C+Q - Mummy on the Orient Express (2014)
I was so disappointed that Doctor Who's 2010 Christmas special wasn't about "an Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express...in space", as promised by the end of The Big Bang. Maybe it was naive of me to think such an off-the-wall phone call was actually an allusion to a real future episode. Then again, here we are one regeneration later having just seen Mummy on the Orient Express.
The second of two episodes written by Jamie Mathieson this year (although the first to appear on television), this is basically everything I could ask for from a Doctor Who story. It's a fast-paced fun sci-fi adventure in a unique location with compelling characters and a creative villain that also manages to move along the overall overall plot of the series. It's kind of a mix between a base-under-siege and a slasher film due to the creature, the beautifully realised mummy, already being in the base. The idea of having a monster that can only be seen by its next victim 66 seconds before it kills them is unique but simple to understand, and the timer that appears in the corner of the screen whenever the Doctor starts the clock really adds to the tension. The first time it appears, you have no idea what will happen when it hits zero. This pre-title sequence is simple but it tells you all you need to know about the threat without having to state it verbally as well as introducing the setting of the Orient Express as it flies through space. It's a great image and something that could only be accomplished by Doctor Who. Shots like that are so barmy and magical and are indicative of the show's winning combination of scientific curiosity and childlike wonder as sci-fi meets fantasy.
The main strength of this episode is the ensemble cast. Everyone works well together and helps to really sell the threat. Peter Capaldi has his best episode yet as the Doctor and the little moments like when he just stands there leaning against the table while Maisie calls him a liar, or when he casually offers Professor Moorhouse a jelly baby out of a cigarette case, really make his performance stand out. There's a lot more Tom Baker and Jon Pertwee in his Doctor here than usual, but with a unique Capaldi spin that helps to build our impression of the new Doctor and define how completely different he is from his immediate predecessors. His apparently cold and cruel attitude to death is explored in this episode and is partially explained, however I can't help but feel there's a line between being amoral and immoral. The Twelfth Doctor claims to hide his emotions so he can better save those who are still alive but there are times when he seems to act more with malice than any hidden compassion. I hope this development is expanded on some day, along with his new hatred of soldiers which didn't seem to be a problem for him when he was UNIT's scientific advisor. The Tenth Doctor hated guns but now The Twelfth Doctor seems to hate the people who hold them, and unless there's an explanation (I've now seen how Series 8 ends now and there really isn't one despite the theme of soldiers playing a part in Death in Heaven), the whole thing seems like a step out of character given that one of his closest friends is mainly known by his rank as brigadier.
Jenna Coleman continues to impress as Clara, who's been given a lot more development this year. She's really benefitted from having a second run of episodes, as it allows the writers it see Jenna Coleman's performance and use it as a foundation to be built upon. This has really been the year I've fallen in love with her character and I sincerely hope she appears in Series 9 (although after watching Series 8's finale, it seems highly unlikely).
Frank Skinner is great as Perkins and manages to take what could easily have descended into a comic relief sidekick and, along with Mathieson's writing, give him a slightly sinister edge which keeps us guessing how much he really knows. I didn't really believe that he'd built up such a rapport with the Doctor that he would be invited on board the TARDIS as a companion, but it was still a nice scene that was probably intended more as a gift to Frank Skinner who is a known Doctor Who fan, so good for him. Daisy Beaumont as Maisie was also wonderful to watch and given a surprising amount of depth for a character who was ultimately there to make us feel sorry for her and push the Doctor into action at the end. The real star of this week's supporting cast however was easily Christopher Villiers who, especially during his death scene, made Moorhouse seem so genuine and normal in stark contrast to his fantastical surroundings and the seemingly supernatural threat which he faced, grounding the situation more in reality. Unlike a typical slasher movie where there are always characters designed specifically to annoy the audience and give them a sense of satisfaction when they are brutally murdered, Mummy on the Orient Express makes you care about everyone and really fear for their safety.
For me, Mummy on the Orient Express is one of the highlights of Series 8. It has great characters, a whimsical setting, and a creative monster with a strong human moral dilemma at its core and just smart writing overall. I'd like to see Jamie Mathieson return to the show next year as I can definitely see him becoming showrunner material.
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