Doctor Who Series 10 Episode 4 - Knock Knock - Review
Starring: Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, David Suchet & Mariah Gale
Written By: Mike Bartlett
Directed By: Bill Anderson
There
have been several reasons to look forward to Knock Knock.
Firstly, it's written by Mike Bartlett, the only new entry to
the writing team on Doctor Who this year, and who recently
found success with another doctor-related TV series, Doctor
Foster. While it had its flaws, Doctor Foster was
a solid and interesting drama series, so to see Mike Bartlett's name
down as writer was something I welcomed. The other thing we've had to
look forward to is a guest appearance from Poirot himself, David
Suchet. His appearance has been well-publicized and given how
fantastic an actor he is, for very good reasons. So with strong
acting talent and a strong writer at the wheel, how did Knock
Knock turn out?
Back
at the university, Bill and her friends are looking for new student
accommodation. They originally have very little luck with it, but are
then approached by a mysterious landlord, who offers them somewhere
to live with very low rent. The house is a huge, old mansion that
seems too good to be true and is theirs to live in, provided they
stay out of the tower. But when the floorboards and walls start
creaking, and the roommates start disappearing one by one, it seems
the offer was too good to be true after all...
I
must admit that I enjoyed the back-to-basics storytelling in Knock
Knock. Going back to basics seems to have been the mantra for
Series 10, and Knock Knock is the pinnacle of this,
telling the very familiar horror story of a group of blissfully
ignorant young adults moving into a creepy, dusty old house. It's not
just the story that feels familiar, as this episode makes use of a
bunch of horror conventions, including creaky floorboards, loud
noises, dark stormy nights, secret passages etc. etc. The reliance on
the haunted house formula brings back memories of stories like Ghost
Light or Hide, and while you may argue Knock
Knock isn't quite of the same quality as those stories, it's
surprising how much entertainment and scare value it manages to keep,
despite feeling so familiar. There are a frequent number of tense
moments to be found throughout this episode, such as the sequence
where Bill and Shireen bid good night to Paul, and we soon hear his
screams from behind the door as he gets taken. This episode does
spend a lot of time toying around with the possibility of it being
the house itself that's taking people, rather than something within
the house, and this approach definitely felt interesting and
refreshing.
But while the haunted house setting definitely works in this episode's favour, the teens/young adults aspect is more troublesome. One of two serious problems I have with Knock Knock is that it's trying FAR, far too hard to be modern, or cool. It's literally just one second in when this becomes apparent, as a Little Mix song is heard in the background whilst Bill and her friends begin the search for student accommodation. When the Doctor gives Bill a hand moving in, Harry greets him saying “Oh wow, Doctor, legend!” and going for a high five. This is followed by Paul making references to freestyling, the Doctor wanting to put some “tunes” on and chill, Bill's Spotify playlist being scrutinized, Shireen referencing I'm A Celebrity. Please just stop! Please! All these moments are so cringeworthy – I've rarely encountered any young person quite this stereotypical and it brings out the worst in the 12th Doctor. Peter Capaldi's Doctor is often at his weakest when actively trying to be cool, and it very rarely comes across as such so please give it a rest! Don't get me wrong, the 12th Doctor has his cool moments, but these certainly aren't it. In fact, the only pop culture reference I did appreciate was a brief mention of Quincy Jones – is that bad when I'm roughly the same age as Bill's friends? Thankfully, the second half of Knock Knock does cut out many of the crappy attempts to be young and hip, and is a lot better for it.
On
a more positive note, something Knock Knock managed
pretty well was putting a bit more focus on Bill's home and
university life away from the Doctor. While I wasn't too fond of the
music choice in the opening couple of minutes (I don't really have a
problem with Little Mix by the way – it just felt out of place),
the montage of Bill and her friends looking for student lodgings was
entertaining. I imagine it also did a nice job showing how difficult
it can be to find somewhere decent to live at uni – something I
personally haven't had to go through with my time at uni. Knock
Knock continues to make Bill feel like someone very
believable, and with more references being made to her mum, I'm still
loving the fact that we have a companion with a history and family
ties. It's also in this episode that we're introduced to Bill's
friend, Shireen. I feel we could have done with Shireen appearing in
The Pilot to really build up the sense of friendship
between them, but both she and Bill are still convincing together.
With Bill trying to pass the Doctor off as her grandfather, I'm
noticing the parallels to the Doctor's real granddaughter, Susan.
With that and a photograph of Susan appearing in The Pilot,
I hope Steven Moffat's going somewhere with this.
Although Mike Bartlett was far too heavy-handed with trying to be cool and modern, I was surprised to find that not all of our supporting characters were as forgettable as they could have been. The cast are all solid, and while Felicity and Pavel are let down by the fact they have barely any presence or screen time, there's something good to be found with everyone else. Colin Ryan gives an enthusiastic performance as Harry, while the friendship between Paul and Bill was quite sweet. Unfortunately, between helping Bill move into her new lodgings, up until the point people start getting taken, the Doctor isn't really necessary and just seems to get in the way. However, when he finally does get something to do, Peter Capaldi is on form once again and works wonders with David Suchet as the Landlord. Speaking of David Suchet – he completely shines in this episode and gives one of the best guest performances on the show in recent memory. Being such a talented actor, he gives everything we could have hoped for and has clearly put a lot of preparation and dedication into the role. He's fantastically creepy and unsettling, occasionally giving off a sinister smile or appearing and disappearing from a room unnoticed, and when he snaps at Harry for mentioning the tower, it sent shivers down my spine. Yet even with all this, by the last act he still manages to switch it all around and give a genuinely heartfelt performance that can really bring a lump to your throat.
(Skip ahead now to the next paragraph to avoid spoilers!) The last act of Knock Knock features quite the plot twist as we learn what's been going on in the house, what the insects are, and who the Landlord really is. It's also here that we're introduced to Eliza, who has gradually been transformed into wood. From a technical point of view, Eliza is spooky yet beautifully designed and one of the greatest visual accomplishments to be found in Knock Knock. The reveal that she is the Landlord's mother as opposed to his daughter … at first appears like a decent but pointless twist. On first viewing, I asked if it really changed anything about the story. But on a second viewing, I realized it actually does and that this is a great twist. It's a much more interesting angle, and given the Landlord's age and how long he and Eliza have been in that house, it would have made less sense if the twist hadn't been there. David Suchet's acting during his character's last scenes is phenomenal and rich in emotion, presents an intriguing Oedipus Complex to us, and the ending to his and Eliza's story feels very appropriate. All the while, the sight of the fireworks at the window, combined with the Doctor's speech about how life should be lived and fully experienced, is just beautiful.
The couple of minutes that follow these scenes however, highlight my second serious problem with Knock Knock. This is one of those forty-five minute episodes that really could have worked better if extended up to about an hour. It establishes the characters and their situation quite well in the first twenty minutes, but is left having to rush the bits where everyone gets picked off, as well as the ending. The ending suffers the most and feels like a very abrupt halt. (Spoiler Warning!) Frustratingly, it also cops out by having all of Bill's friends who had been consumed get restored back to life. Given how high the death toll had been in the first three episodes of this series, I had hoped we'd finally reintroduced some real stakes and danger of death back to the show, but it seems we're not quite there just yet. The ending further leaves a ton of unanswered questions. Could the insects really be sustained by only being fed every twenty years? Doesn't anyone notice when each set of tenants goes missing? Where are Bill's friends going to go now? Were their belongings destroyed in the house? Where will the insects go now? All these questions could be answered very easily, but it doesn't have the time with which to do it.
On the whole, Knock Knock is an enjoyable, if flawed episode of Doctor Who. Its weakest points are exposed when it comes to the hurried ending or whenever it tries and fails to be youthful and cool. However, its high points come along when we look at things like how well the setting is realized, the further looks at Bill's home life, David Suchet's incredible performance as the Landlord (easily the best guest role of the series so far), or the last twist which adds so much more depth to the story.
Knock Knock
But while the haunted house setting definitely works in this episode's favour, the teens/young adults aspect is more troublesome. One of two serious problems I have with Knock Knock is that it's trying FAR, far too hard to be modern, or cool. It's literally just one second in when this becomes apparent, as a Little Mix song is heard in the background whilst Bill and her friends begin the search for student accommodation. When the Doctor gives Bill a hand moving in, Harry greets him saying “Oh wow, Doctor, legend!” and going for a high five. This is followed by Paul making references to freestyling, the Doctor wanting to put some “tunes” on and chill, Bill's Spotify playlist being scrutinized, Shireen referencing I'm A Celebrity. Please just stop! Please! All these moments are so cringeworthy – I've rarely encountered any young person quite this stereotypical and it brings out the worst in the 12th Doctor. Peter Capaldi's Doctor is often at his weakest when actively trying to be cool, and it very rarely comes across as such so please give it a rest! Don't get me wrong, the 12th Doctor has his cool moments, but these certainly aren't it. In fact, the only pop culture reference I did appreciate was a brief mention of Quincy Jones – is that bad when I'm roughly the same age as Bill's friends? Thankfully, the second half of Knock Knock does cut out many of the crappy attempts to be young and hip, and is a lot better for it.
Although Mike Bartlett was far too heavy-handed with trying to be cool and modern, I was surprised to find that not all of our supporting characters were as forgettable as they could have been. The cast are all solid, and while Felicity and Pavel are let down by the fact they have barely any presence or screen time, there's something good to be found with everyone else. Colin Ryan gives an enthusiastic performance as Harry, while the friendship between Paul and Bill was quite sweet. Unfortunately, between helping Bill move into her new lodgings, up until the point people start getting taken, the Doctor isn't really necessary and just seems to get in the way. However, when he finally does get something to do, Peter Capaldi is on form once again and works wonders with David Suchet as the Landlord. Speaking of David Suchet – he completely shines in this episode and gives one of the best guest performances on the show in recent memory. Being such a talented actor, he gives everything we could have hoped for and has clearly put a lot of preparation and dedication into the role. He's fantastically creepy and unsettling, occasionally giving off a sinister smile or appearing and disappearing from a room unnoticed, and when he snaps at Harry for mentioning the tower, it sent shivers down my spine. Yet even with all this, by the last act he still manages to switch it all around and give a genuinely heartfelt performance that can really bring a lump to your throat.
(Skip ahead now to the next paragraph to avoid spoilers!) The last act of Knock Knock features quite the plot twist as we learn what's been going on in the house, what the insects are, and who the Landlord really is. It's also here that we're introduced to Eliza, who has gradually been transformed into wood. From a technical point of view, Eliza is spooky yet beautifully designed and one of the greatest visual accomplishments to be found in Knock Knock. The reveal that she is the Landlord's mother as opposed to his daughter … at first appears like a decent but pointless twist. On first viewing, I asked if it really changed anything about the story. But on a second viewing, I realized it actually does and that this is a great twist. It's a much more interesting angle, and given the Landlord's age and how long he and Eliza have been in that house, it would have made less sense if the twist hadn't been there. David Suchet's acting during his character's last scenes is phenomenal and rich in emotion, presents an intriguing Oedipus Complex to us, and the ending to his and Eliza's story feels very appropriate. All the while, the sight of the fireworks at the window, combined with the Doctor's speech about how life should be lived and fully experienced, is just beautiful.
The couple of minutes that follow these scenes however, highlight my second serious problem with Knock Knock. This is one of those forty-five minute episodes that really could have worked better if extended up to about an hour. It establishes the characters and their situation quite well in the first twenty minutes, but is left having to rush the bits where everyone gets picked off, as well as the ending. The ending suffers the most and feels like a very abrupt halt. (Spoiler Warning!) Frustratingly, it also cops out by having all of Bill's friends who had been consumed get restored back to life. Given how high the death toll had been in the first three episodes of this series, I had hoped we'd finally reintroduced some real stakes and danger of death back to the show, but it seems we're not quite there just yet. The ending further leaves a ton of unanswered questions. Could the insects really be sustained by only being fed every twenty years? Doesn't anyone notice when each set of tenants goes missing? Where are Bill's friends going to go now? Were their belongings destroyed in the house? Where will the insects go now? All these questions could be answered very easily, but it doesn't have the time with which to do it.
On the whole, Knock Knock is an enjoyable, if flawed episode of Doctor Who. Its weakest points are exposed when it comes to the hurried ending or whenever it tries and fails to be youthful and cool. However, its high points come along when we look at things like how well the setting is realized, the further looks at Bill's home life, David Suchet's incredible performance as the Landlord (easily the best guest role of the series so far), or the last twist which adds so much more depth to the story.
Knock Knock
7/10