Doctor Who Series 11 Episode 2 - The Ghost Monument - Review

Starring: Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole & Mandip Gill

Written By: Chris Chibnall

Directed By: Mark Tonderai

You know what the Doctor could do with? A break. Obviously I don't mean the show itself is in need of a break (especially not with the massive success it obtained last week), but the Doctor herself deserves a break. It struck me after watching last week's episode that the Doctor has been battered and gone through hell with the Cybermen, reunited with her very first incarnation, regenerated, crashed to Earth, lost her TARDIS, and had to stop one of the Stenza, without so much as a sit down in between all this. And now, together with her new friends, they've found themselves stranded and unable to breathe in the depths of space. The Doctor's pretty busy at the minute, and it doesn't look like she's going to get any rest anytime soon as we come to 'The Ghost Monument'.

Following the events of last week's episode, the Doctor, Graham, Ryan and Yaz are rescued from the depths of space by two different ships. Arriving on the hostile world of Desolation, the group learn that they have been rescued by the last two contestants competing in an intergalactic race. The final stage of the race sees the two pilots, Angstrom and Epzo, having to cross the unforgiving surface of the planet to reach an object known as the Ghost Monument, before the planet completes one full rotation. But when the Doctor learns that the Ghost Monument is in fact her missing TARDIS, the group accompany the two racers on their dangerous voyage...

After its absence from last week's episode, 'The Ghost Monument' kicks off with the new title sequence and Segun Akinola's new rendition of the theme tune. Remember when I finished my review of 'The Woman Who Fell To Earth' by saying that the show had returned to its roots with this new series? Well that sentiment seems to be echoed in the new intro too, with the new purple fluctuating time vortex feeling very much like the organic butterfly appearance of the very first intro sequence. The new theme tune accompanies it nicely, and the pounding drums are a great addition to Delia Derbyshire's original arrangement (I'm also in love with that pitch bend before the bass kicks in). What follows after the new titles is a pretty fantastic opening ten minutes, which drops us right into the action. Not only does it look fantastic (more on that later), but already the group have problems on their hands - going from being stuck in open space to being split up, unsure of where they are and what's going on. And as if Ryan and Graham didn't have enough to worry about being stuck on an alien world with three suns looming over them, a minute later they're having to run from a massive spaceship about to crash land on them! The crash-landing spaceship is one of the best-looking moments of action I've seen from the show in some time, made better still by the intense music accompanying it.

So while the opening ten minutes help start the episode with a bit of adrenaline, sadly once everyone arrives on Desolation, it's here where the episode starts fizzling out for me. It's a shame really, because I do like this episode's premise of the Doctor and co. having to journey across this deadly alien world with a reunion with the TARDIS being the ultimate goal. Unfortunately, despite being told Desolation is a world that's apparently been designed to be cruel, it's never the impression I got. If anything, it's a planet that seems barren as opposed to cruel. The episode teases us with some of the perils the planet contains, such as flesh-eating microbe-infested water … but then does nothing with it. It feels like Chris Chibnall really missed the opportunity to do something with that. You've also got the sniper-bots in the ruins of the city, and while the scenes of them shooting at everyone are entertaining enough, the ease with which they're taken out and their lack of accuracy hardly make them a compelling threat. Then near the end of the episode we're introduced to the Remnants - sentient pieces of cloth that clean up the dead. While I like how they seem like one of the low-budget villains from Classic Who, with them being literal floating bits of rag, like the sniper-bots, they're dealt with as quickly as the came. They only seem to tease what may or may not turn out to be the beginning of a series arc, with talks of the "Timeless Child", although given the very standalone nature of the episodes this series, I wouldn't go reading too much into it. 'The Ghost Monument' just feels like it really should've been a lot more brutal and intense than it actually was, and something that should've tested the resolve of Graham, Ryan and Yaz. 

But speaking of our main characters, even in an episode that stumbles a little, do they continue to impress after a strong start last week? More or less. Jodie Whittaker continues to impress as the Doctor, and here she gets to settle down a little more into the role following the post-regeneration phase. While she continues to be fun and brimming with energy, her relationship with Epzo showed off a different side to her Doctor. His self-interest, cynicism and disregard for other people naturally clash with this Doctor's optimism and willingness to help others, and I like the blunt, to-the-point approach she took towards him. Especially when crashing onto the planet, it was nice to see the Doctor asserting herself and taking control of the situation. Of the companions, Graham continues to be the standout, and I'm really liking his relationship with Ryan so far. Ryan himself seemed to take something of a step back compared to last week. His "Call of Duty" moment didn't really land for me, and besides that one scene, he didn't have too much of a presence in the rest of the episode. The same goes for Yaz, a perfectly fine character, but is still the weak link among our regulars, despite a lot of potential. 

Although story-wise 'The Ghost Monument' feels undercooked, one thing I can't criticize about it is its production. I though last week's episode looked impressive, but 'The Ghost Monument' ups the game further still. It's visually gorgeous, and the trip the production team took to South Africa was worth it, with terrific location work throughout. Director Mark Tonderai makes an impressive 'Doctor Who' debut, getting the most out of the sandy landscapes with plenty of crane and wide shots that help to make the episode feel grand and epic. I also loved the way he frames most confrontational scenes, making them really intimate thanks to a combination of framing the actor's faces in tight close-ups, and positioning them to the left or right of the frame in shot reverse shot sequence. Not many directors form their own distinctive visual style in their very first episode, but Tonderai is an exception to the rule, and I'm really looking forward to his return next week directing 'Rosa'. 

And of course let's not forget that the main plot of 'The Ghost Monument' finishes up a little early to allow the Doctor to be reunited with the TARDIS. Even if, like me, you were left a little underwhelmed by most of the episode, the last five minutes may fare a little better. The Doctor's sheer joy at being reunited with her "ghost monument" is just wonderful, and that wide shot of her running across the landscape towards it is simply beautiful. Given how the TARDIS has a tendency now to blow up with each regeneration, and with it being a new era of the show, we also finally get to see the new TARDIS interior. It's safe to say that I like it. I wouldn't say that it's my favourite design, and I have a couple of nitpicks. However, I do like the return to a more organic alien design, although unlike the coral of the 9th and 10th Doctors' TARIDS, this one is more crystalline, rather like the new sonic screwdriver and marketing for this series. It's a nice set, so hopefully they'll turn the lights up in there a bit so we actually get to see it. Also while I like the crystal columns surrounding the console, it might be my imagination or the way it was shot, but for some reason it does seem to make the control room look a bit small and cramped. I'll have to wait and see more of this TARDIS to be sure, but for now, I'm onboard with this new look. Plus a custard cream biscuit dispenser … custard creams are always a win in my books. 

So as a follow up to a strong premiere, how did 'The Ghost Monument' compare? As I think I've made clear, while there were things to like about this episode, such as it production values, the opening ten minutes and the closing five, those thirty-five minutes in the middle ultimately just a bit too tepid. You may have noticed I've barely mentioned this week's supporting characters, and that's because they're rather indicative of the episode itself - fine but not particularly memorable. Of the episodes he's written for the show so far, I'd probably say this is Chibnall's weakest, and would have honestly benefited from being as brutal as it seems to want to be … yet it still isn't anything I'd describe as bad. 'The Ghost Monument' may not have really been for me, but looking at the wider picture, with a nice new TARDIS returned to the show and what looks like a promising episode coming up next week, Series 11's still doing well.

The Ghost Monument

6/10