The Crimson Horror
Actually liked this Who episode, which was a rare and nice thing. I posted a loooong set of thoughts over at TWOP, and thought I'd repost them here as well. Spoilers for "The Crimson Horror" behind cut:
This was the first episode I've really enjoyed since the "souffle" one. In fact I watched it twice, because my daughter, who was formerly as obsessed with Who as I am, has disliked the season so much she refused to watch it till I previewed it. So I watched it at eight and eleven, and really didn't mind in the least.
This episode had a plot that hung together (though I will admit slightly more explanation about the villains' motives would have helped). It had great secondary characters. It was genuinely creepy, and no one tried to convince us at the last minute that the monster was in love, or that it was actually a perfectly nice time traveler stuck in a pocket universe, or anything like that. It remained creepy throughout the episode, and I wasn't unhappy to see the little blighter squashed.
Matt Smith was great lurching around as "the monster" (I kept thinking how uncomfortable it would be to hold your mouth open like that for long periods) and the relationship between him and Ada was sweet-- it seemed that the daughter was envious of the mother's special monster, and wanted one of her own. Seeing him pause at the end and tell her she was splendid, and encourage her to change her life for the better, was very reminiscent of the way NuWho used to be. I liked it. On the flip side, the relationship between the mother and daughter was heartrendingly twisted. I thought it was amusing to see the daughter whack at her actual mother with the cane and yell, "You perfidious hag!" I bet my kids wouldn't mind having an excuse to yell such things at me every now and again:-).
We loved the trio of Madam Vastra, Jenny, and Strax. My twelve-year-old in particular howled over Strax, which suggests his brand of humor was right in line with the intended audience. I was amused that Strax got to yell, "Sontar-HA!" It did feel like a setup for a show featuring the three of them, though. We were a bit puzzled by Thomas Thomas saying "You will have reached your destination" (which seemed like a reference to "The Sontaran Stratagem") until I read reviews after the show and found out about TomTom. So that was a very funny bit that unfortunately went over my American head.
I am still puzzled by the relationship between Eleven and Clara. He seems absolutely obsessive about keeping her safe, and the two of them are kissy-touchy-feely in a way that, for Doctor Who, seems over the top. Her tap of his nose was cute, but very loverlike. And the way he held her when she was restored, and focused on her so entirely, was... yes, loverlike. I can't quite figure out what's going on between them. They are, I admit, a rather cute couple, but it does seem like he should have brought up the fact he has a sort-of wife at some point. I refuse to get invested in the ship, however, because we don't know enough about Clara, and I still have the niggling suspicion she's going to be shown to be River, or a relative of the Doctor, at some point.
Down sides-- Eleven grabbing Jenny and planting a big kiss on her was just icky. A kiss on the forehead would have been okay, but this strayed into the territory of unauthorized touching, and I didn't like it. Clara didn't have much to do (though what she did have was awesome-- the chair bit was terrific), and we still don't know any more about what's going on about her-- as someone on TWOP, we're not getting clues as to her nature, but rather the same thing over and over again. I'm beginning to suspect the writers don't know what's going on with her, either. And the ending was kind of dumb. Count me among those who don't believe anyone could have possibly unearthed that 1983 picture. And Cousins Oliver are rarely a good sign for a show (and yes, I know there have been children aboard the TARDIS before, but it still makes me nervous). Anyway, the kids strike me as horrid little brats, which makes me look forrward to next week's episode slightly less than I otherwise would have.
Overall, though, I thought this was definitely the best episode in a while.
This was the first episode I've really enjoyed since the "souffle" one. In fact I watched it twice, because my daughter, who was formerly as obsessed with Who as I am, has disliked the season so much she refused to watch it till I previewed it. So I watched it at eight and eleven, and really didn't mind in the least.
This episode had a plot that hung together (though I will admit slightly more explanation about the villains' motives would have helped). It had great secondary characters. It was genuinely creepy, and no one tried to convince us at the last minute that the monster was in love, or that it was actually a perfectly nice time traveler stuck in a pocket universe, or anything like that. It remained creepy throughout the episode, and I wasn't unhappy to see the little blighter squashed.
Matt Smith was great lurching around as "the monster" (I kept thinking how uncomfortable it would be to hold your mouth open like that for long periods) and the relationship between him and Ada was sweet-- it seemed that the daughter was envious of the mother's special monster, and wanted one of her own. Seeing him pause at the end and tell her she was splendid, and encourage her to change her life for the better, was very reminiscent of the way NuWho used to be. I liked it. On the flip side, the relationship between the mother and daughter was heartrendingly twisted. I thought it was amusing to see the daughter whack at her actual mother with the cane and yell, "You perfidious hag!" I bet my kids wouldn't mind having an excuse to yell such things at me every now and again:-).
We loved the trio of Madam Vastra, Jenny, and Strax. My twelve-year-old in particular howled over Strax, which suggests his brand of humor was right in line with the intended audience. I was amused that Strax got to yell, "Sontar-HA!" It did feel like a setup for a show featuring the three of them, though. We were a bit puzzled by Thomas Thomas saying "You will have reached your destination" (which seemed like a reference to "The Sontaran Stratagem") until I read reviews after the show and found out about TomTom. So that was a very funny bit that unfortunately went over my American head.
I am still puzzled by the relationship between Eleven and Clara. He seems absolutely obsessive about keeping her safe, and the two of them are kissy-touchy-feely in a way that, for Doctor Who, seems over the top. Her tap of his nose was cute, but very loverlike. And the way he held her when she was restored, and focused on her so entirely, was... yes, loverlike. I can't quite figure out what's going on between them. They are, I admit, a rather cute couple, but it does seem like he should have brought up the fact he has a sort-of wife at some point. I refuse to get invested in the ship, however, because we don't know enough about Clara, and I still have the niggling suspicion she's going to be shown to be River, or a relative of the Doctor, at some point.
Down sides-- Eleven grabbing Jenny and planting a big kiss on her was just icky. A kiss on the forehead would have been okay, but this strayed into the territory of unauthorized touching, and I didn't like it. Clara didn't have much to do (though what she did have was awesome-- the chair bit was terrific), and we still don't know any more about what's going on about her-- as someone on TWOP, we're not getting clues as to her nature, but rather the same thing over and over again. I'm beginning to suspect the writers don't know what's going on with her, either. And the ending was kind of dumb. Count me among those who don't believe anyone could have possibly unearthed that 1983 picture. And Cousins Oliver are rarely a good sign for a show (and yes, I know there have been children aboard the TARDIS before, but it still makes me nervous). Anyway, the kids strike me as horrid little brats, which makes me look forrward to next week's episode slightly less than I otherwise would have.
Overall, though, I thought this was definitely the best episode in a while.