Doctor Who EP 7.09: Hide

WOAH LONG TIME NO SEE! Well actually I don't see you per se because you're apart of my invisible audience but it is not the time to start talking about these technical issues is it? You want all the Doctor Who reviews before I watch the finale don't you? I'm glad you just said yes because that's what I'm going to try and do like right now. Obviously don't read on if you don't like spoilers.

the doctor was actually afraid and this is important to me. caps from here

Episode Summary: The Doctor and Clara travel to 1974 to visit a well-known psychic and a war veteran with a ghost problem. And a monster problem. And the ghost isn't actually a ghost. And the Doctor actually came here to ask the psychic a few questions about Clara. And the Doctor also plays cupid. It's really good.

I was hooked from the start of this episode, and while I'd say that the first half may have been stronger than the second half, it was excellent and I loved it. I would like to thank the writer for not having the characters ask the  "Doctor who?" question when the Doctor introduced himself and Clara to Alec Palmer and Emma Grayling. "I'm the Doctor." "Doctor what?" "If you like." THANK YOU.

but she's definitely not afraid here she's feeling awesome

Clara is afraid. She may be trying to hide it from the Doctor and the people she meets but she is afraid and it's so refreshing to see how she reacts differently to some of the previous companions, that wandered off as soon as they got the chance. When the Doctor asks her to come with him and search the ~spooky~ house for the ghost, unlike other companions, she doesn't even want to because the actual idea that someone who might be dead is screeching through the hallways is terrifying. 

The Doctor is afraid. We don't get to see the Doctor show fear very often but when he's stuck in a pocket universe with no TARDIS, and no other devices to help him get back, it's fair enough that he was afraid. Oh and he was being chased by an unknown creature as well. So there's that. But what I loved about this creature, is that for most of the episode we believe that it's this terrifying monster that wants to kill the Doctor, and then it's revealed that it was actually chasing the Doctor because it was looking for a way home, back to its partner inside the spooky house. It was just nice to have a so-called monster not looking to take over the world, or destroy earth, or destroy the Doctor, but to get back to it's loved one.

just hanging out looking at the Doctor's selfies lol txt it

The parallels between the Doctor and Alec were also apparent, particularly in the following scene:

Doctor: "How does that man, that war hero, end up here in a lonely old house looking for ghosts?"

Alec: "Because I killed... and I caused to have killed... I sent young men and women to their deaths... but here I am, still alive, and... it does tend to haunt you. Living, after so much of... the other thing."

Other things I'd like to talk about but there is not enough time or space:

• Doctor: "Every lonely monster needs a companion" - even though he's talking about the creature in the woods, it is also very applicable to the Doctor.
• The TARDIS/Clara relationship is excellent and I can't wait to see what else happens because the whole thing is hilarious.
• CLARA SAVED THE DOCTOR!
• So the woman who everyone thought was a ghost, but was actually a time traveller in a pocket universe was a really clever idea BUT ARE WE NOT GOING TO DISCUSS THIS? She seems to have just been a plot point but there is so much I'd like to know about ANOTHER TIME TRAVELLER - so for me this was definitely one of the biggest downfalls of the episode. Why would the writers not want to discuss this further?

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