Doctor Who Series 8 Episode 6 - The Caretaker - Review

Starring: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman & Samuel Anderson

Written By: Gareth Roberts & Steven Moffat

Directed By: Paul Murphy

 

Before I start this review of The Caretaker, I’d like to apologize. This particular review was difficult to write, as when I got down to it, there wasn't all that much to look at and comment on. The Caretaker is an episode that didn’t really tread on any new ground, stayed fairly safe and didn't really have the most substantial plot. However, I did like this episode, so I'll do my best to take a decent look at it.

 

Clara is struggling to keep two very important aspects of her life apart - life with the Doctor and life with Danny. Her life is set to change when she learns that the Doctor has gone undercover as a caretaker in the school where she and Danny work. While the Doctor tries to keep the school safe from the robotic war machine that is the Skovox Blitzer, it seems that Danny might be getting closer to the truth about Clara and the Doctor.

 

Nearly everything in The Caretaker revolves around Clara and Danny’s love life and this episode's main setting is Coal Hill School. Despite the fact that Coal Hill School has a lot of history in the Doctor Who universe, the Doctor strangely doesn’t seem to recognize this. The school has previously been the setting for fights against Daleks in Remembrance Of The Daleks, and was Susan’s school back in An Unearthly Child. Even though the school has all this history, the episode doesn't even reference it. I'm not asking for anything outlandish like a reappearance of Ian and Barbra, but by not doing anything with this setting, it makes it feel irrelevant.

 

I'll try to get the negativity out of the way first, so let's look at the overall feel of the episode. The Caretaker does come across as a hybrid of different episodes that we’ve seen before. For example, this episode sees the Doctor going undercover, exactly like Series 5’s The Lodger. The presence of the villain is also minimal, just like Series 6’s Closing Time. We also see a companion struggling to balance their normal life and life with the Doctor, just like Series 7’s The Power Of Three. As you can see, there is a lot of vital aspects to this episode that have been plainly recycled, and as a result, The Caretaker often feels insubstantial and doesn’t really have any new territory to explore. All this makes it arguably the most forgettable story of Series 8 so far.

 

While the purpose of the episode is to focus on and explore the development of Clara and Danny’s relationship, we also follow the Doctor as he tries to stop the robotic killing machine, the Skovox Blitzer. These parts of the episode are the most entertaining and I wish they had had more focus. But if there's one thing in this episode I absolutely loved, it's the Skovox Blitzer. Everyone I know seems to have been complaining about the Skovox saying it was ridiculous and poorly designed. What are they talking about?! I’m in LOVE with the Skovox Blitzer. For me, it's the best new villain of Series 8 so far for me, and I'll be first in line to get the action figure. In all seriousness, the design and function of the Skovox, I thought was fantastic, even if it was so criminally underused. Some have complained that if it is the one of the deadliest killing machines ever created, why is it so clunky getting around the school? Personally, I love that. I love the idea of a deadly killing machine having such difficulty getting around a human environment, and I'm prepared on the odd occasion not to take it all that seriously. Before the late 1980s, the Daleks were criticized for being too clunky and not being able to get upstairs, and loo where they ended up. If you think I like the Skovox too much, you’re probably right, but I love one-off villains like this- deadly and professional in their objective, whilst speaking in a dark robotic voice.

 

Its sad that the biggest problem with The Caretaker, is the fact that it focused too much on Clara and Danny’s relationship. While these segments weren't bad, they weren't the best either. Still, the Doctor, Clara and Danny shared some brilliant moments together and Peter Capaldi continues to become one of my favourite Doctors. Jenna Coleman gives another great performance as Clara, and Clara’s best scenes of the episode take place when she defends Danny from the Doctor. In particular, when Clara shouts to the Doctor that she loves Danny, the line was delivered beautifully, and you get the sense that it's a much of a revelation to her as it is to the Doctor. There was one element of Danny’s relationship with the Doctor that didn’t make much sense to me. The Doctor seems to have a burning dislike of Danny because he’s a soldier. Why? Since when has the Doctor had such a strong dislike of soldiers? Some of the Doctor’s best friends have been soldiers, such as the Brigadier or Martha Jones, so this was something that didn't really sit right with me.

 

Regardless of whether or not you liked this episode, it at least looked really good. Although it may have been a rather bland setting in comparison to a far-away alien planet, director Paul Murphy still managed to make the episode look great. In particular, there are some really nice shots of the Skovox Blitzer that manage to make it feel imposing, and it looks even better once it starts firing at people.

 

In conclusion, The Caretaker is a safe episode that doesn't really go anywhere, or try anything new, but still solid. If I haven't yet made it clear, I LOVE the Skovox Blitzer, the three lead actors work really well together and Paul Murphy managed to make the duller school setting look much more lively. However, the episode spent too much time on Clara and Danny's relationship, neglecting the Skovox's story and I’m not yet convinced about the Doctor’s newfound hate for soldiers. Overall, The Caretaker is a forgettable, yet enjoyable entry to Series 8.

 

 

The Caretaker



7/10