"The Girl in the Fireplace"

After "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances", fans eagerly looked forward to what Steven Moffat would come up with next and he certainly didn’t disappoint. Moffat tells the tale of a spacecraft in the 51st Century that contains ‘time windows’ that lead to various stages in the life of one woman- Jeanne-Antoinette ‘Reinette’ Poisson, better known as ‘Madame de Pompadour’. For some reason, the maintenance robots on the ship need her head- but only when she is ‘complete’. This is a story where the Doctor fights the monsters and wins, but it is also the story of a woman who has loved the Doctor her entire life and the Doctor’s deepening feelings for her, despite the fact that, from his perspective, he has known her for only a few hours. This can be seen as an illustration of the Doctor’s view of his human companions in "School Reunion"- Reinette grows from childhood to youth to middle age in front of our eyes, as well as the Doctor’s. Moffatt’s writing of the relationship between Reinette and the Doctor is as excellent as you would expect from the writer of Press Gang and Joking Apart. For her, the Doctor is prepared to do something he has never done before- being stranded for the rest of his life on one time and place and, crucially, we are prepared to believe he will do so. Reinette comes to life magnificently via Moffat’s pen, highlighting her intelligence, wit and irresistible je ne sais quoi with some choice lines- her description of her trans-temporal relationship with the Doctor is sublime writing. There is also the wonderful scene where she uses the Doctor’s telepathic technique to look inside his head. Moffat, being Moffat, also includes some brilliantly funny lines that somehow work hand-in-hand with the horror aspects. Moffat also makes the sci-fi aspects work magnificently, with intriguing concepts like the clockwork robots and their gristly repair plan. Like "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances", there is no villain, just an automated system that has followed its program a bit too literally.

Euros Lyn commands a sumptuously triumphant production. The period detail for 17th century France is phenomenal and the grimy spacecraft is equally successful and Lyn manages to make them both work together magnificently- sometimes within the same shot (the linked sets are a very bold and eminently successful move) with beauty and futuristic squalor being juxtaposed perfectly. There are a multitude of memorable scenes- showpieces like the monster under the bed, the attack on Versailles and the wondrous scene where the Doctor bursts through the mirror on horseback work wonderfully, but there are also quieter scenes such as Rose and Mickey waiting on the other side of the broken mirror, which work just as well.

The performances are sublime, but the key guest role is Madame de Pompadour herself, played to perfection by the very talented and very beautiful Sophia Myles. David Tennant is outstanding as the Doctor, combining the humorous heroics that we associate with the character with something more tender. Piper and Clarke are in more in the background, but they do not slacken, by any means. A special mention must be given to Arthur the horse- the bit where the Doctor tells him to stop is one of the best pieces of animal acting I’ve seen!

I have said before that, although plot is important, it is not the only important part of the story and, in certain cases, other factors should take precedence. "The Girl in the Fireplace" contains an intriguing plot that would work well on its own, but, more importantly, it deals with the question of what an immortal loving a mortal must feel like. This is why, when we find out the reason for the robots’ interest in Madame de Pompadour, it does not feel like a massive twist ending, but an ironic coda in an ultimately tragic story, as the episode ends on a note of subdued and beautiful melancholy that hasn’t been seen since The Green Death. This is one of the most moving, intriguing and beautiful stories ever to be broadcast under the Doctor Who banner.

NEXT: "Rise of the Cybermen"/"The Age of Steel"