A lot of love in TARDIS…sort of
There’s a new Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and he’s not taking it well…and neither is his companion Clara (Jenna Coleman). As the Doctor adjusts to his new “old” body, Clara finds a budding romance with a fellow school teacher named Danny Pink (Samuel Anderson). Travelling space and romance aren’t working Clara, and the Doctor questions where her loyalties lie. As the Doctor and Clara try to work out their differences, a new threat is forming in a mysterious woman named Missy (Michelle Gomez) who might hold the keys to the afterlife.
Everyone wants a TARDIS
Doctor Who—Season 8 aired from August 23, 2014 to November 8, 2014 on BBC One. The series followed the two specials Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor and Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor (which introduced Peter Capaldi as the Doctor). The season was met with strong numbers and positive reviews for both Capaldi and Coleman.
I know that it is a bit of heresy, but I didn’t love Matt Smith. I thought his Doctor started out strong but suffered writing flows and issues for season six and seven. I also felt that he wasn’t radically different in personality from Tennant and would have preferred a bit more variety after one of the best Doctors. With this in mind, I really enjoyed this season of Doctor Who because it changed it up by reverting to more of the feel of the classic Doctor Who series.
Are you my mummy? Wait, different story…
Peter Capaldi feels like a good blend of both probably the Second and Third Doctor (played by Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee). His Doctor is standoffish and pompous but still has that desire for exploration and trouble that makes for a good Doctor. It is in this throwback that is fun and radically different from Smith, Tennant, and Christopher Eccleston. It feels fresh again.
Coleman’s interaction with the Doctor is also good. She is almost teaching the Doctor about humanity and her relationship with the Doctor feels more like what was attempted by Colin Baker and his companion Peri. Capaldi is kind of mad and Coleman’s Clara is there to bring him down. It didn’t work with Nicola Brown and Baker but it does work here.
The Cybermen in London outside St. Paul’s? Everything old is new again!
The stories and the tone of the series also feels like a retro show. There are more and more references to the original series. This is probably smart in that people now are hunting down the older Doctor Who since the series relaunched. The Whovians know the stories and now referencing them makes more sense. The feel of many of these stories is classic (but with a much bigger budget). They don’t always work, but they have fun trying.
Doctor Who—Season 8 gives me more hope for the series which seemed a bit stalled in recent years. I liked where this season was going and its ode to the original series (like the Cybermen outside of St. Paul’s Cathedral like in Doctor Who: The Invasion). I like that there are references to the Doctor’s past (like his granddaughter and the return of Galifrey) and I hope that hope this means more are to come as fifty years of Doctor Who seems to be coming full circle.
Doctor Who—Season 8 Complete Episode Guide:
“Deep Breath”
8.1 Deep Breath Airdate: 08/23/14
The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) is struggling with his regeneration and Clara (Jenna Coleman) Doesn’t know how to take it either. When the TARDIS and a tyrannosaurus rex arrive in Victorian London, the Doctor and Clara find themselves teamed once again with Silurian Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh), Jenny Flint (Catrin Stewart), and the Sontaran Strax (Dan Starkey) when a new mystery occurs. When they uncover cyborgs posing as humans, the Doctor and his team must escape the androids who seem to notice every breath.
“Into the Dalek”
8.2 Into the Dalek Airdate: 08/30/14
Clara is returning to her normal life and finds herself with interest in a new coworker named Danny Pink (Samuel Anderson). When the Doctor contacts Clara with a new assignment, Clara learns that the Doctor is working with a rebel fighter named Journey Blue (Zawe Ashton) to explore why her people have captured a Dalek bent on destroying its own race. The Dalek needs a doctor and the Doctor is the only one available…which means a trip within the Dalek to see what makes it tick.
“Robot of Sherwood”
8.3 Robot of Sherwood Airdate: 09/06/14
When Clara requests to meet Robin Hood, the Doctor reminds her that he’s just a myth. With a trip to medieval England, the Doctor is out to prove he’s right to Clara…but Clara might have the last laugh when they encounter a man named Robin Hood (Tom Riley) and face off against the Sheriff of Nottingham (Ben Miller) who isn’t what he seems.
“Listen”
8.4 Listen Airdate: 09/13/14
Something lurks in the dark…just out of eyesight and it haunts everyone…and the Doctor’s determined to find out what it is! Interrupting Clara and Daddy’s first date, the Doctor and Clara find themselves searching for clues and Clara realizes she might accidentally be crossing her own timeline…with disastrous results.
“Time Heist”
8.5 Time Heist Airdate: 09/20/14
The Doctor and Clara find themselves pulled into one of the greatest bank robberies ever. Recruited (unwillingly) by the Architect, Clara and the Doctor are joined by Psi (Jonathan Bailey) and Saibra (Pippa Bennett-Warner) in breaking into the Bank of Karabraxos…which is unbreakable. The secret of the bank’s vault will be revealed!
“The Caretaker”
8.6 The Caretaker Airdate: 09/27/14
Clara finds balancing her life with the Doctor and her new boyfriend Danny difficult…especially when the Doctor decides to pose as the caretaker to her school. An danger is coming and the Doctor has made the school the battleground. Facing off against the Skovox Blitzer, Clara finds that her worlds are about to collide.
“Kill the Moon”
8.7 Kill the Moon Airdate: 10/04/14
The Doctor is out to take Courtney Woods (Ellis George) on an adventure. Travelling to 2049, the TARDIS ends up on the moon where they find a moon mission from Earth. Something is happening to the moon and the Earth is threatened as a result. When the Doctor discovers the secret of the moon, he leaves Clara with an impossible decision that could change their relationship forever.
“Mummy on the Orient Express”
8.8 Mummy on the Orient Express Airdate: 10/11/14
The Doctor is trying to mend his relationship with Clara by taking her on the Orient Express which travels the stars. Adventure finds the Doctor when the people of the train begin being haunted by something called the Foretold…a mummy that kills its victims in 66 seconds.
“Flatline”
8.9 Flatline Airdate: 10/18/14
Clara is continuing to carry on a secret relationship with the Doctor. When the TARDIS suffers a power drain, it ends up in Bristol where strange murals are popping up as people disappear. The Doctor is trapped in the shrinking TARDIS and Clara finds herself investigating the mystery with a young man named Rigsby (Joivan Wade).
“In the Forest”
8.10 In the Forest of the Night Airdate: 10/25/14
A forest pops up in London overnight and it appears that the trees of the world have decided to fight back against humanity. Clara and Danny are trapped with their students in London as the Doctor tries to save the world…but another threat could be looming over the Earth.
“Black Water”
8.11 Dark Water Airdate: 11/01/14
Tragedy has struck, and Danny Pink is dead. Clara has ordered the Doctor to save him and that means Clara and the Doctor are going to seek out “the afterlife” which may very well exist. Tracking Danny might be the easy part as the Doctor and Clara come face to face with the mysterious woman calling herself Missy (Michelle Gomez) who has been following the Doctor’s every step…and Missy has plans for the Doctor.
“Death in Heaven”
8.12 Death in Heaven Airdate: 11/08/14
Missy is the Master and she’s joined forces with the Cybermen to form an army of the undead. Clara finds herself in a last ditch effort to save Danny Pink from his fate as one of the Cybermen as the fate of Earth hangs in the balance. As the Master’s plans are revealed, the Doctor finds that one of his long-time allies could be the key to stopping the Master…the Master’s big secret could change the Doctor’s future forever!
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