Sometimes we forget that
for small children (and those of us that are still small children at
heart) Doctor Who can be truly terrifying. Then an episode
like “Hide” comes along to remind us of the terrible things that
go bump in the night.
In “Hide” the Doctor
(Matt Smith) takes Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) back to 1974 where
Professor Alec Palmer (Dougray Scott) and his assistant, Emma
Grayling (Jessica Raine) are trying to collect photo evidence of a
ghost known as the Witch of the Well. Both the Doctor and Clara are
skeptical but there’s a specter and cold spots and psychic empath
Emma Grayling is sure there is someone there. There is also something
incredibly creepy hidden in the shadows.
To gather evidence the
Doctor goes on a trip through time. Take a photo on the same spot
throughout earth’s life cycle – upsetting Clara with his
ambivalence to the decaying earth. The Doctor realizes that it is
not a ghost but a timer traveler named Hila Tukurian (Kemi-Bo Jacobs)
who is stuck in a pocket dimension. The Doctor uses Emma’s psychic
ability to cross into the pocket dimension, Hila makes it back but
the doorway closes leaving the Doctor trapped.
Emma risks death to open
the gateway again and Clara enlists the help of a rather reluctant
TARDIS to drag the Doctor back to our reality. It’s happily ever
after as Professor Palmer has finally admitted his feeling for Emma
and it turns out Hila is actually one of their decedents. The Doctor
is waxing lyrical about love and summing up the episodes lessons when
he realizes that there was a second creature. This is not a horror
story, it’s love story. The Doctor travels back to the pocket
dimension one final time to pick up the creature and reunite him with
his lover.
This episode was scary,
I’m not ashamed that I was hiding behind the couch at one stage
while watching. Doctor Who has always been good at tapping
into those fundamental fears that have affected everyone at some
stage and “Hide” is a perfect example of this. The suspense is
masterfully done and perfectly intercut with Matt Smith’s brilliant
physical comedy. The love story between Emma and Professor Palmer is
a little forced but it fits with the overall theme of the episode so
it’s easily forgiven.
Possibly the best part of
the episode is the interaction between Clara and “Sexy” (also
known as the TARDIS). Clara has hinted in previous episodes that the
TARDIS doesn’t like her but until now it seemed like one-sided
paranoia. I’ve made the secret of the fact that I have not warmed
to Clara and I am still not in love with her but if we see more
interaction between her and the TARDIS I might be converted.
Next week we see more of
the TARDIS than we have ever seen before (here’s hoping for more
Clara/TARDIS fun).
Review by Yvonne
Popplewell
0 comments:
Post a Comment