It Takes You Away

It starts out with a mystery. There's a twist, then another twist. Then the bigger picture is revealed, which is...out of this world. For Sci-Fi to work it has to be believable and grand in its outlook, even if it's almost certainly nonsense, and this episode did that for me. I've really gotten into Sci-Fi books in recent years and this reminded me of Stanislaw Lem's Solaris in its concept, but with a far more satisfactory conclusion! It had just the right amounts of strangeness, humanity, and wonder to make this my favourite of the series so far.

Nearing the end of a truly disappointing under-scripted, overacted and patronising season we have finally got an episode worthy of Doctor Who.

This is the first story that doesn't smash you over the head with a PC bat (if you don't count the central character being a blind girl - maybe you should count that) and the story is clever, at times moving as it is dark. We have a parallel universe, an ominous nether world and a talking frog - great stuff. So we can forgive the daft flesh-eating giant moths that looked like they were made by a reception class.

There is a genuinely touching side story with Graham, and Bradley Walsh continues to pleasantly surprise us with his subtle delivery and he remains the standout character of the season. Whittaker, not known for her subtlety thus far, gives her most rounded performance to date. Her delivery is still at times too CBeebies but there are certainly moments of command and better timing, with bouts of sternness defused by a witty aside in classic Doctor Who fashion. And I'm happy to report there are no over-the-top physical gestures or inane mugging.

Let's not be clouded by nostalgia. I watched some old Tenant episodes recently and the stories and ropey aliens were at times dreadful - but even with a bad episode Tenant would pull it round with his charisma and delivery. Whittaker doesn't have the natural screen-presence of Smith or Tenant so she lives and dies by the quality of the writing, which has been on the whole wince-inducing this season. This episode though, has suggested that with a decent story and script, Whittaker has the talent to produce a Doctor we just may end up punching the air for.

They are coming to take me away, my addled mind can no longer allay, these flesh eating moths, oratorical frogs, a sanatorium the safest place to stay.

But still a disappointment with the continued bad writing for this series.

At last. Everything worked. You cared about the Tardis gang. The guest characters were relatable. There was a sustained sense of fear and threat. Even the Zygons had a (brief) mention. Everything wrapped up satisfactorily. Maybe still too much sonic / wand sub-HarryPotter mumbo jumbo but with this level of quality drama prepared to forgive. More please.