There are some stories where there is a twist in the plot. Then there are stories where you reach the end, look back at the beginning and wonder how you got there. "It Takes You Away" sets itself up as a Nordic noir mystery and then goes to places no-one could truthfully have anticipated. The story is stuffed full of intriguing concepts, but the real success it has in its exploration of more emotional themes. The consciousness that is incompatible with the Universe, so it is rejected, to form its own cosmos is intriguing enough, but when that is combined with the themes of loneliness, the effect is potent Yas describes the Solitract as trapping people, but it is also looking for loss, which is the companion of loneliness. There is even a meditation on when love of one's marital partner and of one's child become dissonant with each other. In the Antizone, we have six-legged rats and flesh-eating moths and the disquietingly named Ribbons-of-the-Seven-Stomachs. Ed Hime’s debut script is full of great ideas and, most importantly, manages to weave them into an intriguing story. And, there's a frog.
Jamie Childs again shows he's a force to be reckoned with. The moths eating Ribbons is very close to the bone (sorry!) but, unlike "The Woman Who Fell to Earth", it does not cross the line, but will cause some healthy nightmares in younger viewers. Sharon D Clarke returns as Grace in a very assured performance, and Christian Rubeck is very effective as a father who needs to grow up a little bit more. The actor Kevin Eldon pours his unique skills into the role of Ribbons, under heavy make-up, which I hope means that we are due for another guest turn from this wonderful performer, very soon, The main guest role is Ellie Wallwork as Hanne, who is astonishing, belying the paucity of her acting CV.
The script makes good use of all the regulars, with Ryan and Yas getting good material, but it is the other two who get the lions share. Bradley Walsh is quietly astonishing as Graham, especially in his scenes with Grace. In looking at more batrachian scenes, it is the other performer who truly makes it work. Jodie Whittaker has the Doctor as brilliant and mad as ever, but it is compassion that is the driving force and it is this which makes the scene with the frog truly powerful, rather than ridiculous. The frog is something that will split viewers. Some were expecting the Solitract to manifest as Susan or River. However, that would dilute the highly emotional appearance of Grace. There are others who just find the idea of a talking frog ridiculous. I am not one of those people, as it forms part of the astonishingly varied recipe for this adventure.
"It Takes You Away" is a truly invigorating story and I look forward to more from the pen of Mr Hime!
NEXT: "The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos"
Monday 10 December 2018
Monday 3 December 2018
"The Witchfinders"
The dour pre-Civil War Stuart period in English history, particularly the Jacobean era, is a ripe setting for drama. In hindsight, it seems that the threads that bound the opulent Elizabethan era were slowly starting to unravel. Whilst this was the age of Shakespeare and Bacon, there was a growing hysteria over the imagined rise of witchcraft and it is in this setting that the Doctor and her friends find themselves.
The setting is vividly brought to life and the viewer is very quickly brought up to speed concerning the facts about witchcraft; that it was often an excuse to settle scores, that unmarried women were often the target and that village healers, invaluable in rural communities of the area, were also suspect. If there is one thing that the story really does excellently, it is to expose the rampant misogyny that allowed this hysteria to proceed unchecked. Very cleverly, the trial-by-water is conducted by ducking stool, a device used to punish gossiping women. The Doctor's new gender means that her authority is not accepted anything like as quickly as it would have been before. It is a bit of a shame that the alien threat is not more closely tied with the gender themes of the episodes, but we have had 7 episodes without an alien race wanting to invade Earth, so perhaps this well-worn route is actually welcome. Joy Wilkinson produces a very good script, although it could have done with a couple more drafts, to iron out the plot.
Of course, key to the Jacobean era is old Jake himself, James I of England (and VI of Scotland). James was a complicated figure, but, in the context of witchcraft, he was obsessed to the point of paranoia. We are treated, here, to a wonderfully ripe performance by Alan Cumming that manages to make the man likeable, despite his beliefs and actions. His flirtation with Ryan is priceless. Equally good is Siobhan Finneran as Becka Savage, the goodwife raised to the landed gentry who becomes a vessel for something alien. Tilly Steele's Willa Twiston is a wonderfully real figure, effectively played. One thing the script does well is make the Jacobean characters all sincere believers in witchcraft – whatever their other vices, hypocrisy is not among them. The Doctor has to fight for her authority even harder and Jodie Whittaker excels, nowhere better than her conversation with King James, whilst being tied up. Although the rough edges of the plot to take their toll on the role of the Doctor's 'fam', the 'very flat team structure' is as engaging as ever. Sallie Aprahamian helms a production that recreates early-Stuart England well and critically, she makes the manifestation of the aliens terrifying, especially the reanimated dead.
Although a few more drafts could have improved it critically, "The Witchfinders"is a very enjoyable adventure, dealing well with its various themes.
NEXT: "It Takes You Away"
The setting is vividly brought to life and the viewer is very quickly brought up to speed concerning the facts about witchcraft; that it was often an excuse to settle scores, that unmarried women were often the target and that village healers, invaluable in rural communities of the area, were also suspect. If there is one thing that the story really does excellently, it is to expose the rampant misogyny that allowed this hysteria to proceed unchecked. Very cleverly, the trial-by-water is conducted by ducking stool, a device used to punish gossiping women. The Doctor's new gender means that her authority is not accepted anything like as quickly as it would have been before. It is a bit of a shame that the alien threat is not more closely tied with the gender themes of the episodes, but we have had 7 episodes without an alien race wanting to invade Earth, so perhaps this well-worn route is actually welcome. Joy Wilkinson produces a very good script, although it could have done with a couple more drafts, to iron out the plot.
Of course, key to the Jacobean era is old Jake himself, James I of England (and VI of Scotland). James was a complicated figure, but, in the context of witchcraft, he was obsessed to the point of paranoia. We are treated, here, to a wonderfully ripe performance by Alan Cumming that manages to make the man likeable, despite his beliefs and actions. His flirtation with Ryan is priceless. Equally good is Siobhan Finneran as Becka Savage, the goodwife raised to the landed gentry who becomes a vessel for something alien. Tilly Steele's Willa Twiston is a wonderfully real figure, effectively played. One thing the script does well is make the Jacobean characters all sincere believers in witchcraft – whatever their other vices, hypocrisy is not among them. The Doctor has to fight for her authority even harder and Jodie Whittaker excels, nowhere better than her conversation with King James, whilst being tied up. Although the rough edges of the plot to take their toll on the role of the Doctor's 'fam', the 'very flat team structure' is as engaging as ever. Sallie Aprahamian helms a production that recreates early-Stuart England well and critically, she makes the manifestation of the aliens terrifying, especially the reanimated dead.
Although a few more drafts could have improved it critically, "The Witchfinders"is a very enjoyable adventure, dealing well with its various themes.
NEXT: "It Takes You Away"
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