Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Doctor Who - Flatline


In an episode that could have easily been entitled "Honey, I Shrunk the TARDIS," roles are reversed when The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) becomes trapped in an increasingly shrinking time machine whose energies are somehow being absorbed by two-dimensional beings who have already killed several locals while learning about three-dimensional beings. Taking zombie-like control of their victims, the two-dimensional beings (named the Boneless by The Doctor) begin chasing Clara (Jenna Coleman) while hunting for their next victim.

An odd mix of goofy and frightening, the episode allows Clara to strut her stuff while keeping a frustrated Doctor in check for nearly the entire episode. Some of the jokes (such as the obvious homage to The Addams Family) come off a bit cheap while the creepy two-dimensional aliens work far better as a genuine threat (especially given The Doctor's inability to deal with them personally). The concept also takes full advantage of The Doctor having plenty of room inside the TARDIS while the outside continues to shrink to toy-sized models of the original.

For the second time this season Doctor Who introduces a character in Rigsy (Joivan Wade) who could have made an interesting addition to the the TARDIS (like Courtney) but does stick around long enough to get an inviation to visit all space and time with the Time Lord. Given Clara's promise to Danny Pink (Samuel Anderson), who she lies to (poorly) in this episode, it appears her days on the TARDIS may be numbered suggesting The Doctor may need to be on the lookout for a new companion in the very near future.

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