Review: Dark Water

Doctor Who. There are only (realistically) two posts I can potentially make about Doctor Who until Christmas; now there's a spur to post if ever there was one. So...DARK WATER.

WARNING- SPOILERS.

Part one of the epic two part finale of Series 8, Dark Water, has certainly grabbed people's attention. Theories galore abounded as to the identity of the mysterious Missy (is she the Master?), Clara's relationship with the Doctor (is she the Master?) and the true nature of the references to 'paradise' (is the Master involved at all perhaps?).

Firstly, three things to love about this episode:

1) TWO PARTER

Two parters, I have missed you. We haven't had a good old fashioned cliffhanger since The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People in 2011. In some cases I feel episodes have been weakened by the attempt to cram too many story strands into 45 minutes, and finales in particular have suffered from this. Dark Water has room to breathe, with most of the episode being a set up for the next episode, Death in Heaven which appears to carry the weight of most of the action. This being said, there is enough meat in this episode; Danny's death, Clara's grief, the 'revelations' about the Nethersphere and white noise, the arrival of the Cybermen, Missy's reveal... Death in Heaven will need an hour to tie everything up, in addition to introducing UNIT.

2) CLARA

Wasn't Jenna Coleman FAN-TAS-TIC in this episode?! For so long I wanted to like Clara more than I actually did. At first she felt like a plot point mystery rather than a legitimate character, and then she flirted with the dangerous realms of the hatefully perfect. Now however she has some beautifully human flaws that we can actually get on board with. She lies. Oh, how she may criticise the Doctor but perhaps she should first look at the plank in her own eye. Her choice in boyfriends is iffy; Danny handsome but man is he controlling. Clara needs to respond to all this 'I know what's best for you' lark with 'Look, I know you want what's best for me, okay, but I can look after myself. I was a dalek once you know.' More importantly, we can see the truth of the previously self claimed control freak-ery.

Depicted: A better threat than most enemies manage with decades of  planning

The scene in which Clara threatens the Doctor is so brilliantly performed; you really believe in her grief, the spiteful pride that would rather see them both stranded than have to back down, and ultimately her guilt for her behaviour. Jenna Coleman proved she has the ability to really push Clara out of the average and into the phenomenal.  Let's hope she stays now that Clara is really developing as a character.

Her relationship with the Doctor is proving to be one of the most interesting and challenging in companion history. This is ultimately what most of us would become if we travelled with the Doctor; we'd feel like the world owed us something, and we'd be only be able to think the death of a loved one as 'boring' after the glut of things experienced after travelling in the TARDIS.  Capaldi's Doctor also teases us with a softer side to his character; his line "Do you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make any difference?" was both reassuring but characteristically direct. You can just imagine 10 looking at her with melting eyes, or 11 softening his voice and saying 'oh Clara, my Clara' as they said this. Capaldi's Doctor on the other hand genuinely expects her to know how he feels, rather than having to spell it out.

On a side note (literally): one of the post-its stuck to Clara's wall said '3 months'. Is she pregnant? This would fit with Orson Pink (Listen) but man, that is dark.


3) MISSY

Oh, Missy. Missy Missy Missy. We all thought we knew who you were. But surely, Missy = Mistress = Master was too obvious, but there it was, hidden in plain sight. And let's be honest, we would have been disappointed any other way.

No one will believe me, but when the topic of the casting of the 12th Doctor was on the horizon, there was much talk of the possibility of a female taking over the role. I was unsure, as I think it'd have to been written very specifically i.e. it NOT made a big thing out, for it work. I did however add a caveat; 'if I was writing for the show, I'd make the Master female. How great would that be!' When asked who I'd want to cast, I made a short list, including (I swear this is completely true), Michelle Gomez. Then lo and behold; Missy!

I've seen Michelle Gomez exercising her slightly scary comedic chops as Sue White in Green Wing.  I've also had the great privilege to see her on stage at the RSC as one of my all time favourite characters, Katherina Minola in The Taming of the Shrew. She's got a commanding presence, sass, comic timing and a strangely attractive allure. She is the ideal woman to be the Master. She doesn't feel like a gimmick, whereas say, casting a younger, more traditionally attractive woman, such as Alexandra Moen who played Lucy Saxon (the Master's wife in The Sound of Drums/Last of the Timelords) could have felt a little gratuitous, a 'sexing up' of the role. As it is, I feel completely sold on a female Master, she's fabulous. I'm looking forward to a bit of explanation as to which regeneration this is, and whether she has come from Gallifrey.

I'm also not adverse to a bit of lip-locking with the Doctor either. There has always been this love/hate relationship between the Doctor and the Master, and a lot of history between them. I am au fait with a touch of sexual tension, as long as it stays on the side of Master. I can't see Capaldi's Doctor getting into that.


Other thoughts:

What a start to the episode. I knew Danny was going to get run over as soon as Clara said 'I love you.' It was pretty much a death sentence considering the title of the next episode. On the other hand, it was a brilliant pre-credits sequence, and deftly directed.

I won't go into detail about the Cybermen, as I feel we'll be seeing more of them in the next episode, except to say: what an entrance. I saw it coming as soon as they said that the dark water only shows organic matter, but that didn't stop the thrill of seeing those skeletons rise out of the tanks as Cybermen. Although imagine if they'd been able to keep their inclusion secret...that would have been a terrific reveal.

The white noise...ah. Now this was somewhat problematic. I can't ignore the fact that if you have had a bereavement recently then the whole 'consciousness after death' concept is somewhat troubling. 'Don't cremate me' is EXTREMELY effective for adults in producing chills, but I hope that Death in Heaven proves that this isn't the 'actual' case as it were, in universe. Children in particular need reassuring; it'd be simple enough to say that it was propaganda by Missy in order to ensure there are plenty of bodies for her Cyber Army. I await how this progresses, and hope that they emphasise that this is NOT the definitive 'afterlife'. Perhaps even only one where they recruit ex-soldiers to become Cybermen?

Dark Water raises many questions, but fortunately it has you begging for answers, which I await impatiently within Death in Heaven.