Doctor Who Series 9 Episode 4 - Before The Flood (Part 2) - Review
Starring: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Sophie Stone & Zaqi Ismali
Written By: Toby Whithouse
Directed By: Daniel O'Hara
Welcome
back to my review of Under The Lake
and Before The Flood.
You can find my review of Part 1 here:
So
let's waste no more time and crack straight on with Part 2: Before
The Flood.
In
a bid to find out what's causing the ghosts to appear, the Doctor,
Bennett and O'Donnell go back to before the village was flooded in
1980. There they learn that the spaceship discovered in 2119 was in
fact a hearse, carrying the body of the intergalactic conqueror, the
Fisher King. However, it seems that the Fisher King wasn't entirely
dead and that he has something to do with the ghosts. Meanwhile on
the base, Clara, Lunn and Cass struggle to stay alive following the
arrival of the Doctor's ghost. The three have problems on their hands
when the Doctor's ghost opens the Faraday cage, releasing the other
ghosts...
If
there's at least one part of this episode that seemed to catch the
Internet's attention, it would be the fourth-wall breaking opening
scene. You can see why, and I don't think fourth-wall breaking is something Doctor Who has really done before. Still, for quite
a while, the opening felt at odds with the rest of the episode, and
it isn't until the end that you can understand why it was done. When
everything is brought full circle at the end, and going back to
re-watch the opening, it makes for an interesting and entertaining
change to the status quo. It was also a good idea to explain the
bootstrap paradox to the audience, because I know I probably wouldn't
have understood it without the episode taking a few minutes to
explain. Special mention has to go to the alternative title sequence
used this week, and while I have grown to like the 12th
Doctor's regular intro music, this one-off rock remix was absolutely
brilliant.
Going
into Before The Flood, one of my worries was that the
action would shift away from Clara, Cass and Lunn, and end up
focusing just on the Doctor, Bennett and O'Donnell. Thankfully, my
concerns didn't become a reality, as Toby Whithouse has effectively
balanced the scenes on both the base and in 1980's Scotland. Clara's
struggles on the underwater base don't get neglected, and in fact,
she and the other two characters get some of the straight-up best
scenes of this entire two-parter. One moment that stuck out for me
was Lunn being surrounded by the ghosts, as though they're studying
him. However, undeniably the best scene of this entire story goes to
Cass, as she gets followed through the tunnels by Moran's ghost. As
the ghost follows her, all the while dragging an axe along the floor,
and for a long time Cass seems unaware of his presence – it's a
kind of scare that Doctor Who hasn't managed for quite a
while. The way it was filmed, staged and lit was flawless; it
honestly felt like it had been lifted directly out of a horror film
and a big well done has to go to everyone involved in the making of
that scene.
The
new 1980 Scotland setting also has a lot to offer, and it looks just
as great as the scenes on the base. The interior sets continue to be
well-lit, especially when the Doctor finally enters the church and
confronts the Fisher King, who lurks in the shadows. The fantastic
direction from last week's episode is carried on here, with one of my
favourite shots being the low-angle view of the Doctor as he stands
outside the church. The direction pops once more when the Doctor
finally does confront the Fisher King, and whenever the two share the
screen, it again feels like something from a horror film. If there
are any shortcomings to be found in the Scotland scenes, its the
underwhelming appearance of Paul Kaye as Prentis. This is Prentis'
first appearance where he isn't a ghost, but he only gets one scene
where he interacts with the other characters, and while he does get
some funny lines, it feels like a waste of Paul Kaye's acting
abilities.
(Spoiler
Warning!) I said last week that I really liked our supporting
characters, and I genuinely cared as to whether they'd all make it
out alive. It's for this reason that I was unsure whether Toby
Whithouse would be brave enough to kill off one of the characters,
and although I didn't necessarily want to see her die, O'Donnell's
death at the hands of the Fisher King was very well-handled. One of
the signs of a good writer on Doctor Who is if they are brave
enough to create a character that the audience like and then to kill
them off. I did like O'Donnell, her struggle to contain her
excitement at going in the TARDIS and her relationship with Bennett
were quite sweet, but her death adds so much to the episode. Not only
does it establish the Fisher King as a genuine threat, it creates a
sense of danger for the Doctor and the rest of the characters. A
death like O'Donnell's, that we care about and doesn't end up being a
cop-out is becoming worryingly rare in Doctor Who and I'm
really glad that Toby Whithouse made such a great decision.
There's
one last thing that I have to talk about and that's the Fisher King
himself. Wow, there's so much to admire in this two-parter, and the
Fisher King is definitely one of them. Requiring three different
people to work so well, the Fisher King leaves a lasting impression.
The design, prosthetics and costume design are put together
incredibly well, and Neil Fingleton has the height to make all these
elements into an imposing villain. Peter Serafinowicz gives some
pretty much perfect voice work, and Corey Taylor's gravelly roar
gives a real impact to a lot of the Fisher King's scenes,
particularly his final one. Unfortunately, the Fisher King is also
synonymous with this episode's biggest problem – we simply don't
get to see him enough. Before The Flood is screaming
for more of the Fisher King, and for good reason. You've got such a
wonderful enemy here, but the episode ends up sticking him in the
shadows for half an hour before he finally emerges. The Fisher King
had a lot of potential, but he sadly didn't get the chance to realize
it all.
In
conclusion, Before The Flood closes this two-parter in
a strong way. It provides an entirely satisfying conclusion to the
elaborate mystery set up in Under The Lake, answering
every single question that was left hanging. You could break this
two-parter down and draw a complex diagram of everything going on,
and it would all link together. It's not often that happens anymore
is it? It's testament to the strength of Under The Lake and
Before The Flood that there's nothing bad here, only
that a couple of things that are so good don't get used enough. While
what they got was good, things like Prentis and the Fisher King
needed more, and that's honestly my only complaint. Even so, the
story we've ended up with is definitely worth your time, and
definitely one to enjoy.
Final Score for Under The Lake and Before The Flood
8/10
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