C+Q - The Crimson Horror (2013)

One of the things I love the most about the Paternoster Gang is that they bring with them Victorian London as a recurring setting. Despite the Doctor's ability to travel anywhere in space and time, 21st century London is still the Doctor's default home, mainly due to his contemporary human companions. The Paternoster Gang however adds some diversity to the Doctor's companions by not only having two of its three members being a Silurian and a Sontaran, but also by being based in a different time zone which means we finally have a recurring location in Doctor Who that's a bit more exotic than everyday Earth (which incidentally is why I'm so pumped up for the return of Gallifrey). They make the Doctor's universe seem more vast and complex, as it should be rather than revolving entirely around modern humans.

This episode is (perhaps unintentionally) a disguised pilot for a Paternoster spin-off, with the Doctor not actually showing up until about 14 minutes in. It's hard not to want a spin-off after watching this. Vastra, Jenny, and Strax work really well together and demonstrate that they're all perfectly capable of carrying an adventure on their own. Out of their five episodes (A Good Man Goes to War, The Snowmen, The Crimson Horror, The Name of the Doctor, and Deep Breath), this is by far their best appearance. The relationship between the characters seems a lot closer and they're all too distracted by the task at hand to be reduced to comic relief stereotypes. On the subject of great characters, Dame Diana Rigg as Mrs Gillyflower and Rachael Stirling as Ada were both brilliant and Ada in particular has real potential to make a return if a spin-off were to happen.

Mark Gatiss' Series 7 Part 2 output really plays to his strengths. Following on from Cold War, here we have yet another historical story with a stunning attention to period detail, an atmosphere you could cut a knife through, and the tone of a camp 70s horror movie. If I want a standalone historical adventure set on Earth where the setting is the star, I know I can rely on Gatiss to do his research and create a really fun script (The Unquiet Dead, The Idiot's Lantern, Victory of the Daleks, Cold War, Robot of Sherwood). Gatiss' love of Sherlock Holmes and horror movies really enhances this episode and gives it a unique aesthetic from the other episodes in the run, adding some variety and mixing up the series a bit. It's a very well-written episode with lots of memorable characters and some wonderful moments, like the amazing Thomas Thomas gag.

The Crimson Horror is a fun adventure through a beautifully realised Victorian England with a good sense of humour, really strong characterisation, and a pretty original plot. You could almost argue that The Crimson Horror is New Who's only 'pure historical' adventure due to the main villain of the piece being an ordinary human. Mr Sweet just enables her to fulfil her own evil plans. It's a fun little adventure that successfully sets up the Paternoster Gang for their return in The Name of the Doctor and also sets up the Maitland kids for their appearance in next week's Cyberman story.