C+Q - The Caretaker (2014)
Series 8 continues to blow me away, especially after the fairly average Series 7. I went in to this episode expecting decent comedy filler that centred around the Doctor's attempts to assimilate into normal human society; basically a remake of 2010's The Lodger. What I got instead was that AND a story that greatly advanced the overarching plot of the series.
I don't think there's a single person out there who still believes that Clara has no depth. We're now six episodes in and already she's had more development than she got in all of her previous episodes across 2012 and 2013 combined. I'd go as far as to say she's now my favourite 21st century Who companion, although my favourite companion overall will never not be Sarah Jane Smith. People have complained that Clara now has too much focus, especially considering Series 8 is supposed to be introducing us to the new Doctor. Personally, I see it as a move to restore some of the original 60's mystery to the show. Back in the day we knew nothing about the Doctor, so the focus was on Ian and Barbara as they discussed the Doctor behind his back, much in the same way Danny and Clara discuss him now. Comparisons to the original TARDIS team are inevitable when watching The Caretaker. It's mainly set in Coal Hill School, first seen in An Unearthly Child in 1963 as the site where Ian, Barbara, and Susan first met. It's obvious that for the show's 51st year, Steven Moffat is attempting to draw a parallel between then and now with the introduction of a grey-haired grumpy Doctor who wears black and has a male and female teaching duo from Coal Hill School for companions. There's even an overt comparison drawn between Clara and Barbara Wright ("I used to have a teacher exactly like you once"). To complete the quartet, this story gives us a proper introduction to Courtney Woods after her brief cameos in previous stories this series, who I assume is supposed to be our new Susan. I don't know if she quite has the charm of Carole Ann Ford but so far she seems to be a capable child actor. Let's hope she doesn't become too obnoxious like the Maitland kids in Nightmare in Silver.
This episode was directed by Paul Murphy who did a fantastic job. There are some beautiful sequences, the stand-outs for me being the pre-title sequence montage of short trips and the scene in the school hall where the TARDIS is unveiled on the stage. Both moments also contain examples of Murray Gold's terrific score, with the latter reusing a great piece from the Series 5 soundtrack. It's taken a while for a distinct musical motif for the Twelfth Doctor to emerge, which I think makes for a refreshing break from the Eleventh Doctor's period, Similarly, Twelve doesn't have a catchphrase yet, although I'm sure they'll try to give him one at some point so they can put it on t-shirts and bags.
Peter Capaldi continues to amaze as the Doctor. He carries the role effortlessly and is on track to become one of my favourite versions. In the same way Tom Baker, the fourth 20th century Doctor, completely reinvented the part for a brand new audience, I predict that Peter Capaldi, the fourth 21st century Doctor (excluding War), will do exactly the same. He's entirely unlike his immediate predecessors, Tennant and Smith, who were both very hyperactive conventionally attractive young boyfriend figures. The Twelfth Doctor on the other hand has a real bite and harshness to his portrayal, and we are constantly reminded through the way he holds himself and through the writing that he's definitely not human. While he still cares about protecting people, he lacks the bedside manner of previous incarnations and keeps modern viewers on their toes after they've spent the last eight years getting used to their idea of who the Doctor should be. His performance contains traces of the First Doctor, the Fourth Doctor, the Sixth Doctor, Malcolm Tucker, and the very distinct new element of Capaldi's own unique interpretation of this role. He is utterly mesmerising to watch and I hope we'll still have his Doctor on our screens for many years to come. I don't think I'd have any objections if he managed to beat Tom Baker's 7-year record.
There are some nice subtle parallels between the characters, like the Doctor holding information from Clara and Clara holding information from Danny, both of whom see straight through their lies and comment that they're not stupid. There's also some great comedic moments based around the Doctor misunderstanding who Clara's boyfriend is, a joke set up by Clara's expectation that the Doctor should recognise Danny Pink as being related to Orson Pink from Listen, which was a very nice bit of continuity. We also got an insight in to why Clara travels with the Doctor. Despite the fact she fancied him before he regenerated, she ultimately does it not because of the Doctor, but because of the amazing things she sees and experiences. She's not in the TARDIS to become a better person or because it's a better life or even just to be with the Doctor because she thinks he's hot like many past companions have. Clara travels because she enjoys it. Because she wants to see the universe. And as we will learn a few episodes later, she can't bring herself to give it up, even when she disagrees with the Twelfth Doctor's moral code. Series 8 so far has been very good to Clara and to Moffat's representation of women in general, as there have been zero creepy flirting moments and instead we have a fully-rounded 3-dimensional companion with goals, wishes, hopes, ambitions, personality, and independence who has saved many lives (including the Doctor's, even going so far as to make him into the man he is today in episodes like The Name of the Doctor and Listen). I love Doctor Who so much right now.
The Caretaker ends with another cameo from Missy, although she doesn't have any dialogue this time. I think for this plot arc to hold my attention, there needs to be a major new development that answers some of our questions while also asking new ones. For example, Series 5 had a perfect plot arc with the cracks in time. The first crack appeared in Amy's house at the start of The Eleventh Hour and acted as a major plot point for the episode. Then, the crack went on to appear in the side of the Starship UK from The Beast Below and in the wall of Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms at the conclusion of Victory of the Daleks, which lead us to question what the cracks really were and why they seemed to be everywhere the TARDIS lands. Then, just as we were asking ourselves these questions, The Time of Angels and Flesh and Stone once again used a crack in time as a major plot element, in which we learn that they're everywhere in time and space, they're the result of an explosion, and they make "time run out". Further on in Series 5, we have Cold Blood, in which we learn that the TARDIS exploding is what will cause the cracks, which leads in to The Pandorica Opens and The Big Bang a few episodes later. We're given information slowly over time to build suspense and keep us thinking, just like in Series 3 with details about Mr Saxon, and in Series 6 with Lake Silencio and the Silence. Right now, we need a few more details about Missy. Other than the fact she has an assistant played by Chris Addison, we haven't actually learned anything new about her or the promised land since Deep Breath. It's almost impossible to come up with any theories at this point because she could literally be anyone. All we know for certain is that she has a past with the Doctor and she seems to be 'collecting' people after they die.
This episode is a great addition to the series which tells us more about Clara and Danny, advanced various themes and plot arcs for Series 8, and is overall very funny and well written. Let's hope Series 8's high standard continues (spoiler alert: it totally does).
Next: Kill the Moon