdrop idea that puts the Doctor, Clara and Danny in close
approximation of one another. This no doubt results in several
reveals including Danny finding out about the Doctor and Clara's
status as travelers in time and space as well as the Doctor finding
out Clara has a boyfriend.
The story executes this character
triangle fairly well with the backdrop of the school, parents night
and the killer robot. The relationship between the Doctor and Danny
goes as well as we all thought as the Doctor's distrust in him,
because he was a soldier, takes the main focus. His sudden hatred of
soldiers has been a primary development this season and is not a
surprise to be present here. This hatred seems a bit odd and over
done but seems to be created in partiality to contrast with Danny's
character. This works well and brings a lot of character development
for all involved. Danny also does not trust the Doctor and has
trouble accepting Clara's relationship with him.
All of this character work is
punctuated with some of the usual running around trying to stop the
alien bad guys. It also has a fair amount of humor. The Doctor and
Courtney Woods was a neat little side plot. Perhaps the most
poignant moment for me was Danny pointing out to Clara that while he
is indeed a soldier , the Doctor is like the one giving orders. He
is the one that lights the fire – summing up perfectly what the
Doctor has done forever. He is the one that has manipulated soldiers
to be in the right place at the right time and so many died under his
command. I would expect this to be more of the primary umbrella
story arc this season. This is even emphasized again as the Doctor
is able to give orders to the killing machine toward the end of the
story.
The invisible watch is not something I really wanted to see in this story. This was a plot device used for Danny to see what it is like inside the TARDIS as well as make a heroic appearance toward the end. This is a device that is too powerful and hopefully it is forgotten about. I expect it may appear again one more time this season in a surprise reveal.
The Doctor certainly has new feelings
toward Danny at this point and one can see the end game for Clara on
this. This reminds me a bit of the Doctor letting Susan go at the
end of “The Dalek Invasion of Earth”. If Danny is 'good enough'
for Clara, the Doctor will end his travels with her. It is also
possible that the Doctor will do something to drive Clara away from
him.
Anyhow, "The Caretaker" was a pretty
light story with some good moments. If you like these character
stories then you should like this one but if you want more action and
a plot that is less background and more important, I can see why you
might not like this one as much.
http://redundantz.tumblr.com/post/98429961048
No comments:
Post a Comment