The Eleventh Doctor interrupts some Pizza, Booze, Telly in this incredibly polarising episode of NewWho
Doc investigates trouble at mill and gets marinated by a prehistoric leech in a Yorkshire red light district
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In this, the 100th episode of New Who since the Doctor Who revival in 2005, the Doctor is at first nowhere to be seen. In Victorian Yorkshire, people are turning up red and dead in what at least one charismatic coroner is calling “The Crimson Horror”.
When an optogram taken of one of these poor red devils makes its way to the greatest detective in London, Madame Vastra, and she sees the face of The Eleventh Doctor in it, the Paternoster Gang knows it’s time to head North.
Mrs Gillyflower, meanwhile, is preparing to Moonraker and is recruiting 19th century tyke supermodels to join her cult collective in Sweetville. Sadly, although her blind daughter wants to be part of the catwalk crew, Moma Gillyflower doesn’t see eye to eye with her.
From the outside, of course, Sweetville has the pretence of offering a wonderful chance of a new life in the same vein as a certain confectionary philanthropist. But why is everyone who ever enters Sweetville never seen or heard from again? Who is Mr Sweet? And what’s all the red gloop all about? Perhaps the Doctor will turn up after all and assist in cracking this case.
Things I Liked:
– Strax.
– Jenny and lizard lady – more episodes with the Baader Mienhof gang, please.
– Thomas Thomas.
– “I’m the Doctor and you’re nuts”.
– Evil Mrs Peel.
– Vaudeville penny dreadful stuff. The creepiest Victorian horror-outing since the Seventh Doctor story Ghostlight
– Ye olde flashback. Retcon: should have been a full-on silent movie, with written dialogue.
– The guy that keeps fainting.
– Mostly, everything, mostly.
Beefs:
– I was teased and cheated with Mr Sweet, believing awesome Seventh Doctor villain, the Kandyman, was about to make its long-awaited return. Sadly, it was just a bug.
– Oh, I’m so excited two kids will be joining for the next adventure. I’m sure they won’t ruin the episode, no sireee. Bootleg Who Back When vodka on standby, please.
Summary: Wow. Yet, so sad we are only getting these crackers in the twilight of the 11th!
4.6/5 zombie people dunked in red gloop and creepily preserved in glass domes, or something.
Hey folks. Here, have a collection of the things I said out loud while watching this episode:
She probably should have said ‘I’m a lesbian’ right away so he wouldn’t have to faint twice.
Ohhh Strax…
Jenny voord hides in the factory.
Ahhhh! I hope Matt Smith didn’t pop his jaw for this scene.
Cure anything with that magic wand of his.
Jennie’s a lesbian you DOLT
They go in but never come out? Are they vampires again? Oh nope.
Ok how does he eat that food she gives him if his mouth doesn’t close?
Horse! You have failed in your mission!
Oh that’s right Clara has a musical theme!
Can we talk AFTER escaping the factory?
Ah yes time to play my organ maniacally.
Oh shit Mr Sweet is a weird leech man?
Oh it’s a rewrite society dealio.
Ok well balanced tension and climax. Hey this is actually a pretty good episode.
Rating:
Wait so Vastra’s just going to keep that vat of poison?
The Victorian man fainting dead away at the sight of Vastra made me giggle aloud. The second time it happened I just smiled, and the third… I just stared blankly at him.
I liked Ada, I love that Strax has been eating the jelly sherbet fancies again, I love the pipe organ secret door, and that Vastra and Jenny have not seen the Doctor since he gained the newest Clara.
But… the leech is gross.
I have a question. One of the pictures the kids show Clara at the end is of the Doctor, Clara, and the two characters from the Hide episode. Who took the picture? The creature? The TARDIS?
The blackmail at the end wasn’t terribly well thought out. I mean… so the kids show their dad the pictures and claim Clara’s a time-traveler. Either the dad believes them (terribly unlikely), or he just dismisses it as some profoundly bizarre coincidence. Either way, I’m not sure Clara would suffer much in the way of consequences.
4.3 out of 5 Victorian dresses, because I love them so dearly. Though the Doctor Who creators seem to think dressing in black was normal for a Victorian woman. Victorian women perceived black to be the color of mourning, and ugly, and would only wear it when in mourning. I… read a lot of novels written in the 1800s when growing up.
Congratulations on the 100th New Who WBW episode! You’re always fun to listen to!
Was the other Moonraker none of you could remember Luke Rattigan’s plot in The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky?
Ooooh, very possibly! Bravo, Sir.