Harry -
You know Sarah, a Doctor Who monster might be physically incorporeal, its master plan incoherent, and its catchphrase inane, but give me a good evil cackle and they've won my heart. So congratulations to the cackling Maureen Lipman, the best thing to come out of "The Idiot's Lantern".
Sarah -
She is hands-down the best thing in this story. Rose looks like she's on her way to a second-rate Grease audition and I can't even with the Doctor's pompadour.
Harry -
Clear evidence why he usually doesn't change his appearance to fit in wherever/whenever he travels. So focused on his hair that he botched this landing altogether. Thinking they were visiting New York in the late 50s, he and Rose instead find themselves in London the day before Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. Imagine how many overheated fan fictions must have been written to describe what was going on in the console room to cause this navigational error.
Sarah -
Please don’t ask me to imagine any of that.
Harry -
I had reasonably fond memories of this story and was dreading a disappointing rewatch, but this Mark Gatiss entry stood up well. I liked the parallel stories of the Doctor ridding the world of a monster from beyond the physical plane, while young Tommy and his mum Rita rid themselves of the monster who terrorizes their home.
Sarah -
The family’s story was the most interesting part of the story for me on this go-around. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as you. I think much of that is down to the ending and the Doctor and Rose. Early on in the episode, my daughter asked, “Are they flirting?” I could only respond, “That’s what they do.”
Harry -
I willfully ignore that stuff.
Sarah -
You are a better person than I.
Harry -
It starts innocently enough, with the Doctor and Rose putting around a typical north London neighbourhood. They pull up by a van from Magpie Electricals - a new TV delivery for some lucky family. Turns out, the whole neighbourhood is in luck, as Magpie is selling the units for five quid each. Rose notices aerials on every rooftop as proof.
Sarah -
The aerials that looked like swastikas should have been the first hint that something was amiss! This is the first appearance of Magpie, which will apparently diversify and extend its reach well into the future.
Harry -
A cry for help draws everyone's attention to the Gallagher residence, where a blanket-covered figure is being bundled into a dark van and driven off. Tommy the neighbour kid runs out to intervene, but to no avail. He begins telling the Doctor that people have been turning into monsters, but his stern dad hauls him back inside. After a failed pursuit, the Doctor is struck by the grim scene he and Rose have just witnessed: "Men in black? Vanishing police cars? This is Churchill's England, not Stalin's Russia."
Sarah -
Poor Tommy Connolly, the kid with the worst father on the block.
Harry -
A lot of the Connolly family story felt like it was coming from Gatiss' personal life, maybe right down to the dad's angry phrases.
Sarah -
Oh, I hope that's not the case!
Harry -
The family is not immune to the infection that has been spreading around the neighbourhood. Poor Gran is confined to her room upstairs. When the Doctor and Rose return for a "spot inspection", they bulldoze their way upstairs to find the old woman a faceless walking husk. Soon we learn that not only is the dad a bullying tyrant, but he's also a cowardly collaborator. Police burst into the home and seize gran away. This time the Doctor sets off in closer pursuit.
Sarah -
The whole “spot inspection” scene was amusing, as the Doctor tricked Eddie into doing housework by citing the Queen as an example. And Rose calling him on on the proper use of Union Jack and Union Flag, which she knows because Jackie dated a sailor.
Harry -
The Doctor finds the holding area where all the "faceless ones" have been confined. Dozens of people penned in, like something out of a Stalinesque labour camp. Soon, Rose will join them. She paid a visit to Magpie's shop for a look around, found herself confronted by the Wire, and zapped into television oblivion.
Sarah -
Rose is in proper companion mode in this story. Having noticed the Magpie sticker on the back of the Connolly’s television, she sets off to investigate. Her face-off with Magpie is Rose at her best. Unfortunately, the confrontation ends, well, with Rose’s face off. (I’m so sorry for doing that. Sort of.)
The whole faceless thing is super-creepy and very effective. The pen of faceless people seems nefarious, but it turns out the police are just overwhelmed and don’t know what to do other than put the faceless victims in a pen to keep them safe. (Side note, I laughed out loud when Bishop referred to them as, “sans visage.”) The Doctor convinces DI Bishop that he can help and the situation becomes more urgent when Rose is added to the pen.
Bishop, the Doctor, and Tommy confront the Wire at Magpie’s shop, only to have their faces sucked. The Doctor waves his magic sonic screwdriver around, causing the Wire to release them. Unfortunately, it’s too late for Bishop. The Doctor and Magpie team up to defeat the Wire, which involves a dramatic-ish climb up a TV tower.
Harry -
By this point it felt like the story was going around in circles and the showdown on the tower dragged, no matter how many cutesy pop culture references the Doctor could throw out.
Sarah -
It was almost a relief when Magpie was killed by the Wire, while the Doctor trapped the Wire on a Betamax tape. Having dispensed with the threat by using future obsolete technology, the day is saved and everyone gets their faces back. Hooray!
Harry -
Trapped inside a piece of pop culture junk. That's just about right.
Sarah -
It's the perfect ending. Meanwhile, it’s time for a street party to celebrate the coronation. Hooray! But wait, who is that being tossed out of his house? Why, it’s Mr. Connolly. Hooray! Tommy’s relieved to see his bullying jerk dad heading down the street, until Rose intervenes. Ms. Daddy Issues sends Tommy after his father:
ROSE: Tommy, go after him.
TOMMY: What for?
ROSE: He's your dad.
TOMMY: He's an idiot.
ROSE: Of course he is. Like I said, he's your dad. But you're clever. Clever enough to save the world, so don't stop there. Go on.
I’m all about working towards forgiveness, but this ending really irritated me. Tommy wasn’t the only person to have been abused by his father -- and his mother no doubt got the worst of it. Eddie needs to spend some time thinking about what he’s done and sending Tommy after him completely undercuts Rita, who finally found the strength to confront her abuser. This shouldn’t be a surprise in the RTD era, which is pretty much built around the shaming and blaming of mothers in general. The ending left me irritated with the story and even more dissatisfied with this season in general.
Harry -
I hated that they sent Tommy running after his dad. I could already imagine the cutting remarks that Mr. Connolly would start muttering to his no doubt "thankless boy". A brilliant moment of strength by Tommy and Rita, destined to fizzle out as Connolly goes right back to manipulating them again. Can totally see it happening, sadly.
Sarah -
I’m hoping the upcoming two-parter will help improve my current attitude.
Harry -
If that doesn't, at least we have our parallel Blake's 7 marathon to raise our spirits in 2018!
Sarah -
Sorry, Tenth Doctor, you just can't compete with Blake and Co. right now.
Best Line:
“You don't get it, do you? You fought against fascism, remember? People telling you how to live, who you could be friends with, who you could fall in love with, who could live and who had to die. Don't you get it? You were fighting so that little twerps like me could do what we want, say what we want. Now you've become just like them. You've been informing on everyone, haven't you? Even Gran. All to protect your precious reputation."
Favorite Moment: Mr. Connolly being tricked into doing housework.
Lasting Image: Faceless Rose on TV
4/10
Harry -
Best Line:
BISHOP: Start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know.
DOCTOR: Well, for starters, I know you can't wrap your hand around your elbow and make your fingers meet.
Favourite Moment: every time someone tore a strip off Mr. Connolly.
Lasting Image (and lasting sound): the cackling Wire.
5/10
Our marathon continues with Story #174: The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit.
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