Returning after his success with The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances (2005), Steven Moffat crafts an inventive timey-wimey adventure, combining period drama with pure science fiction. The script fascinatingly shifts between the deserted spaceship and the Doctor visiting different points in Reinettes life, building up a mystery and a connection between the two. It's an early example of Moffat challenging the expectations of the viewers. This is also a fascinatingly deep episode about the Doctor as a person.
David Tennant is lovely in this story, one of his better performances. Sophia Myles is the first truly memorable guest actor in the revived series, and one of the best overall. She puts in a soft but very engaging performance.
The Doctor is both funny and touching here, ready to help a wan he barely knows even if it means he gets separated from his companions.
Mickey is now officially a part of the TARDIS team, but still a bit of a comic relief character. He's cowardly and not very useful, but luckily he has Rose by his side, as she is pretty good at getting out of trouble by now.
The Clockwork Droids are a great concept, used pretty well but perhaps not as much as could have been possible.
This is one of the better-produced stories in the early revived series. The 17th century France looks incredible, the droids look realistic and the spaceship is also pretty nice. The sad music stands out the most.
This is a slower episode, but it's well-paced nonetheless, allowing the Doctor and Reinette to connect properly, which makes the ending feel properly satisfying.
Once again, Moffat manages to craft an atmosphere that effectively combines authentic period drama with dark and creepy scenes and plenty of sharp humour. There are also slower moments and touching scenes in this story, particularly in the strange way the Doctor and Reinette connect.
This story strengthened Moffat's position as one of Nu Who's strongest and most inventive writers.
This is still one of the best stories of the revived era and one of the best Moffat has ever written. Watch it, and watch it again many times!
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:
The Doctor has fought clockwork androids before, In The Android Invasion (1976) and The Androids of Tara (1979), for instance, and will do so again in Deep Breath (2014).
Combining history with sci-fi isn't a new idea for the show. It has been done previously in Carnival of Monsters (1973) and Enlightenment (1984).
The drunken Doctor is one of the better Tenth Doctor moments, filled with quotable dialogue.
Review by Theo KallströmVIP 6BlockedParentSpoilers2020-07-19T16:30:46Z
Returning after his success with The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances (2005), Steven Moffat crafts an inventive timey-wimey adventure, combining period drama with pure science fiction. The script fascinatingly shifts between the deserted spaceship and the Doctor visiting different points in Reinettes life, building up a mystery and a connection between the two. It's an early example of Moffat challenging the expectations of the viewers. This is also a fascinatingly deep episode about the Doctor as a person.
David Tennant is lovely in this story, one of his better performances. Sophia Myles is the first truly memorable guest actor in the revived series, and one of the best overall. She puts in a soft but very engaging performance.
The Doctor is both funny and touching here, ready to help a wan he barely knows even if it means he gets separated from his companions.
Mickey is now officially a part of the TARDIS team, but still a bit of a comic relief character. He's cowardly and not very useful, but luckily he has Rose by his side, as she is pretty good at getting out of trouble by now.
The Clockwork Droids are a great concept, used pretty well but perhaps not as much as could have been possible.
This is one of the better-produced stories in the early revived series. The 17th century France looks incredible, the droids look realistic and the spaceship is also pretty nice. The sad music stands out the most.
This is a slower episode, but it's well-paced nonetheless, allowing the Doctor and Reinette to connect properly, which makes the ending feel properly satisfying.
Once again, Moffat manages to craft an atmosphere that effectively combines authentic period drama with dark and creepy scenes and plenty of sharp humour. There are also slower moments and touching scenes in this story, particularly in the strange way the Doctor and Reinette connect.
This story strengthened Moffat's position as one of Nu Who's strongest and most inventive writers.
This is still one of the best stories of the revived era and one of the best Moffat has ever written. Watch it, and watch it again many times!
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:
The Doctor has fought clockwork androids before, In The Android Invasion (1976) and The Androids of Tara (1979), for instance, and will do so again in Deep Breath (2014).
Combining history with sci-fi isn't a new idea for the show. It has been done previously in Carnival of Monsters (1973) and Enlightenment (1984).
The drunken Doctor is one of the better Tenth Doctor moments, filled with quotable dialogue.
Score: 100/120