This
isn't the first time that Doctor Who has
taken us to a fascist alternate-present-day Earth: The
Sound of Drums/The Last of the Time Lords and
Turn Left did much the
same thing, not to mention the Third-Doctor-era classic Inferno
from the early-1970s. But it never fails to be a fascinating concept,
and at the conceptual level this story may be the most interesting of
them all, as it is set not just in an alternate present, but a
timeline where all of human history has been altered up until this
point. This sort of story, set in a world much like ours, but somehow
wrong, brings with it a very creepy sort of unreality that can really
get under viewers' skin. Perhaps what makes it so eerie is that it
shows us how, under a different set of circumstances, we could easily
be living through something like one of the darker parts of history
that we now learn about in school, and say “never again.” That is
largely the point of this story: while it may be an alternate
reality, it draws strong parallels to the current sociopolitical
climate around the world. It makes the case that, with the rise of
far-right nationalist governments around the world, and the
authoritarian attitudes that they bring with them, we may in fact be
closer to a fascist present day than we realize. It even goes so far
as to hint that that is why the monks chose this moment in time to
invade: we were already so close to the precipice of a new wave of
fascism and the chaos that comes with it, so they may as well step in
and be the fascists for their own gain. This social commentary is the
final piece of the puzzle for making this dystopian future very
unsettling indeed.
Peter
Capaldi handles this sort of dark, intense material very well, and
feels very much in his element. It is, however, Pearl Mackie who
steals the show, as the episode gives her a more purely dramatic role
than she generally gets as the often-funny Bill. She handles the
seriousness of this episode excellently, and proves more than ever
before that she truly has strong dramatic chops. Both Mackie and
Capaldi get excellent dialogue and some great monologues from writer
Toby Whithouse, who has penned some of the Steven Moffat era's best
scripts, like Under the Lake/Before the Flood
and The God Complex.
When this episode is at its best, it reminds us why he has
consistently made such a strong impression with his scripts (and
frankly, why I wish he was going to be the next showrunner instead of
Chris Chibnall).
However,
I do need to qualify that with “the episode at its best.” This is
a somewhat uneven episode, mostly because it is so stuffed with ideas
that they don't have enough room to breathe. The story would have
made for an absolutely excellent double-episode, as there is more
than enough plot to occupy a full 90 minutes, and the world is so
fascinating that leaves the audience wanting to explore more of it.
But at just 45 minutes it feels overstuffed, like a double-length
episode that had to be condensed down to a single due to some sort of
constraints in the production. Everything that is here is really good
– sometimes even excellent – but it needs more time than the
series could give it to realize its full potential.
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| "Hey, check it out, I'm in Phantasm!" |
Score:
-
Christopher S. Jordan
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