When I heard Neil Gaiman was writing an episode for this season, I was excited. Not because I’d ever read anything by Neil Gaiman, but because I know people who have and I know he’s widely regarded as one of the great writers of our time. So before this episode aired, I made sure to get at least one Gaiman novel under my belt; The Graveyard Book. And, as expected, it was fantastic. Also, one more prefacing thought: THIS EPISODE IS AWESOME.
Seriously. This is probably my favorite Doctor Who episode since Vincent and the Doctor, which, if you know anything about me, you’ll know I also loved. (My favorite impressionist painter and the Doctor in one convenient TV episode? YESS!) I even used a quote from the Van Gogh episode for my video activism class to fuel an entire foster care video project.
So, yeah. Let that give you some foundation for HOW MUCH I FREAKING LOVED THIS EPISODE.
The thing I loved the most, aside from the fantastic writing, was the depth of the story and what it revealed about the characters. I think Amy summed it up best towards the end of the episode.
“Look at you pair. It’s always you and her, isn’t it? Long after the rest of us have gone. A boy and his box, off to see the universe.”
We’ve never really seen the TARDIS in a light like this before. Gaiman has taken an asexual blue spaceship and turned her into a mad, beautiful character, full of life and fun and wonder and complexity. The best parts of the story were when the Doctor and the TARDIS were alone, wondering themselves about the incredulous nature of their circumstances. My favorite exchange:
DOCTOR:
Yes, yes, I have actually rebuilt a TARDIS before, you know. I know what I’m doing. (the DOCTOR is dragging a piece of wall by a rope)
IDRIS:
You’re like a nine-year-old trying to rebuild a motorbike in his bedroom. And you never read the instructions.
DOCTOR:
I always read the instructions!
IDRIS:
There’s a sign on my front door. You have been walking past it for 700 years. What does it say?
DOCTOR:
That’s not instructions!
IDRIS:
There’s an instruction at the bottom. What does it say?
DOCTOR:
Pull to open.
IDRIS:
Yes, and what do you do?
DOCTOR:
I push!
IDRIS:
Every single time. 700 years. Police Box doors open out the way.
DOCTOR:
(throws down the rope and walks over to her) I think I’ve earned the right to open my front doors any way I want!
IDRIS:
Your front doors?! Have you any idea how childish that sounds?
DOCTOR:
(turns away and mutters) You are not my mother!
IDRIS:
And you are not my child!
DOCTOR:
(turns around and walks back) You know, since we’re talking with mouths, not really an opportunity that comes along very often, I just want to say, you know, you (points in her face) have never been very reliable.
IDRIS:
And you have?
DOCTOR:
You didn’t always take me where I wanted to go. (walks away)
IDRIS:
No, but I always took you where you needed to go.
DOCTOR:
(stops) You did! (whirls around, happy) Look at us. Talking. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could always talk? Even when you’re inside the box?
IDRIS:
You know I’m not constructed that way. I exist across all space and time, and you talk and run around and bring home strays.
IDRIS falls but the DOCTOR catches her.
DOCTOR:
You OK?
IDRIS:
One of the kidneys has already failed. It doesn’t matter. We need to finish assembling the console.
DOCTOR:
Using a console without a proper shell. It’s not going to be safe.
IDRIS:
This body has about 18 minutes left to live. The universe we’re in will reach Absolute Zero in three hours. Safe is relative.
The other fun thing about this episode was the throwback to the earlier days of Doctor Who (which I’ve only heard of, not seen). We finally got to see more than just the main control room of the TARDIS when Amy and Rory were running through the corridors while the bad guy of the episode messed with their heads.
This episode was probably the perfect Doctor Who episode, to agree with my favorite Who blogger Kyle Anderson. It had suspense, hilarity, heartbreak, adventure, foreshadowing, romance, and above all, an understanding of the characters so deep that we miss nothing. If anyone wants to watch just one Doctor Who episode to understand why so many people love Doctor Who, this is the episode to watch.
There isn’t much to speculate on for this episode, same as The Curse of the Black Spot. We did get that hint of foreshadowing from the TARDIS about “the only water in the forest is the River,” but we already know who River is and how she relates to the Ponds.
I’ve never loved an episode of Doctor Who more. And the more I write about it, the more I love it. It’s the most beautiful hour of television I’ve ever watched, and I’d like to personally thank Neil Gaiman for allowing it to exist. The end.
