Villordsutch reviews Doctor Who Series 9 Episode 4 – ‘Before the Flood’…
Doctor: I’m going to go back to the base, and I’m going to go save Clara because that’s what I do and I don’t see anyone here that’s going to stop me.
TARDIS: (Cloister Bell): GONG! GONG!
In Doctor Who this week, titled Before the Flood, we’re given a direct, fourth wall-breaking instruction from the Doctor to “Google it!” and a bit of Deus Ex Machina with the rather controversial Sonic Shades.
We begin this weeks episode with the Doctor giving us a short “what if” tale about a time traveller returning to visit Beethoven and discovering that he never existed, but with the Time Traveller clearly holding his work. Deciding the Universe needs the classics by this Master of Music, he places them correctly into time, making them out to have been created by Beethoven. We’re told this whole event and its effect would be called the Bootstrap Paradox, for which the Doctor tells the viewers to “Google it!”. The credits role and we join O’Donnell, Bennett and the Doctor in an Army Camp – back in 1980 – made to look like a Russian village; it appears O’Donnell is a huge fan of the Doctor and has studied a number of his UNIT cases. As the group investigate they locate the craft last seen on the Drum, which appears to be a hearse that has been flown by Prentis – a Tivoli undertaker – who has brought the Fisher King, a brutal beast who ruled the people of Tivoli for ten years, to his last resting place, a barren savage outpost otherwise known as Earth. However Prentis is unaware of the symbols etched into the inside of the hearse, and the Doctor realises who ever created the symbols is possibly inside the stasis container.
Back in the future Cass discovers the Ghost Doctor is repeating the Drums crews’ names along with Clara’s name over and over again. The Doctor then calls Clara on the phone and they discuss what they can and cannot do about changing the future, with the Doctor offering to do what he can to help those left surviving, including himself for Clara’s sake. Then the Ghost doctor enters the Drum and releases the trapped ghosts from the Faraday Cage. The living Doctor then speaks to the Ghost Doctor making it change its message, which Cass relays as, “The Chamber will open tonight”. The Doctor urgently directs Clara and the remaining crew to the now empty Faraday Cage instructing her to leave the phone outside as it won’t function within cage. The Doctor, Bennett and O’Donnell turn to leave the TARDIS, however the Doctor insists that O’Donnell stay behind in the TARDIS to, “Mind the shop”. In what seems like rather a demeaning duty, O’Donnell refuses and she insists on accompanying them both. Shortly afterwards the team is split up and the Fisher King kills her, with Bennett realising the list is the order in which people die, he becomes frustrated that the Doctor never tried hard enough to save O’Donnell, but he will for Clara.
With Clara and the rest of the crew in the Faraday cage – watching the phone on the outside, waiting for the Doctor to call – O’Donnell’s ghost appears and walks away with the rather important line of communication. Meanwhile back in 1980 the Doctor and Bennett attempt to return to the Drum, but the Cloister Bell rings in the TARDIS causing both the Doctor and Bennett to re-materialize thirty minutes before, locked in their own time-stream. The Doctor explains why you cannot save those you’ve lost from death, even when you really want to, to Bennett, as the new interim companion struggles in not alerting the recently deceased, now alive, from their impending fates.
It occurs to Clara that Lunn has never seen the Symbols and that’s why he has never been attacked, so she’s insists he leave the cage to retrieve the phone, much to Cass’s disgust. Below the village the Doctor discuss with the Fisher King – who is hidden in the shadows – the ghosts created in the future, the Fisher King talks of his plan to drain the earth of its oceans and place the humans in chains; the Doctor announces this planet is protected by him. The King then reveals himself, also announcing that he knows all about the Time Lords, describing them going from curators to the most warlike race in the galaxy.
Meanwhile back at the the Drum, Lunn has walked into a trap as the phone was left in the rec room, which the doors locked as soon as he stepped in. Cass and Clara – after Lunn didn’t return – decided to go searching for him, unfortunately becoming separated; Cass is unaware – due to her disability – that Moran is dragging an axe behind her, and only at the last moment she feels the vibrations of the metal dragging along the hull plates does she manage to dodge out of the way from the axe blow. We return to the Doctor and he verbally attacks the Fisher King for the bending of the human soul upon their death, informing him that he plans to put things straight. He tells the risen warrior that the symbols have been erased from the ship and the future has been changed, the Fisher King pushes the Doctor from his path and marches to the ship to see this for himself, only to discover the Doctor has lied. Not only this the Doctor has set the missing powercell to explode at the base of the dam. With Bennett inside the TARDIS the Echelon Circuit is activated and begins to dematerisle leaving both the Fisher King and the Doctor to drown in the village.
We arrive at the Drum and the stasis unit opens revealing the Doctor, he runs to the control room and jams his sonic shades into the speaker system, this emits the Fisher King’s call all around the Drum attracting the remaining ghosts to the Faraday Cage and what is revealed to be a hologram of the Ghost Doctor. It appeared the Doctor had programmed the Sonic Shades to upload the Doctors hologram to the system, via the bases WiFi, as soon as the stasis chamber was brought on board. As we wrap up and we discover the ghosts will be placed into orbit until the dissipate, we come full circle and back to the Bootstrap Paradox as the Doctor explains to Clara about decisions made upon witnessing the Ghost Doctor.
This week’s episode though not as exciting was still interesting; our action along with running through corridors was brought down numerous levels and instead the time for talking and thinking came into play. Now for us out there that enjoy an episode where “smarts” come into our Science-Fiction we probably lapped it up, however I can see a few people that possibly relished the opening three episodes finding this the first stumbling block in series nine. There were a number of things within the episode however to appreciate especially the assistant trial set by the Doctor for O’Donnell, perhaps seen as a bit discriminatory towards women on the initial glance, with the Doctor asking her to watch the shop, in truth we had the Doctor seeing the potential in a person who is willing to question the authority and see beyond the curtain.
The only downside for my episode was the use of the Deus Ex Machina in the form of the Sonic Shades! Yes I too can’t stand the Sonic Shades, I know why they’re hanging around though, but I still want rid. Here in this episode they were used so blasé at the end of this episode they left you feeling slightly unfulfilled with the conclusion. Still a minor issue can’t spoil an enjoyable slice of Who.
The next episode of Doctor Who is called “The Girl Who Died”, starring Maisie Williams, you can watch a trailer for it here, also take a look at the top guesses are who Maisie Williams could be playing within the Doctor Who universe here.
SEE ALSO: Check out the Series 9 episode title and descriptions here
Villordsutch likes his sci-fi and looks like a tubby Viking according to his children. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=C_zu6XuI_g4
