Doctor Who Series 2 Episode 2 - Tooth & Claw - Review

Starring: David Tennant, Billie Piper, Pauline Collins & Derek Riddell

Written By: Russell T Davies

Directed By: Euros Lyn



After stumbling at the first hurdle last week, thanks to New Earth, Series 2 needs to make up for lost time. This week, we have Tooth & Claw, and what does it have to offer? Historical settings and figures, a Gothic horror feel, and a Werewolf chasing people down corridors? It looks like pretty much the opposite of last week's episode, and that is a very promising start!

 

Although trying to visit a concert in 1979, the TARDIS brings the Doctor and Rose to Scotland, 1879. There, they meet Queen Victoria, and accompany her to an overnight stay at Torchwood House. Unbeknown to Victoria, the owners of the house, Sir Robert and his wife, are being threatened by a group of Monks to harbour a man known as “The Host” in the basement. As night falls and a full moon emerges, the Host transforms into a Werewolf, intent on passing its own nature on through Victoria, by biting her.

 

Easily the most memorable thing about this episode, is the Werewolf itself. This isn't without good reason, as the Werewolf is a stunning creation. The special effects used to bring it to life are terrific and make the Werewolf truly intimidating. The effects used during the Host's transformation are particularly impressive, with the sounds of bones cracking making the scene unsettling to watch. The Werewolf becomes even more uncomfortable to watch when it ends up catching people and ripping them apart. The desperate screaming combined with the sounds of teeth and claws gnawing – Doctor Who rarely gets this dark, but I love it. While the Werewolf provides the fear factor, credit has to go to Tom Smith as The Host, as he makes the human side of the wolf really creepy.

 

The Gothic Victorian setting perfectly compliments this episode's dark tone and themes. There's barely any colour here, and it's not too far away from looking as though it was shot in black and white. This muted use of colour, seen in things such as the dark oak aesthetic of the house, and the night-time setting, is put to great and effective use. Euros Lyn's fast and edgy direction prevents the episode from becoming too dull and dreary, by heightening the Werewolf's scare factor, while also breathing life into many slower scenes. Couple this with one of Murray Gold's best music scores to date, and the production values here are incredibly high. Incidentally, the orchestral music score that runs throughout this episode is honestly some of the best music ever to grace Doctor Who.

 

Speaking of plot, Tooth & Claw may look to be a simple episode on face value alone – a Werewolf chasing the Doctor, Rose and Queen Victoria through a dark Scottish manor house. While this would be entertaining enough to watch, one of the many things I really appreciated with this episode was the surprisingly complex and multi-layered story to be found. The events that take place over forty-five minutes are events that have been hundreds of years in the making, ever since the Wolf crashed to Earth in the 16th Century. The episode's plot involves traps laid inside traps for both Victoria and the Werewolf, and while they weren't strictly necessary given everything else this episode has going for it, they make for a very welcome and engaging watch, especially on repeat viewings.

 

If there's any real problems with Tooth & Claw, it's unfortunately the supporting characters (with the exception of Victoria). There aren't that many supporting characters here, and while that's not a problem, the ones that we do get feel very flat and underdeveloped. The best examples of this are characters such as Sir Robert and his wife, as well as their maid Flora. All three add very little to grand scheme of things, particularly Flora, and this makes them feel very forgettable. The only contribution made by Sir Robert is to provide the Torchwood House setting, and to give some expositional backstory into the Werewolf and the Monks' origins. Lady Isobel comes off even worse, as literally the only thing she gets to do, is to discover the Werewolf's allergy to Mistletoe. There's honestly nothing else to her.

 

But even with some unmemorable supporting characters, Tooth & Claw gets Series 2 back on track without a shadow of a doubt. The themes and feel of this episode is something I wouldn't mind Doctor Who exploring a little more in the future, because there's so much that works here. Whether it be the extraordinary job that the production team accomplished with the Werewolf, a superb portrayal of Queen Victoria, the fast and lively direction from Euros Lyn, or Murray Gold's amazing music score, I can't help but absolutely recommend Tooth & Claw to anyone.

 

 

Tooth & Claw



9/10