TV REVIEW: Doctor Who - Into The Dalek.

It was a distinctly unsubtle case of another week, another call back in last Saturday’s episode of Doctor Who. ‘Into The Dalek’, episode two of this brand new series, with its brand new Doctor, saw The Time Lord (Peter Capaldi) and companion Clara (Jenna Coleman) visit a Dalek prisoner stranded on an enemy warship.

Reminiscent of Christopher Eccleston’s trip to a Utah alien museum in series one, the Dalek in question is alone, ill - possibly dying- and trapped. This particular egg-whisker is a Dalek with a difference, however. Its illness has changed it. No longer perma-angry and murderous, Rusty, as The Doctor cheerfully dubs him, is even quite chatty.  He (I’m sticking with he- I have no idea if Daleks actually do have genders) is, it seems, essentially a good Dalek. With Rusty’s health failing and the un-named war between the future-humans and his kind raging on, the soldiers need information. Operating a dangerous new technology, they shrink the crew down small enough to, you guessed it, the clue was in the title, go into the Dalek.

The episode proved surprisingly imaginative. Despite choosing to focus on Daleks, them being the most infamous Doctor Who villain since The Time War, and despite having the most obvious title since ‘Snakes on a Plane’ was released into the world, its subject matter was actually rather bold new territory for the show. We’ve seen inside a Dalek before, sure, but only because it decided to throw its doors open and reveal the goop within of its own accord. This showed us the intricate workings of a killing machine, step by step as The Doctor et al walked its veins. It was also a thoughtful, thought provoking look into war, its casualties and how we deal with them. As one of the soldiers sombrely announced early on in the show ‘We don’t need hospitals any more. Daleks don’t leave any wounded. And we don’t take any prisoners’. 

All this context of conflict sat very well, both literally and symbolically, alongside new character soldier-turned-teacher Danny Pink (Samuel Anderson).  Writing fully-fleshed non-irritating side characters is not exactly Moffat’s strong suit (perhaps no surprise then that this episode was actually co-written by Bill Ford) but, so far at least, this character comes across as a companion who might actually have that quality, so elusive in the show of late: likeability. Shown struggling to pluck up the courage even to ask Clara out for a drink, conflicted by his feelings and berating himself for his ineptitude afterwards, whilst also showing very visible distress when questioned about his past by his new pupils, it’s clear the man has layers. 

In fact, it was character in general which shone in this episode. Jenna Coleman goes from strength to strength as Impossible Girl Clara, juggling her day to day life as an ordinary English teacher and her time-travelling ‘hobby’ with good judgement. Capaldi, meanwhile, has settled into the TARDIS as if was born in it. Whilst he doesn’t quite seem to have found his Doctor’s own personal energy just yet, he’s incredibly likeable in the role, bringing wit, intelligence and a sort of calm passion to what had become a distinctly giddy Doctor. You do begin to feel ever so slightly beaten over the head with their ‘I’m not attracted to you. Nobody is attracted to anyone anymore. This is platonic. Platonic!’ (delivered with the syntax of a Dalek) banter, amusing though it is, it just feels a little try-hard. And it just isn't needed.

Finally, I simply cannot let this review go by without a good hearty mention for another new character. There was a second appearance here for the mysterious Missy. Played by the ever-fantastic Michelle Gomez in a spark of utter genius casting, this enigmatic lady/alien/ghost-woman appears to pluck those who have died a death in some way caused by The Doctor right out of their scenes, seemingly re-materialising them in a place she calls Heaven.

Naturally, various theories abound on the internet, with ideas on her identity ranging from a female Master, to the TARDIS, to Clara, to River Song and back again. For now at least, this is a refreshingly new series arc, with the tiny cameo clips at the end of each episode filled with just enough intrigue and a sense of impending doom to keep us all once again clearing the diary and booking the remote for the following Saturday night.

Jen

@jenniferklarge

Becky will be looking after you all next week.

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SERIES REVIEW: Blackout

 So Blackout, the BBC’s latest mini-series ended this week. Brought to us by the same production team as last year’s infinitely cheerier Single Father, starring a veritable dream team of David Tennant and Suranne Jones, Blackout starred fellow ex Doctor Christopher Eccleston. Although he’d doubtless despise that link. 

 Christopher ‘oh so very serious’ Eccleston , as we like to call him here at the Buffery, plays alcoholic council worker Daniel Demoys, a gruff sort of chap prone to bouts of violent behaviour when under the influence, none of which he can remember the morning after. Set in a rainy undisclosed city clearly modelled on Manchester, episode one charts  Demoys’ slow realisation that he has killed a fellow council worker. Having coming to his senses after saving the life of a young witness in a drug trafficking trial, he must atone for that, whilst simultaneously comforting the deceased’s distraught daughter, played with appropriate distress by Rebecca Callard, as well as saving his collapsing marriage with wife Alex (Dervla Kirwan). Oh and he also had an affair with a rather over idealistic blonde woman by the name of Sylvie, (MyAnna Buring) although that didn’t seem to consist of much more than the odd bit of action in a club stairwell.

Got all that?

In Episode 2, we see Daniel’s decision to become mayor, which allows him to set the world to rights whilst enjoying the professional success that goes along with it, earning him brownie points with wife Alex. It will come as no surprise however, that darker forces are at work here, protecting Daniel’s secret and burying any traces of the past for their own evil ends. These not so subtly sinister undertones bubble precariously close to the surface as the episode progresses, helped in no small way by Andrew Scott’s scene stealing Detective Bevan, and all set to the show’s murky film noir style backdrop.

This paved the way for the third and final episode, details of which I will not reveal here in case any of you haven’t quite caught it on 'the Iplayer' yet.

There's a lot to like, here. Eccleston gives his usual dependably intense performance, with atmospheric lighting and make-up allowing him to look extra stare-y. Dervla Kirwan is an equally reliable actress, although I’d have liked to have seen more of her.The dialogue is true to the unnamed gritty metropolis (Manchester) it is written to represent, the production values are excellent, and the storyline skilfully instils a sense of growing unease and anxiety. Which obviously again ties in with all the shots of chlaustrophobic skyscrapers, endless drizzle and murky grey-green street lighting of the city (Manchester).

It is very stylish.

If I have a problem with it though, it’s that it’s too stylish. Call it personal taste but I think it could have used just a touch more realism in places and a little less glossing over the details. This is particularly apparent in any scenes which even remotely consider alcoholism as a concept, as sufferers are labelled simply ‘drunks’, with that being the end of it. ‘I’m a drunk’, they say. ‘But why, how?’ we shout, unheeded at our screens. For a programme centred on the idea of alcoholic blackouts, the alcoholic side of it is barely touched upon. We see Demoys’ attempts to avoid the booze, but we have no idea how we developed the relationship with ‘the sauce’ that he did.

The same can be said of the ending. Again, I won’t give away too much, but it just doesn't come across as having been well thought out. It’s hurried over and unsatisfying- which is a shame when so much of the production is entirely the opposite.

Worth a watch, but possibly another sad case of style over substance.

Blackout is available on BBC Iplayer until this Monday 23^rd July.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01klvq6/Blackout_Episode_1/

-Jen

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