Who Review: Night Terrors

Mark Gatiss, who brought us The Unquiet Dead, The Idiot’s Lantern, and Victory of the Daleks (as well as being Steven Moffat’s collaborator in Sherlock, their awesome modern rendition of Conan Doyle’s famous character), gives us a creepy tale of nightmares, dolls, and a shape-shifting alien set on a present day council estate.

This was a well-written episode, with lots of good one-liners, as well as fodder for the fans (“Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday,” “The Emperor Daleks New Clothes”). We (my family and I) laughed at the reference to “Eastenders land.” If you don’t get it… too long to explain. Look up “Eastenders” on Wikipedia, but it’s funnier for those who are a little more acquainted with this long-running Brit soap.

I admit that I figured out pretty quickly what was going on with Rory and Amy when they emerged from the elevator (copper pot made of wood, etc.), but I don’t think this detracted from the story. And that for me is the hallmark of a good story–even when you catch on to what’s happening, you stay with it because you’re enjoying seeing the story unfold. Isn’t that what made Columbo great, despite the fact you were always told who the murderer was? With this story, however, I didn’t see the explanation and resolution coming. That was a little out of left field, but not implausible within the Whoniverse (the world of Doctor Who).

Matt Smith’s Doctor has certainly taken on a personality of his own, quite distinct even from his predecessor. Like his predecessor, this Doctor has a tendency to ramble, but there’s an awkward nervousness to this Doctor’s rambling that I didn’t pick up on with the Tenth Doctor. The Eleventh Doctor also seems more uncomfortable around people than the Tenth–not shy, but I get a sense that he’s operating on a totally different plane from humans and he knows it. All of these aspects of the Doctor’s character were, I think, on show in this story. Among the nice character touches was the greeting he gave to Alex’s wife (partner?), Claire. I recall a previous episode where he did something similar, asking “is this the custom now?” or something like that. I’m sure commenters can jog my memory.

In short, good fun, good story, with enough creeps and twists to keep it interesting.