Doctor Who Series 11 Episode 4 - Arachnids In The UK - Review

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

Written By: Chris Chibnall

Directed By: Sallie Aprahamian

As much as I loved 'Rosa', and similar episodes that aren't afraid to be serious, I'll be the first to admit that you can't do episodes like it every week. You need to mix up the more serious and bold episodes with ones that are aimed more at being just fun. It's one of 'Doctor Who's greatest strengths, the fact that one week we can go from something like the staunch realism of segregation in 1950s America, to the silly B-movie sci-fi of battling giant spiders in Sheffield. It's a consistent, winning formula for the show, but does 'Arachnids In The UK' fare better than its admittedly clunky title would suggest?

The Doctor finally manages to bring Graham, Ryan and Yaz back home, but they find something seriously wrong with the spiders in Sheffield. The arachnids have grown to unnatural sizes, large enough that they have become capable of attacking humans. Working with arachnologist Dr. Jade McIntyre, they discover the spiders' behavioural patterns are somehow linked to a new luxury hotel recently built in the middle of the city, owned by wealthy businessman Jack Robertson, and where Yaz's mum Najia works. 

'Arachnids In The UK' is completely unashamed old-school science fiction. With gigantic spiders scuttling around, an arrogant businessman getting in the way of our heroes, and an entire hotel being made into a giant spiderweb, its pulp sci-fi through and through. Both our main cast and guest performers seem aware of the B-movie roots of this episode, yet no one uses it as an opportunity to take it easy and allow the strength of their performances to slip. Chris Noth and Tanya Fear give great guest performances as Robertson and Dr. McIntyre respectively, despite McIntyre's main purpose being to provide exposition. I have a few issues with Robertson as a character (which I'll return to later), but you can just tell that Noth is having lots of fun with such a one-note obvious baddie role, that it goes some way in redeeming Robertson's flawed role in this particular episode. 

The stars of the show, the spiders themselves, are also really great. I particularly liked how gradually they were built up and revealed on screen. It begins with the movements of the camera mimicking the POV of a spider as the episode begins, and it's suggested more and more that something is wrong when our main characters begin noticing unusual cobwebs all over the city. We then have the flat filled with giant cobwebs and discover a cocooned body, before seeing the spider itself. And as the episode progresses, we're gradually introduced to bigger and bigger spiders, like the one that crawls out of the bathtub and eventually the mother spider herself in the ballroom, grown to the size of a large van. It's a familiar build-up but it helps to keep the physical threat of the spiders fresh. The CGI used to bring the spiders to life is wonderfully simple yet detailed, specifically details such as the hair on their legs, and the realistic way they navigate and interact with their environment. It's safe to say that these spiders are a definite visual improvement over the show's last attempt in 'Planet Of The Spiders', and as much as I love Jon Pertwee's swansong, you'd be hard pressed to defend the limitations of the Eight-Legs. 

The spiders are much better handled than someone like Robertson. 'Arachnids In The UK' makes it as clear as possible that Robertson is basically another Donald Trump. Now just for the sake of clarity, I want to point out that I actively encourage 'Doctor Who' being political - it always has been and it shouldn't stop now. I also have no issue with an episode mocking Trump - the man is after all an absolute disgrace, whose personal conduct, xenophobia, sexism and anti-LGBT stances have only served to empower an equally toxic group of supporters. However in this episode, the political commentary is disconnected from the main plot, and it's one of the few instances this series where it felt out of place. Again, I'm not one of these angry people that's recently sprung up on YouTube ranting about how Series 11 is "too political" and filled with "SJW propaganda", but here the disconnect from the rest of the episode does make Robertson's role feel out of place. As I've said, I honestly think Chris Noth's performance is great, and I like the complete lack of subtlety with the character (something Trump himself again lacks). Although I completely detest him, save for the environmental themes of this episode mirroring Trump's own disregard for the environment, there's no plot-specific reason for Robertson to be a Trump copy.

Since this episode was broadcast, people have also pointed out quite a number of plot holes and unanswered questions. And while I have enjoyed watching this episode, and subsequent re-watches, I can see where people are coming from when they say that this feels like a first draft of a script. For example, the Doctor's solution to the spider problem raises quite a few moral questions. Trapping the spiders in Robertson's panic room until … they either suffocate or die through lack of food is apparently the humane way of dealing with them. And with the mother spider trapped in the ballroom, her solution is to apparently lead it out of the room to … somewhere, but once she learns that the spider has grown too big to breathe properly, she'd sooner it suffocate than give it a quick death. I agree that the solution shouldn't have to be a bullet, especially when its someone like Robertson shooting the gun, not out of mercy but efficiency. But given the choice between suffocation and a bullet, I'd take the bullet for a quicker death. We're also left with unanswered questions about the spiders in the rest of the city. Unlike Dr. McIntyre's colleague, it's never really explained what one of the spiders was doing at Graham's house, or why it was there. There's also that spider still trapped in a random flat, which never gets addressed either. This script is fine, but it doesn't feel like its been tidied up much and could have really benefited from a second draft. 

More successful than the main plot of the episode, the domestic element and the return home to Sheffield does make for a nice breather for both the Doctor and companions. As I said in my review of 'The Pilot' when discussing Bill's home life, interspersing trips to the past, the future and alien worlds with a return to the domesticated present day gives an audience a comforting sense of familiarity. Although we're still not there yet with Yaz's own character development, it was at least nice to see a bit more of her background and introduce her family. Similar things can be said about Ryan, with the episode hinting at a possible father figure turning up at some point later in the series. Yet again it's Graham who stands out the most, with the scenes of him returning home and facing his grief over losing Grace being possibly the best bits of the episode. It's a beautiful but remarkably effective and convincing look at the effects of losing someone. Bradley Walsh absolutely sells the performance and Sharon D. Clarke's cameo is the finishing touch, and I love how she's like a ghost kept out of focus when talking to Graham. And last but not least there's the Doctor. Her attachment to her new friends and not wanting to leave them when she gets them back home makes for a completely adorable scene. I can not only love, but relate to her social awkwardness around Yaz's family, and her smile, the random conversation she makes and her enthusiasm at the slightest thing feel very in character for this Doctor. The episode ends with all four regulars coming together in the TARDIS, having decided to keep on travelling together. It's nice that they all have their own reasons for travelling with the Doctor - Ryan to escape his dull job working in a warehouse, Yaz to see and get more out of the universe, and Graham to help cope with the loss of his wife. The fact that the Doctor gives them the opportunity to back out if they're unsure is a surprisingly mature moment, and ending the episode with all four of them now actually wanting to travel together and pushing the lever to go and explore is heart-warming.

'Arachnids In The UK' is … flawed … and quite a bit too. It does suffer from a script that feels like its in need of one or two redrafts, as well as some unusually disconnected political commentary that would probably fare much better in another episode. Like episodes such as 'Twice Upon A Time', it has its share of problems and I probably should be more critical of it, but I still really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the old-fashioned B-movie sci-fi roots of 'Arachnids In The UK', the spiders themselves were great, the character-oriented moments were generally much more successful and it marked a real turning point for our regulars. I can forgive its mistakes for the most part and have fun with it. The new Team TARDIS are still riding strong.

Arachnids In The UK

7/10