PART 2 of 2
Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Euros Lyn
“Everybody knows that everybody dies. But not every day…not this day. Some days are special. Some days are so, so blessed. Some days nobody dies at all. Now and then…and once in a very long while, every day in a million days, when the wind stands fair and the Doctor comes to call…everybody lives.”
Russell T. Davies’ problem every year is this: how do you top last year’s season finale?
Steven Moffat has a different problem: how do you top…well…Steven Moffat?
How on earth do you follow up something as magnificent as Silence in the Library, with anything that isn’t Silence in the Library?
Well, you give the world Forest of the Dead…and, in doing so, I get my new favourite episode…ever!
I’m not sure how to describe how powerfully it felt - watching this magnificence — to have my breath not only taken away, but ripped violently out of my body. I watched this without any awareness of the rest of the world around me. Captivated isn’t a decent enough description.
Where to begin? Let’s start with the story of the little girl who IS the computer: CAL. First of all, she watches Doctor Who on television - and reacts with the smiles, squeals, tears, and screams most of us experienced at her age. She even hides behind her pillow! This isn’t simply breaking the fourth wall…it’s twisting it into multiple pocket dimensions, then feeding it back to us, as if we’re watching ourselves.
But the brilliance also lies in the fact that she starts reacting AS the confused, frightened little girl she is, and NOT a computer She lashes out with emotion, not caring about - and not understanding - the consequences of an adult world. She loses control, and is unable to handle the decaying situation. When she turns off her father, I felt the terror that she felt, as her safety net disappeared in a split second.
And then there’s Doctor Moon, and the revelation of what he is — handled with an incredibly deft touch (almost off-handed) — which is mostly down to the wonderful performance of Colin Salmon. The man is definitely one of the pre-eminent UK actors of his generation, and seeing him deliver such a powerful performance in Doctor Who is worth the price of admission.
Now let’s switch over to the magnificence of Donna’s story, trapped in her virtual reality. My friend James isn’t quite sure that coming to terms with her virtual reality life is big enough a resolution to be completely satisfying, but I see something different. I see Donna - a practical, prosaic, in-your-face woman - trapped in a dark fairy tale, trying to reconcile her usual, bolshie, messy life with the perfection on offer. Again, we’re trashing and twisting the fourth wall…but this time, we’re following the internal debate between logic and intuition most of us conduct while watching television. The scene-cutting flashes of time, the generic sitcom nature of her children, the creation of a perfect husband from scratch…all brilliantly examined through Donna’s puzzled disconnect with her surroundings…
…and then the dark, face-twisted lady from the terrifying fairy tale comes along and destroys it! Talk about turning a story - and a character - on its ear. The entire playground scene was (I swear to God) ripped from of the dark recesses of sci-fi & fantasy author Neil Gaiman’s deliciously twisted nightmares.
So…we have TV land…we have Brothers Grimm land…and then we launch into the world of legends, myths and destiny.
Another niggle my friend James had was with the resolution of the Vashta Nerada…but I think he misses something. They ARE a force of nature - it shouldn’t be possible (or dramatically satisfying) to negotiate with a tornado. But the Doctor makes his offer and says nothing more, other than to snarl that they use the library to look him up…
…and, for the first time since The Family of Blood, we are reminded what it means to be called The Oncoming Storm. As River Song says, armies run away in terror from this man…and this is one of the moments when this hint of power comes to the forefront. The Vashta Nerada is primal…but the Doctor is legendary.
Legendary, mythic…words we can use to describe the most astonishing love story in Doctor Who history. River Song is at the end of her journey…and the Doctor is only starting. But the Doctor that River knows so well - so powerful, so epic, so impossible - is that our Doctor? Or is that simply our Doctor, holding back? By the end, even he realizes how epic he can be - WE REALIZE just how epic he can be. That ending…that glorious, wonderful, life-affirming ending…should never be considered a cop out. It’s the ultimate statement of life and hope and happiness. It’s Steven Moffat’s statement of what Doctor Who does best - it just IS what Doctor Who is all about. It’s all summed up in that snap of his fingers at the end. The Doctor and his TARDIS. Next stop: everywhere.
Is it any wonder the shadows withdraw? Physically and metaphorically, they never stood a chance.
Hmm…I’ve just looked up dictionary.com’s definition of epic:
“Noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon a hero, in which a series of great achievements or events is narrated in elevated style.”
Forest of the Dead IS poetic, elevated composition. It’s sweeping, tragic, iconic…and every other word I can think of that doesn’t sound adequate. It’s exquisite production design, poignant acting, stunning music, scorching chemistry…and David Tennant at the height of his powers. He is the Doctor.
In like manner, this story is Steven Moffat…and this story is Doctor Who. Like nothing else on television…ever.
10+
